Quoted: “It’s amazing, frankly. It feels to me a little bit like the stage was set when he won the primary in February,” UW-Madison political scientist Barry Burden said.
Author: jplucas
Obama accelerates Wisconsin’s “Blue” trend
WKOW-TV 27
Quoted: UW-Madison political science professor David Canon said president-elect Obama’s ability to ramp up the turn out of under-30 voters in Wisconsin was not only critical to his success, but may also portend the repeat of a past president’s long term winning formula.
Election Gives Democrats Control In State Assembly
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — State Democrats are cheering over a gain of five seats in the state Assembly in Tuesday’s election, which gives Democrats power over the statehouse for the first time since the late 1980s.
On Wednesday, Gov. Jim Doyle said he is encouraged by a change in hands from Republicans to Democrats in the Assembly.
“This is quite a remarkable moment for us in Wisconsin. It’s the result of the people of the state of Wisconsin speaking yesterday very strongly about where they want this state to go,” Doyle said.
Dane County 911 Center Comes Under Fire Again
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — The Dane County 911 dispatch center is under fire again for failing to send officers to investigate noise complaints that later became a homicide investigation.
Madison Police Chief Noble Wray said that the 911 center violated policy when it failed to send officers to respond to two complaints it received about men fighting in Lake Edge Park on Monday night.
Weâ??ll keep the light on for you
Badger Herald
With safety being one of the most important concerns on the minds of students, any initiative on behalf of university and city leaders to combat crime is worthy of recognition. Such is the case with a recent initiative by Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, to improve lighting conditions for residents of downtown Madison. The Downtown Residential Lighting Initiative, as it is called, provides grants for downtown property owners who wish to install lighting around their residences to ward off potential intruders.
UW Librarian Praises Google Settlement
Wisconsin Public Radio
A UW-Madison library official says a proposed settlement between search-engine giant Google and various writers and publishers groups will greatly enhance learning and research opportunities.
The settlement seeks to end a 2005 lawsuit filed against Google by the Authors Guild and numerous publishers and authors. It alleges that Googleâ??s scanning of copyrighted library books and posting unauthorized portions of them in search results was illegal. (11th item.)
Oates: Too early to judge Bielema
Capital Times
At times like this, Barry Alvarez always quoted Spike Dykes.
A former Texas Tech coach famous for his homespun wisdom, Dykes used to say that a coach starts out with 100 percent support and loses 10 percent of his fan base every year.
Student robbed of cash, laptop on Langdon Street
Wisconsin State Journal
A 20-year old UW-Madison student walking in a parking lot near her residence in the 100 block of Langdon Street was robbed of cash and her laptop computer at gunpoint by two men at about 11 p.m. Monday night, Madison police reported.
Obama’s election celebrated in Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
Alysia Mann Carey, 19, a UW-Madison sophomore, voted in her first presidential election Tuesday and watched the returns from her dorm. “I can’t even explain how proud and excited and happy I am,” said Mann Carey, who is black. “It’s a step toward getting rid of racism.”
WiscAlerts not used after Langdon attack
Badger Herald
After encouraging students to sign up for WiscAlerts in light of recent downtown crime, the University of Wisconsin did not send out a text last night when a UW junior was held up at gunpoint outside her Langdon Street sorority house.
Lt. Michael Newton of UW Police said WiscAlerts are only issued in cases such as a shooter on campus or a bomb threat.
Sign tearing allegations draw political bickering
Badger Herald
Political groups on the University of Wisconsin campus spent the daytime hours of Election Day pointing fingers at who had posted signs in unauthorized places and illegally torn signs down.
Members of Students for Obama, Students for McCain, Students for Nader, College Democrats and College Republicans were allegedly posting signs in places they shouldnâ??t have, such as street signs, bus shelters and areas too close to polling places.
High turnout, few stumbles highlight cityâ??s Election Day
Badger Herald
By 4 p.m. Tuesday, voter turnout for the city of Madison had reached 51 percent of all registered voters with many more expected in the final four hours, said Madison City Clerk Maribeth Witzel-Behl.
Democrats pick up control in state Assembly
Badger Herald
Wisconsinâ??s balance of power shifted late last night as Democrats gained the majority of seats in the state Assembly for the first time in 14 years.
Fifty-two Democrats, 46 Republicans and one independent were projected winners in the Assembly and will be joined in the Capitol by 18 Democrats and 15 Republicans in the state Senate.
