THEUWMPOST est. 1956
Issue 22, Volume December 5, 201156
Issue 13, 22,Volume Volume56 56 Issue
the student-run independent newspaper
A challenger appears page 12
Faux Fir is fashionable page 8
Time for a new Union page 12
Soccer coaches placed on administrative Students leave after allegations of racism asked to University officials announce program review build new union
By Steve Garrison News Editor news@uwmpost.com
UW-Milwaukee men’s soccer coach Chris Whalley and assistant coach Ben Shepherd were placed on administrative leave last week following allegations of misconduct and racist remarks leveled by former player and volunteer Martin Castro. In an email sent out on Feb. 23 to alumni, Castro said that athletics department officials ignored concerns brought to him by players last November of Whalley’s “blatant” racism, unprofessionalism and disregard for academic integrity. “He told [former player] Robbie Boyd right during practice, ‘leave the thinking up to the white people,’” Castro told the Post. “That is unacceptable.” Castro said that as a former player and assistant to the team, he hoped to be an ambassador for the players, several of whom did not respond to emails requesting comment. Vice Chancellor for Media Relations Thomas Luljak said he would not discuss the decision to place the coaches on leave, calling it a “personnel matter,” but said a review of the program will be conducted shortly. “From our standpoint, the one thing we want to assure the public is that we are going to continue to have a great soccer program and, very impor-
Referendum set on financing new facility By Zach Brooke Assistant News Editor news@uwmpost.com
tantly, we are going to continue to support our student athletes,” Luljak said. Whalley, who has served as head coach since 2010, said that he would prefer not to discuss the issue at this time. Castro said he was first approached by players about Whalley’s behavior in November 2011 while he was serving as a volunteer assistant to the team. In an email Castro attached to his appeal to alumni, a player whose name was not disclosed said that Whalley
used racial epithets to refer to players both on his team and opposing teams. He also verbally abused players, calling them “fucking moronic,” on several occasions and would make certain players prepare food for him and serve him tea, the email alleged. Castro said he witnessed the behavior himself and also noted “countless NCAA violations” allegedly perpetrated by the coach, including allowing players to skip classes and verbally belittling them during practice.
A Panther fallen Sophomore Connor Driscoll memory honored after unexpected death
By Chelsey Dequaine Special to the Post news@uwmpost.com
An unexpected death left students and faculty shocked on UW-Milwaukee’s campus on the morning of March 5, when 19-yearold Connor Driscoll died in the Klotsche Center pool due to a health condition. Driscoll, originally from Madison, seemed to be living the average student life. The UWM sophomore worked at Aloft Hotel in downtown Milwaukee and lived
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off-campus with two other roommates. His major was undeclared. When it comes to swimming, Driscoll was, “an extremely skilled swimmer,” roommate Samuel Hemes said. According to the Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office, Driscoll and Hemes went to the pool on Monday around 7:30 a.m. The two were the only ones in the pool and began swimming laps in different lanes. Driscoll wanted to practice for an aquatics test for the U.S. Air Force. The report states that Driscoll began do-
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FRINGE EDITORIAL
Photo courtesy of Driscoll family ing flips and somersaults into the deep end of the pool while Hemes continued to swim laps. “[Driscoll] came up for air, and then appeared to sink; there was no struggle,” according to the report. Student life-guards on duty helped Hemes pull Driscoll out of the water. The lifeguards then attempted CPR. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a medical team from the Milwaukee Fire Department also tried to revive Driscoll with a defibrilla-
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Players chose to bring the issue to his attention, Castro said in the email, because they feared what would happen to them if Whalley found out any player went to administration. He said he contacted Associate Athletic Director Kathy Litzau about the behavior and scheduled a meeting to discuss the matter. An internal investigation was launched in January, with a survey sent
See RACISM page 2 tor, which sends an electric current through the body in attempt to restart the heart. In 2007, Driscoll had been diagnosed with a bleeding disorder and a sleep disorder, but in 2010, a cardiac test showed nothing abnormal. Hemes did tell investigators that about three or four weeks ago, Driscoll gave someone a piggyback ride and tripped and fell to the curb, striking his face, but received medical help for the fall. Vice Chancellor of University Relations and Communications Tom Luljak said Monday that the cause of death is not suspicious and is still under investigation. Chancellor Michael Lovell sent a statement to the UWM student body, addressing the situation. “It is with great sadness that I share with you the news of the death this morning on our campus of one of our students. Connor Driscoll, 19, a College of Letters and Science sophomore from Madison, died in the Klotsche Center aquatic center.” The Student Association is inviting students to honor Driscoll’s memory at a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. on March 12 in Spaights Plaza.
COMICS PUZZLES
Students will vote on a proposal to build a new student union, after the Student Association approved a measure calling for a campus-wide referendum on the $160 million project. The vote will be conducted via email on March 28 and 29. The referendum comes after a series of studies conducted by two Milwaukeearea architecture firms, which assess the status of the current Union and explore design options for a new facility. The current Union was built in 1956, and underwent renovations in 1963, 1969 and 1987. At over 330,000 sq. ft., it is the largest in the UW System; however, architects said that space was poorly managed “This building has a 55 percent efficiency ratio. That means that 45 percent of the building is dedicated to non-useable space,” said Jan van den Kieboom of Workshop Architects, a firm that has designed unions for five schools in the UW System as well as Northwestern and University of Michigan. “The biggest issue in this building is qualitative. Even though there is quantitative problem, we need more space, that’s the not the big issue. The big issue is the type of space we have doesn’t work.” Van den Kieboom noted that Workshop Architects most recent project, Union South at UW-Madison, completed in spring of 2011, is a smaller building than UW-Milwaukee’s Union, though it seems much larger from the way it was designed. Additionally, the interior is flooded with natural light, a design aspect Workshop Architects incorporated into tentative plans for UWM’s new facility, along with a climbing wall, a fitness and recreation center, state-of-the-art dining centers, a coffee and wine bar and a revamped Gasthaus located on the first floor and extending out into Spaights Plaza. “One advantage from starting over from scratch is you can design a much more efficient building that’s smaller and you use less,” van den Kieboom said.
See UNION page 5 uwmpost.com
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Balls dribbling? Page 15.
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NEWS
March 12, 2012
THEUWMPOST Editor in Chief Zach Erdmann
Production Editor Caitlin Loepfe
Managing Editor Mike La Count
Chief Copy Editor Brad Poling
News Editor Steve Garrison
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Features Aaron Knapp Fringe Editor Steve Franz Assistant Fringe Editors Kevin Kaber Graham Marlowe Sports Editor Jeremy Lubus Assistant Sports Editor Tony Atkins Editorial Editor William Bornhoft Photo Editor Sierra Riesberg
Off-Campus Distribution Alek Shumaker Business Mgr. Tyler Rembert Advertising Mgr. Stephanie Fisher Ad Designer Cathylynne Ahlgren Account Executive Zhanet Buchokova Ashley Haut Brody Hess Sr. Online Editor Kody Schafer Board of Directors Zach Erdmann Stephanie Fisher Mike La Count Tyler Rembert Kody Schafer
Phone: (414)229-4578 Fax: (414)229-4579 post@uwmpost.com www.uwmpost.com Mailing Address Union Box 88 UWM P.O. Box 413 Milwaukee, WI 53201 Shipping Address 2200 Kenwood Blvd. Suite EG80 Milwaukee, WI 53211 THE UWM POST has a circulation of 10,000 and is distributed on campus and throughout the surrounding communities. The first copy is free, additional copies $.75 each. The UWM Post, Inc. is an independent nonstock corporation. All submissions become property of The UWM Post, Inc. The UWM Post is written and edited by students of the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and they are solely responsible for its editorial policy and content. The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is not liable for debts incurred by the publisher. The UWM Post is not an official publication of UWM.
the uwm post
Barrett faces new opponent in upcoming race for mayor
Democrat Edward McDonald enters race for mayor of Milwaukee By Zack Garhart News Writer news@uwmpost.com Tom Barrett is not surprised a candidate has emerged to challenge him for the title of mayor in Milwaukee. In fact, the mayor said that he is surprised that it took this long. “In politics you always assume there is going to be a challenger,” Barrett said. Yet, he emphasized that an air of seriousness is crucial throughout the election process. He added that campaigning for office is much like a job application. “The people of Milwaukee are your boss and they have the opportunity to hire, or rehire you, at any time during an election, so you can never take it for granted.” Barrett found out in the month of December that he would in fact have a competitor in this April’s general election. He is currently serving as the incumbent after holding office since 2004. While Ieshuh Griffin did not survive February’s primary election, Edward McDonald received roughly 15 percent of the primary votes, qualifying him to run against Barrett in the upcoming mayoral election. McDonald kicked off his campaign for mayor on March 1, 2012 on the north side of the city. After serving as
a public administrator, working with the state government through contractual relationships as well as heading departments, running nonprofit organizations and also working within the university system, McDonald said he is ready to take on a greater responsibility. He added that he feels equipped to step into office and immediately hit the ground running. While his work has spanned 30 years in each of these various roles, the idea of one day becoming mayor was instilled at a very early age. “When I was 13, my father, before passing unexpectedly, planted a seed in me to become mayor of this city,” McDonald said. From that point on, McDonald said that he worked to fully prepare himself with experience and knowledge in all of those intersecting institutions. “If elected mayor, I want to be able to analyze and quantify social development and social economic concerns and then use that quantitative analysis to work with people to deploy strategies to then address those concerns,” McDonald said. A plan which he has titled “Build Milwaukee Initiative Zones,” lays ground for a series of progressive movements for the different areas of Milwaukee. The zones will establish four community-based councils to develop and implement outcome based
redevelopment plans and facilitate equal economic opportunity. Heading the list of objectives in the plan, McDonald emphasizes the importance of addressing the roughly 6,000 foreclosed properties in the city. Additionally, his platform looks to connect the various sectors of the city through improved public transportation with a proposed rail system as well as a revamping of the bus transit system. The cleaning of public parks was also highlighted as well as a strong advocacy for local food production and purchasing in the city. These key components of McDonald’s agenda will look to create 11,000 jobs. However, it will require funding up to $400 million in total with $100 million being assigned to each of the four zones. The money will need to come from the state, city and county governments through both designating resource areas as well as leveraging the remaining costs from banks by depositing tax revenues with banks to design lending programs for prospective redevelopment. Despite conflicting plans for means of allocating money into the city, the two candidates emphasized the importance of creating jobs in Milwaukee with a goal of economic prosperity. “The best way to move forward is to work together and try to create more family supportive jobs while making
sure that Milwaukee is a safe place to raise a family,” Barrett said. He touched on the numerous accomplishments reached in his two terms from things such as the revival of the Menomonee Valley, as he said that the focus of creating economic growth remains vital in this challenged economy. Similar concerns were also highlighted by McDonald as he said that addressing unemployment is essential in providing citizens of Milwaukee opportunity to reach their goals. “This city nurtures dreamers, protects dreamers and lets dreams become alive,” McDonald said. “But without opportunities, these dreams can not be reached.” While ambitious agendas to reinvigorate Milwaukee’s economy hold a high priority for each candidate, both McDonald and Barrett look towards the election on April 3 as a way to definitively measure support for their respective platforms. The idea of running for governor in a potential recall election was not declared as being among Barrett’s priorities at this point, stating that he is focused on the upcoming general election. “Every election is a new beginning,” Barrett said. “It’s a good time to renew the energy and come up with a plan to keep moving forward.”
