H -°, L 7° | Tomorrow: 
H 17°, L 4°Let’s tell the story of NatUP in 74 words: Rec Sports finds Rec Sports employees who like the idea of a new Natatorium. Rec Sports employees say they’re a grassroots campaign called NatUP, which sounds suspiciously like “nut up.” People call NatUP out on the fact that they have a professionally done website and Power Point presentation, costing an ungodly amount. NatUP starts whining about unfair treatment in the press. NatUP loses. NatUP continues whining about unfair treatment in the press. We laugh.
The fact that NatUP disguised itself as a grassroots organization is pretty pathetic — they used nearly $40,000 out of Rec Sports’ fund, which came from those little stickers we all bought for our Wiscards at the SERF. Money well spent.
But what annoys us more is their complete and total contempt for other ideas.
It’s not that we don’t think a new recreation center is important — hell, it’s probably even necessary. We just don’t understand why you wouldn’t concentrate on the SERF first, considering you’ve acknowledged that will have to be done soon anyway and it’s the building most of this campus uses. And before you say that the Nat and shell can’t handle the overflow from the SERF: do some jumping jacks; buy a Tae Bo DVD.
We’re also concerned, like everybody, with the rising cost of attending this university. Given recent seg fee and tuition increases, we felt that this is something that could wait.
Most student initiatives would, after losing in a landslide, take these perfectly reasonable arguments to heart and use them to rethink future campaigns. Instead, they came after this newspaper, characterizing us as biased and unfair.
Listen, we’re journalists. We vet ideas. And as opinion writers, we give our opinions on those ideas.
You’re bros. You most likely don’t pay your own tuition and don’t seem to understand $54 a semester, to most students, isn’t worth a new addition to a campus building many couldn’t find on a map.
So come up with a better plan next time around — one that isn’t funded by Rec Sports — and we can talk like grown-ups. Until then, let’s settle this like whiny little bitches. See you at Johnny O’s on Wednesday for beer pong.
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wow, you really don’t let anything die. sounds like we know who the real whiny bitches are.
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It’s good to see true “journalism.” Unfortunately, this isn’t it. Have you guys every printed an OpEd regarding this issue that isn’t full of biased attacks? I mean come on, “you’re bros.” Is that serious? I happened to be apart of the NatUp campaign, and cared very deeply about it. I am a student, I don’t work for RecSports, I pay my own tuition, housing, food, etc. and I am NOT a bro. You guys are ridiculous.
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You are not alone. Don’t let the BH get you down.
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hilarious
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You Badgerherald “journalists” are a bunch of twits. You do realize that the referendum generated more yes votes than any in history on this campus and more votes total than any referendum ever, right? And you do realize that the main group against this project was completely unethical, acting like a bunch of radical children, when they are supposedly the matuer adults, right? (Other than the fact they can’t even get a real teaching job) Unless you believe that tearing down posters, signs, defacing chalking, lying directly to student’s faces about this project and voting NO for them is good referendum ethics and worthy of supporting through a student newspaper….
This referendum was about the health and wellness of this campus and improving student’s lives, and there were far more students that did not work for Rec Sports than were currently employed. Unfortunately, the only thing the TAA/NNSF accomplished was to disregard the quality of our health facilities and oppotunities to improve student’s lives on this campus…All for a .005% increase on student’s tuition over 4 years. Now their seg fees will go towards fixing electrical, HVAC, Doors, and plumbing, instead of providing a new facility. Enjoy your next activism effort on legalizing weed.
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Erm… did you have a point here? 1. TAs are still in grad school - they have not yet graduated, so they are not qualified to be professors… so your statement that they “can’t get a real teaching job” makes no sense. 2. Do you really think this campus is so stupid that people can’t fact check for themselves? If (big IF) the TAA was spreading false information, then NatUP should have been there to counter it. That is how campaigning works. 3. The referendum was not about health and wellness - if it was, you would have focused on the SERF, which a great majority of the campus uses. Renovating the Nat wouldn’t have made even a tiny dent in the “health and wellness” of this campus. You know this, I know this, so stop pretending there was some higher purpose to all of this. 4. I don’t get what the problem is with improving HVAC/electrical/plumbing/etc? Improvements like these improve energy efficiency and make buildings safer and more pleasant. 5. YOU LOST, now stop whining. If you and your $40,000 of Rec Sports money couldn’t out-campaign the TAA, then you are pathetic. Or students just didn’t agree with you - didn’t think the price was right, didn’t think the project was necessary. That’s why we have referendums, so students can vote for what projects they want to fund with seg fees. They don’t want to fund the Nat. Fancy that.