Skip to main content

Author: jplucas

UW students want action on Nike workersâ?? rights issues

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

A student labor rights group wants University of Wisconsin administrators to pressure Nike on workersâ?? issues, or cancel its contract with the sports apparel company altogether.The Student Labor Action Coalition (SLAC) says when Nike closed two of its plants in Honduras earlier this year it broke UWâ??s code of conduct by not paying workersâ?? more than $2.1 million in severance and benefits. Nike has previously said it is not responsible for compensating those workers. (Fifth item.)

Posted in Uncategorized

Plan to create districts for UW regents questioned

Posted on
Wisconsin Public Radio

A plan to break Wisconsin into seven districts with a University of Wisconsin regent in each part of the state is awaiting the governorâ??s signature to become law. But a state senator sees this as a raw deal for smaller campuses. (Fourth item.)

Filling an empty seat (The Diamondback, University of Maryland)

Posted on

Noted: A model for this involvement can be found about 900 miles away at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Like this university, Wisconsin faced massive budget cuts. As a result, in-state students from families making at least $80,000 a year are facing an increase of $1,000 in tuition during four years and out of state students face an increase of $3,000.The funds raised by increasing tuition will be used to hire new faculty, expand course offerings and improve student services. But thereâ??s a catch: In exchange for student support, administrators gave students a legitimate say in exactly how the money is spent.

Two universities to shun Kindle until Amazon makes e-reader accessible to blind users (AP)

Posted on

Amazonâ??s Kindle can read books aloud, but if youâ??re blind it can be difficult to turn that function on without help. Now two universities say they will shun the device until Amazon changes the setup.The National Federation of the Blind planned to announce Wednesday that the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Syracuse University wonâ??t consider big rollouts of the electronic reading device unless Amazon makes it more accessible to visually impaired students.

Obituary: Clara I. Sweeney

Posted on
Madison.com

Clara I. Sweeney, age 88, of Madison, passed away on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009. After raising her family, Clara returned to employment as a radiotherapy technician at the University of Wisconsin Hospital, where she worked until retirement.

Obituary: Virginia A. Baebler Ryan

Posted on
Madison.com

Virginia A.(Baebler) Ryan, age 83, passed away peacefully, on Sunday, November 8, 2009. Virginia worked at University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics for over 47 years. She retired at the age of 77 due to deteriorating health.

Obituary: Susan J. Hoogland

Posted on
Madison.com

Susan J. Hoogland, age 54, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, November 6, 2009. Susan worked for more than 20 years at the Peripheral Vascular Surgical Clinic, at UW Hospital.

Experts: Fewer Holiday Jobs Available This Season

Posted on
WISC-TV 3

Quoted: “I think overall what weâ??re seeing from companies in this recession is they figured out they need a strategy,” said University of Wisconsin professor Mason Carpenter. “They need to figure out how to be profitable, not just big, and thatâ??s what weâ??re seeing them work through in these holidays.”

The Science of Success (The Atlantic)

Posted on
Atlantic Monthly

Noted: Of all the evidence supporting the orchid-gene hypothesis, perhaps the most compelling comes from the work of Stephen Suomi, a rhesus-monkey researcher who heads a sprawling complex of labs and monkey habitats in the Maryland countrysideâ??the National Institutes of Healthâ??s Laboratory of Comparative Ethology. For 41 years, first at the University of Wisconsin and then, beginning in 1983, in the Maryland lab the NIH built specifically for him, Suomi has been studying the roots of temperament and behavior in rhesus monkeysâ??which share about 95 percent of our DNA, a number exceeded only in apes.

Blog: Stone’s ‘Hell Week’ serves its purpose

Posted on

Last week was “Hell Week” for the University of Wisconsin womenâ??s basketball team. Following an uninspired performance in a closed scrimmage at Northern Iowa last Sunday, the temperature was turned up in practice throughout the past week. The message — expressed loudly and frequently by coach Lisa Stone and her entire staff — was simple: If the Badgers are to be successful this season they will have to be tough, physically and mentally.

Bo Ryan is a grandfather for third time

Posted on

Bo Ryan and his wife, Kelly, are grandparents for the third time. The University of Wisconsin menâ??s basketball coach learned just before his press conference Monday afternoon that his oldest daughter, Megan and her husband Matt Kaiser just became the proud parents of a baby girl that they named Imogen.

