The Mifflin Street Block Party always has been one of the most tense of all conflicts between the University of Wisconsin student body and the rest of Madison’s citizens. But with the right dialogue, it does not have to be such a point of division forever. Students rightfully love the… Read more »

A new Assembly bill would enable bars who allow underage drinkers through their doors to sue them for it later. While touted as a tool to curb underage drinking, the bill is instead an irresponsible cost-shifting measure that bars would never realistically use.  The proposed bill would allow establishments to… Read more »

Part of Madison’s reputation as a great college town comes from a strong belief in the maturity and importance of its students. However, under the guise of student safety, the Nuisance Party Ordinance belittles and demeans the student body. The ordinance would grant police more avenues to crack down on… Read more »

Higher education is becoming less and less of a priority for legislators across the country, and the students at the University of Wisconsin need a close ally to defend it at the state and national level. While UW students have been presented with two lobbying groups to represent them, neither… Read more »

After watching our student government fail its constituents for years, many University of Wisconsin students begin to wonder what they can do to change the Associated Students of Madison rather than sit on the sidelines and complain. We have found a sound solution. The Badger Herald Editorial Board — in… Read more »

The Badger Herald Editorial Board is a voice for students on campus. We are a seven-member board consisting of University of Wisconsin students from different majors, backgrounds and political affiliations. We tackle only the most important issues in state, city and campus life. Hard work and deliberation goes into each… Read more »

From the despicable acts of assault and abuse at Syracuse and Penn State to Ohio State’s tattoo debacle, it has been an eventful year in college athletics for all the wrong reasons. Unfortunately for the University of Wisconsin, a controversy of its own may cast a shadow over a season… Read more »

Once again, it’s been a semester to remember. From continued fallout from this spring’s protests to upheaval in student government to life after Biddy, our campus, city and state have had a hell of a few months. Some players have stood out for their contributions — or lack thereof —… Read more »

Less than a week remains before the University of Wisconsin sends off its latest class of graduates. In the 100th year of the Wisconsin Idea, UW is renewing its efforts to highlight the contributions of alumni, selecting Team Rubicon’s Jake Wood as this winter’s commencement speaker. The process of selecting… Read more »

Above all else, Madison self-identifies as liberal. For this reason, the Urban League’s new single sex, predominately minority charter schools put the community between a rock and a progressive place. One of the things Madison should be most ashamed of is the unusually high achievement gap in its public schools.… Read more »

The Mifflin neighborhood is a historic area of downtown Madison, filled with a rich tradition of student activism dating back to the Vietnam War. However, it is also filled with dilapidated houses and run-down apartments. The area is in desperate need of revitalization, which is exactly what the Downtown Plan… Read more »

In last Monday’s edition of The Badger Herald, University of Wisconsin senior Josh Turner said a UW professor circulated petitions to recall Gov. Scott Walker and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch in the workplace knowing that it was inappropriate conduct — especially for a public employee. At least one person in… Read more »

Pop quiz: What group or department comes to mind when someone asks you about sexual assault education and prevention on campus? You likely answered Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment. Or maybe Sex Out Loud. But there is one answer you did not give — a university-funded administrative department dedicated to ending… Read more »

On Nov. 14, a strong community voice argued against the proposed renovation of the 100 block of State Street by Overture Center philanthropist Jerome Frautschi. The head of the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation called the project “architecturally dishonest and jarring.”  The public outcry over the proposed changes shows how… Read more »

What does it take for a university to fire a football coach? What does it take for the NCAA to decide a football program has to die? Is it mass recruitment violations? Hospitalizing a teammate? Child rape? The “death penalty” is considered the worst sanction in college athletics. Implemented only… Read more »

Merit pay for teachers has been supported by unlikely allies, including Gov. Scott Walker, President Barack Obama, and, most recently, Wisconsin’s largest teacher’s union, the Wisconsin Education Association Council. Although this is a step in the right direction, legislators need to ensure the use of qualitative measures as well as… Read more »

As student renters in Madison, we should consider ourselves very lucky that decades worth of leaders in municipal government have fought for tenants’ rights. Our city has some of the toughest pro-tenant laws in Wisconsin. Because this board is pleased with the current laws in place in Madison, we are… Read more »

Last-minute legislation proposed by an Assembly Democrat last week continued a concerning trend: State legislators from both parties are operating on the fly with little care for research or discussion. Rep. Peggy Krusick, D-Milwaukee, introduced a surprise amendment at 11 p.m. last Tuesday that would ban using race as a… Read more »

Divided government and separation of powers — these are staples of most modern democratic governments. While the Associated Students of Madison claims to operate under these principles, recent actions surrounding the removal and reinstatement of Niko Magallón and Beth Huang show the Student Council is fed up with sharing. Huang… Read more »

Members of the Multicultural Student Coalition will hold a rally on Library Mall today to protest the Student Services Finance Committee for “unregulated and illegal processes” when reviewing MCSC’s request for more than $1 million of segregated fees. The MCSC has framed their budget battle as an issue of race… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison has drawn no shortage of ire from this board in the past and will likely continue to do as much in the future. But the current session’s chronic inability to establish itself as even marginally relevant to the student body is a feat not seen… Read more »

On Friday, it became official: Wisconsinites with a concealed carry permit can bring their guns in any public building they want. Members of the state Senate have said they will likely ban guns in the galleries, but Assembly leaders said they will follow the Department of Administration’s lead and allow… Read more »

United Council and the Student Services Finance Committee chair’s recent crusade against the University of Wisconsin System’s decade-long policy on segregated fees could backfire for students who already have some of the greatest budgetary powers in the nation. SSFC Chair Sarah Neibart and UC are asking the Board of Regents… Read more »

At The Badger Herald, we like to use terms like “fuck” and “shit” liberally. They are fun words that are perfect for many college-related situations, such as recounting a memorable night out or discovering a reporter will deadline by two hours. So, as advocates of profanity, this board does not… Read more »

A policy recently adopted by several of Madison’s downtown bars restricts acceptable forms of identification for entry to state issued drivers licenses and passports. Members of the city and campus community have already come out of the woodwork to decry the disparate effects they believe the policy will have on… Read more »

Under the new voter ID law, the only acceptable forms of ID are Wisconsin state IDs, drivers’ licenses, passports and specialized student IDs. Before the new law, many who used alternate forms of identification were out-of-state students. While these students will now have a more difficult time voting, if the… Read more »

As newly minted Badgers, attending Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration can be an exciting experience. Unfortunately, more often than not, it is the first experience students have with collegiate levels of stress and frustration. From finding open, relevant classes to the constant stream of new information, students attending SOAR deserve… Read more »

In 1998, University of Wisconsin scientist James Thomson derived the first human embryonic stem cell line, leading to a list of potential benefits to human health that is so large we have just begun to grasp it. While in Wisconsin the scientific value of stem cell research has outweighed the… Read more »

The first stage of funding is secured, and construction is ready to begin on the student lounge addition to the Wisconsin Union Theatre, commonly referred to as the glass box. Students have only recently gotten interested in the project, and Associated Students of Madison’s glass box advisory referendum on this… Read more »

In the movie “Groundhog Day,” Bill Murray wakes to relive the same day to Sonny Bono and Cher singing “I’ve Got You Babe.” On a much less trivial holiday, we are starting to hear even shittier music coming from State Street. Frank Productions announced Monday that douche-rock stars Neon Trees… Read more »

At a meeting with Dean of Students Lori Berquam earlier this month, one particular sentiment from Berquam stuck out: It is only a matter of time before there is an alcohol related death on our campus. The city of Madison and University of Wisconsin are working together to change student’s… Read more »

Diversity is in danger on this campus, as it has been for the last 163 years. UW needs ambitious, effective leadership to achieve a nurturing space for all its students, which comes at times from the Office of Diversity and Climate, classroom education, exchange programs and groups aimed at marginalized… Read more »

At first glance, it is obvious Interim Chancellor David Ward is a nice guy. He’s charming, he has a British accent and most admirably, at 73 years old, he’s still interested in running one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious universities. After meeting with Ward on Monday, we were… Read more »

The Center for Equal Opportunity came to the University of Wisconsin earlier this week intending to push an agenda running counter to the goals of this institution and the ambition and potential of thousands of students. Perhaps expecting its report of alleged racial discrimination to be taken hook, line and… Read more »

Last week, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin announced his executive budget which would slash roughly $12 million in tax incremental financing from the approved Edgewater Hotel development plan. We think this move is unwise. Redevelopment of the Edgewater cannot wait. The developer, Hammes Co., has already been through hell and back… Read more »

After months of intense debate, Gov. Scott Walker’s lackluster commitment to the New Badger Partnership and the resignation of Chancellor Biddy Martin, the University of Wisconsin will be granted more power after all, along with every other school in the UW System. After the NBP was decried by the Board… Read more »

The Memorial Union Terrace is one of Madison’s most symbolic and popular public spaces. It’s the perfect mixture of our city’s stunning natural beauty and urban character. And three years from now, the Union will have completed a large renovation of its west wing that will change the view from… Read more »

Mayor Paul Soglin and other city officials are proposing a new ordinance that goes too far in controlling student activity. The proposed ordinance aims to curb underage drinking and house parties by holding not only tenants, but their landlords responsible if a tenant is hosting a party which is deemed… Read more »

With the passage of the budget repair bill in the spring, public unions have been thrust into an increasingly difficult situation with respect to their organizing and bargaining capabilities. Collective bargaining has been limited to base wages, members’ dues can no longer be deducted from paychecks and unions are now… Read more »

Recently, the Madison Police Department released a detailed report on crime and arrests at 2011’s Mifflin Street Block Party. Their recommendation for the future echoed a line Mayor Paul Soglin has been spouting for months: Shut it down. Completely shutting down any and all parties on Mifflin Street would be… Read more »

A lot can happen in a year. At this time last September, former Chancellor Biddy Martin’s presence at the University of Wisconsin was not enough of a news item to warrant words on The Badger Herald’s opinion page. Just as when she first entered office, Martin was comfortable. There was… Read more »

Ostensibly an impartial and apolitical body, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has seen a marked decline in conduct and confidence in the last few years. From allegations that Justice David Prosser choked a fellow judge during a heated argument to the dubious TV ads that helped to unseat Louis Butler, the… Read more »

Former Chancellor Biddy Martin’s announcement she would step down from her position was the culmination of a three-year tenure notable for its bold initiatives and political volatility. After a period marked by increasing polarization among UW’s faculty and student body, the Board of Regents’ choice to bring back Chancellor Emeritus… Read more »

Last month, deep into the University of Wisconsin’s drive toward greater independence, Chancellor Biddy Martin momentarily ground things to a halt with her resignation, essentially dropping us on the curb before rerouting east for Amherst College. We were left scrambling in a volatile political environment on the eve of one… Read more »

