University of Wisconsin-Madison Since 1892
Thursday, November 13, 2025 l
Three female primatologists at UW-Madison discuss Jane Goodall’s influence
+ SCIENCE, PAGE 6
BOOK OF MORMON GOODALL INSPIRES UW’S NEXT GEN
“South Park” creators’ comedy musical returned to The Overture Center
+ ARTS, PAGE 7
By Jake Kilander STAFF WRITER
Leaders of University of WisconsinMadison food pantry Open Seat say they are unprepared to meet surging demand for their services amid federal uncertainty around Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, limited capacity and lagging university support.
“The Open Seat was created to provide some essential relief,” Grace Van Voorst, Open
Seat’s internal director, said. “We were never meant to solve food insecurity or to be the university’s safety net for students.”
Open Seat fills an essential role as the only food pantry on campus, serving 2,584 households in the community by providing pantry staples and grocery distribution. In the last two years, the number of households Open Seat has served has increased by nearly three times, with the pantry serving
913 households in September 2023.
“Right now, a handful of student employees are doing the work of a university,” Van Voorst said.
Then, the Trump administration refused to pay out SNAP benefits during the federal government shutdown. Although a court order forced the Trump administration to ultimately deliver SNAP funding after withholding payments for six days, Van Voorst
By Grace Cannizzo STAFF WRITER
It wasn’t pretty, but the Wisconsin Badgers 3-6 (1-5) found a way to get it done Saturday, knocking off the No. 23 Washington Huskies 6-3 (3-3) 13-10 as sleet — and thousands of students — poured onto the field.
The win is Wisconsin’s first against a ranked team since 2021 and snaps a six game losing streak in a vintage Big Ten thriller few saw coming.
It was also a glimmer of hope for Badger fans who rushed the field, with thousands spilling out of the north end zone when time expired.
True freshman quarterback Carter Smith made his Badger debut midway through the first quarter after Danny O’Neil sustained a lower body injury.
Despite going 3-of-12 on pass attempts and averaging 3.1 yards per carry, the freshman showed glimmers of promise in a run-heavy scheme, providing a rushing touchdown and a 16-yard carry on the night.
When asked what Smith gave to the team, head coach Luke Fickell said, “A chance. He gave us hope.”
Similar to Wisconsin, Washington’s offense didn’t produce anything in the first quarter, turning the ball over on downs and being forced into two three-and-outs.
A missed 48-yard field goal attempt by Nathaniel Vakos left the Badgers scoreless in the first quarter as well. However, the kicker’s successful 42-yard redeeming field goal with 13:39 in the second quarter put the Badgers on the board first.
Washington responded with a 42-yard field goal of their own, followed by a 8-yard sack on O’Neil. Washington junior linebacker Anthony Ward blocked the resulting punt attempt, and the Huskies recovered on Wisconsin’s 1-yard line. Washington quickly scored, taking a 10-3 lead with 07:44 in the second quarter.
After another failed offensive drive by the Badgers, the teams’ defense
stepped up, with Ricardo Hallman intercepting a poorly thrown ball in the endzone for a touchback.
On the first drive of the second half, the Badgers went deep in their bag of tricks to jump their offense. Punter Sean West delivered a 24-yard strike to tight end Jackson Acker on a fake punt, converting the fourth down. The drive would go on to stall out at midfield, but that 24-yard pass was good enough to make West the Badger’s leading passer for the game — a testament to how sloppy and disjointed Saturday was.
Wisconsin true freshman linebacker Mason Posa forced a fumble on the next drive and recovered the ball on Washington’s 7-yard line.
Smith ran for five yards before punching the ball in on 2nd and 2 to even the score at 10 with 6:29 on the clock.
said student employees like herself are still overtaxed and undersupported.
“We’re operated by five part-time student employees with a pretty small budget and a very limited storage capacity.” Van Voorst said. “We are really proud that we’re able to serve as many students as we can, but that model isn’t really sustainable.”
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By Alaina Walsh ASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR
The University of Wisconsin-Madison will play a central role in Microsoft’s newest artificial intelligence initiative, joining Princeton University as one of only two universities in the world partnering on the company’s Discovery Platform — a tool designed to accelerate breakthroughs in scientific research.
UW-Madison and TitletownTech, Microsoft’s Green Bay-based innovation hub, will work with the tech giant to pilot AI systems that assist researchers in modeling data, simulating experiments and advancing discoveries in areas such as life sciences, manufacturing and materials science. The collaboration marks an expansion of Microsoft’s long-running TechSpark initiative in Wisconsin and positions the state as a key national site for AI-driven research and economic development.
“This is not a typical corporate R&D center or a one-off research grant,” Matt Adamczyk, director of TitletownTech at Microsoft told The Daily Cardinal in an email. “This is a shared undertaking grounded in deep engagement in these local communities and shared alignment on the promise of AI.”
Microsoft leaders said Wisconsin’s strong research ecosystem, paired with nearly eight years of TechSpark programming, made UW-Madison and TitletownTech “a natural choice.”
“Wisconsin thrives on bold ideas and collaboration,” Adamczyk said. “By combining world-class industry and academic expertise, Microsoft Discovery paves the way for breakthroughs in materials science, manufacturing and life sciences, spurring innovation for the region and beyond.”
Microsoft emphasized that the partnership builds on years of TechSpark initiatives aimed at expanding economic development, digital skills and innovation across Wisconsin. The Discovery Platform represents the next phase of that work.
“Given the strong foundation we have with TitletownTech and UW-Madison, Wisconsin was a natural choice to launch the collaboration program,” Adamczyk said.
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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
By Paige Armstrong STAFF WRITER
7,600 participants braved single digit wind chills and scattered snowfall to race the streets of downtown Madison Sunday morning in the annual Madison Marathon.
The event, organized by Madison Festival Inc., included a full marathon at 7:00 a.m. and a half marathon and 10k at 7:20 a.m. that started and ended on the Capitol Square.
Spectators flooded the nearby local businesses following initial starts to get away from the subfreezing temperatures. Despite the cold, spirits remained high.
“It’s a really great opportunity for a community to come together and celebrate the people in their city. It’s really encouraging to see so many people come out and be excited for the people they know,” University of Wisconsin-Madison sophomore and spectator Emma Fellows told The Daily Cardinal.
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Currently, Open Seat is partially funded through student segregated fees. UW-Madison’s student government will consider legislation Nov. 12 to establish a full-time Open Seat professional staff member. The resolution states that during the SNAP benefit delays, the university promoted Open Seat as a primary solution without first coordinating with Open Seat. The resolution calls for better emergency communication between The Office of Student Assistance and Support and Open Seat leadership in the future.
Gov. Tony Evers restored SNAP benefits for Wisconsin residents on Nov. 7. The loss of SNAP benefits heightened the importance of safety nets, such as food pantries, across the country, including at UW-Madison.
“[Open Seat] aim[s] to ensure that students can focus on their studies and success rather than their next meal,” Van Voorst said. Opened in 2016, the student-run pantry is available to any UW-Madison student.
Open Seat gets deliveries from the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southern Wisconsin, an organization that stocks many of the food shelves around Madison. Van Voorst said the amount Open Seat can order has been limited due to high demand from other regional pantries.
