The Cardinal's Year In Review
Link to the full text of the Cardinal's year-end staff opinion:
A lot has happened at UW-Madison over the past semester. From the highs of record election turnout and the proposed new line of funding for stem cells to the lows of more announced budget cuts that could result in hundreds fewer students attending our fine institution, there have been major changes to the makeup, the mission and the appearance of the university.
In the coming semester, we are sure to see many more developments that might further change the university, and in the face of a continuing budget crisis, we realize many of those changes will inevitably be for the worse. But while we realize adding classes and drastically increasing pay scale for faculty may seem like reaching for a pie in the sky, there are nonetheless many smaller achievements we think the administration might attempt. In that light, we have compiled a holiday wish list of actions the administration might take over the course of the coming semester in order to change UW-Madison for the better.
Over the past several weeks, an alarming number of sexual assaults have occurred on or near campus. There are several simple steps the university might take, in conjunction with the City of Madison as well as the state, to reduce sexual assault as well as improve the general safety of students.
Adding more emergency contact boxes around campus would allow crime victims to reach help quicker and would also act as a deterrent for potential perpetrators. In addition, we would like to see the police around campus change their priorities and focus on major crimes rather than petty things like underage drinking. We feel a moderate increase in underage consumption is a fair trade for a marked decrease in the number of violent crimes.
uWith the demolition of University Square and its movie theater drawing ever closer, the Wisconsin Union should endeavor to show more films. Furthermore, an increase in events such as student art shows and concerts, if staffed by volunteers, could go along way in increasing cultural awareness on this campus.
uWhen Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Paul Barrows resigned last month, it dealt a blow to attempts to diversify campus. Though his post was ostensibly filled when Elton Crim Jr. was hired as interim associate dean of students this week, many of the diversity projects Barrows was in charge of are in danger of falling by the wayside.
It is vital that the university keep these projects alive. Greater diversity on campus would improve campus climate and enrich students' experiences. Rather than just throwing money at groups like the Multicultural Student Coalition, the administration should take an active role in promoting diversity on campus.
Major change is inevitable. But if it is accompanied by some of the minor changes we are looking for, next semester will be that much brighter.
Understanding the Constants
Amidst stacks of weeks-old papers, endless scraps of paper on corkboard and mountains of copy strewn about the office, my quest was to find one piece of tape. Unsuccessful, I wondered how this paper managed to survive for 114 years.
The answer is the constants. Most alumni remember the same green crescent copy desk. The framed proof of the first issue still watches over the newsroom, reminding us we still work for the same reasons that you did.
The furious pace of change these past few years has not affected these constants; a testament to the strength of this institution. While we still have wax tablets in our (tapeless) supply room, we also have received computers comparable to the best a modern newspaper could offer.
Unfortunately, another constant is the frustration in producing the Cardinal. Computers and design stations had been in such a state of repair that I remember staffers fanning the copy desk computer so it would not overheat.
Sometimes I look longingly at those wax tablets, though I must admit I have no idea how to use them.
Our latest upgrade, funded by the DCAA this summer, has simplified and improved producing the paper. We received new computers; upgraded existing ones; and deployed Adobe InDesign, the rising industry standard, replacing a nine-year-old version of QuarkXPress.
This upgrade came just in time. National election coverage will be the focus of the first semester. The Cardinal covered the Republican National Convention and Cardinal reporters will cover the presidential debate in St. Louis this fall. Being in a "swing state," the Cardinal will cover plenty of candidate appearances.
I can report the Cardinal turns a consistent profit each semester and that both our audience and content are increasing.
Thanks to our constants--tradition and continuity--we continue to thrive and make the paper a more exciting place to be.
Thus far, this semester has found the Cardinal trying to simultaneously iron out production difficulties that have persisted since the implementation of the redesign and lay plans for future expansion. We continue to reap the benefits of our growth over the past year, with advertising sales remaining strong and new, enthusiastic recruits coming through the door every day.
Editorially, this semester's transition has been as smooth as any I can remember in my (brief) four-year Cardinal history. Our most successful new endeavor has been "Cardinal Courtside," a special weekly 3-page sports section covering men's college basketball. The section evolved out of our special GameDay publication, which we produce for all Badger home football games. We have since formalized the GameDay Editor position, and added Cardinal Courtside to its duty list. The development of the GameDay editor has complemented the growth of the sports department in general. Combined, the two have dramatically increased the quality and volume of our sports coverage over the past two years.
Every week we seem to be closer to our initial goal of being at least 12 pages every day. So far this semester we have settled into a pattern of 12-page Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 16-page Thursdays; and 8-page Fridays. Sales are still improving, however, and it remains unclear where we will finish the semester.
As a result, managing editor Sarah Murray and I are engaged in a perpetual debate over the best pace for future growth. I am a bit impetuous, and she is my more conservative foil. All in all, I think we make a very good team.
In spite of recent technical problems in the office, we are still very much appreciating the addition of three new iMacs that were donated by the DCAA this fall. Their presence has greatly aided our ability to produce a now fully-digital paper. For the first time in Cardinal history, we have editors who no longer remember the paste-up process. As it stands, I cannot imagine working with hot type, and I hope the concept of paste-up soon becomes as foreign to them. The end result is (or will be, once we get all the wrinkles ironed out) a smoother production process and a cleaner, crisper product on the stands.
We recently submitted materials to the Society of Professional Journalists' Mark of Excellence competition, and we are eagerly awaiting this year's results. It is our hope to dethrone The Minnesota Daily as the region's best newspaper, and we think we have a chance at achieving that goal this semester.
Financially, the Cardinal is in good health. We should be in the position to repay the balance of our debt to student government should we choose to (we are not, however, obligated to fully repay the debt for another year). Additionally, the Cardinal is in the process of getting reapproved as a workstudy employer, which could potentially save us money in the future.