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www.badgerherald.com Monday, December 5, 2011 Volume XLIII, Issue 62

Lukas Keapproth The Badger Herald

David Persley, a senior in the UW Madhatters a cappella group, performs a solo during their winter concert at the Orpheum Theatre on Saturday night.

Mad for the Hatters Wood to lead commencement

The founder of a national veterans’ service organization and former University of Wisconsin football player Jake Wood will provide a commencement address on the Wisconsin Idea as Badgers prepare to receive their diplomas later this month.

The 2011 senior class officers selected Wood, a UW alum and co-founder of Team Rubicon, to address mid-year the graduates during two ceremonies on Dec. 18 at the Kohl Center.

Senior class president Steve Olikara said while none of the recently established commencement speaker funds were used for the winter ceremonies, officers are currently engaged in searching

and contacting top tier speakers for spring commencement.

According to a statement from UW, Wood’s organization,

Team Rubicon, provides military veterans a sense of “purpose, community and self worth through volunteer service” through the opportunity to lend

their skills working in disaster zones.

Members of the group recently helped with the disaster relief effort after tornadoes devastated the town of Joplin, Mo. in May.

Olikara said class officers were inspired by Wood’s story and that he embodies the Wisconsin Idea through service with his work advocating for veterans.

“The thought was to really inspire winter

Bill would allow for signs, video back in galleries

An Assembly resolution introduced last week would allow citizens in the public viewing areas of floor meetings in the Assembly galleries to carry some signs as well as use some recording devices.

State Rep. Kelda Roys,

D-Madison, introduced a resolution on Thursday that would allow the public in the Assembly galleries to hold a sign as well as photograph and videotape the Assembly in session.

Flash photography would not be allowed and signs must be smaller than 8.5 inches in width and 11 inches in height and cannot be “held over the person’s head” since it might disrupt the view of others.

The current Assembly gallery rules, outlined in Assembly Rule 26, forbid the use of mobile phones,

signs, photography and video cameras, among other items or actions, according to a Wisconsin Department of Administration blog aimed to update the public on new rules or updates on safety in the state Capitol.

These current Wisconsin Capitol rules regarding behavior in the public galleries while the Assembly is in session are similar to Minnesota and Illinois state Capitol rules.

The Illinois state Capitol police remove people in the galleries

who are disruptive, according to Elaine

Spencer, a staff member of the Joint Committee

on Administrative Rules in the Illinois Assembly, although a closer look at the Illinois Assembly rules did not specify what would be considered disruptive.

Jason Braun, assistant sergeant at arms to the Minnesota House of Representatives, said cameras, but not signs, are allowed in the galleries.

Braun pointed out that their rules are not written law but are simply house rules.

Roys said the reason she introduced Assembly Resolution 19 was to

protect free speech as well as make government proceedings transparent.

“I believe the citizens have every right to observe us and to petition us, as long as they do that in a matter that is peaceful. Those of us who are elected as political leaders should not be in the business of silencing free speech or trying to hide from the public,” Roys said.

Law enforcement in the gallery has recently been arresting people in the galleries with signs,

Legislators say proposal would protect citizens’ 1st Amendment rights Leopoldo RochaState Reporter

Wood

BILL, page 4

SPEAKER, page 2

Co-founder of Team Rubicon, former UW lineman Jake Wood to address winter gradsKatherine KruegerDeputy News Editor

“I believe the citizens have every right to observe us and to petition us.”

Rep. Kelda RoysD-Madison

Big Ten Champs

Alongside his four senior captains, head coach Bret Bielema (far right) celebrated a 42-39 win over Michigan State in the inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game in Indianapolis. Wisconsin will face Oregon in the Rose Bowl Jan. 2.Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

INDIANAPOLIS — The drama, the wait and the heartbreak are over. The Wisconsin Badgers are the 2011 Big Ten champions.

In a game frighteningly similar to the team’s first matchup Oct. 22, No. 15 Wisconsin (11-2, 6-2) edged out No. 13 Michigan State (10-3, 7-2) 42-39 for the

outright Big Ten title.It was a bruising game,

where Michigan State seemed to control every facet possible for a stretch of time, until Wisconsin had its very own Hail Mary-esque play that led to the go-ahead touchdown and a Rose Bowl berth for the second

consecutive year.On 4th-and-6 from

the Michigan State 43-yard line, Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson scrambled around the backfield until he lobbed up a pass into double coverage. Sophomore wide receiver Jeff Duckworth leaped and grabbed the

36-yard pass on the MSU 7-yard line, rejuvenating the Badger offense and setting up a Montee Ball touchdown for the win.

“I knew Duckworth was running deep back to the back corner, and that was my only shot, really and I just gave him a shot,” Wilson said. “I knew he

would come down with it once I put it up in the air, and it was a pretty spectacular play.”

“It’s a great way of improvising,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “One of the great things about Russell Wilson is his ability

4th-quarter heroics earn resilient UW 2nd-straight trip to Rose Bowl Jan. 2Kelly EricksonAssociate Sports Editor

CHAMPS, page 9

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Officials aim to close achievement gap

Council to focus on homelessness

City Council recently approved a resolution to recognize housing as a human right and announce the city’s commitment to developing a housing plan in Dane County to address homelessness and inequality in housing.

According to the resolution, homelessness affects a wide range of citizens and in Madison, families have been turned away from shelter and members of underrepresented groups have been unfairly targeted and faced additional barriers to fi nding housing.

Homelessness in the city has also been a frequent topic of discussion among officials over the past several months, particularly in light of the national housing crisis.

“We are experiencing a national housing crisis due to a record number of mortgage foreclosures and an extreme shortage of affordable housing,” the resolution said.

According to Porchlight’s website, a local housing charity, Madison’s 2008 homeless population rose to its highest level since 2000. In 2008, more than 3,300 people were turned away from shelters due to lack of space.

The resolution details reasons why a housing plan is required and plans to address housing needs in the community, Ald. Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, District 5, said.

Bidar-Sielaff and the rest of the council unanimously passed the resolution on Tuesday.

“Housing [should] be recognized as a human right, and all people who desire a place of shelter and stable long-term housing [should] be prioritized to have this basic need met both temporarily and permanently,” the resolution said.

Bidar-Sielaff seconded the sentiment, adding a lack of housing negatively affects all aspects of life.

“It is a human right,” she said. “I do think housing stability is critical

for everything with a family. [Without housing,] it is very difficult to have everything else like jobs and schools,” she added.

Ald. Bridget Maniaci, District 2, said her constituents have brought the increase of foreclosure-related homelessness to her attention.

The county provides human services and funds multiple housing initiatives, like Habitat for Humanity, Bidar-Sielaff said. The city also supports specific programs that are also addressing homelessness, such as Neighborhood Center funding, she added.

“The Housing Plan will include an assessment of the affordable and accessible housing needs in Madison and recommendations for strategies to provide those housing units and shelter beds at appropriate affordability levels by 2031,” the resolution said.

The funding for the Housing Plan will come from public funds, including Tax Increment Financing and the

Affordable Housing Trust Fund, along with private dollars, according to the resolution.

To combat the problem, the People’s Affordable Housing Vision is circulating a petition to expand low income housing opportunities, help the homeless find their way to stable housing and increase government resources to support housing programs.

The petition includes demands ranging from the improvement of homeless services to the protection of service animals.

The resolution also includes the addition of a new staff person that would be responsible for addressing issues that relate to housing policies.

The estimated cost of this position is $85,500, which is included in the 2012 operating budget.

According to the resolution, the city will continue to emphasize stable, long-term housing, as it is the “first step” to stabilizing the struggles of employment, addiction and mental/physical issues.

Molly McCallCity Reporter

GOP primary narrows to 2-man race

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — With the implosion of Herman Cain’s campaign amid accusations of adultery and sexual harassment, the once-crowded 2012 Republican presidential field appears to be narrowing to a two-man race between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

GOP voters have one month before the leadoff Iowa caucuses. Gingrich is showing strength in the latest Iowa poll, while Romney is strong in New Hampshire, site of the fi rst primary.

Romney has maintained a political network since his failed 2008 presidential bid, especially in New Hampshire. Gingrich, whose campaign nearly collapsed several months ago, is relying on his debate performances and the good will he built up with some conservatives as a congressional leader in the 1980s and 1990s.

Gingrich’s efforts appear to be paying off in Iowa. A Des Moines Register poll released late Saturday found the former House speaker leading the GOP field with 25 percent support,

ahead of Ron Paul at 18 percent and Romney at 16.

Cain’s suspension of his campaign Saturday, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s continued struggles to make headway with voters, have focused the party’s attention on Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, and Gingrich, a one-time congressman from Georgia. They offer striking contrasts in personality, government experience and campaign organization.

Their political philosophies and differences are a bit harder to discern. Both men have changed their positions on issues such as climate change.

And Gingrich, in particular, is known to veer into unusual territories, such as child labor practices.

Romney has said he differs with Gingrich on child labor laws. Gingrich recently suggested that children as young as nine should work as assistant school janitors, to earn money and learn work ethics.

