Dawn Proctor made a request in March that she considered to be bold and unusual and unlike her. The UW-Madison alumna graduated in 1986 but circumstances beyond her control prevented her from participating in the commencement ceremony. Now 67 and auditing a full load of courses this semester, being back on campus reminded her over and over again of the missed opportunity.
May 10, 2022
Top Stories
Research
UW-Madison researchers say second hunt risked wolves possibly becoming endangered or extinct in Wisconsin
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison say a second wolf hunt last year would have risked Wisconsin’s wolf population dropping to undesirable levels that include the wolf possibly becoming endangered or extinct in Wisconsin.
Higher Education/System
‘We’re struggling to pay for it’: A student’s perspective on the rising cost of college
Quoted: Professor Nicholas Hillman is recognized in the acknowledgments of the Wisconsin Policy Forum’s report. He said the data is sobering, but does not mean the worst for Wisconsin students. He said it should, however, be a wake-up call to lawmakers.
“I do think it’s a chance for these issues to be prioritized, like how do we pay for college and how do we prioritize finances so people who want to go can go,” he said. “Reduce those barriers, at the least.”
Hillman said a primary reason for rising college tuition is because running a university is expensive. Those expenses range from paying faculty to maintaining costly facilities.
Hillman helped create UW-Madison’s Bucky’s Tuition Promise. The program began four years ago and covers tuition costs annually for Wisconsin-based students. Their household income must be $60,000, or less.
Campus life
As spring 2022 commencement approaches, students express shortcomings by UW
Despite being excited to graduate, some UW seniors are frustrated with shipping delays and construction that will impact their commencement experience.
Divine Nine Garden Plaza recognizes Black Greek life at UW-Madison
On Saturday, May 7, UW-Madison unveiled a much-overdue landmark of one such community’s presence on its campus. Hundreds turned out to witness the unveiling of the Divine Nine Garden Plaza, dedicated to the history and achievement of Black members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council at UW-Madison.
State news
Report: Wisconsin Legislature maps have the worst partisan-bias of any court-drawn map in the nation
Noted: The new maps, drawn by the Wisconsin State Legislature, are considered the most partisan-biased, court-adopted maps in the nation. That’s according to a new analysis from the University of Wisconsin Law School. The maps heavily advantage Republican politicians, all but guaranteeing Republican-rule in the state Legislature, regardless of what most voters want.
The analysis looked at four metrics: partisan-bias, efficiency gap, mean-median difference and declination.
“On every one of these standard partisan fairness metrics, these new maps are the worst, court-adopted maps that we’ve seen anywhere in the country,” says Rob Yablon, an associate professor at the law school, who published the analysis.
Health
Health experts optimistic that even if COVID cases rise, hospitalizations and deaths should remain under control
Quoted: The expansion of “test-to-treat” clinics is key, said Ajay Sethi, an associate professor of population health sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Test-to-treat locations are federally-designated one-stop shops where patients to get tested for COVID-19 and, if medication is deemed appropriate, get a prescription filled right away. There are 16 test-to-treat locations in Wisconsin so far.
“When we can scale that up to a point where we can feel confident that, ‘Hey, I’ve got symptoms, let me pop into that CVS, get tested, it’s positive, pharmacist gives me Paxlovid,’ that’s the next chapter,” Sethi said. “I think it’s the distribution issues that are keeping this from being a page-turner.”
Tony Evers’ Health Equity Council recommendations draw Republican ire
“These proposals, if enacted, will have significant positive effects on our ability as a state to combat historic and pervasive health disparities across race, economic status, education, geographic location and history of incarceration,” according to a statement by council chair Gina Green-Harris, who directs the Center for Community Engagement and Health Partnerships at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.