The mustache rides again. After years of being mayor, not being mayor, being critical of other mayors, not being critical of other mayors, Paul Soglin is, once again, the mayor of Madison. He beat incumbent Dave Cieslewicz by about 700 votes in an April race that was so nuanced no… Read more »

To the 14 Democratic state Senators, this board would like to offer up an award of thanks. After years of being told by our parents, teachers and Aesop that we can’t run away from our problems, you went and proved them all wrong with a flourish. Instead of standing up… Read more »

The mass union protests occurring just months ago showered the Dairy State with a whole lot of unprecedented national and even international attention. And among the numerous politicians scrambling to input their quotes and smile nicely for the major media outlets, Democratic Rep. Brett Hulsey of Madison seemed to be… Read more »

We remember our first Now That’s What I Call Music! album. Backstreet Boys, Hanson and Spice Girls: It was all there. Now 2 and 3 are hazier, and we are not quite sure what happened with Now 4. All we know is we were horrified to find out Now 38… Read more »

If there’s one group of people you can count on to avoid an intelligent argument at all costs, it’s the Teaching Assistants’ Association. Having recently gained a minor spotlight by doing what they do best — walking away from work — the TAA has taken their torch-carrying entourage from the… Read more »

Oh, Bridget. We understand. It’s tough to be you, the esteemed alderwoman from Madison’s second district. It hurts when the neighborhood associations don’t inform you when and where their meetings are — even if it’s because your involvement level with them conveys the message that you don’t care about them.… Read more »

With two stabbings, several police injuries and the overall elevation of belligerency that took place at Saturday’s Mifflin Street Block Party, this board understands why the newly elected mayor and other city officials are chomping at the bit to shut down Madison’s annual day-drinking extravaganza.It is a dumb idea, but… Read more »

It appears student testimony against the proposed voter identification bill moving through the state Legislature has not fallen on deaf ears. The bill’s author, Rep. Jeff Stone, R-Greenfield, capitulated Friday and drafted an amendment allowing for the use of student ID cards as an acceptable form of photo ID when… Read more »

All across Madison students are readying themselves for the academic rigors of finals week. But before confining themselves to libraries or perpetual caffeination, one of the city’s great institutions approaches, and with it, chances for students to ensure it continues. Rinse out your beer bong, bro: Mifflin’s tomorrow. What began… Read more »

Opinions of the New Badger Partnership have become increasingly divergent in the weeks following Gov. Scott Walker’s budget announcement. However, one vital voice has been noticeably absent from the debate. As the university’s main shared governance arm, the Faculty Senate has yet to come out with a position since Walker’s… Read more »

On April 28, City Council will meet to continue their discussion of redrawing the lines for Madison’s 20 aldermanic districts. The discussion takes place every 10 years and is used to determine whether the current districts accurately represent Census data. Like most things City Council does, the redistricting process promises… Read more »

Earlier this month, Student Services Finance Committee Chair Matt Manes was a man on a mission. At issue were a string of recent rulings concerning Wisconsin Student Public Interest Research Group and Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow, both of which SSFC found ineligible to receive funding from the General Student… Read more »

As the deluge of emails and chalk campaigns have surely informed you, that mythical edifice known as Union South will finally open to the public today. Plush new chairs to lounge in, a Sun Garden to enjoy for two months of the year and a freaking rock climbing wall, all… Read more »

What began in 2010 as a slate to coordinate the campaigns of a number of candidates for the Associated Students of Madison has become an unfortunate reflection on our student leaders. AFTER, the Associated Free Thinkers Ensuring Responsibility, came under the scrutiny of the Student Judiciary recently as questions arose… Read more »

Last Thursday, Chancellor Biddy Martin sent a campus-wide email arguing that the Wisconsin Idea Partnership proposed in response to the New Badger Partnership did not go far enough in extending flexibility to this university. Martin stated she had offered a compromise, one in which Madison would still gain public authority… Read more »

There’s no denying the Mifflin Street Block Party is part of Madison’s identity. Every year, thousands of out-of-towners flock to Madison to enjoy what — since 1996, at least — has been a peaceful day of spring weather and typically, heavy drinking. However, the city still harbors disdain for the… Read more »

As the dust settled Wednesday, we began to ponder what a Paul Soglin administration means for students. In an interview with the Herald Editorial Board last month, Soglin was right in saying there are two main issues students care about: Housing and alcohol policy. We’re interested to see what Soglin… Read more »

Over the last couple of months, Madison residents have seen one side of democracy in full force. Massive protests, unlike anything ever seen in Wisconsin’s history, have engulfed the Capitol for weeks on end. Citizens, whatever their political leanings, have found a new and vocal passion for politics. Much of… Read more »

In the race for Madison mayor, there are two very likeable, very smart and very capable candidates. Their similarities far outweigh their differences, and both would serve this city well. Paul Soglin, who turns 66 later this month, served as mayor in the 1970s and 1990s, pushing through many successful… Read more »

It’s a bit upsetting that so many liberal candidates ran in the spring primary for county executive — rather than have a real, true race between two people whose views mirror those of the majority of Dane County residents, liberals divided the votes between County Board Chairman Scott McDonelll… Read more »

Academic freedom is the hallmark of any great university. Especially in times of societal turmoil and uncertainty, the work of researchers and professors is tantamount to understanding and forward progress. Last week, University of Wisconsin history professor and president-elect of the American Historical Association William Cronon wrote an article for… Read more »

The race for the student-centric District 8 of the Madison City Council is between Democrat Scott Resnick and Progressive Dane candidate Kyle Szarzynski. Neither one is a newcomer to politics or leadership. Resnick is the president of the State-Langdon Neighborhood Association, worked on the Obama presidential campaign and co-founded a… Read more »

In District 2, voters will choose between incumbent Ald. Bridget Maniaci and progressive challenger Sam Stevenson. Maniaci’s record includes a fight for the development of the Edgewater Hotel, legislation to push back the date at which apartments can be shown to renters and a proposal to provide alders with health… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison election season is again upon us, with ballots open today through Wednesday at www.asm.wisc.edu/elections.html. The seats up for grabs include 29 on Student Council, five on the Student Services Finance Committee and the senior class officer positions. While this board has its serious qualms with ASM,… Read more »

Prior to the passage of Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill, current Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice David Prosser was afforded the complacency of being an incumbent judge with 12 years under his belt. But, as has become the fashion in recent weeks, the power of association trumps logic with respect… Read more »

When University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin began campaigning her New Badger Partnership last year, she made it clear the Madison campus has its own unique needs. In formulating a way to deal with these needs, she was proactive, both in outlining a plan and working with the new governor.… Read more »

On March 9, the Wisconsin State Senate voted to strip the state’s public sector unions of their ability to collectively bargain for anything beyond their salaries. The measure was a response to 14 Senate Democrats fleeing the state in order to prevent the quorum needed to pass the bill. Republicans… Read more »

There are a lot of stakeholders in the University of Wisconsin. That is why it is unsurprising that the 21 people who would be appointed to the university’s new governing board under Gov. Scott Walker’s budget come from a wide range of backgrounds. What is surprising, however, is that only… Read more »

Unwanted pregnancies screw everyone. They are bad for teenagers and not-yet-ready parents, but most importantly for this discussion, they are bad for Gov. Scott Walker’s taxpayers. In the recently unveiled 2011-13 budget, Walker proposed eliminating the law requiring insurance plans providing prescription drugs to include coverage for birth control as… Read more »

If there’s anything past governors have taught us, it’s the virtue of reliability. Recent budgets have been debt-ridden in the extreme, and our chief executives, Republican or Democrat, have not hesitated to wield the long pen of budgetary discretion to stave off crisis. Targets include transportation, segregated fees, K-12 education… Read more »

There is much to be made of Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed budget and the effects it will have on the University of Wisconsin. But considering the state’s present $137 million budget deficit and Walker’s blunt crusade to tackle it, one thing is clear: It could have been much worse. The… Read more »

In 2007, the city’s Alcohol Licensing Density Ordinance took effect in order to improve downtown safety and place restrictions on alcohol-serving venues in the downtown area. Under ALDO, a new establishment making more than 51 percent of its sales from alcohol is subject to a fine, current bars are unable… Read more »

Until Monday, it seemed the administration of Gov. Scott Walker was not cracking under the pressure. Then, in an unprecedented move, the doors of the Wisconsin State Capitol were closed. Locked. On a Monday morning. On the day before the state’s biggest budget announcement of the century. Shut out were… Read more »

As University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin watched this state’s government face deeper and deeper financial woes with the approach of the 2011-2013 budget, she could have sat back and asked the Legislature to consider the university’s own difficult financial situation. She could have asked for less cuts, for provisions… Read more »

Every semester, you pay $2 to have your voice as a University of Wisconsin student represented by the United Council. Your $2 and the $60,000 of your classmates’ go to funding the council — a lobbying group for students from 2- and 4-year University of Wisconsin System schools across the… Read more »

For more than a week now, our city has been the center of a national debate over workers’ rights, bringing normalcy to a screeching halt and causing mass protests not seen in Madison since the days of this newspaper’s inception. At the center of the debate is Scott Walker,… Read more »

As students at the University of Wisconsin, we’re fortunate to be party to a strong and vibrant history of political activism, civil disobedience and an enthusiasm for social change. This history could be due in part to less-than-advisable decisions by politicians and campus leaders; but by and large, students at… Read more »

Wisconsin has a long history of supporting workers. In 1911, it became the first state in the country to pass workers’ compensation protections. In 1959, the state government gave its employees the right to engage in collective bargaining, coming down decisively in favor of the public sector. At the time… Read more »

In an act of surprising rationality, the Wisconsin Education Association Council proposed measures Tuesday to follow the path of every other skilled work force in the nation and institute merit-based pay for Wisconsin public school teachers. WEAC, the largest teachers union in the state, also supported teacher evaluations based on… Read more »

In his one month in office, Gov. Scott Walker has signed off on a multitude of bills placed on his desk by the majority-Republican legislature. He has managed to shutdown an $810 million train project seemingly with the snap of his fingers and a few complaints. Like a bad furniture… Read more »

It took about a semester for the Associated Students of Madison’s Finance Committee to burn through the entire travel grant fund for the year. As an institution that often has a loose purse when it comes to student segregated fees, we urge them to adopt new criteria for doling out… Read more »

With Student Services Finance Committee Chair Matt Manes’ proposed Campus Services Fund trapped in the netherworld of student government bureaucracy, this campus lost a valuable opportunity to witness proactive change to its process for funding student groups. The CSF, which would have allowed certain organizations, such as tutoring services and… Read more »

