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Author: jnweaver

Lawsuit claims voter ID law violates Wisconsin Constitution

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Wisconsin State Journal

Wisconsin?s controversial voter identification law violates the state constitution by creating a new class of ineligible voters, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Dane County Circuit Court. Barry Burden, a UW-Madison political science professor and expert on elections, says the lawsuit relies on an unusual legal argument that the Legislature can only enact laws that are enumerated in the state constitution.

Near West Side area sees rise in burglaries

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Wisconsin State Journal

Burglaries have been on the rise in Madison over the last two months, leaving police concerned about the origin of the uptick. Police are investigating 36 residential burglaries in the Near West Side area, spokesman Joel DeSpain said. The residential burglaries date to Sept. 1 and target mostly laptop computers, iPods and other small electronics. The suspects enter primarily through unlocked doors or, during warmer weather, by cutting through screen windows, Jugovich said.

WPR Headline Story – UW campuses plan for large cuts

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Wisconsin Public Radio

UW System chancellors say they?re dismayed by what they call a disproportionate amount of budget lapse cuts called for by the Walker Administration. UW schools have till November 7 to figure out how to cut millions from their budgets. In a memo, Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch states agencies were told to plan for $174 million in cuts from a lapse in the current state budget. Of that, $65 million or around 38-percent of that would come from the University of Wisconsin System.

On Campus: Students vote against Union Theater expansion in close vote

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Wisconsin State Journal

By a slim majority of 23 votes, UW-Madison students said they did not support the theater lobby addition for the Memorial Union in an advisory referendum. About 11 percent of the student body voted in the election. The question asked: “Do you support the current design of the student/theater lounge addition for the Memorial Union?” While 2,340 students voted yes, 2,363 students voted no.

Obituary: John R. Erickson

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John R. Erickson passed away at home surrounded by his family the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2011, at age 81. He worked as the director of operations for the University of Wisconsin?s Physical Plant for 35 years until his retirement.

Pro Arte?s season debuts with ?thought-provoking? piece

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Wisconsin State Journal

For composer Walter Mays, writing a piece of music is a lot like writing a play.

?People have asked me, is it like painting, or is it like writing poetry?? Mays said. ?I think it?s more like writing for the stage. ?We write our pieces, and then we have to turn them over to the musicians, who are like the actors who present them to the public.? Mays? most recent composition was commissioned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison?s Pro Arte Quartet, which kicks off its centennial year on Saturday, Oct. 22, with a free concert in Mills Hall.

Selig to retire to Madison to write memoirs on UW campus

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Wisconsin State Journal

As the World Series begins, the most powerful man in baseball readies a nest in Madison for retirement. It contains bubble gum, pretzels, a basket of baseballs and a cable connection to Major League Baseball?s TV channel. Allan H. “Bud” Selig has charmed the UW-Madison history department, paid a million-plus for a professor to teach the history of sports and had scholarships created in his honor. His new office in the Humanities Building is cozy and modest. The effect of his presence will be the opposite.

On Campus: Rep. Nass said he won’t hold hearing on University of Wisconsin budget cuts

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Wisconsin State Journal

The Republican chairman of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee said he doesn?t plan to hold a hearing on a $65.8 million cut to the UW System, despite a request from Democratic members of the committee. A spokesman for Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, said he “doesn?t see a need for a hearing” because the state budget included the potential for one-time cuts.

Stories, slam poets turn up the volume at Wisconsin Book Festival

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Wisconsin State Journal

The performers at several spoken word events will also be working with poetry, but with the drama (and volume) turned up considerably. In what seems an unlikely genesis, the University of Wisconsin-Madison?s First Wave Hip Hop Theater Ensemble was born out of the Wisconsin Book Festival in 2003. That year, the book festival included a Latino/a Film Festival called “Cinefest.” As part of that, First Wave executive director Willie Ney brought in several spoken word artists, including educator and performer Marc Bamuthi Joseph. Bamuthi and several other poets “became influential allies to our program” at UW-Madison, Ney said. “There was not any institution of higher education that was tying their recruitment to this incredible network of spoken word artists.”

Bob Wilson: Trained retirees are an economic asset

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Wisconsin State Journal

In his Tuesday piece, columnist Chris Rickert says those of us who are back at work for the state after retiring are taking jobs away from others. I retired almost three years ago from UW-Madison. I was asked to teach about a week before this fall?s classes began. Can Rickert find lots of people who are willing and able to teach calculus to about 460 students on one week?s notice?

