Gov. Tony Evers ordered emergency repair work to Van Hise Hall after concrete slabs broke off the UW-Madison building earlier this week and an engineering company found the building’s remaining panels “pose an immediate threat to public health, welfare and safety.”
April 12, 2021
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Higher Education/System
Gov. Tony Evers authorizes emergency work after concrete slabs fall at UW-Madison. Tommy Thompson says other campuses have similar problems.
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.
Evers orders removal of slabs from UW System headquarters
Gov. Tony Evers took the unusual step Friday of ordering workers to remove all concrete slabs hanging over the entrances and exists of the University of Wisconsin System headquarters building, days after two slabs fell off the facade and crashed to the sidewalk outside the building’s main doors.
Thompson Continues Push For Systemwide Online Education Program
University of Wisconsin System interim President Tommy Thompson is continuing his push for a system-wide approach to online education. Thompson says a unified front on behalf of all UW System campuses is the best way to compete with out-of-state colleges spending heavily in Wisconsin to attract working adults to take courses.
‘It’s problematic:’ Economic disparity between UW-Madison and other UW schools puts smaller campuses at risk
’UW-Madison has been able to increase tuition revenue in ways that other campuses really can’t,’ UW-Milwaukee professor says.
Campus life
Evers orders removal of slabs from UW System headquarters
Gov. Tony Evers took the unusual step Friday of ordering workers to remove all concrete slabs hanging over the entrances and exists of the University of Wisconsin System headquarters building, days after two slabs fell off the facade and crashed to the sidewalk outside the building’s main doors.
UW’s 2021-22 academic year set to begin during Rosh Hashanah, Jewish students describe frustrations
“I definitely think they have the ability to change [the academic calendar] but don’t really care,” stressed Silver.
Provost shuts down task force after recommending retroactive disruption grading options for the fall 2020 semester
“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
ASM condemns ‘Protecting Women in Sports Act,’ urges students to contact legislators
The Associated Students of Madison Equity and Inclusion Committee encouraged students to reach out to Wisconsin government leaders on Thursday, as part of their efforts to support transgender athletes.
Crime and safety
MPD investigating house hit by bullets near UW-Madison Arboretum
Police say at around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday, a house on the 2900 block of Traceway Dr. was struck by bullets while a woman and man were inside.
19-year-old international student scammed out of almost $10,000 after caller claims to be from ICE
A19-year-old international student at UW-Madison was recently scammed out of almost $10,000 after receiving phone calls from someone claiming to be from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE,) Madison police said.
Health
Michigan is overwhelmed by another COVID-19 surge, this one driven by young people. Is Wisconsin next?
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’
“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.”
Liver disease up in young adults, with possible tie to pandemic-related drinking, UW Health says
An uptick in liver disease among young people, especially women, may be tied to increased drinking related to stress from the pandemic, a UW Health doctor said.
Athletics
Badgers senior setter Sydney Hilley excels on, off court
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
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.
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
“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
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
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.