It is 8 a.m. Wednesday morning and University of Wisconsin sophomore Isabel Owen rolls out of bed to turn off her alarm clock. Normally Owen would be scrambling to get ready for her first class, but today she will not attend class due to the TAA strike and because she went out Tuesday night.

“I went out with my friends,” she said. “Tuesday and Wednesday were sort of free days for me.”

None of Owen’s classes were officially cancelled Wednesday, but when she went to class Tuesday the TAs were picketing outside the buildings where her classes were held, so she did not go to class.

“I didn’t feel right crossing the picket lines,” she said. “So I just turned around and went to the library.”

Tuesday night, Owen anticipated the strike would affect her Wednesday classes so she and her friends decided to go out and wake up late.

Owen said she noticed a lot more people out Tuesday night than usual and noted the long lines at a lot of bars on State Street.

Some of Owen’s friends did not have class, while others decided not to cross picket lines. Owen said she did not feel comfortable crossing the lines but admitted she was just happy to have a free day.

“I am sympathetic to the TAs,” Owen said. “They do a lot of work. But I can see both sides of the issue,” she said, adding not attending class was not necessarily a statement.

Owen said although many students have a particular stance on the TAA strike, most are not skipping class in protest, but just because they can.

“Most of my friends are attending or skipping class for more selfish reasons,” she said. “The only reason my friends are going to class is if they are going to be penalized for not attending.”