Opinion

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Editorial Cartoon: Feb. 18, 2010

Student success depends on campus climate

When coming to UW-Madison, freshmen and transfer students look for new freedoms, new friends, networking and new opportunities. Unfortunately, many students are not prepared for the huge climate adjustment. And the reality hits much harder than the brutal Wisconsin winters. Minority students, including but not limited to people of color and international students, walk into a sea of white in more ways than one. Even majority students who come from very diverse cities are unprepared for Madison's campus climate. ""Campus climate"" carries various connotations on the UW-Madison campus, because the atmosphere is perceived differently between majority and minority groups.

Brothers Bar correct, within limits

We here at The Daily Cardinal are not big fans of eminent domain. On a case by case basis, some exceptions may seem reasonable for the public good. But the idea of the government seizing private property against citizens' will is quite frightening, particularly if the private citizens feel taken advantage of.

Claims against Shorewood Hills unfounded

[In response to Kathy Dittrich's Feb. 15 article ""Hypocrisy shines in Shorewood Hills]

Rediscovering community

When I first moved to Madison four years ago, all the upperclassmen I knew would consistently tell me that State Street just wasn't what it used to be when they were freshmen. The UW alums I've met all say the same thing. State Street just isn't the same.

Editorial Board Dissent: Help exists now

There are admittedly many problems facing student tenants in Madison, ranging from dirty apartments with barely functioning refrigerators, to poor responses to maintenance calls, to the ubiquitous wrongful withholding of deposits for unsubstantiated reasons.

Tea Party in the USA

Due to the protests, the growing number of people involved, and the controversial convention last week, the so-called Tea Party movement is getting more and more difficult to ignore. But who are these people and what do they really stand for? In a late January survey, 40 percent of respondents said that they either had not heard of the movement or did not know enough about it to form an opinion. Granted, this poll was conducted before the recent National Tea Party Convention, but that event did not really provide any more definitive information about this group than was already available.

Students need rental help

Now that this year's rental rush is, for the most part, over, it's important to begin reflecting on your current living situation. Things probably aren't as rosy as you thought they would be when you decided to sign the lease on your apartment or house.

Conservative ideas amount to nothing

 After reading Mr. Payne's editorial, I couldn't help but laugh, in disgust.

Every which way but Wyndham

Last week the Dane County Board of Supervisors took up its old habit of sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. When voting to endorse the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in 2007, the Dane County Board showed they couldn't care less about wasting time on issues in which they have absolutely no role. Now they have decided to pry into UW-Madison primate research. Twenty supervisors, including the board's District 5 student representative Wyndham Manning, are questioning the ability of the university's All Campus Animal Care and Use Committee to objectively supervise the university's research efforts.

Hypocrisy shines in Shorewood Hills

For a couple of months controversy has been stirring over a proposed housing development just west of campus in the Village of Shorewood Hills. Shorewood Hills is a community of approximately 630 mostly single-family homes that border the west shore of Lake Mendota. It's no secret in Madison that Shorewood Hills is full of wealthy liberals, whose homes lie on perfectly manicured lawns along streets named after Ivy League institutions.

Metro Transit should prioritize riders over increasingly wealthy drivers

Last week, Metro bus driver John Nelson became a household name in Madison for his 2009 paycheck of $159,258. It's twice the median income of a Madison household plus a nice used car. While arguments over whether Nelson deserves all this are pointless, the number does dig up some deep issues in the Metro Transit System.

Getting practical with science education

As we wrap up our week of op-eds dedicated to science education in America, it feels like we should have some grandiose assessment to make about the state of science. Some sort of condemnation or proclamation should be issued, something that tells us exactly where we are and where we should go in the future.

Get the initiative out in the open

The Madison Initiative for Undergraduates' Oversight Committee held its final meeting last week, deliberating which 114 proposals to suggest Chancellor Biddy Martin fund. On its face, the meeting's intelligent discussion and probing analyses would have satisfied the standards expected of a group proposing to spend $6.2 million in our tuition. Unfortunately, it happened to be preceded by at least four other closed-door sessions that have shrouded the entire process in secrecy and suspicion. UW officials eventually announced they were opening the Committee's final meeting after intense pressures, but instead of admitting wrongdoing, they agreed to open the meetings ""in the spirit of transparency and openness."" How thoughtful.

Focus on energy education

Earlier this week, fellow Daily Cardinal opinion writer Anthony Cefali posed a question: ""How do we inspire our science program to shoot for the moon, or at least our own modern equivalent?"" Well, we think we have an answer.

Race to the Top sends students to the bottom

President Barack Obama has plenty of controversial work before him. He is attempting to finish two expensive wars, pass health insurance reform and end ""don't ask, don't tell."" In a country with a devastatingly powerful moderate majority, Obama must pick and choose his political battles, pushing for some liberal issues and coasting through with other moderate proposals.

What education needs is more Bill Nye

As we take a week to reflect on science education in America, I'd like to take a look back at my fondest memories of my personal science education.

Darwin's legacy independent of beliefs

With all the discussion of Charles Darwin's bicentennial over the last year, we kept hearing about the conflict between evolution and religion. It sometimes seems that the entire question of whether religion is reasonable turns on whether evolution happened, and the entire question of whether to accept that evolution happened depends on whether one wants to reject the existence of God. In these polarized discussions, it is worth asking why, if he believed evolution happened, wasn't Darwin an atheist?

World needs inspiration and imagination for innovation

Late last week, scientists at CERN announced they would be turning the Large Hadron Collider back on. The world's largest physics experiment broke down shortly after its first test runs in 2008 and has only been tested once since then. Unfortunately, the LHC will operate at half power for the next two years before being turned off yet again for another year's worth of repairs.

Government and society can't ignore homelessness

The Bohemian life, la vie Boheme, of ""Rent's"" star-studded cast illuminated the stage for four days at Madison's Overture Center two weeks ago, and I was among the lucky ones to be touched by not only the amazing musical talents of the performers, but by the enduring message. ""Rent"" was created to mirror humanity in its purest form, depicting extreme poverty, disease and heartache. It was a successful Broadway tour because it touches people emotionally, connecting people in ""an isolating age."" Walking back down State Street after the show in the frigid winter air, cold despite my warm clothes, my attention was drawn to the homeless not on stage, but on the street. They did not belt out the chords of ""Life Support,"" but their plight struck me in a way it had not before. I did not see these people as annoying panhandlers or creepy old men. Like the song ""La Vie Boheme,"" I saw these people as ""an us, instead of a them.""