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University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Monday, April 7, 2008
Officials stress patience in homicide case By Evan Hall THE DAILY CARDINAL
ISABEL ALVAREZ/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Friends and family of UW-Madison junior Brittany Zimmermann surround the Library Mall fountain Sunday to celebrate her life, which tragically ended April 2. At the candlelight service, attendees sang “Varsity” to unite as a campus community.
Campus mourns Zimmermann By Amanda Hoffstrom THE DAILY CARDINAL
UW-Madison community members joined classmates and family members of Brittany Zimmermann at a memorial vigil Sunday to remember a woman who was “always smiling.” “Tonight will serve as a reminder to her friends and family that she was part of our family also. She was a peer, a classmate, a neighbor,” Union President John Barnhardt said. “Tonight will also provide our campus for the chance to rebuild, to reunite, to join hands as one family, one school.” “Please keep all of Brittany’s family in your thoughts and prayers as they
struggle with the meaning of it all.” Members of Brittany’s family and classmates said she would be remembered for her smile, as someone who was always laughing and who was warm and kind. Attendees were asked to sign a Wisconsin flag that Dean of Students Lori Berquam said would be sent to Brittany’s family. “This is obviously a tragedy that has really impacted us as a campus and us as a community,” Berquam said. “We need to keep the light of Brittany alive.” “We probably all know about ourselves that it could have been any one of us that this happened to—it hap-
pened to Brittany. She will be missed here.” Provost Patrick Farrell, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Alders Mike Verveer and Eli Judge, as well as many other campus officials paid their
respects at the vigil. “This is a time for us to come together to honor a young woman who was only starting,” Berquam said. “We vigil page 3
GABRIEL SEHR/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz comforts a member of Brittany Zimmermann’s family at a memorial vigil Sunday.
Following the killing of UW-Madison junior Brittany Zimmermann, city and university officials renewed their call for vigilance at a Bassett neighborhood meeting Saturday. An overflow crowd of community members gathered at the Capitol Lakes Retirement Center to express concerns regarding the safety of the neighborhood after Zimmermann was found dead Wednesday in her West Doty Street apartment. City Council President Mike Verveer, a resident of the Bassett neighborhood, began the gathering by calling for a moment of silence to remember Zimmermann. Verveer reassured residents that Madison is still a safe city and that police are working tirelessly to bring Zimmermann’s killer to justice. “From my perspective as someone who lives only a stone’s throw from where Brittany lived, I want you to know I am absolutely confident that the police are doing everything within their abilities to get to the bottom of this and to help us deal with the fear and anxiety and worry that is a natural reaction that we’re all feeling,” Verveer said. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, who lived on the 500 block of West Doty when he was a UW-Madison student, said he takes the Zimmermann homicide personally. Despite the community’s interest in the case, he said officials must be cautious as they weigh what information to release to the public. “One of the most difficult things is to find that balance between giving the community the information that they deserve and need to keep themselves safe but not to put out so much information that it compromises our ability to solve the crime and ultimately bring this person to justice,” Cieslewicz said. No new details concerning the homicide were disclosed Saturday because of the ongoing police investigation. Madison Police Department Captain Mary Schauf instead focused on moving forward with the healing process. “I can see the toll this takes on our community,” Schauf said. “I see the toll it takes on my staff. It cuts to the core of all of us, it really does.” The Dane County coroner determined Zimmermann died from a “complexity of traumatic injuries” after an autopsy conducted Thursday but did not disclose further details. Schauf said she understands residents’ natural desire to know more about the crime but stressed the need for patience. meeting page 3
UW, Adidas look toward end of Hermosa labor dispute By Jillian Levy THE DAILY CARDINAL
UW-Madison’s Labor Licensing Policy Committee met with an Adidas representative Friday to propose a remedy for the ongoing dispute involving the company’s athletic apparel contract with the university. Gregg Nebel, director of social and environmental affairs for Adidas, told LLPC members the company continues to address issues facing former workers at Hermosa Manufacturing, an Adidas factory in El Salvador until 2005. When Hermosa shut down, it failed to give 260 workers back pay upon their dismissal. After attempting to unionize over the unpaid severance pay, 63 workers were allegedly blacklisted, leaving them unable to find
employment. Since allegations of worker abuse at Hermosa, many students have pushed Chancellor John Wiley to cut the $1.2 million per year contract with Adidas. At the meeting, Wiley said he is frustrated with the lack of progress but does not think cutting the UW-Madison contract with Adidas is necessary. “I think we need to continue to work with our suppliers,” Wiley said, adding he has been willing to act to resolve labor conflicts in the past. Nebel discussed Adidas’ efforts to find new employment for the 63 workers and to secure the back pay of the former employees. “Some sort of training needs to be pro-
vided. They are lacking English language and computer skills,” Nebel said, adding few of the blacklisted workers can pass necessary machine skills tests. According to Nebel, the workers were given the opportunity to attend a free nine-week training session to hone these skills. Adidas is hosting a job fair with 11 factories on May 9, exclusively for the 63 blacklisted workers. However, some LLPC members said Adidas’ efforts were not enough and the company should be more aggressive in finding jobs for the workers. The committee said the longer the workers are unemployed, the harder it will be for them to secure employment on their own. adidas page 3
LORENZO ZEMELLA/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Adidas Director of Social and Environmental Affairs, Gregg Nebel, meets with UW Labor Licensing Policy Committee members Friday.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”