It has been nearly a year since UW Health saw its first patient who tested positive for COVID-19. Now UW Health is looking back on its progress when it comes to COVID-19.
Nearly one year since first COVID-19 case at UW Hospital
WISC-TV 3
Author: gbump
UW-Madison delays enforcement of Badger Badge building access restrictions
WISC-TV 3
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is once again pushing back the start date for enforcement of its Badger Badge building access restrictions.
UW discusses lessons learned from the pandemic
WISC-TV 3
Saturday will mark the one-year anniversary of the first known COVID case here in Wisconsin. Today, a panel of experts at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health reflected on the lessons learned over the past year.
UW Madison delays Badger Badge use for building access restrictions
NBC-15
The university pushed the building access restrictions back from Feb. 1 to Feb. 8. There will be Badger Wellness Ambassadors at building entrances that will ask if they can see peoples’ Badger Badges, but this is a “soft-launch” period.
How beneficial would a $15 minimum wage be for Wisconsinites?
NBC-15
Noah Williams, an economist at UW-Madison, said he is against an increase in the minimum wage. Williams points to 2019 projections from the Congressional Budget Office. With $15/hr officials estimate 1.3 million people would be pulled out of poverty. Another 1.3 million people, however, would lose jobs.
ASM passes UW COVID-19 Student Relief Fund, CAHOOTS, pass/fail grading policies
Badger Herald
“The administration can not deny that ASM is justified in attempting to pass this legislation,” UW student says.
Nicholas Recreation Center starts semester with long lines for workout spaces
Badger Herald
’I was so cold that I just left and didn’t work out that day,’ UW student says.
Students react to UW’s updated coronavirus response as spring semester begins
Daily Cardinal
Difficulties with scheduled appointments and rejected saliva tests have forced the university to delay enforcement of their testing requirements until the third week of the semester and also switch to drop-in only testing.
Assembly Republicans to take up resolution that would make Wisconsin one of few states without face mask mandate
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“President Thompson is and has been focused on strategies to combat COVID-19 on UW System campuses given their inherent congregate settings,” Mark Pitsch, spokesman for the UW System, said. “He has championed a culture of responsibility that includes wearing a mask, social distancing, hand washing and a robust testing strategy.”
COVID-19 has resulted in $73 million in lost revenue for UW’s 2020-21 operating budget, though expense offsets have reduced that figure
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
University of Wisconsin officials Wednesday provided a snapshot of how the coronavirus pandemic has affected the athletic department’s 2020-21 operating budget. In summary: Revenue losses for the 2021 fiscal year budget, before the pandemic shut down college sports last March, is $73 million.
Developer proposes $100 million-plus housing, retail project in the heart of Downtown
Wisconsin State Journal
Adeveloper specializing in big housing projects in college communities is offering its largest so far in Madison, an estimated $100 million-plus, 10-story structure fronting the 300 block of State Street with 481 units, retail space and parking that would raze most of a Downtown block that houses several prominent businesses.
UW student government approves $2 million housing relief fund; UW claims it’s illegal
The Capital Times
The Associated Students of Madison voted unanimously on Tuesday, despite university opposition, to establish a $2 million pandemic relief fund for students, especially those ineligible to receive federal emergency aid.
Wisconsin athletic department projects $47 million net impact on budget because of COVID-19 pandemic
Wisconsin State Journal
The University of Wisconsin athletic department has cut $26 million in expenses this fiscal year while revenue has plummeted compared to what was expected before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eichman, Peter L.
Wisconsin State Journal
In 1954, he joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Medical School, in Madison, Wis., as a professor of neurology, a position he held for nearly 50 years. In 1965, he was appointed dean of the Medical School-the youngest dean in the university’s history–and was instrumental in the creation of the university’s vast new medical center.
COVID-19 spread without symptoms a key lesson learned a year into pandemic
Wisconsin State Journal
“I don’t think that any of us really anticipated the extent to which asymptomatic transmission would play a role,” Dr. Nasia Safdar, medical director of infection control at UW Hospital, said Wednesday during an online panel discussion reflecting on the pandemic a year after it began.
