As many of you know Sodexo is the corporation which provides food services on Marquette’s campus. Before I go into detailing the massive problems with Sodexo as a corporation, I do want to point out that the cafeteria workers, and the managers at the cafeterias, work extremely hard and do the best that they can to provide the students with a pleasurable dining experience. This, however, does not prevent Sodexo from failing in every respect in providing a positive dining experience. The amount that students pay for their meal plans is not reflected in the food which is served to them. For example, students pay between $7 and $11 per swipe depending upon their meal plan, whereas someone coming off the street pays between $4.20 and $7.35 depending upon the meal which they consume, i.e. breakfast is cheaper than dinner. This reveals that the students are paying much more than needed, and that students are flat out getting ripped off when they pay $7 for breakfast, which for many consists of a bowl of cereal or a bagel. In the end, it makes financial sense for students to just buy the cheapest meal plan every semester, and then buy food, keep it in their rooms, and eat it there. This is particularly true for students who have food allergies, or who are vegetarian or vegan.

The cost of the meal plans cannot be blamed directly on Sodexo, particularly given that Marquette takes roughly 35% off the top from every meal plan. This means, quite obviously, that when a student pays $1540 for the block 125 plan, then Marquette gets $539 and Sodexo gets $1001. What exactly happens to the $1001, has never been revealed by Sodexo, and the Sodexo representatives at the Q&A session held on April 19, claimed that they did not know where the money went. This then means that it is likely that at least a portion of the money goes to Sodexo corporate, with the rest going to Sodexo Marquette. The money going to corporate helps to pay for the costs of running family friendly things like private prisons and detention centers for immigrants in the UK, Ireland, and Australia. The money which stays on campus is then split between paying for overhead, paying the wages of the employees (which average $12 on campus according to the head of Sodexo Marquette), and paying for the food which is served. One would think that the food would be the top priority and that Sodexo would do whatever it could to provide high quality food. This, however, is not the case, particularly given that the target per plate cost is under $2, meaning that if a student wants to get $11 worth of food, that student would have to eat six plates of food, which is clearly an extremely unhealthy thing to do every meal, regardless of the health content of the food being served. What is then created is a system where students rarely get anywhere close to their money’s worth in terms of food consumed. As such, the current system, as it is in place, is entirely flawed in regards to the cost of food served compared to the price to consume it.

As one can see, the money which Marquette students pay for their meal plans, does not create a product which is based upon a significant portion of that money, but rather comes from a small portion, while the rest is divided between on several levels. This then leads to the current situation where most students agree that the quality of product served is inferior to that which can be purchased for less money at local eating establishments. While Dan O’Shea, head of Sodexo Marquette, claims that the food is of equal, if not superior, quality, and that other places where students could purchase food have shorter hours of operation, which apparently impacts food quality and price, what he does not realize, is that he is in fact wrong on both points. First of all the majority of students do in fact prefer off campus dining locations, which is why the number of students eating in cafeterias, not including at the AMU, has declined in the past several years, and this is also the reason for the destination dining program, which is designed to replicate the most common eating establishments which students frequent, in order to convince them to eat on campus instead of eating off campus. In addition, the hours of operation for the majority of cafeterias are 7-6:30, and not all cafeterias are open on weekends either. The only cafeteria which is open 7-12:00 everyday is McCormick, and as such, the argument that Sodexo provides long hours of operation, is completely untrue.

One can thus see the faults of Sodexo on campus. Most of the money students pay does not go to paying for food. The food quality is generally considered to be inferior. Those who run Sodexo on campus create smokescreen statements in order to confuse students. As such, we as students must demand that Sodexo either reforms its ways or be removed from campus and replaced by a company which will actually work in the name of the students, and create a quality product at an affordable price.

by Jonathan Stepp
jonathan.stepp@mu.edu

Popularity: 3% [?]

Caring about something is hard work. A lot of hard work. If it’s one thing I’ve learned and grown to appreciate during my time at Marquette and my tenure at The Warrior, it’s that dedication, in any remarkable sense of the word, exists only because of people who care—care enough to take the criticism, care enough to keep going when everything goes wrong, and care enough about a mission to see it realized.