RACISM
Continued from page 1
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to players asking them about his behavior, but the coach only received “a slap on the wrist,” Castro said. “The university should not have accepted that behavior,” he said, particularly at a school with so many students of color. After being verbally reprimanded by the department, Castro said players told him the coach was nicer, but Castro thought it was inauthentic. “In knowing him and having such a personal relationship with him, I thought it was fake,” he said. On Feb. 23, Castro sent the email to former players alleging the misconduct, inviting them to join him and other concerned participants to meet with the chancellor about the behavior. In closing the email, Castro quoted Martin Luther King, Jr. in saying “he who passively accepts wrong doing is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.” “Milwaukee soccer is really close to me,” Castro said. “So having to out the athletics department was hard for me.” However, he said he felt the team would be better off without the current leadership. “It is not Penn State or Syracuse, but at the same time it’s the same structure,” Castro said. “Why did it happen here?” The soccer team, currently being supervised by the athletics department, will begin its spring season April 1.
uwmpost.com
March 12, 2012
Illuminating alumni
Top five successful and interesting UWM alumni
By Stephanie Schmidt Staff Writer news@uwmpost.com Earlier this year, Milton Coleman received UW-Milwaukee’s first Alumni Fellow Award. If an alumnus from UWM is currently the deputy managing editor of the Washington Post and also holds a number of other positions and distinctions, what other gems have a UWM diploma? Consequently, this list was born. The ranking of these top five alumni is determined by their position at their job, the number of awards and honors they have received, as well as if they have any outstanding achievements. Also, it is required that they still be living, except in the honorable mention section. UWM has turned out quite a few more notable men and women in addition to these five.
1. Gale E. Klappa Klappa graduated in 1972 with a degree in communications and has since been granted an honorary Ph.D. in commercial science from the university. Klappa is currently the chairman, president, and chief executive officer of both WE Energies and the Wisconsin Energy Corporation. He serves on the board of directors for Badger Meter, Inc., Joy Global, Inc. and serves on the UWM School of Business Advisory Council, in addition to many other positions. Klappa was also named CEO of the Year by Electric Light and Power magazine in January. 2. Edward J. Zore Zore comes from the land of Northwestern Mutual Insurance where he served as chairman, CEO and president. He has since retired from insurance and instead serves as their trustee, and is a member of
Nerds in search of love
Nerd dating event includes board games, mystery-themed trivia and interactive nerd clue By Audrey Posten Staff Writer news@uwmpost.com Board games, interactive nerd clue and mystery-themed trivia. Not part of your usual dating repertoire? Well, at Nerds at Heart events, those are the key fixtures. Nerds at Heart is a dating service that hosts themed parties and mixers for nerds of all kinds. It was founded in Chicago in 2006 and has since spread to the Twin Cities, and, in the past year, Milwaukee. Milwaukee’s chapter held its monthly event on Saturday, March 10 in the basement of Karma Bar and Grill. The 10 attendees participated in murder mystery-themed games and ice breakers that included a quiz to find out which famous detective they were most like, as well as an interactive whodunit where a murderer was chosen and the other participants had to figure out who it was. At their arrival, attendees were also given stickers to place on their backs. Those stickers included a nerd-related person, place and thing. Participants were allowed to ask three yes or no questions of the other nerds in order to find out who they were. Aside from the themed activities, people also played a few rounds of party games, like Apples to Apples and Taboo, which are a staple at every Nerds at Heart event. Winners got to select an item from the prize table, which included such things as a slinky, an Etch-a-Sketch, a light saber, Power Rangers magnets and a potato gun. The first winner chose a plastic skull, in keeping with the evening’s murder mystery theme. Rob Weiland was one of the event’s coordinators. He became involved
with Nerds at Heart after covering an event for The Onion’s A.V. Club. He said he hit it off with some of the Chicago staff, so when they asked if he would be interested in coordinating in Milwaukee, he said he jumped at the chance. With attendance typically ranging from 10 to 30 people, Weiland said there is usually a pretty good mix of people. But because events are most often held at bars, Weiland said participants have to be at least 21. He said Nerds at Heart appeals to nerds of all stripes, from computer programmers to math teachers to engineers. “It’s for somebody that’s smart, that’s single and that’s looking for somebody who’s looking for an experience that’s different from meeting people at a bar or online dating or anything like that,” Weiland said. Abby Bussen, a UWM graduate student, coordinated the event along with Weiland. Bussen has been working with Nerds at Heart since last month when Weiland, who she was already friends with, asked if she would be interested in hosting. Bussen also mentioned that Nerd at Heart’s uniqueness and the fact that it revolves around the nerd culture is what draws people. Because of the common interests, she said this way of dating is also less judgmental. “If you went to another dating event and were like, ‘I’m really into Star Trek,’ or ‘I have a tattoo of Spock on my butt,’ I think people would think, ‘hmm, I don’t know,’” Bussen said. Participant Chris, who chose not to give his last name, said the chance to meet someone with common interests was what ultimately drew him to
See NERDS page 4
the board of directors of Manpower, Inc. In 2003, Zore was inducted as an honoree of the SMEI Academy of Achievement and in 2008 was named among the 100 most influential people in business ethics according to Ethisphere Institute. He graduated UWM in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and shortly returned to receive his master’s in the same subject. 3. James L. Ziemer Ziemer is the retired CEO and president of Harley-Davidson, Inc. He was with that company for 40 years. In 1986, while still working for Harley-Davidson, Ziemer received his bachelor of business administration degree from UWM. According to Forbes, Ziemer’s total compensation equaled $9.8 million in 2005. He also was appointed to be a member of the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations by George W. Bush.
4. Jim Rygiel Rygiel graduated in 1977 with a bachelor of fine art degree, and fine art he did create. Rygiel is a threetime Oscar winner due to his digital effects work for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. He has been working on major films since 1984. The 31 movies he has worked on include Ghost, The Fast and The Furious, Night at the Museum, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and, most recently, The Amazing Spider-Man. In addition to his Oscar wins, Rygiel has received 13 awards in the film industry. 5. Raquel Rutledge Rutledge won a Pulitzer Prize in 2010 for her work in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Her award winning series of news articles revealed fraud in Wisconsin’s child-care subsidy program. Rutledge graduated in 1990 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. Honorable Mention: The following are a few deceased alumni or individuals who attended UWM but did not graduate here. They each have certain qualities, which have given them honorable mention. Golda Meir served as prime min-
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ister of Israel. She attended what was then known as Milwaukee State Normal School in 1916. Her name should sound very familiar as the campus library is named in her honor. Mildred Harnack also attended Milwaukee State Normal School, but about a decade after Meir. Harnack was a German resistance fighter during her later life, and she became the only American woman to be executed on the direct orders of Hitler. Fight the power! George H. Sutton studied medicine at UWM but medicine is not what he became known for. Sutton was “the handless billiard player.” He had lost both of his forearms at the age of eight and still managed to compete in professional billiards for 35 years. Michael Dhuey studied programming at UWM when he was 14; however, he received his degree some years later at Madison. Dhuey was the co-inventor of the Macintosh II and helped to design parts for the iPod, such as the battery. Richie Cunningham from Happy Days attended UWM. Cunningham was played by Ron Howard, who had no connection to UWM otherwise.
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the uwm post
March 12, 2012
UWM Bookstore monitoring action by Adidas in labor rights violation
Adidas products could be dropped if reparations are not made to laborers
By Matthew Karwoski Special to the Post news@uwmpost.com
The UW-Milwaukee Bookstore will be closely monitoring Adidas after a recent infringement of labor rights by a subcontractor. UW-Madison has already threatened to end their multi-million dollar apparel and equipment contract with the corporation. The violation occurred in November 2011 when an Adidas subcontractor fled an Indonesian manufacturing facility without paying over $3 million in severance to the workers. The Student Labor Action Coalition of UW-Madison was quick to protest for an end to Madison’s contract with Adidas, worth approximately $2.5 million annually. UWM also has a contract with Adidas, although it is much smaller in comparison.
“We are in the first year of a five year contract with Adidas. For fiscal year 2011, we received $64,000 in promotional merchandise at retail value and additional incentives, which amounted to $2,500 in promotiona l merchandise at retail value. In addition, UWM Athletics spent $121,809 on Adidas merchandise,” UWM Associate A t h l e t ic Di rec tor Charlie Gross said. The UWM Bookstore prominently displays signs stating they work with the Fair Labor Association and the Worker Rights Consortium to make UWM gar-
ments “100% sweatshop free.” “What ‘sweatshop free’ means is that worker rights are respected; the shops are places where unions are supported, wages are good and the manufacturers behave in an ethical way,” UWM Bookstore Director Erik Hemming said. “So basically we ask them to support human rights as well as worker rights in every way they possibly can.” However, the process of overseeing every step of production is virtually impossible. The UWM Bookstore pays the two watchdog organizations to monitor Adidas’ laborer conditions, but one cannot always be completely sure there were no policy violations
along the way. “It’s always an ongoing process. At no point can I ever say we’re 100 percent free and clear, but we’ve been working with these firms for over a decade to make sure to the fullest degree possible that the garments in the store are as good as we can possibly make them,” Hemming said. The Worker Rights Consortium, which was founded in 2000, was the organization that originally blew the whistle on the Adidas subcontractor in Indonesia. Big companies like Nike and Adidas do not produce goods directly; instead they manufacture through various subcontractors. They do not necessarily control these subcontractors, but they are responsible for them. Although the fate of UWM’s contract with Adidas ultimately lies in the hands of the athletic department, the UWM Bookstore will firmly maintain its stance on protecting labor rights. “We will wait for Adidas to behave ethically. If they begin to pressure the subcontractor to take responsibility for their action, then we’ll continue to carry them. The longer they delay in taking those steps, the less inclination we have to carry their product,” Hemming said. “If Adidas isn’t going to make right those relationships and support the workers, we have an ethical responsibility to decrease our business with them or terminate it, depending on the gravity of the infraction.”
NERDS
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PUZZLE SOLUTIONS This week’s Sudoku solution
Nerds at Heart. “The ladies out there watch, you know, Sex and the City, whatever kind of stupid show is on major networks,” Chris said. “I understand you have to compromise and you have to watch something she likes, but what about something I like too?” Nerds at Heart also appeals to many because of its low key and low pressure environment. Bussen said it is good for people that have been reluctant to try other dating events or have not had much luck through other avenues. “We’re not making you sit at a table and talk about your childhood dreams, which could be awkward,” she said. Laura Batty said she had been hesitant to try other dating events or sites. Through playing games, she said it is easier to get a feel for someone’s personality, rather than simply talking to them for five minutes. Brenna Johnson agreed that the environment also made her feel more comfortable. “I am not a social person,” Johnson said. “I’d rather sit at home and watch TV or play a board game, obviously, and this is bringing together a lot of the stuff that I do normally and people usually understand a lot of the stuff that I talk about.”
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NEWS BRIEFS The bud of Christ
Long time televangelist Pat Robertson spoke out on his show in support of legalizing marijuana, citing concerns for those jailed as a result of marijuana-related arrests as well as the high cost of the war on drugs. Robertson spoke to The New York Times about it a few days after he made his position clear on his show The 700 Club. Robertson told The Times that he supported the legalization of marijuana and also supports the marijuana legalization ballot initiatives in Wash. and Colo. Robertson’s viewers are made up primarily of conservatives and Republicans, the groups that have been the most vocal about opposing the legalization of marijuana.
Ensuring hilarity
Mary Brown, a lead plaintiff in the lawsuit filed against Obama’s health care bill, recently filed for bankruptcy with unpaid medical bills contributing to her debt. “[Brown] doesn’t have insurance. She doesn’t want to pay for it,” Karen Harned, lawyer for the National Federation of Independent Business, told the Los Angeles Times. “And she doesn’t want the government to tell her she has to have it.” Brown owed about $5,500 to different hospitals and doctors, and because of her bankruptcy claim, someone else will ultimately end up footing the bill. The controversy over the health care bill has mostly focused on all Americans being required to have health insurance by 2014, or be forced to pay a fine. The Supreme Court is still debating over whether or not the government can require citizens to buy something like insurance.
