The final numbers on the University of Wisconsin athletic department’s apparel contract with Under Armour were staggering when released in October. The 10-year deal worth as much as $96 million was Under Armour’s largest ever given to a university’s athletic department. At minimum, UW will receive five times as much cash per year as in its current deal with Adidas.
Author: gbump
Garbage truck dumps burning load on UW-Madison parking lot
The driver of a garbage truck stopped at the 7-11 on State Street Monday when a bystander told him smoke was rising from the truck’s cargo area, the Madison Fire Department said.The driver dumped the burning load onto a nearby UW-Madison parking lot in the 400 block of North Lake Street, where firefighters responded about 11:45 a.m.
UW-Madison slates community discussion on changing campus climate for minority students
Chancellor Rebecca Blank is inviting members of the community to talk with her Monday about needed changes to the climate for minority students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Blank, along with UW-Madison Police Chief Susan Riseling, chief diversity officer Patrick Sims and director of community relations Everett Mitchell, will host a discussion from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at the Urban League of Greater Madison, 2222 S. Park St.
UW Athletic Board extends contracts for Mark Johnson, Barry Davis, Whitney Hite
The University of Wisconsin Athletic Board extended the contracts of women’s hockey coach Mark Johnson, wrestling coach Barry Davis and men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach Whitney Hite on Friday.
UW-Madison police find no evidence to support alleged sexual assault near Memorial Union
Investigators looking into the reported April 8 incident used 44 minutes of surveillance video to track the alleged victim’s movement from a Downtown bar to a location where she was found by police and found no evidence an assault took place, the department said Friday.
Bomb-sniffing drone technology developed at UW could become nightmare for terrorists
The proven detection technology that also can detect chemical and nuclear weapons and drugs was successfully miniaturized and designed to fly on small unmanned aircraft by Fusion Technology Lab graduate students about five months ago, according to Jerry Kulcinski, an emeritus professor of nuclear engineering and the lab’s director.
Chris Rickert: One student arrested, another deceived equals bad week for UW
It doesn’t look good for the state’s foremost institution of learning to be cracking down on one student while continuing to employ a staffer who deceived another.
Ross, Meredith
Merry attended UW-Madison for graduate school and then taught in the English department. She later went to UW Law School and upon graduation became a clinical professor of law. Within several years, she was named Director of the Frank J. Remington Center where she worked until her “retirement” in 2012. She continued to teach at the law school until 2014.
Benjamin, Margaret Ann “Peggy”
Peggy had a long and productive career, first as an administrative assistant at UW-Madison …
Former Badgers women’s basketball coach Bobbie Kelsey-Grayson joins Boys & Girls Club of Dane County
Bobbie Kelsey-Grayson, fired from her position as University of Wisconsin women’s basketball coach last month, is staying in Madison and joining the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County.
Boys and Girls Club of Dane County hires former UW-Madison women’s basketball coach Bobbie Kelsey
Former University of Wisconsin women’s basketball coach Bobbie Kelsey has been hired by the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County as the interim vice president of corporate and wellness programs and will start May 9. A press release from the organization said Kelsey will help fundraising efforts and aid partnerships to support its programs. She will help the organization in its relationships with the UW athletic department, the Green Bay Packers and the Milwaukee Bucks.
#TheRealUW art ‘happening’ set for Friday at Chazen Museum
A first of its kind multi-media presentation inspired by #TheRealUW will take place Friday at University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art. The show was organized by a group of students who wanted to use their art to capture the racial climate and rights movement that has sprung up on the UW-Madison campus and social media.
Student protesters occupy UW-Madison’s College Library, demand end to graffiti case
Hundreds of University of Wisconsin-Madison students, joined by a handful of faculty members, occupied a campus library Thursday to disrupt its studious atmosphere in protest of a graffiti-related arrest.
Lawsuit: UW adviser concealed link to drunken driver from victim’s daughter
In April 2013, four days after her mother was struck and killed by a car driven by former Lutheran bishop Bruce Burnside, UW-Madison student Megan Mengelt received an email from a UW administrator she had never met, asking if she needed help. What College of Letters and Science assistant dean Tori Richardson didn’t tell Mengelt, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this month, was that he had been at the other end of a text message conversation with Burnside as he was driving, shortly before Burnside struck and killed Mengelt’s mother, Maureen Mengelt, in Sun Prairie on April 7, 2013.
