Robert W. “Big Bobby” Erickson Jr., age 73, passed away surrounded by his family on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009. Bob worked for 35 years for the UW, where he was Director of Research Administration Emeritus, retiring in 1996.
Author: jplucas
Judge: UW-Whitewater cannot collect from ex-dean (AP)
Madison.com
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater cannot sue a former dean accused of misusing school money because it waited too long and failed to prove any purchases were for his personal benefit, a judge has ruled.
U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller last week threw out the university’s countersuit against former College of Letters and Sciences Dean Howard Ross. The judge ordered a trial on Ross’ claims that he was singled out by a racist auditor and later demoted because he is black.
UW wants to suspend doctor’s note rule for flu (AP)
WKOW-TV 27
The University of Wisconsin System is moving to suspend a rule that requires sick employees to turn in doctors’ notes as campuses prepare to handle the swine flu.
The Board of Regents is expected to vote Friday to suspend the doctor’s note requirement for employees with the flu or flu-like symptoms this academic year.
UW basketball players released from jail
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Two members of the University of Wisconsin menâ??s basketball team have been released from the Dane County Jail and are scheduled to appear in court later this month.
Illness limits practice
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
At least 10 members of the University of Wisconsin football team have been hit with flu-like symptoms, UW officials announced Tuesday.
It is not known yet if any of the players have contracted the H1N1 virus, or swine flu.
Infomercial king Harrington testing the mainstream (AP)
Quoted: “He brought that sense of legitimacy and the idea that informercials are not necessarily hucksterism, they are meeting the legitimate needs of legitimate consumers,” says Thomas C. Oâ??Guinn, a University of Wisconsin marketing professor. “He made it OK to buy stuff from informercials. He kind of added a little class to it.”
H1N1 outbreak predicted at U (Minnesota Daily)
A serious outbreak of H1N1 influenza in Minnesota schools is likely as class begins, University of Minnesota and state health officials predict.
Schools in the southern United States that began in mid-August have had about 18 percent of students and 12 percent of teachers absent due to H1N1 influenza, State Health Commissioner Sanne Magnan said. This is an â??important reminder of what is coming to Minnesota,â? Magnan said.
Cutting-edge tech centers proposed
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin System should create seven centers to focus on cutting-edge work in areas such as nanowire manufacturing, creation of drugs from fungi and the conversion of paper mill waste into usable products, a task force report recommends.
The Research to Jobs Task Force, formed by University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly in February, proposed the emerging technology centers and other initiatives for spurring more entrepreneurial education and activity on campuses. The report will be discussed by UW System regents Thursday and Friday, said David Giroux, executive director of communications and external relations at the UW System.
Local Universities Combat H1N1 Virus (WISN-TV, Milwaukee)
Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are both seeing their first cases of the H1N1 virus.
College kids have barely moved in and already the flu is a problem. There are several cases at UW-Madison and dozens more have reported having symptoms.
Flu poses serious threat to Fresno preparations (Bucky’s 5th Quarter)
When I first heard Tuesday that as many as 30 UW football players were experiencing flu-like symptoms that could be related to the H1N1 outbreak on the UW-Madison campus, my first reaction was to doubt the validity of the rumor.
Flu-like symptoms hit UW Badger football team
WKOW-TV 27
Flu-like symptoms have hit the UW-Football team.
Head coach Bret Bielema is keeping the team away from as many people as possible, including the media.
On Campus: UW-Madison to host public meeting about heating plant rebuilding
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison is hosting a public information meeting about the proposed $250 million rebuilding of the Charter Street Heating Plant.
Flu rocks UW football team
Madison.com
At least 10 players on the University of Wisconsin football team have come down with flu-like symptoms, head athletic trainer Denny Helwig said Tuesday evening. Other reports put the number much higher, possibly in the dozens.
Pedestrian Struck By Car On UW Campus
WISC-TV 3
Madison police said a pedestrian who is recovering from injuries suffered in a crash on campus Tuesday could receive a ticket.
Police said the victim was not using a crosswalk and walked into the path of a car at the intersection of Babcock Drive and University Avenue.
UW Basketball Players Released On Signature Bond
WISC-TV 3
Two 18-year-old University of Wisconsin basketball players accused in burglaries on campus have been released on a signature bond.
Judge Consolidates Cases In Zimmermann Lawsuit
WISC-TV 3
A judge on Tuesday consolidated the lawsuit the family of slain University of Wisconsin student Brittany Zimmermann filed against Dane County with the lawsuit filed against an apartment management firm.
Badgers Football Team Hit By Flu
WISC-TV 3
The Wisconsin Badgers play Fresno State Saturday at Camp Randall, but just who will be playing became a real question Tuesday as a flu outbreak appears to be spreading.
