Dancing with the devil:
Ready to rebound:
University Theatre’s production of “Ti-Jean and his Brothers” premiers tonight
The Badgers look to get back on track against Ohio State +SPORTS, page 8
+ARTS, page 4
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Complete campus coverage since 1892
l
dailycardinal.com
Weekend, October 28-30, 2011
It is 100 percent clear, black and white—landlords have absolutely no right to unilaterally modify a contract. BRENDA KONKEL, executive director, Tenant Resource Center, on Madison Property Management policy
Housing specialists: MPM policy illegal By Alison Bauter The Daily Cardinal
Tenants’ rights experts labeled Madison Property Management’s new Freakfest weekend policy illegal Thursday, saying the limits imposed violate tenants’ leases, as well as state law. The rules, distributed in a letter to Grand Central tenants Oct. 19, allot each resident three wristbands that allow entry to the building for themselves and two guests. Landlords also asserted the right to “enter any apartment should [they] observe or hear there is a safety concern or lease violation” between 7 p.m. and 4 a.m. Friday and Saturday. UW Law School assistant clinical professor, Mitch, Tenant Resources Center Executive Director Brenda Konkel and a local attorney all agree the new rules illegally alter students’
lease agreements. “It’s 100 percent clear, black and white,” Konkel said. “Landlords have absolutely no right to unilaterally modify a contract.” The issue, according to MPM President Jim Stopple, is one of “life safety.” After incidents of strangers entering the building, thefts and other safety concerns during last year’s Freakfest, Stopple felt he “had to do something.” “Our purpose was for the health and safety of our residents,” Stopple said. “I do think we had basis for [the policy] in our lease; if somebody feels we do not, so be it.” Neighborhood Law Clinic Director Mitch, along with Konkel and local attorney David Sparer, said state law prohibits landlords from entering a private residence without 24-hour prior notice, except
in cases of emergencies or safety concerns such as a fire or flooding. Entry without notice to address a lease violation would be considered trespassing, according to Konkel. Police could be called and could fine landlords $600.
“We felt we had to do something. The goal was not to be harsh, but only to try to be workable so that somebody didn’t get hurt.” Jim Stopple president Madison Property Management
Konkel also said wristband requirements violate tenants’ lease agreements, which limits residents to “no more than two overnight guests per night.” The letter’s language limits all
guests, overnight or not, Konkel said. “Just because someone’s there at 10 o’clock at night doesn’t mean they’re overnight guests,” she said. Anders Zanichkowsky, housing counselor for the Tenant Resource Center’s UW-Madison office, equates the difference to “changing the terms of a contract in the middle of a contract.” Zanichkowsky said landlords must disclose plans to limit guests at the time of tenants’ lease signing, adding, “they cannot just put a letter on your door.” Other apartments with high student populations utilize similar policies. Unlike Grand Central, some leases, like Pres House’s, already include a “no-guest policy,” under which landlords explicitly reserve the right to limit guests during Freakfest. Although many MPM manag-
ers expressed willingness to give student residents a limited number of extra wristbands, Konkel urged students concerned about the new policies to seek advice from the Neighborhood Law Clinic prior to Freakfest. “If somebody wants to say it’s a violation of lease-rights, I’ll take my beating,” Stopple said. “But I really think there is enough reason behind the request.” Stopple said MPM’s policy stands on firm legal ground, and safety for residents and buildings is the rules’ main motivation. Despite MPM’s intentions, Mitch disagreed. “Clearly MPM is well intentioned, but has gone too far,” he said. “What they’re purporting to be able to do … they cannot do under both the law and their own agreement.”
Administrators look to save money in light of budget cuts By Anna Duffin The Daily Cardinal
UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward said administrators will take an active role in addressing the $112 million in budget cuts to the university from the state Thursday. Since the spring, administrators have been working with a consulting team to determine areas where their departments could save money. “We can wait and hope that tuition flexibilities and the state’s generosity in increasing our [General Purpose Revenue] will happen soon. We have to fight for that, but the likelihood is not high,” Ward said. “Therefore to sort of go to a corner and pout or whine is not a good strategy.” Several ways university lead-
ers determined money could be saved was by standardizing e-mail and calendar services, aggregating data centers, more efficiently using space on campus, and standardizing computer purchases. These efforts combined could save upwards of $8.5 million. Ward said that, in addition to administrative changes, the university could use “innovative education” to save money, changing the methods of delivering information to students. He continued to say UW-Madison could incorporate donations into its core budget, which were previously used as supplemental funding . “If we can put all three together in some really big way, I think we can start what I can only describe as a ‘self-help’
model where we are addressing problems instead of just waiting patiently until somebody says ‘We’re going to give you more money next year,’” Ward said. Vice Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell said while other universities have shied away from altering the academic environment to save money, he thinks doing so will benefit UW-Madison. “If we’re going to be good stewards of resource, that philosophy has to extend to the academic side of the house,” Bazzell said. “It’s an opportunity to really innovate and to really help with pedagogical innovation and really help move that enterprise forward.”
cuts page 3
How UW-Madison will navigate its budget cuts With total budget cuts approaching $112 million for 2011-’13, some money-saving measures could include: • Consolidate e-mail and calendar platforms: $250,000-$1 million • Purchase computers through the same vendor: $300,000-500,000 • Consolidate servers and data centers: $5 million • Purchase less expensive office supplies in bulk: $1-2 million
Grace Liu/the daily cardinal
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Sonia Nazario traveled atop freight trains to the U.S. to experience the journey of young migrants.
Big Read author visits UW By Shannon Kelly The Daily Cardinal
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sonia Nazario addressed hundreds of people at Union South Thursday, discussing her book ”Enrique’s Journey,” UW-Madison’s 2011 Go Big Read selection. “Enrique’s Journey” follows a Honduran 16-year-old boy attempting to reach his mother, who left the country to seek work when he was five years old, in the U.S. Nazario decided to document his and other young immigrants’ journeys after her housekeeper, Carmen, told her that many mothers in Central America leave their children to search for work in the
U.S. Carmen herself had left four children behind in Guatemala. “[Before this] I had thought [determination] was something that I had in abundance,” Nazario said. “But then one day I had this conversation with my house cleaner, and that would take me on this journey that would teach me the true meaning of determination.” Nazario said she was shocked to learn that many children, tired waiting for their mothers to return, attempt the dangerous and unpredictable journey through Mexico to reunite with them. To understand their plight,
big read page 3
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”