Anonymous vs. the Vatican
The hacker group Anonymous managed to take down the Vatican’s website this week, following up its failed attempt from last year. The hackers released a statement saying, “Anonymous decided today to besiege your site in response to the doctrine, to the liturgies, to the absurd and anachronistic concepts that your for-profit organization spreads around the world.” This attack came a day after the arrest of several key members of Anonymous. Anonymous said this cyber attack was not against religion or the Christian faith, but was targeted at the “corrupt Roman Apostolic Church,” citing concerns of harboring Nazi war criminals, burning historical texts, and murdering political and religious opponents.
Pokemon brown: gotta crap ‘em all
Two-time Pokemon champion Ruben Puig Lecegui was stripped of his title last weekend after police were tipped off to an incident where he was involved in spreading feces all over the hotel he was staying in. Lecegui was staying at a hotel in Birmingham to attend the United Kingdom Video Game Championship, in which he had been named winner of the master’s division the previous year. Police arrived at the scene after an eyewitness reported a ‘poo fight’ taking place in the hallway, at which point Lecegui and his team were removed from the hotel and forced to pay a fine. Fourth Republican joins Senate race Madison-based hedge fund manager Eric Hovde jumped into Wisconsin’s 2012 Senate race last week, becoming the fourth Republican in the race to succeed retiring incumbent Herb Kohl. The Wisconsin native and UW-Madison alum spent the last 25 years in Washington D.C. before returning to the state last summer. He’ll face off against former Gov. Tommy Thompson, former Rep. Mark Neumann and Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald in the Republican primary on Aug. 14.
uwmpost.com
March 12, 2012
Intelligent Design vs. Darwinism
Professors engage in age-old debate
By Zaire Lanier Special to the Post news@uwmpost.com When the issue of God versus science comes up, it tends to bring out either the best or the worst in people. Surely, this was expected at the debate hosted by the Lutheran Student Fellowship, “Darwin vs. Intelligent Design – Can Science Point to God?” Despite the topic being a long debated and controversial one, the audience respected the speakers as they presented their sides of the argument. The two professors, Dr. William Bristow and Dr. Angus Menuge, are each qualified in their field of philosophy; each sports multiple degrees. Menuge used his degree in Christian apologetics, the act of defending the faith, to argue for the possibility of science pointing to the existence of a “personal God,” but only when
combined with aspects of philosophy. According to Menuge, “the fine tuning of the cosmos is beyond the pay grade of finite intelligence,” and requires the design of an intelligent creator. He stated that on its own science indicates the idea of a designer but not necessarily a “personal God.” Menuge said that scientists have a blind spot when it comes to discoveries that may point to the existence of God “even if the evidence is explained by a supernatural being most scientists will simply refuse to believe.” Menuge said that we have evidence of God in the complexity and beauty of nature itself. Bristow, a professor of philosophy at UWM, argued the opposite - it is impossible for the natural sciences alone to point to the existence of God or any other supernatural force. “Natural science is a limited do-
main…theories are made to provide explanations to natural feats and phenomena,” Bristow said. Bristow said that the very idea of God lies outside of the realm of the natural sciences such as biology, chemistry and physics and lies more in the domain of metaphysics. “The reason why nature exists cannot be explained by nature itself. You must go outside of it. The existence of God cannot be tested and proven by experimentation.” He said he respects the beliefs of the other side, but he said he does not believe that science alone can prove or disprove the existence of God. He said it requires conjecture from multiple fields to come to the theory that God does in fact exist. “I am pleased with Dr. Bristow for showing up. There have been times when I get called for a debate and the other
debater simply does not show up for fear of giving me legitimacy,” Menuge said. “I was also pleased with the audience. Everyone was so respectful and not aggressive.” He said people should “do more than just repeat the preconceived notions from both sides. Explore the evidence and make your own decisions. I will not tell you what to believe, but seek answers yourself.” Bristow could not be reached for comment on this article. The debate ended without a clear winner, but several important questions were raised during the debate, such as: can science point to the existence to God? Is man just a product of chance and billions of millions of years of evolution?
UWM Women’s History Month going beyond March
Women’s Resource Center and Union Programming team up for “Heroines & Hellions” By Aubree Omachinski Special to the Post news@uwmpost.com In previous years, Women’s History Month events have only been scheduled throughout the month of March, but this year the UWM Women’s Resource Center has teamed up with Union Programming for a list of events lasting throughout the spring semester. “Heroines & Hellions,” a women and activism workshop series, will be featuring events until May. The series provides a variety of learning opportunities through events such as performances, guest speakers and workshops. The Women’s Resource Center encour-
ages students to take advantage of the rich cultural learning opportunity these events offer. “Awareness months give an excellent opportunity to learn about things people might not usually pay attention to,” Director of the UWM Women’s Resource Center Cathy Seasholes said. Seasholes invites people of all gender identities to participate in the events of “Heroines & Hellions.” The events offer a time and space for attendees to reflect on their own thoughts and opinions of gender, and how those thoughts affect actions. Seasholes suggests some specific events for students to attend. On Wednesday, March 14 the Multicultural
Women’s Film Series will be showing “Beautiful Daughters” in the multicultural student lounge. The film tells the story of the first fully trans-gendered show of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues.” Emcee Melissa Czarnik, an artist with roots in Milwaukee, will also be performing on March 14 in the Union Art Gallery. For a full list of events, visit www.uwm.edu/wrc for more information. Wednesday, April 25 marks another major event for Women’s History month: Denim Day. Students are encouraged to wear denim to protest against sexual violence and harassment. The day was created on behalf of an overturned conviction in Italy, when a judge ruled a young
woman must have consented to sex because her jeans were so tight she would have had to help remove them. “Ask Me Why I’m Wearing Denim” stickers will be available for participants prior to the day in the WRC. Union Programming and the WRC are also trying to assemble a flash mob on Denim Day in Spaights Plaza. Creators of the flash mob invite many students to participate to make the mob a success. The dance video for the flash mob will be available later this spring, and anybody interested in participating should contact the WRC for more information.
New faces in executive branch following separation of powers deadline Independent election commissioner seat vacant after impartiality concerns are raised By Steve Garrison News Editor news@uwmpost.com With Senators Dan Laughland and Michael Ludwig vacating their positions on the executive branch, as per President Angela Lang’s separation of powers act, the senate focused on approving new presidential appointments at the March 11 senate session. Former Marketing Director Dustin Kashou was approved as the new communications director, filling the seat previously held by Laughland. Kashou said that he will only be serving as communications director until the end of the semester, but his short-term goal is to help transition in new staff members and to codify the responsibilities of the position. “He has been on staff since the beginning of the term … I feel like he was very fitting for the position,” Lang said.
However, Ludwig took issue with SA paying salaries for two students with marketing experience, arguing that Laughland’s main job as communications director was maintaining SA’s website, a responsibility which will now be handled by the Student Association Professional Staff. Laughland said he felt confident in Kashou’s ability to handle the new communication responsibilities. “No one had a better knowledge of what I did than Dustin,” he said. “I understand Ludwig’s concern, but that being said, I don’t think it is one that Dustin isn’t capable of.” Ludwig consented to Kashou’s appointment, but argued that the senate should vote against Lang’s appointments for marketing and public relations directors. Kashou was visibly relieved that the senate chose not to follow Ludwig’s lead, approving Adam O’Leske as the new
marketing director and Kathy Kazan as public relations director. “I didn’t hear about SA until I heard about the negative things that were happening and I think that is an issue,” Kazan said, defending the need for a public relations director. Senate newcomer Terry Maxwell was not approved, however, as independent election commissioner, despite his insistence that he would be fair and impartial. Lang said she decided to appoint someone to the position after concerns were brought to her by senators who questioned Chief Justice and acting Independent Election Commissioner Anthony DeWees’ ability to remain impartial. Lang also said that after reviewing the Independent Election Commissioner bylaws, it was clear the position could only be occupied by the Chief Justice during times of emergency. Larson was the only student to apply for the position, despite an email sent
out to the entire student body requesting applications. “If you are looking for someone who is fair and impartial, then I am the best you are going to get,” Larson said in his defense. Several senators were concerned that as a senator, Larson was too involved in the partisan political atmosphere, with some members claiming that he had already joined the ICONIC party. Larson said he was only asked to join and that he rejected the offer and offered to leave the legislative body if the senate asked him to do so. Nonetheless, the senate voted against his appointment, though he promised as he was leaving the senate floor “this is not the last time you will see me.” No appointment has yet been made for the position of shared governance director.
5
UNION
Continued from page 1 “If we’re going to do it, let’s do it right. We’re just so sick of doing it half-way.” The actual text of the referendum will focus on the project’s financing, with students expected to cover the lion’s share of costs associated with building a new union. If approved, a graduated series of increases in student segregated fees will kick in beginning in 2015. At that time, segregated fees would increase by up to $70 a semester, and gradually build to as much as $282 per semester by 2018 and remain on the books until 2034. According to figures released by the Student Association, however, it’s possible those rates could be renegotiated at a lower amount and extended through 2044. UWM students currently pay $118.25 in Unionrelated segregated fees per semester. The proposal marks the second time in three years students have been asked to vote on a Union overhaul. In April of 2010, students rejected a $75 million proposal to renovate the existing Union. Nearly 2,600 voters, or about nine percent of students enrolled that year, rejected the proposal by a 57-43 margin, although 73 percent of respondents said that the building, in its current state, will not be able to meet the needs of the campus community within five to ten years. This time though, if students vote down the referendum for a new facility they will likely still be on the hook for upgrades to the existing union, still estimated at around $75 million. According to Daniel Davis, senior vice president at CG Schmidt, the firm that studied the existing union, that’s how much money is needing to bring the building up to code. “The big things are systems. Heating and cooling, those systems are at the end of their lives. They’re beyond the end of their expected lives and they don’t meet the current codes for energy or necessarily for outdoor air exchange,” Davis said, also noting the much of the current building is not equipped with fire-sprinklers and that only about 20 percent of the bathrooms are compliant with the American with Disabilities Act. While the referendum is limited to students only, it has the backing of much of UWM’s administration. A union advocacy committee formed in support of the referendum includes Scott Gore, the former longtime Union director who now serves as Special Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor of Student Affairs, and Chancellor Michael Lovell has spoken in favor of the project, telling UWM Today last month, “[The Union] is completely and totally outdated in terms of what unions do on campus … and what other unions are doing for their student bodies and populations, compared to ours, are vastly different.” Those sentiments were echoed last week by Vice Chancellor Michael Laliberte who said, “Based on the information we received about the life of this building and the amount of money it would cost to support this building for another 20 years or so, we feel like it’s not the best use of your dollars … The university really deserves something as spectacular and outrageous as this design is.” If the referendum does pass, it will still be some time before ground is broken on a new union, as the project must be approved first by the Board of Regents, and then by state legislature and governor as part of the state’s budget process in 2013. That would leave plenty of time for additional student input to be included into final plans, something van den Kieboom would like to see happen. “I would really hope that if this project goes forward the students on campus demand that students are really connected and are involved in crafting a vision for this.”
