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February 20, 2024

Research

Higher Education/System

University of Wisconsin extends May 1 commitment deadline, citing FAFSA delays

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

May 1 has long been the traditional decision deadline for high school seniors to commit to college. But the federal government’s delays with a new financial aid form are prompting some institutions to extend the registration deadline. The University of Wisconsin-Madison joined the growing list Monday, moving their admitted student deposit and on-campus housing contract deadlines to May 15.

Campus life

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Has Fallen Out of Favor

The New York Times

“Chocolate chip used to be a flavor we produced constantly,” said Caroline Crowley, communications specialist for Babcock Dairy Plant, which has 75 years of ice-cream making under its belt, in Madison, Wis. Chocolate chip hasn’t been a staple for a decade, she said: “Now it’s seasonal.”

State news

Deceptive AI campaign ads could target Wisconsin. Lawmakers have a plan to fight them.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“There has not been a line in terms of what modifications are okay,” said Dietram Scheufele, who studies misinformation and social media at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Public opinion about what’s acceptable in altering content has changed, such as editing photos of ourselves on Instagram or LinkedIn, he said.

“If some deepfake comes out of Biden falling down repeatedly right before the election in key states, and it all turns out to be fake five days later, that’s completely irrelevant,” Scheufele said. “We don’t have video-assisted review like we have in in football, which means the game will have ended and the result will stand.”

A game-changing moment for Wisconsin Democrats. New maps put legislative majorities within reach

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Michigan and Minnesota — two Midwestern states where Democrats took control in 2022 for the first time in many years — could serve as examples of what Wisconsin Democrats would do with a legislative majority, said Barry Burden, a political science professor at University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the university’s Elections Research Center.

Democrats in those states have “eagerly legislated in new directions on issues such as criminal justice and environmental protection,” Burden said. Given the chance, Wisconsin Democrats would likely pursue a variety of policy changes unavailable to them under GOP control, he said.

Health

Physical therapy: How to improve your sense of balance

Wisconsin Public Radio

Several systems govern our body’s sense of balance: the muscles, joints, inner ears and more. Our physical therapists are back. They’ll share the exercises you can do to bolster your balance and decrease your risk of falling. Interview with Jill Thein-Nissenbaum, a professor in the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Lori Thein Brody, a physical therapist at UW Health Spine Physical Therapy Clinic.

Athletics

UW Experts in the News

Do California’s High Road worker training programs offer a step up?

San Francisco Chronicle

The High Road program is an improvement compared to many other workforce programs, which often prioritize training people for jobs regardless of the quality, said Laura Dresser, the associate director of the High Road Strategy Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She helped coin the term “high road” and served as a consultant to California’s workforce programs in 2017.