Student GOP groups bemoan defeat
Badger Herald
Students for McCain and College Republicans were left visibly shaken by the election of Sen. Barack Obama as president of the United States Tuesday night.
The groups gathered as a crowd of about 60 at the Cabana Room in downtown Madison, where a feeling of anger came across after Fox News declared Obama the victor.
UW-Madison exemplifies political student activity
Daily Cardinal
Approaching City Hall this past Monday to vote early in this yearâ??s presidential election, I was initially repulsed by what I saw. Foolishly thinking that going at 3 p.m. would rid me of the early voter rush due to classes, I was unpleasantly surprised to see the line snaking outside to the bottom of the steps.
My impatience grew quickly, and I could not erase any hint of irritation as I slowly treaded through each section of the municipal building. This feeling of boredom and threat of doom that I would never get out of Madison City Hall alive suddenly vanished, though, when I thought of what such a crowd implied.
UW-Madison students abroad remain involved in election
Daily Cardinal
Despite being hundreds or even thousands of miles away from American soil, UW-Madison students studying abroad were still involved in Election Day Tuesday through absentee voting and keeping an eye on results from their host countries.
Junior Hannah Smith, who is currently studying abroad in Madrid, Spain, said she thought voting through an absentee ballot was quite simple and did not take her much time with the help of Democrats and Republicans abroad.
Mock election for international students yields Obama victory
Daily Cardinal
Although international students were ineligible to vote in the elections, they were able to participate in a mock election that closely replicated the city of Madisonâ??s official polling centers and ballots hosted by International Student Services at the Red Gym Tuesday.
Accusations of â??illegalâ?? campaigning by Students for Obama
Daily Cardinal
Reports of illegal campaigning by UW-Madison student political groups has led to an investigation by the University of Wisconsin Police Department.
Posters hung by members of Students for Obama became the subject of controversy Monday night when unidentified students began ripping the posters down at various locations around campus.
Democrats gain control of Assembly, now command state Legislature
Daily Cardinal
Wisconsin Democrats, who have controlled the state Senate since 2006, gained control of the state Assembly Tuesday night and will effectively command Wisconsinâ??s Legislature for the upcoming session.
According to WisPolitics.com, Democrats picked up five key seats from the 2nd, 42nd, 57th, 68th and 92nd Districts. They needed to gain at least three seats to take the majority.
Thousands of students vote in ground-breaking election
Daily Cardinal
Thousands of UW-Madison students turned out to vote for Election Day 2008. Although there were small glitches and delays at polling stations during the day, officials said the process was an overall success.
Believing In The Political Process
National Public Radio
The elections provide an opportunity to voice our hopes and aspirations. On Election Day 2008, four essayists explore their beliefs in the democratic process.
Nora Lupi is an art history major at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She has attended rallies and volunteered for campaigns on campus during this election season. Lupi says she continues to debate politics with her parents, who live in Manhattan.
Bennett’s approach makes sense in business
Appleton Post-Crescent
Average people can do amazing things. That’s what Dick Bennett still believes. It was the foundation of his basketball coaching career, which spanned more than three decades.
From 1995 to 2000, when he served as head coach of the University of Wisconsin’s men’s basketball team, Bennett took what many believed were less-tha-stellar athletes and made them into competitive teams.
“A lot of excellence was recognized here tonight, but I bet it took a lot of heartache for those businesses to get there,” said Bennett, who was the keynote speaker at Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s annual meeting last week in Appleton.
Battlegrounds attract political heat
Minnesota Public Radio
Journalists from Indiana, North Carolina and Colorado talk about early voting, turnout and all the attention from candidates.
Guests include Charles Franklin, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-developer of Pollster.com. (Audio.)
HEC and Wisconsin join hands over property
Financial Times
HEC in Paris is increasing its links with US business schools through a partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop and teach a real estate programme at HEC. Wisconsin School of Business is one of the leaders in the US in teaching real estate programmes.
Young voters help put Obama over the top
Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) â?? Rafi Zelikowsky skipped class on Tuesday to camp out in downtown Chicago and wait for Barack Obama, the man who captured the hearts of so many young voters.
“We’re feeding off the energy,” said Zelikowsky, a 19-year-old Northwestern University student from Los Angeles who arrived at 7:30 a.m. EST to stand in a long line outside the park where supporters awaited Obama’s victory address more than 15 hours later. Zelikowsky, who voted for Obama by absentee ballot in California, also spent her previous weekend canvassing for the Illinois senator in rural Iowa.
