Daily is irrelevant, and print is on its way out. These are quickly becoming the maxims evoked to scare any freshman thinking about pursuing journalism back to the job security of the business school’s hallowed halls. But instead of clinging to our daily print edition and our conceptions of what… Read more »

Let’s rewind about a month and a half. As hard as it may be to believe, it actually looked like relations between the University of Wisconsin and the state government were on the mend. Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank had just been chosen as UW’s next chancellor — a… Read more »

Given that I recently wrote a column on the benefits of pushing languages in general, I was delighted to see a column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this weekend about a linguistics class taught at the Milwaukee School of Languages. It’s not often one hears of linguistics being taught in… Read more »

Frustrated by the efforts of Dane County judges to delay the implementation of state legislation, a number of Republican lawmakers, led by Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, and Rep. David Craig, R-Big Bend, have introduced a bill that would limit the authority of circuit judges. Currently, an injunction placed on… Read more »

This Saturday, throw your fucking house party. The Mifflin Street Block Party — or what’s left of it — is upon us, and we all know the Madison Police Department and the city of Madison have made a concerted effort to end the event that is without precedent. This weekend,… Read more »

On Monday, as a dozen protesters staged a sit-in at Interim Chancellor David Ward’s office, the dispute over labor violations by Palermo’s Pizza was thrust into the campus spotlight. While the event failed to achieve its only stated objective of forcing Ward to cut the contract with the Milwaukee-based pizza… Read more »

After four years at the University of Wisconsin and 18 years before that as a child of two American parents, I’ve heard the word “privilege” with a steady degree of regularity. Its use starts as a warning like, “Having your toy is a privilege, not a right,” and in an… Read more »

As the outrage about the cancellation of the Mifflin Street Block Party escalates, there may be some value in considering where Mifflin began and where it is now. Everyone knows that the event began as a late 1960s protest of the Vietnam War. Students at the time were so passionate… Read more »

For the last several days, Republican lawmakers have lambasted University of Wisconsin System administrators after the Legislative Fiscal Bureau published a report showing the system is in possession of $648 million in cash reserves. Legislators have called for a freeze on tuition and a revision of UW System funding in… Read more »

The massacres at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University rocked the world of higher education. It seemed like reform was imminent — after all, how could we not take action at a national level to prevent future tragedies? Unfortunately, we know how those reform efforts turned out. It has been… Read more »

When at a financial impasse, one is often forced to make tough decisions and, in the process, reaffirm or reallocate one’s values. The Cap Times recently reported that when faced with budget cuts, Sherman Middle School decided the best path is one sans French 1, concluding that it is relatively too blasé to… Read more »

Winner of the week: the gun lobby. If the past few months have taught us anything, it must be that the gun lobby, particularly the National Rifle Association, wields a disproportional influence in Washington, D.C. Even though most polls show Americans overwhelmingly support more stringent background checks and increased regulation… Read more »

Runners often say that running is its own reward. After a long day of thinking, reading or arguing with peers, it’s refreshing to lace up your shoes and march to your own drummer. Your body, your music, your pace. Running releases daily stress, gives you a sense of control and… Read more »

Hospitals are never an easy place to be, and the quality of care you receive as a patient can be depend strongly on the quality of advocates you have by your side. The frustration visitors experience can certainly be magnified when trips to the hospital fall over the weekend or… Read more »

So the city and the university have finally drawn the line in the sand — according to a letter from the Madison Police Department, “There will be no Mifflin Street Block Party.” They are also cancelling having an unsanctioned good time anywhere that weekend. Good. I’m sick of the half-assed attacks… Read more »

Last Thursday, the Madison Police Department began a public information campaign that was doomed from the start. The campaign began with a letter to Mifflin Street residents, which, in its first paragraph, stated in bold letters, “There will be no Mifflin Street Block Party on or around Saturday, May 4th… Read more »

