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Author: jplucas

May: Health care is a human right, not a luxury (Tomah Journal)

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The U.S. health care system is in a state of crisis. Costs continue to rise astronomically, the public health workforce will soon be unable to keep up with growing demands, over fifty million Americans lack health insurance, and another 25 million are underinsured.

Health care must be seen as a human right, not a luxury. I support the American Nurses Association position that Americans are entitled to ready access to quality and affordable health care services offered by an adequately sized and well educated workforce.

Author: Katharyn May is the Dean of the UW-Madison School of Nursing.

UW marching band parents furious about hazing investigation (AP)

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St. Paul Pioneer Press

Parents of Wisconsin marching band members expressed outrage over the school’s handling of a hazing investigation in dozens of e-mails to administrators, according to records released Monday.

The parents threatened to withhold donations, sought refunds for football tickets and even vowed to seek the firing of an assistant dean who led the probe, the e-mails show.

The parents said they were angry the university suspended the entire 300-member marching band while investigating allegations against a small minority of its members.

Madison biotech raises $18M in financing (The Business Journal of Milwaukee)

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Cellular Dynamics International Inc., a firm co-founded by stem cell pioneer and University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher James Thomson, has absorbed a pair of sister companies and raised $18 million in financing, the firm said Monday.

CDIâ??s sister companies, Stem Cell Products Inc. and iPS Cells Inc., merged into the company, placing the intellectual property and commercial, research, and production capabilities of the predecessor companies under a unified management team.

Stem Cell companies join forces

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Wisconsin Radio Network

Three Wisconsin companies focused on stem cell research are merging.

The companies are joining under the banner of Cellular Dynamics International (CDI), based in Madison. Stem Cell pioneer, Dr. James Thomson, says they’re looking at the commercial use of stem cell technology.

Does it work? AquaGlobes promises to water your plants for you

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WKOW-TV 27

To test AquaGlobes, we went to a place where it’s always 80 degrees, humid, and sunny.

Welcome to the greenhouse in the heart of the cold and snowy UW-Madison campus.

The greenhouse’s director, Dr. Mo Fayyaz, nurtures the 1,000 species of plants here. He’s been here for 25 years and knows a thing or two about plants and the strange products people buy to take care of them.

E-mail Warning About Gift Cards Threatens To Be Holiday Grinch

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WISC-TV 3

QUoted: University of Wisconsin Professor Tom O’Guinn said that he thinks the e-mail could cause problems this shopping season.

“I think it’s very plausible that people think, ‘Gee, I shouldn’t buy a gift card because maybe the store won’t be around to honor it or they may just stop honoring it,'” said O’Guinn, who’s executive director of the UW Center for Brand and Product Management. “It’s not true, but there’s the old saying perception is reality, so if I was a retailer, I’d be concerned.”

Budget Woes Affect UW Campuses

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Wisconsin Public Radio

The dust has yet to settle from what Governor Doyle is calling the worst budget deficit in state history. University campuses are bracing for a possible hiring and construction freeze.

UW-Superior Chancellor Julius Erlenbach expects universities to get hit with a one-two punch: A $346-million deficit from the current budget and then a $5-6 billion deficit in the next two-year budget. With 87-percent of his campuses budget spent on faculty and staff, Erlenbach doesnâ??t expect to be able to fill all their positions. (Fifth item.)

â??It is very much case-by-case,â? says Erlenbach. â??We are still in the process of making hires but as things continue to unfold given where things are going we may have to put a freeze on future hires. I donâ??t know.â?

Lights fantastic

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Wisconsin Radio Network

The Kohl Center gets new lighting — with a high tech twist. UW Madison faculty member Steve Feren helped design the new lights, twelve separate lighted sculptures. “The actual lighting will be very active, very colorful and animated,” says Feren. “It will fit in with the sort of celebratory activity that goes on at the the Kohl Center.”

UW band parents’ letters say hazing violated their sons’ morals

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The investigation into hazing allegations by members of the University of Wisconsin-Madison marching band stemmed from complaints from parents of two male freshman band members, according to documents released Monday.

A few previously unreported examples of inappropriate behavior by band members included singing a cadence that includes the word vagina, placing a condom on a banana and a game involving alcohol in which some band members formed a “hamster cage” for other students using torn up pages of phone books.

Parents’ letters reveal alleged UW Marching Band hazing activities

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Wisconsin State Journal

Alarmed parents of two male UW Marching Band members helped trigger the university investigation into alcohol and sexual-related hazing allegations earlier this fall, according to newly released UW-Madison documents.

The charges, which were mostly confirmed by the university, led to the entire band’s one-game suspension Oct. 4.

