The program evolved from a two-year research project led by Andrew Davey, director of the Goodman Nonprofit Center, and Sharon Lezberg, community and economic development educator with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Extension in Dane County.
Author: gbump
Octavia Ikard, new Madison youth poet laureate, writes from memory
Now a creative writing major at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ikard was recently named Madison’s fourth Youth Poet Laureate. The city of Madison will honor them at a reading on Tuesday, Sept. 16.
Letter | UW needs to address reckless pedestrians
I was just out walking on the UW campus and I witnessed a girl just about get killed on at the Johnson Street crossing outside Gordon Commons.
Inside falling Wisconsin football attendance early in the 2025 season
The announced attendance of 65,952 for the Aug. 28 opener against Miami (Ohio) was the lowest for a first home game of a season since 1992. After Wisconsin announced a 70,368 figure for the Sept. 6 game against Middle Tennessee State, its average from the first two games was down 10% from the same window of the 2024 season.
UW celebrates Latine heritage with Annual March up Bascom
The Latine Heritage Month planning committee, Latine Cultural Center and the Program in Chicanx/e and Latinx/e Studies hosted their annual March Up Bascom event on Friday. Over 100 students came together to celebrate Latine heritage — walking up Bascom Hill and partaking in Mercadito festivities afterward.
UW professor receives criticism on course assignment from conservative talk show host Dan O’Donnell
In an episode of “The Dan O’Donnell Show” on Saturday, Milwaukee podcaster Dan O’Donnell criticized University of Wisconsin journalism professor Lindsay Palmer’s assignment which asked students to examine their “socio-cultural identities.”
5 UW-Madison student housing projects aim to alleviate housing shortage
A host of prominent developers in the Madison area have new projects currently underway, including Core Spaces, a Chicago-based development company that previously built The James and Hub Madison, and Steve Brown Apartments, a Madison-based development company that previously built the Lucky apartments and several smaller complexes.
UW-Madison earns gold-rating for sustainability progress
The University of Wisconsin-Madison achieved a Gold rating from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS), marking a major step forward in the university’s environmental initiatives after receiving Silver rating in 2021.
Family celebrates 10 years of remission as Badger Challenge enters 10th year
The Badger Challenge kicks off this week, bringing the community together to support cancer research at UW-Madison.
Campus police report spike in e-bike, scooter thefts
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department reported an increase in electric bicycle and scooter thefts across campus, with five thefts since Aug. 13.
UW-Madison student housing supply expected to increase next year with five highly-anticipated housing developments
With the University of Wisconsin-Madison student body growing each year, excess demand for housing has prompted developers to bring new projects to Madison.
UW-Madison experts weigh in on free speech rights as people lose jobs over Charlie Kirk posts
UW-Madison Law School Professor Anuj Desai said while your words might cost you a job, free speech generally shields you from government punishment.
Wisconsin’s Aniya Warren became a children’s book author ahead of her first season with the Badgers
Aniya Warren’s Wisconsin volleyball teammates were in for quite the surprise when they saw an Instagram post from the freshman libero.
When Warren was not preparing for her first year of college volleyball this summer, she was writing a now-published children’s book.
After Kirk assassination, Scott Walker says Young America’s Foundation to review security at events
Walsh visited the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus in 2022, where attendees at the indoor event outnumbered students protesting his visit. Police got involved to draw counter-protestors away after scuffles with protestors. YAF paid $8,000 for the event, and the student government provided the remaining $2,000 under its “viewpoint neutral” policy.
Competition to crown the most ‘performative male’ at UW-Madison
UW-Madison students are crowning their top “performative male” in a tongue-in-cheek contest at Library Mall at 6 p.m. Friday, building off of a popular internet trend that’s produced viral moments garnering millions of views on TikTok.
UW-Madison police investigating vandalism around Library Mall
University of Wisconsin-Madison police are investigating “significant” vandalism around Library Mall, according to a university news release Friday.