Gingrich, he said, isn’t a strong champion of conservative social values and puts them in “the back of the bus.”

“He has never really been an advocate of pushing those issues.

Newt is someone who likes to get issues that are 80 to 90 percent in the polls, and 80 percent in the polls are generally not necessarily conservative — strong conservative issues. But that’s how Newt is — has always tried to govern. And I respect that.”

Santorum acknowledged that Romney had become more conservative on issues, but questioned “whether he can be trusted.”

“The best indication of what someone is going to do in the future is what they’ve done in the past,” he said.

Cain’s announcement in Atlanta offered a possible opening for Romney or Gingrich to make a dramatic move in hopes of seizing momentum for the sprint to the Jan. 3 Iowa caucus. Neither man did. They appear willing to play things carefully and low-key for now.

At a town hall meeting in New York sponsored by tea party supporters, Gingrich declined to characterize the race as a direct contest between himself and Romney. Any of the remaining GOP contenders could stage a comeback before the Iowa caucuses, he said.

“I’m not going to say that any of my friends can’t suddenly surprise us,” Gingrich said.

Paul may be one of those candidates. He points to the Iowa poll numbers as a measure of his success and says he also stands to gain from Cain dropping out of the race, and his organization is paying attention to where Cain’s supporters might go.

But once high-flying contenders such as Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota have not managed to bounce back so far, despite weeks of trying.

“A lot of Herman Cain supporters have been calling our office and they’ve been coming over to our side,” she said, also on CNN. “They saw Herman Cain as an outsider and I think they see that my voice would be the one that would be most refl ective of his.”

Cain’s once-prospering campaign was undone by numerous allegations of sexual wrongdoing. Gingrich, twice divorced and now married to a woman with whom he had an extramarital affair, has been the most obvious beneficiary of Cain’s precipitous slide.

Associated Press

graduates to live the Wisconsin Idea in their own innovative way after they leave campus,” he said.

Olikara also said the class officers select the commencement speakers for both winter and spring graduates and work with the secretary of the faculty and chancellor to invite the speakers and get fi nal approval.

After graduating from UW in 2005, the statement said Wood served four years in the U.S. Marine Corps in Afghanistan as a squad leader and is now advocates nationally on behalf of veterans and the issues they face upon return home from combat.

The statement also said he was also an offensive lineman on the UW football team from 2001 to 2004.

Class officers are also currently in talks to secure a “top tier” commencement speaker for spring, a process Olikara said marks the first time officials have worked with a new structure to engage alumni and have the funds in place to reach out to high profile speakers.

“The one sentiment I reject is that UW-Madison isn’t a good enough university to be recruiting top tier speakers,” Olikara said. “What we do matters to the broader community … our commencement needs to refl ect that.”

He also said the commencement speaker fund would be necessary to establish a new “all graduates” event for commencement, which could be catalyzed by securing a world class speaker for graduation.

He added the possibility of an event at Camp Randall is also in talks, but nothing has been firmly decided by the University Committee, who oversees commencement policy.

Olikara said in the past officers did not reach out to top tier speakers with enough advance notice and have not had the structure to engage with alumni while having the funds in place for security, honorarium and other associated costs.

While the speaker for spring graduation is not yet confirmed, he said the individuals officers are in touch with are among the “top speakers in the word.”

Winter commencement ceremonies will be held at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 18 at the Kohl Center.

SPEAKER, from 1

Alongside a university atmosphere that gives Madison an intellectually and educationally high-powered air exists an achievement gap that separates students of color from their peers, a problem that is currently a flashpoint of debate among city offi cials.

University of Wisconsin assistant professor of education Peter Miller said the achievement gap in Madison is rooted in the correlation between race and socioeconomic status.

“Many students of color come from households that don’t have a lot of economic resources,” he said in an email to The Badger Herald. “Research suggests that students from low socioeconomic statuses are granted fewer opportunities, especially early in life.”

Miller added students without access to financial resources lose out on other key resources as well, including preschools, books and educational technologies.

Furthermore, he said researchers suggest many schools better serve the needs of white students than those of underrepresented students.

“Some schools don’t have high enough expectations for students of color,” he said. “Students must believe that all kids can succeed and actively develop mechanisms to help them do so. Madison has a signifi cant gap.”

In addressing this issue, Madison Metropolitan School District officials have worked closely with national leaders and local philanthropists to implement programs designed to improve minority students’

academic performance to close the gap.

A key element of the district’s plan is the Advancement Via Individual Determination/Teens of Promise program, a partnership between the district and the Madison Boys and Girls Club.

Kim Gary, a counselor for students in the AVID program at Madison East High School, said the program created a college preparatory class that meets daily throughout the four years of a selected student’s high school career.

“The program’s objective is to help students who are underrepresented on college campuses, whether for economic or racial reasons, get accepted [to college] and succeed,” she said.

She added the program includes help with academic, test-taking and time management skills,

group tutoring with adult tutors, and “enrichment” programs including trips to college campuses and visits by guest speakers.

Gary said the program has improved students’ performance and been an overall asset to the district.

“[The district] has seen significant gains in Latino and African-American students, as far as how they’re doing on standardized tests and that they are taking more advanced courses than their peers who are not in the program,” she said.

Another plan which aims to close the gap is the proposed Madison Prep charter school, consisting of two single-sex college preparatory schools aimed at underrepresented students.

The school’s goal is to improve graduation and college attendance rates of minority populations within the city by

fostering “excellence, pride, leadership, and service.”

Director of School Development Laura DeRoche-Perez has called the school “a catalyst to spark improvements for the entire district,” and an “incubator for positive strategies.”

While the proposal is controversial because of its significant cost to the financially strapped school district, numerous local advocates including retired business executive Mary Burke, who donated $2.5 million to the school in October, support the initiative.

The proposal for the school will go before the School Board on Dec. 19.

The one thing both officials and local benefactors agree on, however, is that the problem cannot be solved with a universal solution.

“’One size fits all’ solutions don’t exist,” Miller said.

Ally BoutelleCity Editor

Legislators, experts argue over whether charter schools are best way to improve education in entire district

The Badger Herald | News | Monday, December 5, 2011 3

CRIME in Brief SOUTH THOMPSON ROAD Possession with Intent to Distribute

When a taxi cab arrived outside the Madison Police Department East District Station last Wednesday, the passenger jumped out and fl ed as a car carrying four men followed in hot pursuit, a MPD report said.

The man’s girlfriend entered the police station and told the offi cers that she and her boyfriend were being chased by the four men and had come to the police station for safety, according to the report.

MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said one of the men in the following car claimed that Morris had stolen a jacket

that had over $3,000 dollars in cash in it. The jacket was never recovered.

The police offi cers also quickly noticed that one of the men had been holding approximately 27 grams of crack cocaine in his left hand.

Upon searching the man, they discovered an additional 3.7 grams of crack in his pants pocket, and later, after loading him into a squad car, found 11 grams of crack in the backseat. He was arrested on charges possession with intent to distribute.

ROTH STREET Battery

Two men were arrested at the Locker Room Bar last Thursday after beating another patron with pool cues, a MPD report said.

The victim of the beating suffered signifi cant facial damage after the attack. He was, however, able to leave the scene on his own, telling police that he would fi nd his own way to medical treatment.

While the motives of the two attackers are unclear, the victim believes he was assaulted because he is currently dating a woman that was formerly in a relationship with one of the two men.

“While alcohol-related batteries are not rare in Madison’s bars, altercations of this degree of seriousness are less common,” MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said.

BETTYS LANE Burglary

A burglar used a rock to smash a sliding glass door before stealing several items from a house, a police report said.

Among the possessions stolen were multiple guitars, a laptop computer, alcohol and, most signifi cantly, one of the home-owners’ Jeep Cherokee.

Recently one of the homeowners spotted two guitars that appeared to be his while browsing Craigslist. He called the police, who upon investigating the posting determined that the guitars were indeed those stolen from the homeowner.

After interrogating the 16-year-old poster of the ad Thursday, they determined that he was the one who had robbed the home. The case was resolved with a full return of the stolen goods.

RIDGEWAY AVENUE Drug Investigation

A Ridgeway Avenue homeowner called police Wednesday after he witnessed a drug deal taking place near his house, according to a police report.

When police arrived, they found a 24-year-old man who had over 1,500 dollars in cash in his pocket, as well as 20.6 grams of crack in the glove box of a car parked nearby that he had been using.

The man claimed the drugs were not all his and that the money was earmarked for his lawyer as payment for past legal representation.

HO-CHUCK GAMING

Theft

A 72-year-old woman set her purse down at Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison Tuesday, only to have it stolen by a 46-year-old man minutes later, a MPD report said.

The crime was caught on surveillance camera and casino security had an easy time tracking the thief through the casino.

During their review of the footage, security saw him use his Players Club card to play the slots before leaving the casino with the stolen money.

Although he was able to escape that day, casino security was able to supply MPD with the man’s name and personal information, leading to his arrest the following day.