“Drop out of college.” Some people need to be told this. Others already realize this on their own – but, of course, they never follow through. They would rather complain. In light of recent articles on educational expectations and some brutal comments from educators on those pieces, the following needs… Read more »

Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, recently put out a press release calling on the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents to “reject Rebecca Blank and her radical policies.” Before we get into the details of Grothman’s attack on Blank, we want to be absolutely clear: Grothman is a troll. His highlight… Read more »

There very well may be University of Wisconsin students with perfect attendance records. After all, in a population of more than 40,000 students there ought to be some statistical outliers who show up five minutes early to every class, week in week out, for four straight years – an attendance… Read more »

Last week, the organizers of Revelry, the May 4 music and arts festival, announced the event’s musical lineup. The event, which will take place on the same day as the Mifflin Street Block Party, has drawn skepticism from the student body. After all, regardless of what Revelry’s organizers might claim,… Read more »

The announcement of Revelry’s lineup Thursday was greeted with mixed reactions. The most notable omission from the lineup was a big-name headliner with broad appeal. However, digging a little deeper, there is an all-around solid group of musical acts performing. Even if not everyone is excited about Revelry, it’s succeeded… Read more »

Welcome back to Madison, ladies and gentleman, the city where politics never sleeps. Hopefully you spent your spring break preparing for another round of politics, because the city held a slew of local elections on Tuesday to celebrate your return. Which elections you ask? Well, a lot of them actually.… Read more »

Late last year, this newspaper announced it would cease publication on Fridays with the goal of giving reporters and editors an opportunity to experiment with online publication models. As the year comes to a close, I am pleased to announce that The Badger Herald will continue this march into… Read more »

City Council District 2 The District 2 aldermanic race has proven to be one of the most competitive in this spring’s city elections. This can be attributed to the fact that both candidates, Ledell Zellers and Bryan Post, are highly qualified and would undoubtedly represent the district effectively. Zellers currently works… Read more »

Just a little more than 50 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the landmark case of Gideon v. Wainwright. In this case, the Supreme Court brought to fruition the Sixth Amendment’s guarantee of a criminal defendant’s right to counsel in state court, even if the defendant has limited financial… Read more »

This column is going to ask you to take a risk and make yourself uncomfortable. This might not work. You may dislike what I have to say about our society. You may even hate how personal this will be. This column starts with a serious statement: Everyone is lonely. Since when… Read more »

Last week’s elections for the Associated Students of Madison once again boasted impressively poor turnout — roughly 15 percent, all told. With such woefully low turnout, ASM is dangerously close to being an illegitimate government. Luckily for them, however, no one actually cares enough to make a fuss about the… Read more »

Despite all evidence to the contrary, the University of Wisconsin’s next chancellor will not enter Bascom Hall this July with a blank slate. Acting U.S. Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank, the economist on her way to becoming UW’s next chancellor, will inherit a complex political situation that this board dubbed… Read more »

A few weeks ago, the University of Wisconsin unveiled plans to offer four Massive Open Online Courses in the coming academic year. Including classes on video games and learning, global higher education, human evolution and market frictions, the courses will be delivered through a platform managed by the online learning… Read more »

I’m going to be bold here and ask a question: “Does anyone pay attention in lectures?” Of course some students do, but the majority are busy with other things: Facebook, emails, applying to internships (I hope you see the irony of this), reading, texting and now - what is most trendy… Read more »

Throughout the past several days, I have watched my Facebook newsfeed explode with whiney posts asking members of the University of Wisconsin community to sign an ever-changing petition to “preserve” Langdon Street. Langdon residents of all sorts have signed this petition, which requests that the city approve the Langdon area… Read more »

I have a confession: I have a huge sweet tooth and can’t resist a bubbly beverage (I’m referring to soda, of course). But neither can America, and what’s the cost? With more than 65 percent of adult Americans overweight and 5,000 dying every day as a result of obesity, it’s… Read more »