For photo see page 12
6
March 12, 2012
SPORTS
If only…
Women’s Panther tennis team wallops Whitewater Warhawks at home Non Conference matchup gives insight on team’s potential
Injuries that hampered the promising men’s basketball team severely this year could have been the difference
By Tony Atkins Assistant Sports Editor sports@uwmpost.com One year after hosting the Horizon League Championship, the UWMilwaukee men’s basketball program now knows that there is work to be done and progression to be made if they want to continue to remain a relevant figure in the increasingly competitive conference. In recent years, the Panthers have boasted pretty solid players such as Anthony Hill and James Eayrs down low in the post. This year could have possibly been a major success if that presence down low rolled over into 2011-12. It certainly would have been vital in Milwaukee’s loss to Butler as the Panthers were outscored 52-16 in the paint. Pounce and the rest of “Panther Nation” have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows throughout the year, watching as this team won some key games and lost some heartbreakers at home and on the road. Who could forget the Dec. 13 downtown showdown with then No. 14 University of Wisconsin Badgers, who were nearly handed their first loss to UWM since 1992. Although the Panthers lost that night, they displayed
a toughness that has been a staple in many Rob Jeter teams here. All of this in front of one of the most electric basketball crowds this city has to offer. The Panthers came off to a scorching 8-1 start, winning over tough opponents such as Arkansas-Little Rock and the thrilling 73-71 overtime win over the UI-Chicago Flames. In fact, during this stretch, the only loss ended up being against Big Ten basketball powerhouse Michigan State. As the Panthers vaulted toward the top of the Horizon League standings, they paid the price in injuries. It wasn’t a clean bill of health to say the least, as key contributors like Ja’Rob McCallum and Tony Meier sustained injuries. “The team came together and fought against a lot of adversity this season,” junior guard Ja’Rob McCallum said. “Having key players injured at the start of the season and having others admirably fill their shoes showed the toughness and readiness of our bench throughout the year.” As the season went along, the group of key players this season would come into focus due to nagging injuries. The Panthers, despite the injuries, still managed to get off to a great start as they displayed what could have been this season. After that hot 8-1 start, the
Panthers fell on some hard times. One of the more notable losses this season was at the hands of cross-town rival No. 10 Marquette University where Milwaukee shot a dismal 4 for 28 from three-point range and ended up shooting 16 of 60 overall. Anyone in attendance that night would have noticed the fatigue of the Panthers as they headed into their brief winter break. Unfortunately, Milwaukee would continue to struggle from this point as they went 1-3 over the next four games, including losses to Butler and at Western Michigan. As Horizon League play went on, the Panthers rode along the win-loss roller coaster. Three key wins against UW-Green Bay, Wright State and the eventual Horizon League Champion Detroit Mercy Titans would showcase what the Panthers were capable of. Then, the losses came and would eventually show the Panthers down the Horizon League ladder. The season began with high hopes for junior forward Demetrius Harris, who turned down a scholarship to play football as an Arkansas Razorback to help fill in the shoes down low in the
Kyle Kelm made huge strides as a sophomore this season. Post file photo. post. Harris had a tough season as he saw his minutes decline quickly. Harris is still a raw talent and should be vital next season as he grows under Rob Jeter. Another story for the Panthers was the strong play of junior guard Paris Gulley and forward James Haarsma whose solid play was vital in some of the Panther’s biggest wins this year. Senior guard Kaylon Williams was also solid as he ranked ninth in assists on the season. While the Panthers’ season may have ended with a few more losses than they’d care to have, people must keep in mind that this was only part of this team taking the floor night in and night out. The Panthers may not be dancing this March, but on most nights they put it all on the line and put on a great show for the people.
Women’s season in review
Freshman Ashley Green picked as MVP
Unforgettable Heartbreaker: Wright State 75 UWM 72 (Overtime) WSU’s Kim Demmings set a new Horizon League season-high with 38 points, none more including a threepointer at the buzzer that sent the game into overtime. Tucker scored 23 points and freshman Ashley Green added 11 points in the second half for the Panthers back on January 14.
By Jeremy Lubus Sports Editor sports@uwmpost.com The UW-Milwaukee Panthers knew this season was going to be tough. Replacing do-it-all senior Lindsey Laur was a difficult task but as the Panthers finished 9-21 overall in a disappointing season. Sophomore duo of guard Angela Rodriguez and forward Courtney Lindfors were expected to carry the team and they did as Rodriguez 10.4 points and Lindfors’ led the team in scoring at 12.5 per game. The Panthers finished eight in the Horizon League and were left with more questions than answers as they lost their first round game at home to Valparaiso, a team they beat by double digits a week earlier. Still, the future is bright as freshman’s Ashley Green and Kiki Wilson were very impressive at times this season. Best Game: UWM 54 Butler 52 In a game that featured eight ties and 12 lead changes, Junior Sami Tucker’s layup and free throw with 7:25 remaining broke a 41-41 deadlock and ignited a 10-1 run. The game was at the Klotsche Center and Tucker recorded her 500 th rebound. Tucker finished with a double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds.
Best stat line: Ashley Green vs. Loyola, December 29, 2011 The freshman had some impressive games in her first season as a member of the Panthers. In her Horizon League debut was one to remember has she scored 16 points, four steals, five rebounds and chipped in an assist and a blocked shot. The 5-11 guard played 40 minutes only picking up only two fouls.
Freshman Ashley Green averaged 10.4 points per game and was voted MVP by Post Staff. Post file photo
Best Performance: Courtney Lindfors against Oklahoma The sophomore played one of her best games of the year against one of the counties best basketball programs.
The 6-4 post player was almost perfect from the line hitting nine of 10. She poured in 15 points and added both a block and an assist in a non-conference game in December on the road.
the uwm post
MVP: Ashley Green In a tough decision Green shined a little bit brighter than Lindfors, Rodriguez and Tucker. Tucker finished second in the Post’s voting discussion. Green was inserted into the lineup as a freshman when Emily Decorah went down with an injury. Green finished the year with 24 starts, 10.4 points per game and finished third on the team in total points with 311 and second in steals with 40.
By Zack Garhart Staff Writer sports@uwmpost.com The UW-Milwaukee women’s tennis team came away from a non-conference matchup against UW-Whitewater on Friday with another win added to their schedule, putting them at (8-5) overall on the season. Playing at home, the Panthers came out aggressive and pulled ahead early by sweeping the Warhawks in doubles play. The team’s motivation was attributed to the previous two non-conference losses against Northern Illinois (NIU) and Northern Iowa on March 2 and 4. “We came off a frustrating weekend and we worked extremely hard this week with an extra sense of urgency,” Panthers coach Sean McInerney said following doubles play. “We felt we should have won the NIU matchup but it was the motivation we needed.” McInerney saw this drive from all of his players as the Panthers maintained a consistent lead over the Warhawks throughout the entire set of doubles play. While each seed (one, two and three) displayed their own relentlessness and finished strong, the match on the second doubles court went down to the wire. “It got close at one point but that can happen when you have more talent than the other team, which we just do,” McInerney said. “You have to play aggressive and speed up your game otherwise the match gets too slow and that competitive separation you should have is lost.” Though Whitewater is one of the top Division III programs in the country for women’s tennis, McInerney said that the team prepared to compete for the win. His Panthers carried their momentum from victorious doubles play into each of the six seeds for singles match ups. Maddy Soule, the one seed in singles play, swept the matchup despite a consistent lead battle with her opponent. Following doubles play, Soule said that she knew the team had to play well since Whitewater was a deceivingly good team. “We played aggressive and consistent,” Soule said. “We were off the court quickly and that’s always the goal.” The Panthers won five of six single matches and displayed focus and energy, which McInerney said was a goal. The team looks ahead to a stretch of tough match ups in the upcoming six weeks. Scheduled non-conference foes Cincinnati and Oxford await the Panthers on their spring break trip to Orlando. Shortly following will be the bulk of the Panthers Horizon League conference play with six tough match ups against teams like Youngstown State and Cleveland State. Both McInerney and his players showed the importance of strong performance in the upcoming conference play. Junior Kelly Fritz said that the team is looking to place in the top two, yet she emphasized their ability to finish as conference champions.
To read the rest of this story, visit uwmpost.com
SPORTS
uwmpost.com
March 12, 2012
Going, going, GONE!
Men’s baseball is off to the races, and they’re swinging for the fences in 2012
By Nolan Murphy Staff Writer sports@uwmpost.com The UW-Milwaukee baseball team has wasted no time this year getting back into the game. The Panthers squad played seven games in the snowy month of February all on the road. 2012 marked the fourth earliest start ever for a UWM squad dating back to their 1990 birth into Division I play. The Panthers will head into Horizon League play this weekend having weathered the storm physically and mentally. Upon their arrival to Youngstown State, UWM will already have experienced a trek across the nation similar to Lewis and Clark. Playing a
non-conference schedule against teams from North Carolina, California, Minnesota and lastly Arkansas, the Panthers are prepared for a run at their second Horizon League Championship in three years. After their three game series against Arkansas-Little Rock, the Panthers will continue on the road as they still have seven games away from Milwaukee against UIChicago, Valparaiso and Northern Illinois. The Panthers were picked to finish in fourth place in the Horizon League after finishing 15-10 in league play last year. This year’s UWM squad looks to be one formed around solid starting pitching and timely hitting. The Panthers pitching staff prior to heading to Little Rock had posted
a jaw-dropping 4.60 ERA. Leading UWM on the rubber this year will be juniors Cale Tassi and Eric Semmelhack. Tassi has started the season on a roll, posting a 2.61 ERA and being named Horizon League Player of the Week once already. Closing the door in the Panthers’ bullpen will be handed by a platoon of hurlers including senior Greg Blohowiak and junior Jordan Guth. In the batter’s box, the Panthers’ bats have been quite as of late but look for the warm weather to squeeze some life out of them. Returning is outfielder and pre-season all-conference selection Jon Capasso. Along with Capasso, look for first baseman Paul Hoenecke to use his big bat to anchor the middle of the order for the black and gold. Capasso
has already collected 18 total bases heading into the weekend, including his game winning bases-loaded double against University of San Francisco March 1. The five run come-frombehind victory versus San Francisco was the largest of coach Scott Doffek’s six-year career, and biggest in almost 10 years. Squatting behind the backstop for the Panthers will be JUCO transfer and Eau Claire Memorial standout Will Fadness, who has posted a .300 slugging percentage in this young campaign. UWM will return to the friendly confines of the Hank Aaron Field Friday March 30 vs. UIC with a 2 p.m. first pitch. The series will be the third Horizon League series of year and begin a eighth game home stand for the team.
NCAA Tournament sleepers
Which teams with little hype can make a deep run in the tournament this year
Last year many thought Virgina Common Wealth was a horrible selection. They advanced to the Final Four. Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
By Nick Bornheimer Staff Writer sports@uwmpost.com We all have our teams that we think are locks for the final four. The Kentucky’s, the Syracuse’s and the University of North Carolina – the locks for number one seeds that everyone has making it further than the rest, or so we think. But every year we have a few surprises, a few upsets that leave some fans, and especially some analysts, scratch-
ing their heads. Look at last year’s big dance; there was a No. 11 seed in the Final Four, and an eighth seed and a five seed playing for it all in the championship game. Well, here are some teams to look out for this year, some teams that may have a final four banner hanging from their home court rafters, or even be last year’s UConn and win it all. VCU You may remember these guys. Oh yeah, the team that came out of nowhere last year to make it all the way to the semifinals.
Virginia Commonwealth was the underdog in every single matchup in last year’s tournament, and they’re destined to be this year as well. But the Rams will be dancing for the second straight year; this time with an automatic bid after upsetting Drexel, who was riding a 19-game winning streak, in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) conference tournament.. Coach Shaka Smart thought his team would be playing in the National Invitation Tournament last season after losing five of their last eight games and playing its worst basketball of the season, but there is no agonizing anticipation this year – they are in. The Rams have won 17 of their last 18 games, and are poised to make another run this year. Senior Bradford Burgess, who played a big part in last year’s run, has seen it all before, and looks to lead a young roster as far, if not further, as VCU went last season. After the Illinois head coaching position was vacated, there have been rumors of Smart potentially coaching the Fighting Illini. If the Rams are looking to make some magic happen, it better be this year. Louisville
Never count out Rick Pitino. Although they may be on some radars after their incredible run in the Big East conference tourney, this team hasn’t been considered a real threat all season – but they are dangerous. Louisville has taken on UConn’s role last year whether they like it or not. They are the low seed in the Big East to go out and actually win the tournament championship, leaving behind any speculation that they shouldn’t be in the big dance. Senior Kyle Kuric has been a scoring threat all year, but the player to look out for is Peyton Siva. The junior point guard has been heating up lately, and has orchestrated the Cardinals offense tremendously all season. When Siva plays well, the team wins. The team has some bad losses, including a blowout at Providence, but they’re heating up at the right time. Look out for Louisville to make a deeper run than the experts think. A few more teams to keep on the Cinderella radar: Harvard, Cincinnati, California, Florida, Temple and Wisconsin.