Rally stands in support of UC-Davis protesters

Students and faculty spoke in support of Occupy protesters on the UC-Davis campus in a Solidarity Rally held on Library Mall. The event was sparked by recent police action against students and also highlighted the movement’s emphasis on affordability in education.

Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

Chants could be heard rising from Library Mall Friday afternoon as a group of University of Wisconsin students, faculty and community members gathered for the Madison Solidarity Rally in support of protests at the University of California-Davis.

Sparked by recent events in which a UC-Davis police officer pepper sprayed student protesters, UW professors, students and members of Madison’s Occupy movement spoke out against police action against peaceful protesters and to support students occupying for affordable education.

UW associate professor Sara Goldrick-Rab was one of the leader’s of the event and said political action is necessary on college campuses nationwide to call for affordable, high-quality education.

“Occupy for public colleges and universities now to make sure that all of this country’s kids can afford to do so,” Goldrick-Rab said.

Another large component of the rally dealt with recent acts of violence that occurred during Occupy movements at the University of California-

Berkeley and UC-Davis.UW professor Ellen

Samuels expressed her admiration for Celeste Langan, a member of UC-Berkeley’s English department.

Samuels said Langan stood amongst students in civil disobedience and asked to be arrested in order to protect her students.

Langan then had her hair pulled and was shoved to the ground, according to Samuels.

“It is becoming clearer than ever that we are living in a new and dangerous period of American politics,” Samuels said. “I am honored to know Celeste and hope my colleagues and I can be as brave as she was in standing up for our students and for social and economic justice.”

As circulated by viral videos and national media coverage, Occupy UC-Davis reached an apex of tension Nov. 18 when police deployed canisters of pepper spray on protesters.

Ten arrests were made following the incident, including UC-Davis student Alyson Cook.

Cook said the event shines a light on what is currently occurring in the UC System and campuses such as rising prices, cuts in classes and departments and limiting poorer communities from

public education. She emphasized that

students actions that week were in solidarity with UC-Berkeley and that the reaction may be detracting from this message.

“People were arbitrarily chosen to be arrested,” Cook said in an interview with The Badger Herald. “There was no provocation of police.”

UC-Davis Police Chief Annetee Spicuzza, currently on administrative leave, defended the use of chemical agents in a UC-Davis news statement, stating students had “encircled” the officers, blocking their exit.

Leland Pan, a member of Student Labor Action Coalition, said these events proved the importance of the Occupy movement.

The focus should be on tuition affordability, Pan said, drawing a parallel between California and the UW System.

“I would urge that we continue to stand up as we have done today, to tackle the real problem which is the criminals on Wall Street and not the peaceful protesters standing up for their first amendment rights, their university rights, and not only the people of California, but also of the United States and the world,” Pan said.

Tess KeeganNews Reporter

Taylor Frechette The Badger Herald

Gov. Scott Walker lit the Capitol’s holiday tree in a cermony on Friday. A high school choir and members of all military branches were also in attendance to celebrate the symbolic start of holiday tidings in the state’s Capitol.

A Festivus for the rest of us

The Badger Herald | News | Monday, December 5, 20114

State Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, said.

She added the arrests are more distracting than the actions themselves, noting that she frequently does not notice the people until they are arrested.

In the last week of October and into the fi rst week of November, over a dozen protesters were arrested for holding signs in the Assembly galleries and video-tapping the proceeding floor meetings.

Rep. Evan Wynn, R-Whitewater, is the only Republican cosponsor of the resolution.

In a statement released Thursday, Wynn said his reasoning was that at other levels of government in Wisconsin, signs and recording devices are allowed due to open meetings laws.

Roys as well as Taylor are hopeful there will be more Republican support of the bill when the regular Assembly session begins in January.

“We have tried a lot of different mechanisms to try to get the Republicans to acknowledge that people’s First Amendment rights must be protected,” Taylor said. “The state Capitol is where people should come in a peaceful manner and be able to exercise their free speech.”

BILL, from 1

Grant Hauser The Badger Herald

Attendees enjoy birthday cake in honor of the fi rst birthday of the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. The event offered building tours, behind-the-scenes excursions and fossil hunts with prizes. Science demonstrations also highlighted the research mission of the institute.

Let them eat cake

UW slam poets advance to national competition

Competitors in the Just Bust! slam poetry competition vye for fi ve spots to defend UW’s national title, fi rst won in 2010.

Zhao Lim The Badger Herald

Five University of Wisconsin students were chosen to be part of the UW Slam Team to defend the university during the 2012 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational as part of Friday night’s Just Bust performance.

These five students were UW sophomores Nakila Robinson and Myriha Burton, and UW freshmen Eli Lynch, Michael Penn II and Sarah Bruno.

The event consisted of the first round of the slam finals, open mic, a special appearance by Jamaica Osorio and closed with the second round of the slam fi nals.

Five additional finalists competed in the UW Slam Team finals, which were held in the Multicultural Student Center lounge in front of an audience of over one hundred people.

According to Danez

Smith, a Multicultural Arts Initiative student liaison, UW’s Multicultural Student Coalition held its first slam for the CUPSI 2008 competition in the fall of 2007.

“[The slam was held not just] to provide UW poets a venue to showcase their talent but also to have an opportunity to travel and showcase their talent nationally,” Smith said. “We have such a high level of artistry here that it was only a matter of time before it happened.”

UW has had a rewarding experience when it comes to CUPSI competitions in the past, he said.

According to Smith, UW took home third place as well as an award for the most innovative team and a Spirit of the Slam award in 2008.

In 2009, UW took home second place and in 2010, the UW team became national champions, Smith said.

Burton said she was looking forward to

representing UW’s strong reputation and is grateful for the chance to travel to the University of La Verne in California for the eleventh annual competition this April.

“UW has a legacy in these competitions, and it is something to live up to,” Burton said.

Bruno, Burton’s teammate, said she was eager to begin working with the other four members of the team.

“I am excited to write and work on a team where everyone loves the same thing I do,” she said.

The event began as a monthly open mic in 2007 to provide a space for poets and musicians on the UW campus, where Smith said many talented individuals lack venues to “share, grow and have fun.”

“We encourage everyone to come out and kick it with us and perform,” Smith said. “First time performers are not only welcomed but given more love.”

Courtney MullenNews Reporter

OpinionOpinion

Your OpinionYour Opinion · Send your letters to the editor and guest columns to oped@badgerherald.com. Publication is based on space and takes into account relevance and quality. Letters should be sent exclusively to the Herald. Unsigned letters will not be published. All submissions may be edited by the Herald for length and style. Reader feedback on all articles and columns can be posted at badgerherald.com, where all print content is archived.

Editorial Page EditorAllegra Dimperiooped@badgerherald.com

The Badger Herald | Opinion | Monday, December 5, 20115

Independent learning timely LETTER TO THE EDITOR

It’s a hot topic: how to help UW-Madison students graduate in four years. How long it takes to get a degree can have a major fi nancial impact on students and their families. Undergraduates are eager to get started on their careers or to begin graduate or professional programs, and families are ready to end the check-writing. The longer a student takes to graduate — even an extra semester or two beyond four years — the more costs they incur. Delaying the start of a career can also mean lower cumulative lifetime earnings.

But is graduating “on time” even a realistic goal? These days, required undergraduate courses can fi ll up quickly, and classes can’t always be offered when students need them. There are options. For the past 120 years, UW Independent Learning has been one of them. Students throughout the UW System can use Independent Learning courses to fulfi ll degree requirements.

Independent Learning is especially helpful in enabling students to fulfi ll general education requirements. The program offers more

than 100 courses in anthropology, classics, English, French, geography, history, math, music, psychology, sociology and Spanish. Students can use the Transfer Information System to see how these courses apply to their degree programs. Flexibility can make a huge difference in students’ lives. Not only can they enroll in a course whenever the need arises, during semesters, between semesters or over the summer, but with the fl exibility of online education, they can study when and where they wish. Some course requirements are especially daunting. Independent Learning can take the pressure off a stressful course by letting them work at their own pace. It also allows students up to a year to complete a course. Having more time to complete a challenging course can be the difference between an enjoyable learning experience and nail-biting, anxious semester.

We’ve all heard stories of students who discovered — sometimes well into their senior year — that they were missing key courses or were short a credit or two. With UW Independent

Learning, students can enroll and begin a course anytime—without waiting for the start of a semester. Independent Learning can often fi ll the gaps and help students graduate as planned. I fi rst became acquainted with Independent Learning when I decided to pursue graduate work in philosophy. I needed to fulfi ll a prerequisite in logic, and Independent Learning allowed me to do so — while I was working more than full-time and paying off school debts.

That Independent Learning course was my fi rst introduction to the UW-System, and it was a good one. I was able to pursue graduate studies in philosophy, eventually earning a Ph.D. at UW-Madison. Making a four-year undergraduate degree attainable benefi ts students, their families and our state. Today’s students have to make tough choices about their education, and how to get what they want and need in a degree. UW Independent Learning is there to get students to graduation and beyond.