Democrats make gains in House, Senate
Globe and Mail (Canada)
Quoted: “To have the kinds of changes we’re talking about, especially after 2006, those are bigger shifts than anything we’ve seen in a long time,” said David Canon, an expert on Congress from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Market was McCainâ??s Waterloo
National Post (Canada)
Quoted: “Different people are influenced by different issues, but certainly the condition of the economy is the central issue now for most voters,” said John Coleman, head of the political science department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Many Students Cast First Ballots At UW-Madison (AP)
WISC-TV 3
MADISON, Wis. — Students are lining up to vote at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where many are casting their first ballots in a presidential election.
Freshman Lamel Adkins said that he’s proud that his first vote for Democrat Barak Obama. Adkins said that it’s a historic election because no other black candidate has gotten as far as Obama.
UW-Madison has had one of the most active Students for Barack Obama groups in the country, and Obama’s team is hoping to win big there.
Obama, Helped by Youth Vote, Wins Presidency and Makes History
Chronicle of Higher Education
Barack Obama, who won the overwhelming support of college students, faculty members, and higher-education officials during his campaign, will be the next president of the United States. His election on Tuesday breaks a racial barrier, making the U.S. senator from Illinois the first black man to ascend to the nationâ??s top job.
Mr. Obama, who taught constitutional law as a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago and was the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, campaigned on a platform that called for increased aid to students, a doubling of federal funds for basic research, and government grants to â??successful community collegesâ? that train unemployed workers in emerging industries.
Obama on Higher Ed
Inside Higher Education
Many higher education leaders had hoped to see college issues, or education generally, emerge as a major issue in the 2008 race. That never quite happened. And with the war in Iraq and the collapse of the economy, that may not be surprising. But over the course of two years leading up to his election, Sen. Barack Obama has given many policy addresses and issued many proposals about education that may guide his work in office â?? at least after he deals with the economy, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Spontaneous exhilaration
Wisconsin Radio Network
Hundreds of people, most of them UW students, poured onto State Street in downtown Madison for a joyously spontaneous celebration of Sen. Barack Obama’s historic election victory. The celebrations included chants of “yes we can,” and “USA” — even singing the national anthem.
Dems reclaim Assembly (wispolitics.com)
Democrats pulled off an impressive sweep Tuesday in Wisconsin, propelling Barack Obama to the biggest win by a presidential contender here in more than four decades and retaking the state Assembly for the first time in 14 years.
Text Message Tells Democrats to Vote Day Late
ABCNEWS.com
Voter suppression has gone viral at the University of Florida.
Several students have received text messages from friends or anonymous numbers urging them to vote on Nov. 5 — the day after Election Day — when their votes would not be counted.
UF senior political science major Delaney Rohan received the following text message from a number with an Orlando area code Tuesday afternoon: “Due to high voter turnout Republicans are asked to vote today and Democrats are asked to vote tomorrow. Spread the word!”
Domestic partner benefits long overdue for UW-Madison faculty
Daily Cardinal
UW-Madison has always claimed to be a forward-thinking, progressive school often responsible for shaping new beliefs on the national level. However, within the dialogue of same-sex marriage, UW-Madison has looked almost unrecognizable in its inaction regarding domestic partner benefits. University officials mandate forward thinking in UW-Madisonâ??s strategic plan, claiming, â??as progress is made, conditions evolve and the environment around us changesâ??we need to refresh and update our strategic priorities.â? Still, campus employees are denied domestic partner benefits, despite other universities and groups taking initiative in this area of great concern.
Watkins: 25 Years Later: The AIDS Vaccine Search Goes On
Scientific American
Not long after the virus that causes AIDS was identified, Margaret Heckler, then the U.S. secretary of health and human services, told a group of reporters that the discovery would enable scientists to develop a vaccine to prevent AIDS. â??We hope to have such a vaccine ready for testing in approximately two years,â? she declared proudly. It was 1984.
The author is a UW-Madison faculty member.
Baggot: Refs getting payback on Bielema
Capital Times
First impressions, second thoughts and the third degree:
When your kid routinely disrespects someone in authority, old-school wisdom says you latch onto an ear, call on the offended party and insist that an apology be made. So grab a lobe, Barry Alvarez, and take Wisconsin Badgers coach Bret Bielema wherever you must to make peace with all game officials. â?¦
Just Ask Us: Ask the Weather Guys — Snowfall depths based on average of measurements
Wisconsin State Journal
Q. How does the National Weather Service get the official snowfall totals for Madison?
A. If you look at snow on the ground after a snowstorm, you’ll appreciate that measuring snowfall is not an easy task.
Note: This is a new weekly weather feature tapping the expertise of UW-Madison meteorologists Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin. It will appear every Tuesday in The Wisconsin State Journal.