UW-Madison: Use of former employee’s photo not meant to mislead
It was a simple error that led to University Communications using a photo of an employee who no longer works at University of Wisconsin-Madison to publicize a new website designed to improve communications with campus workers, said executive director John Lucas.
Update: Campus assault, fight not related, UW-Madison police say
UW-Madison police issued two alerts Wednesday night about 20 minutes apart, one for an assault and the other for a fight, with the two incidents not related to each other.
UW campus graffiti was racist — Lynn M. Leazer
Letter to the editor: The caption describes this example of graffiti as “anti-racist.” Only now, in our culture that is afraid to speak the truth that racism cuts both ways, would such a blatantly racist statement be deemed “anti-racist.”
Cop camera brings clarity to UW controversy
It’s all on camera, documenting the arrest of Denzel McDonald in more detail and clarity than any written police report could ever provide. That’s the power and benefit of recording video and audio of officer interactions — and why more departments should equip their patrol officers with the technology.
Scenes from #TheRealUW protest
Social media roundup from #TheRealUW protest.
UWPD says to avoid Memorial Union, man with knife in area
University Wisconsin Madison Police sent out a crime alert warning people to avoid Memorial Union in response to two reports of a man grabbing women on campus.
Chris Rickert: Arrest reveals free speech conundrum of #TheRealUW
It seems reasonable enough for police to wait until class is over to arrest a suspect who isn’t otherwise causing a problem. But if you’re going to suggest the hearing of constitutionally protected political speech is more important than the cops’ interest in enforcing well-established and legal limits on how that speech can be expressed — like in spray paint, on state property — then you can’t really discriminate based on the content of the speech.
Badgers sports: Women’s golf, volleyball teams record perfect APR scores
The University of Wisconsin women’s golf and volleyball teams recorded perfect Academic Progress Rate scores, according to data released by the NCAA on Wednesday. The scores were calculated for a four-year period from 2011-12 through 2014-15 academic years.
Badgers sports: UW legend Butch Strickler remembered for 3 decades of Bologna Bash
Over the years the event grew into a major fundraiser that regularly attracted 6,000 or more to the UW Field House in conjunction with the annual spring football game. The organizing committee, which began with just Strickler and his wife Ruth, evolved into a 200-person operation and a six-month planning window.
Students, faculty and community split on proposed changes to MATC campuses
A special afternoon meeting of the college’s district board gave community members a chance to express their thoughts about the proposal by MATC President Jack E. Daniels that would lease the school’s existing Downtown campus and expand operations on the city’s South Side.
UW-Madison student activist Deshawn McKinney awarded Truman Scholarship
UW-Madison junior Deshawn McKinney has been selected to receive the prestigious national Truman Scholarship. The Harry S. Truman Scholarship, created by Congress in 1975 as a memorial to the former president, is intended to support the next generation of public service leaders.
UW researchers simulate Zika virus in mice, a key step in developing treatments
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine have found a way to simulate the Zika virus in mice, a step that should help researchers better understand the disease and even gain a foothold in the effort to develop vaccines and antivirals.
UW, Meriter hospitals create new affiliation with hospice provider
UW Health and UnityPoint Health-Meriter are affiliating with Agrace Hospice and Palliative Care, the organizations said Tuesday.
College sports: Fox to pay Big Ten Conference $250M for TV rights, report says
According to a report by Sports Business Daily, Fox will purchase 25 football games and 50 basketball games each year starting in the fall of 2017 for $250 million per year. The deal will run for six seasons.
Bo Ryan shares stories at UW-Platteville distinguished lecture event
Bo Ryan returned to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville campus as a distinguished lecturer. It turned out to be less of a lecture and more of a nearly 2-hour storytelling session.
Ryan returns to UW-Platteville as a distinguished lecturer
On Tuesday, former University of Wisconsin head basketball coach Bo Ryan spoke at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville as the university’s Sesquicentennial Distinguished Lecturer. It was a homecoming of sorts for the basketball coach. Ryan coached at UW-Platteville from 1984-1999, achieving a 353-76 record, while winning four NCAA Division III national championships.
UWPD Chief Riseling talks recent arrest to journalism professors, students
School of Journalism and Mass Communication Director Hemant Shah introduced Riseling, who was joined by UWPD Public Information Officer Marc Lovicott and Assistant Dean of Students Kipp Cox. Riseling spent about 15 minutes talking about the recent campus and national climate before discussing the incident.