Obituary: David Frederick Ruf

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Madison.com

Dr. David Frederick “Fritz” Ruf, M.D., age 73, of Darlington, passed away in his home on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008. For many years he was actively involved with the University of Wisconsin to recruit physicians for medically underserved areas and served as a preceptor for UW physician assistant students.

Obituary: Roberta “Bobbi” A. Marcus

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Madison.com

Roberta “Bobbi” A. Marcus passed away on Friday, Nov. 14, 2008. After raising her children, Bobbi embarked upon a long career as a senior administrative assistant at UW-Madison, first in the Department of Economics and then in the Law School.

Obituary: Charles Henry Davidson

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Madison.com

Charles Henry Davidson, age 88, died Friday, Nov. 7, 2008. Charlie was director of the Engineering Computing Laboratory at UW-Madison from 1962 to 1982, and taught computer courses until his retirement in 1990.

Microsoft hires database expert

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David DeWitt’s journey to becoming one of the world’s leading academic experts on databases started off almost by accident. “I had taken one database class in graduate school,” DeWitt recalled. “That was enough that when I showed up as a new faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (in the mid-1970s), the chairman said, ‘You’re the new database guy.'”

Editorial: UW-Madison Works With WMC

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Green Bay Press-Gazette

We’re glad to hear that UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin is working on a constructive relationship with the board of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state’s largest business group. Martin said she has had separate meetings with the WMC’s board of directors and WMC president Jim Haney and is hoping they can focus on common interests.

Researchers use hunt to search for deer ticks

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Wisconsin State Journal

While some Wisconsinites spent Saturday seeking white-tailed deer, researchers were hunting for another organism: the deer tick.

Teams from University of Wisconsin System schools and the Wisconsin Division of Health fanned out to more than a dozen deer registration stations in the eastern half of the state Saturday, gathering ticks from the deer brought in by hunters.

Ticks being tested during deer hunting

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WKOW-TV 27

Black Earth (WKOW) — Scientists from the University of Wisconsin spent their opening day of the gun deer season focusing on a disease carried by deer.

In this case, the effort wasn’t on Chronic Wasting Disease, but on Lyme Disease.

The UW researchers were at deer registration stations Saturday collecting ticks, the insects that carry Lyme Disease.

Tongue Control (MIT Technology Review)

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Technology Review (MIT)

Could the tongue help a paraplegic pick up a slippery glass or a soft, squishy kitten? Justin Williams and his colleagues at the University of Wisconsin are testing electrical stimulation of the tongue as an adjunct to visual feedback for brain-controlled computer interfaces, such as those used to control prosthetic arms.

Child deaths test faith-healing exemption (AP)

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Quoted: “There hasn’t been a groundswell of organized advocacy to get the laws changed,” said Shawn Francis Peters, a University of Wisconsin professor and author of a book on faith healing. “I do think there’s broad public sentiment to do it, but that doesn’t get things through the meat grinder of legislation.”

Minnesota endowment loses 7 percent (Minnesota Daily)

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College endowments across the country are reporting substantial losses, and the University of Minnesota is no exception.

The Universityâ??s Consolidated Endowment Fund shrunk by 7.1 percent in the third quarter, and has declined 12.1 percent since September 2007, leaving just over a billion dollars in the fund. The third quarter includes July through September.

The University of Wisconsin Foundationâ??s President Andrew Wilcox and Chief Investment Officer David Erickson reported that their endowments had lost 12 percent by Sept. 30.

La Crosse Company Sells Natural Gas-Powered Car

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WISC-TV 3

Quoted: Natural gas-powered cars do have some drawbacks and some critics. Glenn Bower, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an automotive expert, said that the reason these cars haven’t taken off is because there isn’t a workable infrastructure in place.

Many enjoy an outstanding opening day of gun-deer season

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Wausau Daily Herald

Noted: Heather Sage, 20, was checking deer for ticks as they came in to be tagged at the Sunset Country Store for a medical entomology class project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Sage of Antigo said students were trying to track the spread of Lyme disease across the eastern half of the state. She asked hunters to point out where they shot the deer on a map.

Her brother, Matt Sage, 18, helped her by using a large tweezers to check for ticks around the necks of the deer. They put the ticks into vials for testing.

Their Budgets Slashed, Public Colleges Share the Pain With a Glut of Applicants

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Chronicle of Higher Education

At a time when the nation’s economy is ailing and credit is drying up, Troy Carter thought he had found an affordable way to earn a four-year college degree: Stitch together an education at a community college and a state university.