Wis. Senate Democrats unveil job-creation plan

Posted on

Democrats who control the Wisconsin state Senate have unveiled a proposal they say will help create and retain jobs and businesses and improve worker education and training. One part of the proposal announced Monday would spend $2 million to increase partnerships between businesses and the University of Wisconsin.

Football player Erasmus James charged with felony battery

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Former University of Wisconsin and professional football player Erasmus James was charged Monday with felony battery for an alleged bar-time fight with a friend at a campus-area tavern. James, 27, of Madison, was charged with substantial battery and disorderly conduct for allegedly punching a friend, Kyle Massey. James is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

Bielema suspends Moore indefinitely

Posted on

Wide receiver Maurice Moore has run out of chances with the University of Wisconsin football team. Badgers coach Bret Bielema said Moore is indefinitely suspended in the wake of the redshirt juniorâ??s arrest on suspicion of drunken driving early Sunday morning in Madison. Moore is not expected to return to the team; he was previously suspended for the Champs Sports Bowl last season for an unspecified offense.

College football coaches see salaries rise in down economy

Posted on
USA Today

Higher education is in crisis, staggered by a depressed economy that has shrunk state appropriations, endowments and overall institutional budgets. The Berkeley campus has taken a near $150 million cut in state funding and is laying off faculty and staff, imposing furloughs, cutting back new enrollment and paring course offerings while hiking studentsâ?? tuition. Most sports programs, though, spend on. Starting with football coachesâ?? salaries. USA TODAYâ??s latest study of compensation reveals that at least 25 college head football coaches make $2 million or more this season, slightly more than double the number two years ago.

Oestrogen block drugs ‘could fight cervical cancer’

Posted on
The Telegraph (UK)

Two of the drugs, currently used to treat breast cancer, were found to eliminate the disease in mice.Scientists do not yet know whether they will have the same effect in humans, but are hopeful.â??â??There are many similarities to how cervical cancer develops and manifests itself in women and in mice,â??â?? said Dr Paul Lambert, one of the researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US.

Badgers Football Player Suspended After OWI Arrest

Posted on
WISC-TV 3

University of Wisconsin Badgers head coach Bret Bielema said that a junior wide receiver who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving this weekend is suspended indefinitely.Maurice Moore, 22, was involved in a single-vehicle crash on Regent Street over the weekend, suffering minor injuries.

Zimmermann’s Family Creates Scholarship In Her Honor

Posted on
WISC-TV 3

Ahead of what would have been her 23rd birthday, the family of slain University of Wisconsin-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann is awarding a scholarship in her name. The scholarship was given to a freshman student from Zimmermannâ??s hometown of Marshfield. The recipient plans a career in medicine.

Spoonful of Sugar

Posted on
Inside Higher Education

College students seldom rally around rising tuition, but the University of Wisconsin at Madison appears to be blunting criticism of its latest increase with a distinctive approach — letting the students help decide what to do with the money.

In May, the universityâ??s regents approved the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, allowing for gradually increasing surcharges of $1,000 for residents and $3,000 for nonresidents to be fully implemented by the 2012-13 academic year. The funds generated by the surcharge, which will not be paid by students from families making less than $80,000 a year, are designed to bolster need-based aid, hire new faculty, expand course offerings and improve student services.

UW health survey returns (Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune)

Posted on

For a second consecutive year, randomly selected central Wisconsin residents will have the opportunity to participate in a multiyear survey of state residentsâ?? health, which could affect future policy. Starting later this month, researchers from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health will visit 100 households in the Wisconsin Rapids and Stevens Point areas, said Phoebe Frenette, a project spokeswoman.

Student engagement: It’s different at every institution

Posted on
USA Today

So what does engagement look like? USA TODAY asked Indiana University researchers who administer the National Survey of Student Engagement to look at the performance of 443 schools that participate in USA TODAYâ??s database of NSSE schools to find schools whose scores suggest they do a good job of engaging different kinds of students based on a number of different factors. Then we asked the schools to tell us what theyâ??re up to.