“Food shelves around Madison are really bearing the brunt of the current crisis,” she said.
According to Van Voorst, Open Seat has had shortages on essential items like milk, eggs or bread when they’re in between deliveries. The pantry has had to put quotas on certain items in response to increased demand.
Open Seat experienced these shortages before the uncertainty around SNAP benefits. “A lot of students are losing a critical safety net,” Van Voorst said. “But we also have to recognize that a lot of students haven’t had that safety net to begin with.”
Van Voorst highlighted that international students, who are ineligible for federal aid, are susceptible to food insecurity as well, and that the issues
Mark Emmen came out to cheer on his daughter Isla.
“Everybody’s pumped up, jazzed. It’s that feeling that everybody’s doing what they wanted and setting their own records,” Emmen said.
Flurries of snow stuck to the windburnt cheeks of the cheering crowd as marathoners and half-marathoners crossed the finish line.
“[The atmosphere] is electric. Everybody here is so nice and genuinely wants to see other people be successful. It’s radiant,” Sophia Polzer, another spectator on the course, said.
Runners who are 21 years-old and older enjoyed a Michelob Ultra as part of their post-race care pack, along with a baked potato, donut and potato chips.
12 year-old first-time half marathoner Brynn Fleming told the Cardinal how proud she was of herself, especially considering past injuries to her patella and hip.
were institutional.
In a Nov. 4 letter, Open Seat communicated their need for greater support, both charitably and institutionally. The letter “advocate[s] for institutional solutions for students facing food insecurity,” calling on UW-Madison to make a greater effort in addressing food insecurity on campus.
For years, leaders of Open Seat and other campus advocacy organizations have called for more “basic needs” resources for UW-Madison students.
Darcy Wittberger with Student Affairs said they were “fast-tracking” a fundraising page for the Campus Food Access Fund in an emailed statement to The Daily Cardinal. Money donated to the fund goes towards Open Seat and the Badger Fare Food Access Program.
The Food Access Fund is the main resource Open Seat uses for their food budget. They also receive in-kind donations through retailers, although Van Voorst said those are the smallest portion of their budget. The organization uses segregated student fees to cover non-food buying expenses.
The exponential spike in demand has strained Open Seat’s already limited staffing, storage space and funding. Van Voorst said she had put in well over 30 hours of work in preparation for the shutdown of SNAP benefits.
“Right now, a handful of student employees are doing the work of a university,” she said.
For students facing food insecurity, Van Voorst recommended the Basic Needs team support page where students can locate resources, including Open Seat, that provide access to food, hygiene products and more.
To keep herself going in the middle of the race, Fleming said she thought about “going home and taking a warm bath.”
Race finishers greeted parents, friends, spouses and — in the case of eight-time marathon runner Josh Knuteson — a “baby on the way in March.”
Knuteson recorded a Madison personal record despite the cold conditions. He said the motto of the day was “embrace the suck.”
“I am so amped up right now…
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What the Discovery Platform does
Microsoft leaders said the Discovery Platform is designed to bring “Agentic R&D” to life, an approach that embeds AI throughout the scientific research process.
Adamczyk said the platform is built on a “powerful graph-based knowledge engine” that allows it to move beyond simple fact retrieval and instead map complex scientific relationships. The engine can interpret conflicting theories, diverse research results and nuanced connections across scientific disciplines.
“This engine builds graphs of nuanced relationships between proprietary data and external scientific research,” Adamczyk said. “It gives the platform a deep understanding of scientific context while providing detailed source tracking and reasoning. That transparency is essential in building trust and ensuring experts can validate every step.”
The platform also allows researchers to create teams of specialized AI agents that evolve alongside their work. Rather than operating in siloed pipelines, the Discovery Platform uses a continuous research cycle where agents learn, adapt and collaborate with human scientists, according to Adamczyk.
“R&D teams will be able to build a custom AI team aligned to their specific processes and knowledge,” Adamczyk said. “These agents aren’t just capable of working for
The cold kind of numbed everything…I was like, ‘This is not gonna be fun.’ But I just embraced it,” Knuteson told the Cardinal.
For those who stuck it out, the experience was one-of-a-kind.
“This was a blast…If anybody has a chance to come race Madison, they should. Best city in the world,” Knuteson said, throwing his hands up and pointing to the Madison sky.
Next year’s marathon will take place on Nov. 15.
researchers — they work with them to amplify human ingenuity.”
Microsoft’s Copilot will act as the central coordinator, identifying which tools, models or agents to deploy based on the needs of the research team. Adamczyk described Copilot as “a scientific AI assistant orchestrating specialized agents” across the platform’s catalog.
Built on Microsoft Azure, the system is designed to support custom, open-source or commercial tools. Adamczyk also said the platform will be “future-proofed” as Microsoft rolls out new advancements, including its upcoming work in quantum computing and embodied AI.
The UW-Madison and Princeton pilots will help Microsoft build out a national model for accelerating scientific discovery through AI.
“While we are in the early days of what is possible, we are collectively committed to a joint exploration of what’s possible when our institutions work hand-in-hand to accelerate science and innovation,” Adamczyk said.
The partnership’s early research focus areas are expected to include materials design, advanced manufacturing and life sciences, areas where UW-Madison researchers already lead major national projects.
UW-Madison researchers will begin piloting the Discovery Platform in the coming months, with formal programming expanding throughout 2026.
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Wisconsin’s defense remained relentless, getting a stop on the ensuing possession. Their offense managed to get upfield on the next drive, which resulted in a 32-yard field goal from Vakos.
Even amidst a snowstorm, Wisconsin’s student section was revived going into the
fourth quarter with a 13-10 lead.
The Huskies decided to test a 50-yard field goal with 10:48 left to go in the game, amid swirling, snowy skies and were denied by the long reach of 6’5” Badger defensive lineman Ben Barten, who blocked the attempt.
The Badgers held the lead behind valiant defensive efforts from Posa and true freshman linebacker Cooper Catalano.
Posa ended the contest with six solo tackles, 2.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. Catalano put up 19 total tackles, with 12 solo tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
After the Badgers stalled out on their last drive, Washington had one final shot from their own 20 yard line with 2:53 left. And when his team needed him, it was Posa again who came up with
the huge stop, sacking quarterback Demond Williams Jr. on a 4th and 6 to seal it.
The students rushed the field, bringing energy back into what has been a lifeless Camp Randall Stadium for months.
Players and coaches alike expressed feelings of relief after the game.
“It just feels incredible,” Wisconsin offensive tackle Riley Mahlman said after the
game. “You kind of have these thoughts in the back of your mind. I didn’t know if I was ever going to win another game as a Wisconsin Badger. That was just the reality.”
Fickell said, “It feels really good; let’s just say that.”
The Badgers will travel to No. 2 Indiana next Saturday at 11 a.m, looking to carry their momentum and salvage an otherwise disappointing season.
By Katherine Strangberg & Grace Williams
WRITERS
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Susan Crawford discussed her 2024 election — the most expensive state judicial race in the nation’s history — and the future of the court at an event with the Wisconsin Union Directorate Society and Politics Committee Nov. 5.