Gov. Scott Walker wants you to know Wisconsin is “open for business,” and a “job friendly legal environment” is a part of that. But with the passage of a bill that will dramatically alter laws governing civil lawsuits, it is becoming increasingly clear that “job friendly” readily translates to “businesses… Read more »

Every 10 years, American governments, from the House of Representatives down to small town councils, redistrict based on the new census data. This once-in-a-decade process will begin this spring when the results of the 2010 Census are released, and it’s been used to make political gains since the early 19th… Read more »

Representation in Madison’s bars has never been much of an issue for University of Wisconsin students. But representation on the bodies governing the policies and enforcement behind those establishments is an entirely different matter. Recently, students and young people throughout the city have had their input reinforced with the appointment… Read more »

As Biddy Martin’s new Badger Partnership begins to take form, it is imperative that those affected understand how — and why — Martin is moving forward with such a drastic change in the university’s financial model. In the state’s most recent budget, roughly 18 percent of the university’s funding was… Read more »

It takes a special kind of determination to push forward bills that are not only unnecessary, but also alienate the people you rely on to get elected. Rep. Jeff Stone, Sen. Joe Leibham, take a bow. Their proposed bill would require people to present a valid photo ID in order… Read more »

On Friday, the Board of Regents voted to request a 2 percent pay increase for faculty and academic staff at all UW System institutions, at the behest of UW President Kevin Reilly. This will be a part of UW’s budget request to the Legislature. The Legislature, soon to be controlled… Read more »

Well, that was much ado about nothing. After years of planning, tens of millions spent on research and development, and a green light in the form of $810 million in federal funding, the high-speed rail line between Madison and Milwaukee is dead. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican, announced… Read more »

Monday’s list titled “The Worst People on Campus,” that ran on this opinion page has garnered a tremendous amount of buzz, not only on this campus but across the nation. Feedback has been divided between support and derision for the choice to run this article naming students who immediately posted… Read more »

To say the grand opening of the new Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery did not go exactly as expected is an understatement. During the Dec. 2 dedication ceremony for the new public-private research facility, members of both the Student Labor Action Coalition and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal… Read more »

It’s well known that the majority of this campus doesn’t really care how segregated fees are allocated by ASM. It’s also well known that Student Council doesn’t really have a clear purpose other than to be a check on ASM’s committees. Tonight, members of this council without a purpose will… Read more »

The Overture Center has had a troubled history as of late. Having weathered near-insolvency, two ethics complaints and no minimum of hand-wringing over its future by City Council, alders will finally vote on Overture’s fate tonight. Essentially, two proposals are being offered. On one hand, they may vote for the… Read more »

Today, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to declare that alcoholic energy drinks, including Sparks and Four Loko, are unsafe, due to their high levels of caffeine and alcohol. The FDA will then take action to ban the sale of the drinks nationwide. Since this summer, we’ve seen news… Read more »

The signing of the Pacific Railway Act by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862 is lauded as a defining moment in America’s history. Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the transcontinental railroad represented the epoch of westward expansion. Today, the stakes are different. With a highly developed highway system connecting every… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin System is no stranger to budget cuts. Indeed, administrators have become seasoned hands at slashing expenditures and staff in hopes of avoiding the unfriendly eye of state legislators. But no matter how you slice the ever-shrinking pie, those decreases have become increasingly severe, and students are… Read more »

With the 9 point margin of victory for Scott Walker in Wisconsin’s gubernatorial race, the message from the Dairy State voters was clear: Whatever the opposite of Jim Doyle is, we’ll try that now. With a credibility rating among Wisconsin residents that could turn rain into snow — as if… Read more »

It’s not easy to write an endorsement you feel good about these days. This is especially true in an election where a former witch and a bestiality promoter were given serious credence in the polls. But Russ Feingold is one candidate whose victory won’t require too much electoral nose-holding from… Read more »

After sitting down with Democratic candidate Brett Hulsey and Green Party candidate Ben Manski, the top two contenders in what has become an uncommonly contentious race for the District 77 Assembly seat, we have come to the conclusion that would please the environmental-nut Hulsey on any other day of the… Read more »

Up for re-election to her seventh term in office, Rep. Tammy Baldwin has become nothing short of a household name in Wisconsin politics. Her opponent, Chad Lee, might be able to clean your house, but you’re probably not going to remember his name. In the race for Wisconsin’s Second Congressional… Read more »

For the past several weeks, we have struggled to decide which candidate is the lesser of two evils in the race for governor of Wisconsin. After taking a long look at the options, we cannot make up our minds on who to support in Tuesday’s election. Both Scott Walker, the… Read more »

The chairs within the Madison City Council chambers are really quite comfortable; but sometimes, given bad posture and the occasional verbal meanderings by fellow alders, there arises the need to stretch one’s legs. For those unfamiliar with the spectacle that is City Council, Ald. Thuy Pham-Remmele, District 20, is no… Read more »

Last week, the notorious state Rep. Jeff Wood, I-Chippewa Falls, was sentenced to 60 days in jail and two years of probation for his fourth OWI after a tempestuous trial in which Wood’s representation quit twice. What was originally a traffic citation for inattentive driving in Marathon County in Sept.… Read more »

Two weeks ago Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk announced she would be resigning her position mid-term this coming April, basically stating old age had gotten the best of her. Well, it might be time to hit the bingo table a little earlier then anticipated. According to Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board,… Read more »

Sometimes it hurts to say goodbye. Which is why saying good riddance is often much more fun. Such is true with the Student Services Finance Committee’s recent decision not to fund two major campus groups whose predilections for self-righteousness have never failed to overshadow their dubious benefit. The Wisconsin Student… Read more »

Like most reasonable people on this campus, we were all embarrassed by the caricature of being a Wisconsin student that was portrayed in the short lived MTV reality show “College Life.” So when we heard that one of the show’s stars, Kevin Tracy, was busted by police to the tune… Read more »

On Monday, we learned that Kathleen Falk, who has been county executive here in Dane County since 1997, will resign the position come April, with 24 months left in her term. Typically when a long-term incumbent resigns midterm, it’s for one of three reasons: they are pursuing a higher office,… Read more »

We learned this week that OK Go, the band founded in Chicago in the late 1990s that somehow received worldwide attention in 2007 when a bunch of them jumped around on some treadmills, will be the headlining band for State Street’s Freakfest celebration later this month. Never mind that OK… Read more »

The lakes bordering Madison’s downtown isthmus are the city’s defining characteristics, but they can also be a strain on urban development. On this sliver of land resides both the epicenter of state politics and Wisconsin’s flagship university — testaments to the vivacity Madisonians pride themselves on. When the new Downtown… Read more »

Today, the University of Wisconsin will stop accepting bids from consulting firms searching to aid UW administrators in their goal of cutting the university’s operating costs, a process which began on August 20. Chancellor Biddy Martin is looking to emulate institutions such as the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and… Read more »

It’s not everyday that students are given the opportunity to influence the college experience of thousands of others who will come after them. Tonight’s vote in City Council on whether to overturn the Housing Committee’s decision to side with the landlords in our community rather than the tenants, provides us… Read more »

On Sept. 16, the Student Services Finance Committee unanimously voted to allow the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan to file an application for segregated fee funding, thus ending a month-long period during which the group’s financial future was in serious question. The confusion derived from MEChA’s failure to include a… Read more »

When Chancellor Biddy Martin announced in this month’s issue of Madison Magazine her initiative to revamp the University of Wisconsin’s financial model and related partnership with the state and Board of Regents, tuition increases were presented as an unavoidable part of the plan. As students, we are just as hesitant… Read more »

Today you can exercise your political freedoms or give up your right to bitch about how the state is run. In other words, today is Election Day, and although it is only the primaries, it will influence how the next four years will play out. While there are many names… Read more »

A federal court has ruled that Badger Catholic, the registered student organization based out of St. Paul’s Catholic Church on Library Mall, should be allowed to use segregated fees to fund religious events and materials. This is the latest and possibly final chapter in a nauseating five-year legal battle that… Read more »

With the Alcohol Licensing Review Committee deciding in August to extend last call on the controversial Alcohol License Density Ordinance from October 5 to sometime in March 2011, we decided it was our responsibility as a group of 21(ish)-year-olds to offer up a few changes for ALRC to consider. It’s… Read more »

Wisconsin got a stark reminder this summer that good ‘ol boys clubs and smoky back room politics are still common fodder between state politicians and University of Wisconsin administrators. When University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly handed a top system position to a high-ranking member of Doyle’s cabinet without… Read more »

When the Dane County Board moved to freeze its vacant positions in 2009, one of the few organizations spared was the Dane County Sheriff’s Office, which agreed to temporary pay cuts in return for a raise in 2011. The sheriff’s union successfully argued public safety would be placed in serious… Read more »

Americans don’t like it when members of government take part in backroom deals. While they’re sometimes a necessary evil, we still don’t like them shoved in our face. And though we sometimes struggle using the words “government” and “Associated Students of Madison” in the same sentence, members of this board… Read more »

The 37-seat Dane County Board of Supervisors has drawn no shortage of ire from this board in past years, most specifically centered on the primarily student-occupied fifth district, currently helmed by Analiese Eicher after her victory over challenger Michael Johnson in April. Every 10 years, following the release of the… Read more »

In April, when Antonio Perez was killed outside the print shop where he worked on Fordem Avenue, the Madison Police Department wasted little time in bringing all its resources to bear for the search. Additionally, MPD officers took pains to assure Madison’s Latino community they were not interested in the… Read more »

In a ruling strongly symptomatic of the caustic bipartisan divisions that have come to define the political climate of both Wisconsin and the nation as a whole, late last month the Wisconsin Supreme Court shamefully failed to hold itself accountable to the standards and laws entrusted to it. In a… Read more »

How many OWI arrests does it take before a Wisconsin representative finally loses his seat at the popular kids’ lunch table? According to the adolescents operating in that big building with the pointy top, more than one-hand’s-worth, apparently. At least that is the precedent the Wisconsin state Assembly set when… Read more »

Boycotts sure seem fun. Whether it’s tea or Arizona, the events of last fall made us want to try our hand at it — especially after Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, brought a resolution before the Alcohol License Review Committee to reserve one of the already-proposed new seats for a… Read more »

When The Badger Herald renewed its long-held stance of defending the First Amendment by allowing the placement of a Holocaust denial advertisement on our website, some called us anti-Semites — a charge that made the entire staff a little verklempt. Others claimed we lacked an organizational strategy regarding advertisements. And,… Read more »

Change has not been this dumb since Scarlett Johansson decided it was her responsibility to educate everyone about the Obama campaign. Maybe this isn’t quite on the same level as Scarlett crooning “Yes we can!” all over YouTube, but last fall’s grad school restructuring plan seemed a little, well, unnecessary.… Read more »