Amid Crackdown, Thai Court Acquits Writer in Royal Defamation Case
The Diplomat
Coming after such a severe sentence, it is hard to judge the significance of Bundit’s acquittal. Tyrell Haberkorn, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies Thai protest movements, said it was unusual for a lese-majeste case to be acquitted. “They are rarely, but sometimes, dismissed,” she noted on Twitter of Bundit’s case. “What makes it particularly significant is the 43.5 year sentence (down from 87 years) handed down to Anchan, a 65-year-old former civil servant last week, and the over 50 Article 112 cases filed against democracy activists recently.”
Effects of gerrymandering felt in Wisconsin as governor, GOP clash over Covid restrictions
NBC News
“It told mapmakers you can do whatever you want,” said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “All of the guardrails are off.”
‘Hope And Uncertainty’: 2021 Could Bring Better Farm Margins, But Questions Remain About Markets
Wisconsin Public Radio
Paul Mitchell, director of the Renk Agribusiness Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said farmers, like many people, faced a lot of stress in 2020. He said the pandemic brought both emotional stress, as COVID-19 spread in rural areas, and stress for their profession, due to disruptions to supply chains and consumer eating habits.
Chemists are reimagining recycling to keep plastics out of landfills
Science News
Food packaging films that contain several layers of different plastic are particularly tricky to take apart. Every year, 100 million tons of these multilayer films are produced worldwide. When thrown away, those plastics go to landfills, says chemical engineer George Huber of the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
International team of scientists identifies new treatment for COVID-19 that appears to be far more effective than drugs in use now
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“The drug performs quite well in mice and the authors hint at it having potential against other viruses too,” said David H. O’Connor, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “It is premature to say if it will have clinical benefit, but it definitely merits clinical trials.”
Eichman, Peter L.
Wisconsin State Journal
In 1954, he joined the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Medical School, in Madison, Wis., as a professor of neurology, a position he held for nearly 50 years.
UW online MBA program stays in national top ten, engineering improves ranking
The Capital Times
The University of Wisconsin MBA Consortium maintained its standing as the nation’s tenth-best online MBA program this year, while UW-Madison’s online master’s in engineering increased in rank, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2021 rankings.
Tommy Thompson: Lawmakers said UW tuition increase would not have GOP support
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
In a panel discussion Monday evening, UW System Interim President Tommy Thompson said he didn’t pursue a plan to lift the ongoing freeze on in-state undergraduate tuition because Republican legislative leaders told him it could jeopardize the system’s budget request.
One more campaign: Tommy Thompson leads the UW System at a critical time
The Capital Times
Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, then-Secretary Tommy Thompson and his staff at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services established an operations center near his office to better coordinate responses to emergency crises.
Expert panel from UW to reflect on COVID-19 pandemic one year later
WKOW-TV 27
Dr. Ajay Sethi, an infectious diseases expert at UW, joined the Wake Up Wisconsin team to talk about the discussion.
One year later: Medical experts to reconvene for COVID-19 panel
NBC-15
The UW School of Medicine and Public Health organized the panel last year with professionals ranging from a variety of fields, including virology, infection control and vaccine development.
Thompson says GOP told him no UW tuition increase
WISC-TV 3
He said Republicans told him if he asked for a tuition increase the system’s budget wouldn’t go anywhere.
Nearly one year since first COVID-19 case at UW Hospital
WISC-TV 3
It has been nearly a year since UW Health saw its first patient who tested positive for COVID-19. Now UW Health is looking back on its progress when it comes to COVID-19.
Springing into a smart restart
Badger Herald
As the United States nears another year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Wisconsin reopens for a third semester impacted by the deadly virus. With over 6,000 dead in the State of Wisconsin since the start of the pandemic and two vaccines now available for select populations, eyes turn to the UW administration, its students and Dane County to see where this semester will go.
UW hosts MLK Symposium featuring Isabel Wilkerson
Daily Cardinal
Wilkerson, author of Caste and The Warmth of Other Suns, is the first African American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism. This event was hosted virtually by the Wisconsin Union Theater, UW-Madison Student Affairs and the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement.
ASM to vote on COVID-19 relief fund, despite UW’s legal warning
Daily Cardinal
The proposed legislation, designed to assist UW-Madison students with rent and utilities payments amid the pandemic, allocates between $1.8 million and $4 million to the Madison-based nonprofit Tenant Resource Center (TRC), which would administer the relief fund.
