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A seemingly routine Parkside Student Government (PSG) meeting went awry yesterday, April 14, after the results of the previous week’s election were called into question. Rumors and allegations of the Athletics department using electioneering tactics to get their teams to vote in a certain way have been floating around the campus since last Tuesday, and the issue was brought up in the Senate.

According to senators and members of the election commission that worked the polls last week, many athletes were overheard saying that they would be voting “for who Coach told me to vote for”.

This past weekend, Apr. 8-11, The Women’s Center of UW-Parkside organized a benefit performance of the Broadway play, The Vagina Monologue. The efforts served to bring awareness to the public of violence against women and girls.

Professor Dean Karpowicz has been an English professor at UW-Parkside for ten years. Starting with a part-time job, he eventually became full time around six years ago. "I knew I was going to be an English major in high school," he said, heavily inspired by J.D Salinger's book, Catcher In The Rye. After trying out a biology major for two semesters as an undergraduate, he made the switch to English, and by his junior year he knew that he was poised to graduate with that major.

Mr. and Mrs. Parkside, an annual event sponsored by Parkside's Activities Board, took place Thursday, Apr. 8, in the Den. The contestants---Cory Bullocks, Valencia Williamson, Shar’mane Martin, Michaela Usher, Timothy Griffin and Steve Weisner---represented a range of Parkside students anywhere from freshmen to seniors. The contestants graced the red carpet in evening attire, and were part of a full night of entertainment that included singing, poetry recital, and even a comedy performance.

UW-Parkside Student Government (PSG) elections were held Tuesday, Apr. 6, and Wednesday, Apr. 7 for the 2010-11 school year. There were 644 ballots cast, which is quite an improvement on last year. There were several write-in candidates ranging from Mick E. Mouse, to Frank Zappa. Other notable write-ins were David Icke, Spongebob, Jesus, Ron Paul, Darth Vader, Alex Jones, Jesse Ventura, The Infinite, and Parkside's very own, Ranger Bear. The winners of the election were Steve Delcuze for President, Dana Calamia for Vice President, and Heidi Curtis for SUFAC-at-large.

In a surprise event, the Federal Communications Committee (FCC) ordered Parkside's student radio station, WIPZ, off the air. While they can no longer broadcast on the airwaves, they have transitioned to the Brickstone café for the first time in Parkside history.

Someone anonymously complained to the FCC about the broadcasts, therefore, as a result, agents drove up from Chicago to listen in. After hearing the station further than it legally should have been, they sent a cease-and-desist letter to WIPZ. There were no fines, raids, or anything of that nature.

Bernard Anthony Lewandowski directed the dramatic comedy, 'Starts Friday.' It premiered at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside on Apr. 3, 2010, at 7 pm in the UW-P cinema. The film is a low budget independent movie that was cast by University students, and was filmed on the east side of Milwaukee, which took twenty days to complete. According to Bernard, “Starts Friday was made for less than a month’s rent.”

Last Monday, people across the country gathered around their televisions with clenched fists, screaming in either rage or excitement as Duke beat Butler in the NCAA championship game. This marked the end to a month’s worth of brackets, bets and hours spent watching Division 1 teams advance in college basketball; a most commonly referred to as March Madness.

With the elections going strong, it’s time to meet the candidates. Currently, there are seven students ranging from freshmen to seniors vying for a Senate seat in this upcoming election. Some, however, will not have their name on the ballet due to ineligibility. While the eligible candidates were hard to track down, they were eager to share their future plans if elected.