The Badger Baloney is obviously fake news'merely a satirical commentary on life in Madison. Except in the case of public figures, the people are not real.
In a tersely worded letter to the Student Labor Action Committee, UW-Madison officials denied last week's accusations of spying as 'ridiculous' and wrote they had 'absolutely no interest' in the organization or its meetings.
'Contrary to SLAC's belief, the University has no desire to learn the comings and goings of their hippie club,' wrote Chancellor John Wiley. 'We have far more important things to attend to at Madison then such matters as to who is bringing chips and salsa to the next meeting.'
Last week, SLAC members accused the Chancellor's Office of 'espionage' and 'electronic harvesting' after it was discovered that administration officials had acquired several of the group's e-mails without their knowledge.
Sources within SLAC said UW officials may have intercepted the e-mails in response to the embarrassment the University suffered by capitulating to a bunch of tie-dyed, Birkenstock-wearing, dreadheads during the Facebook/sweatshop controversy a few months ago. After sustained protest from SLAC, Chancellor Wiley agreed to new labor rules for university licensed apparel.
University officials have said they did not obtain SLAC's e-mails through any unethical or illegal means, but that someone on the listserv had forwarded SLAC's meeting minutes to them.
'Under no circumstances would we ever resort to such methods to undermine our students,' the UW letter continued. 'Granted, we are smarting a bit after SLAC rubbed our faces in that sweatshop business a few months ago, but we're all grownups here ... losers.'
Some members of SLAC argued this situation reeks of similar problems in the nation's Capitol.
'Does the administration's e-mail snooping indicate they've also sent spies to our meetings to report on our doings? Are the rooms bugged'? SLAC member Joel Feingold said in a release. 'The culture of espionage emanating from the White House appears to have reached John Wiley.'
In its response to the student organization the University had equally harsh words for Feingold.
'We do not know what kind of fantasy world Joel Feingold is living in where he is playing 'policeman' looking for illegal espionage from the powers-that-be. This isn't some Tom Clancy novel. Get real.'
Despite UW official's assurances that they were not spying on any student organization, skepticism remained amongst many SLAC members.
'Time and time again we've heard that the UW has no interest in disrupting the functions of its student orgs,' said SLAC member Lonnie Deutsch. 'But tell that to the 'Madison Greenpeace Coalition' or 'UW Students for a Peaceful Tomorrow''.
Deutsch was referring to two groups now infamous for their removal from campus during the 1994 administration free speech crackdown. Unidentified individuals allegedly working on behalf of then-Chancellor David Ward firebombed both student groups' offices. In the aftermath, both groups quickly ended their protests of university policies on the minimum wage and left campus.
'We've got no interest in looking over the shoulder of our student clubs,' Wiley wrote. 'Those dark days of Madison are over. Promise. If you're worried about left-leaning groups being spied on, I'd check with the FBI. I hear they are doing that sort of thing again.'