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… Read more »

Jesus Christ, this again? When we started the year, the Edgewater Hotel renovation was the perfect storm of small-city politics — accusations of backdoor lobbying, neighborhood infighting and an increasingly activist mayor. To be honest, it was the best present a newspaper in a non-election year could ask for —… Read more »

Before the year is out and students hit the books hard and Facebook even harder, there’s one more piece of homework: Perform your civic duty. Tonight, the Madison Housing Committee will meet to debate and possibly refer an ordinance that affects every UW-Madison student. Proposed by Ald. Bridget Maniaci, District… Read more »

This Sunday, a new session of the Associated Students of Madison will begin and Student Council will be faced with its first and most contentious task: Electing leadership. The vice chair will be contested by Adam Johnson, the outgoing chair of Legislative Affairs and a current representative of ASM,… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin’s Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztl�n, or MEChA, is currently housed on the second floor of the building adjacent to Brothers Bar and Grill and owned by UW. Uh oh. We all know what that means. With UW’s acquisition of Brothers, plans for a music school on… Read more »

The CW is a fledgling UHF television network that crutches heavily on teenage superhero angst and 140-pound aspiring supermodels. The CWC, or the Campus Women’s Center, is a fledgling registered student organization that crutches heavily on cries of viewpoint neutrality violations in hopes of restoring a greater percentage of its… Read more »

As a society, we hold politicians to notoriously low standards. Whether it’s soliciting gay sex in a Minneapolis airport (Larry Craig, R-Idaho), sexting aides and interns (Mark Foley, R-Florida), or blowing as much as $80,000 on high-class — oxymoron warning — prostitutes (Eliot Spitzer, D-New York), it takes a lot… Read more »

After months of crescendo, the campaign to fix up the Natatorium was definitively shot down by an unprecedented student turnout in the referendum last week. And while we’re quite pleased with the voters’ wisdom in this situation, for reasons we’ve already articulated, there’s still a critique to be made of… Read more »

On Monday, Gov. Jim Doyle presented a proposal to send desperately needed help to Wisconsin’s poorest-performing public schools. And yesterday, the state senate approved the bill, setting it up to go before the assembly sometime next week. The measure would, among other things, allow the state superintendent to intervene in… Read more »

The MPOWER slate ran to change the way our student government does business. The members walked into the Associated Students of Madison elections with their heads held high, claiming to hold the students’ best interests in mind. “We’ll change the culture, fight for students’ rights and finally shift ASM away… Read more »

Unless you were that obnoxious “what-did-you-get-I-got-an-A!” kid, you probably wanted your report card tucked safely into your Buzz Lightyear (Simba? Aladdin?) backpack, and not tacked onto the class bulletin board under the “Attitude is Everything” poster with the bald eagle on it. Especially if that Wiffle Ball unit really brought… Read more »

With the recent announcement that the University of Wisconsin will end its Nike apparel agreement after the Oregon-based company ignored repeated requests to address claims of unpaid severance to workers, we’d like to take this space to say: Nike… We are more prone to be inquisitive to promote discussion (instead… Read more »

From today until Wednesday, students will answer a number of issues wrapped up in one ballot question. The question on the ballot, of course, is whether to approve the construction of an addition to the Natatorium. This includes a grace period in which students will not be charged. The grace… Read more »

In 1979 it was the Pail and Shovel Party. In 2000 it was the Ten Fat Tigers. And now, in 2010, we have the Madison People Organizing for Wisconsin Educational Rights slate. MPOWER is an umbrella organization, encompassing ASM candidates from across campus and drawing support from several prominent seg-fee-funded… Read more »

36.0.9(5) is the closest thing the Associated Students of Madison have to a battle cry. The state statute ensures that the University of Wisconsin student government has one of the most active and powerful systems of shared governance in the country. At least that’s what ASM tells itself. But for… Read more »

For the last two years, the District 5 Dane County Board of Supervisors seat has been, for all intents and purposes, vacant. During his term, Wyndham Manning has addressed The Badger Herald a grand total of two times. We’re upset partially because we’ve begun to feel a bit neglected, but… Read more »

Much like jersey-chasers to the KK or John Moffitt to Fat Sandwich Company, the Mifflin Street Block Party will inevitably attract partiers from outside of Madison once again. It is unavoidable. There is day-drinking with mass quantities of beer, live music and (fingers crossed) beautiful weather. You don’t need to… Read more »

Last week, the Wisconsin Supreme Court agreed to hear four cases involving out-of-state drunken driving offenses. At issue here is whether prior arrests outside of Wisconsin should be looked at when reviewing similar crimes in Wisconsin. To put it simply: Yeah, duh. However, it’s not just simpletons like us who… Read more »

Tonight, gymnasiums across the country will fall silent, the attention of Madisonians will turn from their brackets to their ballots, and all eyes will be on the debate between Analiese Eicher and Michael Johnson, two candidates for District 5 county board. While the event may not draw as much attention… Read more »

There are few good ideas crafted by politicians. It’s even more rare that those ideas are made into law. For instance, take the legislation running through congress to reform student loans. The current system has private lenders handling student loans, while the federal government assumes nearly all default risk. The… Read more »

Even if your political science or history degree fails to come through when you try to make the case that you should get minimum wage to become best friends with that think tank’s file cabinet, you can at least go home feeling like a jobless intellectual. After all, if nothing… Read more »

There are few committees of the Associated Students of Madison more involved and overworked than Student Services Finance Committee. Poring over incredibly involved applications for funding student groups, debating those budgets, dealing with the blowback after rejection, notifying each group of deadlines and dates and wrapping it all up by… Read more »

A couple of weeks ago, we criticized the University of Wisconsin for struggling to get any big name commencement speakers over the last decades, while other Big Ten schools landed people like Bill Clinton, Dan Rather, John McCain and Barack Obama. Well, for the first time in recent memory, UW… Read more »

For years, we have affectionately referred to the Academic Affairs Committee of the Associated Students of Madison as the “Textbook Committee.” A grassroots committee of ASM, Academic Affairs is charged with dealing with “current student issues.” However, all we have been able to think up for the last couple years… Read more »

Here’s a story about Billy Joe and Bobbie Sue,Two young lovers with nothing better to do. Actually, it’s a story about the Dane County Board and the Regional Transit Authority. That sounds almost as fun, right? Earlier this winter, the county board established the RTA to examine new transportation options… Read more »

We wanted to sympathize with you. We hoped for an excuse to take up your case. A few of us even yearned to pound our fists and hurl phrases like “abuse of power” and “dereliction of duties” at the University of Wisconsin and the UW System Board of Regents. Unfortunately… Read more »

There comes a time when students have to stand up for their rights. College students are kept in a state of arrested development by their elders, are treated like children by their professors and are denied the same consideration and voice that every other adult has. And when the agency… Read more »

Finally. Just when we started to question whether The Badger Herald would ever get the chance to discuss the importance of free speech and the First Amendment, the UW faculty bailed us out. Last Monday, a proposal was presented to the Faculty Senate aiming to protect the speech rights of… Read more »

Greta Van Susteren before she got her own show. One of the producers of “Airplane!” The deputy chief of staff to President Bartlet on The West Wing. The black Wizard of Oz. The man who turned his head while Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa competed over who could shoot up… Read more »

As representatives from the MIU Oversight Committee passed their proposal reviews and rankings on to Chancellor Biddy Martin last Tuesday, we envisioned this highly unlikely exchange… MIU Oversight Committee Representative: The lives of undergraduates are in your hands. Martin: Man, don’t say that, man. MIU: Mr. Brower wanted me to… Read more »

They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery, but sometimes we’d prefer the rest of the UW System to save their flattery in favor of good old-fashioned practicality. As UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse sweep through their versions of the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, we’re sure that Chancellor… Read more »

The Edgewater Hotel Sean Kittridge Sure, it might be cheating, but we really wanted to see that thing get built, and since every day looks more and more like we’ll never set foot in a new Edgewater, we might as well embrace a new union called “The Edgewater.” So what… Read more »

Every year, it seems the process of doling out your segregated fee dollars finds controversy. Heck, Campus Women’s Center is still battling for funding after being denied last semester. However, that controversy usually waits to rear its head until General Student Services Fund group hearings. This year, it showed up… Read more »

On Monday, Alpha Epsilon Pi was officially suspended by the Greek Judicial Board. The decision came as a result of AEPi’s purported philanthropy event last December, in which members of the frat allegedly caused “mayhem” according to a letter from the Overture Center staff. Sex in the bathrooms, drunken sober… Read more »

A soft-spoken grandpa-type calls you by name and leads you into a cozy office where you stretch your legs in front of the fireplace and sip the steaming cup of coffee he offers. He then tells you that, judging from his knowledge of your interest in medieval French literature and… Read more »

On Monday, 20 members of the Dane County Board of Supervisors signed a letter demanding an explanation from the University of Wisconsin regarding their scientific testing on primates. In their letter to Chancellor Biddy Martin, the supervisors, including District 5 Supervisor Wyndham Manning, asked the university to explain how their… Read more »

As a society, we have become more and more willing to collectively sacrifice privacy in the name of safety. From the PATRIOT Act on a national level to the installation of video cameras on State Street just a few years ago, we have been forced to strike a balance between… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison’s Legislative Affairs committee is meant to represent student interests on a local, state and national scale. And, shockingly, that’s what they’re doing. This is surprising news, not necessarily because of Leg Affairs’ track record, but simply its inclusion as a committee of ASM. While many… Read more »

If you had a penny for every time a professor seemed unwilling to give you a well-deserved “A,” or a potential employer acted like she had better things to do than interview another desperate college student, you could probably earn yourself a quarter — hopefully not enough to buy yourself… Read more »

When Chancellor Biddy Martin brought her Madison Initiative for Undergraduates before the student body last year, she insisted that every doubloon raised by the tuition hike be accountable to students. The proposals being considered for funding were to be posted online and two committees, one composed exclusively of students, were… Read more »

Having suffered the never-ending saga of the Edgewater, we will admit — any sort of development in the downtown area is not to be approved willy-nilly. There are concerns of appropriateness, design, financing and size. And usually, the size of a building is inversely proportional to the happiness of Capitol… Read more »

It’s the worst kept secret in Madison: the Natatorium is a dump. And not the kind of dump you affectionately refer to as your living room. There, you and your roommates are never forced to wait for couch space to open up so you can get your daily TV routine… Read more »

We don’t know where Zuzu Bailey went to school, but if a renter’s life in Madison has taught us anything, it’s that every time a landlord cries foul, an angel gets its wings. Or at least several high-fives. And if Ald. Bridget Maniaci’s, District 2 proposal to push back new… Read more »