If hard work is needed for caring,courage is equally necessary. It takes a certain amount of courage to care. Maybe not Joan-of-Arccourage, maybe not Little-Rock- Nine-courage, but it takes some sense of bravery to put one’s name on a project or endeavor and take responsibility for it.

This virtue—the importance of caring and the value it creates in the midst of challenge—is indispensable. It is by far the most significant virtue I’ve learned at Marquette. Whether it’s caring about journalism, social justice, engineering, healthcare or finance, the existence of people who are caring and passionate is essential.

The Warrior is disliked and delegitimized by many. It is often excluded from serious discussion and consideration at Marquette—and that, in my opinion, is a shame and a disappointment. Obviously, I’m biased. I’m biased because clearly I care—I care a hell of a lot. But despite my personal investment in this broadsheet and the organization behind it, I believe The Warrior represents more than any type of ideological view, or renegade news source—it represents a student dedication to a free, truly uncensored, and financially independent forum for student voices. It the demonstration of students’ caring. It is the personification of a commitment to holding our administration accountable, celebrating meritocracy—all with the aim of projecting a vision of a great Marquette. The university doesn’t control us, can’t monitor us, can’t regulate us, and it drives them nuts. We are not an Office of Student Development-sanctioned student organization; we are not beholden to Marquette. We cherish our independence, but we want to be a part of the discussion. We shouldn’t have to be dependent in order to be invited to take part.

With this last issue, I depart from The Warrior. I still have some time to burn up the dance floor at Murphy’s (thank God), but my collegiate journalism career has come to an end. I think my work on this paper speaks for itself, and I hope that in some way, I have encouraged someone to care, because often, that’s all we have to offer, and incidentally, that’s all that really matters.

“One person can make a difference, and everybody should try.”-JFK

The Warrior Editor-in-chief Katelyn Ferral does righteous fist pump, releasing her inner Warrior and celebrating the triumphant completion of her reign. She was not on “performance enhancers” at the time of this photo. (Photo by Matt Dixon)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Julie Knyszek was chosen out of 3,500 student employees as the 2010 Student Employee of the Year this month for her work as a Cold Case Homicide Unit Analyst in the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) as a representative of the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.

A senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, besides telling her fellow employees and friends there will be free cake at the award presentation Knyszek has also found the best thing about her award so far has been making her unit proud.

“The best part has been seeing how proud it makes all the investigators and detectives I work with that I was chosen, that someone from their unit was chosen to be the Student Employee of the Year,” said Knyszek. “It’s not only an honor to me but they also take it as an honor and it’s been really nice to share that with them.”

Knyszek originally started her work in September 2007, and was handpicked in May 2009 to be apart of the newly formed MPD Homicide Task Force-Cold Case Unit with special intensive investigation into recent serial killings in Milwaukee.

Intitially a student investigator assistant, she was promoted in May 2008 as one of three program analysts for the pilot program establishing a Witness Protection Unit in the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.

“Her work as a program analyst was so impressive that she was handpicked to serve as one of our two representatives on the unit,” said David Budde, chief investigator for the Milwaukee District Attorney’s office.

Created to work on the case of multiple unsolved female homicides in the Milwaukee area since 1986, Knyszek helped with a variety of work while in the unit. She helped sift through over 700 names in nine homicide files, researched over 15,000 sexual assault investigations from the last 23 years, reviewed nearly 6000 prostitution-related investigations and arrests, looked over 2000 arrests over a 15-year period in the geographic areas where the bodies were discovered, questioned over 1000 names through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, and searched the state DNA databank of 125,000 people and the national DNA databank of 6,000,000 people.

With her help the serial killings were eventually linked to a suspect, Walter Ellis, who was arrested in September, 2009, and charged with seven counts of homicide.

Asked to stay on the unit, she worked on at least four additional cold case homicides in which leads were eventually developed and criminal charges were issued.

From search warrants to autopsys, watching interrogations to touring the crime lab, and working on high profile cases, and getting subpoenas to testify in court, Knyszek has found her work to be quite exciting.
“I think the most exciting part overall is just knowing that each day I go into work what I do truly matters and has an effect on some part of a criminal investigation or could even affect some other person’s life,” said Knyszek.