Moderated by University of Wisconsin-Madison Political Science Professor Barry Burden, founding director of the Elections Research Center, Crawford first raised concerns about the impact of national conservative donors, like Elon Musk, that funded her opponent’s campaign.
“If [Elon Musk] had been successful and had been able to... buy a justice out of state [for the] supreme court... we’d see him out doing it again in all kinds of races all over the country.”
Although she expressed concern about the sustainability and fairness of high-cost elections, Crawford said the expenses of this race played a role in bringing voters to the polls, which led to a historic turnout.
“I think getting a lot of voters to the polls is a good thing. I think having people participate, and having people recognize that the judiciary is really important and affects people’s rights... is all positive,” Crawford said.
She offered potential reforms, like public funding and retention elections, but said she doubts their feasibility under current campaign finance laws.
The conversation transitioned to the areas of law Crawford believed could emerge as she spends the next ten years on the court. She pointed to technology and artificial intelligence as rapidly evolving areas affecting privacy and constitutional law, particularly under the Fourth Amendment.
“How do we interpret the Fourth Amendment in some of those contexts that our founding fathers would not have been able to even imagine?” Crawford asked.
Crawford said AI could soon play a role in all steps of the legal process, especially the technologies police use to obtain evidence.
Crawford also emphasized the importance of respecting precedent and criticized the United States Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision for overturning Roe v.
Wade without sufficient justification.
Crawford discussed her early career, where she studied English literature before transitioning to law. She noted her English background helped her with close textual analysis, which she believes is essential for law students.
“I wanted to be more engaged in problem solving and sort of grappling with the issues of the day,” Crawford said about her transition to law.
Crawford then spent time as a litigator for the state, where she represented Planned Parenthood. She noted that a highlight of her career was appearing in front of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the first time in 1998.
“And the first time I appeared there, I was working as an Assistant Attorney General for the state, and I got to stand up at that podium and say, may it please the Court. My name is Susan Crawford. I’m representing the state of Wisconsin, and that was a really just [a] chilling moment for me.”
She found that her cases would often lose once they reached the Wisconsin Supreme Court due to its conservative majority and their defense of Scott Walker’s political agenda.
“So I think that really motivated me to take a different approach and a different step in my career, and to become
a judge, to become one of the decision makers,” Crawford said.
The event concluded with audience questions on judicial impartiality, campaign financing and the role of courts in a divided political climate.
Jack Plasterer, a Master’s graduate in Cartography and GIS from UW-Madison, asked about decoupling politics from the process of electing or appointing Supreme Court justices and what it would take to reform the state’s election process.
“We have to amend our state constitution,” said Crawford. “And the process for amending the state constitution is that the legislature has to adopt the proposed amendment twice, in I think, consecutive terms, and then it has to be put out to a vote by the public. So that’s a pretty long process.”
Max Ozer-Staton, a J.D. Candidate at UW-Madison, inquired about the judicial philosophy of showing restraint versus making politically motivated decisions.
“I think people use the term judicial activism or the term legislating from the bench when they just disagree with how the case was decided by the judges that are making that decision.
I think it’s a, you know, a pretty easy and kind of sloppy critique.”
UW-Madison freshman Celeste Kronstedt asked about handling cases with clear laws but significant policy impacts.
“I think it is, you know, it’s part of our case law and tradition in Wisconsin that the court should not overturn precedent unless it has a very good reason, very strong reason, to do so. And one of those reasons can be that the court believes that the prior case that’s being overturned, the prior case was wrongly decided.”
Another student, Ethan Jones, asked about the impact and future of campaign finance law on election participation.
“I view the law as, I think the role of the law is, it’s a tool to help people and to solve problems and to kind of structure our society. So I’m always looking at the law as a problem-solving tool, and I don’t think that laws really mean a whole lot divorced from a particular context.”
Burden closed the event by thanking Crawford for her time and emphasizing the need for thoughtful, skilled public servants in government.
“It’s helpful to know that we have thoughtful, well-trained people who are in those positions of power really looking out for the betterment of society,” Burden said.
By Audrey Lopez-Stane SENIOR STAFF WRITER
University of WisconsinWhitewater Rock County Professor and director Ken Brosky shared frustration over recent two-year University of Wisconsin system campus closures in his documentary and after the screening at Union South.
“CLOSURE: The Dismantling of Wisconsin’s Colleges” follows communities impacted by branch closures since 2023, specifically UW-Platteville Richland and UW-Milwaukee at Washington County.
Brosky argues these closures mean Wisconsin is failing to live up to the Wisconsin Idea, a philosophy that Wisconsin’s universities should serve the public good and state.
UW-Richland was the first branch to close after just 54 students enrolled in its final year. Though community members rallied to keep the branch open by petitioning, holding town halls and meeting with UW System President Jay Rothman, the system vacated the campus in 2024.
“Richland is one of the poorest areas of the state. The twoyear campus really was a lifeline over there,” Brosky said.
Last month, UW-Platteville announced the closure of its Baraboo Sauk County branch after student enrollment was less than half of what it initially expected for this year.
Baraboo was the eighth UW branch campus to close or downsize since 2023 due to low enrollment.
In 2018, the UW-System’s four-year universities took over the 13 UW colleges now known as branch campuses. This merger was meant to help with declining enrollment, but Brosky said it did the exact opposite.
The branch campuses were actively marketing their programs toward high school students before the merger, Brosky said. They were consistently visiting high schools to recruit students, particularly ones who didn’t even plan on going to college in the first place. But after the merger, he said the four-year universities pulled almost all funding for branch recruiters and marketing.
“The UW colleges were very good at going out and recruiting people,” Brosky said. “But if [recruiters] aren’t in those high schools, there is no market for those two-year campuses.”
Brosky told The Daily Cardinal the Baraboo branch enrolls a lot of students who eventually transfer to UW-Madison. He said Baraboo had been great for students who couldn’t afford UW-Madison right after high school, and many students will miss out when the branch isn’t an option anymore.
The documentary was filmed prior to the announcement of the Baraboo closure but highlighted the campus’s commitment to the Wisconsin Idea amid other branches shutting down, and Brosky said the campus anticipated a $780,000 investment from Sauk County to increase enrollment and avoid closure.
“This is a county that cares deeply about the Wisconsin Idea and affordable access to higher education,” Brosky said in the documentary. The campus will officially close next spring.
When the Baraboo closure was announced, Rep. Karen DeSanto, D-Baraboo blamed the lack of state funding for the UW System from the Republican-controlled legislature. Brosky said he felt the same way.
“I blame first and foremost the Wisconsin Legislature,”
Brosky said. “The former regents who were Walker appointees deserve a lot of blame too.”
Former Gov. Scott Walker cut $250 million from the UW System in 2015 after initially proposing $300 million. It was one of the largest cuts to higher education in university history and in the country. This year’s approved budget was the largest state funding increase by the legislature in 20 years. Gov. Tony Evers proposed $856 million in February, but he eventually agreed with Republican lawmakers on $256 million in July for the 2025-27 budget.
Still, Wisconsin ranks as
one of the lowest states in higher education affordability. But Brosky said UW branches are able to keep tuition low, even when the four-year universities cut many of their programs. The branches are special, he said, because they offer liberal arts programs for less money and with smaller class sizes and they especially cater toward students who didn’t initially think they would go to college. To him, they are essential to the state and the Wisconsin Idea.