A sophomore’s journey to the NCAA
A young swimmer’s success foreshadows more successes for the team
By Aaron Knapp Features Editor sports@uwmpost.com
Emily McClellan has always been an athlete. Growing up in Delavan, Wis., she played on competitive soccer, basketball and softball teams before and during high school. It wasn’t until high school, though, that she became a swimmer, as an afterthought to the other sports she was involved in. “I needed something to do in the fall, so I took up swimming,” she said. “It wasn’t until the second half of my senior year in high school that someone said ‘you really should swim in college’… And I was like ‘really? You think I could swim in college?’” Now a sophomore at UWM, she has put her doubts to rest. McClellan is now on her way to the NCAA Swimming Championship at Auburn University next weekend after swimming ‘A’ cut times in both the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke, setting a league record in the latter, and being named Swimmer of Year at the Horizon League Championship on Feb. 25. More excited than nervous, McClellan seems as proud to be alongside the other NCAA-bound swimmers as she is to be going to the final meet itself. “These are the top girls in college swimming… and I’m going to be one of them,” she
said. “I’m going to be out there competing with them and in the lane next to them racing, and that’s all I want to do – I just want to go out and race.” Although swimming was not a priority for her until she was well into high school, McClellan was no stranger to the pool. Her mother, June McClellan, coached the Delavan-Darien High School women’s swim team as well as taught lessons. Throughout high school, McClellan began to enjoy swimming more while her talent progressively improved, but it was not until her sophomore year of high school when she competed in the state championships that she began to focus more on swimming. “I’m from a small town, so if you make it to state in something it’s like ‘oh wow!’” McClellan explained. “I realized that I had found something that I’m good at and I enjoyed, so I wanted to focus on swimming and stick with it.” Going to state became a routine for her after that. She also competed on a club team, was named All-State and a national finalist in her junior and senior years. In her senior year she was named All-American for her state championship-winning 100 meter breaststroke, which was an “eye-opener” for her. “I had a goal that I set my senior year: to win state,” she said. “And to achieve that goal – it just proved to me that if I set my
mind to something and work for it then I can achieve it. After that I set goals for myself to win nationals and stuff like that, and I kept achieving them… swimming has never really said no to me.” It was around this time that she caught the attention of Kyle Clements, then an assistant coach of the women’s swimming team at UW-Milwaukee and about to become the head coach of both the men’s and women’s teams. Clements met Thomas McClellan, Emily’s father, at a competition in Minnesota, and he took a lead role in recruiting her for UWM’s team. “She was a pretty accomplished high school athlete, nothing to the level she is now though,” Clements said about her rapid improvement since coming to UWM. At the time, McClellan still doubted that she had the talent to swim competitively at the college level and looked only at UW-Green Bay and UWM. Drawn by the swim team, the community, a strong American Sign Language program and the relatively short distance from her hometown, she picked UWM. “I didn’t look anywhere else because I didn’t really think I could be a college swimmer – it turns out I’m doing pretty well,” McClellan said, timidly chuckling at how far she’s progressed. Since she switched from the seasonal pro-
gram in high school to the year-long training program that colleges compete at, Clements has seen drastic changes in McClellan, both physically and psychologically. “She is in the pool 365 days a year: lifting, running, dry land swimming,” Clements said. “So as she’s starting to get older and starting to mature, she’s picking up some of those finer points that come along with a full year program. She is getting stronger, older and wiser and becoming a veteran swimmer.” In his second year as head coach, Clements has led both swimming teams to new heights, which culminated in the men’s team winning its third straight Horizon League Championship and the women’s first Horizon League Championship since 2001, in addition to McClellan’s accomplishments that meet, last month. Although McClellan is the only member of her team going to the NCAA Championship, Clements is confident that the relatively young team she is part of will have plenty of improvement in the coming seasons. As for McClellan, she admits that she is a little nervous about next weekend, but overall is keeping cool while she has an easy training week. “I really don’t have anything to lose because, hey, I made it to the NCAA’s. That’s an accomplishment in and of itself.”
7
The Manningstakes 2012: let the games begin
Peyton Manning is now a free agent; NFL subject to change By Mitch Pratt Staff Writer sports@uwmpost.com
Since Indianapolis Colts’ owner and CEO Jim Irsay announced that the Colts were going to draft the promising, clearcut, number one overall in Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, it sent a ripple through the NFL world. Without question, there have been a lot of questions surrounding the fate of future first-ballot Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. The deadline to decide was last Thursday. This was essentially because Manning was due a huge payday. They decided to let him go and move on from the guy that turned that franchise around the day that they drafted him back in 1998. Many football fans held out hope that the Colts would ultimately keep Manning for one more year and draft Luck as an “understudy” – and then figure it out next year. That obviously didn’t happen. This move puts a tremendous amount of pressure on Luck, even more than he had before. Luck was the undisputed number one overall pick last year and now after opting to stay in school for his senior year and having a great year again, he’s got a ton of hype to live up to. Now he’ll have to fill the shoes of a legend. But if anyone can do it, it’s probably Luck. As for Manning, where will he end up? The front runner heading into the weekend appears to be the Denver Broncos. They were one of the first organizations to contact Manning’s camp for his services, and he met with them over the weekend. Other spots that may be suitable for Manning are Arizona or Miami. The Arizona Cardinals are a good candidate because they place Manning with an ideal situation. He’d be teamed with a great wide receiver in Larry Fitzgerald. He’d be guaranteed perfect playing conditions for at least eight games per year, and he’d play in a weak NFC West division. In Miami, it would be a similar situation but with less talent around him. Brandon Marshall is nothing short of an elite receiver but besides that, Manning would be working with less than stellar talent around him. Even though former Packers’ quarterback Matt Flynn seems to be a nice fit on South Beach, how great would it be to see Manning vs. Brady twice a year for the next several years? Other longshots to land Manning are the Washington Redskins, New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks. All of these teams have a need at quarterback and definitely wouldn’t turn down Manning’s services if the price was right, but they might look to grab a younger player in the draft or in free agency. The highest bidder will gain arguably one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.
8
fringe
March 12, 2012
the uwm post
The Fashion Show at Foster Last Wednesday, The Hotel Foster threw a massive party to celebrate the launch of local designer Margaret Butler’s Feathers and Foxtails line, complete with live music and a fashion show. The Post was there!
The two-piece ensemble has made a big comeback in past few seasons, and the matching pair doused in ‘80s pastel is a well-balanced combination of edgy and cute.
Un-tucked layers keep these potentially formal pieces from look too uptight, and the different neutral shades give the look a casual and earthy feel.
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A summery vintage print slightly set off by clashing chunky jewelry updates the look and is feminine without going overboard. Throw on a set of antlers and the outfit is complete!
Ryan Rupprecht of Faux Fir, who opened the evening with a short concert to put the spirit in the night.
fringe
uwmpost.com
March 12, 2012
A look at the RadioMilwaukee Music Awards
The UWM Post examines the ceremony’s biggest winners
Trapper Schoepp and the Shades took the top award at the RadioMilwaukee Music Awards for their album, Run, Engine, Run.
By Kevin Kaber Assistant Fringe Editor fringe@uwmpost.com Milwaukee’s music scene is just as diverse as it is intense. Many of Milwaukee’s bands are well deserving of record deals and national airplay, but for now, it’s probably safe to say that the city’s artist and musicians are just as happy with their own hometown prominence. Now in its fifth year, the RadioMilwaukee Music Awards has given praise (and awards!) to the area’s best artists. Now, let’s take a look at the night’s biggest winners. Album of the Year: Trapper Schoepp and the Shades – Run, Engine, Run This category was chock full of more than deserving nominees (Boy Blue, The Hollowz, The Delta Routine, and Logic and Raze), but ultimately the close race was a victory for
Trapper Schoepp and the Shades. The country-folk-pop band took home the biggest award for their album, Run, Engine, Run. The album was a favorite for many due to its road trip vibes and its homespun shout-out to Wisconsin.
recognition. Though the band’s album, More About You, wasn’t enough to take the top spot, it was The Delta Routine itself that garnered the Band of the Year award due to the members easygoing and overall fun demeanors.
Song of the Year: The Hollowz – “Parade” Hip-hop is one of the few genres in Milwaukee to have a large, citywide presence. However, with groups like The Hollowz, Milwaukeeans ought to pay attention to the music coming from their own backdoor. “Parade” is light and humble, but it still manages to have a hard-hitting affect on listeners – something that other hip-hop artists hardly attempt to do.
Catchiest Song of the Year: Boy Blue – “Robot Tube Socks” The synth-pop tune “Robot Tube Socks” easily took this category. With heavy radio play and instantly accessible and memorable melodies, Boy Blue beat out “Parade” and the more country/folk sounding songs of the BoDeans, the Shades and Jayme Dawicki.
Band of the Year: The Delta Routine As praiseworthy as The Delta Routine is, the rock band has been way overdue for some award-winning
Best Album Artwork of the Year: Sat. Nite Duets – One Nite Only This just goes to show you that two naked dudes playing table games in a locker room shower while drinking Hamm’s is a great enough picture for an album artwork award.
Hemispheres collide East meets West in new Chilean drama
By Graham Marlowe Assistant Fringe Editor fringe@uwmpost.com
Just as late-great songwriter Nick Drake is remembered as the patron saint of the depressed, the prose of Marcel Proust could be seen as the Holy Grail for tortured souls. Premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last summer, Chilean director Cristián Jiménez’s sophomore drama Bonsai takes a variety of cinematic cues to make its point while at the same time forgets to leave a few. The film’s nonlinear narrative, a technique Quentin Tarantino helped mainstream, is perhaps the only format such content could fall into. Based on the first novel of Santiago poet/critic Alejandro Zambra, Jiménez’s screenplay is punctuated by characters built unmistakably from Proust’s writing. Guided by a rainy aestheticism and loosely inspired by Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past, Bonsai’s main character Julio (Diego Noguera) is difficult to love or hate due to his low-energy sparseness of words in the face of personal anguish; his protagonism, which drifts back and forth between college and post-college romance stories, is one unto itself.
In a life populated by indie rockers and cosmic explorers at every turn, it’s unclear at times which Julio we have despite how what transpires onscreen is obviously eight years ahead or prior. After all, Julio spends much of the film’s progression mining away at the memory of Emilia (Nathalia Galgani) his punky first girlfriend (from eight years prior) who once shared his intellect and casualness for longer than predicted. Things change, and this recurring theme of playing on memory becomes responsible for the very questions posed by the film. Also, the occasional inconclusiveness of a present-day makes the film’s “perfect” elements, certain things in Julio’s life, sacred – the soundtrack’s baroque-era cello suites, the casualness of his love life, his professional credentials. It isn’t long, however, before Julio realizes these sources of perfection parallel his affliction(s); thus he needs a new symbol of change. His cozy love affair with his neighbor, along with a change to his professional life, put him slightly at odds with his future. Meanwhile Blanca (Trinidad González) his stunning present-day girlfriend, critiques numerous passages he edits (and transcribes) from a veteran novelist (“Gazmuri,” played by Hugo Medina), not knowing Julio frequently substitutes per-
sonal writing with that of Gazmuri’s. As the deception becomes easier, Julio manages to sell the twists and turns of his own prose to Blanca and hones his own story as Gazmuri shifts priorities. Towards the end, where the film’s loss of momentum turns to puzzlement, Julio appears to contemplate what alters the power of love – be it professional success, emotional maturity or otherwise. And after running into a friend of Emilia’s, the opportunity (and thus the temptation) to rekindle her in some way gets channeled another way: the maintenance of a fragile bonsai tree. In other words, nature - the life he’s grown accustomed to - has been disrupted, and the tree that survives only when one lets nature takes its course, is exactly why the film bears no concrete conclusion. It’s as though existential details of the authors discussed by the characters crescendo into one another in universal flashes of esotericism – as if knowing the authors’ messages reveals the Ouija board’s cryptic decoding. Blending the obvious with the presumed, this is about where Bonsai closes its mouth. But like Julio alludes, sometimes the least purposeful is the most meaningful in our lives.