Biz Beat: Soglin says food and music could offer economic opportunity

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Capital Times

Mayor Paul Soglin has thankfully yet to claim he?s “focused like a laser” on creating jobs. But Soglin wants to make sure economic issues are front and center in a city often rapped for working against, not with, the private sector.

“I?m trying to get us to the point where everything we do, we think about the economic implications,” Soglin told the city Economic Development Committee Wednesday evening. It hasn?t always been that way. Buoyed by the twin pillars of state government and the UW-Madison, the city has historically been insulated from economic realities.

Bob Wardrop: Rehiring retirees saves state money

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Wisconsin State Journal

As one of the 447 rehired university employees, I?d like to share my story. Months after I retired from my position as a professor, I was rehired to teach the same number of sections as when I was a professor, but at a pay rate of about 29 percent of what it was as a professor. The money the university has saved in my salary has no doubt helped in meeting student needs in the face of dwindling state support.

UWPD sketch artist helps La Crosse police identify suspect

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WKOW-TV 27

An officer with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department has helped officers in La Crosse identify a suspect in an attempted abduction. On Friday, October 14, the La Crosse Police Department investigated an attempted abduction within the city limits. La Crosse officials contacted Police Officer Truli Nielsen with the UW-Madison Police Department to create a police sketch and assist in their investigation.

UW hockey: Eyeing a Frozen Four in Madison

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Madison.com

According to deputy athletic director Sean Frazier, the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department is putting together a formal bid to host the women?s NCAA Frozen Four in March of 2014. The national semifinals and championship games would be played at the Kohl Center. The new LaBahn Arena, scheduled for completion in the fall of 2012, will help facilitate practices and other events for the schools involved.

Endowments, scholarships, foundations have Selig ties

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Wisconsin State Journal

Allan H. “Bud” Selig?s endowed chair in the UW-Madison history department wasn?t his only financial splash. In addition to that endowment, the Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation endowed the “4 for 4 Scholarship” in honor of Selig. The name references the 12 times in his baseball career that Aaron went 4-for-4 at the plate. Also, three major league team owners created a scholarship to honor Selig and his wife, Suzanne. Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, Oakland A?s owner Lew Wolff and Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner made the endowment under UW-Madison?s Great People Scholarship program.

Campus Connection: UW System absorbing additional $65.7M budget hit

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Capital Times

University of Wisconsin System leaders appear to be scrambling after learning their cut in state taxpayer support over the 2011-13 biennium will be significantly deeper than anticipated. Gov. Scott Walker?s 2011-13 biennial budget, which was signed into law over the summer, reduces state support for the UW System by $250 million. While that blow was significant ? tying the record cut of $250 million to the UW System by former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle over the 2003-05 biennium ? it now appears the hit will jump by at least another $65.7 million over the next two years.

Ron Van Able: Drown out chants by booing students

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Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison now has a football team worthy of praise and recognition. However, the student section of Camp Randall is just the opposite ? misguided and out of place with its vulgar chant. If those individuals represent the best scholars our state has to offer, we are, indeed, in trouble. Even with pleas from the athletic director and head football coach, they refuse to stop their poor behavior.

Selig to retire to Madison to write memoirs on UW campus

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Wisconsin State Journal

As the World Series begins, the most powerful man in baseball readies a nest in Madison for retirement. It contains bubble gum, pretzels, a basket of baseballs and a cable connection to Major League Baseball?s TV channel. Allan H. “Bud” Selig has charmed the UW-Madison history department, paid a million-plus for a professor to teach the history of sports and had scholarships created in his honor. His new office in the Humanities Building is cozy and modest. The effect of his presence will be the opposite.

Terry Sivesind: Badgers now worth watching, so act like it

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Wisconsin State Journal

Here is some historical perspective to help current UW students understand the evolution of the game day chants. The students suffered through many years of watching inept UW football teams in the 1970s. It was also the era of protests and chanting was used to communicate….all fans have a responsibility to represent UW-Madison at the highest level possible when the nation views the Badgers as a perennial Big Ten powerhouse. Students today could put their mark on UW-Madison by celebrating a national championship caliber team with new game day traditions.

UW-Madison nuclear expert sees implications for US in Fukushima disaster

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Wisconsin State Journal

The energy policy fallout from the disaster last March at Japan?s Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant has caused everything from the shutdown of nuclear programs in Germany to re-evaluations of plant designs and disaster plans here in the United States, according to UW-Madison expert Michael Corradini.

Corradini, a professor of nuclear engineering, spoke at the annual Engineers’ Day seminar in the College of Engineering. He also serves as co-chairman of an American Nuclear Society committee that studied the Fukushima disaster. In the U.S., Corradini said, nuclear plants are being required to review disaster plans. But nuclear energy will remain a part of the nation’s energy mix, he added, with older plants such as those in Wisconsin being upgraded to generate more power and a half-dozen new plants being built in the next couple of years.