Provost Paul DeLuca, Jr., we know you were all ready to reform the grad school, but it looks like you might have to rethink that Che shirt, because it’s not revolution time just yet. DeLuca recently proposed the creation of a new vice chancellor for research, separate from the graduate… Read more »

The Sher-iff don’t like it. In the last waning days of 2009, Dane County finalized an agreement with the Dane County Sheriff’s Office to close the only remaining gap in Kathleen Falk’s cost-cutting plan to effectively deal with lower revenues and the recession. However, it was not an easy task.… Read more »

Generally speaking, more democracy is good, voter fraud is bad and partisanship on matters relating to the electoral process is silly. Yet there’s an argument brewing at the Capitol over whether early voting should be implemented throughout the state. Currently, if you don’t want to vote on Election Day, you… Read more »

Alliteration is a beautiful thing, and there is no greater example of this than Glenn Grothman. Grothman, a Republican state senator from West Bend, is to civil political discourse what Lou Dobbs is to Cinco De Mayo: one loco hombre. Recently, in response to snow removal issues following The… Read more »

The last time the Great Lakes states cooperated like this we ended up with Bud Selig as commissioner of Major League Baseball. So from the start we were wary of the unholy union between Ohio and Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan, Minnesota and…well…Michigan. The group, along with New York and… Read more »

At the risk of offending Geico’s cavemen and upsetting the insurance company’s legal department, this editorial board’s policy on student housing in Madison can be broken down pretty simply: More housing good. Drives down rental costs for students. Improves living conditions to slightly better standards than apartments in Yemen.… Read more »

When someone in dire need finds a hot meal in a soup kitchen, that’s what we call well-placed emergency backup. When a lady in a fur coat brings her Ugg-clad children in for the meal and takes seconds, that’s what we call a free lunch. The line between emergency… Read more »

Well, if Student Labor Action Coalition can give Chancellor Biddy Martin a report card, this editorial board can do the same for our beloved Associated Students of Madison. Following the colossal failure that was the “reform session” of last year, we had relatively few expectations of ASM. Although that’s not… Read more »

It’s do-or-die time for the city of Madison. Tomorrow, a private investment of about $80 million will come in front of the City Council. If 14 alders vote yes, the plan has a fighting chance of becoming a reality. If not, the plan is dead. Two weeks ago, Landmarks… Read more »

We’re pretty sure Texas Rep. Joe Barton is a smart man, if for no other reason than we can’t see the good people of the Lone Star State electing a less-than-able legislator. So it goes without saying that we take great pride in quoting another legendary Tejas politico: “There’s… Read more »

Well, this sure beats those ugly sweaters John Wiley used to give out. Yesterday, Chancellor Biddy Martin gave 40,000 college students the best Christmas present they could have imagined: a snow day. It’s easy for six of the beneficiaries of said day to herald the decision as the right… Read more »

In case you haven’t noticed — you have, don’t worry; it’s just an intro technique — they’re building a new Union South on the frozen ground where its predecessor once sat half-empty for 30 years. But they’re not calling it the new Union South. In fact, they don’t know… Read more »

Depending on how much you read the paper, or how often you feel the need for that two-for-one Long Island special, you may or may not be aware of the lawsuit Brothers recently filed to prevent losing its current location. The suit came after the University of Wisconsin Board… Read more »

When the university decided to demolish Ogg Hall at the end of the 2006-07 school year, most people thought it was a good idea. In fact, the administration probably could have made money by charging alumni and students alike $5 to take a swing at that concrete cathedral that… Read more »

This semester, seniors at the University of Wisconsin and universities everywhere will be cramming for test upon test, with graduation so close they can taste it. But on top of getting intellectually fit for exams, seniors at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania will be sweating another test — body mass… Read more »

Because they can’t fire Rich Rodriguez just yet, the University of Michigan is taking out their frustration on a different target: smokers. Michigan is considering a new policy that would ban smoking anywhere, indoors or outside, on all three of its campuses by 2011. Purdue has also joined in the… Read more »

Last week, Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, and Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, formally announced their plans to introduce the Jackie Rickert Act into the state Legislature, which would legalize marijuana for medicinal use. This particular bill has been introduced before but was left to languish in a Republican-majority Assembly. With… Read more »

Below is Beth Mueller’s dissent from the Editorial Board: My colleagues on the Editorial Board have taken a position in support of eventual legalization of marijuana that seems logical, responsible and reasonable, with the added benefit of allowing everybody to get stoned. Unfortunately, I must depart from them in… Read more »

According to Greek mythology, and aided by the legend of the Battle of Marathon, the word “nike” is meant to symbolize victory or success. Yet according to a group of currently unemployed Hondurans, the definition is closer to “corporation that owes us $2.1 million.” Obviously, something’s been lost in… Read more »

There’s nothing more pitiful than being the laughingstock of the Associated Students of Madison. But three student groups this semester have found a way to pull it off. Once again, a student group was denied funding by the Student Services Finance Committee. Once again, the group got all huffy and… Read more »

Two weeks ago, the Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Committee announced it would recommend a new student member to the Alcohol License Review Committee. Oh, yeah, and that boycott thing. That was over weeks ago, after City Council approved an additional citizen seat for the ALRC and Mayor Dave… Read more »

So our isthmus might not be shrinking (then again, it might be, who knows!), but it sure feels like it is. As downtown Madison grows, we are feeling the not-so-playful pinch of lakes Mendota and Monona now more than ever. It’s a simple fact that Madison’s layout and geography… Read more »

Somebody on the Wisconsin Union Directorate must’ve been reading a little too much Naomi Klein. By failing to place the Associated Students of Madison logo and disclaimer on a World Music Festival ad that ran in both student newspapers — both the ad and festival were paid for with ASM… Read more »

Student Council has been all about change lately. They want to be better, faster and stronger — all before midnight, hopefully. But Student Labor Action Coalition has a specific change in mind as well. And tonight, the two will probably butt heads. A change in University of Wisconsin campus… Read more »

Remember that time your dad went out and bought a new big-screen TV without asking mom? Even though it was March Madness, and the old TV your parents had been using since their wedding shower had finally bit the dust, she was pretty pissed dad didn’t even think about… Read more »

Funny thing about Lady Justice: despite her lack of vision, she still takes care of her appearance. Justice may be blind, but she ain’t ugly. Unfortunately, the last few Wisconsin Supreme Court elections have been. In 2008, mudslinging took center stage when Michael Gableman, a Burnett County circuit judge,… Read more »

Almost two weeks ago, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s work with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement brought about the arrest and deportation of 34 illegal immigrants from the Southeastern part of the state. It would be easy to see this story, particularly the fact that each immigrant had… Read more »

Last night, the City Council voted to add a two voting seats to the ALRC: another alder member and a citizen member, who according to an agreement between Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and District 8 Ald. Bryon Eagon, will be a student. We view Tuesday’s vote as a win for student… Read more »

We had originally planned for an editorial that would encourage the student body to go to tonight’s City Council meeting to show their support for a proposal from Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, which would mandate a student-voting member on the city’s Alcohol License Review Committee. This newspaper has… Read more »

Ever wonder why the word “railroading” came into use to describe a plan or idea being pushed ahead too quickly or forcefully? Just picture the scene in “Back to the Future Part III”, where Doc Brown’s tricked-out locomotive goes soaring over the edge of a cliff after the time machine… Read more »

I wish you would step back from that 27th beer, my friend. You could cut ties with all the financial assistance your family’s been sending in. And if you do not want to see beyond a jail cell this weekend, we would understand. We would understand. But please, don’t do… Read more »

Issues relating to global warming are rapidly becoming pass�. They are so over-emphasized by groups ranging from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to the Big Red Go Green signs we put on the sides of drafty, inefficient buildings around campus that many people are to the point of… Read more »

My colleagues on the Editorial Board have prepared a very eloquent statement against Wisconsin’s moratorium on the building of nuclear power plants. On the surface, they appear to have made an open-and-shut case. My objections to nuclear energy have nothing to do with its safety or effectiveness. I am… Read more »

The Badger Herald Editorial Board has a long history of taking unpopular or controversial positions. We would need to dig through our archives for several days, however, before finding the last time we called for a boycott of a local business, as was done last Friday (“Boycott the Nitty,”… Read more »

When the U.S. Department of Education revealed at the end of this summer it would make nearly $5 billion in stimulus funds available to certain states in the form of Race to the Top education grants, most people were excited. In Wisconsin, however, we had to sit out the hullabaloo… Read more »

On Wednesday night, Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, brought the Alcohol License Review Committee a fair proposal. Since students have a large stake in the regulation and organization of liquor licenses throughout the city, they should have a permanent voting representative on the committee. It makes sense. Most of the… Read more »

When the Union South Design Committee was in full swing last year, then-Vice President for Project Management Dan Cornelius was a strident defender of student input in the building. When this editorial board made a glib comment about the Union screwing over students with the project, Mr. Cornelius made attempts… Read more »

On Wednesday, the Associated Students of Madison Student Council decided to get serious. Well, just a little serious. Student Council Secretary Kurt Gosselin put forth a proposal, which was passed, to force members of Student Council to hold at least two hours of office hours per week in order… Read more »

“Beer” is one of the English language’s most beautiful words, forever stuck behind the Holy Trinity of “free,” “puppies” and “philatelist.” “Tax,” however, is as sinister as three letters can get. When Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, brought the two together in her recently proposed beer tax legislation, there was… Read more »

Last semester, Chancellor Biddy Martin set forth a proposal to reshape the undergraduate experience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The plan was ambitious, controversial and costly, requiring incremental tuition hikes of $250 and $750 per year over four years for in-state and out-of-state students, respectively. Immediately, it was clear Ms.… Read more »

This editorial board has never been shy about its disappointment with Dane County Supervisor Wyndham Manning, District 5, and has considered the mostly student district without representation. However, now that Mr. Manning has stepped aside, we feel it’s time to put the last two years into proper context. When Ashok… Read more »

By now, we’re sure you’ve thoroughly dissected the incredibly nuanced and almost mind-numbing details of Campus Women’s Center denial of funding eligibility by the Student Services Finance Committee. In the days following SSFC’s decision, the Campus Women’s Center has tried to review its options while supporters of the group… Read more »

Well wouldn’t you know it. Less than one week after the Assembly actually passed a bill toughening state OWI laws, State Rep. Jeff Wood, I-Chippewa Falls, got himself arrested on suspicion of his fourth such charge. Last Wednesday, Mr. Wood was pulled over by a state trooper after a witness’… Read more »

University of Wisconsin-Madison students are frequently reminded of the phrase coined by the Board of Regents in 1894: “…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.” Apparently those words never made it north.… Read more »