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March 12, 2012
the uwm post
Always unsettling, never dull
Avant-garde synth duo Xiu Xiu continues a legacy of vitriol By Samantha Radle Staff Writer fringe@uwmpost.com Not known for being particularly accessible or predictable and always sitting high up on a throne of dark rumors and controversy, Xiu Xiu has nevertheless gained tacit respect from critics as well as a devoted court of equally-rabid fans and haters. Despite an ever-changing ensemble, the band is and always has been Jamie Stewart. His vocals are the constant, polarizing variable in Xiu Xiu’s prolific and varied output. Whether the music leans closer to blinding noise or coherent synth-pop is arbitrary. The vocals are what give Xiu Xiu their air of debauchery and pathological shame, vulnerability mixed with vicious self-loathing. Stewart sounds unhinged, the distraught-sounding falsetto he’s known for giving way without warning to raw screams over the course of an album and often a single song. For those unfamiliar with Xiu Xiu, great news: Always is a great place to start (for your own sake, though, first take
Xiu Xiu’s Always follows the band’s familiar strategy of being as creepy as possible. three minutes to listen to “I Luv the Valley OH!” from 2004’s Fabulous Muscles – you won’t regret it). For existing fans, even better news: Always is fantastic, and one of their best albums to date. Stewart has managed to retain instru-
mentalist Angela Seo, who joined the band for 2010’s Dear God, I Hate Myself after longtime member Caralee McElroy’s sad departure. It proved to be an excellent collaboration – a purely Xiu Xiu cocktail of filth and charm. Always continues down the same path, and even refines it. Choppy piano collides with eerie synths and Stewart’s violent guitar, and while the songs are (relatively) conventional, the vocals and lyrics are as deranged and brutal as ever. Stewart welcomes listeners to the album in “Hi” as only he could: “If you’re wasting your life, say hi / If you are alone tonight, say hi / If you wish he should die, say hi...” Upbeat and almost cheerful, this is as close to a friendly greeting as one can expect. “Beauty Towne” showcases a lot of what’s great about Xiu Xiu – a dysfunctional collection of noises and chaotic arrangements that somehow result in music that’s satisfying and purely original. Seo lends her voice to a sort of morbid duet with Stewart in “Honeysuckle,” which could be a too precious synth-pop confection if it was anyone else. Instead, the chorus is “I
get up, but the day is ruined again,” and when Seo sweetly sings “Yesterday was awful...” Stewart finishes the line with “...today’s discolored.” In the past, Xiu Xiu seemed to mock their own cleverness, flaunting their ability to make beautiful music before hacking everything into pieces. Fortunately this track segues into “I Luv Abortion” in case we think they’ve gotten soft, and Stewart reverts to psychotic rambling over creepy video game music and industrial noise. “Gul Mudin” sounds like a classic Goblin-Argento score, while “Born to Suffer” is one of the highlights of Always. It could be Stewart’s personal anthem, though he’s wished himself dead so many times by now it might just be his personal mantra. Nearly every track deserves at least a paragraph to itself. Stewart clearly has enough vitriol to last a lifetime, and an equal amount of talent; Seo seems more than capable of carrying it. Though it’s anyone’s guess how long this current configuration will last, there’s always room for more like Always and Xiu Xiu’s troubling, glamorized violence.
The UW-Milwaukee Union Theatre is one of the most notable and diverse movie theaters in the entire country, but it can be easy to overlook, in the context of studies and the day-to-day bustle of the UWM campus. Every week, the staff at the UWM Post provides a brief guide to the theater’s most notable titles, in an effort to encourage students to make the most of this unique and vibrant resource. Digital Dreams: An Evening with Mike Kuchar (Tuesday, 7 p.m.) Master of low-fi, along with his nowdeceased twin brother George, Mike Kuchar has long been an important figure in the realm of experimental and low-
glowing work of art. The darkly comic film follows a boy’s mournful car ride through the deserted rural roads outside of Tehran on the way to his parents’ funeral. The boy rides with his deaf relatives who only communicate via sign language that slowly reveals information about the tragic deaths. The masterful sleight-ofhand filmmaking and subtle cues for humor unravel much for the story and shed much light on the current state of Iranian filmmaking.
Mourning (Thursday, 7 p.m.) Iranian filmmaking has recently been given a new light filled with critical acclaim as Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation took the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film this year. Likewise, Morteza Farshbaf ’s debut film, Mourning, has been received as a
Here (Friday, 7 p.m.) Sent overseas to make a new map of Armenia, cartographer Will Shepard’s contract within his own industry was nothing special. Once there, Shepard’s work takes him all around the country, doing his assignment until he meets a beautiful female photographer, Gadarine,
Light in the darkness Bruce Springsteen’s revitalized Wrecking Ball By Steven Franz Fringe Editor fringe@uwmpost.com
It’s good to see Bruce Springsteen get fired up again. The rock and roll titan has spent the last decade experimenting with the comfortable, trying his hand at folk mythologies (Devils & Dust, The Seeger Sessions), mediated pleas for unity (The Rising) and brightly personal, apolitical narratives documenting the aging generation of which the ageless wonder himself is nonetheless a part. It’s been a far cry from the Springsteen of “Streets of Philadelphia,” “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Racing in the Street,” whose outraged pleas, howls of woe and tales of decayed urban despondency were rallying cries for the underprivileged, even if the joy with which he delivered them tempered them somewhat into ambiguity.
But on Wrecking Ball, Springsteen makes a stab at a second Born in the U.S.A., a document of nationalized rage. The best Springsteen albums are products of their time more than dossiers of baby boomer anxiety, even if the latter often seeps in with force – The Rising as post-9/11
deep breath, Born in the U.S.A. as Reaganomics rebuke, Born to Run as post-sixties intellectual hangover, etc. – and Wrecking Ball certainly fits the trend, often seeming to go out of its own way to do so. But the critique is a little too narrow, the ambiguity unfortunately missing, the targets
By Graham Marlowe Assistant Fringe Editor fringe@uwmpost.com
a bit too easy for the album’s own good. Rarely (but occasionally) does Springsteen successfully internalize the conflict at the album’s core, another trait common among his greatest material, perhaps because at this point he’s distant enough from his legitimate working-class background to have been separated almost wholly from its influence. And as a diagnosis of American plight, Wrecking Ball is almost comically off-base, obtuse in its language and cliché in its thinking (the term “fat cats” is used in seriousness on the album’s very first song). But the intent is still refreshing, the invective attractive in its tenacity, and as a collection of anthems, Wrecking Ball is Springsteen’s strongest music since the mid-1980s, certainly the most sonically forwardthinking. Samples and loops are employed (as they were on generational contemporary Paul Simon’s So Beautiful or So What), the equivalent on Wrecking Ball to the keyboards and synths that decorated Born in the U.S.A. and Tunnel of Love. Here is Bruce Springsteen with a purpose, donning once again the cap of
See SPRINGSTEEN page 11
See FESTIVAL page 11
A look at what’s to come at UWM’s Union Theatre budget filmmaking. Responsible for such camp hits as Sins of the Fleshapoids (1965), The Craven Sluck (1967) and The Secret of Wendel Samson (1966), which all, incidentally, were screened at the Union Theatre this semester, Kuchar’s quirky stories and stylizations have been a profound influence on underground filmmakers and even more notable ones, like John Waters. Luckily for UWM, Mike Kuchar will be in attendance Tuesday to screen some of his latest works.
Conceptual success at Unruly Music Festival
The last place college students want to be during a pub crawl is tucked away in the high-art smarm of downtown’s Marcus Center for the Performing Arts on a Saturday night. At least that’s the caricature that UW-Milwaukee’s music composition department typically falls into, a pigeonhole into the waspy world of modern chamber music that tends to overshadow the faculty’s constant innovation. Since reaching a pinnacle with electroacoustic experiments two years ago, the audience for the department’s spring Unruly Music Festival has doubled, possibly tripled as it continues to drift into something more open that lets its harmonic complexity breathe (and go down) a bit easier. With help from Stanford alum and UWM professor Chris Burns, UWM has developed partnerships in the recent past with performance groups like San Francisco’s sfSound and moved in a progressive direction of music technology research. It was obvious from [Saturday’s] portion of the festival, a showcase of student composers as well as the premiere of Hans Thomalla’s desert-inspired The Brightest Form of Absence (2011) that much of the cognitive dissonance involved with electroacoustic music -which makes cigarette smokers crave another one -- was kept at bay. At first listen, “electroacoustic” can be a disorienting series of blips and bleeps with textures and samples strew in for good measure. Yet the further one goes down the rabbit hole of an interesting music, the tendency is to push it as far as it can go. And the audience gets that. But by now UWM’s composers have discovered new ways to summon melody and harmony from the dark crevices of stringed fretboards, along with digital realizations made possible through improvisation with the X and Y grids of multi-touch software (and Dal Niente, who performed the first half of the show as well). Kevin Schlei’s Pixelism, a “moving snapshot through a digital viewfinder” that began the evening, took on the power of psychedelic chamber music. Highlighting his painterly improvisational style, the piece was less an attempt at harmonic sophistication than an exploration of software capabilities – specifically the TC-11, a multi-touch synthesizer that allowed him to visually map the iPad’s responses to musical improvisations via algorithms. The results were complex, making sounds visual and visuals audible in ways that allude to onscreen moments of Tron (and last year’s Collisions) without burrowing into cacophony. UWM seniors Matt Martell and Elliot Patros then brought a shift towards the textural. Smog – Neon: Old Parts and Structures explored the interaction between “imaginary environments” and “meta-instruments” respectively, Patros’ more like an argument between three friends on staff paper and Martell’s avant-garde/industrial. The electronic elements were equally fixated on traditional and nontraditional timbres; for Martell, that distinction concerned “organic versus industrial” as strings and computer samples pushed and shoved for control
Now showing at a theater near you By Kevin Kaber Assistant Fringe Editor fringe@uwmpost.com
Lost in the desert
with whom he sparks a romantic relationship. Gadarine follows Shepard throughout Armenia, while director Braden King’s excellent cinematography documents the luscious landscapes. In the end, both Shepard and Gadarine must decide if their relationship will continue as they explore unfamiliar territories.
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March 12, 2012
Another adaptation gone awry
Andrew Stanton’s John Carter loses audiences in a massive, confusing effort
Save for a few intense action sequences and some memorable Pixar moments, John Carter will bore most viewers.