Two stories have so far defined this semester at the University of Wisconsin: an important search for the institution’s new leader and a much less important debate over someone who believes he holds control over the entire UW community. But the university’s search for a new chancellor, possibly the most… Read more »

If you’ve tuned in to campus news any time over the past 10 years, you’ve probably heard of the General Student Services Fund, our student government’s poorly structured funding opportunity for student organizations. Every year, some service organizations are awarded upwards of $100,000 apiece, while others central to our community… Read more »

Downtown Madison’s restaurant scene is uncommonly vibrant — State Street is home to Thai, Afghani, East African, Italian, Japanese, Nepali and Mexican cuisines, to name a few.  The high quality and notable diversity of downtown dining can be attributed to the fierce competition that results from the sheer number of… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison is using student segregated fees to reimburse several students for the cost of attending the Conservative Political Action Conference this month, the latest bad idea in a long tradition of bad ideas for using segregated fees. The students attending the event will be from different… Read more »

Bob Woodward was having a fairly good month up until now. After having been relatively quiet for several years, Woodward was thrust back into the spotlight for his reporting on the sequester. When President Barack Obama tried to shift the blame onto congressional Republicans, Woodward reported the idea of the… Read more »

Earlier this month, Gov. Scott Walker declined federal funds to expand Wisconsin’s Medicaid coverage to more of the state’s citizens. The exact details of the expansion and Walker’s alternative proposal are not important — suffice to say that, as compared to Walker’s plan, expanding coverage as part of the Affordable… Read more »

It is no secret students at the University of Wisconsin occasionally indulge in weekend, shall we say, revelries. Football gamedays, Halloween weekend and Thursday nights out are all part of the cultural landscape of Madison. While these activities can be both fun and harmless, they can also have serious repercussions:… Read more »

Allow us, for a moment, to indulge our journalistic predisposition for cliché: The University of Wisconsin finds itself at a crossroads. This has been the stuff incessantly-repeated for the two-and-one-half years since former Chancellor Biddy Martin began to roll out the New Badger Partnership, a crucial, controversial and ultimately doomed… Read more »

After the passage of Gov. Scott Walker’s budget repair bill, which stripped public sector employees of their collective bargaining rights, Walker became an instant Tea Party favorite. Since then, Walker has begun a march back toward the center, most recently evident in his 2013-2015 budget and likely continuing through his… Read more »

On Thursday, the Associated Press added the following entry to their style guide: “Regardless of sexual orientation, husband or wife is acceptable in all references to individuals in any legally recognized marriage. Spouse or partner may be used if requested.” Before this, the AP had never published specific guidelines… Read more »

Hark! Good news! According to a recent Gallup survey, congressional approval is on the rise — from 14 percent in January to 15 percent in February. Unfortunately for Congress, this staggering increase of one whole percentage point is unlikely to stick around in the face of billions of dollars in… Read more »

A report by the Government Accountability Board came out Monday saying it could cost the state as much as $14.5 million to end same-day voter registration. State Republicans are still considering the measure to end same-day registration anyway, because, of course they are. Following in the footsteps of the Voter… Read more »

Wisconsin residents have the opportunity to vote in the state primary election today. Voters will decide which candidates move forward to the spring general election, including candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. I encourage you all to make your voice heard today by voting. Even so, I think the state… Read more »

A few weeks ago, the first of several community meetings was held to address the unfortunate November shooting that took place last semester. Paul Heenan was fatally shot during a confrontation with a Madison Police Department officer who was responding to a burglary call that stemmed from Heenan mistakenly entering the… Read more »

In his State of the Union address Tuesday night, President Barack Obama called on Congress to pass legislation changing the minimum wage to $9.00 per hour, up from its current value of $7.25 per hour. Not surprisingly, this proposal has garnered plenty of opposition from congressional Republicans. House Majority Whip… Read more »