David Werther (david.werther@uwex.edu) is the director of UW-Independent Learning.

Sensimilla legislation for patients to toke up, not public

Recall incivility Herald Editorial

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 Kleefi sch in the workplace knowing that it was inappropriate conduct — especially for a public employee. At least one person in the room reported feeling compelled to sign the petition, and was therefore uncomfortable with the atmosphere the circulation had created.

State employees should not use their public jobs for private matters. Although it is not technically illegal to do so, the state’s Government Accountability Board said in a March memo that the behavior is inappropriate for state employees and disciplinary action should be left up to the employing agency. In wake of this incident, UW’s administration should create a concrete policy to avoid similar situations and put current employees on notice.

This is just one example of the highly polarized political climate in which Wisconsin fi nds itself. It is easy to blame public offi cials for this lack of civility, but we also have ourselves to blame. Voters and activists are just as responsible as the controversial fi gures who have helped us reach this point.

We are uneasy not just about the inappropriate circulation of recall petitions, but also of efforts on the other side to rip up the documents or antagonize those who are

circulating them.Wisconsin’s liberals frame

their battle to recall Walker as an attempt to begin a healing process from a diffi cult year. If they are truly committed to starting a healing process throughout the state after a year of unprecedented political divisions, avoiding and disavowing corrupt and unfair actions must become the fi rst step to renewed civility. Right now, neither side has proven they are committed to this ideal.

Additionally, acts such as the circulation of recall petitions in what should be exclusively academic settings give the already-hurting UW faculty and student body an even worse name among conservative leaders making crucial decisions about higher education at the Capitol.

This university has been forced to confront serious budget cuts and attacks on higher education and diversity throughout the year. Publicized incidents such as the circulation of a recall petition in the workplace make attacking UW more attractive to those who revel in our missteps.

The recall elections are the biggest test of civility and democratic principles Wisconsinites and UW students have faced since Walker introduced the collective bargaining law in February. Liberals and conservatives are equally responsible for deciding the fate of Wisconsin.

Allegra DimperioEditorial Page Editor

Signe BrewsterEditor-in-Chief

Alex BrousseauEditorial Board Chairman

Jake BegunEditor-at-Large

Carolyn BriggsManaging Editor

Ryan RaineyEditorial Board

Member

Taylor NyeEditorial Page Content

Editor

State Representatives Mark Pocan, D-Madison, and Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, have introduced a bill that would legalize medical marijuana in the state of Wisconsin. If the bill is puff puff passed, patients with glaucoma, cancer, AIDS or other chronic conditions will be eligible for marijuana prescriptions. They would receive ID cards registered with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and have access to dispensaries. Patients could grow up to 12

plants and be in possession of up to three ounces of cannabis. I’m no doctor, but that is a large quantity of pot. Pocan held a press conference on Wednesday in which he introduced the “Jackie Rickert Medical Marijuana Act,” as the bill is called, in honor of medical marijuana activist Jackie Rickert. Pocan’s stance on drug laws is progressive, and he has proposed a number of similar bills since 2001 — none of which have passed. According to Pocan, “… making medical marijuana legal is the right and compassionate thing to do for patients in pain.” During last week’s press conference, he added, “This is an issue where people are clearly way ahead of the policy makers.”

Evidence shows that Pocan is right on both accounts. Innumerable patient testimonies show

that medical marijuana is an effective pain medication for a variety of illnesses, and it has been used with some success to treat mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder. Erin Silbaugh, a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom who uses marijuana to treat his PTSD, claimed that “Cannabis has never caused me or anybody else harm, only peace and harmony.” Offi cials at the Wisconsin Medical Society note that smoking marijuana is itself a health hazard, which calls into question the net benefi t of its use as a prescription drug. However, the Medical Society recognizes numerous therapeutic effects of marijuana, and supports further studies of its effects on patients. These studies are currently prohibited because cannabis is a listed as a Schedule I drug by the Drug Enforcement Agency.

It is worth mentioning that alternative pain medications such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and other opiate derivatives are potentially addicting and are commonly abused as recreational drugs. When compared with powerful narcotics such as these, marijuana is a sensible alternative. A substantial majority of Americans are in favor of medical marijuana, according to a CBS News poll, which found that “… more than three in four [Americans] think that doctors should be allowed to prescribe small amounts of marijuana for patients suffering from serious illnesses.” Sixteen states and the District of Colombia have legalized prescription use of the drug.

Pocan correctly frames the issue of legalizing prescription medical marijuana as one of

compassion and democracy. Debate over the outright legalization of pot as a recreational drug is sharply divided between those who think marijuana has a degenerative effect on society and those who consider it harmless. These issues are completely irrelevant with regards to legalizing marijuana as a prescription drug, something fundamentally different from a recreational substance.

The issue at hand is whether or not marijuana can be proven effective as a therapeutic drug, and if so, whether patients should be allowed to have access to it. Patient testimony and physician opinion show that cannabis is indeed an effective treatment for a variety of symptoms, and popular opinion is in favor of legalizing its medicinal use. Passing the Jackie

Rickert Medical Marijuana Act would show compassion for patients suffering from painful illnesses such as glaucoma, cancer, and HIV/AIDS, and demonstrate respect for popular opinion. Unfortunately, there is little to no chance that this year’s Republican-controlled legislature will pass the bill. Patients such as Erin Silbaugh whose quality of life is greatly improved by the good herb will still be forced to obtain the drug illicitly. All the same, it is refreshing to see politicians like Pocan and Erpenbach proposing levelheaded and forward-thinking legislation that reframes debate over marijuana policy in terms of compassion for patients and democracy.

Charles Godfrey (cwgodfrey@wisc.edu) is a sophomore majoring in math and physics.

Charles GodfreyColumnist

Weekly non-voting Community MemberDave Cieslewicz | Former Mayor

Ed i t o r i a l B o a r d o p i n i o n s a r e c ra f t e d i n d e p e n d e n t l y o f n e w s c o ve ra g e .

If you want to be a Badger

There are some thoughtless people who attend the University of Wisconsin — some may even go as far as to call them the “worst people on campus” — who buy

Rose Bowl tickets and resell them to their fellow Badgers for well above face value. This ensures that fans with limited resources will have a very diffi cult time making the trip to Pasadena.

We encourage those listing their tickets for unreasonable amounts to rethink their choice, perform a Badger act of kindness and allow their fellow students to attend The Granddaddy

of Them All at a price they can afford. Being a Badger is about more than just playing great football — it’s about respecting and supporting your fellow students. After all, the beloved team that got us here deserves a cheering section full of the people who love the game the most, not just the people who can afford to love it.

Peace, love, and let’s go Badgers!

Jake BegunEditor-At-Large

Carolyn BriggsManaging Editor

Alex BrousseauEditorial Board Chair

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“When all is said and done it’s almost $5,000 a couple. You could take a pretty nice Caribbean trip for that kind of money.”

-MICHAEL LEE, CONCORDE TRAVEL

The Badgers’ December 3rd last-minute no-holds barred victory over Michigan State opened doors for student athletes and a can of worms for fans, who are now faced with the planning and expenses associated with being a true fan and following the team to Pasadena. Area travel agents have experienced a decline in trips booked so far, yet the pull of the chance to prove ourselves after last year’s defeat to Texas Christian University is a strong motivator for Badgers. However, in this economy, $5,000 is a lot to spend, especially for a student. And while some may have island getaways in mind if an extra $5,000 were handy, one can be sure the staff of The Badger Herald would upgrade their typical in-house brew Beer 30 for the slightly less watered-down taste of Genny. Either that or publisher Peter Hoeschele would fi nally buy toilet paper for the staff bathroom.

REHABILITATING MR. WIGGLES NEIL SWAAB www.neilswaab.com

BUNI RYAN PAGELOW pascle@badgerherald.com

RANDOM DOODLES ERICA LOPPNOW random@badgerherald.com

PRIMAL URGES ANDREW MEGOW primal@badgerherald.com

MODERN CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT DENIS HART mcm@badgerherald.com

THE SKY PIRATES COLLIN LA FLEUR skypirate@badgerherald.com

The Kakuro Unique Sum ChartCells

2222

3333

4444

5555

6666

7777

888888888

Clue341617

672324

10112930

15163435

21223839

28294142

363738394041424344

Possibilities{ 1, 2 }{ 1, 3 }{ 7, 9 }{ 8, 9 }

{ 1, 2, 3 }{ 1, 2, 4 }{ 6, 8, 9 }{ 7, 8, 9 }

{ 1, 2, 3, 4 }{ 1, 2, 3, 5 }{ 5, 7, 8, 9 }{ 6, 7, 8, 9 }

{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 }{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 }{ 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 }{ 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }

{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 }{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 }{ 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }{ 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }

{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 }{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 }{ 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }{ 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }

{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 }{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 }{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 }{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 }{ 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 }{ 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }{ 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }{ 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }{ 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 }

HERALD COMICS PRESENTS K A K U R O

DIFFICULTY RATING: GIVE YOUR LIFE FOR HIS ETERNAL GIGGLE

DIFFICULTY RATING:LAFFS FOR THE LAFF THRONE

WHAT IS THISSUDOKU

NONSENSE?Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains 1, 2,

3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.What? You still don’t get it? Come, on, re-ally? It’s not calculus or anything. Honest-ly, if you don’t know how to do a sudoku by now, you’ve prob-ably got more issues than this newspaper.