By Kevin Kaber Assistant Fringe Editor fringe@uwmpost.com Condensing a decent sized novel into a screenplay is no easy feat. Imagine recommitting the words of J.R.R Tolkien’s highly imaginative novels to films no longer than three hours long. Much of the original work is usually lost and fans typically walk away from the theater claiming that the book was better. Adaptations don’t usually live up to their original works; I dare you to think of one that does. John Carter now joins the ranks of the Harry Potter films. Pulled from the 11 short science fiction fantasy novels from Edgar Rice Burroughs dating nearly a century old, Disney’s John Carter is a lackluster appreciation of Burroughs’ famed Barsoom series. The film, directed by the wellloved Andrew Stanton, Pixar’s hit-
maker of Wall-E and Finding Nemo, follows the titular John Carter, a former Confederate officer who now mines in the expansive post-Civil War American West. Early on we learn that the frontiersman is a bit of a loner and forms many grudges while exploring a cave of gold. After a quick standoff with Apaches and a frontier town’s sheriff, Carter kills an unknown man wielding a medallion. Carter repeats the dying man’s last words while holding the medallion and is instantly transported to a strange land. What he doesn’t know is that this strange land is Mars, or what the Martian inhabitants call, Barsoom. In another quick scene, Carter realizes the planet’s different gravity and learns that he can jump great bounds. It is this new skill that wins over a race of four-armed humanoid Martians, but Carter is fast to move on the of-
fensive and becomes their prisoner. Quick exchanges like the above sequence plague the film from beginning to end. Condensing a series of 11 books is no easy task and even focusing on the series’ first book, A Princess of Mars, the film still tries its best to pull references from the other ten books, but the fragmentation of scenes in Carter is treacherous. The same goes with the film’s pacing. There are over two hours of frantic bits and pieces that would have been way better to see them in a larger picture. Intense battle sequences are short and confusing dialogues chock-full of a made-up Martian language are far too long. Only the biggest fans would be knowledgeable of the constant going-on of the story: Mars is currently in a state of decline and fractured civilizations continually do their best to maintain their standing in the desert planet. That’s a brief version of the
story, but the film tries too hard to give an extensive roundup of thousands of pages of Burroughs’ masterpiece (next to the Tarzan series, that is). Ultimately, the film will leave viewers bored, save for some memorable action sequences (nothing but animated) and some clever exchanges between characters (Stanton’s best Pixar moments find new life with comical discussions between Carter and the aliens and Carter’s new dog-like alien pet). With so much going on in Carter, it’s no wonder many viewers will be lost, especially when the acting is third-rate, the 3D effects are jaded and largely unnecessary and the series source material is a century old (and not too popular in modernity). John Carter is just another film that should be read, not watched, especially as the film fails to respect the huge integrity its original author had years ago.
SPRINGSTEEN Continued from page 10
“Spokesman for the Working Class,” a rally leader and biographer of the ordinary. But while the album draws its content from the era of Born in the U.S.A. – the title of “Death to My Hometown” even makes explicit reference to one of that album’s most powerful tracks – it’s of a profoundly more spiritual slant, and in that regard more comparable to Darkness on the Edge of Town, which featured cries of belief in a “promised land” and its attempts to “wash these sins off our hands.” “Rocky Ground” is essentially a gospel song, featuring a rap verse (a rap verse!) from artist Michelle Moore, which attempts to contextualize the Recession as an almost apocalyptic event. But whereas Darkness and Born to Run were albums that began with the promise of young, vigorous liberty and ended unilaterally with disappointment, even death, Wrecking Ball works from the other direction; here is hope in the darkness, life forged from death, the promise of renewal breathed into destitution. Fortunately, when Bruce Springsteen hits the nail on the head, he really slams it home – as with the six-minute Side C opener “Wrecking Ball,” a rollicking punk anthem that draws comparisons between the Boss and recently-demolished Giants Stadium, an arena (like Bruce) built in the mid-1970s out of steel and brawn. And the album’s absolute standout track, the Curtis Mayfield-quoting “Land of Hope and Dreams” – a song originally written in the late 1990s and played prolifically on the Rising tour in 2002 – features one of the last things Clarence Clemons ever recorded, a bone-chilling solo that recalls the glory days of the E-Street Band when Bruce Springsteen jumped highest and the Big Man stood tallest, a fitting epitaph for the latter but nowhere close to that for the former. His work, after all, isn’t done.
Know something we don’t?
FESTIVAL
Continued from page 10
(or in Patros’, “dominance”), lending themselves to multi-climactic results. Like the others, graduate composer Sebastian Ignacio Valenzuela Rojas forewent recognition until the conclusion of his piece, grains of sand, faded narrative. A partial descent into madness inspired by life’s rearview mirror, wove an unnerving web of melodic fragments together, driving home his cosmic ethos through crafty indeterminacies he described in the program as “short bursts of realization”. This is called breathing. by professor Amanda Schoofs, was perhaps the most dynamic and daring sequence
of the evening’s first half. A score painted by Schoofs onto staff paper, the composition – for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano – proved exceptionally more than the loose connection of its parts. Between cryptic passages about silence, solitude, and radiance (and the weird, weird places that those two emotions come together in musical form), breathing employed a shadowy speak-singing from the players that contrasted – often in real time – the wisps of melody coming from their instruments throughout. Had it been April Fool’s Day, the piece’s ventriloquist qualities would form a bad punchline, and the grating, metallic timbres would not flow so glowingly into their harmonic counterpoint(s). As a second-half encore, The Brightest Form of Absence, lived up to
most, if not all, of its poetic grandiosity. A massive collaboration lifted from the composer’s travels in the Mojave Desert and Death Valley in fall of 2010, Absence finds solace in the loss of ego found in that environment. A “concert version” (without video projections) was played expertly by 9 of the usual um-teen members of contemporary and Chicago-based Ensemble Dal Niente, the first half of which moved at a glacial pace but picked up quickly as soprano voice Carrie Henneman Shaw grew increasingly vivid. Propelled by a drifty sequence of multi-channel field recordings – soft winds, crickets, trainbrakes, nature – Shaw and the ensemble moved in sparse, slow-walking movements not unlike the elastic configurations of Austrian composer
Anton Webern. The three songs for voice and piano embedded into the proceedings served as the shining moment for the performers – three laptops, tuba, two violins, piano, percussion – and came with the thawing of spirit, the beautiful serenity of the desert landscapes that Thomalla strove for. Shaw was designated at least three moments of bliss (in the songs), her icy voice hovering cautiously over modal jazz chords from the backlog of pianists Cecil Taylor and McCoy Tyner. Despite its breadth and scope, a standing ovation proved unnecessary for the message and content of the piece.
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EDITORIAL The following piece represents the views of the Editorial Board of THE UWM POST. The editorial board is not affiliated with the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and these views do not represent the views of the university.
State of the Union: time to rebuild
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LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
All of us at THE UWM POST want to hear what you think and welcome your letters to the Editor. Feel free to comment about articles, opinions or anything you find in our weekly issues. Send your letters in an email to letters@uwmpost.com. In your submission indicate whether or not you wish to remain anonymous.
The current student union fails to serve the An oversimplification needs of campus in the 21st century In Response to: A look at morality The last major addition to the UWMilwaukee Union was completed in 1987, back when all of UWM’s students, faculty and staff added up to about 25,000 people. A quarter century later, in the year 2012, that number has grown to 35,000. During those 25 years, while the population continued to grow significantly, the student union remained unchanged. There’s a good chance that most students here at UWM would make the case that the current union is too small. What is sure to surprise most of us is that our union is actually the largest out of all the universities in the UW system, but the lack of natural light and the highly inefficient use of space make it feel much more crowded. For our architecture students, the current structure has a shameful 55 percent efficiency ratio. The current Union’s usefulness and functionality for the campus has run its course, and no longer can it properly serve the needs of our university and surrounding community. Some critics will make the argument that, while it’s ugly and often crowded, it gets the job done. That is simply not the case. It’s structurally outdated, and the many leaks and cracks in the building make maintaining it an inefficient use of the university’s funds. As of right now, simple but necessary maintenance and upgrades for the current building rack up to around 75 million dollars, which has already been
set aside by the university. Attempting to renovate such a poorly designed structure, as opposed to a complete teardown, would be a waste of money. In addition to its structural and operational problems, the current Union also fails in providing an adequate common gathering space on campus, where students can meet up and
As of right now, simple but necessary maintenance and upgrades for the current building rack up to around 75 million dollars, which has already been set aside by the university.
spend time in between classes. No sense of community among the students, staff and faculty is fostered. The current student Union functions less like a place for students to hang out and grab a meal, and more like an airport terminal where people are simply trying to get from point A to point B.
Many students do their best to avoid the dark and dreary building on a daily basis. There is not nearly enough seating and the poor lighting and crowded floor plan make it an undesirable location for work and study. The Union’s exterior concrete walls communicate to prospective students and professors that our campus is behind the times and not willing to make invest in improvements and upgrades, which reflects poorly on the university. There are many reasons why UWM’s current Union is inadequate, but what makes now a good time to rebuild? Firstly, in the wake of a still fragile economy, construction costs are extremely low, as contractors are desperate to be hired. Secondly, before the space becomes permanently occupied, the newly acquired Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital site could function as a temporary home for the offices that will be displaced during construction. Lastly, the rebuilding of a new Union is long overdue. UWM is far behind the other UW universities in terms of having a 21st student union, and that impedes on the school’s ability to recruit new students and remain competitive. Keeping the current union and continuing to pay for constant repairs and inefficient operational costs is shortsighted and a waste of tuition dollars.
As a Catholic I believe your article “A look at morality” is over simplified and off base. While I personally do not endorse the views of Rick Santorum or find a problem with gay marriage, I do take offense at the thought that the act of a few pedophiles somehow disqualifies the Catholic Church from its constitutional rights. The thought of forcing the contraception issue on Catholic institutions should spark as much outrage as a Muslim group forced to serve pork. The fact is that contraception would still be given to these women for free since the vast majority of counties (except for very rural areas) have clinics supported by Title X, which distribute these things to women for free. If the insurance company was forced to give out the contraception for free, the Catholic institution would still pay indirectly, because all of the premiums would be raised slightly by the insurance company to offset these costs. The Constitution allows for freedom of religion when no prohibited by law. Yet, it does not protect the entitlements that democrats are advocating for. Even if this magically ceased to exist, your argument that past transgressions should disqualify the Catholic Church from any dialogue is absurd. The Catholic Church has established more missions, distributed more money to the poor and created more schools in poor and third world countries than any other religious group in our country. While the attempts to cover it up are as deplorable as the crimes themselves, the poor and needy would be much worse off without the church. For this and many other reasons, the wishes of the church should be respected. Furthermore, to correct an error on your part in an earlier story along the same lines, Rick Santorum is not an evangelical, he is a Roman Catholic. Eric Ness
FEATURED PHOTO
Concept drawing of a new Union from Spaights Plaza.
OP-ED Try and Who’s afraid of sex ed? catch the uwmpost.com
March 12, 2012
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Conservatives oppose accuracy, reason wind By Natalia Koss Vallejo Special to the Post editorial@uwmpost.com
Think back to high school. For some of you that might not have been that long ago, for others let’s just say this may conjure memories of platform sneakers and flared Jnco jeans. Now try to remember your sex-ed class. Was it offered every semester? Was it optional? Was it taught begrudgingly by an under-qualified gym teacher who you almost pitied as you watched them mumble their way through words like “gonorrhea” and “clitoris?” For many of us who grew up here in Wisconsin, our sex education was, to put it nicely, lacking. That’s because up until very recently there were no laws concerning human growth and development
curriculum in our state. That’s right: every other aspect of our education is
“You wouldn’t want high schoolers learning that Napoleon discovered the Americas in 1992.”
monitored and tested relentlessly, yet there were no standards in place for basic health classes, until the passage of the Healthy Youth Act.
