Library Mall at UW-Madison erupted in cheers and applause Monday at 2:06 p.m., as hundreds gathered to celebrate the much-anticipated solar eclipse.
Solar eclipse thrills hundreds gathered at UW-Madison’s Library Mall
Wisconsin State Journal
April 9, 2024
Top Stories
Research
Student athlete suicide rates have doubled since 2002
Inside Higher Ed
The study was authored by researchers from the University of Washington, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Oregon Health and Science University.
“Athletes are generally thought of as one of the healthiest populations in our society, yet the pressures of school, internal and external performance expectations, time demands, injury, athletic identity and physical fatigue can lead to depression, mental health problems and suicide,” the authors wrote.
Tylenol can be made without coal tar and crude oil
New Atlas
Given the planet’s limited fossil fuel supply and the global challenge of achieving net zero emissions, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison have devised a greener way of producing paracetamol: trees.
Higher Education/System
President Joe Biden unveils student debt forgiveness plan in trip to Madison. Here is what to know
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
An analysis by the University of Wisconsin’s Student Success Through Applied Research Lab found in 2020 that the largest group of borrowers — 23% of those with student debt — owed between $20,000 and $40,000, and 21% owed between $10,000 and $20,000.
UW-Madison, other UW campuses to offer six weeks of paid parental leave
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin System is becoming more family friendly.
Employees will receive six weeks of paid parental leave after the birth or adoption of a child under a new policy bringing UW campuses in line with many other universities across the country. The policy takes effect July 1.
UW system chancellors, president get raises. Here’s what they’ll make.
The Capital Times
The Board of Regents has increased the base salaries for the Universities of Wisconsin president and chancellors.
President Joe Biden unveils latest student loan forgiveness plan in Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
Biden formally announced the plans in Madison, home to the flagship campus of the Universities of Wisconsin, as well as Madison Area Technical College and Edgewood College. The trip is Biden’s third to the state this year and sixth since February 2023 as he campaigns for a second term.
WATCH: Biden visits Wisconsin to announce student debt relief for more than 30 million
PBS NewsHour
Biden will make the announcement on Monday in Madison, the state’s liberal capital and home of the University of Wisconsin’s flagship campus. The president is scheduled to speak at a nearby technical college.
Biden to preview proposed student loan forgiveness program in Wisconsin
NPR
That was Midelfort last month, while standing in line to attend a fundraiser in Madison featuring Vice President Kamala Harris. Now the president is heading to Madison, a college town home to the University of Wisconsin. Political columnist John Nichols says the campaign visits are a big change from 20 years ago.
Biden pitches up to $20,000 of interest relief in sweeping student debt relief plan
POLITICO
It’s no coincidence Biden chose Madison to deliver his remarks on student loan debt relief. Not only is it the county seat of Dane County, one of the bluest enclaves of the state, it is also the state capital and home of the University of Wisconsin with its student body population of 50,600 students.
Campus life
Replay: 2024 solar eclipse in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, highlights from historic celestial event
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ken Knobel of San Francisco traveled to Wisconsin to visit his son at UW-Madison over the weekend and decided to watch the eclipse from Milwaukee because of the clear skies.
“I think the most exciting part of it is that it’s, for some people, once in a lifetime,” said Knobel, who said it’s the first eclipse he’s ever watched.
UW students organize Out of the Darkness Walk for suicide prevention
Badger Herald
Walk emphasizes connection through community, set to take place April 21.
UW-Madison students hold campus iftars to foster community during Ramadan
Daily Cardinal
The UW-Madison chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha hosted an April 2 iftar dinner for students, staff, faculty members and their families to break their fast and share a meal together.
‘It’s the biggest event for decades’: UW-Madison Astronomy Club, campus celebrate solar eclipse
Daily Cardinal
Thousands of students and community members gathered on Library Mall and Bascom Hill to watch the partial solar eclipse over UW-Madison.
Agriculture
New scarecrows: Lasers aim to deter wild birds and reduce disease on Wisconsin farms
Wisconsin Public Radio
Avian flu remains prevalent in Wisconsin’s wild bird populations and the risk to farms this year is about the same as recent years, said Ron Kean, a poultry specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Kean said lasers are a great option to reduce spread of the disease.
“Keeping the wild birds away from our domestic birds seems to be a big part of biosecurity,” he said.
Arts & Humanities
Voter enthusiasm, Popularity of online videos, Social connections
Wisconsin Public Radio
Nielsen data shows that the top streaming service on home televisions is not Netflix or Hulu but YouTube. UW–Madison media studies professors Jonathan Gray and Derek Johnson weigh in on how the video social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok are becoming the top competition for the television and movie industries.
Dance is dwindling in Wisconsin’s public schools. Chell Parkins is trying to fix that.
Wisconsin State Journal
As the inaugural director of dance education at UW-Madison, Parkins, 51, is aiming to get more dance education into the state’s school systems and training the next generation of dance teachers.
Although UW-Madison has been a hub for this work for decades, dance in Wisconsin’s public schools is dwindling. In the 2020-21 school year, just 1,066 students were enrolled in dance classes in Wisconsin schools, according to data from the Department of Public Instruction
Health
Milwaukee Film Festival, Breaking financial barriers, The happiness of Americans, Child care at colleges
Wisconsin Public Radio
America dropped 20 spots in the latest World Happiness Report. We talk with Christine Whelan, a UW-Madison consumer science professor, about the trends contributing to lower happiness and what can be done about it.
Athletics
Balancing acts: Student-athletes navigate mental health challenges amid many responsibilities
Badger Herald
High expectations, growing commitments can lead to mental health challenges among student-athletes, but solutions available.
UW Experts in the News
Marjorie Taylor Greene Applauds Russia for ‘Protecting Christianity’
Newsweek
Mikhail Troitskiy, professor of practice at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, disagreed with Greene’s characterization. “There is simply no reason for the Ukrainian government to persecute Christians because it has much more important concerns during the war with Russia,” he told Newsweek. “The constitution of Ukraine does not mention Christianity or any other religion as official, and Ukraine is a secular state—but there is no reason for its government to crack down on the Christian faith.
Someday, Earth Will Have a Final Total Solar Eclipse
The New York Times
There’s good evidence that the moon retreated more slowly in the past as well. Margriet Lantink, a geologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has analyzed sedimentary rocks in Australia that record climatic changes caused by fluctuations in the Earth-moon distance. “I read the fingerprints of those astronomical variations,” Dr. Lantink said.
How Often Do You Take Breaks From Your Phone?
The New York Times
If you want to peacefully coexist with technology, you need to get a handle on those impulses. Start by noticing when you have an urge to lift your phone or open social media on your browser window, said Richard J. Davidson, the founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
UW-Madison Related
College Towns Usually Lift Democrats. Is the Picture More Complicated in 2024?
The New York Times
In Madison, almost a third of Democratic primary voters in wards on or near the university’s campus voted “uninstructed,” according to an analysis by The Daily Cardinal, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s independent student newspaper.