Gov. Tony Evers visited the University of Wisconsin-Madison Thursday, touring Chadbourne Residence Hall and the Mosse Humanities Building to hear student concerns about the building and to highlight his 2025-27 Executive and Capital Budget investments.
March 17, 2025
Top Stories
UW-Madison has not received DOE complaint about DEI practices, spokesperson says
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is reported to be under federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas denied receiving a complaint.
UW-Madison among 50+ of universities under investigation over ‘race-exclusionary practices’
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of over 45 universities the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is investigating.
UW-Madison under investigation by federal Education Dept., accused of violating Civil Rights Act
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of 45 universities the U.S. Department of Education is investigating for using what the department calls “race-exclusionary practices in their graduate programs”.
Trump administration cuts threaten UW-Madison ag studies, state farmers
Wisconsin farmer Andy Diercks sits on a red Memorial Union Terrace chair in the middle of a farm field, holding a potato in his left hand. “It’s amazing all the work that goes into growing this little guy,” he says to Amanda Gevens, UW-Madison chair of plant pathology, who sits across from him. “The research you’ve done over the past decades is critical to grow a good quality crop.”
Education Department investigates dozens of colleges for discrimination
Inside Higher Ed also contacted the two dozen institutions under investigation, and their responses varied. The University of Wisconsin at Madison and Carnegie Mellon University said they had yet to be formally notified of any complaint by the OCR and were awaiting more information to determine how to comply with an investigation.
University of Wisconsin-Madison’s ex-diversity officer scrutinized over spending, judgment amid DEI crackdown
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s former chief diversity officer displayed a “significant lapse” in judgment and fiscal responsibility, according to a report, as state and federal lawmakers seek to root out diversity, equity and inclusion programs in education.
UW-Madison under second investigation by Trump administration amid federal DEI crackdown
For the second time in a week, the federal education department placed the University of Wisconsin-Madison on a warning list.
The U.S. Department of Education said Friday it had opened an investigation into UW-Madison and 44 other universities nationwide over alleged racial discrimination. The notifications came exactly a month after the department issued sweeping guidance threatening to pull funding from colleges that do not eliminate all considerations of race from policies and programs.
Research
‘Endless series of contradictions’: Girls open up about complicated relationships with social media
Kate Phelps thinks the way society talks about how young girls use the internet is too simplistic. A big part of that, she says, is because culture spends a lot of time scrutinizing pre-teen girls, but we rarely talk to them about their experiences. Phelps, a University of Wisconsin-Madison women and gender studies researcher, wanted to change that.
Her new book, “Digital Girlhoods,” is based on her conversations with 26 different girls between the ages of 10 and 13 — an age group often referred to as “tweens” — about their feelings about social media.
10 hot facts about Venus
According to Sanjay Limaye, a scientist working at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Space Science and Engineering Center, “Venus has a potential to harbor conditions for iron- and sulfur-centered metabolism.”
Higher Education/System
Suzanne Eckes on deep cuts to the US Department of Education
UW-Madison School of Education professor Suzanne Eckes discusses the Trump administration reducing U.S. Department of Education staffing by nearly half and a multi-state lawsuit filed in response.
Faculty unions appeal to regents as they seek talks with UW campus chancellors
Universities of Wisconsin employees affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers are calling on the UW Board of Regents to formally authorize chancellors in the system to meet with employees and the union to discuss pay and working conditions.
UW-Madison voices seem muted in the Trump era
When one writes a weekly column for over 15 years, one notices patterns. The one I see today is at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I sense an atmosphere of caution — and deep sadness — more pronounced than at any time in my decades observing and writing about the state’s flagship university.
3 states weigh changes to presidential search processes
A UW spokesperson also pointed to fallout in 2020 in the University of Alaska system when then-president Jim Johnsen stepped down after he emerged as the sole finalist to lead the University of Wisconsin system. Johnsen withdrew from the Wisconsin search after criticism that the process lacked transparency. He then resigned from the Alaska presidency mere weeks later.
What is GOAT? Here’s what you should know about Wisconsin’s DOGE-inspired efficiency committee
Committee members quizzed the leaders of several state agencies — including the Department of Public Instruction, the Department of Administration and the Department of Health Services — as well as the University of Wisconsin and several private companies.
Public records make journalism possible. Here are 4 stories we couldn’t do without them.
Meyerhofer requested all documents related to the UW Board of Regents vote that day and the dismissal of the unnamed UW-Stevens Point faculty member.
Campus life
2025 student government elections see highest voter turnout in years
The Associated Students of Madison’s (ASM) spring election had the highest voter turnout since 2022, with more than double the number of students voting compared to last year.
State news
Two healthcare systems merged, then closed the only birthing center for miles.
Closures are common after mergers, and a particularly sticky problem in more rural communities, which have fewer people and thus make less financial sense for profit-driven organizations, said Peter Carstensen, a professor emeritus in the UW-Madison Law School who focuses on competition policy. When competitors merge, they look for areas to reduce cost.
“It almost always means eliminating some overlapping activities,” he said.
Crime and safety
MPD shares update on State Street stabbing
The Madison Police Department is investigating a stabbing in the city’s downtown area just before 2 p.m. on Saturday. University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department sent out an alert through the BadgerSAFE app telling students to avoid the area.
MPD investigating State Street stabbing, no arrests made
The University of Wisconsin Police Department alerted community members to an alleged stabbing on the 500 block of State Street around 2 p.m. Saturday.
Agriculture
Love potatoes? Grow them yourself this spring
Recently Amanda Gevens, chair of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Department of Plant Pathology, visited “The Larry Meiller Show” to talk about our love affair with the potato and how to get a successful potato harvest in your own garden.
Community
LOUD to host Wisconsin Conference of Latino Arts and Culture
Featured artists and speakers include Armando Ibarra, a professor in the School for Workers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Athletics
UW Track pushes back: Overcoming the hurdle of commuting to an interim training facility
The fight for an indoor training space for the UW-Madison Track and Field program continues. During the chilly winter months, the team is having to commute outside of Madison for practice.
Business/Technology
Shoveling to Success: UW-Madison lands ‘Shark Tank’ deal
A recent UW-Madison grad is shoveling his way to success after launching a snow removal business that’s seeing a flurry of activity.
Jake Piekarski is the CEO and Founder of Snow Scholars. The company offers flexible hours and high-paying jobs to college students that provide snow removal services to homeowners and businesses.
UW-Madison Related
History of satire newspaper The Onion revealed in new book by UW grad
A new book from a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate is set to hit the shelves next week. “Funny Because It’s True: How the Onion Created Modern American News Satire” looks to tell the entire history of the satirical news paper that was founded on the UW campus.