The act, simply put, requires that if a school opts to have a sex-ed class, the material covered in the class must be medically accurate and age appropriate. It must cover a range of topics including healthy relationships and STD and pregnancy prevention including both contraceptive methods and abstinence. For much of my middle school and high school career, sex education was little more than an anatomy class where we filled in the blanks on the same diagrams year after year. It wasn’t until junior or senior year that students were given in depth information about protecting themselves from disease, pregnancy and abuse. By that time many of us were already sexually active. This is unacceptable. To me, the Healthy Youth Act is
not controversial. In fact, according to the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health, comprehensive sex-ed is supported by 87 percent of Wisconsin voters. It’s a pretty straight forward attempt to make sure that what kids are getting taught in a health class is accurate. You wouldn’t want high schoolers learning that Napoleon discovered the Americas in 1992, just as you wouldn’t want them learning lies like you can’t get pregnant the first time you have sex, or that the birth control pill prevents HIV. This Tuesday, March 13 is the last day of the legislative session, and Scott Walker and other Wisconsin Republicans will be voting to end the Healthy Youth Act. If the conservatives get their way, it will be a very sad day for young adults in Wisconsin.
BDS disguises its anti-Semitic attacks The annual Israeli Apartheid Week seeks to delegitimize Israel as a free democratic state By Jared Thompson Special to the Post editorial@uwmpost.com Is Israeli apartheid real? No. This month on college campuses across the U.S., students will be gathering for the annual Israeli Apartheid Week, a yearly event condemning Israel’s “apartheid system.” BDS or Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, is a group who seeks to commend itself as liberators of Palestine, when the real goal is to delegitimize Israel. As Israel is a free democratic state in which Arabs and Jews enjoy equal rights, BDS is anti-Semitic to challenge its legitimacy when many Muslim states exist unchallenged by the world at large. If Palestinians are serious about their claims of commitment to peace, then they should start now with actions of real democracy, not terrorist tactics. The original BDS movement began in 1948 when Arab states began a pact not to buy any goods manufactured by the Jews in Palestine. For
those who have not studied the ArabIsraeli conflict, the Grand Mufti Haj Amin Husseini led this movement. The Grand Mufti was also rather close politically to Adolf Hitler during the Holocaust, meeting with Hitler in November 1941 in the hopes of persuading him to extend the Nazis’ antiJewish program to the Arab world. Not only does BDS unjustly brand Israel as an apartheid state, this group spreads lies, disinformation and propaganda in order to demonize Israel. Apartheid refers most commonly to the apartheid of South Africa by Caucasians, in which native South Africans were systematically oppressed, denied citizenship and voting rights. Today in Israel, although Jews represent the majority, Palestinian Arabs hold full citizenship, rights to vote and have been full-fledged members of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) since the first elections in 1948. The claims that Israel practices apartheid against Palestinians are false. BDS claims that their goal as a
human rights organization is to seek equality for all Palestinians and their rights under international law. Their demands reflect their desire for Israel to meet three obligations: firstly, ending its occupation and colonization returning to June 1967 borders and dismantling the wall separating the disputed territories from the rest of Israel; secondly, recognizing the rights of Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality, and finally, respecting the rights of Palestinians to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194. BDS condemns the restrictions placed on Palestinians living in the disputed territories. The se restrictions are a direct result of terrorism and attacks on Israelis both from neighboring countries and from Palestinian terror groups within the territories themselves. It should not be surprising that Israelis want to stop rocket attacks and suicide bombers, which regularly kill innocent civilians. Such attacks have led to the construction of the afore-
mentioned security fence. Unless the killings stop, how can peace be attained and the Palestinians “freed?” The demand for recognition of Arab rights has been addressed previously. Arab citizens of Israel do indeed enjoy equal rights, as do all Israeli citizens. The only difference is that Arabs are exempt from the mandatory military service requirement. The assertions made by the BDS movement have a convenient way of thinly disguising anti-Semitism. While their concern about the present and the future of the Palestinian people is both legitimate and warranted, these concerns do not justify for categorically delegitimizing and demonizing another people. Israeli Apartheid Week does nothing more than condemn Israel for its right to exist and enlist others in their cause of supporting terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. IAW simply uses apartheid to appeal to the public to endorse anger and hate.
How to handle a next door nemesis
The art of the compromise goes a long way in neighbor relations By Krislyn World Staff Writer editorial@uwmpost
Even the best neighbors can infuriate you. Maybe it’s how they leave the shared bathroom, or how they let their kids ride their bikes in front of your garage, or how they blast their TV at night to help them get to sleep. There are several ways to deal with the annoying neighbors or roommates. Some ways are effective, some are not. Among the latter is the solution many have come to rely upon: calling the authorities or an RA. Regardless if that the neighbor isn’t doing anything dangerous or illegal, calling the cops, house mother or leasing office has
become a default solution, one that is not especially productive. This only makes the situation worse. A good first step: try talking to each other. It seems today that talking to your neighbor is something that has fallen out of style. It’s an old technique that should be resurrected. For example, when my dogs pooped on my neighbor’s tulip garden, I didn’t see my dog do it because I was too busy taking a picture of a beautiful flower. My neighbor watched out of the window when my dog pooped. I went to the leasing office after walking my dogs, and the property manager was on a call with my neighbor. So she proceeds to tell me how I will be fined if I do not clean up after my dogs. I was infuriated. I keep a bag on my dog’s leash, so why
would I come to my neighbor’s yard for my dogs to poop without me cleaning up after them? I went to the yard of my neighbor to look for poop. She comes out the house to show me exactly where it was. I bent down to pick it up with my bare hands. Then I asked her, “is this all?” She was afraid to approach me, and probably thought I would be hostile and irate. But, what ignited the fire was the fact the she ratted. A neighbor of mine rode a Harley, chained smoked and cursed like a sailor. I had to pick my battles with him. I talked to him about the traveling smoke, and he agreed to find an area that didn’t bother me. We discussed his revving Harley in the garage connected to mine. He didn’t budge. I understand the pride of a Harley rider, so
I could forget that one. One of his children screamed a lot, I grew to love her and tuned it out. I came to understand this is America and you can say what you want to say how you want to say it. So, I let him be. I didn’t compromise on turning down my loud Salsa music as I pulled into my garage either. Neither did I compromise on doing jumping jacks after 10 for my p.m. work out. One of my dogs is a “yipper.” We learned to tolerate one another’s lifestyle, and talked about the things we could not tolerate. We could not control one another. Why try? The most important thing to remember is that you can always take the first step to a resolution. So, when you and a neighbor get on each others’ nerves, there is always a way to negotiate a truce.
Fixed gear biking on the rise
By David Rangel Staff Writer editorial@uwmpost.com You’ve likely seen them on campus or downtown: sleek, streamlined, minimalist machines that take the kamikaze-style riders that are on them through red lights and stop signs, weaving effortlessly in and out of traffic. This, the gearless and often brakeless fixed gear bike, or “fixie,” is becoming more of a common site in urban areas across the country. Much to the dismay of many cops, what used to be an activity limited to a certain counterculture is becoming a much more visible presence. I say, go for broke and let the fun begin! Being relatively new to fixed gear biking, I am still in awe of how it felt the first time I rode one. The seemingly weightless bike is devoid of gears and derailleurs. Like a kid’s tricycle, it has no freewheel, which makes the rider unable to coast. The pedals are in motion whenever the bike is moving, which makes for a great leg workout and a new found attention to your surroundings, particularly if you go with no brakes. Take your first ride and you’ll feel like you’re riding on the wind. It’s as if you’re rushing through the air on a cushion of nothing. The lack of gears and the control that lie within you make you feel as if you’re not on a vehicle. You’re one with the pavement as if connected. It’s a very pure feeling that I can only possibly compare to surfing. Originally, fixed gear bikes started out as track racers in velodromes. City bike messengers caught on to their minimalist appeal and easy maneuverability within congested urban streets. Fixed gear riding has caught on in the last number of years to a larger group of people who are outside the “fringe” lifestyle of hardcore cyclists. Many “few times a week” bikers, like myself, are still learning to ride defensively in gridlock conditions. We are novices that are new and inexperienced compared to people that live the fixed gear lifestyle daily and are great riders. Cars have to be more aware of the growing number of cyclists, novice or not, that are now hitting the streets. Even the best riders have been involved in serious, sometimes life-threatening accidents. Aside from the act of riding, fixed gear biking is a culture in itself. Many hardcore enthusiasts have a certain urban, almost punk rock style of dress. Lots have a laid back, “just don’t give a shit” attitude when it comes to being as crazy as they want when participating in the sport that they live for. In my experience, they have been very cool people who will go out of their way to answer questions about getting started, components to buy and places to ride. They are a close knit group that stick together, but don’t have the snobby, elitist attitude toward inexperienced outsiders. They often put on races that bring large groups of riders from all over the country to one city (including the upcoming Milwaukee Messenger Invitational). Fixed gear biking is to 2012 what skateboarding was to the ‘80s. It’s a once cultish sport with a hardcore following that is gaining momentum with the masses for better or worse, depending on your point of view. Fixed gear bikes are relatively cheap and easy to maintain. If it’s weight you’re looking to lose, this activity is one of the best. As my friend’s t-shirt says: “Burn calories, not gas. Ride a bike, peddle your ass.” Fixed gear biking is a fun and social way to do that.
COMICS
14 March 12, 2012
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Primal Urges
Andrew Megow
Mock Duck Soup
Mitchell Moeser
I Like Your Shows
Carol Brandt
She Said, He Said
Kat Rodriguez
Weird Wisco
Julianna Fink
Forecast for this Wednesday, March 14th: Party Cloudy 10% Chance of Rain High: 72 degreest Low: 57 degrees
FUCK YEAH!
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POST-ING UP THE RULES
March 12, 2012
15
TO ENTER
First round: 1 point Second Round: 2 Points Sweet Sixteen: 3 points Elite Eight: 5 points Final Four: 15 points Nat. Champion Winner: 10 points
Drop your completed bracket in the official “UWM Post March Madness Competition Drop-box” drop-boxes. They are located in the Union by the Burger King and outside the UWM Post office located on the ground floor of the Union (down the hall from the UW Credit Union ATM’s). OR Scan it and email it to post@uwmpost.com. For more details visit uwmpost.com.
The top three scores will win prizes which include Milwaukee Bucks tickets and UWM Post t-shirts.
The deadline to turn in brackets is Tuesday, March 13, 5:30 p.m.
Contestant Name: ____________________
Email Address: _________________________
Phone Number: ____________________
(1) Kentucky (16) MVS/WKU (8) Iowa State (9) UConn (5) Wichita State (12) VCU (4) Indiana
(1) Syracuse
NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET 2012
(13) New Mexico State
(16) UNC-Asheville
(8) Kansas State (9) Southern Miss (5) Vanderbilt (12) Harvard (4) Wisconsin (13) Montana
(6) UNLV
(6) Cincinnati
(11) Colorado
(11) Texas
(3) Baylor
(3) Florida State
(14) South Dakota St.
(14) St. Bonaventure
(7) Notre Dame
(7) Gonzaga (10) West Virginia
(10) Xavier
(2) Ohio State
(2) Duke
(15) Loyola (MD)
(15) Lehigh
(1) Michigan St. (16) LIU Brooklyn
CHAMPIONS
(1) N. Carolina (16) Lamar/Vermont
(8) Memphis
(8) Creighton
(9) Saint Louis
(9) Alabama
(5) New Mexico
(5) Temple
(12) Long Beach St.
(12) California/ S. Florida
(4) Louisville
(4) Michigan
(13) Davidson (6) Murray State
(6) San Diego State
(13) Ohio
(11) Colorado State
(11) NC State
(3) Marquette
(3) Georgetown
(14) BYU/Iona
(14) Belmont
(7) Florida
(7) Saint Mary’s
(10) Virginia
(10) Purdue
(2) Missouri
(2) Kansas
(15) Norfolk State
(15) Detroit
SUDOKU Know something we don’t?
INSTRUCTIONS: Fill in the squares so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 exactly once.
Send tips to news@uwmpost.com
solution found on page 4
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March 12, 2012
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