Insurer drops UW Hospital transplant program
Wisconsin State Journal
A major insurance company has removed UW Hospital from its list of approved kidney transplant centers because of low success rates among transplant recipients.
Madison music teachers giving pro bono music lessons to kids
Wisconsin State Journal
The UW-Madison School of Music has a similar program, called Piano Pioneers, where graduate students give piano lessons to children and adults who otherwise could not afford them.
Aging University of Wisconsin faculty causing gray hairs
Green Bay Press-Gazette
State and local university officials say an increasing number of older faculty members could have an impact on recruitment and the future work force as they retire.
The so-called graying of academia is similar to trends facing other industries, said David Giroux, spokesman for the University of Wisconsin System. While many businesses recruit at a local and state level, universities cast a wider â?? and therefore potentially more competitive â?? net.
Parents’ age a factor in autism, research says (Riverside, Calif. Press-Enterprise)
The first-born children of older parents are three times more likely to have autism than their siblings or those born to younger parents, according to a new federally-funded study.
This is the largest study to look at the issue of parental age and its role in the developmental disability, said the author, Maureen Durkin, an epidemiologist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Mexican professors study science, culture
Wausau Daily Herald
MARSHFIELD — Zuami Villagran, a professor at the University of Guadalajara, couldn’t foresee wearing a cheese hat.
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But along with that experience, Villagran went camping, rode horses and took in any little part of Wisconsin culture she could absorb during the past two months.
“I came to learn science, but learned a new lifestyle and culture,” she said.
Villagran and Leticia Orozco, another professor at the University of Guadalajara’s Centro Universitario de los Altos campus, spent seven weeks at the Marshfield Clinic, training in a microbiology program to improve their teachings and labs.
The exchange is part of the University of Wisconsin Center for Global Health in collaboration with the Clinic.
Junior assaulted at gunpoint on Langdon Street
Badger Herald
A University of Wisconsin junior was assaulted at gunpoint by two males on Langdon Street late Monday night.
The victim, a member of sorority Kappa Alpha Theta, was held by two black males at approximately 11:09 p.m. outside the Kappa Alpha Theta house on 108 Langdon St.
Martin talks economy with local business leaders
Badger Herald
Chancellor Biddy Martin spoke to Madison business leaders at a luncheon Monday to candidly address issues of affordability and funding facing the University of Wisconsin in the coming years.
Martin, who took the reins of chancellor in September, answered questions from guests and members of WisBusiness.com and Madison Magazine, who co-sponsored the event at the Madison Club.
College Too Pricey? Don’t Blame Faculty Pay
Chronicle of Higher Education
During a debate among the Democratic presidential candidates at Saint Anselm College in January, Charles Gibson, the moderator, used what he thought was a realistic example of a two-career academic couple at the small college in New Hampshire. Between them, he ventured during a discussion about tax policies, they would earn about $200,000 a year.
The audience met Mr. Gibson’s statement with laughter and guffaws. Even some of the candidates told him he was off base â?? and they were right. On average, tenured associate professors at Saint Anselm earned around $65,000 last year. For young assistant professors, the pay was closer to $50,000.
Martin asks public, lawmakers to preserve â??gemâ?? in troubled economy (WisPolitics.com)
UW-Madison Chancellor Carolyn â??Biddyâ? Martin acknowledged today that the UW will have to shoulder some of the burden in a difficult state budget next year, but she also made the case that deep cuts into funds supporting the school’s research strength will result in “long-term … hardship on the state.”
“This is really a gem, and to lose that gem over the long haul is a serious loss to the state,â? Martin told a WisBusiness.com-Madison Magazine luncheon at the Madison Club this afternoon. â??Having people see that in a moment when weâ??re so financially constrained is asking people to take a long and a broad view of a sort thatâ??s hard for people to take.
Chancellor says UW-Madison an economic driver
www.wisbusiness.com
MADISON — UW-Madison Chancellor Carolyn â??Biddyâ? Martin declared Monday that the university was a statewide economic driver that could do even more to foster small and big businesses alike during tough times.
Martin called the financial stress facing the state â??unprecedentedâ? but said that cutting the UW too much in the next budget would diminish the universityâ??s stature and harm economic development in the long term.