As a whole Knyszek’s work has been praised by the Attorney General of Wisconsin, the Milwaukee County Executive and the District Attorney. With this achievement she becomes the first student from the District Attorney’s office to ever win Student Employee of the Year.

“She is the finest work-study student to have worked for the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in the past decade – out of a pool of well over 125 students,” said Budde. “This is an unprecedented assignment for a work-study student – never in the history of our office’s association with Marquette University has something like this been done.”

Still ecstatic about her award, Knyszek remembers the day she found out like it was yesterday.
“Everywhere I went everyone was congratulating me and telling me how happy they were for me,” said Knyszek.

“It served to further confirm the feeling of community I have within both the District Attorney’s office and MPD, particularly with everyone being truly happy for my accomplishment and thanking me for the work I have done for them.” Knyszek will stay with the unit until she graduates in May 2010.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Remember peer mediation from elementary school? Yes, the group of your peers that helped you cope when the big bad bully pushed you off the slide in the tot-lot. Well, there is a peer mediator for part-time and full-time staff, administrators and faculty at Marquette University—the Ombudsman. One would walk right past Dr. Kerry Egdorf’s office on the fourth floor of Cudahy Hall, and be unable to figure out what her job was except for the telltale bowl of rocks in the middle of her conference table etched with such words as: “harmony” and “peace.” So, if Egdorf is a peer mediator, why call her an Ombudsman? “It is a Swedish word used to describe someone who served as a liaison between citizens and the government,” said Egdorf.

Although one would think all faculty members agree on most things, Egdorf is there for the bumps in the road. “I am available to part and full-time staff, administrators, and faculty to listen to their concerns, and help them solve problems they might have with procedure or a colleague,” said Egdorf.

With a Ph.D in Communication Studies, Egdorf, who was once a professor on a tenure track at Marquette from 1997-2001, describes her role more like a “conflict coach” than peer mediator. She has a graduate certificate in dispute resolution and maintains a position as an adjunct assistant professor in the College of Communication and the College of Professional Studies. She believes that these roles allow her to both bind and detach when necessary, which is crucial to her job.

“ I see myself as, and want to maintain the role of, familiar outsider. I know how the university works, and can maintain an independent seperateness from the majority of what the university does. I can remain impartial to conflict between staff and administrators or faculty and staff or any other combination,” said Egdorf.

If the idea that those who educate and advise us sometimes have disputes with one another is foreign, that is the way it should be. Confidentiality is a major part of the role of Ombudsman and Egdorf does not keep record of who comes and goes in her office. Egdorf admits that her job is mostly listening and people often leave differently than when they arrived.

“Sometimes people feel better having a confidential resource where they can vent. After that they may or may not do anything about the conflict, “ said Egdorf.

Those who come into her office know that it is informal, a place to talk and generate possible solutions to conflicts and concerns. Egdorf redirects those looking to file formal grievances to the Human Resources Department, and stresses that the Office of the Ombudsman is just one of the places on campus where employees have a voice. “ One is Human Resources, and another is the Employee Assistance Program, which is a resource for all employees who have stress or workplace problems, “ said Egdorf.

Dr. Egdorf also emphasizes that her job is not to implement change, or take sides in a conflict or dispute. “ If I do any intervention it is known that I do not have any authority to change policy or processes,” said Egdorf. “My job is to get the conversation started and help keep it going if it stalls.”

Popularity: 1% [?]

Many argue that ROTC may have a legal right to be on campus, but morally it doesn’t deserve place. but that it does not so on a moral ground. This argument is based on the premise that the teaching of war and values contrary to the Catholic faith and the Gospel.

It is true that war is against the teachings of the Catholic Church, but only in the case of unjust war. St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest theologians and doctors of the Church, addresses this issue in the Summa Theologica. In Part II, Question 40, he says that in order for a war to be moral “a just cause is required, namely that those who are attacked, should be attacked because they deserve it on account of some fault”. In other words, if nation A attacks nation B, nation B may rightfully strike back at nation A. St. Thomas also cites Romans 13:4, saying that the nation that attacks out of self defense “beareth not the sword in vain: for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doth evil”. Clearly, it is not against the teaching of the Catholic Church to wage a just war.