Slow Food quickly gaining fans on campus

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Wisconsin State Journal

Every Wednesday around lunchtime, crowds line the stairs leading to the basement of the University United Methodist Church. It?s food, not faith, that draws the throng. That said, there?s a distinctly reverent vibe at The Café, where a weekly meal is served to the public by Slow Food UW Madison, a university-based club with a city-approved restaurant license.

Stephen L. Weber: The crisis in college football

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Capital Times

For the past 15 years I served as president of San Diego State University. I sat in meetings and participated in votes about not just the academic life of the university, but another huge aspect of university life: college sports. That experience leads me to recognize a few plain truths: College football is in a crisis; today?s system cannot fix itself. Indeed, no one on the inside of intercollegiate athletics can speak openly because too much is at stake. And taxpayers nationwide are harmed as a result. The scrutiny of the media, Congress, the Justice Department and state attorneys general is warranted ? and desperately needed ? on the Bowl Championship Series.

UW football: Wilson avoids Spartans’ verbal blitz

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Madison.com

As a former defensive player and coach, Bret Bielema knows there are multiple ways to rattle an opposing quarterback. So the University of Wisconsin football coach has no problem with the tactics taken by Michigan State this week, which include safety Isaiah Lewis saying the Spartans defensive linemen are going to hurt Badgers quarterback Russell Wilson.

Biz Beat: Desperate times demand a ‘laser focus’ from politicians

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Capital Times

Given the depth of the Great Recession, it?s no longer enough for politicians to say they are working to improve the economy. No, these desperate times require a “laser focus” on job creation. And nobody is tossing around the term “laser focus” more than Gov. Scott Walker.

Quoted: UW-Madison physics professor Thad Walker, who says he’s been amused by the growing use of the term “laser focus” by public officials.

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Chris Rickert: Pension and a paycheck? Good for them, but what about the rest of us?

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Wisconsin State Journal

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, some 14 million Americans are unemployed, 9.3 million are underemployed and 1 million have stopped looking for work because they believe there is no work to be found. But for a few lucky souls, the job market is so good ? and so lucrative ? they?d be fools not to cut their retirements short and get back to work. I?m talking about the 447 UW-Madison employees and who-knows-how-many-other public-sector workers taking advantage of the “double dip”: Retire, get yourself hired back, collect both a pension and a paycheck.

Campus Connection: UW-Madison defends ?holistic’ admissions practice

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Capital Times

The Assembly?s Colleges and Universities Committee held an “informational hearing” Monday at the Capitol to learn more about UW-Madison?s “holistic” admissions process. For those who have been paying attention to this topic in recent weeks, little new ground was covered….The most newsworthy nugget to emerge from the proceedings is that committee chairman Steve Nass, R-Town of La Grange, announced afterward he has no immediate plans for any further hearings on this topic. Nass added that he isn’t aware of any pending legislation which would force the UW System to re-think its admissions process.

At hearing on admissions, UW ‘categorically’ rejects bias claims

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Wisconsin State Journal

Top UW-Madison officials vigorously defended their admissions policies at a sometimes-testy legislative hearing Monday, called after the president of a conservative think tank leveled a charge that the university engages in “severe discrimination” based on race and ethnicity. But it?s unclear what changes, if any, will come as a result of the informational hearing, which lasted more than three hours.

Attorney Accuses UW-Madison Of Discrimination

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WISC-TV 3

An attorney for a conservative group is telling state lawmakers that the University of Wisconsin-Madison clearly discriminates against prospective white and Asian student applicants. Roger Clegg, president and general counsel for the Center for Equal Opportunity, told the Assembly higher education committee that the governor or lawmakers should end the practice.

UW-Madison researchers to meet with Dalai Lama

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Wisconsin State Journal

Jonathan Patz, a UW-Madison researcher on global environmental health, has been to countless conferences, as have most academics. But the meeting Patz will attend this week is like no other. This week, he and a handful of other scientists will sit with the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, at the Tibetan leader?s residence-in-exile in Dharamsala, India, to talk about an issue dear to Patz ? ethics and the environment. Patz is traveling to India with Richard Davidson, the Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, a member of the Mind and Life Institute’s Board of Directors and a friend of Gyatso. Davidson, whose research on meditation and the brain has fascinated Gyatso, has been involved in many of the conferences, which started in 1987 as a way to bring together scientists, philosophers and other thinkers to talk about ethics and current issues of science and research. Most recently a conference explored the subject of “altruism and compassion in economic systems.”

