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Author: gbump

Plain Talk: Why a world-class university matters to Wisconsin

Posted on
Capital Times

Column: The (Epic founder Judith) Faulkner story is one of a kind, to be sure. But there are hundreds like it involving smaller companies that have been formed by men and women who came here because of what the UW had to offer. That’s why it’s so troubling when the university becomes a whipping boy for politicians who profess they want to make it easier for businesses to create jobs when, in fact, one of the largest job creators is the university itself.

Wang, Dr. Chester C.

Posted on
Madison.com

In 1965 when Chester accepted a position in the East Asian Studies department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Chester would remain on the faculty until he retired in 1997.

Badgers’ football game against Rutgers had Camp Randall’s smallest crowd in 10 seasons

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Capital Times

There were just 48,289 tickets scanned as fans entered the Oct. 31 game, according to data provided by the Wisconsin athletic department. That means the stadium was nearly 40 percent empty. The announced attendance for Rutgers’ first appearance at Camp Randall as a Big Ten foe was 74,575. That figure represents the number of tickets sold or distributed for the game.

Memorial Union reopened after small roof fire

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Madison firefighters were at Memorial Union shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Thursday to combat the fire which was extinguished by 4 p.m., said Madison fire Department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster. According to Schuster, the fire was discovered underneath roof tiles of the Union. A portion of tiles had to be removed to put out the fire and some water damage occurred on the fourth floor of the building as a result. The cause has not been determined and the fire remains under investigation.

Patt, Eunice Mae “Oma”

Posted on
Madison.com

After many years as a homemaker, she took great pride in her work at the UW-Madison Purchasing Department and retired after 20 years of service.

UW-Madison administrator Darrell Bazzell moving to University of Texas

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Darrell Bazzell, UW’s vice chancellor for finance and administration and a former secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, said he sees the job as an opportunity to move closer to his family in the Houston area, and a chance to take on a new role after 31 years in Wisconsin state government. Bazzell has been vice chancellor since 2003.

On Campus: Democrats in Legislature, Congress push their own college affordability bills

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison) joined a group of prominent Democrats last week to introduce federal bills that would make the first two years of community and technical college free for students, allow borrowers to refinance their student loans and ensure the Pell grant program for low-income college students will rise at the rate of inflation … In the Wisconsin Legislature on Monday, two Democrats introduced a bill that would go further in providing free education.

UW students fire back at state Sen. Steve Nass over political correctness remarks

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Capital Times

The United Council of University of Wisconsin Students fired back at a state senator Monday, saying the efforts to improve the climate on campus for students of color are important for all students … State Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, vice-chairman of the University and Technical Colleges Committee, last week criticized UW System President Ray Cross for acknowledging that UW campuses had work still to do to improve the experience of students, faculty and staff of color.

Wisconsin Democrats offer alternatives to Scott Walker’s college affordability proposals

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Capital Times

A proposal from Rep. Katrina Shankland, D-Stevens Point, would increase the funding available for need-based grants awarded to University of Wisconsin System and technical college students. Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, introduced a proposal with Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, to make college debt-free for Wisconsin residents.

UW-Madison sex assault discipline process leaves both sides crying foul

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Capital Times

UW-Madison is among 161 college campuses across the country that are the target of federal inquiries for their handling of sex assault investigations. Under the Obama administration, the OCR put the nation’s college campuses on notice in a 2011 letter that they were responsible for investigating allegations of sexual violence and harassment and sanctioning anyone found to have done wrong. Now sex assault survivors are speaking out about that process. Five of them visited Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel in December, asking that UW procedures for investigating reports of sexual assault and disciplining students found responsible for such misconduct be made more transparent.

UW disciplinary process determines academic, nonacademic misconduct and penalties

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Capital Times

UW students who cheat on a test, haze a fraternity pledge or drink while underage can find themselves brought up on disciplinary charges, with the possibility of being expelled or suspended. It’s a high stakes situation, with the procedure for determining responsibility and sanctions spelled out in University of Wisconsin System Administrative Code. Those are rules, adopted by the UW System Board of Regents, that have the force of law.

UW System president meets with student activists, drawing rebuke from Republican senator

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW System President Ray Cross met for two hours on Thursday with representatives from the United Council of University of Wisconsin Students — the same group that held a protest during a meeting of the UW Board of Regents last month … On Friday, state Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, sent out a press release blasting Cross for “wasting time appeasing the political correctness crowd.”