Jean Roark
Jean was employed by the University of Wisconsin Library from 1971 to 1975. Beginning in 1975, Jean was an academic staff member in the Dean’s Office for Undergraduate Education in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the U.W. She retired in 1995 after 20 years and was granted Emerita Status.
UW study: Wisconsin school districts abandoning performance pay for teachers
Anew UW-Madison study suggests Wisconsin school districts — including some in Dane County — have moved away from compensation systems that at least partly paid teachers for performance.
Update: Police give all-clear after report of ‘Suspicious package’ at Enzyme Institute
UW-Madison police said the Enzyme Research Institute on the west side of campus is all clear less than an hour after reporting a “suspicious package.”
Madison health centers see growing demand for addiction treatment
Compass, offered at UW Health’s 1102 S. Park St. clinic, provides walk-in care for substance use disorder. The team includes a doctor, physician assistant, nurse, a peer support specialist, a social worker and a medical assistant.
“We work to make sure that we can get people pretty immediate access to any medications that might be needed related to their substance use disorder,” Salisbury-Afshar said. “We also offer some other medical services that we know people who use drugs often really struggle to be able to access. Specifically, things like Hepatitis C treatment, family planning, wound care, STI (sexually transmitted infection) testing and treatment.”
‘That Book is Dangerous’ takes on left-leaning censorship
Szetela will discuss his book at a talk at the UW Center for the Study of Liberal Democracy on Monday, Sept. 22.
How Madison doctors are using cancer patients’ own bodies to cure them
That was the topic of a Cap Times Idea Fest session Wednesday produced by UW Health | Carbone Cancer Center that featured three of their physicians. The discussion drew an audience of hundreds to the UW-Madison Memorial Union’s Shannon Hall.
“Immunotherapy is the concept that our own immune system can not only recognize and fight infections but it can recognize and fight cancer. It just needs a little help,” said Dr. Christian Capitini, who is leading the cancer center as acting director. “We’ve learned over the decades through many discoveries, including here at the University of Wisconsin, that immunotherapy in fact works in people and can translate into therapies that make a difference.”
‘Performative Men Wanted’: UW students face off in ‘Performative Male Contest’
The event was organized by freshmen Adrea Matulle and Beri Barton. The duo was inspired by other performative male contests across the country. “We were bored, I [had] fun with some graphics and posted it on YikYak,” Matulle said. Her post received 951 upvotes.
UWPD investigating red paint on Library Mall and Bascom Hill
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department is investigating red paint on multiple landmarks across Library Mall found in the early morning hours Friday.
Facility crews discovered red paint on the Hagenah Fountain, the front doors and steps of Bascom Hall and around the Abraham Lincoln statue. Flyers were also affixed to Bascom Hall.
UW–Madison researchers test psilocybin, the compound in “magic mushrooms,” as new tool in mental health care
Scientists at UW-Madison are leading national studies on psilocybin, to determine whether the psychedelic compound could offer lasting relief for mental health and substance use disorders.
Miami accuses Wisconsin of ‘fishing expedition’ in tampering lawsuit document request
Lawyers for the University of Miami said the University of Wisconsin and its athletics collective are on an “impermissible fishing expedition” in a request for documents and a deposition of former Badgers football player Xavier Lucas.
Stop raking your leaves, experts say. Here’s why
The one scenario where you should pick up the leaves in your yard is if your trees have had serious foliar fungal diseases, according to UW-Madison.
“While most leaf spots on leaves are cosmetic and harmless to the overall health of the tree, fallen diseased leaves do serve as a source for spores that can infect next year’s emerging leaves,” the horticulture department said.
Students brace for library closures, changes amid UW budget cuts
Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced budget reductions June 23 across campus following changes in federal funding. As a result, the university’s libraries have received a 7% budget cut, according to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Library’s website.
UW community reacts to Charlie Kirk’s death amid rising concerns of political violence
At UW, political student organizations are grappling with what Kirk’s shooting means for both campus safety and the political climate, according to College Republicans of UW-Madison and the Democratic Party of Wisconsin.
