Opinion - The Daily Cardinal

OPINION

Student vote on ALRC deserved

By Letter to the Editor | Nov. 2, 2009

I will appoint a UW student to the Alcohol License Review Committee. Ald. Bryon Eagon, The Daily Cardinal and Badger Herald have made convincing cases for the benefits of having a student as a voting member of the ALRC. Students have a unique perspective on these issues and their voices should be heard. Moreover, when UW students show an interest in civic issues, that interest should be encouraged. My hope is that student interest in alcohol policy issues might be the opening for increased student interest in other important civic issues like transportation, economic development, education, lake water quality and downtown redevelopment.

OPINION

Even after victory, high turnout needed

By Dan Sullivan and The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Nov. 2, 2009

Remember that issue of the Alcohol License Review Committee student voting member? That thing The Daily Cardinal has been harping on for over a week now?

OPINION

Students needed at Council meeting

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Nov. 1, 2009

For the past week, The Daily Cardinal has called upon students to contact city alders and express their support for District 8 Ald. Bryon Eagon's proposal to add a student voting member to the Alcohol License Review Committee. Spurred by the ALRC's unanimous rejection of the proposal, we have lauded Eagon's idea, printed contact information for the Common Council and called for a boycott of the Nitty Gritty, the bar owned by Marsh Shapiro, one of the most vehement and dismissive opponents of the student voting member. We feel all of these actions have been important to improve the chances the full Common Council will approve the proposal.

OPINION

Doyle's youth insurance request a healthy step

By Qi Gu | Nov. 1, 2009

Last Thursday, Gov. Jim Doyle sent out an executive order clarifying an existing statute on health insurance to young adults. This would allow citizens in their 20's to be covered under their parents' health-care plan starting January 1 next year. Any Wisconsin resident would be eligible if you are between 17 and 27 years of age, unmarried, and either not eligible for health coverage through your employer or your premium contribution is more than the amount your parents would pay to add you to their plan. Currently, only childless full-time students can stay in their parents plan till the age of 25. But with the passage of this new policy, potentially 100,000 young adults in Wisconsin could benefit.

OPINION

The thin line between classy and ""too soon

By Jamie Stark | Oct. 29, 2009

When is a costume ""too soon?"" We've all joked, cried and projectile vomited about the crucial question. But, as with the war in Iraq, there can be no standardized timetable to redeploy costumes from distasteful to hilarious.

OPINION

ALRC seat about more than alcohol policy

By Holly Noe and The Daily Cardinal Editorial | Oct. 29, 2009

When we declared a boycott of the Nitty Gritty bar for owner Marsh Shapiro's comments about a student voting seat on the Alcohol License Review Committee, we were not just asking students to seriously consider where they spend their money. We were also pointing out to city officials and businesses that students have a clear impact on neighborhoods across the Madison community.

OPINION

In-state tuition pivotal to immigrants

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Oct. 27, 2009

When Gov. Jim Doyle signed the 2009-'11 state budget, he also approved a provision, under certain conditions, allowing students who are undocumented immigrants, or the children of undocumented immigrants, to receive in-state tuition rates at UW System schools.

OPINION

Embrace Target at Hilldale

By Todd Stevens | Oct. 27, 2009

With this proven history of working to fit into communities, there is little reason to fret about the coming approach of Target. Instead we should embrace the opportunity this presents, including the jobs it will bring. Target at Hilldale is an opportunity, not some monster that we need to chase out of town with torches and pitchforks.

OPINION

Tips for renting next year

By Brittany Jones and Letter to the Editor | Oct. 26, 2009

Thank you for your recent editorial ‘Tenant Rights All About Education'. It's never been more important, on even more levels than those you mention.

OPINION

Think about meaning of pledge before reciting

By Andrew Carpenter | Oct. 26, 2009

Besides those of us who will go on to be teachers, no one really thinks about the pledge of allegiance. But if we really examine the pledge, its wording, how it is used and what it means, we find an issue we should be thinking about in great detail. Anyone who said those words, be it one time or every day throughout their schooling, pledged to support a nation ""under God."" For a campus that values diversity of opinion and freedom of choice, this is a startling realization. We all gave our allegiance to the idea that our country is guided by the hand of God with his principles influencing the way we run our state.