The Kohl Center’s policy on signs is terrible. It stinks. There I said it, and I still don’t feel better. For years now, the Grateful Red, Wisconsin’s die-hard section of student fans for men’s basketball games, have been deprived of the ability to bring in its own signs, flags and… Read more »

While President Barack Obama handily defeated former Gov. Mitt Romney last fall, election season gave Americans an opportunity to reflect on his first four years in office. The election raised questions as to whether or not Obama followed through on the campaign promises he ran on in 2008, and his performance… Read more »

As the Northeast digs itself out of the recent snowstorm, the National Weather Service warns of a blizzard heading for the north central U.S. Wisconsin is likely to be included in the periphery of the weather event. Southeastern Wisconsin is expected to get mostly freezing rain, which would make travelling… Read more »

Purchasing expensive textbooks is, for the most part, a necessary evil. After all, it’s not easy to make a textbook. Writing a college-level text requires a significant time commitment from a number of very well-educated and intelligent people – people whose time is valuable, and who must be compensated well… Read more »

With beer, brats and “Jump Around,” Wisconsin football game day has a reputation as the most electric and thrilling atmosphere in the country. It’s definitely one of the highlights of my Wisconsin career and I’m sure every other fan could say the same. This semester I had the incredible opportunity to… Read more »

Under pressure from opponents of his gun control agenda, President Barack Obama recently released a photo of himself skeet shooting at Camp David to prove his assertion in an interview with The New Republic that he goes “skeet shooting all the time.”  The sincere controversy over this skeet shooting photo… Read more »

All fields of study are created equal. Some are just more equal than others. For example, business, nursing and computer sciences are perceived as more worthwhile for a university to have than, say, the Scandinavian languages (who would ever … ) or comparative literature. The latter group of “less valuable”… Read more »

For those of us who leave the state for winter break, it can be difficult to keep up with current events in Wisconsin. So while I wasn’t surprised to find I was behind on the news when I came back after break, I was pretty shocked I had somehow missed… Read more »

Academically speaking, one of the relatively few universal undergraduate experiences at the University of Wisconsin is an ethnic studies course. It’s a graduation requirement that serves as a sort of common ground for the student body — a common ground that is constantly evolving. As the UW prepares its new… Read more »

Earlier this month, the State Assembly and Senate passed new rules for acceptable behavior in the Capitol gallery that prevent people from recording in any way the actions on the Assembly floor. Republicans were able to move the new rules through without support from Democrats. There were a couple other… Read more »

With news Wisconsin is looking at a budget surplus of $419 million, there has been much debate over what to do actually do with the money. Most of the discussion at the Capitol has revolved around giving it back to taxpayers in the form of a tax cut. We thought that… Read more »

Welcome, everyone, to a new semester at The Badger Herald Editorial Page. As the editorial page editors, we’d like to take a few moments to introduce ourselves and lay out our vision for the page over the coming months. First, a little bit about the two of us: Charles, the… Read more »

In the northern United States, we like to say that there are two seasons of the year: winter and construction. As anyone who has been woken up by the sound of a jackhammer on pavement at 9:00 a.m. can tell you, construction projects around these parts are never ending. Whether… Read more »

Even though our 2012 election endorsements were powerful, laurel-worthy and heroic, The Badger Herald Editorial Board cannot take that much credit for the national and statewide Democratic victories. Ever the tastemakers, our endorsement track record further cements the staggering and mind-numbing influence student editorial boards play in national politics. These… Read more »

The current clash between the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group and the Office of the Chancellor is not a new fight, but it boils down to whether student segregated fees can be used to pay for lobbyists.WISPIRG’s relationship with University of Wisconsin chancellors, past and present, has been contentious at… Read more »

This semester, the University of Wisconsin has lost two students to suicide. Nothing I can say will fully express how tragic this has been for their families and friends.  These are not isolated incidents. UW has higher suicide rates than most other Big Ten universities. That is why it’s extremely… Read more »