Catching Up: UW-Madison professor to return to work on the Large Hadron Collider

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Just about a year ago, a faulty weld in the nearly $10 billion Large Hadron Collider on the Swiss-French border sparked an electrical surge that melted a connection between two magnets and shut down experimentation weeks earlier than expected. Wesley Smith, a UW-Madison physics professor who has invested much of his career in historyâ??s most ambitious science project, was as disappointed as everyone else involved in the effort. But a year later, Smith and several other UW-Madison scientists and engineers are preparing to leave for France and the home to the collider, the European Center for Nuclear Research, or CERN, once again.

Badger wide receiver accused of OWI after Regent Street crash

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

A University of Wisconsin football player was arrested early Sunday for operating while intoxicated on the 1300 block of Regent Street, near Randall Avenue, according to the Madison Police Department. Maurice M. Moore, 22, a wide receiver for the Badgers, was involved in a single-vehicle crash and taken to the hospital with minor injuries at about 12:41 a.m., police said.

Student films connect environment and community issues

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Most doctoral students have their thesis read by around five people, or if theyâ??re lucky, a slightly wider audience of peers in their specialty. But one demanding class at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is changing that. The students in this class are making movies.Tales of Planet Earth is a three-day environmental film festival beginning Friday that will air seven short films created by UW students along with more than 30 professional films over the weekend.

Oates: Tolzien finds his touchdown touch

Posted on
Madison.com

After three games without a touchdown pass, even the unflappable Scott Tolzien was starting to wonder when the next one would come. “It was almost like being in a huge slump on the baseball field,” the University of Wisconsin quarterback said. Tolzien broke out of his slump with a touchdown pass to Isaac Anderson early in UWâ??s 31-28 victory over Indiana Saturday.

‘On, Wisconsin’ Anthem To Celebrate 100 Years

Posted on
WISC-TV 3

Wisconsinâ??s loyal sons and daughters will hail the stateâ??s signature anthem this week. The University of Wisconsin-Madison band and concert choir plan to honor the 100th anniversary of the first performance of “On, Wisconsin” this week.

Posted in Uncategorized

Badger Football Player Suspected Of Drunken Driving

Posted on
WISC-TV 3

A UW menâ??s football player was arrested on drunken driving charges after being involved in a single vehicle accident Sunday. Madison police said 22-year-old Maurice Moore was arrested in the 1300 block of Regent Street at 12:41 am. Moore is a wide receiver for Badger menâ??s football team.

Porchlight Benefits From Eco-Friendly Film Festival

Posted on
WISC-TV 3

Economic struggles were just one of the many subjects filmmakers shed some light on over the weekend at the UW Madison campus. The Tales From Planet Earth Film Festival showcased 50 eco-friendly films from around the world aimed to inspire viewers to take action in their communities.

More Engaged

Posted on
Inside Higher Education

Although budget cuts have many educators this year worried about the quality of education students receive, an annual survey being released today suggests that institutions — large and small, public and private — can achieve significant gains.

Athletes to Icons, Part Two: Former UW Stars Win Big in Business (IBMadison.com)

Posted on

Last week, in part one of IBâ??s three-part series on former UW Athletes-turned-business icons, we featured Randy Wright and Rich Lynch. (Yes, Badger fans, we will hear from Al Toon â?? next week!) This week, we catch up with Pat Richter, former Oscar Mayer executive and University of Wisconsin Athletic Director; Bryan Renk, who just assumed the position of Executive Director for BioForward in Madison; Jim Bradley, now president and CEO of Home Savings Bank; Joe Armentrout, owner and broker of Pinnacle Real Estate Group LLC; and Marsh Shapiro, owner of “Madisonâ??s Birthday Bar,” the Nitty Gritty.

Star UW history professor Jeremi Suri wants to shake things up

Posted on
Isthmus

Jeremi Suri is on a mission. He wants the UW-Madison, where heâ??s a rising-star history professor, to be bolder, more daring, more adept at reaching out. Unafraid of controversy.More, come to think of it, like Suri himself.”We should be a place that takes risks [and] pushes boundaries between disciplines and in the way we teach,” says Suri in a tone that is both friendly and urgent. “Iâ??m frustrated by the fact that, for all we talk about being on the cutting edge here, we are very resistant to risk-taking, very resistant to thinking about our mission as citizens and intellectuals.”