Yes, we know it’s legal. Yes, we know the concept of viewpoint neutrality is not implicated by this matter. Yes, we’re sure Elizabeth Wrigley-Field and her ideological allies on the Associated Students of Madison Student Council could rattle off ASM’s long history of taking political positions on behalf of… Read more »

No one really trusts government. Even when our congressmen or members of our state Legislature come together to pass something somewhat sensible and bipartisan like increased health benefits for veterans, anti-animal cruelty legislation or a resolution honoring Bruce Springsteen, the public views our representatives as either easily swayed, completely corrupt… Read more »

As word of the Kollege Klub suspension made its way down the line last Wednesday, the voices of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ren�e Zellweger echoed throughout Madison’s collective mind: “They had it coming. They had it coming. They only have themselves to blame.” This is not an editorial board prone to… Read more »

By now it has become a fairly familiar story. A full moon rises over Lake Monona, a silent menace approaches from the west, and the citizens of Madison are nearly duped into supporting a project with a much more sinister side. However, the recent saga that has played out… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin is no stranger to legal battles over segregated fees, but lately there’s been a dry spell. After the Roman Catholic Foundation of UW-Madison sued UW into the ground and eventually won their funds, UW seemed to be coasting along on a litigation-free academic year for… Read more »

During a recent meeting of the Common Council Organizational Committee, Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, managed to liven up the normally C-SPAN-esque proceedings by suggesting the recently proposed additional citizen seat on the Alcohol License Review Committee be reserved for a student. On the surface, this must have been… Read more »

It’s time for the College Democrats and Republicans to set aside their differences, be they social or fiscal, and take solace in at least one point of common understanding: the District 5 County Board seat has been about as effective as Nair on Robin Williams. In recent discussions with… Read more »

When it rains, it pours. After rewriting the Badger football ticketing experience yet again, the athletic department has decided to tweak the ticket policy of yet another sport. When students register for the men’s basketball lottery Sept. 8, tickets will be available in one variety: watered-down. Those looking to… Read more »

When Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced states could competitively bid for $4.35 billion in Race to the Top grants — an unprecedented dispersal of stimulus funds for education — it was immediately apparent Wisconsin was in deep trouble. Wisconsin is one of four states with statutes barring public… Read more »

Through recent memory, the Associated Students of Madison have garnered reactions ranging from puzzlement to disgust for their misdirected attempts to serve the student body. However, this summer a simple plan wins a golf clap that ripples gently around campus. Not too rowdy, but a polite “well played, sir.”… Read more »

The redevelopment of the Edgewater Hotel has, like any major building project, been met with a great amount of support and a considerable amount of opposition. And like any fun issue in Madison, it has its share of frustrating conspiracy theorists. But one thing is for sure: this is… Read more »

It’s time, folks. Shut your mouths and throw away your ballots, because the student body has collectively decided starting today, it will have no voice whatsoever in its own governance. After all, with Ervin “Kipp kip Kipparoo” Cox, Professor Jacqueline “bewitchin’” Hitchon, and the UW “Eye of Sauron” administration… Read more »

Oh, Wyndham. It was so adorable to watch you run for Dane County Board of Supervisors in April 2008. Your campaign was like watching a 10-year-old try out for “American Inventor” and being patted-on-the-back by George Foreman. (“I love the manure digesters you drew, little man! Thanks for coming… Read more »

There are times, in the pursuit of democracy, when the people look toward their once-in-a-lifetime visionary leaders — Kennedy, Roosevelt, David Hasselhoff — for direction, inspiration and hope. Responsible government requires those who stand up to the special interests, fight for the silent and strive for liberty and justice… Read more »

The sound of calls coming into the 911 Center is deafening, but the ringing doesn’t faze Nancy Mistele anymore. Nothing does. Mistele now spends all of her time there peering between the flaps of the pup tent she pitched on the center’s main floor, a notepad and pen in… Read more »

The following is an open letter from The Badger Herald Editorial Board to UW System Board of Regents President Mark Bradley: We understand that Dean of Students Lori Berquam, professor Jacqueline Hitchon, Associate Dean of Students Ervin Cox and various student members of our misconduct panels are petitioning the… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison has two candidates for position of chair: Tyler Junger, the former Student Services Finance Committee secretary, and Brian Benford, a former Madison alder from District 12. Friday’s meeting resulted in a deadlocked vote between the two, but in order to solidify leadership in ASM,… Read more »

The 2009 installment of the Mifflin Street Block Party has come and gone. And to the delight of concerned students on the University of Wisconsin campus, the addition of a sponsor did not turn the event into the spring version of Freakfest. There were no gates, no admission fees… Read more »

After months devoted to reform, the Associated Students of Madison took time to reflect on a year, for them, has been a painful one. Not only did the reform movement fail, but voter turnout remains low and the group is having trouble even filling its committees, as evidenced by… Read more »

If recent events are any indication, the two most important issues when it comes to higher education in Wisconsin are financial aid and professor retention. The Madison Initiative for Undergraduates dedicates the majority of its funds to these two issues, the Joint Finance Committee has decided not to increase… Read more »

Immediately after University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin unveiled her Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, it was apparent the plan, though fundamentally sound, needed a bit of refining. There were many aspects of the proposal that needed to be clarified to students and many more that needed justification. After a… Read more »

Well, the Madison Police Department can start dusting off the ol’ plastic handcuffs and getting the ’70s Madison Metro bus-turned-holding area ready to go. The race to see how many partygoers they can arrest in a matter of a few hours is back on. As of now, there is… Read more »

Last May, more than 400 people were arrested at Madison’s Mifflin Street Block Party. That’s double the number placed in plastic handcuffs during the annual drunken extravaganza just four years prior and just a wee bit higher than the whopping seven placed under arrest in 2003. Madison Police Chief… Read more »

The Greek system on the University of Wisconsin campus has been in need of reform and accountability for some time. After years of backdoor meetings of the Greek Judicial Board and, to a lesser extent, Interfraternity Council, scandals in the last few years have necessitated a firmer hand with… Read more »

The ASM elections are upon us. (Or didn’t you notice?) Just as in previous years, a critically low number of people are campaigning for Associated Students of Madison Student Council. The only contested seats are for representatives from the College of Letters and Sciences, where 19 students are vying… Read more »

Today is Election Day. This board should not have to implore students to vote at their local precincts. But as we’ve lamented before, turnout for local elections is notoriously low. Three high-profile City Council elections are being held, along with even higher-profile races. Among these City Council races, this… Read more »

In the election for Supreme Court justice, how you vote hinges on one thing: What your definition of “judicial activist” is. Randy Koschnick, a Jefferson County Circuit Court judge, certainly thinks his challenger for the bench, Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson, fits that definition. For Koschnick, expanding court rulings… Read more »

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In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s election, Dane County has been given patronizing lectures on the moral atrocities of current Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk — courtesy of challenger Nancy Mistele. Television and radio campaign advertisements have accused our current executive of negligence and labeled her actions as… Read more »

When Chancellor Biddy Martin introduced her new Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, she did so in front of dozens of University of Wisconsin student leaders, including members of this editorial board. Instead of holding a press conference with solely university administrators, legislative leaders and other supporters, Martin opened the doors… Read more »

In this election cycle, most attention on the city level has either been focused on the battle between Bridget Maniaci and Brenda Konkel for District 2 and, on a student level, the race between Bryon Eagon and Mark Woulf for District 8. And it’s understandable — these contentious races… Read more »

Last Thursday, Capitol Neighborhoods Inc. decided to suspend and reevaluate the direction of its Alcohol Issues Committee. It has been a little over a year since CNI laid out an ambitious policy to curtail underage drinking and general alcohol-associated tomfoolery in downtown Madison. The original plan called for doubling… Read more »

At a meeting with student leaders Tuesday, University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin took the first 6 1/2 months of her term spent fact-finding and listening and turned it into a bold proposal to increase funding to attract tenured faculty, need-based financial aid and student services — calling it the… Read more »

Included among Gov. Jim Doyle’s many suggestions for ameliorating the disastrous state of Wisconsin’s budget shortfall was a proposal to end a film tax break for film companies that shoot in Wisconsin. Doyle argued that in place of the tax credit — which can reach up to 25 percent… Read more »

Editor’s note: Eric Schmidt, Director of the Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series, recused himself from this opinion. When it comes to the Wisconsin Union, this board — and likely many members of the student body — hate that segregated fees are going to fund the reconstruction of the… Read more »

Every budget proposal seems to have its share of controversial measures, but Gov. Jim Doyle’s most recent one seems to have drawn some particularly spirited and decidedly diverse opposition. Maybe that 6-10 Packers season has every lawmaker just a little grumpier, but it’s more likely Gov. Doyle keeps putting contentious… Read more »

On Wednesday, The Badger Herald news department reported the horrifying story of a University of Wisconsin student who was allegedly raped last October. After attending the UW football game against Ohio State, the victim went out with a few members of the Sigma Chi fraternity and later woke up… Read more »

As part of his budget plan, Gov. Jim Doyle suggested altering the lifetime GPS monitoring system for convicted sex offenders originally proposed in 2006 and implemented in 2008. Under this revision in the 2009-11 proposed budget, sex offenders now under an active, or real-time, monitoring system would be give… Read more »

Among many items guaranteed to cause a fuss in Gov. Jim Doyle’s plan to fix the troubled state budget is the inclusion of a provision that would allow faculty members in the University of Wisconsin System to collectively bargain with the university administration. Currently, UW relies on a haphazard… Read more »

After months of planning, our student government’s truest defenders and truest representatives collapsed at the finish line. After two days of voting and a nearly yearlong stretch of calculated, nuanced discussion, listening sessions and tireless planning, the push to reform our student government has failed. In the end, the more… Read more »

As a going away present to her fellow City Council members, Ald. Robbie Webber, District 5, renewed a discussion last week about increasing alder pay from part time to full time. Webber did not fully endorse such an idea at the present time but nevertheless sparked a discussion we feel… Read more »

With a $5.9 billion budget shortfall looming for the state, it makes sense for Gov. Jim Doyle to take measures to remedy the impending fiscal crisis before it gets any worse. As for the plan itself, Doyle and the state government will be instituting 1 percent cut across the… Read more »

It’s the 11th hour for the Associated Students of Madison. This board has worried ASM has done a lackluster job generating support for its new constitution. One might have hoped for a more exhaustive mobilization of support for a measure that would, after all, “rescue” our student government. The… Read more »

The night Barack Obama was elected president, thousands of University of Wisconsin students flooded the streets surrounding the Capitol in a spontaneous act of jubilation. It is a simple geographic reality that the majority of celebrators that night heralded from Districts 2 or 8 — both of which are holding… Read more »