Public service workers have time been snubbed by society time and time again and, in the last 24 months, have received the evil eye from Wisconsinites. The thought of giving the people who give up so much to ensure the cities, counties and states throughout this nation function to their… Read more »

Several CEO’s, like Papa John’s John Schnatter, have made headlines in the last few weeks saying that Obamacare will force them to raise prices. Ian’s Pizza part-time owner Nick Martin thinks it’s about time national chains have to take care of their employees. Martin told the Huffington Post that he… Read more »

In the words of Ald. Mike Clear, District 19, “It’s Madison, everything has to be controversial.” This is an extremely apt description of the debate surrounding lighting the currently unlit southwest commuter path. The new lights, which would cost around $200,000, would run from the Beltline to Breese Terrace. There… Read more »

Elections in America are like that significant other you always seem to keep coming back to. We can’t live with them, but we can’t survive without them, either. Yes, to the chagrin of many, 2016 presidential election speculation is already underway. Wisconsin, home to Gov. Scott Walker — one of… Read more »

Madison’s WTDY made headlines after it laid off all its staff last Wednesday, and the University of Wisconsin’s young-journalists-of-the-future shared a collective moment of panic. Additionally, because there seems to be no programming plan in place, J-schoolers and professional journalists alike are unsure about the future of radio. But it’s… Read more »

Free bus passes are one of the many benefits University of Wisconsin students receive. However, since these passes are issued separately from Wiscards, there’s an opportunity for students to try to game the system. Specifically, a student who never rides the bus could get his or her free bus pass… Read more »

There is a difference between making measured decisions and hiding behind bureaucratic hurdles. University of Wisconsin interim Chancellor David Ward’s tepid stance on the contract with Palermo’s Pizza clearly demonstrates the latter. Allegations regarding worker compensation, safety and attempts to unionize at Palermo’s lead to a strike and spurred a… Read more »

As you may have noticed, Associated Students of Madison’s Student Services Finance Committee recently approved almost $70,000 of funding from the General Student Services Fund for the student organization Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics. On the surface, it appears that this is only fair. Religious student organizations such as Badger Catholic… Read more »

As anyone who frequents Interstate 90 understands, Janesville sits somewhere between a Wisconsin small town with a closed automobile plant and a big city with the industrial milieu of Milwaukee. This description includes Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the congressman from Janesville whose mild manners and frequently-mentioned widow’s peak add to… Read more »

The Republican Party just learned a lesson about having radical factions in your party at a national level: You will lose votes, and, consequently, elections. When candidates have to tailor their platforms not only to the moderate left or right, but extreme factions like the Tea Party, having to appeal… Read more »

It’s an uncomfortable part of medicine that doctors make mistakes. My dad returned home from a toe surgery two years ago, and when he came out from underneath the effects of the sedatives, he discovered three neat, tidy stiches still intricately embedded in his skin. It was hardly a life-threatening… Read more »

For centuries — and decades, in this publication’s case — newspapers have played a critical role in the emotional and physical connection Americans have with society and their communities. Reading my dad’s copy of the Chicago Tribune every Sunday growing up remains a uniquely nostalgic routine of my childhood because… Read more »

Wisconsin just can’t make up its mind. On the same night we helped re-elect President Barack Obama and elected Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., both obviously Democrats, we once again turned sole control of the state Legislature to the Republican Party. What does this mean going forward? The first indication of… Read more »

Voting is something everyone who is of voting age should do. It’s a chance to participate in democracy — to influence the future actions of our governmental institutions. As Cicero said, “Freedom is participation in power.” When more people vote, there is more participation in power, there is more democracy… Read more »

We endorsed President Barack Obama as a candidate because we feel he has earned a second term. He exhibited the leadership qualities necessary to address the pressing policy issues facing the United States today. However, this victory represents more than a vote of confidence in his executive leadership — it… Read more »