ASM pushes for mental health Crisis Response Team on campus
Daily Cardinal
UW released a statement on Friday announcing a collaboration between University Health Services (UHS), UWPD, University Housing and the Dean of Students Office to provide improved mental health services on campus and better handle mental health related emergencies. However, Mitnick believes that this plan is not comprehensive enough, and that the Crisis Response Team, outlined in the new ASM legislation, is the best way the UW can serve its students in times of mental health related emergencies.
James R. Flynn, Who Found We Are Getting Smarter, Dies at 86
The New York Times
He left in 1961 for a job at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, then another at Lake Forest College, outside Chicago. But he came to believe that his left-wing politics had foreclosed the possibility of an academic career in the United States.
Can we blame schools for increasing political extremism?
The Hechinger Report
But do these vast differences play a role in forming the politics of future citizens? That’s something political scientists and education experts have debated for decades. “High quality civic education is essential to ensure that this generation of young people is fully prepared to participate wisely and well in the political and civic realms,” said Diana Hess, dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s school of education and an expert in civic and political education. “That said, the crisis of epic proportions facing our democracy was caused by a confluence of factors and certainly should not be blamed solely or even primarily on what did or did not happen in our schools.”
Dear Pandemic project explains Covid-19 in a way we can all understand
The Philadelphia Citizen
Unfortunately, other social media outlets—where 55 percent of Americans often or sometimes get their news, according to a Pew Research study—were bereft of such information. So Ritter, Buttenheim and Malia Jones, a former Penn epidemiologist now at University of Wisconsin-Madison, started a Facebook page called Dear Pandemic, a source for easy-to-understand, science-backed Covid information written by a volunteer team of 12 women scientists from around the country and England, including five in Philly. (The team is supported by a project coordinator and a team of experts, translators, student employees, and interns.)
Thompson: Lawmakers Warned Against Tuition Increases In UW Budget
Wisconsin Public Radio
University of Wisconsin System Interim President Tommy Thompson says Republican leaders in the state Legislature warned him not to include any tuition increases in his first budget request or it wouldn’t “go anywhere.”
Mutant Coronaviruses Threaten To Undermine Vaccines
Buzzfeed News
“Essentially, the huge number of cumulative infections worldwide provides a large number of opportunities for viruses to acquire beneficial mutations and then spread preferentially,” said Thomas Friedrich, a vaccine expert at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. “This is kind of like playing an evolutionary slot machine. One individual slot may be unlikely to hit the jackpot — but if you are able to play millions of slots in parallel, hitting the jackpot on a few becomes much more likely.”
University of Wisconsin Regent José Delgado remembered for his charm and grace
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Delgado joined the board in 2014, where he was “a champion of higher education as a way to improve lives and communities in Wisconsin while holding the UW System accountable,” Board of Regents President Andrew Petersen and Interim UW System President Tommy Thompson said in a joint statement Monday.
ATC founder, UW Regent Jose Delgado dies
The Capital Times
University of Wisconsin Regent José Delgado died Sunday. In addition to his service in higher education, Delgado was a lifelong engineer and, most notably, founder of American Transmission Company.
At UW symposium, author Isabel Wilkerson honors MLK legacy, talks ‘Caste’ book
The Capital Times
In her latest book, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” Isabel Wilkerson details a moment from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s trip to India in 1959, when he realized that India’s caste system was not unique to one country, but mirrored a similar illness in American society.
Badgers men’s hockey team takes Michigan’s pause as ‘a good wake-up call’
Wisconsin State Journal
The two-week athletic shutdown at Michigan that was announced late Saturday didn’t have an immediate impact on the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team schedule.
UW System expands community COVID-19 testing sites into spring
WISC-TV 3
“We thank the federal government for their confidence in us, and we’re pleased that our university sites can continue to be used in the fight against this insidious disease,” Thompson said. “Where there’s a problem, I want the UW System here to help.”
UW System, Gov. Evers mourn passing of Regent José Delgado
WISC-TV 3
UW System President Tommy Thompson and Regent President Andrew Petersen announced Delgado’s passing in a statement Monday.
UW System Board of Regents member dies, remembered as ‘champion of higher education’
Wisconsin State Journal
Interim System President Tommy Thompson and board president Drew Petersen announced Monday that Regent José Delgado died Sunday. Former Republican Gov. Scott Walker appointed Delgado to the 18-member board in 2014. His term was set to expire in May.