UW-Madison dining halls aim to reduce food waste, hunger
To prevent this waste, UW-Madison dining halls are taking steps to reduce the amount of food that gets thrown into dumpsters. Associate Director of Dining Julie Luke described how the university is working to achieve this goal.
Badgers men’s basketball: Nigel Hayes to declare for NBA Draft, won’t sign with agent
Nigel Hayes will enter the 2016 NBA draft while also leaving open the possibility of returning to the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team for his senior season.
UW students, community demand UWPD take action after student arrest
About two dozen activists, students and professors met in Vilas Hall Tuesday to listen to University of Wisconsin Police Department Chief Susan Riseling discuss how UWPD is working to address the campus’ racial climate.
Now teaching at UW, former commissioner, Brewers owner Bud Selig fondly recalls his impact
Bud Selig is just not the retiring type.So even though it’s been 15 months since he stepped down as commissioner of Major League Baseball after nearly 23 years on the job, it would be a stretch to say he’s retired.
Fired administrator faces hurdles in appeal to full WERC board
Noted: Dennis Dresang, a UW-Madison emeritus professor of public policy and political science, said reversing the termination could be difficult because Wall’s action in trying to circumvent the state public records law “borders on grounds for dismissal.”
Strickler, Palmer “Butch”
In 1970, Butch took a few rings of venison sausage to a favorite Badger haunt, Rhode’s Steak House. A hat was passed and $45 was collected, launching Butch’s Badger Bologna Bash. Over the course of 30+ years, the Bash raised more than $3 million for UW athletics and Band. Today a fully endowed “Butch & Ruth Strickler” scholarship is awarded to a UW athlete each year.
#TheRealUW: A social media movement is forcing UW-Madison to confront its race problems
Stories of racist incidents on campus have been shared using the Twitter hashtag #TheRealUW for much of the past month … #TheRealUW has allowed students of color to vent their anger and frustration about incidents of racism on campus. It has been exhausting to read and draining to live, they said. #TheRealUW has pushed race incidents into the public sphere, past the bounds of confidentiality or denial that typically protect targets and transgressors alike. Nobody now can claim that they have not heard the stories.
On Campus: Dropout rates at for-profit colleges still high, report finds
Dropout rates for students at for-profit colleges have remained high in recent years, as just over 40 percent of Wisconsin students who enrolled at the institutions left school without finishing their programs, according to state officials.
UW System official deleted video of scrapped budget cut presentations
Spokesman Alex Hummel said he never saved the video of chancellors rehearsing their presentations because the talks were canceled, and later deleted the files to clear space on a camera so he could record the Board of Regents meeting where the chancellors planned to speak.
UW-Madison police chief apologizes for classroom disruption
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s chief of police issued a formal apology Friday because an officer entered a classroom after a class had started Thursday, and asked a black student to step outside for questioning about 11 anti-white supremacy graffiti statements that popped up across campus in recent months.
Chief apologizes after backlash to officer contacting student graffiti suspect during class
A wave of criticism from UW-Madison students and professors prompted an apology from the campus’ police chief Friday afternoon for the way an officer disrupted a class to make contact with a student suspected in a string of anti-racist graffiti.
Sasha Palmer retained as assistant coach on Jonathan Tsipis’ staff
Palmer, a Watertown native, joined the UW staff last season as recruiting coordinator for Bobbie Kelsey.
Chris Rickert: Embrace the simple solution to ‘Jesus Lunch’
Noted: “If it’s run by a student group, it’s a constitutionally protected ‘see you at the pole’ gathering,” said UW-Madison lecturer Shawn Peters, who studies religion and the law. But “the law is murkier if the group is not student-initiated.”
26 percent of purchased Badgers tickets in major sports went unused in 2015-16
One season after making a noticeable step forward in getting fans to use their tickets for its six major sports, the University of Wisconsin athletic department slid backward in the 2015-16 season.
Photos: Elementary school students flock to UW-Madison’s Engineering Expo
Photo gallery the year’s Engineering Expo at UW-Madison on April 15.
Badgers athletes host event for pediatric cancer awareness
Video: As part of the UW-Madison athletic department’s “Badgers Give Back” initiative, athletes hosted a special event Friday with patients from the American Family Children’s Hospital to raise awareness of pediatric cancer. The “Badgers Go Bald” event ended with haircuts for some players with a little extra help from special guests.