As Eli Judge vacates the District 8 City Council seat he filled nearly two years ago, four contenders have done their best to try to fit the mold of a popular, visible student alder. However, after meetings with most of the candidates and evaluation of the debate between all four,… Read more »

The economic landscape of the nation and state is complicated to say the least. No one is envious of Gov. Jim Doyle’s task of crafting the 2009-11 biennial budget as the state faces an incredible budget deficit. A $600 million budget deficit in the next year cannot be cured overnight… Read more »

The race for District 2 alder is a referendum on Brenda Konkel’s leadership. Konkel’s public feuding with Mayor Dave Cieslewicz aside, her performance on City Council has left a bitter taste in the mouths of both moderate council members and a large portion of her own district. While Konkel… Read more »

This is it, everyone. The umpteenth time is the charm. The city has finally found a way to take care of the moonshine problem downtown. After a brief flirtation with quotas and more protracted courtships with the Alcohol License Density Plan and bar raids, Madison has stumbled upon its Silver… Read more »

President Barack Obama has certainly lived up to the widely held belief that he would be an ambitious leader. With a stimulus package estimated to eventually cost $816 billion already passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, the new president is facing widespread criticism for both the amount of money… Read more »

Where State Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, is concerned, it seems every opportunity to lambast his ideological opponents is too good to pass up. This latest controversy involving Nass arose regarding state Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson’s use of the University of Wisconsin Law School’s Career and Student Service newsletter.… Read more »

We poor students just can’t seem to take care of ourselves these days. Whether we’re stumbling over our own feet in darkened alleyways or vomiting at will along University Avenue, it’s nothing short of miraculous we are able to dress and feed ourselves on a daily basis. After all, if… Read more »

Wisconsin’s drunken driving problem needs no introduction. With some of the most relaxed OWI laws in the United States, the state could certainly take a more proactive approach to drunken driving, particularly when the risks for such behavior are so high. However, as per usual, Wisconsin’s elected officials —… Read more »

We have given Chancellor Martin one semester to gather staff and formulate policy before passing judgment on the direction she plans to take at the University of Wisconsin. Given all we have seen thus far, we are guardedly optimistic. In light of the projected $5.4 billion state budget shortfall, Martin… Read more »

While University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin certainly has zeroed in on a comprehensive, all-hands-on-deck strategy for coping with the impending budget deficit, her official appointment of Dawn Crim as special assistant of community relations is an unnecessary maintenance of the status quo. And considering the way Crim has… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison is at a crossroads. ASM in its current form is an unorganized, frustrated, timid government. Meaningful communication with students is rare. Outreach is haphazard or nonexistent. Clear, unambiguous stances are elusive. There are indeed several shrewd and inspired leaders, but the institutional structure of… Read more »

If at first you don’t succeed, try again. And try again the Madison Metro Transit did. After voting down a proposed bus fare increase last year, the Madison Transit and Parking Commission passed a 25-cent raise Jan. 13. The move was an attempt to compromise with a raised proposal… Read more »

In the past months, Wisconsin has faced heightened scrutiny from the press for its drinking culture, spurring the “Wasted in Wisconsin” series from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and even garnering national attention from The New York Times. It seems this criticism has finally registered with lawmakers. State legislators have… Read more »

Amid all the speculation to find out who will replace Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, on the Madison City Council in the past week, there is another public office that has been sorely neglected: that of the Dane County supervisor. Since being elected in April, District 5 Supervisor Wyndham Manning… Read more »

Records released by the Dane County Public Communications Center last week revealed a wealth of new information relating to the murder of University of Wisconsin junior Brittany Zimmermann last April. The documents show the 911 Center, in a 54-second phone call from the victim’s cell phone, was privy to an… Read more »

In reaction to a $5.4 billion state budget shortfall and impending cuts to all state agencies, the University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly has proposed the creation of a three-year degree program in UW System schools. The program, Reilly argued, would save students and the university money at a… Read more »

Search warrants released this week surrounding the homicide of University of Wisconsin junior Brittany Zimmermann provided chilling details about the event on April 2. The documents reveal a 911 call from Zimmermann’s phone contained “the sound of a woman screaming and … background sounds of a struggle for a… Read more »

On Monday, Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, announced he would not be running for reelection. While we understand his decision to move on to law school and pursue broader career moves, his presence on the City Council and dedication to the students of his district will certainly be missed. In… Read more »

We are never shy about pointing out the mismanagement and ineptitude that characterizes much of the Associated Students of Madison’s activities. However, to be fair, we also complement them on meaningful achievements. Such was the case last Wednesday, when ASM managed to pass a requirement mandating that at least 15… Read more »

Like many Wisconsinites, we were encouraged to hear University of Wisconsin Chancellor Biddy Martin has extended an olive branch to the prominent business lobby Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce by meeting with the group’s executive board and its president, Jim Haney. The act of diplomacy comes in the wake of a… Read more »

Last Thursday, state Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Weston, threw his own proposal in the ring in the wake of a new Democratic trifecta in state government. Facing a $5 billion deficit, a national financial crisis and the need for immediate economic relief for Wisconsin residents, Decker put forth the… Read more »

Turns out Healthy Wisconsin never died after all. It was just sick. Democrats won control of both houses of the state Legislature two weeks ago, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Waunakee, wasted no time in announcing his plan to revive the universal health care proposal next year. We can’t fault Erpenbach… Read more »

Biddy Martin is obviously a busy woman. Nearly every group on campus has scheduled a meeting with her, and everyone wants her. This is the first University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor in nearly 20 years who has not come from former Chancellor Donna Shalala’s family of university administration, and everyone is… Read more »

For the past several years, the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents has demanded domestic partner benefits for its employees in its proposed budget. Sadly, the state Legislature has repeatedly blocked this request. But with Democrats winning control of both the state Senate and Assembly on Nov. 4, bringing… Read more »

In times of economic malaise, it’s important that everybody in government adjusts to new fiscal constraints and exercise responsibility in spending. It seems the Student Services Finance Committee did just that last Thursday, when it approved a series of budget cuts for, among other things, the MultiCultural Students Coalition. MCSC… Read more »

Segregated fees for University of Wisconsin students currently stand at a bloated $445 per semester. Starting next fall, they’ll go up another $48, thanks to the Wisconsin Union Initiative. And if the UW Recreational Sports Board has its way, you could soon add another $60 on top of that.The board… Read more »

With safety being one of the most important concerns on the minds of students, any initiative on behalf of university and city leaders to combat crime is worthy of recognition. Such is the case with a recent initiative by Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, to improve lighting conditions for residents… Read more »

For well over six months, both Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate John McCain have urged the public to elect him the next president of the United States. And today is the day you have the chance to step into that voting booth and decide who… Read more »

With another Halloween celebration comes a fair amount of grumbling from students who remember a time before Freakfest came to town. Although the Halloweens of State Street’s past ended in riots four years in a row, it was a free-form festival at the whims of the students and visitors.… Read more »

While this is the first election many University of Wisconsin undergraduates are eligible to vote in, it will likely prove to be one of the most important in their lifetime. The United States faces incredible challenges right now — from the goal of salvaging long-term success in Iraq to ordinary… Read more »

In Wisconsin’s second congressional district, Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the incumbent Democrat, is running for her sixth term against Republican challenger Peter Theron, a software designer and former professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin. After a thorough review of the candidate’s positions and records, we endorse Baldwin’s re-election. Baldwin… Read more »

In the wake of Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi’s dismissal of Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s lawsuit against the state Government Accountability Board Thursday, one thing is clear: Voters who registered between January 2006 and August 2008 will not be checked against a state database as mandated by federal… Read more »

It’s hardly a revelation that Wisconsinites like to drink. For better or worse — and we’re convinced it’s some of each — drinking has long been ingrained in the culture of the state.Unfortunately, an oftentimes tragic corollary to Wisconsin’s taste for alcohol has been drunken driving. In 2007, 41 percent… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin Athletic Board is in the midst of an internal investigation after several serious allegations were brought by Jeremi Suri, a UW history professor who stepped down from the board last month. In a Sept. 17 letter to Chancellor Biddy Martin, Suri laid out three of his… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison hasn’t had the best luck as of late. Thankfully, there’s always an explanation. Last Tuesday, not only did the organization alert students to a Finance Committee open forum one hour after it started, but it also only had 10 to 12 people show up at… Read more »

This Saturday, the trumpets and drums sounded once again at Camp Randall Stadium as the University of Wisconsin Marching Band made a return from its suspension. And while it seems they put in a little extra effort to make up for their mistakes — as well as Allan Evridge’s —… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin Marching Band learned once again last week that what happens in Michigan does not stay in Michigan. After allegations of hazing surfaced last Friday afternoon, Band Director Mike Leckrone suspended the band indefinitely, including during last Saturday’s football game against Ohio State. According to Leckrone, the… Read more »

Last week the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents approved a series of system-wide reforms for non-academic student misconduct proceedings. The changes were aimed specifically at off-campus misconduct in which a student is charged with an offense by non-campus authorities. In such proceedings the university may administer sanctions that… Read more »

Last Monday, the Associated Students of Madison released the first draft of its new constitution to the student body via its blog. Our student representatives held listening sessions to discuss the document with the student body yesterday and will hold a second round on Oct.ober 14. Although we hope non-ASM… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin-Madison could use a little help in a few key areas. State funding for professor salaries would be useful, financial aid is certainly lagging, and it would be nice if someone could give the folks over at Associated Students of Madison a helping hand with that whole… Read more »

This past week, Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc. held a meeting to address safety concerns with the student body. Several high-level figures, including Captain Mary Schauf and University of Wisconsin Police Chief Susan Riseling, were among the dignitaries present. Yet despite the high standing of many of the event’s attendees, the… Read more »

The Madison Board of Estimates decided Monday to exclude funding for a new indoor public market from the city’s capital budget. This means that for at least the next year, the plan — which would have included a variety of local vendors, entertainment and cooking demonstrations — is dead. Mayor… Read more »

An advertisement appeared on campus over the past week promoting the Associated Students of Madison’s Student Bus Pass program. Through the program, students are able to pick up a free bus pass allowing them unlimited rides on Madison Metro bus routes throughout the fall semester. In an effort to promote… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin received a $20 million gift from two anonymous donors last week to construct a new campus music center. The new facility, to be built on the northwest corner of Lake Street and University Avenue and tentatively set for completion in 2013, will replace the low-quality performance… Read more »

Yesterday, the Dane County Board approved an ordinance aimed at increasing the number of companies offering domestic partnership benefits in the area.  Companies contracting with the county will be required to offer domestic partnership benefits at a level equal to spousal benefits. (Companies not offering spousal benefits will not be… Read more »

