Despite documented systemic barriers, a new UW-Madison study shows mothers with low incomes find the credit system in the United States legitimate. We speak with Sarah Halpern-Meekin and J. Michael Collins, two of the researchers.
January 11, 2024
Research
‘Gain of function’ research prohibition bill receives public hearing
A bill that would prohibit higher education institutions in Wisconsin from conducting “gain of function” research on “potentially pandemic pathogens” received a public hearing on Wednesday.
The bill — AB 413 — was introduced by Rep. Elijah Behnke (R-Oconto) and Sen. André Jacque (R-DePere), who cited several incidents at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and controversy over the origins of COVID-19.
Higher Education/System
Communities that lose UW campuses could be given $2M to redevelop the property
The closures of three Universities of Wisconsin branch campuses have left empty buildings and hundreds of acres of unused land in Richland, Washington and Fond du Lac counties.
A proposed GOP bill could give those communities $2 million to redevelop the former two-year campus sites.
UW-River Falls professor discusses dairy farm focused short course
This fall, UW-River Falls took over UW-Madison’s Farm and Industry Short Course. We learn why the agricultural program shifted to another university as well as what the program means for the future of dairy farming.
Campus life
Madison cleans up after Tuesday snowfall
Prageeshwar Chandran, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, was up bright and early to experience the snow.
He’s an international student from India and said he had never experienced a big snowfall before.
“The last time there was a winter storm in Madison, I wasn’t here; I was in Chicago,” Chandran said. “So, I didn’t know what went down here. But this is the first time, and I don’t think it bothered me too much. I think everyone worked tirelessly around the clock.”
Looking ahead with CALS Dean Glenda Gillaspy
UW-Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Dean Glenda Gillaspy reflects on her first three semesters on campus. She says the two most common issues that come to her desk from stakeholders are decreasing enrollment trends and the status of production agriculture education on campus.
Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh stresses importance of new football practice facility as donations reach more than 80% of goal
According to University of Wisconsin officials, a total of $62.5 million has been raised for funding the new football indoor practice facility adjacent to Camp Randall Stadium.
That amount, bolstered by a $20 million commitment from alums Ted and Mary Kellner, is 83.3% of UW’s goal of $75 million. The fundraising efforts started in late October.
Video: A snowy drive through the UW Arboretum
State Journal reporter Barry Adams drives through the UW Arboretum the day after southern Wisconsin’s first major snowstorm of the season.
State news
Reaction to GOP medical marijuana proposal
This week, Republican legislators unveiled a proposal to legalize medical marijuana in Wisconsin. We get reaction to the proposal from Lucas Richert, a pharmaceutical historian at UW-Madison.
Health
Nearly 1 in 10 teens worldwide have used ineffective and potentially harmful weight-loss products, study estimates
Dr. Paula Cody, medical director of adolescent medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, warned about the dangers of diet pills and supplements more than six years ago after hearing enough patients ask about supplements to lose weight or gain muscle — and the issue has only grown.
“The incidence of eating disorders has increased pretty dramatically after the pandemic. We’ve seen the numbers skyrocket,” she said. “So I do think that the concern I had before, which was not a small matter then — I’m even more concerned now.”
Opinion
Herb Kohl rose to heights of power. You could run into him at George Webb diner.
Kohl gave a lot of money away. Like… a lot. He put Kohl in the Kohl Center at his alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, by donating $25 million to get it built. Twenty years later, he put up $100 million to build a new stadium for the Bucks, now known as the Fiserv Forum. And he gave over $50 million in grants and scholarships to teachers, schools and programs throughout Wisconsin.
Business/Technology
Totaled car guide: Key things to know in 2024
“When many talk about ‘totaling a car,’ it is often taken to mean that the car is a total wreck and cannot be salvaged, certainly not driven. However, in the insurance world, ‘totaling’ is when the insurer declares the book/cash value (e.g., Blue Book Value) of the car just before the accident is less than the costs of covered repairs from the accident,” says Karen C.A. Holden, professor emeritus, Department of Consumer Science and Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin – Madison Institute on Aging.
UW Experts in the News
PolitiFact: Did Democrats want to expand slavery pre-Civil War, while Republicans opposed it?
Kathryn McGarr, an associate professor in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who is also affiliated with the Department of History, pointed out the regional differences too, and then that there has been a shift since the Civil War for both of the parties. One example is the stance on equal rights.
“At the time of the Civil War, most members of what was then called the Democratic party supported slavery, and most members of what was then the newly formed Republican Party were anti-slavery,” she wrote in a December 28, 2023 email. “But what each party stood for has shifted dramatically over time, with the biggest realignments occurring in the middle of the Twentieth Century over civil rights. So someone like the segregationist senator Strom Thurmond was a Democrat until 1964 when he switched affiliation to the Republican Party.”