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June 17, 2025

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Research

Why is everybody ‘crashing out’?

The New York Times

Kelly Elizabeth Wright, an assistant professor of language sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the lead editor of Among the New Words, said that it can be difficult to pinpoint when a phrase is created, and whether or not the language comes from African American Language or if it is just used within Black communities.

“I don’t think that it’s inaccurate to say that Black Twitter and other online spaces were using these terms maybe first or more visibly than when it was floating around in high school classrooms all across the country this year,” Dr. Wright said. “I also don’t think it’s inaccurate to say that young people online are using this term. I think both things can be true at the same time.”

Fossil corals reveal that sea-level rise occurs in rapid bursts

Earth.com

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Florida led the project, working with colleagues at the University of Sydney, the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Victoria University of Wellington, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

“This is not good news for us as we head into the future,” said Andrea Dutton, a professor of geoscience at Wisconsin.

Are plastic cutting boards useful kitchen tools or a breeding ground for microplastics? Here’s what to know

NBC News

It’s important to note, however, that the study’s findings are limited — researchers conducted testing on mice and only tracked health effects for about three days after exposure. Plus, microplastics are difficult to quantify — if another team of researchers did the same study, their findings may vary, says Hoaran Wei, an assistant professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Higher Education/System

5 things to watch as Wisconsin athletics handles the House settlement

Wisconsin State Journal

The latest shift for McIntosh and his department came June 6 when federal judge Claudia Wilken signed off on the settlement of the House v. NCAA antitrust lawsuits, a decision that opened the door for schools sharing revenue with their athletes, sets roster limits, and enacts additional oversight over athletes’ commercial NIL agreements. McIntosh — who testified in front of a Congressional subcommittee on March 11 on the House settlement and the state of college sports — said the settlement laid out the path to what college sports leaders want.

Proposed TRIO cut jeopardizes at-risk students’ future

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education

The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program through TRIO helped me earn my Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and led to my becoming dean of the Dougherty Family College (DFC) at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. DFC is a mentoring student-focused two-year college, and I have incorporated my research and experiences in TRIO programs into the college’s design.

Minnesota shootings, Wisconsin hit list prompt increased security in state Capitol

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Reached on June 16, Kapenga told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he looked at a few security systems after the 2023 incident and put together a proposal to implement a weapons detection system used by the University of Wisconsin.

“There was not enough support in my caucus to get that put in place, unfortunately, but I hope this opens their eyes to the real, unfortunate threat that’s out there,” Kapenga said. “We live in a different world.”

Campus life

When crime fiction great Elmore Leonard came to Madison

Madison Magazine

Leonard first came in 1990, as keynote speaker for the first University of Wisconsin–Madison Writers’ Institute. Leonard was famous by then, having landed on the cover of Newsweek around the 1985 publication of his novel “Glitz.” 

The institute was produced by the UW–Madison Division of Continuing Studies. They had no budget for speakers. But “Get Shorty” had just been published, and Leonard was headed from his Detroit-area home to the west coast to promote it. 

“I’ll put you on my book tour,” Leonard told UW writing instructor Christine DeSmet. They need only pay expenses. “He was so kind,” DeSmet told me, years later. 

Agriculture

Health

Want to get divorced in China? Good luck getting an appointment

South China Morning Post

China’s divorce rate for 2024 has yet to be announced by the country’s National Bureau of Statistics, but Yi Fuxian, a Chinese demographer and senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in the United States, expects it to hit 2.6 per 1,000 people, against a low of 2.0 during the Covid-19 pandemic. This compares with the most recent rates of 1.5 in Japan and 1.8 in South Korea.

Athletics

Wisconsin volleyball loses assistant to professional ranks

Wisconsin State Journal

Annemarie Hickey’s long run with the University of Wisconsin volleyball program ended, but she won’t have to travel far for her new job.

Hickey, who played for the Badgers before becoming an assistant coach, recently accepted an assistant coaching job with LOVB Madison.

Obituaries