University of Wisconsin Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor hosted a media roundtable with student journalists Tuesday. Updates on campus initiatives, financial and housing needs and free expression were prominent in the discussion.
September 11, 2024
Top Stories
Chancellor Mnookin reflects on free speech, student housing, protest violations during media roundtable
A lot has been on University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s plate since the spring.
Between a 12-day pro-Palestine encampment and juggling the university budget process, she’s had to carefully tread an upcoming election with a student body that has divided perspectives. Mnookin and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Lori Reesor sat down with campus media Tuesday to discuss free speech efforts, the affordable housing shortage and protest culture.
Looking To The Future By Reckoning With The Past With UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin
Dr. Gee has an in-depth conversation with University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin on what the university is doing to improve the sense of belonging for students of color. Their discussion covers Dr. Gee’s participation in a committee working to recognize the universities history with students of color and what can be done moving forward. The committee will be releasing a report soon with their findings and recommendations. Chancellor Mnookin shares about her plans and initiatives in this role at the university and how she sees that they are developing so far.Jennifer L. Mnookin is the 30th leader in the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s 175-year history, and one of the nation’s top legal scholars.
Research
Wisconsinites have lower blood PFAS levels than found in other states, new study finds
Wisconsinites have lower concentrations of “forever chemicals” in their blood than residents of other states, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Higher Education/System
Wisconsin students failing reading exams, and so are future teachers
In 2020, UW-Madison and the Madison Metropolitan School District created a task force to study effective ways to teach literacy. Around that time, test scores showed about 80% of the school district’s students were failing to read proficiently.
Beverly Trezek, a UW-Madison professor who specializes in reading, said university administrators used the research to adjust courses. They added more instruction on topics like spelling and writing, and added opportunities for prospective special education teachers to teach reading in schools, she said.
Campus life
‘Harm or Harness’: AI anxieties among UW students, faculty increase along with demand for skills
For University of Wisconsin computer science major Tanvi Wadhawan, envisioning a future where artificial intelligence is not only present but omnipresent has been a no-brainer. Growing up in the Silicon Valley area, Wadhawan has long understood the potential of AI, so much so that it caused her to switch career paths.
“It’s [AI] why I switched gears from straight software engineering to security… it 100% has made me rethink my entire career,” Wadhawan said. “If ChatGPT or cloud AI can do my homework, it can do my job.”
Alcohol is being sold at Camp Randall this year for the first time. How is it impacting campus law enforcement?
This year, Wisconsin Athletics started selling alcohol at Camp Randall Stadium to the general public for the first time.
State news
Wisconsin farm leaders say changes to national milk pricing system will lead to bigger losses
Wenzlaff said the Wisconsin Farm Bureau is working with experts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to plan a series of informational meetings in the coming months so farmers better understand their options ahead of a likely vote in December.
Agriculture
Wisconsin Master Naturalists, Ho-Chunk Nation to host ‘Caring for Grandmother Earth’ volunteer summit
For more than a decade, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension has been offering the opportunity for people to become Master Naturalists by attending expert-led training sessions and volunteering their time to conservation efforts. Altogether, Master Naturalists volunteer over 25,000 hours of service each year to over 700 organizations across the state.
Why Are US Agricultural Emissions Dropping?
‘There’s so much uncertainty in those predictions that I would hesitate to really read too much into any small variation from year to year, outside of demonstrable changes and practices out on the landscape,” said Steven Hall, a professor in the Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “The emissions inventories published by EPA are subject to substantial uncertainty.”
Community
Madison City Council expands affordable housing incentive with aim to help students
Two student housing developers — Core Spaces of Chicago and Mortenson Development of Minneapolis — have made agreements with the city and UW-Madison that let them offer lower rents to qualifying students at certain projects in exchange for added stories, Verveer said.
Athletics
UW-Madison reports brick relocation project could take years
Officials with UW-Madison reported Tuesday that the memorial bricks around Camp Randall could take years to relocate, possibly until 2027.
UW Experts in the News
Do presidential debates actually matter?
“It’s hard to say,” said UW-Madison Journalism Professor Michael Wagner. “Most of the literature in political science has suggested that debates don’t tend to matter in terms of who people vote for.”
UW-Madison Related
StudentPrint lays off student employees, shifts to self-service model
The University of Wisconsin-Madison StudentPrint laid off all 23 employees and transitioned into a self-service shop called the Registered Student Organization (RSO) Print and Resource Center on Sept. 1 after 25 years of student-run printing services.
‘Marxist’: Donald Trump evokes Kamala Harris’ father in debate
Donald Harris, Kamala Harris’ father, is a post-keynesian economist who has written on Marxist theory. He is a retired Stanford University professor who has served as an economic advisor to his home country of Jamaica. He also taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
How Undecided Voters Reacted to the Harris-Trump Debate
Samira Ali, a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, entered the debate unsure whether she would vote at all. She left a raucous viewing party on campus still unsure. “She still has to impress me,” said Ms. Ali, 19. As someone who recently moved into her own place off-campus and has had to buy groceries for the first time, Ms. Ali said she wanted to hear Ms. Harris speak more about housing costs and inflation. “I’m still deciding,” she said as the debate neared its end.