HOW DO IKAKURO?

I know, I know. Kakuro. Looks crazy, right? This ain’t no time to panic, friend, so keep it cool and I’ll walk you through. Here’s the low down: each clue tells you what the sum of the numbers to the right or down must add up to. Repeating numbers? Not in this part of town. And that’s that, slick.

MADCAPS MOLLY MALONEY madcaps@badgerherald.com

C’EST LA MORT PARAGON paragon@badgerherald.com

YOURMOMETER LAURA “HOBBES” LEGAULT yourmom@badgerherald.com

TWENTY POUND BABY STEPHEN TYLER CONRAD baby@badgerherald.com

WHITE BREAD & TOAST MIKE BERG toast@badgerherald.com

Across 1 “Now!,” in a

memo 5 Prefi x with

morphosis 9 Knight’s

protection14 Colorado

skiing mecca15 Man from

Oman, e.g.16 Jeweler’s

magnifying tool

17 Simul- taneously19 Beatnik’s

“Gotcha”20 “Damn!,”

e.g.21 Minnesota’s

capital22 Like many

itchy mutts26 Oscar : fi lm

:: ___ : TV27 “Get ___

here!” (“Scram!”)

28 Get guns again

30 Yellow, as a banana

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fried ants38 Creature

who might disagree with the saying at the ends of 17-, 22-, 48- and 56-Across

39 Opposite of mult.

40 “O Sole ___”

41 Perjury and piracy, for two

42 Vena ___ (passage to the heart)

43 Author Ephron

and others45 Not liquid or

gaseous46 Honey mak-

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scroll55 “Now!,” in

Nicaragua56 Not wanting

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happiness62 Final Four

org.63 Gown64 ___ Ranger65 Airhead

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Gardner 2 “I’ve got a

mule, and her name is ___”

3 Be under the weather

4 Th row a bone to

5 Indigenous New

Zealanders 6 Young’s

partner in accounting

7 “Be silent,” musically

8 Honest ___ (presidential moniker)

9 Came down to earth

10 TV’s “___ Room”

11 “It’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am” speaker

12 Drug from

poppies13 Answer18 Oom- pah-pah instrument21 Derisive

looks22 Discussion

site23 One of

the Mario Brothers

24 Classic 1982 movie line spoken with an outstretched fi nger

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on “Sesame Street”

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speed35 Honda

model with a palindromic name

36 Circumvent38 Passé TV

hookup42 Ranch

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god of the underworld

45 Proxima Centauri,

for one46 Feature of

Dumbledore or Merlin

47 Old-time anesthetic

49 Author Calvino

50 “___ is an island …”

51 Krispy ___ doughnuts

53 Meowers56 250, in old

Rome57 Chem., for one58 Fedora or fez59 Big name in Bosox history

HERALD COMICS PRESENTS

Get today’s puzzle solutions at badgerherald.com

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16

17 18 19

20 21

22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29

30 31 32 33 34 35 36

37 38 39

40 41 42

43 44 45

46 47 48 49 50 51

52 53 54

55 56 57 58 59

60 61 62

63 64 65

Puzzle by Jeff Chen

Rocky the Herald Comics Raccoon™

The FOX Sports

announcers said

Spartan fans won

the so-called

“hashtagging

contest.”

Sorry, it’s hard

to tweet while I’m

busy double-fisting

mah dranks and

WATCHING

THE GAME.

CROSSWORD

HERALD COMICS PRESENTS S U D O K U

ComicsComicsNoah J. Yuenkelcomics@badgerherald.com

The Badger Herald | Comics | Monday, December 5, 20116

COMICS FOR THE COMICS GOD

ArtsEtc.ArtsEtc.ArtsEtc. EditorSarah Witmanarts@badgerherald.com

The Badger Herald | Arts | Monday, December 5, 20117

Take one part metal guitar, one dash of lasers, one crowded dance floor and two Israeli DJs. Shake well, and serve hot. That about sums up the recipe for Wednesday’s Infected Mushroom show at the Majestic, an event that set glass rattling and heart rates racing.

Infected Mushroom producer/keyboardist Erez Eisen and producer/singer Amit “Duvdev” Duvdevani were joined by guitarist Tom Cunningham and drummer Rogério Jardim for the show, bringing their brand of trance music to gasping, guitar-shredding, cymbal-crashing life.

The emergence of a glowing, grinning blow-up demonic mushroom cued the start of the madness, and the cheer from the crowd was soon drowned out by the opening notes of “Saeed:” a show classic that set the tone for the high-energy night.

Drumsticks flashed, guitar picks blurred, Erez’s fi ngers mesmerized and Duvdev’s grinning face got the audience to scream along to the familiar verses.

Backed up by a hypnotizing light show of unexpected proportions for a venue of The Majestic’s size, the band played favorites like “Wish” and “Smashing the Opponent,” bringing in material from its soon-to-be-released album as well.

The new album is being touted as more electronic than albums past, and the tracks featuring dubstep, synthesized vocals and club-like build-ups proved the claim. While elements of mainstream electronic were certainly present, it’s unlikely you’ll hear the new album blaring from Langdon when it comes out. The band stayed true to its roots — in one memorable moment, the guitarist plucked a Deadmau5 head from its owner (one poor show-goer in the crowd) and fed it to the blow-up mushroom as proof.

Infected Mushroom is known for live shows that deviate from studio recordings, and the audience full of metal heads, candy kids and PBR-fueled co-eds at Wednesday’s show heard no songs the way they

had heard them before. With extended transitions, spontaneous breakdowns and switched-up vocals the crowd was kept on its toes, though the suspense didn’t seem to stop anyone from jumping around on them.

And jump they did. Roughly 500 people attended the show, and as many that could fit crowded onto the dance fl oor.

Fists pumped, heads banged and glowsticks whirred: a combination of movement not commonly seen at shows. But, then again, Infected Mushroom isn’t a common band.

Unlike many electronic acts, Infected Mushroom gets completely and totally immersed in performing, bringing the same level of energy to Madison that it would to New York or Israel. Not content to sing to the audience, Duvdev interacted with it — snatching a drumstick from Rogerio and conducting the crowd’s dancing. Although the Madison crowd ranged from those wearing corsets and leather to down vests and American Eagle, they all rallied together to move at Duvdev’s whim.

For those able to tear their eyes away from the spectacle onstage, the band’s visuals could be seen on a screen just above it. While the group’s music may have strayed slightly from its psy-trance roots, its visuals stay firmly in the psychedelic camp. Dancing UFO mushrooms pulsed to the beat, amoebas squirmed and Duvdev’s face could be seen singing from the palm of a hand. The video coupled with a glittering laser show made it diffi cult to decide whether to watch the band or the visuals.

When Duvdev said his thank you, the crowd groaned and cried out for more. After little more than an hour, the energy level had only increased. The group acquiesced, returning to the stage for an instrumental encore. The audience was still hungry for more when the fi nal notes rang out.

Only a spectacular performance could frenzy a Madison audience into the wee hours of a Thursday morning. Luckily for show-goers, spectacular performing is what Infected Mushroom does best.

Duo ‘spores’ big with local crowd

Israeli psy-trance duo Infected Mushroom took to the Majestic stage last week, bringing its own set of visuals, including infl atable mushrooms, to inspire the Madison audience.

Photo courtesy of Perfecto Records

With several games left in the season of another unprecedented year for the Packers, chances are anyone in Wisconsin reading this column will be invited to a Packer party sometime soon.

Yes, Packer parties are real. People in Wisconsin do not just get together to watch the game. They throw Packer parties.

To show you are a gracious guest, you’ll want to bring a dish to pass, which means it’s time to take a trip to the grocery store. If you’re from out of state, you’ll want to pay particular attention: because I’m about to talk you through the ins and outs of grocery shopping, Wisconsin style.

First, a disclaimer: The tactics described for navigating grocery stores do not necessarily apply to on-campus grocery stores like Fresh Market. This is because the college kid demographic, which includes many out-of-state students and people who survive on Ramen, is not representative of the average Wisconsin shopper. For this reason it is best to venture off-campus for a true Wisconsin experience.

Step 1: Do your research

Before setting foot in a supermarket, do a little reconnaissance to scope out the best deals. Wisconsin is home to employee-owned grocery chains like Woodman’s. Ay caramba do they have low prices! They’re

committed to keeping prices at basement levels, which means not only can you buy a lifetime supply of peanut butter for approximately fi ve cents, their television ads are awesomely low-budget and informative.