The Badgers indicated that at least 10 football players are battling flu-like symptoms, but it’s unclear if it is the H1N1 virus.
Doctor training is up
Wisconsin Public Radio
This year, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health admitted more aspiring doctors than ever before.
Some of those 168 new students already know where they want to end up, in places that need physicians the most. The UW medical school has programs designed to guide students toward underserved areas. Many of Wisconsin’s residents live in rural areas, but there are not enough doctors in rural communities.
Buildings & Grounds: 1881 Observatory at U. of Wisconsin at Madison Gets Makeover
Chronicle of Higher Education
The University of Wisconsin at Madisonâ??s Washburn Observatory, opened in 1881, will reopen Friday after a two-year, $2.5-million renovation that preserved the Italianate buildingâ??s historic 15.6-inch refractor telescope while creating office and classroom space for a university honors program.
U.S. Colleges Are Failing in Getting Students to Graduate
New York Times
If you were going to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, youâ??d probably have to start with the Wall Street firms and regulatory agencies that brought us the financial crisis. From there, you might move on to Wall Streetâ??s fellow bailout recipients in Detroit, the once-Big Three.
Reconsider use of monkeys in research
Wisconsin State Journal
Researchers at UW-Madison have discovered that monkeys respond emotionally to music (see www.news.wisc.edu/17030). This study provides more evidence – in addition to very much that we already have about cognition, emotions and relationships – that monkeys are so similar to people that this research cannot be considered ethical.
Index ranks colleges based on what surrounds campus
USA Today
High school students beginning the college search have yet another resource at hand as they narrow their choices: a college destinations index that aims to quantify the whole off-campus experience. And the index finds that New York City, San Jose, Boulder, Colo., and Ithaca, N.Y., are some of the top destinations for college students.
(UW-Madison is ranked 5th in the small metro category.)
How do college students build credit history as rules change?
USA Today
Next year, a familiar site on many campuses will disappear: the tables strategically placed in high-traffic areas, offering free iPods, T-shirts and other goodies to students who sign up for a credit card.Legislation signed into law in May will prohibit credit card companies from offering gifts to college students who agree to fill out a credit card application. The legislation also prohibits lenders from issuing credit cards to individuals younger than 21 unless they can prove they can afford payments or get a parent or other older individual to co-sign.
Colleges move to limit swine flu’s spread (HealthDay News)
Major outbreaks of H1N1 flu occurring at campuses across the United States, and one death recently reported at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, universities are putting detailed prevention and containment plans in place.
UW-Madison’s plan has included: e-mails to everyone on campus from the chancellor, provost or dean of students, and a flyer, What You Can Do About the Flu, handed out to students living on campus and e-mailed to all students.
That hasn’t kept the virus completely at bay on campus, however.
“We are starting to see an increase in cases here. That’s kind of what we expected, and it’s similar to what we’re seeing nationwide,” said Dr. Sarah Van Orman, executive director of university health services at University of Wisconsin-Madison. “We’re really stressing isolation of people who are sick and hygiene and all things that support that, making sure people are excused academically and making sure there are adequate supplies to practice good hygiene.”
Obituary: Julie Ann Smithback Haeger
Madison.com
Julie Ann (Smithback) Haeger, age 52, of Janesville, died on Friday, Sept. 4, 2009. Her nursing career included work at UW Hospital and Clinics.
Obituary: Rollo DuBois Lange
Madison.com
Dr. Rollo DuBois “Rolly” Lange passed away peacefully on Monday, July 20, 2009, surrounded by family. In 1956 his family moved to Madison where Rolly maintained a successful medical practice as an ear, nose and throat specialist, serving on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin Hospital, and as a staff member of St. Mary’s and Madison General (now Meriter) hospitals.
Beer ads dropped from UW football broadcasts
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
When University of Wisconsin fans check in Saturday night for the radio broadcast of the UW-Northern Illinois football game, they will notice something missing from the show.
Obituary: Alvin J. Greenberg
Madison.com
Alvin J. Greenberg passed away on Friday, Aug. 28, 2009, at the HospiceCare Center in Madison. He was on faculty at the University of Wisconsin Hospital.
Two UW athletes arrested in burglaries
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Diamond Taylor and Jeremy Glover, two freshman guards on the University of Wisconsin menâ??s basketball team, were arrested Sunday and face tentative charges of burglary and underage drinking.
Drunken driving hits agenda
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Noted: Statistics show that more than two-thirds of fatal and serious alcohol crashes in Wisconsin are committed by people with no prior conviction for operating while intoxicated, said Lisa Maroney, spokeswoman for two coalitions: AWARE, composed of nearly 40 health and medical, law enforcement and insurance groups pushing for a stronger response to drunken driving; and UW Health, made up of University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, its physicians and the UW Medical Foundation.