“There’s this notion that they can replace what the twoyear colleges do,” Brosky said. “It’s not the same, it’s a radically different experience.”
By Zoey Elwood COPY CHIEF
Democratic socialist student government representative Robert “Bobby” Gronert announced his campaign for Common Council District 8 Tuesday at the Crossing Campus Ministry during a watch party for the New York city mayoral election, emphasizing affordable housing, public safety and combating fascism in his campaign.
The watch party was co-sponsored by the UW-Madison Young Democratic Socialists of America, who also endorsed Gronert for alder. Following Zohran Mamdani’s victory for New York City mayor, Gronert took the stage to announce his candidacy to YDSA members and the public.
Gronert, a University of WisconsinMadison sophomore, emphasized the importance of his campaign being student-led and its goal of advancing student interests.
“We’ve got about a dozen people working on this campaign, and every single one of them is a student here at Madison,” Gronert told The Daily Cardinal. “I think that our identity as students really is unique in how we experience the city, and so there needs to be some sort of reflection of that identity in the city council.”
Gronert is running for the seat held by Alder MGR Govindarajan, a spring 2024 UW-Madison graduate who has served since April 2023. Govindarajan told the Cardinal “it’s a bit early to be thinking about reelection” and is instead focusing on the upcoming city budget.
District 8 includes most on-campus housing and nearby heavily student-pop-
ulated neighborhoods.
Gronert currently serves as secretary of the Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee, where he said he has defended free expression on campus and opposed budget cuts reducing funding for student organizations.
He previously served as a student representative on the Shorewood School District Board of Education from 2021 to 2022, advocating for fair teacher compensation. Gronert also interned for democratic socialist Rep. Darrin Madison, D-Milwaukee, where he gained experience navigating government and observing socialist-style government at the state level.
“On the Shorewood School Board, I didn’t have a vote, but even still, I was able to get the board to change their decisions on a number of issues,” Gronert told the Cardinal. “I’ve learned how to be a fighter and how to win where I don’t have numbers theoretically.”
His campaign prioritizes affordable housing solutions, proposing increased funding for the Community Development Authority so the city can directly build publicly-owned housing rather than relying solely on private developers. He suggests using the vacant Madison Area Technical College campus lot near the State Capitol for affordable housing.
“I think the city has taken some good first steps in places, but we definitely need to do more,” Gronert told the Cardinal. “I would support using the city government in order to buy land and build affordable public housing for students, young workers, peo-
ple trying to get back on their feet — everyone in the city.”
Additionally, Gronert advocates for eliminating Madison’s building height restrictions to encourage upward development, rehouse the residents of Dairy Drive — a homeless encampment the Madison Common Council voted to shut down in September — and work toward ending homelessness in Madison.
Gronert also proposes creating a Tenant Defense Council staffed by city attorneys to fight wrongful evictions, protect renters from exploitation and challenge excessive rent increases.
“I believe that housing is a human right,” Gronert told the Cardinal. “We can come into the housing crisis from a lot of different angles — from the supply angle and from just defending tenants as well — and really try and alleviate a lot of the issues with housing in Madison.”
Gronert’s platform calls for ending bar raids and mass citations, which he argues increases the risk of unsafe drinking and sexual assault. Instead, he supports guiding the Madison Police Department (MPD) toward harm reduction approaches rather than “student punishment.”
However, MPD and Govindarajan already indicated in October that they would move away from large-scale bar raids and toward “bar checks” focusing on safety and compliance.
To address mental health and homelessness, Gronert plans to create a Mental Health Task Force composed of social workers to respond to nonviolent crises without police involve -
ment. The task force would focus on de-escalation, rehabilitating the city’s homeless population, addressing the root causes of crime and expanding access to mental health and drug rehabilitation resources.
He also supports relocating portions of MPD funding to be used in expanding mental health resources.
Gronert aims to establish a three-step strategy to help defend immigrant communities from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
His plan includes advocating for stronger community defense alliances, implementing “ICE Free Zones” to prevent MPD collaborating with ICE and ensuring accountability against MPD officers who don’t comply with identification requests. In addition, he plans to support abortion funds across the region, providing financial, legal and logistical assistance to help make the decision easier for those seeking care.
“I really want to run for Common Council not just to provide for the people of Madison, for my neighbors, my classmates — but to help defend them from the Trump Administration,” Gronert told the Cardinal.
Additionally, he proposes green initiatives for Madison, including turning Madison Gas & Electric into a public utility to promote green energy solutions, expanding electrified transportation and developing a commuter rail system. He also plans to extend late-night bus routes and add lighting on the Lakeshore Path to enhance student safety.
The general election for common council is scheduled for April 7, 2026.
By Safa Razvi OPINION EDITOR
Luigi Mangione should not be famous. And yet, in some corners of TikTok, his name has become a pop culture gag. It’s absurd, weird and exactly the kind of humor that Gen Z loves.
While his crime is no secret, it actually adds to the joke and makes him even more interesting. This young generation of social media users continue to toe the line between awareness and apathy.
The more people do this, the more indifferent they become toward wrongdoing. Even when audiences know someone has scammed or hurt others, they are entertained by it rather than outraged. People are rewarding wrongdoing with attention.
Mangione first made headlines in 2024 for allegedly murdering United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson, a shocking act of violence that quickly made him one of the most famous men on the planet. But Mangione’s rise to fame is completely by design and the symptom of a larger disease: apathy. It’s another illustration of how Gen Z has grown fascinated with the morally dubious, often turning real-life scandals into a source of entertainment.
Due to Thompson’s role as a healthcare executive, 41% of young Americans believe his death was “somewhat accept-
able” or “acceptable.” People post cakes with Mangione’s face on them and Tiktok edits and write him letters in prison.
This fits a pattern of crime being turned into a social media meme. For instance, “Hot Felon” Jeremy Meeks turned his mugshot into a career. They called it #feloncrushFriday, and he was signed to a modeling agency in LA. Anna Delvey, the convicted scammer who swindled New York’s elite, inspired Netflix’s “Inventing Anna” and competed on Dancing With The Stars. Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who famously was imprisoned for her role in her mother’s murder, walked into instant fame and amassed millions of followers, landed a documentary deal and made millions of dollars since being released.
Delvey is a prime example of how celebrating crime can be dangerous. Despite being a known con artist, she has profited from brand deals, gained a massive online following and turned her notoriety into influence. And it’s our clicks and shares that help build her fame, showing our indifference to her wrongdoing.
This generation isn’t glorifying crime, though, it’s rebranding it. Told through humor and irony, it’s all fun and games until the lines between actual harm and entertainment starts to blur.
On TikTok, for instance, a
creator decorates cookies while telling stories of gruesome true crime cases. From rape and murder to kidnapping, she fills the top with colorful figures and symbols from the cases as well. The creator, @karenthibakes, has over 2.5 million followers and 113 million likes, plus merchandise, a podcast and a website. Sickening events become palatable or even soothing. It’s almost like ASMR, turning the horror of the case into a strangely soothing experience, because watching the videos and listening to the narration softens the heaviness of the topic.