Congratulations, Tammy Baldwin. You did it. It took a lot of work and some pretty decisive, thought-out campaigning, but you did it. Now the real work starts. Sen. Baldwin, D-Wis., has remained fairly under the radar during her time as U.S. representative for the second congressional district. The accomplishments she… Read more »

Your choice for Wisconsin’s next senator is just as important as your choice for president, and as students, sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, we have a clear choice of who that should be. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, is the only candidate who has a decisive plan for making higher… Read more »

Most political enthusiasts, especially the Democratic ones, prefer to see their presidents carry out some sort of major legislative accomplishment that was previously deemed impossible. This is what made President Barack Obama’s success with the Affordable Health Care Act so spellbinding and surprising. But this focus on major legislative accomplishment… Read more »

With the presidential election coming up this Tuesday, I find myself asking, why the heck do we vote on a Tuesday? The answer, as CNN showed, is we passed a law in 1845 to vote on the first Tuesday in November to accommodate people traveling by horse and buggy. That’s… Read more »

Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., has often been labeled a Dane Country liberal, a politician too progressive to represent the rest of Wisconsin. Or at least this is the image her opponent, former Gov. Tommy Thompson, wants Wisconsinites to believe. In reality, Baldwin’s commitment to progressive politics has favored the working… Read more »

President Barack Obama has exhibited an even-keeled temperament rare among presidents and essential for difficult times. He has pushed an agenda for progressive change and can claim legislative accomplishments that equal those of great modern presidents like Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson. And most importantly for students, he has considered… Read more »

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel announced last week that from this point forward, it will no longer make endorsements for political candidates in all elections, including the monumental upcoming presidential and senatorial elections. The Sentinel’s lack of conviction and transparency is upsetting, and its decision to refrain from making endorsements seems… Read more »

If the inevitability of a close presidential election has a silver lining, it’s that Gov. Mitt Romney might win the popular vote and lose the electoral college. The hypothetical is enough to make small-D democratic purists wet their pants at the possibility of a nation united against the antiquated constitutional… Read more »

Following the tragic shooting at a spa in Brookfield, Democratic lawmakers said they plan to introduce legislation that would force people under restraining orders to prove they have given up their weapons. The current law requires people with restraining orders to give up their weapons either to law enforcement or… Read more »

We are not satisfied with Mayor Paul Soglin’s proposition that the city of Madison should put $25,000 toward a program called Helping Hands Homeward, which would serve as a travel fund for the city’s homeless population. Not only does this idea contradict previous statements in which Soglin has said permanent… Read more »

After Mayor Paul Soglin cut $1 million from the city’s yearly contribution to the Overture Center for the Arts earlier this year, Madison City Council members now want to restore $900,000 of that sum — and it looks like they will get their way. Madison has a vested interest in… Read more »

In his column “PETA slanders UW scientists,” passionate but woefully misinformed student Jared Mehre made a series of sweeping, untruthful claims in defense of cruel and deadly experiments on cats at the University of Wisconsin. The record should be set straight. An orange tabby cat named Double Trouble — who… Read more »

At the University of Wisconsin, being politically neutral can be a mighty task. Aligning left of center on the political spectrum ensures you a spot in the majority here in Dane County, and it can be easy to assume everyone you encounter on this historically progressively campus will agree with… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Post is not going anywhere. We wish that Adelaide Blanchard would have made more of an effort to contact us about our decision so that we could have addressed that misconception earlier. We appreciate all discussion about what the future of media will look like and… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin’s student government is a collection of characters and storylines that should only last four years a piece. But some figures just cannot help themselves and linger in the Student Activity Center long after their time is up. Matt Manes, a former chair of the Student Services… Read more »

Education is a constantly changing field. Regardless of what the US News and World Report rankings would have you believe, the places where you can get a quality education are constantly shifting as academic institutions adapt to new technologies, trends and pressures. This phenomenon is not just true of the… Read more »

When is the last day you can register to vote? What kind of ID do you need at our polling area? Where is your polling area? Should you bring your lease with you? Will you need photo ID when you vote? Chances are, you may not know the answers to… Read more »