But like millions of other students flocking to community colleges and public universities, he finds them struggling with financial problems of their own.

Midyear budget cuts are forcing many of the institutions to lay off faculty members, cut course sections, and freeze enrollment.

Most Colleges Fill Classrooms Even as Students Struggle to Pay

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Chronicle of Higher Education

The nation’s economic crisis is bringing colleges higher borrowing costs, smaller endowments, tighter budgets, and fears over the availability of loans for their students.

Yet one of the most critical factors in colleges’ health â?? student enrollment â?? appears to be largely holding strong, at least for now.

Tuition and fees are the top source of revenue at private four-year colleges, with smaller institutions relying on those funds especially heavily. The loss of even a handful of students can bring some institutions to the brink of collapse.

UW-Madison chancellor has big goals, challenges (AP)

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Chicago Tribune

University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin has big goals and big challenges.

Martin, who succeeded Chancellor John Wiley in September, has promised to increase lagging faculty and staff salaries that are allowing other universities to recruit away some stars and demoralizing other employees.

She’s vowed to raise big money for need-based financial aid. And she’s reorganizing the administration, creating a new vice chancellor position to better promote the university’s message.

UW-Madison chancellor has big goals, challenges

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University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin has big goals and big challenges.

Martin, who succeeded Chancellor John Wiley in September, has promised to increase lagging faculty and staff salaries that are allowing other universities to recruit away some stars and demoralizing other employees.

She’s vowed to raise big money for need-based financial aid. And she’s reorganizing the administration, creating a new vice chancellor position to better promote the university’s message.

Patty Loew: Thanksgiving traditions all based on myths

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Capital Times

A member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, Loew was the keynote speaker at the third annual “Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration” held at Lakeview Lutheran Church on Madison’s north side.

Loew is a longtime local TV anchor who serves as associate professor of life sciences communications at UW-Madison.

Badger Fans Likely To Stay Home This Bowl Season

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WISC-TV 3

The University of Wisconsin football Badgers became bowl eligible November 15 with their comeback win over border rival Minnesota.

But a tough economy coupled with a disappointing season â?? which ended Saturday with a close overtime win over the non-conference Cal Poly Mustangs â?? likely means that less Badger fans will travel to see the Badgers’ bowl appearance.

The UW Alumni Association acknowledges that fewer fans are expected to go bowling with Bucky. “I think we all have to recognize that the economy has certainly slowed things down,” said Paula Bonner, president of the UW Alumni Association.

Final Badger Bash At Current Union South Held

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WISC-TV 3

The Badger/Cal Poly game on Saturday was not only Wisconsin’s final regular-season game but also the final Badger Bash at the current Union South on the UW campus.

On Saturday Badger fans at the Badger Bash celebrated with the usual beer, brats, and music while also bidding a final farewell to the Union South they’ve come to know and love.

New Tool in Fight Against Alcoholism

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NBC-15

This could be the next tool in the battle against alcoholism.

” I don’t think it’s limited to alcoholism or even addiction.”

For five years Andrew Isham and his team of researchers at the UW have been developing Innovations for Recovery.

” What we are trying to do here is facilitate timely connections between the patient and people who they have determined to be in their support system.”

Closing that budget hole

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Wisconsin Radio Network

The governor wants to close a $5.4 billion budget hole without raising sales or income taxes, but how does he plan to make that happen?

Part of Governor Jim Doyle’s plan is to require state agencies to cut as much as 12.5-percent from the budget requests for the next biennium. He’s also ordered that vacant state jobs will remain unfilled for the time being. The state will also sell off vehicles from its fleet.

Badger fans say goodbye to the old Union South

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WKOW-TV 27

A Badger tradition is taking a hiatus from its usual spot on campus.

Saturday afternoon’s Badger Bash was the last pregame party at Union South for quite a while. The building, which opened in 1971, will be torn down at the end of this school year.

Historic Budget Crisis Will Affect Wisconsin Agencies, Services

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Wisconsin Public Radio

Governor Jim Doyle now says the state faces a budget shortfall of $5.4 billion over the next couple years. Filling that hole could require drastic cuts or tax increases, but Doyle says he’s taking some smaller steps in the short term.

While the overall budget deficit looms large, there’s another number that’s important if the state’s going to pay all its bills and not run out of money before next summer. Doyle’s Department of Administration estimates that because tax revenues have taken such a hit, the current state budget could be about $350-million in the hole by the end of June.

Colleges fear financial aid bubble may burst

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Green Bay Press-Gazette

Paying for school hasn’t been easy for Jim Rohde, but the St. Norbert College senior has made it work.