If you don’t know who Phil Woodman is, get yourself on YouTube pronto. He’s a scrawny, middle-aged man who desperately needs a belt to hoist his pleated khakis well above his 28-inch waist. Despite his frailness, the man can shout. Phil is like a banshee, shrieking and fl ailing his limbs to alert viewers of incredible deals for “pennies on the dollar!”

Goofi ness aside, there is something comforting about a man so hell-bent on telling his customers about the week’s deals that he is willing to stand next to a case of toilet bowl cleaner and deliver it to you straight, sans production values or marketing knowledge. Paying attention to these commercials can make Packer party researching fun.

To stay on your research A-game, do not underestimate Phil’s ability to crank out new commercials. He updates them frequently, giving you infi nite opportunities to $ave on industrial sized containers of just about anything you can imagine.

Step 2: Timing is everything

Once you have taken the initiative to hit the grocery stores when the deals strike, recognize you should not just waltz into a Wisconsin grocery store any time you please. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT attempt to grocery shop just before a Packer game starts. The place will be more packed than

a nasty house party on South Randall that every freshman on campus somehow found out about.

On the contrary, the best time to grocery shop is during the Packer game! Don’t believe me? Check out your local Piggly Wiggly when the Pack is on. The place will be a veritable ghost town, leaving you to shop leisurely in peace without having to fi ght a ferocious Packer fan for the last package of Colby Jack.

This will, however, make you late for your Packer party, so be sure to make your entrance quietly. Packer fans genuinely believe their team’s performance is closely correlated with how intently they watch the game. This means that if Aaron Rodgers throws an interception, it’s probably your fault for distracting them from their fan duties.

For those of you Wisconsinites who fi nd this suggestion to be sacrilegious, please remember today’s column is directed toward out-of-staters who are looking to make it in the Badger State. I would never suggest you miss church. Whoops … I mean the Packer game.

Step 3: Prepare for small talk

Talking to strangers is the norm in Wisconsin grocery stores. This is probably true for most of the Midwest. If you’re from the coast, this chattiness may make you confused or uncomfortable. You may think you yourself, “Do I know this guy? Why is he telling me about how he bought the same steak last week to grill at his buddy Al’s place? Who is Al?”

Should you fi nd yourself in a conversation with a rando without

much to say, keep in mind that Wisconsinites love to talk about the weather. A good formula to follow is: “Gee, it’s only (whatever month it is) and we’ve already got snow!” The reverse also works: “Can you believe it’s (whatever month it is) and we haven’t seen any of the white stuff yet?”

My roommate would like to point out that, because of the chattiness of Wisconsin shoppers, you may want to move quickly and discreetly through certain aisles. The last thing you want is for some old lady to start chatting you up while you’re reaching for laxatives or some other delicate product.

Step 4: Recognize the party potential

Wisconsin grocery stores are not merely for foodstuffs. They double as booze havens! They have a wider (and cheaper) selection than many liquor stores elsewhere. Word on the street is this is not typical of grocery stores in other states. Let’s be honest — you probably do not have to worry about bringing your own stock to a Packer party. However, you can take this opportunity to buy Wisconsin-made delicacies like Spotted Cow that you cannot fi nd in your home state.

So there ya have it, folks. I hope this simple four-step process helps demystify the process of grocery shopping in Wisconsin. And remember, dun, dun, da-na-na, GO, PACK GO!

Holly Hartung (hhartung2@wisc.edu) is a senior majoring in journalism and communication arts. Send ideas for future Dairyland Down-Low columns about Wiscaaansin culture her way.

Eclectic individuals respond positively to Infected Mushroom’s Majestic show

The best Christmas movie of our generation was made by two Jewish guys in 1994 and is centered around a different holiday. It was reviled by critics and is often named as a blemish on the respective resumes of its cast. It cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 million to make and took in only $2.9 million, according to IMDB. But despite all that, “The Hudsucker Proxy” better captures the spirit of Christmas — and is a more beautifully made, higher-quality fi lm — than any other holiday effort in recent cinematic history.

Set in the month leading up to New Years Eve in 1958, the movie follows the lovably naive Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins, “Green Lantern”) as he arrives in New York City fresh out of school in his hometown of Muncie, Ind. Barnes fi nds work in the mailroom of Hudsucker Industries, but is quickly promoted to president of that company after the board realizes they need to install an imbecile as head to inspire a drop in stock price to afford to buy a controlling share. Meanwhile, the fast-talking, Pulitzer-winning reporter Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh, “Greenberg”) has installed herself undercover as Barnes’s secretary in the hopes

of discovering why the company made a neophyte like Barnes their top offi cer. The entire thing is framed by an opening scene in which Barnes soft shoes his way onto the ledge of the top fl oor of a Hudsucker building, looking for all the world like he’s about to jump.

The ambiance, which it’s clear that Joel and Ethan Coen (“True Grit”) strive for in every frame, makes the movie phenomenal in any context. The inside of the Hudsucker building becomes a world unto itself. From the dungeonesque mailroom to the enormous clockroom on the 44th fl oor (45th, counting the mezzanine), the Coen brothers create a fantastic, self-contained empire that they populate with colorful caricatures of movie stand-bys like the overly talkative elevator man, the sycophantic board of directors and the overbearing bossman. Shots of New York in the snow are used alternately to project a ray of hope or a desolate loneliness onto the proceedings, depending on the orchestral score. Every piece of camera work and every transition has been worked over to keep things moving along through a story that in lesser hands would seem like a silly distraction.

But it’s that plot’s construction that make the fi lm a Christmas classic. What makes a Christmas movie a Christmas movie? Well, there are two types. There’s the jolly old elf method, where a movie drapes itself in the clothing of the season,

directly acknowledging the Christmas myth by bringing in reindeer, red suits and sleighs — movies like “Elf,” say, or “The Santa Clause.” These movies are limited by the fact that the scope of infl uence on their own characters is often limited to the day of Christmas itself, making their feel-good vibes seem a little undeserved.

“The Hudsucker Proxy” belongs to a second category. Rather than trade in unearned holiday sentiment, this class works to explore why we love the holidays. No spoiler, but this usually comes down to getting unexpected but meaningful gifts

and being with the ones we love, and “The Hudsucker Proxy” deftly sets up both of those tropes.

There’s no unearned emotion in the endeavor. Conversely, sentimentality is virtually beaten out of any character who would dare to show it. But that’s not to say there’s no holiday magic — the Coen brothers give the story a healthy dash of that, and even acknowledge the ridiculousness of the tradition; deus ex machina is basically its own character in the movie.

In one scene early on, Barnes sits in a

diner, feeling helpless because every available job requires work experience he doesn’t have. He scans the classifi eds while sipping his coffee, but again comes up empty handed. The camera pulls back to reveal he’s set his coffee cup down on the paper, leaving a brown ring around an ad for the mailroom job he eventually takes, but Barnes doesn’t notice and gets up to go. The paper, incredibly, follows, blowing out of the diners open door and following Barnes down the street until he picks it up and looks. It’s that sort of thing — and, well, the fact that there’s a giant clock maintained by a god-like janitor in the dead center of the movie’s premise — that capture the spirit of Christmas without re-trodding upon cliched Santa stories.

So the season, the plot and the vibe are all there. But just in case there was any doubt that the Coen Brothers actually meant “The Hudsucker Proxy” as a Christmas movie (if a somewhat secular one), think again about that framing device. The movie opens with the narrator describing Barnes’s predicament: “Well the future, that ain’t something you can talk about. But the past, that’s another story.” A deeply depressed man contemplating his life, which is examined through a series of fl ashbacks — if you need a hint, check the top of any list of the best Christmas movies of all time. Amongst its contemporaries, “The Hudsucker Proxy” deserves similar placement.

‘Hudsucker Proxy’: Christmas classic

Allegra DimperioArtsEtc. Writer

Lin WeeksArtsEtc. Content Editor

Guide to green, gold-themed gaietyWisconsinite advises on grocery store etiquette, being culturally accepted at Packer parties

Holly HartungDairyland Down-Low Columnist

The best Christmas movie of our generation was made by two Jewish guys and is centered around a different holiday.

Photos byStephanie Moebius and Megan McCormick The Badger Herald

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The Badger Herald | Monday, December 5, 20118

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to make a play last longer. … A common saying that we’ve been using quite a bit over the last three or four weeks is, ‘Those who are humbled will be exalted and those who are exalted will be humbled.’ And I thought that play right there gave justice to everything.”

Wisconsin ultimately had only 345 total yards compared to Michigan State’s 471. MSU had 190 rushing yards and 281 passing yards, as quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 22 of 30 passes for three touchdowns and one interception.

Wilson — who was awarded the Grange-Griffin Trophy as the game’s most valuable player — had a similar performance, completing 17 of 24 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns. UW finished with 219 passing yards thanks to a 32-yard pass from Ball to Wilson that set up Ball’s first touchdown of the game in the fi rst quarter.

