University of Wisconsin-Madison
Since 1892 dailycardinal.com
Thursday, January 30, 2025
l
WIENER COMES ALL OVER UW
SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS
The Wienermobile caught in the wild outside Mosse Humanities.
Season three of HBO’s iconic series provided familiar stories while introducing new faces.
+ LIFE & STYLE, PAGE 5
+ ARTS, PAGE 8
A call on young people to ‘make a better world’ “Partners to History: Martin Luther King, Ralph David Abernathy and the Civil Rights Movement” and acting in shows including “Don King-Only in America” and “Miss Evers Boys.” Abernathy also spoke about white leaders and members of the community who were supportive of the movement, including Rev. Robert Graetz, who was the pastor of an all-Black congregation in Birmingham. She called on the audience to make change and “make a better world,” which she noted was especially crucial given current events. “Those young hippies and progressive young white students said, ‘You know what? We’re the future. We’re going to change America so that everybody in America counts.’ And that’s what they did,” Abernathy said. “And so come you college students, young people, you all are going into the future — they can take away some rights now, but you can reinstate it.”
Throughout her speech, Abernathy made connections to current events including diversity, equity and inclusion, affirmative action and climate change, often getting laughs or applause from the audience. “Do not let anybody tell you all that diversity, equity and inclusion is wrong,” Abernathy said. “Because of our diversity, we’re great. Because we have included everybody, and we’re seeking equity for everybody.” The event ended with a Q&A session led by UW-Madison senior Osose Inegbenoise where Abernathy stressed the importance of receiving higher education. “Education is the dividing line. It’s the difference between the haves and the have nots. What are you going to be a laborer for the rest of your life?” Abernathy said. “If you have the opportunity to get an education, you need to do it.”
Lily’s Classic to return after last year’s cancellation
Legislators split on DEI crackdown
By Emma Schieffer STAFF WRITER
Civil rights activist Donzaleigh Abernathy spoke to Madison community members on Jan. 28 at the seventh annual MLK Symposium, calling on the youth and college students to make change and keep the memory of the Civil Rights Movement alive. The Shannon Hall event, hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Student Affairs and the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement, featured Abernathy, an actress and author. Abernathy’s talk focused on the lives of her father Rev. Dr. Ralph Abernathy, co-founder of the American Civil Rights Movement and her godfather, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In her talk, Abernathy recounted moments of the Civil Rights Movement including the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington and
the moments before King’s assassination. She also witnessed the passage of landmark legislation including the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act. “Uncle Martin said there comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression,” Abernathy said. “There comes a time when people get tired of being pushed out of the glittering sunlight of life’s July and are left standing in the piercing chill of an Alpine November.” Abernathy talked about specific stories, such as her house and her father’s church being bombed. She brought new stories to light that have not been taught in education, including children protesting King’s arrest in Birmingham. She shared photos of children being sprayed with water by police. Abernathy’s career has taken her on a variety of paths including writing books such as
AVA MENKES/THE DAILY CARDINAL
By Kayla Dembiec SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Following a cancellation last year due to warm weather and thin ice, Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) will hold its annual Lily’s Classic hockey tournament and fundraiser as normal on Saturday, Feb. 15, according to a post from the fraternity’s Instagram page. Hundreds of attendees typically gather on a frozen Lake Mendota during Lily’s Classic, raising money through a four-versus-four “boot hockey” tournament to benefit Lily’s Fund, which supports epilepsy research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Boot hockey is similar to traditional ice hockey, but it is played with boots instead of skates and a small ball rather than a puck. This year, SAE event organizers are cautious but hopeful that Lily’s will go on. “We’re planning for it to be back to normal as long as the weather is nice,” SAE philanthropy chair Alex Orman told The Daily Cardinal. “If we have to adjust last-minute, we will, but we’re hoping we don’t have to. If the ice is dangerous, we’ll never host it.” Last year, unseasonably warm tempera-
tures and thin ice forced the fraternity to cancel the event, upsetting students. “I was disappointed because as a freshman last year, I was really looking forward to it, and it’s a big tradition,” UW-Madison sophomore Abby Madonia said. “I’m just happy it’s going on this year.” Lily’s Classic has grown into more than just a hockey tournament; it’s a reflection of Wisconsin culture and a celebration of winter, students said. “The unofficial motto of UW-Madison is ‘work hard, play hard.’ To have something to look forward to and have something to actually really enjoy is always good to have,” said Peter Freye, a senior and previous Lily’s Classic attendee. The weather within the next two weeks will determine whether the event goes forward as planned. And students still need to be cautious if they’re stepping foot on the ice even if Lily’s is able to go on, Assistant Wisconsin State Climatologist Edward J. Hopkins told the Cardinal, pointing to multiple incidents in which people have fallen through the ice in Madison this winter.