In order to carry out a just war, a military is needed, which in turn requires soldiers. Any Catholic would hope that these soldiers would be trained under the guidance of the Catholic Church, so that they may be led to make morally sound decisions in war. It is not contrary to Catholic teaching to train soldiers for this purpose. Therefore, ROTC does, morally speaking, have a rightful place here at Marquette.

While this justifies the presence of ROTC at Marquette in light of just wars, this argument does not justify, however, the presence of ROTC at Marquette in light of unjust wars, which, unfortunately, are all too common. So what is one to do if he is called to fight a war that is deemed unjust by the Catholic Church? And how can we justify training soldiers to fight these unjust wars at a Catholic University? To answer these questions, I quote the gospel of St. Mark, which says to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17). The meaning here is that Catholics have a twofold duty in life: to God and to country. Catholics who do wish to serve their nation by joining the military, although there are many other ways to serve one’s country, do so because they recognize the need for soldiers to fight just wars in order to preserve and protect the ground you walk on. In doing so, they pledge, out of the humility that the Catholic Church so strongly instills in its faithful, to do the will of their country, whatever it may be. As citizens, all should vote for the candidates who will keep us out of unjust wars, but that is not always going to be the case. A soldier cannot pick and choose his battles; as such would be detrimental to the cohesion of the armed forces. Just as it is not our choice to decide what God asks of us, so it is not our choice to decide what our nation asks of us.

Finally, the classes that the ROTC students receive do not teach them to kill blindly, and “without conscience”. They simply give our nation’s future officers some of the tools they will need to carry out the wars this nation sends them to fight. How they choose to employ those tools is based entirely on their moral compasses, which are formed through their education.

To say that ROTC does not have a rightful place here at Marquette because it supports war, or because the ROTC classes teach future military officers to kill without conscience is clearly an uneducated opinion.

by John Schelstrate
john.schelstrate@mu.edu

Popularity: 1% [?]

Recently an international investor purchased an apartment complex near the intersection of 15th and Kilbourn. The new owner then notified the current residents that they have one month to vacate the premises. The owner now plans on renovating the interior and having it available for use by the fall of 2010. While this may not sound bad at first, when one realizes that the purpose of this is to remove the residents, many of whom are not Marquette students, and replace them with exclusively MU students, one sees that this is a horrific idea. This housing discrimination is something which should not be accepted by the MU community. The university should step in and say that it does not condone exclusive housing units which discriminate based upon whether or not the individual seeking to live there is a student at Marquette. Marquette, as a Jesuit institution of higher learning, must live up to its core values and embrace all people, not just its students. One of the reasons that many people chose Marquette over other urban universities is that it proudly boasts of having no walls or fences, and that it welcomes the people of Milwaukee to freely walk though campus and interact with the students. The policy of preventing these people from living near campus, however, is one which effectively declares that students are, for one reason or another, superior and better tenants.

As a Jesuit university Marquette should be open to all people living in the neighborhood around its campus. Simply because an individual does not attend Marquette does not mean that that person should not be allowed to live in the campus area. While one cannot state categorically that the policies of the management company which only allows students to live in its buildings are classist or racist, mainly because Marquette students are from a variety of economic backgrounds and races, the fact still remains that the majority if Marquette students are white, and the majority of non-Marquette students who live in the campus area are African-American. In addition, whether the perception is true or not, MU students are, by and large, considered to be of at least middle class background, and it is likely that these students will be in a higher economic group than the current residents, most of whom are categorized as low income residents. The fact that Marquette is not speaking out against the removal of non-students in favor of students is appalling. We as a campus community must speak up and declare that we will not accept housing discrimination, based on any categories, to exist in our community. Marquette should take the lead in this by opening campus owned apartment complexes to anyone who is willing to pay the rent for these apartments. While many argue that the purpose of these university properties is to guarantee that students have housing in the area of campus, the fact still remains that most students who live in apartments live in ones which are not owned by the university, and have been able to find housing.