Obituary: Evelyn E. Roessler

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Evelyn E. Roessler (nee Empie), passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of her family on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011, at the age of 91. Evelyn worked in the financial aid office at UW-Madison for 22 years.

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Students Carry On With Profane Camp Randall Tradition

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WISC-TV 3

Some of the crowd?s attention during Saturday?s Homecoming game was on the student section at Camp Randall Stadium to see if students would carry on with a certain profane tradition. As the Wisconsin Badgers predictably blew out Indiana, some students broke out the so-called “E-S-F-U” chant in the third quarter. But it was more faint than usual.

“I honestly think the cheer is still going to go on. Sending the email, it may be effective if everybody gets it, but I don?t think everybody got it. Plus, it?s kind of tradition,” said UW student Carly Miller.

UW football: Badgers at No. 6 in initial BCS rankings

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Madison.com

Being a college football fan these days requires a lot of work. A background in mathematics, an understanding of computer programs and a high tolerance for frustration all help as well. Yes, the Bowl Championship Series standings, in all of their mystifying splendor, are upon us.

University leads effort on processed potatoes

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Madison.com

The University of Wisconsin-Madison will lead a national effort to improve the quality and safety of processed potatoes. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture at the U.S. Department of Agriculture says a $3.7 million grant will support efforts to reduce a carcinogen in french fries and potato chips know as acrylamide (ah-KRIL?-ih-MEYED).

The 2011 Tailgating Awards (Parade)

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For Badgers fans, the party doesn?t end after the clock winds down. Since the early 1970s, the university?s marching band has taken the field for a ?fifth quarter,? during which fans sing and dance to tunes ranging from Top 40 hits to the crowd pleasers ?On, Wisconsin!? and ?You?ve Said It All.?

Chazen Museum of Art: Building bridges of inspiration

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Wisconsin State Journal

When supporters of the Chazen Museum of Art set out to nearly double the building?s size with a $43 million addition, a key goal was to seamlessly unite the museum?s existing structure with a new building via a bridge. Now, the aim is to build a stronger bridge from UW-Madison?s vastly expanded home for art to the larger Madison community. The Chazen opens its doors at noon Saturday to celebrate its enhanced presence on University Avenue with an open house, entertainment and tours of the 86,000-square-foot addition.

Dan Sebald: UW would err in adopting merit pay, private-sector model

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Capital Times

Dear Editor: My hope is that interim chancellor David Ward is able to get the University of Wisconsin back to focusing on its core mission, that of education and research. However, Todd Finkelmeyer?s Oct. 12 article paints an unflattering picture of an institution on the verge of a tailspin. Efficiency consultants, merit pay ? it all sounds too familiar.

….The U.S., arguably, has the best higher education system in the world, but if we begin to run universities the way American business is currently conducted, that won?t be the case for much longer. Faculty will go from doing good research to nothing but chasing the gravy train. Departments will go from balanced knowledge bases to flash in the pan.

Student hurt in UW homecoming parade

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Wisconsin State Journal

A 23-year-old UW-Madison student, who Madison police said was seriously injured Friday evening after falling off a parade float during the UW-Madison Homecoming parade, was listed in good condition Sunday, according to UW Hospital. Allison Newman fell off the moving vehicle and was run over by a double-axle trailer in the 100 block of Langdon Street, police said.

Soglin pushes to ?end the uncertainty? for Downtown Plan, zoning code rewrite

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Wisconsin State Journal

The Downtown Plan, the first in 20 years, addresses issues from land use and design to transportation, recreation and culture. The plan envisions more public access to the city?s lakefronts, including a major park at John Nolen Drive and Broom Street and a walkway connecting James Madison Park and UW-Madison?s Memorial Union, principal planner Bill Fruhling said.

Madison360: In Scott Walker recall, focus on his failures and his deceit

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Capital Times

“The question will be for the average person in Wisconsin?s hinterlands, did the things that Scott Walker did offer more good than bad?” asks Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of political science and an expert in campaigns and elections. “Nobody will like everything that happened, but are you happier that your taxes didn?t go up and that we managed to balance the budget than you are unhappy about cuts to K through 12 education, the UW System and health care, and changes to collective bargaining?” Burden says “I think that is going to be the litmus test for the recall.”