70% of families and students polled say they want weighted grading, survey shows
More than two weeks after the Madison School District announced that it would not weight grades for the purposes of a new college-entrance program, the results of a survey on the issue show large majorities of district students and parents polled were in favor of weighting grades.
Enrollment at 7 UW branch campuses revealed, amid declines that have closed 6
Student enrollment at the Universities of Wisconsin’s branch campuses dropped at four and increased at three this fall, according to preliminary student count projections obtained Wednesday.
Major campus libraries reduce weekend hours, some smaller libraries to close after university-wide budget cuts
These changes are a part of larger university-wide budget cuts, announced earlier in the summer by Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin. All departments were directed to reduce their budgets by 5%, with administrative units reducing their budgets by 7%.
UW campus in Wausau to relocate to Northcentral Technical College
In a joint announcement, the university and technical college said the move will strengthen both institutions and support the regional economy.
Madisonians react to assassination of Charlie Kirk one year after his visit to UW-Madison
Almost exactly a year before being assassinated at Utah Valley University, Charlie Kirk visited Library Mall on UW-Madison’s campus.
UW researchers develop mapping tool to explore 3D changes in genome structure
University of Wisconsin researchers Sushmita Roy and Erika Da-Inn Lee have developed a new computational tool that maps changes in the genome, ultimately helping researchers see DNA’s 3D organization and link it to phenetic disturbances in disease and normal processes, according to Roy and Lee’s study.
BadgerVote hosts campus voting registration for UW students
Starting Wednesday and continuing through Thursday, BadgersVote Coalition, an initiative by the University of Wisconsin, is hosting a voter registration event on the first floor of Gordon Dining and Event Center, according to BadgersVote. For students planning to vote in Wisconsin, they can register at this event with an election official trained by the Madison City Clerk’s Office.
UW to renovate Science Hall
University of Wisconsin-Madison officials are planning to renovate one of the university’s oldest and most historic buildings in 2027. Science Hall — built in 1887 — will undergo a renovation to upgrade its interior and add a rear common space.
‘We aren’t prepared to deal with them as people’: Faculty share concerns over student well-being at fall meeting
Faculty on the university committee discussed challenges to student wellbeing this academic year amidst executive orders and changing student involvement in a meeting at Bascom Hall Monday.
Federal funding cuts threaten future of Wisconsin STEM camp for autistic students
The camps, run through the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Climatic Research, have drawn middle and high school students from more than 35 communities across Wisconsin and Illinois since 2022. With sensory-friendly, nature-based activities ranging from NASA citizen science projects to outdoor exploration, the programs aim to foster neurodiversity and encourage students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
UW-Stevens Point’s Wausau branch is leaving campus, relocating to technical college
UW-Stevens Point at Wausau is relocating to Northcentral Technical College beginning next fall, the latest Universities of Wisconsin branch campus to face significant changes or closure since 2022.
Department of Veterans Affairs opens Wisconsin Badgers football ticket lottery
The Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs opened its lottery for veterans and active service members to receive up to two free tickets to the Wisconsin Badgers’ Salute to Veterans football game on Nov. 8 vs. the Washington Huskies.
New virtual NICU nurse program at American Family Children’s Hospital reduces turnover
UW Health explained Wednesday the virtual nursing program was introduced in July of 2024 to help lower the new-to-practice nursing turnover rate.
Before the implementation of the program, UW Health said new-to-practice NICU nurses had a 38% turnover rate between 2021 and 2023.
‘American hero’: Wisconsin conservatives mourn Charlie Kirk
Kirk visited UW–Madison last year, where he drew both supporters and protesters during a campus speaking event.
In the wake of his death, the university issued a statement emphasizing the importance of open dialogue and security.