Madison-area business leaders express optimism, caution about Biden administration
Wisconsin State Journal
Biden’s administration could also oversee unemployment return to the low levels that it had been at under the past two administrations, though the pandemic is still wreaking havoc on major sectors of the economy, UW-Madison economist Steven Deller said. “Once COVID is under control, there is no reason why we can’t go back to a pre-COVID economy,” Deller said.
UW system announces passing of Regent José Delgado
WKOW-TV 27
“It is with great sadness that we learned our friend and colleague José Delgado passed away yesterday.”
UW-Madison starts drop-in, saliva tests in effort to ramp up COVID testing as semester begins
WKOW-TV 27
Day one of the spring semester at UW-Madison also meant day one of new, drop-in COVID testing — which started out a little rocky for sophomores Brian Pfeffer and Madison Tessler.
Tactics to fight anxiety and stress in the wake of a tumultuous election
NBC-15
A research scientist at the University of Wisconsin Madison’s Center for Healthy Minds, Cortland Dahl, says stress events, like the previous election and lead-up to the inauguration, can exacerbate a mantel health issues. Dahl noted that cases of anxiety and depression tripled in 2020, and turbulent events like a contentious election can just make things worse.
UW System extends COVID-19 surge testing with additional 140,000 rapid, PCR tests
NBC-15
COVID-19 surge testing sites at University of Wisconsin System campuses will be extended, UW System President Tommy Thompson announced Monday.
Studies note skyrocketing screen time for children, families
NBC-15
According to UW Health, the good news is that children may be excited to pull away from their screens as the consequences of the pandemic lessen. “We know that while the pandemic has had a huge affect on this cohort and this generation, we also know that they’re going to be coming out of it together and probably very eager to connect and very eager to kind of catch up on those social skills if you will,” said Dr. Megan Moreno.
UW-Madison kicks off testing system with new protocols, students voice wait time concerns
NBC-15
“I don’t think it’s that bad. I think the appointments made it easier to manage,” Madison Tessler, UW-Madison sophomore said. “I think it’s going to be hard to avoid lines.”
Closer examination of UW Thompson Center free speech survey reveals inconclusive results
Badger Herald
While First Amendment education could prove beneficial per Thompson Center free speech survey, undergraduates are more sympathetic to free speech protections than results show.
UW to revamp response processes to mental health crises
Badger Herald
UHS, UWPD will discuss integration of mental health care professionals into responding to mental health situations.
MLK Symposium keynote speaker Isabel Wilkerson reflects on U.S. caste system
Badger Herald
Wilkerson’s recent book ’Caste’ looks at how advent of slavery led to caste system that continues to exist in today’s United States.
‘It’s weak’: ASM Chair responds to UW’s opposition statement to COVID-19 Student Relief Fund
Badger Herald
UW releases statement claiming ASM’s legislation takes legal liberties, ASM Chair refutes legality claims.
ASM Chair reflects on fall, looks forward to new semester
Daily Cardinal
ASM Chair Matthew Mitnick maintains that the organization’s ultimate goal this past fall was to elevate the voices of students previously left out of important conversations and decision-making processes at UW-Madison.
Transform State Street into promenade
Wisconsin State Journal
Madison should finally take city buses off of State Street and turn the entire length of the street into a pedestrian mall. This would allow shops and restaurants to take over more public space outside, where the risk of contracting the novel coronavirus is much lower than inside.
Why The Second Trimester Ultrasound Is So Important For Fathers
Fatherly
“Fathers say it means a lot to them to see their baby on the screen and have an unmediated experience with the baby,” explains Tova Walsh, PhD, MSW, an assistant professor of social work at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who studies the transition to fatherhood.
Fewer Wisconsin high school seniors seek financial aid, raising concerns about college plans
Wisconsin State Journal
Fewer Wisconsin high school students are filing for federal financial aid this school year in what education experts fear is a sign that some students are putting college plans for fall on hold, or abandoning those dreams altogether.
Will public trust in science survive the pandemic?
Chemical and Engineering News
Even though the public largely maintains a generic confidence in science, “people are quite capable of viewing scientists as lousy experts when it comes to specific issues that don’t fit their notions of what’s true,” says Sharon Dunwoody, professor emerita of journalism and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.