Meat specalist wants to share the joy of making homemade bratwurst

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Wisconsin State Journal

Jeff Sindelar wears a shirt with the word SPAM printed on it. To him, SPAM is more than junk email. Sindelar, an assistant professor in the UW-Madison meat sciences department and a UW-Extension meat specialist, has the whopping challenge of convincing the public that processed meats are not the devils of the deli section. That means sending the message that hot dogs, the most notorious of all, don?t contain hooves and beaks and anything else wiener makers care to throw in the vat at the factory.

Editorial: 150 Years Of UW Alumni

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WISC-TV 3

This weekend, the Wisconsin Alumni Association is throwing a little party to celebrate its 150th anniversary. My hunch is if you wanted a ticket to the bash you could still get one, but don?t quote me — call the WAA. But some 700 or so alumni are planning to don their red party duds at a celebration at the Institutes for Discovery that will among other things raise up to 150-thousand dollars for scholarships. But what this is really about is school pride. It?s about being one of an estimated 380,000 UW alumni around the world who support the UW and its mission, promote the contributions of fellow alumni and work together to do some good in this world.

UW asks students to end vulgar chants at home games

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WKOW-TV 27

The UW Athletics Department wants students to tone it down when it comes to those four-letter words. If you?ve been to a Badger home football game, you know what we?re talking about — the “Eat s—, F— you” chants. Now head football coach Bret Bielema and athletics director Barry Alvarez are stepping into the mix, asking students to stop the vulgar chants. They sent a letter to student ticket holders, saying they?ve received lots of complaints about the chants from visiting fans and other Badger backers.

Jack Goss, a freshman at UW-Madison, says, “I do feel bad, but it’s tradition, it’s part of the student life. You only live once.”

UW Asks Students To End Vulgar Chants At Badger Games

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WISC-TV 3

The University of Wisconsin Athletics Department sent an email Thursday to UW student football season ticket holders asking them to end vulgar chants at Badger home football games. The email, signed by Wisconsin Athletic Director Barry Alvarez and Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema, includes passages of correspondence the university has received throughout the football season from fans complaining about the vulgar chants and profanity from the student section. The email said the complaints were from “not only visiting fans, but your fellow Badger fans as well.”

City clerk: Voters may have to wait at least a minute per person in line

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Capital Times

When heading to the polls in Madison in 2012, hope for short lines and plenty of poll workers, or you could be queueing up for awhile. Statistics put together by the Madison city clerk’s office following the mock election on Tuesday showed if there are 30 people waiting to vote, you should plan on being in line for at least 32 minutes.

….The clerk?s office will have another mock election later this fall with voter registration included, the registering voters being UW-Madison students.

High-tech machines show a new age of vending

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Wisconsin State Journal

Kyle Rampone went for the Sour Patch candy, while Ben Overeem chose the Jack Link?s beef jerky. The products were free, but the UW-Madison students weren?t impressed with the price. Rampone, 19, from New Berlin, and Overeem, 19, of Green Bay, retrieved their selections from a vending machine that looked more like a giant iPhone or iPad.

Don?t miss Chazen Museum?s state-of-the-art addition

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Capital Times

Russell Panczenko, the director of the UW-Madison?s Chazen Museum of Art, is justifiably proud of the just-completed addition to the museum on University Avenue. Now he wants to show it off not only to the students and faculty, but to the people of Madison and the surrounding communities. That?s why next week, the Chazen has scheduled a series of open houses designed to accommodate everyone who wants to get a look at the state-of-the-art addition, which has been two years in the making and has more than doubled the gallery space right next door to the original Elvehjem building. We encourage anyone with an interest in art or even a passing curiosity about art to stop by.

‘Double-dipping’ by state workers in the spotlight

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Capital Times

A longstanding practice that allows public workers to simultaneously collect their pension and a state paycheck has caught the attention of state lawmakers and top UW-Madison officials. This so-called practice of double-dipping by retired state workers who are hired back either to their exact position or another state post has come to attention recently, with news breaking this week that officials at UW-Green Bay had a contract ready to rehire Tom Maki, a high-ranking administrator, before he officially announced his resignation.

State law allows employees to be rehired as long as they have been out of their former job for at least 30 days and did not agree to a rehire contract before they left the position. The fact that Maki?s new contract apparently was drawn up even before he announced his departure is a violation of state law.

Campus Connection: Rally at UW-Richland to show support for imprisoned former student

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Capital Times

Members of the UW-Richland campus community are holding a rally Friday to show support for Ali Almajed, a graduate of the school who is reportedly imprisoned in Bahrain.

…to date, it appears no one has been able to help Almajed, who is from Bahrain and attended UW-Richland as an international student from 1999 to 2002. He then transferred from the two-year UW System campus in Richland Center to UW-Platteville, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 2005.