Preliminary count: Enrollment up at eight of the Universities of Wisconsin
Eight of the 13 schools in the Universities of Wisconsin system saw an enrollment increase compared to the fall of 2024, according to preliminary estimates. However, total enrollment decreased slightly across the whole system.
UW-Whitewater projected to see largest freshman class in a decade
UW-Whitewater said a projected 12,075 students enrolled at the school for the fall semester including 2,459 new freshman, marking the largest freshman class in a decade.
What’s Wisconsin’s future with Under Armour as other major programs change outfitters?
Next year also marks the end of Wisconsin’s 10-year contract with Under Armour. UW has not yet announced a new agreement, and what athletic department officials can say is limited until the next outfitting agreement is finalized.
Media at a crossroads: What the cuts to public broadcasting means for UW journalists
At the University of Wisconsin, along with numerous other schools across the country, students studying journalism are faced with the consequences of the recent funding cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding for news outlets like Public Broadcasting Services and National Public Radio.
UW-Madison researchers: Partisan news sours consumers on political compromise
A new study from UW-Madison gives us some hints as to why the country is so polarized.
The August study from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication examines how using partisan news media affects an individual’s willingness to support lawmakers who reach across the aisle.
People of UW: Producers of Humorology speak on Greek life’s philanthropic effort
Editor’s note: People of UW is a human interest series produced by The Badger Herald staff members. The series aims to highlight a student or student group at the University of Wisconsin making an impact on the campus community.
Loss of international students affects enrollment growth at UW campuses
New freshman enrollment across the Universities of Wisconsin campuses is up an average of 3 percent this fall, but “significant declines” in international students have kept overall enrollment flat.
Enrollment gains at 8 UW campuses offset by big drop in international students, system says
UW-Madison’s enrollment is projected to slip by 0.5%, according to the system’s preliminary enrollment counts.
The university is projected to have 241 fewer students this fall, a drop from the UW system’s official 2024 UW-Madison student count of 51,791.
Closing DDEEA undermines support for UW students
In an email July 9, University of Wisconsin Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced the Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement was ceasing operations and most of its staff would be transferred to other departments within UW. The sudden end of the 15-year-old division walks back the short history of the university administration accommodating its marginalized students.
How many students are going to each UW school in fall 2025?
Enrollment at Wisconsin’s public universities this fall largely held steady from last year, despite increasing concerns about affordability, growing public doubt about the value of a college degree and a projected drop in international students.
City officials prepare UW-Madison students for August Moving Days
Around this time each year, thousands of college students’ leases end in the Madison area, which means many are moving out while others are moving in.
Wynn Fonstad Middle-earth Map Exhibit At UW-Madison
UW-Madison’s Robinson Map Library recently held an exhibition that might be unfamiliar to many of Earth’s cartographers, but will certainly resonate with fans of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. There the works of the late Karen Fonstad lay on display. The sprawling collection contained drafts and finalized hand drawn maps from her original publication and revised edition of The Atlas of Middle-earth, published in 1981 and 1991 respectively.
Troy Gene Lepien
Troy worked in healthcare for over thirty years and was currently the System Vice President of Business Integrity and Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer for UW Health.
How much Wisconsin’s Chris McIntosh earns in bonus pay
McIntosh qualified for a bonus of more than $76,000 in the first year of a reworked contract that includes incentive compensation tied to athletes’ academic performance and coaching bonuses.
David William Tarr
Asheville, NC Professor David W. Tarr, emeritus professor of Political Science, Univ. of Wisconsin, died on August 3, 2025 at Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community.
Kenneth Paul Casey
He was a managing attorney at Legal Action of Wisconsin, employed as a Public Defender and worked as a clinical instructor at the U.W. Law School.
UW-Madison announces changes to student support services, including dissolution of diversity division
In a campus-wide message posted Wednesday, Mnookin said a working group led by former Provost Charles Isbell completed a data review based on advancing student success, connecting students with proper support, ensuring pathways for student belonging, strategically organizing campus support, engaging in continuous assessment and improvement and stewarding school resources.