Oates: Bielema’s penalty unacceptable
Capital Times
EAST LANSING, Mich. â?? Bret Bielema uttered the magic words Saturday, and that was before the University of Wisconsin coach offered an apology to his football team.
Unfortunately for Bielema, the first magic words out of his mouth were directed at an official, presumably linesman Mike Delce, and resulted in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Everything went downhill from there for UW and its coach, which rendered any additional magic words â?? such as Bielema’s apology â?? irrelevant.
Wisconsin Badgers football: UW in familiar territory
Capital Times
They know the drill.
The University of Wisconsin football players are faced once again with the task of picking themselves up off the deck, trying to make something of what’s left of an increasingly disappointing regular season.
Hi There, Let’s Do Great Science
Wisconsin State Journal
The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, currently a yawning hole between Campus Drive and University Avenue, is a $150 million research complex of unprecedented scope in Wisconsin. The building, set to open in 2010, consists of twin institutes: the publicly funded Wisconsin Institute for Discovery and the private Morgridge Institute for Research.
The next crisis: credit cards
Wisconsin Radio Network
It’s more important than ever to pay attention to your credit card accounts. Lenders across the country are curtailing credit card offers and credit limits, and UW Madison professor of consumer science, J. Michael Collins, says there’s a good reason for that. “For a long time, people have been able to use their home equity as a way to pay off their credit card debt,” says Collins. “That no longer exists, so credit card companies are responding to the changes in the housing market. It just shows how all these parts of our economy are so interlinked.”
‘English or bust’ is new reality for immigrants
Toronto Star
Joseph Salmons is struck by people, many of them descendants of immigrants, who complain newcomers are not trying hard enough to speak English and assimilate.
The University of Wisconsin linguist decided to find out if immigrants in the past faced the same “English or bust” pressures many newcomers now feel.
Executive Q&A – Judith Laitman: Knowledge Unlimited head aims to help kids
Wisconsin State Journal
Deeply touched by the third-graders she taught in Brooklyn as a 20-year-old with a psychology degree from UW-Madison, Judith Laitman, who grew up in New York, says her motivation is simple: to help youngsters learn how to think.
New MERLIN group aims to help startups
Wisconsin State Journal
So you think you have a great idea for a business, but the extent of your plan is a few notes scribbled on the back of a fast-food bag.
Maybe you need someone with experience to guide you.
That’s the goal of a new group called MERLIN Mentors. MERLIN stands for Madison Entrepreneur Resource, Learning and Innovation Network, and it’s issuing a call for both mentors and would-be entrepreneurs.
Voter lawsuit cost taxpayers at least $43,000
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Howard Schweber, an associate professor of political science and law at UW-Madison.
Election observers to be out in droves
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: John Coleman, chairman of the school’s political science department.
Tuesday could be record Election Day in Madison
Wisconsin State Journal
Quoted: Barry Burden, a UW-Madison political science professor who studies voting.
Fewer UW-Madison students attended tamer Freakfest, organizer says
Wisconsin State Journal
Despite his overall impression that “things went absolutely fantastically” at this year’s Freakfest, there was one thing that Downtown Ald. Mike Verveer couldn’t help notice was missing, he said.
For the third year in a row â?? or ever since the city chose to tame the Halloween event on State Street by gating it off and charging admission â?? too many UW-Madison students are choosing to skip Freakfest the way they might cut an unpopular class, he said.
On Campus: College Democrats fired up, but where’s the young GOP?
Wisconsin State Journal
Briefs package includes stories on Google Book Project, new COO of the Division of Information Technology.
At a glance: Expansion proposal and UW-Madison fitness trends
Wisconsin State Journal
AT A GLANCE
The proposed $60 million expansion and renovation to the Natatorium would include the following:
â?¢ Four new gymnasiums
â?¢ Locker rooms
â?¢ Several multi-purpose studios
â?¢ Racquetball courts
â?¢ Four-lane walking/jogging track
â?¢ A wellness suite (could also go in UHS space)
â?¢ A large fitness center for cardio and weight training
â?¢ An indoor artificial turf facility
USAGE TRENDS
â?¢ 85 percent of students use recreational services
â?¢ Of those, 55 percent felt the facilities were too crowded
â?¢ 18 percent of students exercise off-campus
â?¢ Additional spaces for fitness programming was a top priority
â?¢ In 2001, there were about 30 group fitness classes per week. Now, there are about 100 and students must pay $20 a semester to take them.