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April 12, 2021

Top Stories

Higher Education/System

Gov. Tony Evers authorizes emergency work after concrete slabs fall at UW-Madison. Tommy Thompson says other campuses have similar problems.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Gov. Tony Evers authorized emergency work on the 19-floor Madison building that houses the University of Wisconsin System’s headquarters Thursday after two precast concrete railing slabs fell from the third floor.

The 10-by-6 foot slabs fell from Van Hise Hall on UW-Madison’s campus Sunday, landing directly in front of the building’s entrance. No one was injured.

Campus life

Provost shuts down task force after recommending retroactive disruption grading options for the fall 2020 semester

Daily Cardinal

“The fact that we implemented [SD/UD grading] in the spring and not in the fall is, I think, unfair to students,” Kons said. “What this university has been promoting throughout the entire pandemic is a failure to understand the needs of students. I think it highlights a disconnect between students and the university.”

State news

Crime and safety

Health

Michigan is overwhelmed by another COVID-19 surge, this one driven by young people. Is Wisconsin next?

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: “I think we’re all at the edge of our seat, fingers crossed we don’t experience that, but all the signs indicate that we could experience it,” said Ajay Sethi, an epidemiologist and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “We’re headed in the wrong direction.”

Although vaccines appear to be highly effective against new variants of COVID-19, not enough of the population is yet vaccinated to prevent a surge without other precautions, Sethi said.

Why covid arm and other post-vaccine rashes might actually be a ‘good thing’

The Washington Post

“It doesn’t happen in the summer,” says Beth Drolet, professor and chair of dermatology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, who is studying the covid toe phenomenon. “The toes can stay blue for weeks, but eventually go back to normal.”

As the vaccine rollout accelerates this spring and summer, “we would expect to see a decrease in post vaccination covid toes,” says Lisa Arkin, director of pediatric dermatology at Wisconsin. “Covid toes are easily treatable with rewarming. They resolve spontaneously. Sometimes, we use topical medicines to treat inflammation in the skin.  Most patients experience mild swelling and itch, which resolves within days to weeks.”

Athletics

Badgers senior setter Sydney Hilley excels on, off court

Wisconsin State Journal

From a distance it might seem as though Sydney Hilley is almost too good to be true. Not only is she an All-American setter for the No. 1 University of Wisconsin volleyball team, she’s also the program’s first ever first-team Academic All-American. A three-time team captain, she’s also considered a consummate leader with an unquestioned work ethic.

 

UW Experts in the News

A mysterious neurological disease is afflicting endangered Florida panthers

National Geographic

A toxic substance is likely killing off the axons, says Ian Duncan, a neurologist at the University of Wisconsin who has collaborated with the FWC. He’s an expert on disorders affecting the myelin sheath, the fatty layer that protects nerve fibers in a mammal’s central nervous system. Initially it looked like FLM may involve deterioration of the myelin sheath, but analysis of the dead panthers’ spinal cords showed that not to be the case.

Meghan Markle won’t travel to Prince Philip’s funeral. Experts say flying while pregnant during the pandemic can be risky.

Business Insider

Dr. Makeba Williams, an OB-GYN at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, told Insider flying during pregnancy is generally safe before 36 weeks, though more precautions are needed during the pandemic, especially if you’re not vaccinated.

“It’s unfortunate we have to talk about [flying while pregnant] in the context of a death,” she said, “but it’s relevant to a lot of people.”

Losing a long-term spouse can be deadly, studies show

CNN

“The increased likelihood for a recently widowed person to die — often called the “widowhood effect” — is one of the best documented examples of the effect of social relations on health,” wrote Dr. Nicholas Christakis, who runs the Human Nature Lab at Yale University and coauthor Felix Elwert, a professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in a seminal 2008 study.

Obituaries

Ehrke, Juanita Rose Robbins

Wisconsin State Journal

For 16 years, Juanita was the assistant to several professors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was assistant to the chairs of the Educational Administration Department and ultimately became the assistant to the Vice Chancellor of the Cooperative Extension Services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

UW-Madison Related

Q&A: UW sophomore Lennox Owino brings international student issues to forefront

The Capital Times

Every Tuesday, student government leaders sit through Zoom meetings that can last over four hours, presenting a slew of resolutions to address the moment’s unique challenges. Behind many of the measures is Lennox Owino, a sophomore representing the College of Letters & Sciences who is particularly invested in improving the college experience for international students. After moving to Madison from Nairobi, Kenya, Owino started in ASM as a freshman intern.