U.S. races to get millions of swine flu doses ready
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
In a contest that pits human against virus, the U.S. government is evaluating the safety and effectiveness of swine flu vaccine in hopes of having millions of doses ready for use before the next wave of the pandemic H1N1 sweeps across the nation.This week the virus struck first, infecting a handful of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; an additional 25 to 30 are awaiting results of a swine flu test.
New Punishment Rules at UW Campuses (WSAW-TV, Wausau)
School is back in session, and so is a whole new set rules at all 26 University of Wisconsin campuses.For the first time – campuses have power to discipline students for off-campus misconduct.Since the new rule went into effect September 1st, a university can hand over a penalty as severe as expulsion to a student who misbehaved off-campus.
Trendy Kettlebell Workout an Exercise Staple for Some
ABCNEWS.com
Quoted: These days, kettlebells might be the trendy thing in the weight room, said Dave Knight, an athletic performance coordinator in the department of sports medicine at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics in Madison.
Predicting tipping points before they occur
USA Today
Now some of the most prominent scientists in that field have published a new paper on detecting early warning signals before a system changes. Titled “Early-warning signals for critical transitions,” the review paper is in this weekâ??s issue of the journal Nature.
“We began to realize that there was really pretty cool and fundamental thing going on here,” says Stephen Carpenter, one of the paper’s authors and a lake ecologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Multipurpose stem cells from human fat (CNN)
Quoted: Dr. Timothy Kamp, professor of medicine and stem cell researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved in this research, said itâ??s a big leap forward that researchers were able to show that fat cells can be turned into cells that have the potential to become any tissue in the body. “This is another proof of principle … another way to get stem cells,” Kamp said.
Two years later, Wisconsin attorney general lines up with GOP (AP)
Duluth News Tribune
Quoted: His latest moves appear designed to appeal to bedrock Republican supporters, said Charles Franklin, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor.
The Public Editor: He Works for The Times, Too
New York Times
Noted: I presented the facts to three ethicists: Kelly McBride at the Poynter Institute, a journalism training center in Florida; Bob Steele, a professor at DePauw University and a scholar at Poynter; and Stephen Ward, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. All agreed that Pogue and The Times were facing a clear conflict of interest.
They didnâ??t necessarily agree on how to resolve it. McBride said the paper should not deprive readers of Pogueâ??s expertise, but she and Ward said there should be rigorous oversight and full disclosure to readers about his interests. Steele said disclosure doesnâ??t make the problem go away, and it would be better if Pogue did not review products for which he has written manuals.
Creston Journal – From a Porch in Montana, Low-Power Radioâ??s Voice Rises
New York Times
Quoted: â??These little low-power stations are really, really local in an age when not much else is,â? said Michele Hilmes, a professor of media and cultural studies at the University of Wisconsin at Madison who has written widely about radio history.
What is a Snake on the Lake?
Isthmus
I have one burning question as I take the elevator up to the fourth-floor studio of UW-Madisonâ??s student radio station, WSUM, on the west end of the Lucky apartment building.
Badger Fans Could Face Construction Delays
WISC-TV 3
Thousands of fans will descend on Camp Randall Stadium Saturday for the Wisconsin Badgers home opener, but construction near the stadium might cause some roadblocks.
Swine Flu Hits UWM (WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee)
University of Wisconsin Milwaukee health officials have been preparing for an early show of the flu on campus and 2 days into classes, students are already coming in sick.
UW-Madison expanding primate labs at would-be protest museum site
Madison.com
UW-Madison plans to expand its primate research labs into the space that animal rights activists once hoped would house a museum to protest experimentation on monkeys.
After trying to secure the land for at least four years, University Research Park, which is a research partner with UW-Madison, purchased the lot for $1 million in July from Budget Bicycle Center owner Roger Charly.
UW warns students to remain safe
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison officials sent an e-mail to students this weekend warning them to “be diligent” in regard to their personal safety.
“You should be aware that there have been several recent violent robberies around campus and downtown,” said an e-mail from Lori Berquam, dean of students.
Claims of misrepresentation in reporter’s first MacIver story
Madison.com
Quoted: “You have a duty as a reporter to disclose to the person the purposes of your interview,” said Stephen Ward, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at UW-Madison. “You should be open about all your affiliations in advance.”
Job losses will make this Labor Day tough for Wisconsin workers
Madison.com
Quoted: “The employment will take a long time to come back,” said Joel Rogers, who founded COWS in 1992 and is its director. “Itâ??s an uncertain environment. Youâ??ve lost a year, two years of growth and thatâ??s a big loss.”