Rohde, a political science major, receives about $17,000 a year in need-based financial aid from St. Norbert. He works on campus for 15 to 20 hours a week, with much of his paycheck going toward food and other day-to-day expenses.

Obituary: Geoge A. Talbot III

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Madison.com

George A Talbot III, Madison, born April 2, 1929, died peacefully Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008. Early in his career, George taught at the University of Wisconsin Law School; he later directed the visual and sound archives at the Wisconsin Historical Society, 1973 to retirement, 1990. He significantly expanded the society’s collection and created two major exhibitions, “At Home,” using photos to show how Americans led their lives, and “Six Generations Here,” portraying a German-American Wisconsin farm family. After retirement, he was on the Board of Friends of the Wisconsin Historical Society and directed the Frank Lloyd Wright oral history project (1990-95).

Obituary: Robert W. Devenish

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Madison.com

Robert W. Devenish, age 87, passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008. Bob served the UW as director of communications for 18 years, until retiring in 1985. During that time, he founded and was an active member of A.C.U.T.A. (Assn. of College and University Telecommunication Administrators).

Former Judge Michael Torphy, 78, dies

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Wisconsin State Journal

Michael Torphy spent a good deal of his past ten years of retirement at the family cottage in Crystal Lake, Minn., with his wife of 51 years, Maureen. Their two daughters, Laura and Karen, live in Chicago and Arcata, Calif. He was a good swimmer, loved the water and earned two letters while on the UW-Madison crew team in the 1950s.

Removing small colon polyps costly, unnecessary

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Reuters

The surgical removal of small colon polyps found during computed tomography imaging of the colon, or CT colonography, is costly and unnecessary, according to a new study.

“We shouldn’t aggressively pursue sub-centimeter lesions, since the costs, risks, and inconvenience of the subsequent colonoscopy outweighs the clinical importance of these small polyps,” Dr. Perry J. Pickhardt from University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison told Reuters Health. “Over time, the few small polyps that matter will declare themselves by showing interval growth,” the researcher added.

U. of Wisconsin Dean’s Perspective on the Economy

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Seeking Alpha

Courtesy of the Wilson Law Group, an excellent estate-planning firm here in Madison, one of your correspondents attended a fascinating talk last night. The speaker was the Dean of the University of Wisconsin School of Business, Michael M. Knetter (yes, the “k” gets a little enunciation).

Knetter spoke for nearly an hour on a broad range of topics, from international trade to the credit bubble to tax policy. Here are a few highlights, in no particular order, from last night’s event:

Editorial: UW right to address alcohol problem

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Appleton Post-Crescent

When it comes to alcohol abuse in Wisconsin, it’s not just a health or legal issue anymore. It’s an economic one.

Alcohol-related health and social problems cost the state a staggering $5 billion annually, according to the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health, which is starting a statewide campaign to combat Wisconsin’s problems with alcohol.

Study: Ozaukee is Wisconsinâ??s healthiest county (AP)

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Fond Du Lac Reporter

WAUSAU â?? Southeast Wisconsin is home to some of the stateâ??s healthiest â?? and least healthy â?? people, according to a University of Wisconsin-Madison study released today.

It showed that Milwaukee is one of the unhealthiest places to live in Wisconsin, while suburban Ozaukee and Waukesha counties are among the healthiest.

Dodge County has good and bad in health rankings (Beaver Dam Daily Citizen)

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Southeast Wisconsin is home to some of the state’s healthiest â?? and least healthy â?? people, according to a University of Wisconsin-Madison study released today.

It showed that Milwaukee is one of the unhealthiest places to live in Wisconsin, while suburban Ozaukee and Waukesha counties are among the healthiest. Dodge County’s health ranks right in the middle, 38th out of 72 counties.

Doctors: Wisconsin Has Drinking Problem (WBBM-AM, Chicago)

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A number of Wisconsin doctors have gotten together to try to do something about what they consider an “epidemic” in the state, drinking.

Were you aware you could take your kids to a bar in Wisconsin and buy them a drink? As long as the bartender doesn’t object, there’s no law against it.

Doctor Lee Faucher, director of trauma at the University of Wisconsin Hospital, says they want to change laws and educate the public. (Audio.)

Wisconsin Faces Worst Budget Shortfall In State History

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WISC-TV 3

Gov. Jim Doyle said Thursday that 3,500 vacant state jobs will not be filled, no employees will receive bonuses and agencies will have to cut their budgets by more than 12 percent to deal with the worst projected budget deficit in state history.

Doyle also is backing targeted tax increases and won’t rule out a general sales or income tax hike. But he said he wants to do everything possible to avoid that.