COMICS l PAGE 4 COMIC
Ohhhh Yeah! The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Decemberists make their cases for 2009’s best
LET C COLOR COMICS COMMENCE! University of Wisconsin-Madison
Complete campus coverage since 1892
ARTS l
l
PAGE 5
dailycardinal.com
Weekend, March 27-29, 2009
UW researchers make stem-cell breakthrough
Accused parka bandit charged with 8 felonies
By Melanie Teachout
By Caitlin Gath
THE DAILY CARDINAL
A team of UW-Madison researchers made a breakthrough in stem-cell research by discovering a way to increase purification of certain adult stem cells. Researchers in James Thomson’s lab, including associate scientist Junying Yu, made the discovery. The breakthrough will help remove genetic baggage from embryonic cells, which previously posed a threat to therapeutic treatment. Thomson is a professor in the UW School of Medicine
and Public Health and the director of regenerative biology for the Morgridge Institute for Research. He has previously contributed to several major stem-cell discoveries. In 1998, Thomson was the first to successfully culture human embryonic stem cells. In 2007, Thomson partnered with Yu to reprogram ordinary skin cells, creating induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells. According to Terry Devitt, a representative from University stem cells page 3
Birth-control costs to students may drop By Megan Orear THE DAILY CARDINAL
The cost of birth control for college students could decrease under the Affordable Birth Control Act, a provision of the federal spending bill signed into law by President Obama earlier this month. In 2005, Congress passed the Deficit Reduction Act, which inadvertently eliminated the discounts on contraceptives pharmaceutical companies could offer to family planning clinics and student health services, causing the cost of birth control to climb for many students. “By all accounts it was completely a mistake,” state Rep. Kelda Helen Roys, D-Madison, said. “I think it was just an oversight in drafting it, but it’s one of those things that once it went through, it never got fixed because their agenda was too busy.” The new bill restores incentives for popular brands to provide discounts to students, but University Health Services Executive Director Sarah Van Orman said she is not sure if the pharmaceutical industry will be willing to do this again.
Many students switched over to less expensive generic brands, but Van Orman said because the prices of some popular brands increased, students who could not afford them had access to a much smaller selection. “It really reduces our options if there’s someone that needs a different formulation than what would be available in the generic,” she said. According to Van Orman, UHS responded to the higher prices by getting more information out about BadgerCare and generic options but saw a drop in birth control prescriptions after prices rose in 2007. Peggy Hamill, state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin, said there is no reason for the government to subsidize hormonal birth-control drugs, which she said are proven to be carcinogens and accelerate the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. “Our government should not be in the business of paying for and promoting unhealthy behavior,” she said, adding that contraceptive drugs can act as abortifacients. birth control page 3
CHRISTOPHER GUESS/CARDINAL FILE PHOTO
THE DAILY CARDINAL
ALISON BAUTER/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Chancellor Martin announced her new initiative Tuesday to student leaders. The initiative calls for a hike in tuition but also in aid.
Students offer feedback for chancellor’s new initiative By Estephany Escobar THE DAILY CARDINAL
UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin explained her newly proposed initiative to students and listened to their feedback at a forum Thursday. The Madison Initiative for Undergraduates would propose a supplemental charge in tuition to improve educational quality for undergraduates while helping to make UW-Madison affordable to all students. “[The revenues from this initiative] will be divided between the need-based financial aid pot that will ensure affordability and economic diversity among the student body, and the other half roughly will be used to enhance undergraduate experience,” Martin said. Martin said the plan will add faculty and instructional support in high-demand majors and will enhance vital student services, including academic and career advising, internships and smallgroup interactions with faculty. Abby Solom, a UW-Madison freshman, said other initiatives could help keep college affordable besides a tuition increase. “I think what we can do is find ways outside tuition to keep it affordable, such as choosing cheap textbooks or finding other ways to reduce the costs for students,” she said. A UW-Madison engineering student at the forum asked Martin why all undergraduate students needed to pay extra money when engineering students already have to pay differential tuition. Martin said the benefits of the initiative will benefit high-demand cours-
es in the College of Letters and Science and also courses within it required by other colleges. “Everybody is going to benefit from increased faculty on campus, from the increase of economic diversity on campus, and everyone will be getting a good value still,” she said. Brendan Zyvoloski, a UWMadison junior, said he thinks maintaining and recruiting faculty who are committed to UWMadison will determine the success of the plan. “I’ve seen a lot of professors leave over my short time here. This focus on bringing in professors could benefit Letters and Science and the school in general,” he said. The new initiative calls for financial aid for all students who qualify and whose families make under $80,000 a year. Chynna Haas, a UW-Madison junior, said the biggest challenge of this program will be the communication with students on the issue. She said some students whose families make $80,000 or more will not think it is necessarily beneficial to them. Martin said if the UW System Board of Regents approves the initiative, undergraduate students will have the chance to provide input on the allocation of funds. Students with questions about the initiative can visit the Student Activity Center March 30 to April 3 from 2 to 5 p.m. to meet with university staff members. Students can also attend the next forum March 30 at 4 p.m. in Gordon Commons.
The man accused of being the “parka bandit” who committed multiple armed robberies throughout Madison was charged Thursday with eight felonies, including one for drug possession. Justin M. Simpson, 20, confessed to a series of armed robberies after Sgt. Chris Paulson of the Madison Police Department arrested him Sunday on Park Street. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, it is likely Simpson was using the robberies to bring in the cash necessary to fuel his apparent heroin addiction. Joel DeSpain, public information officer for the MPD, said it is not unusual for someone who has a drug dependency to have to keep committing crimes to feed their drug habit.
“The officer who spotted him was part of that proactive force that was on the street.” Joel DeSpain public information officer Madison Police Department
“We do see heroin in Madison,” he said. “Certainly heroin is not new to the city of Madison, and we do see it here.” DeSpain also said Simpson was hitting up locations all across the city. He is a possible suspect in armed robberies that took place in Monona, DeForest, Sun Prairie and Middleton. A full-scale dragnet was put up by the MPD for over a week while officers actively searched for Simpson throughout the city. “The officer who spotted him was part of that proactive force that was on the street,” DeSpain said. DeSpain said the police department had teams out who were prepared to go to a location if and when there was another robbery. “Other people were just out on the street looking for people who would just generally match the description of the suspect,” he said. According to the WSJ, Assistant District Attorney Vanny Lu said that if Simpson is convicted of each robbery charge, he could face up to 280 years of combined prison time and extended supervision.
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”