Outside of financial incentives, i.e. charging much higher rent to students than to the current low income residents, there is no reason why the new owners of the property should exclude the current residents from remaining in their homes. Even if the owners were to argue that the increase in rent would be the reason why they are kicking out the current residents, what they cannot justify is limiting those living in the apartments to students. While it is true that students can afford higher rents than many of those living in the Marquette area, it does not mean that those individuals should be excluded from even trying to live in the building, and as such financial motivations cannot be a legitimate justification for this discrimination.

Another argument which could be posited would be that the non-students are somehow more dangerous than students, or more likely to cause property damage. It may be true that there are more criminals who are not students than there are who are students, it is also true that property management companies often check to see if people with criminal records live in their buildings, and this could happen also for this company. As such, there is no inherently greater danger to having non-students live in a building as there is with students. In addition, one needs only to visit any one of a number of apartment complexes on a Friday or Saturday night to see the willingness of MU students to drink while underage and to commit any number of minor criminal offences, like disorderly conduct or vandalism. The simple fact is that college students in general, like any group of young people, are a rowdy group, and are no less noisy and destructive than the average non-student living in Marquette’s neighborhood. As such, we as a community must realize that the limitation of housing to students only is a discriminatory act and one which should not be supported whatsoever.

By: Jonathan Stepp
jonathan.stepp@mu.edu

Popularity: 1% [?]

This year student organizations have been feeling the cost of Marquette’s expansion efforts. Ironically, many student groups say the expansion has left with less room and them out in the cold and without a place to gather. Pure Dance Marquette, a student dance organization, is one of several student groups that has had difficulty finding adequate practice space on campus.

Olivia Corradin, Pure Dance president and co-founder and a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said her group continues to experience a shortage of practice space. “Student groups cannot get space when they need it,” she said. “There is more demand for space than there is space available.”

Corradin attributes some of these problems to the tearing down of Carmel, a former university owned apartment building. Carmel was torn down earlier this year to make way for the new engineering complex being constructed on the corner of 16th Street and Wisconsin Avenue.

Vice President of Administration Arthur Scheuber said that although student organization meeting space has decreased, placing groups in available spaces on campus has always been a struggle.

“Student groups were using one large meeting space in that area [Carmel] prior to the construction…(but) historically there has always been a shortage of student practice space.”

Martial arts student orgnization Kuk Sool Won has also experienced the shortage of adequate practice ground. Kuk Sool Won President and College of Arts & Sciences senior Kristen Ruka said when it comes time to practice the group is often moved by Event Management.

“We were put in assorted practice spaces throughout the AMU, including Weasler Auditorium,” she said. “It was a challenge making sure all of the members knew where we were located for each practice, and, as we are a martial arts club, it hindered our ability to practice because it is not safe to practice some techniques while falling on a hard wood floor.”

Ruka said that in addition to inconsistent meeting places, Event Management has been unable to find any space for all of the group’s practices. “Event Management originally only gave us alternative spaces for about two-thirds of our practice times,” she said. “So we had to cancel around a third of our practices simply for lack of space.”

Ruka said that although Event Management does try to find alternative space for the group in the event their room becomes unavailble, the alternative locations are often inappropriate for the organization’s needs.
“One practice they placed us in Henke, next to the Lunda room. Again, we are a martial arts club, and we were put into a room lined with nice couches and lamps.”

Despite the space struggles student organizations experience, the administration said they are looking for solutions. One of the solution is the integration of classrooms into the practice schedules. “Within the last three years, University Administrators worked together to help integrate classroom space into the scheduling system that is available to all student groups.”

While Scheuber indicates that this integration will help all student groups, university policy still hinders performance groups like Pure Dance. The availability of academic classrooms creates a new and unique set of restrictions for Pure and other performing groups on campus because their use of music.

“I was told the music was a problem for classes that were going on… but even if there were no classes we still can’t reserve a classroom because of this policy,” Corradin said.

Despite these difficulties, other student organizations have been able to adjust to the space they do or do not have. The co-ed acappella group the Gold’ N Blues was limited to Marquette Hall room 100 and Henke Lounge as these were the only rooms allowed to be reserved that had a piano.