More money needed to keep professors
State Journal editorial from 1956: Recently the state Emergency Board granted $250,000 to the University of Wisconsin to be used for pay raises to professors who are being tempted by greener pastures elsewhere — pastures offering more of the long green, that is.This is a problem that a lot of schools at all levels are going through, as they fight to retain their best teachers. But it is not the whole problem by any means.
Ask the Weather Guys: What connection does UW-Madison have with the National Weather Service?
Last week, the director of the National Weather Service (NWS), Louis W. Uccellini, visited his alma mater as the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award winner. Uccellini presented the story of the intellectual and professional journey that led him to the leadership of this extraordinarily important government agency … Uccellini’s visit reminded us all, we strive to do great things at Wisconsin and we usually succeed.
Down, but not out: Wisconsin Democrats smell opportunity in 2016 and beyond
Noted: UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden … says … If they can’t capitalize on advantageous circumstances this fall — in the context of the last six years, and with a larger turnout that typically works to their benefit — the consequences would be disastrous, Burden said. “If that were to happen, the Democratic Party would be not much more than a shell,” Burden said.
Zika unlikely, but not impossible, in Wisconsin this summer
UW-Madison researchers continue to study Zika in rhesus macaque monkeys. Since February, they’ve infected 11 monkeys with the virus to examine three questions: how long Zika persists in blood, urine and saliva; if infection protects against future exposure; and whether the stage of pregnancy in which infection occurs impacts the effects on offspring.The bodies of nine non-pregnant monkeys have gotten rid of the virus in an average of about 10 days, said David O’Connor, a UW-Madison pathology professor who is part of the research team. But two pregnant monkeys infected in the first trimester have retained the virus so far for two weeks and more than a month, O’Connor said.
Shelley Peterman Schwarz: Making adaptations to help everyone stay fit
Andy Rooney once said, “Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.” I know of one such teacher. His name is Tim Gattenby, faculty associate in the kinesiology department at UW-Madison and the director and coordinator of adapted fitness and personal training. His program and the students he supervises have changed my life and the lives of many others in ways we never could have imagined.
UW-Madison helps artist prepare for voyage
Amy Franceschini, a California-based social practice artist who founded a group called Futurefarmers in 1995 to explore alternate farming methods, is finishing up a semester residency in Madison as the Interdisciplinary Artist in Residence sponsored by the UW-Madison Arts Institute.
UW’s Allen Centennial Garden ready for its close-up
The garden — it is singular — at Babcock and Observatory Drives may be the most accessible classroom on campus, with the most diverse syllabus. Even on a recent chilly Sunday, the walkers in the 2.5 acres surrounding the vintage 1896 Agriculture Dean’s House ranged from an old man and his dog to curious children to students from the nearby Lakeshore dormitories.
Report: Health risks associated with spraying manure vary depending on situation
Noted: The possibility of illness varies so widely because the results assume that pathogens are always present in the manure, which isn’t usually the case, said Becky Larson, a UW-Madison professor, UW-Extension biological waste specialist in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering, and workgroup member.
Catching Up: Free clinic helps women with gynecological care
(The clinic) was started by Dr. Mary Landry, a UW School of Medicine and Public Health obstetrician-gynecologist who works at Meriter Hospital and UW-Madison’s University Health Services, and Dr. Katherine O’Rourke, an OB-GYN resident at UW.
Globetrotting science writer Alex Witze in residence at UW-Madison
An award-winning, globetrotting science writer will soon be landing in Madison. Alexandra “Alex” Witze, has been named the spring 2016 Science Writer in Residence at UW-Madison, on campus next week to talk with journalism students about the diverse world of science writing.
Art installation protests rape culture, administration response on UW-Madison campus
An art installation protesting rape culture on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus and the response from authorities to reports of sexual assault appeared Thursday at the Mosse Humanities Building, 455 N. Park St.
Going Out: UW-Madison Varsity Band takes Kohl Center stage
Orchestrate a night out for the UW-Madison Varsity Concert Band’s year-end show at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights at the Kohl Center, 601 W. Dayton St. Director of Bands Michael Leckrone initiated the annual extravaganza in 1975. This year’s theme is “We’ve Done it Our Way.”
Supporters of proposed South Side MATC campus tout benefit to neighborhood
Supporters of a Madison Area Technical College proposal to bring a new, comprehensive campus to the city’s South Side are hoping they can convince members of the college’s board, who punted on a similar plan last year, to vote in favor of a shift toward the diverse but historically under-served area.