Somewhere between her mixing bowl and hitting post, the crime becomes content. The focus is no longer on the act itself, but the way it is repackaged for attention and profit.
The same phenomenon recently played out with the “Hot Louvre Suspects”, who took the internet by storm after their mugshots from the Paris Louvre Heist started circulating online. Millions of dollars’ worth of stolen art were quickly overshadowed by TikTok edits praising the suspects’ looks. Again, the focus faded from the crime and surrounded the criminals. However, it wasn’t for the right reasons. This again shows how online culture shifts users’ attention from acts to aesthetics.
That’s the strange genius and incredible discomfort associated with this generation’s online presence. It transforms tragedy, scandals and violence into something consumable and entertaining. In a digital world where clicks and views decide relevance, infamy has become a surprisingly reliable path to fame and fortune. People need to stop rewarding crime with fame. While this may attract interest in cases, it poses a real danger to society when people begin to excuse crimes and poor behavior due to the attractiveness or entertainment factor of a criminal.
Have we taken ‘stranger danger’ too far?
By Jackson Baker STAFF WRITER
I was sitting at a table in the annex of Michelangelo’s Coffee House, spacing out over my assigned reading for English 245 and eavesdropping on a group of elderly men who gathered at a table next to mine for their weekly get-together. Through the window, a moving truck twisted its way into the small cul-de-sac behind the café, attempting to loop its tail around a vintage Ford Bronco before the driver eventually gave up and sent a boy in a cream-colored uniform to look for the owner of the obstacle.
The owner, one of the older men in the chatty group next to me, introduced himself to the boy as Pete. After a brief conversation between the two, to my bewilderment, Pete handed over the key to his truck and sent the boy on his way. A few minutes later, the boy came back with Pete’s key, the Bronco remained intact, and the job was done — simple, efficient and oddly reassuring. I was dumbfounded. But why? It seemed perfectly logical. I couldn’t help but ask: have we taken “stranger danger” too far?
Perhaps it was the hubris and optimism of the 1950s that still lingered with Pete in the year 2025, but to the best of my knowledge, car thievery was still alive and well 75 years ago. What Pete relied on was intuition, an often underrated skill. I and many others tend to underestimate our guts. It was obvious to Pete, as it should have been to me, that
the boy would not steal his Bronco while on the clock. The outcome was a winwin: more time for Pete to sip his coffee and more parking space for the movers.
The notion that we should never trust strangers seems uniquely American. There are certain things we can not do in the United States, because it’s different here. But this wasn’t always the case. Hitchhiking is an interesting example.
Before the 1980s, hitchhikers were a common sight. They stood at highway ramps, gas stations and intersections holding signs with charming hope. Yet today, this form of transportation is practically obsolete, at least in the U.S. Hitchhiking still thrives as a
mode of transportation in many other countries. In fact, just last summer my girlfriend and I were able to cross 500 miles of French countryside by sitting on the side of the road with our thumbs in the air, relying entirely on the goodwill of strangers.
Despite my affinity for this style of travel, I have consistently said that I wouldn’t hitchhike in America. Perhaps I’m a part of the problem, succumbing to the frenzy surrounding infamous American serial killers who tricked their victims with something better than free candy: a free ride. Or maybe it is simply because our culture has shifted towards a mutual skepticism of one another. As a hitchhiker,
I know most drivers in this country won’t trust me, therefore I don’t trust them, reinforcing a cycle of parasitic distrust.
“Stranger danger” has been ingrained into our beings since before we could even form a coherent thought, but stranger doesn’t always equate danger, and what we are left with is a dissipating faith in the general goodness of our neighbors. Of course when the mantra is told to children the message is valuable, but as adults, it can be surprisingly easy to forget that not everyone is plotting our downfalls. This fear, coupled with an increasingly online, post-Covid world is making us lose something that was already waning in the years prior: community. And often, the cost of community is trust.
In our everyday lives we can find a profound sense of community through even the simplest conversation with a stranger. Whether that be on the bus or in line at the grocery store, I encourage you to go out of your comfort zone and spark idle chit-chat with someone you may never see again. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t stay cautious, but rather that we must recognize when we are being needlessly hypervigilant. It is important to remind ourselves that we are social creatures, wired for new bonds, seeking connection at every corner and that in order to have the meet-cute, you must first — meet. By letting our guards down just enough to invite new experiences, we can safely give unexpected connections the opportunity to flourish.
By Elizabeth Baumberger STAFF WRITER
From the deepest forests of Gombe to the thriving research centers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Jane Goodall’s benevolent hand has reached far and wide.
Three female primatologists spoke to The Daily Cardinal about how the late Jane Goodall, famed for her tireless commitment to conservation and groundbreaking research on chimpanzees, impacted them and their work.
“I, as a young high schooler, would see her story and was absolutely blown away with the fact that she had moved to the rain forests of Tanzania with her mother as the only person with her,” Dr. Alexandra Kralick, primatologist and feminist biology researcher at the UW-Madison, said.
Kralick was an undergraduate at The George Washington University when Goodall visited and spoke about her Roots & Shoots youth action program, which equips young people with tools and ideas for community projects. Kralick then revived a local chapter of Roots & Shoots her junior year to work on orangutan conservation.
“And now I study orangutans and orangutan skeletons,” she said.
Kralick said she looks up to Goodall for her “bravery” in her science, trusting her findings and letting them change our understanding of the world.
“I certainly strive to be brave in my science,” Kralick said. “I strive to not let the fact that something has never happened before or been done before scare me off.”
In the wild, there are two types of male orangutans. Though both are reproductively capable, one lacks its secondary sex characteristics, including the cheek pads and the throat pouch.
Kralick discovered orangutans lacking their secondary sex characteristics have an adult skull but juvenile-looking long bones, and their bodies are not necessarily female-size but can range in size — a finding she said “a lot of people find very surprising.”
“It might change our under -
standing of these orangutans, but I’m trying to be brave and let [the results] stand, even if no one’s said it before,” she said.
Kralick said her finding came from looking at the remains of each ape as remains of an “individual” opposed to a clinical specimen, an approach inspired by Goodall.
“I think a lot of us have taken great inspiration from the way that she brings such humanity to science in a way that doesn’t necessarily anthropomorphize but does bring care to each individual and their stories,” Kralick said.
Goodall has also influenced Kralick to feel deep responsibility in the moments she’s been given a platform, like at her college graduation.
“I made it about ape conservation. I talked about how everybody in the audience, if they were to recycle their old phones in their house and get a used phone [instead of] a new one, how much that would help the gorillas and a lot of people in areas of conflict in Africa, particularly in the DRC,” Kralick said. “That was me being deeply inspired by the way she uses her platform with such responsibility.”
Dr. Margaret Bryer, an assistant anthropology professor at UW-Madison, also looks up to Goodall as a scientist and an “incredible” spokesperson.
Bryer works in South Africa with baboons and in Uganda with red-tailed monkeys and mountain monkeys. Her research focuses on primate social behavior and nutrition. She looks at the nutritional strategies that these animals engage in in their environments.
“I definitely am thinking about not only patterns we see across populations, but also variation between males and females and across individuals,” Bryer said. “And so in that sense, I feel like her research very broadly informs the way I approach some of my research.”