“Event Management has been pretty helpful with trying to accommodate us, but it would be helpful if there were more universal spaces for non-music program-affiliated students to have access to with pianos, and that would be available to reserve,” Gold ‘N Blues President Hilary Braseth said. “We have not made any complaints to the university or anything because we’ve learned to work around inconveniences, like for example we have our own portable electronic keyboards so if we hit a worst-case-scenario and can’t reserve space, we’ll hold practice with a keyboard at an apartment.”

Scheuber said the availability of space is a consideration in university expansion plans, and notes that “student space is factored into many decisions, as was the case when the university made the conscious decision to use Open Pantry’s relocation as a perfect opportunity to create additional space.”

Scheuber said there are currently efforts underway to make up practice space lost from Carmel Hall.
“There is a group of administrators that have been assembled to look for additional options that would address the space that was lost,” Scheuber said. “This new group is just another way the university is looking to explore all available options for additional space.”

Popularity: 1% [?]

Little did I know thee, Pizza Man. Actually, none did I know thee; I never went. I’m not really all that upset over it. I suppose that on some level I’m still trying to get over the loss, but it’s kind of like when someone really close to someone you kind of know passes away. You feel like you’re not really allowed to be upset, but you just kind of feel bad anyways? I’ve narrowed down the reason: I love pizza. It just hurts me so much that I never had an opportunity to sample the delights of Pizza Man.

As an homage to the pizza that never was (in my stomach that is), I’d like to rank the top five pizza places in Milwaukee and the area immediately surrounding. These rankings are designed on a scale of 1-10, with 1 being awful and 10 being fantastic, or in other words, with 1 being Angelo’s and 10 being Heaven.

#5 – Brick 3 Pizza: Score – 7.5
Okay, so maybe this could be viewed as a shameless plug for someone who advertises with us, but really. I first had Brick 3 over the summer when I was working at ESPN radio downtown. It is actually really good. Located on Old World Third, Brick 3 Pizza is a great place to stop in before or after a Marquette game.

#4 – Pizzeria Piccola: Score – 8.5
A Wauwatosa classic. I think the rest of Tosa would disown me if I didn’t mention that perhaps the widest selection of good pizza in the city comes from this western suburb. Located on what would be about the equivalent on 76th and State, Pizzeria Piccola offers personal-sized pizzas that are fantastic. Don’t skip on the flatbread, it’s fantastic! If you’re still not convinced on finding your way into Tosa for this pizza, then perhaps a quote from Fr. Naus might suffice. “If I could eat one thing for the rest of my life, I think I would eat this pizza.”

#3 – Ricardo’s Riverfront Pizzeria – 8.7
The top three were tough to score. I’d have to say that Ricardo’s barely loses out to the top two by the slightest of margins. The pizzas are marketed as specialty pizza, meaning that you shouldn’t come in if you aren’t at least willing to entertain bacon, spinach, pine nuts, Thai curry, or any other interesting flavors on your pizza. That’s not to say that the regular pizzas aren’t unbelievable, but there is something to be said about a place that thinks outside the box. Located on East Erie Street in the Third Ward, Ricardo’s Riverfront is a new location for a pizza that has been in town for over 40 years.

#2 – Balistreri’s 68th Street -
Come on, you have to go. If you’re a fan of just good food in general, Balistreri’s on 812 N. 68th street is THE quintessential pizza place in Milwaukee. Although Balistreri’s didn’t win in my rankings, they do win almost every award in the city for best pizza. I recommend the Balistreri’s special, as well as the fried eggplant and calamari. For your own good, just go (They also offer take out).

#1 – Zaffiro’s – Score: 9.9
I recently debated a Chicagoan on the best type of pizza: thin crust vs. thick crust/deep dish. Of course, being from south of the border, this person thought they knew everything about everything. I’m sure it probably doesn’t need to be said then that this person was completely wrong (as all Chicagoans tend to be on most issues: See “Chicago Cubs are totally gonna win the World Series after adding Milton Bradley this offseason” conversation that took place in every sports bar known to man this past year). Being a Milwaukee man, my conclusion is straightforward. Thin crust!