Posted in Uncategorized

Low-Income Women: Get Married

Posted on
BusinessWeek

Author: Maria Cancian, Russell Sage Foundation and University of Wisconsin. Marriage promotion policies will not solve the poverty problem. While financial incentives or relationship-skills programs may help some couples, there is no evidence that government policies can substantially increase marriage rates. And many single mothers would be poor even if they married the fathers of their children, because both the mother and father have limited economic prospects.

Facing the ‘Jobless’ Recovery

Posted on
Wall Street Journal

Quoted: At that pace, given the historical relationship between payrolls and GDP, payrolls would fall through the second quarter of 2010, according to University of Wisconsin economist Menzie Chinn. And unemployment typically peaks after payrolls bottom.

Analysis: College students need lessons in failure

Posted on
USA Today

Teachers say failure is something so-called Gen Y students want to hear more about. “They are very concerned with failure,” said Rich Honack, a lecturer at Northwestern Universityâ??s Kellogg School of Management and expert in generational cultures. Current 20-somethings “have always succeeded. Theyâ??ve always gotten trophies when they go out for a sports team. Theyâ??ve always gotten â??Aâ??s. Their parents have told them be the best and protected them from failure.”

Eggers and book subject Deng speak at Chazen (77 Square)

Posted on
Wisconsin State Journal

Writer Dave Eggers and the South Sudanese man whose story he told in his 2006 book “What Is the What” were at UW-Madison on Wednesday to talk about the pairâ??s work in Sudan and to urge the overflow crowd to get involved in efforts to bring peace to the country.”What is the What,” a finalist for the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award, is a fictionalized account of Valentino Achak Dengâ??s experience as a refugee from Sudanâ??s civil war. Proceeds from the bookâ??s sale fund a foundation he runs that focuses on increasing educational opportunities in his home village of Marial Bai. Much of Tuesdayâ??s talk and an accompanying slide show concerned Dengâ??s work to build a secondary school in the remote village.

Assailant in ‘Wizard of Oz’ costume puts ex-Badger Schubring in hospital

Posted on
Madison.com

Former University of Wisconsin basketball player Darin Schubring is in critical condition at UW Hospital and Clinics with a head injury after being sucker-punched by a man in the Main Depot bar Saturday night. Darin SchubringSchubring, 42, had just purchased a drink and turned away from the bar on Halloween when he was hit by a man wearing a Wizard of Oz flying monkey suit and mask, according to Schubringâ??s father, John Schubring.

Legislature approves regions for UW regents

Posted on
Madison.com

At least half of the citizen members on the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents would have to come from different parts of the state under a bill passed by the Legislature. Fourteen citizen members currently serve on the board. The bill would carve the state into seven geographic districts. At least one citizen member would have to live in each district. The governor would have to begin making appointments to meet the new standards in 2012. Both the Senate and Assembly passed the measure Thursday.

Andy Baggot: A new UW hockey facility isn’t certain

Posted on

UW Athletics is trying to raise gift funds for a new practice and competition facility for the menâ??s and womenâ??s hockey programs. It would be located adjacent to the Kohl Center, cost $25 million and provide upgrades to the nearby Southeast Recreational Facility that would benefit the menâ??s and womenâ??s swim teams. But no one with ties to the hockey programs has come forth to write the big check. UW Athletic Director Barry Alvarez said between $8 million and $9 million in donations needs to be in hand by the end of the year or heâ??ll either delay or halt the project.

Prof renews psychology controversy

Posted on
Isthmus

Timothy Baker has a problem with psychology today. He thinks it bears a dangerous resemblance to the medicine of yesteryear: anecdotal, unscientific, as likely to hurt as help. “[D]espite compelling research support for the merits of specific interventions for specific problems, clinical psychology, as a field, has failed to embrace these treatments,” writes Baker, a professor of medicine at the UW-Madisonâ??s School of Medicine and Public Health, in a paper thatâ??s generating national attention and controversy.

Details, details about a UW research violation

Posted on
Isthmus

What did The Wisconsin State Journal not know and when didnâ??t it know it? On Oct. 23, the paper ran a story on the UW-Madisonâ??s push to create a new high-ranking post, vice chancellor for research, to address woes including aging facilities and a “major action” violation by an animal research lab on campus.