University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Thursday, April 11, 2024
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Biden unveils new student debt forgiveness programs By Gabriella Hartlaub & Annika Bereny ARTS EDITOR & SPECIAL PAGES EDITOR
President Joe Biden announced a new plan to lower student loan debt for more than 30 million Americans during a visit to Madison on Monday. Biden spoke to local political leaders, students and other guests from the Madison Area Technical College Truax campus. “While a college degree is still a ticket to the middle class, that ticket is becoming much too expensive,” he said. The outlined plan would eliminate accrued interest — or interest that has not yet been
paid out — for 23 million borrowers. It would also cancel the full amount of student debt for over 4 million borrowers and provide at least $5,000 in debt relief. No application for debt relief will be necessary for those covered under this plan. Those included can expect to see debt relief as early as this fall, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday. In remarks, Biden outlined the plan’s five major actions, including canceling up to $20,000 in interest for any borrower who owes more now then when they started paying loans. Borrowers who started repaying under-
graduate loans 20 years ago or graduate loans 25 years ago are also included, as well as borrowers facing financial hardships and those who the DOE determines were “cheated by universities.” This category includes students who were part of low-value loan programs that were denied recertification for the Federal Student Aid program because they took advantage of students.. “It’s only in the interest of America that we do it,” Biden said. “By freeing millions of Americans from this crushing student debt it means they can finally get on with their lives.”. Biden also announced $200 million for the
EYES TO THE SKY
Department of Labor to use for grants to registered apprenticeship programs. In a nod to his ongoing presidential campaign, Biden also said he would attempt to make community college tuition-free if elected, reaffirming a campaign promise first made in March. Melissa Byrne, executive director of We The 45 Million, a student loan debt advocate organization, praised Biden’s plan in a statement Monday that was released as part of the White House press release.
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ARTS
An ode to film collectors at the Wisconsin Film Festival Director Peter Flynn’s documentary brings a mundane practice to life By Joseph Panzer STAFF WRITER
BAILEY KRAUSE/THE DAILY CARDINAL
Hundreds gather to watch solar eclipse By Elijah Pines STAFF WRITER
Thousands of University of WisconsinMadison students and community members attended an Astronomy Club viewing party on Library Mall during the April 8 solar eclipse. A solar eclipse is when the moon comes between the sun and the Earth, covering the sun. This solar eclipse was unique in its totality, which is when the moon completely covers the sun, according to Astronomy Club Observing Director Adam Miller. “[The moon] needs to be the exact size [of the sun] in the sky,” Miller said. “The moon is generally smaller than the sun; because of that, it can only be over a very specific area that the eclipse will actually have an effect” Bascom Hill was dotted with lawn chairs and picnic blankets a half-hour before the eclipse began. Library Mall was even more packed, with families, dogs, photographers and college students eagerly awaiting the eclipse. The Astronomy Club had 1,000 eclipse viewing glasses stocked at their table in the center of Library Mall, Miller said. They quickly ran out.
“We had a line all the way to Memorial Union by 12:10,” Miller said. “We sold out before 12:30.” One community member gave his eclipse glasses to a group of students who arrived too late to get them from the Astronomy Club. “Bring them back in 20 years!” he said, referring to the next anticipated solar eclipse date. According to Jenna Karcheski, Astronomy Club president, the next solar eclipse over the United States will happen in 2044, and the next eclipse over Madison will occur in 2099, making this eclipse the most accessible in Madison for at least 75 years. “I think it’s really cool that we’re able to have such a high totality rate even though we aren’t in the line of totality,” eclipse observer Zoe Levine said. “For students, it’s a cool opportunity to see it here on campus” The Astronomy Club set up six specialty telescopes with custom 3D-printed parts to safely view the eclipse, according to Karcheski. The viewing line was 10 minutes long at one point. Food trucks on Library Mall were also packed.
For some, the eclipse was a defining astrological event that affected energy and everyday life. According to Lily Bingol, a self-described apprentice astrologer, there have been “chaotic energies” as of late, especially for Libras, due to Mercury being in retrograde. However, Bingol said the solar eclipse served as a balancing force, and things are expected to return to normal. “Solar eclipses [causes] a lot of emphasis in your life,” Bingol said. “I feel like everyone this past week has felt a lot of intensity. After today, everything is gonna fall into place.” When asked if she has felt the chaotic energies, Karcheski said “everything’s been super smooth for us,” attributing the club’s success to “proper planning and management.” Finally, at 2:06 p.m., maximum coverage of the sun occurred at 90% totality. The whole square erupted in applause and cheers. Karcheski demonstrated making a pinhole with your fingers and having the light poking through in a crescent shape like the sun. “It’s not just the event of the year,” Karcheski said. “It’s the biggest event for decades.”
Rarely does a documentary on a niche topic featuring interviews with people who devote their lives to collecting celluloid film prints end up being so entertaining. Wisconsin Film Festival documentary “Film is Dead, Long Live Film!” had a featured screening Saturday with director and Emerson College media studies professor Peter Flynn, including a Q&A after the film. The documentary centers around the history of the preservation of celluloid film stock and the people who devote their lives to this practice. The unspoken, often mundane nature of film preservation occurring due to passion from individuals like Dettlaff is what “Film is Dead, Long Live Film!” ultimately champions through interviews with dedicated film collectors. Many of these interviewees strained their relationships with their families collecting mountains of celluloid film prints and cameras and taking the necessary steps to prevent their deterioration, showcasing the dedication placed into this hobby by its adherents. A standout interviewee is Stu Fink, a cigar-chomping, bespectacled preservationist who steals the show with his retelling of the history of 8-millimeter home prints of films and the theft needed to save certain films from destruction. He appeared as a wise sage imparting wisdom to viewers each time he was on screen. that many TAs do not make even half that. Lower appointments like onefifth, one-third or 40% are common, and they come with a lower stipend. The main preservationist featured and the man to whom the film is dedicated is Lou DiCrescenzo, whose personal archive of prints — ranging from 8mm home movies to 35mm reels of Hollywood blockbusters — is a man who breathes cinema on the screen.
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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”