Ball had a brilliant first quarter, gaining 105 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries. He averaged 8.1 yards per carry in the first quarter, but MSU’s defense greatly slowed him down for the remainder of the game. While UW had a total of 126 yards rushing, Ball finished with 137 yards on 27 carries and three rushing touchdowns on an average of 5.1 yards per carry.

“[Michigan State is] a really physical team,” Ball said. “They have one of the best run defenses in the nation, so they did a great job of capitalizing on a couple of our runs, but I take everything to heart. So after a couple of runs were stopped, I really took it to heart and told myself I have to make some plays and I really wanted to put the

offense on my back.”When asked if his

performance was Heisman Trophy- worthy, Ball humbly said he was thankful for the chance to go to California with his teammates. Senior safety Aaron Henry wasn’t satisfi ed with the response.

“Montee is a modest young man, you can see,” Henry said, interrupting Ball’s answer. “We faced one of the best-run defenses in the country. For him to have the performance he had tonight, I thought it was stellar. He is a Heisman candidate no matter how you look at it … We’ve got some great finalists, but this guy’s one of the best backs

in the country, hands down.”

While the end of the game was a joyous occasion for the team and Badger Nation as a whole, the game in its entirety was a back-and-forth affair.

The Badgers jumped on top quickly as yet another forced fumble from sophomore linebacker Conor O’Neill — recovered by sophomore tight end Jacob Pedersen — set up UW on MSU’s 24-yard line. Two runs later by Ball, the Badgers were up 21-7.

The Badgers would not score again before halftime.

Instead, it was Michigan State who took control of the momentum and the game. Cousins exploited UW’s secondary,

passing for 181 yards in the first half and two touchdowns, giving the Spartans a 29-21 lead at the half.

“It was pretty calm,” senior fullback Bradie Ewing said of UW’s locker room at halftime. “We had been in that position before, and guys weren’t flustered. We came out; some different guys said stuff, Coach B said stuff, some of the captains said some things. It’s just all about taking it one play at a time and just going out there and executing. We were prepared, we knew what we had to do. It’s about getting a few yards on fi rst downs and just going. We can’t put ourselves in bad positions and get behind the chains.”

The Badgers proved they could complete a second-half comeback, despite the momentum swings throughout the game.

Even as the Badgers faced punting the ball away on 4th-and-3 on their own 26, it was the Spartans who made the final mistake this time around.

After punter Brad Nortman sent the football down field, Michigan State safety Isaiah Lewis ran into Nortman, sending him to the ground. Lewis was called for roughing the kicker and Wisconsin was able to kneel on the ball three times to seal the win.

“There was certainly some contact,” Nortman said. “I wasn’t thinking, before the play, I’m going to take a flop here, but when you’re in the air and a little vulnerable, a little bit extra [acting] doesn’t hurt.”

Regardless, with some luck falling on their side, the Badgers are heading back to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl.

“Oh my gosh,” Henry said. “It’s a feeling that’s unexplainable.”

effort in the second half, none of the above would have been possible by that point in the game.

“The offense and what they were able to

do, to generate points for us was utterly amazing,” safety Aaron Henry said. “We made those stops when we needed to make them; it was a total, total team effort.”

“Our offense and

those guys played a tremendous game today. The way we suffered that first loss, it was definitely devastating, but it feels that much better now that we did win this game.”

Trailing 29-21 after two quarters, despite leading 21-7 at the end of one — UW also let a 14-0 first-quarter lead turn into a 23-14 halftime back in October — Wisconsin faced a pronounced sense of déjà vu entering the break.

Several players mentioned UW’s senior captains and coaches speaking up to rally the Badgers at halftime,

while others insisted the locker room remained calm. Cornerback Antonio Fenelus said co-defensive coordinator Chris Ash “chewed us a out a little bit” in reference to the secondary’s lackluster play, while right tackle Josh Oglesby credited senior captain and defensive tackle Patrick Butrym for a stellar halftime address.

His message?“Just that we’re not

going to leave this city with a loss,” Oglesby relayed. “We’ve put in too much work; we’ve been through too much to leave this city with a loss.”

Mike is a senior majoring in journalism. Want to share your thoughts on the Big Ten champs? Tweet @mikefiammetta and be sure to follow all the latest Badgers news @BHeraldSports.

The Wisconsin men’s basketball team snapped a 23-game home winning streak Saturday in a frustrating 54-61 loss to its biggest in-state rival, the No. 16 Marquette Golden Eagles.

Despite taking Marquette’s (7-0) lead down to one point at the 10:45 mark in the second half, No. 7/9 Wisconsin (6-2) was never able to make up for the fact that it couldn’t shut down Marquette’s prolifi c offense. Down 41-40 in front of a rowdy Kohl Center crowd, Golden Eagle guards Todd Mayo and Darius Johnson-Odom sealed the Badgers’ fate by sinking their shots when it mattered most.

Marquette’s defense held Wisconsin scoreless for more than three minutes after the Badgers closed in on the lead, ending any hope of a comeback in a game often dominated by the Golden Eagles on the offensive end.

“I thought that the 10 consecutive stops that we got after they brought it to within one was absolutely critical,” Marquette head coach Buzz Williams said. “The guys that we had on the floor amidst that run was a collection of guys that have never even dreamed of playing in a situation like they were in.”

With starting point guard Junior Cadougan suspended for a violation of team rules, the Golden Eagles relied on Mayo off the bench to fi ll the void of Cadougan’s 7.7 points per game.

Down by 10 at halftime after shooting a disappointing 26 percent from the field and 14 percent from beyond the arc, the Badgers found themselves in a double-digit hole for a good portion of the second half. Allowing the Golden Eagles to build a lead as high as 12 in the first five minutes of the second period, Wisconsin struggled with its shooting throughout the game as only one player, senior point guard Jordan Taylor, finished with double fi gures.

“I’m sure they want to take the ball out of my hands or whatever, but we got guys who are plenty capable of making plays,” Taylor said. “As a team, we’ve got guys who are capable of making plays — we’re not worried about what people are doing to

CHAMPS, from 1

Golden Eagles snap Wisconsin’s 23-game home win streak; UW struggles offensivelyIan McCueAssociate Sports Editor

Marquette escapes Kohl Center with 61-54 win

Point guard Jordan Taylor and the rest of the Badgers walked away from a game at the Kohl Center empty-handed for the fi rst time in 23 games. Taylor led the way with 13 points.

Zhao Lim The Badger Herald

us, it’s more worried about what we’re doing.”

Taylor, who turned the ball over an uncharacteristic fi ve times, failed to ever really find a rhythm as Marquette sustained a lead for most of the game.

Wisconsin controlled the lead early in the first half and forced a back-and-forth contest for much of the first 20 minutes, but once the Golden Eagles

found their stroke, they never looked back.

Led on offense by Johnson-Odom (17 points, five rebounds) and Mayo (14 points, five rebounds), Bo Ryan’s squad solidly contained Marquette’s athletic offense but was unable to get its own shots to fall. The Badgers fi nished the game shooting 32 percent from the field and 26 percent from beyond the arc, a major slide from a team that was shooting the lights out through its fi rst six games.

“[Darius Johnson-Odom] made some tough shots down the stretch, [Todd Mayo], he did too, but like I said, I think it was just we let them get comfortable doing things that they’re used to doing,” Taylor said. “We’re good at taking guys out of their comfort zone, and we just didn’t do that.”

As the clock wound down, Wisconsin continued to fight for a victory in front of its

home crowd, taking the Golden Eagles’ lead to three with just over two minutes to play. However, Johnson-Odom, along with the support of forwards Jamil Wilson and Davante Gardner off the bench, made sure that the late run was not enough to make up for the Badgers’ offensive struggles.

In a physical contest, Marquette won the rebounding battle with 44, including 17 on the offensive end that gave them plenty of second-chance scoring opportunities.

“I think they did a good job playing physical, I think they were even more physical than a North Carolina team,” redshirt junior forward Ryan Evans said. “They were playing more Big Ten ball out there, and I think that showed on the rebounds.”

Aside from Taylor, UW’s top scorer was guard Ben Brust, who provided a spark off the bench with nine points. Relying too heavily on their perimeter shooting and posting just 16 points in the paint, the Badgers showed that their lack of a dominant inside game can hurt them when shots aren’t falling from outside.

Although Wisconsin dropped its second straight game to a ranked opponent Saturday, head coach Bo Ryan still sees much to like in in his team as it heads into the heart of the regular season.

“I like some things that I’ve seen this week, and I think those things are going to benefit us later,” Ryan said. “This was a heck of challenge, the next game will be a challenge. But I just saw some things that I really liked, and we saw some things that we know we have to work on.”

ROSES, from 10

FIAMMETTA, from 10

“We’re good at taking guys out of their comfort zone, and we just didn’t do that.”

Jordan TaylorPoint Guard

“Oh my gosh. It’s a feeling that’s unexplainable.”

Aaron HenrySafety

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WW: fi nally hooking up with the guy I’ve had mad feelings for all semester long. Dreams really do come true.