Bryer teaches an introductory biological anthropology course at UW-Madison and said her teaching was influenced by the way Goodall emphasized that humans are a part of nature and not above it.
“I definitely take that into how
By Nicole Steele STAFF WRITER
Local researchers are warning against the spread of the Golden Oyster mushroom, a species native to Asia but introduced to the United States for cultivation, now spreading in Wisconsin and other Great Lakes states.
The easy-to-grow mushroom is known for its vibrant color and nutty flavor and is a popular choice for “grow kits” that allow people to plant them at home.
But Aishwarya Veerabahu, a botany PhD student studying these mushrooms, said these kits have contributed to the species’ spread outside the home, pushing out native mushroom species.
Veerabahu is lead author of a report studying the effects of golden oyster mushrooms on native fungal systems. She’s currently studying the mushroom under University of Wisconsin-Madison botany professor Anne Pringle.
I try to introduce [students] to biological anthropology, thinking about humans as primates, humans as part of nature and thinking about what that means,” Bryer said.
Before coming to Madison, Bryer was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan and had the opportunity to go to Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center in the Republic of Congo, one of two sanctuaries the Jane Goodall Institute runs.
“And that was yet another way that I expanded how much I admired what she does for chimpanzees,” Bryer said. “These are sanctuaries for chimpanzees that have been rescued from the pet trade or from [other] instances…so it was just really incredible to see how she has such wide ranging effects on chimpanzees and people.”
Another admirer of Goodall, Dr. Karen Strier is a researcher and anthropology professor at UW-Madison. Her research concerns the muriqui monkey, one of the largest species of neotropical primates, and a species about which little was known before her work began in 1983.
Strier recognized the importance of Goodall’s work in paving the way for future female scientists.
“Jane is an important person in my field. She’s influenced lots of people. She showed an entry for women scientists, but I wasn’t thinking about her when I decided to become a primatologist. I was following the science,” Strier told the Cardinal. “But we’ll never know if my opportunities to become a woman scientist weren’t enabled by her breaking through.”
Strier noted many of the students in her freshman interest group last fall said their interest in primates grew out of a love for Goodall, and she commended the English primatologist for changing the way we think about the boundaries between humans and other animals.
“Jane Goodall is a great example of a pioneer. A perfect pioneer,” Strier said.
mycelium plays a crucial role in its life cycle; it anchors the fungus and helps absorb nutrients from the environment.
“Removing [the golden oyster mushroom] is unfortunately not possible because most fungi have an extensive network of mycelium within wood and the soil, and the mushrooms we see are just the reproductive parts that create and spread their spores,” Veerabahu said.
Beyond her golden oyster investigation, Veerabahu said Pringle’s lab conducts a variety of fungi-focused experiments.
“We research fungal biology broadly but tend to focus on invasive fungi,” Veerabahu said. “Projects in the lab investigate biodiversity, ecology and evolution of invasive mushrooms, the ecological role of specialized chemicals mushrooms produce and population biogeography of globally distributed mushrooms.”
Veerabahu said people can help reduce the mushroom’s spread by refraining from buying or selling them.
“Fungal biodiversity has been evolving for millions of years along with plants, animals and bacteria, and we can protect that biodiversity by preventing invasive species from spreading and talking together about how we use and move around fungi in our communities,” Veerabahu said.
She said the golden oyster mushroom is currently most populous among hardwood trees, such as elm, ash, cherry, maple and cottonwood. Areas that have large amounts of deadwood, such as forests or parks are a suitable habitat for the fungus.
Removing the fungus from the environment is more difficult because of mycelium, a rootlike network of filaments called hyphae that forms the body of the fungus. The golden oyster’s
How are fungi useful?
Mushrooms have amazing nutritional value, making a good source of niacin, pantothenic acid and riboflavin, which are nutrients found in produce as well as meats and grains. The consumption of mushrooms over time has been associated with higher intakes of vegetables and grains.
Foraging for mushrooms is an outdoor activity that anyone can enjoy, whether you are a beginner or advanced forager.
“It is completely okay to feel excited when you find them, and to continue to forage and cook them up,” Veerabahu said.
Fungi are also good byproduct recyclers; main byproduct wastes such as corn cobs, cottonseed hulls and soybean hulls can be reduced by the recycling methods that mushrooms provide.
By Lizzi McGann STAFF WRITER
Zoso, named after Led Zeppelin’s fourth album, rocked the Atwood Music Hall on Oct. 30 as part of the tribute band’s 30th Anniversary tour, the band’s fourth show in Madison and first since 2020. Their act and energy offered extremely close surrogate acts for this generation, and kept Zepp’s act going 45 years after their final show.
When Zoso started in 1995, founders Matt Jernigan and Adam Sandling shared a passion for Zeppelin’s music.
Bevan Davies, an accomplished rock concert musician in his own right, joined in 2015. Holstan Rainero eagerly joined the band in 2015 after as a fan of the group and contacted the band several times
‘The
to request an audition.
One of the aspects that has set Zoso apart from other tributes is that Jernigan, Sandling, Davies and Rainero become the actual members of Led Zeppelin. They retained the four-member lineup, with each playing the respective instruments and acting like their counterparts.
Sandling is responsible for the bass, mandolin and keyboard and reserved stage presence anchors the group just like John Paul Jones. Jernigan sings, walks and dresses like Robert Plant while Rainero shreds like Jimmy Page, and Davies’ explosive drum playing is immediately recognizable as an emulation of John Bonham.
The set included Zeppelin’s greatest hits, like “Immigrant Song,” “Kashmir” and “Stairway to Heaven.” The
seated crowd all got on their feet for “Misty Mountain Hop,” and many of them stayed up and danced for the rest of the show.
The people who had sat down got back up towards the end of the set, when Davies played a nearly 10-minute drum solo as the only man left on stage. When the crowd thought he was done and he had put down his drumsticks, Davis played another six minutes, slapping his hands on the drums with the same force and power as with sticks.
Rainero’s solos and renditions of Page’s playing effortlessly put stank faces onto each audience member before promptly melting them off, shredding on double-necked and acoustic guitars. Sandling worked overtime on the keys
By Isabella Barajas
GRAPHICS EDITOR
There is only one musical that can repeatedly sing “Fuck you God in the ass, mouth and cunta!” and still receive a standing ovation at the end of the night.
“The Book of Mormon” debuted on Broadway in Spring 2011. The show has since won nine Tony Awards, a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album and become the 11th-longest-running Broadway show of all time. Over the weekend of Oct. 24-26, the show returned to the Overture Center for the first time since 2017.
The show follows two young Mormon missionaries, Elder Price (Sam McLellan) and Elder Cunningham (Jacob Aune), who are sent to Uganda to baptize the local people into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Aune’s hilarious and over-the-top performance as Elder Cunningham was a stand-out, alongside Charity Arianna’s stellar musical performance as female lead and love interest Nabulungi.
“The Book of Mormon” was created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, co-creators of the animated series “South Park,” alongside songwriter Robert Lopez. And in traditional “South Park” style, the show satirizes and makes fun of everyone, from the Ugandan people to, of course, the Mormon Church itself.