Bill supported by Scott Walker would increase ’emergency’ aid to college students

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Wisconsin State Journal

Gov. Scott Walker and Republicans in the Legislature want to expand programs like the one at MATC by providing $450,000 in state funding for emergency grants at technical colleges and the University of Wisconsin System’s two-year campuses. If the bill passes, experts say, it could make Wisconsin the first state in the country to fund such programs.

Prioritize UW research to fight disease

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Wisconsin State Journal

Wisconsin State Journal Editorial: Wisconsin is well-positioned to help find better treatments — and receive even more federal research dollars — because of UW-Madison scientists. Wisconsin also boasts strong health care systems. It has medical experts at hospitals and technology companies across the state

UW students meet with Ray Cross, who admits there’s more to be done on race inclusion

Posted on
Capital Times

After crossed signals scuttled efforts to talk last month, students advocating for a more inclusive racial environment on University of Wisconsin campuses sat down Thursday with UW System president Ray Cross. They emerged with a promise to meet, at least partially, the first in a list of student demands.

Authors say GOP college affordability bills are better way to help students than refinancing

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Members of the state Assembly’s higher education committee sparred Thursday over the best way to help students manage the cost of going to college, with Republicans putting forward a package of bills that include new financial aid funding and a tax break for some student loan borrowers, and Democrats arguing for a plan to let graduates refinance their debt.

Tax shortfall will squeeze state

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

The state treasury will be $94.3 million lighter by the end of the 2015-17 budget cycle because of lower tax revenues, according to an updated snapshot of state finances from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

Bipartisan Assembly group seeks about $2 million for Alzheimer’s, dementia care

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

The other bills include $500,000 to fund four dementia care specialists in counties with fewer than 150,000 people and a statewide specialist responsible for educating employers about dementia; $250,000 to train mobile crisis teams in how to care for those suffering from dementia; and $50,000 to fund research by UW-Madison’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.

Cost of higher ed should top state’s to-do list

Posted on
Capital Times

Letter to the editor from McFarland H.S. Senior: I am very aware of the high fees that come with attending a four-year university … This problem should be at the top of Wisconsin’s to-do list. Without proper financial assistance, the students at Wisconsin universities will either be up to their necks in debt after graduation or drop out of school before finishing due to the financial burdens currently being presented.

Scott Walker talks college affordability in first State of the State since presidential bid

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Capital Times

(Walker) also announced plans to work with the University of Wisconsin System to explore providing a three-year degree program that would start in high schools and continue on some UW campuses. He lauded high school students’ high ACT scores and the impact of his tuition freeze for the University of Wisconsin System, enacted in the 2013-15 budget and extended in the 2015-17 spending plan.

The Dalai Lama to return to Madison for his 10th visit on March 9

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, and an ethical and moral leader to many more, is scheduled to visit Madison on March 9 to participate in a panel discussion at Overture Center’s Capitol Theater. … The Capitol Theater event, titled “The World We Make,” will be a gathering of world leaders in science, health care and the media, according to sponsor the Center for Healthy Minds at UW-Madison.

Henning, K. Louise

Posted on
Madison.com

After completing her undergraduate and graduate degrees at UW-Madison, Louise became one of five reference librarians at UW’s Memorial Library. She later became the Art Reference and Assistant Art Librarian for Kohler Art Library at the Elvehjem Museum (now the Chazen), retiring from this position in the early 1980s.

Campus entrepreneurism moves from fad to fixture for students, faculty

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Tom Still column on campus innovation: “UW-Madison remains one of the nation’s research powerhouses and was ahead of the curve in offering pathways for entrepreneurs. But even that campus has experienced a post-2000 explosion in programs for students and faculty who want to convert ideas into businesses or other ventures. Across the rest of the UW System, most four-year campuses have committed to undergraduate research, industry connections and entrepreneurship training and built support systems to match. The same goes for many of Wisconsin’s private colleges and universities, notably many in the Milwaukee region, as well as the state technical college system.”

From six-hour movies to ‘difficult’ subject matter, UW-Cinematheque challenges its audience

Posted on
Capital Times

A six-hour movie. An Ingmar Bergman retrospective. And an Italian film that UW-Cinematheque director Jim Healy calls “the king of the difficult films.” In other words, the spring 2016 UW-Cinematheque series is not for moviegoers who want to go back to see “Ride Along 2” a second time to catch all the plot points they didn’t understand the first time. The free on-campus film series shows independent, foreign and classic films that otherwise would not likely make it onto the big screen in Madison … The series kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday at 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave., with the Madison premiere of the documentary “Hitchcock/Truffaut.”