OPINION

Contact alders about ALRC student vote

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board and Leah Leonidas | Oct. 25, 2009

With last week's rejection by the Alcohol License Review Committee of District 8 Ald. Bryon Eagon's proposal to add a student vote to the committee, the issue now moves to the full Common Council. In the time between now and the upcoming vote, we urge students to get involved in the issue and express their opinions concerning student involvement in city policy.

OPINION

Diversity efforts not up to snuff

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Oct. 25, 2009

Over a decade ago Plan 2008 was implemented to place an emphasis on increasing diversity at UW-Madison. The plan targeted American Indian, black, Hispanic and Southeast Asian-American students at an early age to give them structure and motivation, primarily through PEOPLE (Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence). However, the plan's sentiments were undercut a few years later when the university was embarrassed by the cover of an undergraduate magazine that had a black student pasted in to create the appearance of diversity. The university found out quickly that Photoshop is not a proper substitute for actual minorities on campus.

OPINION

Grad school reform poorly presented but worthwhile

By Qi Gu | Oct. 25, 2009

Grad-school reform has recently become the talk of Madison. Front-page stories and town-hall series have thrust provost Paul DeLuca's proposal into the public eye. Currently Martin Cadwallader, dean of the grad school, is in charge of both graduate education and university research. DeLuca's plan would add a vice chancellor to take up the research part. While this appears to be a feasible idea, the provost failed to justify it to the entire UW-Madison community. DeLuca has offered a novel solution for UW-Madison. He just needs to be more honest about the ""why"" and ""how"" by dropping official rhetoric. Basically, all his plan wants to say is this: Cadwallader is overwhelmed by too much work. For UW's sake, he needs some help.

OPINION

Student needed on ALRC

By Todd Stevens | Oct. 23, 2009

As should be plainly obvious to anybody glancing at today's opinion page, this past Tuesday Madison's Alcohol License Review Committee rejected a proposal by District 8 Ald. Bryon Eagon to create a permanent student position on the ALRC. The proposal had previously been approved by the Common Council Organizational Committee, a body akin to the Committee on Rules in the state Legislature.

OPINION

Boycott Nitty Gritty

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board and Nikki Stout | Oct. 23, 2009

The Daily Cardinal and The Badger Herald often offer strongly opposing viewpoints on campus or city issues. But after Wednesday's meeting of the city's Alcohol License Review Committee, the main organization in Madison that decides alcohol policies citywide, we have agreed with the Herald's editorial board that a combined call to action is needed.

OPINION

Letter to the Editor: Students no more worthy of ALRC than other groups

By Matt Payne and Marsh Shapiro | Oct. 23, 2009

My name is Marsh Shapiro. I have owned and operated the Nitty Gritty restaurant and bar at the corner of Frances and Johnson for 41 years. I am a Madison native and U.W. grad.

OPINION

Irresponsible spending mires beer tax proposal

By Emily Monske | Oct. 21, 2009

""We... want... more... BEER!"" This infamous chant heard at every Badger football game sums up Wisconsin weekends pretty well. But are already cash-strapped college students going to want to chant for more foamy beverages if the price for our gameday ""water"" is significantly higher than the current rates?

OPINION

Tenants' rights all about education

By The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board | Oct. 21, 2009

Last year, The Daily Cardinal Editorial Board wrote that it is best for tenants to know their rights when renting so landlords do not continue to rent properties without oversight. As we said, ""The onus is on the landlords to heed the concerns of students who are paying sizable amounts of money for a safe place to live."" Every year, rental companies in Madison get thousands of new tenants, many of whom have never seen a lease before, and landlords frequently take advantage of this.

OPINION

Letter to the Editor: Humanities urge empathy

By Maxwell Love | Oct. 21, 2009

The beauty of a humanities education lies in how many times you're forced to think about current events based on something you've been taught.

OPINION

Tough job ahead for ASM

By Jamie Stark | Oct. 21, 2009

Undoubtedly you voted in the ASM elections sometime in the last three days, right? No?! I nearly forgot myself. Had I not coincidentally used MyUW, I would not have noticed the small ""Vote now"" box encouraging students to vote for their own student government. At least they ran glorious full-page ads in The Daily Cardinal featuring ""Uncle ASM."" Good thing I was approached by text, not human beings lobbying students to exercise their civic duty.