Much of the show focuses on the naivety and racism of the Mormon missionaries as white saviors attempting to convert the Ugandan people while being completely ignorant and dismissive of their culture.
For instance, during the song “I Am Africa,” the missionaries celebrate their successful baptisms by standing in front of the Ugandan people, drowning out their voices and loudly singing that they, as a group of white men from the United States, embody the spirit of Africa.
Still, the show has faced criticism for its offensive portrayals of Ugandan people as naive, vio-
lent and primitive for comedy. The people sleep in straw shacks, overwhelmingly suffer from AIDS, live in fear of a warlord threatening to circumsise women and struggle with the morality of raping babies.
Stone and Parker said they operate on a policy of making fun of everyone equally regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or religious affiliation. While that might sound fair on paper, not all of these groups start on equal footing.
The musical shines the most when it punches up — such as its criticism of the Mormon church’s history of racism and homophobia. These moments solicited the biggest laughs from the audience. The perpetuation of harmful stereotypes of African people, on the other hand, were easily the weakest moments of the show, receiving only nervous chuckles in a show otherwise filled with roaring laughter and applause.
Wedged between crude jokes about having sex with frogs, “The Book of Mormon” presents a surprisingly thoughtful examination of people becoming disillusioned with theology, questioning the credibility of what can often seem to be unbelievable and contradictory religious stories.
Interestingly, the ending — where the missionaries in Uganda invent and promote a new, fabricated religion, “The Book of Arnold” — is not fully cynical or atheistic. Rather, it suggests that religion, whether factual or allegorical, can still inspire hope and comfort for people in need.
In the same vein, the creators clearly have respect for the Broadway musical medium. The show includes subtle melodic and lyrical references to other well-known musicals, including “The Sound of Music,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Chorus Line” and “The Lion King.”
“The Book of Mormon” blends the shockingly offensive and surprisingly sincere into a satirical comedy musical that, while imperfect, has earned its reputation as the funniest show on Broadway.
and bass, and Jernigan put the cherry on top with his iconic Robert Plant vocals.
The 30th anniversary tour was designed to bring the energy of Led Zeppelin to today’s audiences, and the band deliv-
ered. Zoso brings the feel of a packed
to a 150-person show 50 years later and gives audiences the chance to see the closest thing to Led Zeppelin since 1980 when the band separated.
By Sally Manning STAFF WRITER
Humorist and New York Times bestselling author David Sedaris donned a pair of shiny elf-like shoes paired with a tailored suit and took the stage at the Overture Center Oct. 22 as part of his world tour promoting his upcoming book, “The Land and its People.”
The book promises to be a satirical look at the “land or people” of the world.
With a knack for transforming the quotidian into hilarious magic, Sedaris uses the human condition to assemble satirical masterpieces.
With more than ten million book copies sold and translations in 25 languages, Sedaris has a powerful and extensive reach. He is the author of “Naked,” “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” “Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim,” and countless other works.
Sedaris grounds his writing in human peculiarity and often uses personal anecdotes to do so. Describing his process to the audience, Sedaris said he often draws from daily entries in a diary he has kept for nearly 50 years.
Throughout the evening, Sedaris read excerpts from “The Land and its People,” testing out new material to gauge audience responses. It was shocking how honest and personal his stories were, and listeners were constantly leaning in for more.
One anecdote that was particular-
ly appealing to the audience involved Sedaris’ attempts to outsmart the Duolingo AI chatbot, Lilly, during his process of learning new languages.
“I told her, ‘I’d like to cut my tongue off with a chainsaw,’” Sedaris said, as audience laughter filled the room. He smiles as he emphasizes his pursuit of eccentric, out-of-the-ordinary content in his writing, personal life and now Duolingo relationships.
Following the show, Sedaris greeted a long line of fans for conversations and book signings. Fans eagerly held their books open to him, and he drew a unique illustration on each person’s page above his signature. His white table-clothed workspace overflowed with a rainbow of markers as he scarfed down a late dinner between interactions.
Many fans promptly greeted him with a crazy or hilarious story of their own, perhaps in the hopes of appearing in a future essay.
During my signing, Sedaris chatted with me briefly as he drew a gold match in my book. “If you haven’t made your Christmas list yet, you’re really falling behind,” Sedaris said, and in the same breath, “I found this rubber baby in the elevator – I’m thinking of naming it Robin.”
When told about this article, Sedaris responded with his classic wittiness.
“Write whatever you want, because I assure you I’ll never read it,” Sedaris said. “I never read anything about me!”
By Grace Cannizzo SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The No. 11 Wisconsin volleyball team grabbed two Big Ten wins this past week in a border battle against No. 22 Minnesota on Nov. 5 and a three-set game against No. 18 Indiana on Nov. 9.
Wisconsin took down their fifth top-25 opponent this season, defeating border rival Minnesota while holding the lead most of the match.
Minnesota only caused lead changes seven times throughout the match, with three occurring in the fourth set. Wisconsin and Minnesota tied up the game 21 times.
Wisconsin stayed back-to-back with Minnesota for the majority of set one. Badger players around the court contributed to the kill total of 15.
The set was highlighted by two 3-0 runs late for Wisconsin, leading to their win.
Wisconsin ramped up their kill attempts taken in the second set. Although it was the Badgers’ second-lowest hitting percentage of the night, they netted 38 attempts against Minnesota and tallied another 15 points from kills.
Middle block Carter Booth and outside hitters Grace Egan, Mimi Colyer and Una Vajagic recorded 14 of these 15 points as Wisconsin’s main hitters of the night.
Set two ended with a closer score of 25-22, but the Badgers secured the win with a solid block from middle blocker Alicia Andrew and outside Madison Quest, alongside one serving error from Minnesota.
Wisconsin began the third set poorly. After winning the first point off of a kill by Colyer, the Badgers missed a return. After the missed opportunity, Wisconsin tallied multiple attack and service errors, allowing Minnesota to pull ahead throughout the set.
Set three ended with Wisconsin down 18-25, their worst difference of the game.
Vajagic kicked off the final set with two back-to-back kills. The outsider hitter recorded three more points in this set.
Colyer was another standout hitter. With a final hitting percentage of .326, she racked up six more points in this set and scored 24.5 points total for the Badgers.
The Badgers scored six of the final seven points of the set to win 25-16.
The strongest part of Wisconsin’s game was their consistent serving.
Setter Addy Horner rotated in and tallied four service aces. She also recorded 41 assists and a hitting percentage of .286.
Wisconsin Head coach Kelly Sheffield recognized his players’ serving talents against Minnesota, where the Badgers totaled seven service aces.
“Our servers were hitting their
spots, and when they’re doing that, then you know you’ve got some servers that are confident behind the service line,” Sheffield said after the game.
Wisconsin defeated Indiana to secure their eleventh conference win of the season. A close Big Ten rival, the Hoosiers spent the last few weeks ranked close to Wisconsin in the conference standings.
Setter Charlie Fuerbringer returned to the court for the first time in nine games after leaving against Michigan due to a shoulder injury. The setter had a fairly good returning game, recording 28 assists and a hitting percentage of .667.
Wisconsin pulled ahead early in the first set, crushing Indiana with kills and forced errors. The Badgers ended the night with 39 kills, 14 of which came in the first set.
