The Badger Herald Editorial Board has a long history of taking unpopular or controversial positions. We would need to dig through our archives for several days, however, before finding the last time we called for a boycott of a local business, as was done last Friday (“Boycott the Nitty,” Oct. 23).

We stand by that position, because Marsh Shapiro — the owner of the Nitty Gritty and the Tavern League representative on the Alcohol License Review Committee — needs to know a student vote is needed on the ALRC. And we knew when we composed that controversial editorial that, having lit the very serious fires of boycott, we could not simply move on to the next issue and pat ourselves on the backs for being so subversive. As an Editorial Board, we fully intend to push this issue — and support this boycott — until Mr. Shapiro changes his position.

This will hopefully become a dead issue long before that, though. Next Tuesday, Nov. 3, we urge all students to attend the Madison City Council meeting, scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. in Room 201 of the City-County Building. Council members will be voting on Ald. Bryon Eagon’s, District 8, proposal to allow a voting student member on the ALRC. Many critics of the boycott have noted that no students other than Eagon were present at the ALRC meeting to defend the voting student member. If the student body is not engaged, why should we give them a vote?

Now is the time to prove the naysayers wrong. If we are to serve as a booming voice in the community, we must have the will and determination to speak in unison. We encourage all students who support student representation on ALRC and in city government at large to attend this meeting or voice support through e-mails or phone calls to members of the City Council.

We have already taken the idealistic stand. Now is the time to make a pragmatic and productive one.