UWâ??s stand on beer ads the wrong step
Racine Journal Times
Bucking the trend in college athletics, University of Wisconsin-Madison officials took a stand that the bottom line isn’t everything. Too bad they’re staring at the wrong line.
The university canceled advertising deals with two major brewing companies because of concerns about binge drinking. The athletic department, as a vice chancellor put it, would have to “take one for the team” by forfeiting $425,000 annually. A sacrifice should have an equally large payout – not in dollars, but in curbing the campus’ infamous culture of drunkenness.
Curiousities: Can good-tasting food also be good for you?
Wisconsin State Journal
Q: Why is it that often foods with the least nutritional content taste the best to people?
A: It depends on how you define nutrition, says Franco Milani, an assistant professor of food science at UW-Madison. The word “nutritious” may mean a food full of anti-oxidants and fiber, heavy on vitamins and protein, but light on calories.
Security, police to monitor Camp Randall seating
WKOW-TV 27
Police and security officials told 27 News they are ready to handle tomorrowâ??s season opening capacity football crowd at Camp Randall Stadium, after student section changes and last seasonâ??s tasering of a sober fan.
Two UW basketball players arrested after burglaries at Sellery Hall, suspended from team
Wisconsin State Journal
Two UW-Madison menâ??s basketball players were jailed Sunday on tentative charges of burglary and underage drinking in the thefts of portable music players, a cell phone and $400 cash from “numerous” dormitory rooms, university police said in a news release.
UW coach: Players’ arrest ‘a total shock’
Madison.com
Last Friday, Diamond Taylor and Jeremy Glover were among a group of freshmen on the University of Wisconsin menâ??s basketball team who attended a meeting where they were indoctrinated about the doâ??s and donâ??ts of life as a student-athlete.
Man who openly carried gun will fight citation
WKOW-TV 27
The UW-Madison graduate student, who police cited with disorderly conduct after walking openly with a gun for about a dozen blocks in broad daylight through downtown, is fighting his ticket.
“Show and Blow” promotes responsible college drinking
WKOW-TV 27
College football season kicks off Saturday in Madison, and so does the tailgating. But school officials have a warning for students: drink too much, and you could be added to the “Show and Blow” list.
UW students play “fire fighter” to learn fire safety
WKOW-TV 27
Some UW students played firefighter in an effort to learn the importance of fire safety.
Donning helmets, jackets and other fire gear, a group of student leaders got some hands on experience at the Madison Fire Department’s Fire Academy.
First Badger Bash held on engineering mall
WKOW-TV 27
The first Badger Bash of the 2009 UW-Madison football season kicks off Saturday at a new location.
The Badger Bash, known as “the largest tailgate in Madison,” will be held each Saturday at the engineering mall before every home football game.
Downtown Businesses Welcome Return Of Football
WISC-TV 3
As the University of Wisconsin Badgers struggled to hold off the Huskies of Northern Illinois on Saturday night, downtown businesses are struggling to survive in the continuing recession.
Some Badger Fans Arrested During Opening Game
WISC-TV 3
Excited crowds packed Camp Randall Stadium for Saturdayâ??s University of Wisconsin Badgers football home opener against Northern Illinois University.
Two UW Basketball Players Arrested For Attempted Burglary
WISC-TV 3
Two 18-year-old University of Wisconsin basketball players are under arrest for an attempted burglary early Sunday morning.
University police arrested Diamond Taylor and Jeremy Glover outside Sellery Hall at around 5:40 a.m. Authorities said that they found iPods and more than $400 on the freshmen, who authorities said admitted to entering many rooms in Sellery Hall without permission.
UW study shows driving with cast is dangerous
WKOW-TV 27
A new study out from the University of Wisconsin shows driving with a cast on your foot is dangerous.Dr. Kurt Rongstad, assistant professor of orthopedic surery at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health did the study after answering the seemingly obvious question 300 to 400 times a year from people who found themselves in a cast.
Point twins get a bang out of playing Bucky
Wausau Daily Herald
Actors often talk about how playing a character gives them a chance to be someone theyâ??re not.Stevens Point natives Austin and Aaron Wessell must feel like theyâ??re part of a Hollywood fraternity without leaving Wisconsin.The twins transform themselves into Bucky Badger, the much-loved University of Wisconsinmascot, at least 100 times a year.
UW simplifies scholarship application (AP)
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has launched two initiatives designed to make it easier for undergraduate students to learn about and apply for scholarships.Theres a new Web site to help students search undergraduate scholarships. In the past, students and parents had to search out available scholarships through the separate campus school or college.The other new initiative is designed to make it easier for students to apply for scholarships by completing an online application form.