I know I wrote on Mayor Paul Soglin last week, but this guy has had a busy couple of days. I like it when politicians do things I like. I begrudgingly accept when they do things I don’t like. But right now, I can’t even figure out Soglin’s strategy. Last… Read more »

Throughout the last 24 hours, I have received several inquiries about the use of the term “undocumented” — in place of “illegal” — to describe a subgroup of immigrants in the U.S. in a story about a visit earlier this week from immigration activist and journalist Jose Antonio Vargas. Concerns… Read more »

If Montee Ball can get ticketed at Mifflin — him being of the legal drinking age and acting entirely sober, at that — then it’s absolutely reasonable for fans to expect the same treatment when they are breaking laws and acting out at football games.Students drink and get rowdy —… Read more »

Although it was written almost a decade ago, The West Wing is still relevant today. Arguing about Social Security with one of his advisors, fictional President Josiah Bartlet cautions against participating in the debate. “Social Security is the third rail of American politics,” he warns, “Touch it, and you die.”… Read more »

As I get older, I become more convinced of several things. One is that bluegrass is America’s most underrated folk art form. Another is that Sim City is the most important game ever made. When I was younger and played Sim City 2000 on an eMachine running Windows 98, I… Read more »

President Barack Obama looked to begin his rebound from his loss in the first debate with a rally on Bascom Hill, and he did not disappoint. According to officers I talked to at the event, 30,000 people turned out for the president, with even more turned away at the door.… Read more »

There are plenty of issues that immediately impact college students — financial aid and health care, to name a couple — but what about climate change, caused crop failures and flooding across the nation this summer? Students living in the Midwest without air conditioning know what global warming feels like,… Read more »

A lot can change in four years — for that matter, a lot can change in two years. This generation of college students has vivid memories of President Barack Obama’s historic election, and the feeling of boundless optimism it inspired. Many University of Wisconsin students remember the excitement fueled by… Read more »

Last Monday, Student Labor Action Coalition representatives criticized the University of Wisconsin and Chancellor David Ward for the ongoing law suit with Adidas. The pro-labor student organization has found fault with the chancellor for not doing everything in his power, even if it’s foolish, to support workers’ rights. What a surprise.… Read more »

This weekend, one of the youngest detainees and the only Western prisoner left at Guantanamo Bay was released to Canada. Omar Khadr, who was just 15 when he was captured in Afghanistan, grew up incarcerated in the United States prison facility off the coast of Cuba. He was subjected to… Read more »

This week, Wisconsin once again found itself in the middle of a union labor dispute. This time it was about referees, not teachers, and the people getting screwed were our favorite millionaires, not our children. After the “Inaccurate Reception” ruined my Monday night, it managed to bring the country together… Read more »

Saturday, our University of Wisconsin Badger football team took on the University of Texas-El Paso Miners. The who? Exactly. Over the course of the week leading up to the game, I watched as the tickets in the Facebook exchange zone dropped from an ambitious $55 to a dismal $20 —… Read more »

Tuesday, the search for a new University of Wisconsin chancellor developed as the makeup of the committee that will screen applicants was announced. The Search and Screen Committee will be comprised of 13 faculty members, two classified staff members, two administrators, four community members … and just two students. The… Read more »

For once, it’s easy to support People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It usually isn’t. Here in Wisconsin, almost everyone has some ties to agriculture, and the idea that animals deserve near-human rights is enough to send chills down the spine of anyone who enjoys a frequent burger or… Read more »

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the Public Policy Polling released a poll Thursday that has President Barack Obama with a six point lead over Mitt Romney in Wisconsin. This joined several other polls all giving the president about a five to seven point lead heading into the final six weeks of the… Read more »

In Madison, panhandling is just as common downtown as it is in most other cities this size. The act has become part of quotidian State Street, but there is a darker side to jangling a cup and asking for money. Many panhandlers downtown, particularly those who gather on a specific… Read more »

