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A Madison student neighborhood announced its gradual transition into an independent association to Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc. Tuesday.
Representatives from the State-Langdon neighborhood and CNI�s executive committee agreed to form a smaller ad hoc committee to help the heavily student-populated State-Langdon area move the transition process along. The time period for the transition has not been determined.
Jessica Pavlic, student chair of the State-Langdon neighborhood, said she feels that keeping a close connection with CNI is necessary, but attracting more student involvement with the neighborhood association � which Pavlic said was the overall goal � would be easier if the State-Langdon area was independent of CNI.
Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, spoke to the committee and around 20 student representatives as a liaison between the State-Langdon neighborhood and CNI. According to Judge, several dozen students in the State-Langdon neighborhood have expressed their anger with CNI�s recent alcohol crackdown strategies as the reason they feel detached from the association.
�That this alcohol issue has been brought forward has kind of tainted the students� idea of CNI, so trying to get to more students involved in the State-Langdon district might be harder if we are associated with CNI still,� said Mikaela Liushu Louie, a University of Wisconsin student on the CNI executive committee.
Judge and Pavlic proposed the creation of a neighborhood organization that would include neighborhoods across the entire campus to bridge the divide Pavlic said she sees between State-Langdon and the rest of UW�s campus.
Basset District Chair Peter Ostlind said CNI has been trying to encourage student involvement over the years and has made progress in the past year. He said it was a misnomer that increasing beer tax, doubling citations for underage drinking and other alcohol-related proposals were CNI�s policies.
�We did not adopt that, whatever you want to call it � the said options � that were put up, and in fact we�ve had one very long debate and another one here at the executive council on those issues, and a fair number of us were not comfortable or supportive of many of the items that were in that list,� Ostlind said.
Pavlic proposed looking to student organizations like College Democrats, College Republicans and Associated Students of Madison for direction on how to establish a neighborhood organization with longevity. She said ASM would be a great place for a student organization to fit.
Pavlic is the first undergraduate student to sit on the CNI executive committee in years, according to City Council President Mike Verveer, District 4.
�It would really be a tremendous loss to us as an organization if the student voice leaves,� Verveer said. �I do not in any way, shape or form blame (Jessica) or Eli or anybody else for thinking [the State-Langdon] association would be better (independent) in the long run. I do think that we should work on some sort of transition.�
CNI Vice President Bob Holloway closed the discussion with assuring the room that CNI wants to make Madison a �rich place for all of us to live, work and play.�
�We can do this together if we reach out with an open hand as opposed to a pointed finger,� he said.
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I love the facade put on everybody’s comment to the paper - what a JOKE
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END THE CNI HEGEMONY!
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nice article, Cara the copious note-taker next to me at the meeting!