Zaffiro’s is the best pizza in Milwaukee. The cracker thin crust is unreal good. I mean it, it’s unreal. The ingredients are basic, and the atmosphere is as close to “hole in ht wall” as you can get, but take my word for it, Zaffiro’s pizza will blow your mind. Zaffiro’s is located just north of Brady on Farwell.

Runners-Up:
Mama Mia’s on Burleigh
Barbiere’s on Bluemound – Best Garlic Bread in town
Lisa’s – I’ve never been there, but its because every time I go, there is an hour and a half wait.
Lali’s – North Ave. and 89th street in Wauwatosa. Really good.

by Tom Klind
thomas.klind@mu.edu

Popularity: 1% [?]

There are many issues that do not have a clear cut answer or a solution that would better off everyone if implemented. One such issue is the fuzzy legal line between an armed security force and a police force, in relation to the Marquette University Department of Public Safety (DPS). Recently an article appeared arguing
that as non-sworn law enforcement officers, DPS routinely oversteps their legal authority and has adopted a mentality above and beyond their legal status as security officers. There is a fine line to walk between protecting campus residents and property and overstepping their authority. However, in the big picture, DPS does a fantastic job of securing campus and keeping students safe.

First, there is an argument that DPS should become actual sworn law-enforcement officers or simply defer to the Milwaukee Police Department (MPD) in all matters in which life and property are not immediately
threatened. If DPS were a police department, their citations and actions would carry with it the full force of law. Marquette students who choose to drink underage, instead of being told to pour it out in the alley or having a referral to meet with a Hall Director would instead face monetary fines and attain a criminal record in the State of Wisconsin. Such records are public information and do not go away with graduation. If students would prefer police action in response to general underage partying and typical, if not quite acceptable,
collegiate behavior, then making DPS a police department makes sense. In addition, DPS has every right to enforce University policies against underage drinking. This means they are doing students a favor telling them to go home or pour out alcohol rather than referring them to a disciplinary board or the police.

Second, creating excessively cumbersome regulations for DPS places the campus in greater jeopardy than it already is in given its location and surroundings. Last issue’s article argued that camera usage in order to respond to crimes ongoing violates DPS authority as private citizens since citizens cannot ‘respond’ to a crime. This is an argument that makes sense only when considering the protective cocoon of theoretical
ideas discussed behind locked doors, but irrational in practice. Marquette is surrounded on three sides by dangerous neighborhoods. The South Side of Milwaukee across the 16th Street Bridge is home to violent
and organized street gangs.. The west and north sides are full of violent, homegrown street gangs involved in violent crimes such as armed robberies and shootings on a daily basis. Ask anyone who has ever been robbed on campus if they want an armed Public Safety Department to see and respond or to wait for MPD to leave the scene of a shooting up the road to come down and take their statement in twenty minutes. DPS provides rapid assistance to a small area and is completely and solely focused on campus and student safety where as MPD has many responsibilities and Marquette is in a busy area for the police. DPS has student’s best interests at heart. Their focus is to make sure students don’t get out of hand or put themselves in a potentially situation. They ensure that students aren’t hassled or threatened by people not affiliated with Marquette and do a good job providing a deterrent for the numerous criminally inclined people that live in close proximity
to Marquette. Read the crime reports in the Journal Sentinel. Take note of how many crimes are reported
within two miles of campus, then look and see what the DPS reports involve. It is news when there is an armed robbery here; it is routine if it occurs just a few blocks from campus. This is entirely attributable
to the fine job they do. If DPS breaks up a party, it is because the party was probably out of hand. Students who have to pour out their alcohol in an alley know they are unable to possess it in the first place.. Whether or not someone likes a law does not mean violations of that law will or should be ignored.

The bottom line is that, with very few exceptions, the only time students have negative experiences with DPS is when they were out of line or violating the law and/or University’s policies. It is entirely up to the students what sort of interaction they have with DPS.. In the big picture, they keep Marquette safe and deserve a ‘thank you’ rather than a hard time from the students they serve and protect.

by Austin Wozniak
earl.wozniak@mu.edu

Popularity: 1% [?]

