NEWS
ASM joins Mifflin dialogue, requests April 30 date
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by Jane Howard
Thursday, April 7, 2005
Associated Students of Madison is set to meet with Mayor Dave Cieslewicz Thursday afternoon to discuss a Mifflin Street Block Party date change.
Debate over Mifflin’s date, currently planned by many city officials for May 7, has evoked a response from the student body, as it lies on the University of Wisconsin’s official finals study day.
In response, ASM members hope a meeting with the mayor’s office will change the date to April 30 and subdue student concerns that the Mifflin tradition may affect studies.
“We are advocating partly because it’s a tradition whether or not it’s before finals,” ASM Chair Emily McWilliams said. “Basically we are just trying to make it so [Mifflin] will not infringe on people’s studies.”
McWilliams said the mayor has been open to working with students before, such as on Halloween planning.
“These events have set a positive precedent for the mayor to work with [the student body],” McWilliams said. “[The mayor’s office] called us in for this meeting.”
Some students, such as freshman ASM representative Andrew Gordon, hope for a date change. Gordon said although students could not blame the mayor’s office if the date is not changed, he felt students should not be penalized if the mayor’s office does not check its dates.
“Mifflin is one of those traditions you hear about before you even set foot on campus,” Gordon said. “We should not be tied to a corner to harm our academics because the mayor’s office planned incorrectly.”
Others, such as UW senior Shane Shafer, say they do not care about a date change.
Shafer said he was not concerned because he did not plan to attend. However, he said he could see how Mifflin could be a “touchy subject.”
McWilliams said she thought it was odd that the mayor’s office planned Mifflin for the weekend before finals.
“I think it is an attempt to quell the chaos of Mifflin Street,” McWilliams said in a meeting with ASM Wednesday afternoon.
ASM is exploring the possibility of sponsoring an alternative party the weekend of April 30. No set plans have yet been discussed.
Shafer said he saw no problems with an alternative party.
“The only concern would be the size,” Shafer said. “As long as people act responsibly, there should be no worries.”
The Madison Police Department has said a date change would pose problems because a large number of officers have already been contracted and money has already been allocated for the May 7 date.