Last week, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen filed a lawsuit against the state’s Government Accountability Board demanding they cross-check the information of residents who have registered to vote since Jan. 1, 2006. This came two weeks after the GAB said it would only verify the information of those registered… Read more »

The first two home games of the Badger football season have stirred more controversy than usual. Luckily, the performance of the team is not in question. Rather, it seems the performance of just about everybody else involved in the game day process is under increasing scrutiny, including the University of… Read more »

Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, plans to propose an ordinance this October that would decriminalize urinating in public property — namely in parks — for Madison’s homeless population. Two accompanying proposals aim to protect the property of the homeless and their right to sleep in public locations. According to Konkel,… Read more »

As Senior Class President Oliver Delgado walked out of his Aug. 29 court hearing — where he pleaded guilty to theft of six Van Galder bus tickets — our illustrious representative made a short statement to The Badger Herald that encompassed the grace and poise we have come to expect… Read more »

Somewhere between the election of Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and the appointment of Noble Wray as police chief, the annual Mifflin Street Block Party began to lose its spark. Revelry was replaced by restriction as the arrest tally ballooned from seven in 2003 to more than 400 last May. In the… Read more »

Behind the tumultuous fanfare associated with the nomination of Biddy Martin as University of Wisconsin-Madison’s new chancellor, another chancellor search process taking place revealed a number of disastrous inadequacies in the screening of UW System chancellor candidates. The system, scrambling to find a replacement for outgoing Chancellor Jack Keating, settled… Read more »

Days before a University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents committee started meeting to decide on the next chancellor at UW-Madison in May, Gov. Jim Doyle interviewed the four finalists for the position over the phone. He then passed his thoughts about the candidates along to the committee. The governor’s… Read more »

In one of the last moves of his chancellorship of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, John Wiley took aim at the state Legislature and business lobby group Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce in a recent column for Madison Magazine last week. Wiley accused the Legislature of producing a “hyper-politicized environment” and pointed… Read more »

This summer, the University of Wisconsin purchased nine ID scanners for eight local liquor retailers. When used, the scanners effectively detect when a customer is using a fake driver’s license or identification card — unless you have a Georgia ID, for some reason. The scanners cost $1,000 each and were… Read more »

Last month, the leaders of roughly 100 American universities convened in Raleigh, N.C., to discuss efforts to lower the national drinking age of 21. Although the Amethyst Initiative, as it is called, has yet to articulate sound alternatives to current law, its core message — that 21 is not working… Read more »

The Badger Herald says goodbye to the spring 2008 semester today, which means it’s time to hand out some awards. And not just any awards, but the 2008 Badger Herald Headliner Awards! After the rousing success of last year’s inaugural Headliner Awards — which made winners out of the University… Read more »

The vast majority of the students on the University of Wisconsin campus were not here five years ago. Many were not even in Wisconsin. That being the case, it is understandable that the student body does not remember certain things that happened five years ago. Or didn’t happen five years… Read more »

The investigation into the murder of University of Wisconsin junior Brittany Zimmermann re-entered the news in recent days, though unfortunately not for the right reasons. Instead, a media firestorm ignited after the weekly newspaper Isthmus reported that Dane County’s 911 Center failed to properly respond to a call from Ms.… Read more »

This Saturday, thousands of University of Wisconsin students will converge on Mifflin Street to celebrate its annual block party. Many Mifflin residents will open their homes and backyards to friends looking for one last bash before final exams begin. Others will offer musical stylings from the comfort of their front… Read more »

We hate to sound like a broken record, but we play what we’re given. Once again the ill-conceived Alcohol License Density Plan has thrust the city into a Prohibition-era musical farce, and this time the theme is “Catch-22.” Center stage we have the allegorically named Madison’s Downtown, trying to do… Read more »

On April 15, six Associated Students of Madison representatives gathered in a barren classroom to tout their minuscule accomplishments to three reporters. By the end of the ill-advised “State of the ASM” address, our student government lost whatever legitimacy it had left. The fact that outgoing ASM Chair Gestina Sewell… Read more »

In a recently released study by the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 26 percent of Wisconsinites ages 18 or older reported driving under the influence of alcohol in the previous year. This figure topped the nation, and far exceeded the national average of 15 percent. A couple… Read more »

In less than two weeks, the 400 and 500 blocks of West Mifflin Street will once again erupt in celebration at the annual Mifflin Street Block Party. Students will wake up early this first Saturday in May to enjoy local music, cheap beer and the company of a few thousand… Read more »

In October 2006, after multiple failed elections, the Wisconsin Union finally succeeded in pushing through a massive increase in student-segregated fees to pay for extravagant and unnecessary upgrades to Memorial Union and Union South. This year and next year, University of Wisconsin students are being forced to pay an… Read more »

With high-level emergencies becoming more common on college campuses, rapid response is an absolute necessity. But while it is already a massive undertaking to quickly communicate between students, university administration and law enforcement, at least one congressman thinks it necessary to bog down that process: our federal government. Rep. Carolyn… Read more »

Spring is in the air. The weather is warming up, Madison residents are repopulating the city’s parks, and local liquor licenses are up for renewal. What does all this mean for a pair of convenience stores in the Bassett neighborhood? No more four-packs. This week, Kelley’s Market on West Washington… Read more »

Last week, University of Wisconsin students passed a referendum recommending a $1 tuition increase to pay for five Iraqi students to study here. While the Campus Antiwar Network and a sliver of the student population may have found the measure to be a worthy exercise of charity, the implementation of… Read more »

Many Madison renters can’t help but feel their security deposits are at the mercy of a landlord’s whim. Each property manager has his own policies when it comes to these extra charges, with some providing basic cleaning for free and others charging through the roof for minor transgressions. If District… Read more »

Lo and behold, after another high court race marked by an ignoble tenor echoing last year’s contest, we would again like to call for reform of the current selection system for Wisconsin Supreme Court justices. Of course, we are not alone in desiring change. Newspapers across the state — most… Read more »

These are busy times for Tomah. Ed Thompson, Tommy’s little brother, was just elected to his second stint as the city’s mayor. Tomah Memorial Hospital’s book fair is right around the corner. And a student filed a federal lawsuit against the city’s school district after his arts teacher gave him… Read more »

The murder of University of Wisconsin junior Brittany Sue Zimmerman at her home on West Doty Street yesterday afternoon is a tragedy felt throughout the entire campus community. The death of Ms. Zimmerman, 21, marks the first murder of a UW student in Madison since 1996. Our thoughts and… Read more »

Once again it’s Election Day, and once again, we urge you in the strongest terms possible to exercise your democratic right and get out to the polls. But don’t stop reading here, because with the twin debacles of the District 5 Dane County Board and state Supreme Court races, things… Read more »

Vote yes to kill Frankenstein For far too long, governors in Wisconsin have enjoyed far too much veto power. When signing budget bills, governors are able to take words and numbers from multiple sentences and turn them into brand new sentences. The result is totally new spending or a… Read more »

The two candidates for Dane County District 5 supervisor — Conor O’Hagan and Wyndham Manning — have now had ample time for maturation. Vying to fill the seat of outgoing Supervisor Ashok Kumar, they have spent the last four months of campaigning sharpening their respective messages and learning a fair… Read more »

With the interests of University of Wisconsin students under assault by Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc., some student leaders are now considering secession from the powerful local interest group. The State-Langdon Neighborhood Association has been part of CNI since 2005 but has had seemingly little substantive influence on CNI�s policy proposals. We… Read more »

We all like to have choices. It stands to reason that the more options we have available to us, the higher the likelihood we can find one we are truly happy with. Sure, too many choices can prove overwhelming and ultimately counterproductive, but when faced with the prospect of say,… Read more »

Sick leave benefits are included in nearly all lines of work, and with good reason. Employees need the flexibility to take time off when they are ill or injured. Ideally, a limited number of sick days are granted, and employees use them up when they can�t make it to work.… Read more »

This week, Republicans in the state Senate face their last chance to force a vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would require photo identification at the polls for Wisconsin voters. It certainly is disquieting that Wisconsinites can vote with nothing more than the ability to cite a registered name… Read more »

On Monday, the University of Wisconsin Faculty Senate created a new fund to raise money for need-based scholarships, stemming from concerns over access to the university. Contributions to the fund will be strictly voluntary and seemingly require no new spending or oversight to manage the account. According to a Badger… Read more »

Last year, Annette Ziegler defeated Linda Clifford for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court in what was the most expensive judicial race in state history. The price tag was nearly $6 million between the candidates� own fundraising efforts and the spending of outside interest groups. Ms. Clifford drew large… Read more »

In 1992, the Green Bay Packers were a moribund franchise desperately seeking a path out of NFL purgatory. The team�s new general manager, Ron Wolf, pitted his hopes for salvation on a hard-drinking backup quarterback from the Atlanta Falcons, acquired for the steep price of a first-round draft pick. Sixteen… Read more »

In recent weeks, concerned citizens have dragged the national debate over illegal immigration into the local spotlight. Residents have voiced concerns over Dane County�s policy of questioning those arrested about their citizenship status and then reporting illegal immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. While some citizens have claimed this policy… Read more »

Ronald Reagan is often hailed as the hero of the modern conservative movement. The movement�s architect and intellectual leader, however, was William F. Buckley Jr. Like many others, we were saddened to learn of Mr. Buckley�s passing yesterday at the age of 82. As founder of the political magazine National… Read more »

Every once in a while, something beautiful occurs in politics: a government program is introduced that not only enhances public welfare but also saves taxpayer dollars. A Dane County ordinance introduced last week, which would exempt poor inmates on work release programs from paying for security ankle bracelets, is exactly… Read more »

In yet another example of Madison�s stark intolerance of alcohol consumption in the downtown area, the Alcohol License Review Committee will soon consider whether to revoke the liquor license for Quinton�s Bar and Deli, 319 W. Gorham St., at the urging of Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc. If you weren�t familiar with… Read more »

It�s an exciting time in Wisconsin election history. The Democratic Party presidential nomination remains wide open, and the Republican primary still has some relevance. Wisconsin has seen a last-minute campaign fury touch down in Madison several times in the last two weeks. We hope our readers had a chance… Read more »

In what seems like an endless march to a distant finish line, Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have converged in both poll numbers and delegates to an almost dead heat. Such a stalemate seems reflective not only of national opinion, but of their nearly identical policy positions. However, Mr.… Read more »

As Americans grow frustrated with a national government incapable of finding compromise on pressing domestic concerns, they search for a president who can reach across the aisle to get results. Sen. John McCain’s 20 years in Congress have proven his willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion to do the… Read more »

At this month�s meeting of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, UW System President Kevin Reilly unveiled a proposal to create a dual transcript for students graduating from UW schools. This supposedly new and improved transcript would add a list of extracurricular activities to the traditional tabulation of courses… Read more »