Dr. Chris Miller of Marquette speaks at the Kapco Challenge kickoff event at the Bradley Center

At Marquette University we are challenged to “Be the Difference.” It’s a simple and bold statement that can have a profound impact on our campus and community. On January 27th Jim Kamarcik, president of Kapco Metal Stampings, took the initiative to allow students to be the difference and make an impact on our local Milwaukee community through the “Kapco Challenge.” Inspired by “Oprah’s Big Give” Kamarcik created the challenge so that we can be the difference.

The Kapco Challenge consists of teams from Concordia University, Wisconsin Lutheran College, & Marquette University. Each school has 5 teams and every team receives an initial $1000 for phase 1. Each group then creates a service project to give back. On February 15 each group will present to a board and the most deserving project from each school will enter phase 2.

While each group aspires to enter phase 2, it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about what we do for others. Please consider each group and what they will do for our local community this month—meet our Marquette difference makers. (Each first statement is the group’s Mission Statement)

Men Serving Others:“As a group of young men inspired by Jesuit ideals, we are called to be men working for others by immersing ourselves into the community we are serving,
empowering others to reach their own potential, and actively working to help close the gap of poverty and privilege in the Greater Milwaukee area.”

MSO is a group of male leaders on campus. Together they will work with Repairers of the Breach to create a Career Center to help their fellow man or woman get back on his or her feet. Additionally, MSO will provide workshops on resume writing & interview prep. They will accept any donations, but especially business clothes & usable computers. Please contact Phillip Hanson at mensleadership@gmail.com & visit http://menservingothers.weebly.com/

Kappa Sigma:“Founded on the noble principles of Fellowship, Scholarship, Leadership and Service, the Kappa Sigma Fraternity is dedicated to the promotion of the youth and their education at Pierce Elementary. It is our belief that a quality education is the way to a brighter future. With this in mind, we then have the duty to promote the best education possible, on every occasion, for every student at Pierce Elementary School.”

Men of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity believe in fostering education & are working with Pierce Elementary School. Pierce currently has a wired computer lab for years, but for never any computers or technology in the room. By working with students and various local businesses KS looks to raise funds and accept donations to help Pierce Elementary educate our future. KS will accept any technology donations (Computers, Software, Printers). Please contact Joey Kimes at jfkimes@gmail.com & visit http://tinyurl.com/Team283

Sober Party Kids:“We recognize that our world is in need of hope. Together we commit ourselves to opening our hearts to those around us. Our family stretches beyond the walls of our house–we are called to give shelter to our brothers and sisters on the streets, open our closets to our parents without clean clothing, share our tables with children lacking a meal, and empty our pockets to family members in need. We can change the world we live in, we can change the lives of those around us, and we can make this community a family. Through charity we can build a family of love.”

Sober Party Kids are a group of active & driven students. These driven students are actively working with Pathfinders Shelter on Project S.H.Y- Support Homeless Youth. SPK wants find a way to help these youth by promoting/creating a drop in center. Additionally SPK wants to raise awareness of the 400+ current homeless youth in Milwaukee. Please help them so that no youth has to live without a home. Please contact Stephen Moser at shymilwaukee@gmail.com

O-Staff: This energetic group is looking to help the community at large by working with either mental health issues or cancer. More details are to come soon. Please contact Dave Kruse at david.kruse@mu.edu

Burke Scholars:“In the spirit of Dick Burke, who transformed each of our lives, we seek to use the resources entrusted to us to create transformative, sustainable change in our community that will continue in perpetuity. Above all, we seek to serve the voiceless in our community, to see them as whole people and to use the gifts, resources and talents entrusted to us to bring about meaningful, empowering change.”

The Burke Scholars remarked that they are hoping to use their funds to help the community at large to create a sustainable change. More details are to come soon.

At the kickoff event for the Kapco Challenge Kamarcik quoted legendary coach John Wooden by saying “You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” As our Marquette student groups begin to serve those who cannot repay, may they remember Wooden’s quote, for he was one of the most remarkable men and winners in recent history. Like Wooden, we are all winners because of the generosity of Kapco, Kamarcik, and our fellow peers. Together lets join as a Marquette community and help each group by giving our time and what we have so that together we can “Be the Difference.”

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