On Wednesday morning, the Madison Professional Police Officers Association and the Dane County Deputy Sheriff’s Association issued a statement of disagreement with the recent shift in Capitol policy. The Isthmus reports the association took issue with the way “officers are being forced into emotionally charged confrontations that are neither necessary nor advisable,” and asserted… Read more »

Much has been said, perhaps too much, about the effects of the budget cuts championed and implemented by Gov. Scott Walker and the Republican state legislature. However, most of this discussion revolves around the short-term effects of the cuts. And these cuts will have serious short-term consequences, indeed. However, the… Read more »

I wouldn’t want to try to start following politics from scratch these days because they just don’t make any sense. Last week city officials, including Mayor Paul Soglin, stated their opposition to a proposed $30 million redevelopment for the complex of Nob Hill, an apartment compound on Madison’s south side… Read more »

As protests sweep across dozens of countries in the Middle East and beyond, under the guise of rage against the now infamous film titled “The Innocence of Muslims,” news analysts are quick to make sweeping and general statements about the clash between Muslims and the West.   Lack of nuance… Read more »

If the Mayans are correct and the world will come to an end in December, there is really no point to the presidential election between Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama this November. However, I think that on Dec. 22, the sun will rise, the birds will chirp and my… Read more »

If you take anything away from this column, let it be this: If you have any interest in journalism or gaining writing experience, join the Herald. Now. They want and need you.After seeing a few issues following last week’s registration issue, one looming issue is starting to present itself: The… Read more »

With the Supreme Court’s ruling in the infamous Citizens United case, much has been said about the influence of money in politics. Many politicians, especially Democrats, have decried the money pouring into this year’s campaign. While the increased prevalence of money in politics does raise real concerns, it is not… Read more »

It’s stupid early in the morning. I’ve just dragged myself out of bed, clammered onto a frigid bicycle while clutching a thermos coffee for warmth and psychological comfort and pedaled down a deserted University Avenue to the University of Wisconsin chemistry building for a morning lab.  The laboratory is crowded… Read more »

Brace yourselves. With another year of hardship and austerity ahead of us, we’re about to hear the term “student power” repeated incessantly thanks to the good people in our student government.  This time last year, I stepped into the Associated Students of Madison’s office in the Student Activity Center and… Read more »

A report by The Nation came out Wednesday showing Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, wrote a letter of support for the Kenosha Community Health Center to open a similar health center in Racine. The ensuing media conversation about this fact shows the flaws in our nation’s health care… Read more »

Going away to college for the first time raises a plethora of emotions in both students and their parents. Students are anxious to get away from home and see what life is like living on their own. Parents can’t help but give lectures on what their child should or shouldn’t… Read more »

The Badger Herald’s office is a sight to behold this time of year. In the last several months, we have removed doors that refuse to shut, picked a broken desk apart by the legs and, as I write this, we continue to endure the August heat in an office that… Read more »

To say that political rhetoric has been heating up over the past several years would be a massive understatement. As the differences between the two parties have grown greater in number, the language used by both has grown stronger. This, in and of itself, is not inherently bad. However, this heated… Read more »

Depending on whom you talk to, tomorrow is either a lively celebration by University of Wisconsin students, or a black eye on Madison’s otherwise pristine public image. This board is inclined to the former, while city government and UW administration the latter. Those planning to attend the Mifflin Street Block… Read more »

Just as some words seem to lose their meaning if you say them too often (deadline … deadline … deadline … ), so too do some facets of the political process. As a recovering recall fiend, I have made my share of transgressions of reason, but this whole recall schtick… Read more »

Public education currently stands under twin towers of threat — de-funding and privatization. This is consistent with a conservative agenda to eliminate many public programs — including public education. In Wisconsin, school districts have been under strict limits on their revenues and spending since 1993. These limits have not kept… Read more »