6-0 and 3-0 runs respectively rounded out the set for Wisconsin, and they finished 25-13.
Wisconsin continued to find offensive opportunities in the second set. Andrew kicked off the set with a kill and Booth followed with two kills herself, assisted by Fuerbringer.
The Badgers didn’t create as many long runs in the second set, but Wisconsin still won 25-14, in part because of their ability to hold Indiana to a negative shooting percentage.
Wisconsin faced a bit more com-
petition in set three, and Indiana was able to pace the Badgers until points eight and nine. The Badgers pulled away with a few short scoring runs, thanks to Colyer and Booth’s talent.
Colyer closed out the game for Wisconsin off the assist from Fuerbringer, who tallied four assists in the Badgers’ final six points of the night.
Fuerbringer’s return to play doesn’t mean Horner is out of the rotation. The setter has proven herself as a tool for Wisconsin, and Sheffield said he likes the growth he sees.
“When you’re working on things in the practice gym and watching film and you see it being applied in matches,” Sheffield said. “As a coach, it gets
you really really excited.”
Booth is another player to continue watching. The senior middle blocker ended the game with a hitting percentage of .733, earning 11 kills on 15 attempts.
“I think I’m just going out there with the kill it mentality,” Booth said. “I have let go of whatever perceptions or expectations people have on me out there.”
Bench depth and confident leaders are Wisconsin’s key to success in the postseason.
Wisconsin will face Michigan State and Illinois in the coming week. Continuing to create momentum in different aspects of the game will help Wisconsin during this final conference push leading to the postseason.
By Haellie Opp SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The No. 7 Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey (7-1-2, 3-1-0 Big Ten) split a two-game series with the No. 2 Michigan Wolverines (10-2-0, 3-1-0 Big Ten) this weekend in Ann Arbor, handing the Badgers their first loss of the season.
Michigan beat Wisconsin a 7-4 loss on Friday. Despite struggling to hold leads, Michigan eventually took down the Badgers by the end of the game.
Wisconsin’s first power play came from an interference call three minutes into the game. Freshman starting goaltender Daniel Hauser immediately had to make a save after a Michigan defender tore through the Badgers’ power play unit.
The Badgers had a lackluster powerplay that ended with two shots by both teams. Soon after, Michigan opened the scoring at 7:50 in the first, with a goal past Hauser.
Senior forward Jack Horbach sat two minutes for holding late in the first, but the Badger’s penalty kill held them off as Wisconsin went into the second period down one.
Horbach’s penalty ended 38 seconds into the second, and freshman forward Oliver Tulk snuck the puck in two minutes later, shooting from the top right of the offensive zone through traffic.
Wisconsin took a 2-1 lead minutes later after sophomore forward Gavin Morrissey skated up the ice on a 2-on-2 to rip one into the top left of the net. Freshman defenseman Luke Osburn sat two minutes for interference, and Wisconsin dominated the penalty kill, taking five shots on the disadvantage.
Michigan evened the score at 2-2 halfway through the third after Hauser skated behind
the net and left it wide open. The Wolverines took the lead four minutes later after a fumbling defensive play by the Badgers.
Michigan was assessed a two-minute minor for goalkeeper interference, but Wisconsin couldn’t equalize.
The Badgers dominated early in the third period and finally tied the game at 9:57 on the man-advantage for a Michigan hooking. Senior forward Christian Fitzgerald tipped in the tying goal for the Badgers.
Wisconsin took the lead a minute later when sophomore Ryan Botterill knocked in a rebounded puck after falling to his knees in front of the net.
The 4-3 lead didn’t last, as Michigan tied it up at 11:18. Fitzgerald sat two minutes for hooking seconds later, and Wisconsin fell apart during the penalty kill, letting Hauser face seven shots during the minor penalty.
The Wolverines took the lead at 16:16 in the third period, and Wisconsin pulled Hauser with two minutes to go. Two empty netters and a series of match-penalites buried the Badgers to end the game.
Hauser had one of his worst games this season, as he faced 26 shots and had 5 goals against. His save percentage on Friday was .839. Hauser’s current worst game statistically was against Alaska Fairbanks where his save percentage was .833.
Bouncing back on the power play
The Badgers came out with an energy on Saturday that wasn’t there the night before, taking the game 6-1.
Wisconsin went on the power play seven minutes into the game, and senior defenseman Ben Dexheimer took advantage of it.
Scoring his first of the season, Dexheimer walked down from the top corner to between
the circles and wristed one in.
Freshman forward Grady Deering sat two minutes for holding, but Wisconsin’s penalty kill held Michigan off. Back on the power play with seven minutes to go, Morrissey notched his second of the series off a one-timer from Dexheimer.
Tulk sat two minutes for interference, and Michigan sat two minutes for hooking. Neither team scored on the 4-on-4 play as Wisconsin held onto their 2-0 lead going into the second period.
Freshman forward Blake Montgomery sniped in Wisconsin’s third of the game early in the second. Skating across the offensive zone, Montgomery rocketed one into the top right corner.
A scuffle at 15:30 sent Hauser down to the ice after a Michigan player was shoved into the goalie and his net. Hauser took a while to stand after the elbow to his face, and the play was reviewed for a major.
Wisconsin then went on a two-minute minor powerplay. Despite having their top power play unit on the ice, it was worked-over by Michigan, and the Wolverines scored their first of the game short handed.
Determined to retaliate, senior defenseman Aiden Dubinsky regained the three-goal lead for Wisconsin and grabbed his first of the season.
Michigan thought they scored their second goal of the game, but it was immediately called off for goaltender interference. Michigan challenged the call due to junior defenseman Zach Schulz’ stick blocking the Michigan forward, but the call stood.
After Horbach was checked into the boards, a Michigan forward shoved him back down to the ice by the numbers. Hensler went and dropped the
Michigan forward, ripping his helmet off in the process.
Michigan’s Garrett Schifsky was assessed a five minute major and a game misconduct for grasping-of-the-facemask, as well as a two-minute minor for roughing alongside Hensler. Wisconsin went on the five-minute powerplay.
Fitzgerald beat the Wolverine’s goalie on his blocker side on a breakaway to bring the lead up 5-1. Dexheimer had to sit two minutes for tripping, setting up a short 4-on-4 play to start the third before Michigan got a 35 second power play.
After slower play, sophomore forward Adam Pietela brought the lead up to 6-1 with a one-timer off a pass from the boards.
Chaos stuck with 10 minutes left to go, as freshman forward Grady Deering fell on Michigan’s goaltender leading to multiple tussles on the ice. With tensions high, Michigan attempted to defend their goalie and blasted Deering into the glass.
Two minors for roughing were assessed to Wisconsin, while two roughing minors and a charging minor were assessed to Michigan, putting Wisconsin on the power play.
The game slowed back down until 15 seconds to go, when Deering drilled Michigan’s goaltender and punches were thrown. Every player on the ice was assessed two minutes for roughing after the whistle and 10 minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Michigan went on the powerplay as Deering skated off the ice and into the locker room to end the game.
Next, Wisconsin plays Ohio State at 7 p.m. Friday at the Kohl Center.