Opinion

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Get involved by joining student orgs

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a place of opportunity, first and foremost. There are sports, clubs, classes, people and tons of night life to explore as the semester begins and students and teachers alike flock to the buzzing city of Madison. Whether a freshman, transfer or returning student, everyone can be overwhelmed by the choices they must make when a new school year starts. The best advice for this situation: just dive in.

Walker wins with out-of-state funding

I’m sure many of you know by now that Scott Walker survived the recall election. However, even though Tom Barrett lost the election, I don’t think Walker won anything to be proud of.

UW-Madison students study just as hard as they party

Fairly recently The Washington Post, in response to a previous story that noted the general decline in collegiate student study efforts, published another story that featured the universities in which college students study the most. Perhaps to the surprise of outsiders, but certainly to no surprise to its attendees, UW-Madison made it to the top of the list.

United States must intervene in Syria

It’s been over half a year since I wrote my first letter condemning the international community’s abandonment of the freedom-seeking Syrian opposition. This article comes over a week after I first saw the pictures of nearly 50 executed children, all at the age of 10 or younger. It’s been over 15 months now and over 13,000 people are dead; all the UN can do is send an embarrassing amount of peacekeepers, to pretend as if they are doing something, as if the Arab League had not already done nothing.

Incoming editor in chief embraces past, outlines plans for future

Editor in chief leaves tiger suit for the real world

Things to keep talking about

Things to stop talking about

No silver bullet to education reform

The Wisconsin State Journal’s Editorial Board pointed out some “good news” in Dane County public schools. This news was not an increase in the graduation rate or any other academic achievement.

Finals are stressful, seek out dogs to make it through

With finals week fast approaching, many UW-Madison students will experience stress associated with the pressure to perform well on exams, an unfortunate reality considering the fact that everyone is extremely burnt out from school around this time.

Tom Barrett right man for the job

Unions put an unnecessary strain on the state budget

Clean energy should receive public funding to continue benefitting society

A new report from the Brookings Institute shows public funding for clean energy has—and will continue to—plummet from a high point in 2009. Clean energy has made strides in the past few years by adding jobs in a recession and making clean technology more efficient and affordable. But a national emphasis on budget austerity will contribute to a falling rate of subsidies for clean-energy companies. The federal government needs to learn from Solyndra’s bankruptcy, which left the government on the hook for $535 million, instead of walking away from clean energy as a whole.

UW needs to pay commencement speakers

Government must prioritize education

Education is a hot topic this year, and for good reason. With new legislation and budget cuts, Wisconsin’s public schools are seeing a slew of teacher layoffs, and public colleges are facing big changes regarding loans and debt. All this legislation is making me question what priorities the state and nation hold.

‘Cinco de Mifflin’ criticism does not address real racism in America

Having read the recent letter sent by Badgers Against Racism to The Daily Cardinal, I feel it is necessary to stand against unfounded and inappropriate accusations of racism. Furthermore, by calling the term “Cinco de Mifflin” racist, Badgers Against Racism is implying the students who thought of the phrase are racists themselves. To me, this is extremely inappropriate and unfair.

Letter: Cinco de Mifflin is offensive to racial minorities

Student input important for budget debate

Last week, UW Transportation Services announced a 10 percent cut in transportation services on the UW campus due to a budget deficit.

SB 1070 tarnishes American ideals

Arizona's SB 1070, being pushed by the state's Republican governor Jan Brewer, has been challenged by the Federal government, and is now being debated in the United States Supreme Court. The anti-immigration bill essentially allows state law enforcement to assume the role of federal immigration officials, and detain people whom they merely suspect of being present in the country illegally. Racial profiling of population based on the color of their skin is yet another power granted to the state's police, all in order to make life in Arizona unbearable for people of various ethnic groups as a way to deter illegal immigration. Even before one raises the argument of unconstitutional powers assumed by the state by taking on a role reserved to federal officials, one must consider the vile nature of the bill and the vicious hatred it spews against immigrants. Passage of this bill is bound to usher in an Orwellian atmosphere in Arizona for immigrants and their descendents who were born of a different skin color. Every aspect of their public life will be subject to constant harassment by the state law enforcement, essentially robbing them of a sense of security and of belonging.

Let the free market drive green energy