“Right along the [edge of the] lake, you have thinner ice because the sunlight can cause the water underneath to warm up a bit,” Hopkins said. Last Wednesday, an individual fell into Lake Mendota after walking on the ice near Picnic Point. On Jan. 21, a woman fell through ice on Lake Monona after crossing into areas marked off with buoys to warn of warmer water temperatures. Both individuals were transported to local hospitals due to cold exposure concerns. Hopkins also urged caution as temperatures are expected to fluctuate within the next few weeks. “This week, we’re going to see above average temperatures, but sometime next week we could get back towards below average temperatures,” he said. “We may maintain the ice currently on Mendota, but you’ve got to be careful on it.” As of Monday, user-reported data from the Lake Link Fishing Report measured 12 inches of ice on the lake. Around this time last year, only seven inches of ice remained on the lake. Clean Lakes Alliance Marketing and Communications Director Adam Sodersten said the lakes should have around eight inches of ice to ensure safety, especially with the large crowds expected at events like Lily’s Classic. “When you have 700 people in a tight area on the lake, then they start behaving like a vehicle because they are distributing their weights in a very small area,” Sodersten said. While the return of Lily’s Classic is highly anticipated, last year’s cancellation demonstrates the effect of changing weather conditions on beloved events dependent on ice coverage. Over the past few decades, ice coverage on Lake Mendota has changed dramatically, Hopkins said. Compared to 1971, the duration of ice on Lake Mendota is 26 days fewer, and the ice freezes 15 days later. “Growing up in Wisconsin, I’ve had ice freeze every year, so having a year where they canceled it because ice wasn’t safe or it wasn’t frozen up was kind of shocking,” Madonia said.
By Sreejita Patra SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The University of WisconsinMadison’s removal of Dr. LaVar Charleston as chief of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement (DDEEA) Wednesday raised questions among state legislators about the future of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across Wisconsin. UW-Madison demoted Charleston amid “concern about financial operations and fiscal judgments” under his leadership, according to a statement from UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin Wednesday. Mnookin said the decision wouldn’t directly impact students, staff and faculty served and affiliated with DDEEA programs. Charleston’s demotion comes off a slew of DEI rollbacks across the nation and anticipation of a report into the DDEEA from Wisconsin’s Legislative Audit Bureau. In May, the Republicancontrolled Legislature struck a deal with UW System to unfreeze pay raises for 35,000 UW System employees in exchange for audits into DEI initiatives across the state. The decision was made after months of pressure from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, to “eliminate cancerous DEI practices on UW campuses.” Democrats have criticized the audit and accused Republicans of “weaponizing” the bipartisan Legislative Audit Bureau “to conduct purely ideological and politically driven exercises at the behest of GOP committees.” Rep. Francesca Hong, D-Madison, told The Daily Cardinal she is worried efforts against DEI in Wisconsin will weaken the system with legal and financial issues. “The consequences are going to be detrimental to every sector of our state,” Hong said. “Institutions who have to eliminate DEI departments are in danger of litigation and even lawsuits from employees.” Continue reading @dailycardinal. com
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”