WW: I let the Fuck-ing Catalina Wine Mixer get the best of me. That is all, winning

WW: Here’s to get-ting freshman-wast-ed, being carried out of the party like a baby, steal-ing someone else’s cab, shouting at my

roommates, “Who are you!?” and fall-ing down the stairs. Winning or failing? You decide.

WW: Partied so hard I was still drunk in the morning when we signed our lease for next year.

WW: Taking a guy we met in Taco Bell at 2 am back to our apartment and having him take our Ever-clear and do Medi-eval fi rebreathing tricks with it.

Jeff Duckworth (15) came down with this improbable fourth-down grab late in the fourth quarter to set up UW for the game-winning touchdown.Stephanie Moebius The Badger Herald

INDIANAPOLIS — At halftime of the Big Ten Championship Game, the Wisconsin football team couldn’t help but feel a little incredulous about the situation it found itself in against Michigan State.

In a storyline that paralleled their Oct. 22 meeting with the Spartans, the Badgers had, at one point, held a 21-7 lead in the first quarter. But that quickly dissolved in the following quarter, when MSU scored 22 points to no reply and took a 29-21 lead at halftime.

“That rough patch in the second quarter was disheartening in a way,” guard Kevin Zeitler said. “It’s just like, ‘Really, what’s happening?’”

At the end of October, the Badgers found themselves buried in the Leaders Division standings with a 2-2 conference record but managed to climb past their peers and reach Indianapolis for a rematch with the team that vexed them on a last-second Hail Mary earlier in the season.

Now they were about to let Michigan State ruin that hard work, despite getting off to a 14-point lead. And the trouble was, to Wisconsin, the deficit seemed larger than the one-possession game it actually was.

“Sometimes you’re getting down, you think with the momentum

swings, [the deficit] feels a lot bigger than it actually is,” Travis Frederick said, who filled in for Peter Konz at center Saturday. “Eight points is one possession, so it’s not anything out of hand. For us, it was about reminding ourselves it was just a one-possession game.”

After sizzling in the first quarter, Wisconsin fizzled out in the second. The running game disappeared, as the Badgers produced 165 yards in 18 plays during the first quarter and followed that up with minus-four yards on 12 plays in the second.

Playcalling was questionable. Running back Montee Ball, after receiving the ball 13 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter, carried the ball three times for two yards in the second.

Meanwhile, the MSU front seven had cracked UW’s offensive line, pressuring quarterback Russell Wilson constantly and sacking him twice.

Wisconsin was also allowing Michigan State to execute in pressure situations, a problem that surfaced in the Badgers’ last two meetings with the Spartans. Of four third-down attempts in the half, MSU converted three.

Even that one missed conversion led to a 30-yard touchdown reception by B.J. Cunningham on the ensuing fourth down. It was the third

consecutive game in which Cunningham had scored on a fourth-down play against the Badgers.

In the meantime, Wisconsin went three-and-out on all four of its second-quarter possessions.

“I think this team has a sense of maturity about it and poise,” linebacker Chris Borland said. “Even through those two losses we were down, and then tonight we never got flustered. Our leaders did a great job of rallying us, and no matter how much we were down by or what the stakes were, we understood.”

One of those leaders who spoke up at halftime was defensive lineman and team co-captain Patrick Butrym.

“He’s a great leader for us. He sat up and gave a great speech at halftime, and I think we all really responded well to it,” right tackle Josh Oglesby said, adding that Butrym’s message insisted that the Badgers would not leave the city without a victory.

Although Wisconsin did not completely regain the momentum after leaving the locker room, it certainly began to slow down Michigan State. Wisconsin hardly obtained a statistical advantage in the second half, but stayed within striking distance by winning the battle on third and fourth downs.

Michigan State slowly began to stutter as it converted two of four

Bucky’s latest thriller emblematic of season

INDIANAPOLIS — With his eyes misty and his battle-torn jersey yet to be removed, Montee Ball stood in the visitors’ locker room in the bellows of Lucas Oil Stadium, answering a third round of questions from a frenzy of reporters.

Ball faced all the usual questions — about Wisconsin’s 42-39 Big Ten title-clinching victory, his own stellar game and the scope of emotions associated with a second consecutive trip to the Rose Bowl. He even faced some about the legendary Barry Sanders, whose NCAA single-season touchdown record Ball tied at 39 Saturday night, tweeting his congratulations of Ball’s efforts. Ball was

eight years old by the time Sanders retired and admittedly barely watched him growing up.

The entire scene, complete with players emerging from the showers with roses in their mouths, was picture-perfect for the latest blockbuster football movie. But in reality, the central theme of the Badgers’ latest triumph was simple.

Saturday night’s Big Ten Championship performance was a reflection of Wisconsin’s entire 2011 season, from its season-opening 51-17 rout of Nevada-Las Vegas to its two consecutive late-October road losses and then fi nally the conference championship in Indy. The similarities to the Oct. 22 nightmare against Michigan State were stunning — a rousing early start was erased by halftime, both teams suffered crucial miscues and the victor became so thanks to a series of stone-cold gut checks.

The Badgers, as they have all season long,

took the best punches their opponents could pull squarely on the chin, staying alive just long enough to eventually — at the very least — make things interesting. Against Michigan State the first time around, Wisconsin endured the now-standard second-quarter surge from the Spartans, stemmed the tides of the momentum surging against it and set forth an inspired fourth-quarter effort. Nearly an identical picture unfolded the following week at Ohio State, before another last-minute miracle buoyed the opponent to victory and sent the Badgers home staggering, stunned and sad.

Saturday night, all that was different was the fi nal result.

“I think it just comes down to a culmination of the season,” Travis Frederick, who once again started at center, said. “Our game [Saturday] just kind of described our season as a whole. Going from doing well in the beginning, hitting a couple of road bumps

— second quarters — coming back strong and then finishing and being successful in the end. Just taking the season as that game, it was the perfect ending to a perfect season for us.”

Frederick might have isolated the Rose Bowl from the rest of UW’s season, calling the Big Ten title the “perfect ending” to the season. Nevertheless, his point rang true ,and it echoed what senior captain and fullback Bradie Ewing said just a few minutes earlier — the fi ght through adversity, righting the ship after an ocean’s worth of ups and downs.

Obviously, the Badgers figured out how to stretch improved play in the fourth quarter into a victory Saturday night. In Ewing’s mind — always one to offer an honest, contextual perspective — it was more about sticking to the plan rather than any grand deviation.

“Just sticking to the plan, just sticking to what got us to this point,” Ewing said when asked

about UW’s halftime adjustments. “Running the plays that we had success with in the first half and just executing. We weren’t getting four or five yards on first down, and that’s what we’ve got to do here at Wisconsin. We were able to do that more in the second half.”

Even the fact that Wilson, despite Ball’s brilliance — especially in his 105-yard, two-touchdown first quarter — won the Grange-Griffin trophy as the game’s most valuable player was emblematic of Wisconsin’s season. Wilson got his Heisman Trophy campaign first, had his first truly spectacular moments come earlier in the season. Once RussellManiaXVI was launched, Ball was the excellent backfield complement to Wilson’s greatness, which was going to carry the Badgers to the BCS promised land. Once the team’s national title hopes were dashed, Wilson’s Heisman hopes really were as well, and Ball grabbed some of the

ballyhoo for himself.Simply put, as Wilson

struggled a bit with his accuracy and decision-making in those losses to Michigan State and Ohio State, it became clear Ball is the team’s best offensive player. His steadiness, his reliability as complete all-around play separated the junior running back from the senior transfer quarterback.

But that doesn’t change the fact that Wilson remains Wisconsin’s most valuable player — for what he brought to the program, and for how he transformed an already exciting 2010 offense into one of the nation’s most glorious.

“I would have been really, really upset with people if they would have handed the MVP to anyone else,” Ball said, without a twinge of shallowness in his voice.

The symbolism between this game and the entire season stretches as far as the noted alterations the Badgers made at halftime.

Mike FiammettaMike’d Up

third-down tries in the third quarter and one of three in the fourth.

In the second half, UW’s offense converted four of its eight third-down attempts, as well as an improbable fourth-down try at a pivotal moment with less than fi ve minutes remaining.

On 4th-and-6 on Michigan State’s 43-yard line and trailing 39-34, Wilson took the snap out of the shotgun and, with

a defender leaping in his face, threw across the field to wide receiver Jeff Duckworth.

Duckworth, hardly able to jump for the ball due to a lack of balance, fought off safety Isaiah Lewis to haul in the 36-yard grab, which later set up Ball for the game-winning touchdown.

“A common saying that we’ve been using quite a bit over the last three or four weeks is,

‘Those who are humbled will been exalted, and those who are exalted will be humbled,” head coach Bret Bielema said. “And I thought that play right there gave justice to everything.”

The play is ultimately what gave Wisconsin its 42-39 win and a second consecutive Big Ten title and Rose Bowl birth, but without a renewed team

ROSES, page 7

FIAMMETTA, page 7

Elliot HughesSports Content Editor

A FISTFUL OF ROSES

SPORTSDECEMBER 5, 2011 | 10

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