After hearing testimony from University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly and Board of Regents President David Walsh, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee unanimously voted at the Capitol Tuesday to proceed with a state-run audit of UW employment practices and policies.
As we, the university community, come together to celebrate Bucky’s pirate homecoming, let us take a minute to think about where the Bucky Badger T-shirts that are so ubiquitous this week came from. All UW-Madison clothing is made in sweatshops by individuals who in many respects are just like ourselves. Although it is impossible to fully understand the struggles of workers far away, there are parallels between their experiences on the factory floor and ours at the university.
In order to make Halloween a safe, peaceful and enjoyable weekend, the following question must be answered: Who is responsible for the events of Halloween?
The University of Wisconsin-Madison Labor and Licensing Policy Committee met Monday afternoon to address what it considers to be a major problem in UW-Madison clothing: sweatshop labor. The LLC approved a proposal that seeks to eliminate sweat shops from the supply lines of brands that supply UW apparel.
A problem that plagues the University of Wisconsin is diversity, or lack thereof.
One of the University of Wisconsin�s most notable faculty couples, Akua and Papa Sarr, will be leaving the university at the end of the semester to continue their careers at Boston College.
Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed Assembly Bill 207 Friday, rejecting legislation that would allow medical professionals to refuse to perform procedures conflicting with their personal beliefs.
Working people on campus would like to thank students for passing the Living Wage Referendum during the ASM elections held Oct. 11-13. Those who worked on and voted for the referendum have struck a blow for human dignity.
Promoting diversity on campus, managing the budget, listening to music and mentoring kids are just a few of the activities University of Wisconsin Vice Chancellor for Administration Darrell Bazzell says he enjoys.
The University of New Mexico both confused and disappointed many of its 26,000 students last week with the decision to ban access to Facebook.com on its campus network. UNM officials said the ban may be revoked if some of their concerns are addressed, specifically questions about the website�s level of security.
In a controversial move Friday, Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed a bill known as the ââ?¬Å?Conscience Protection Act,ââ?¬Â squelching Republican efforts allowing health care workers to deny patients medical procedures due to moral or ethical views.
A University of Wisconsin researcher reported Friday a case of the avian flu in a human has gained resistance to a drug designed to treat the influenza virus, raising questions as to how health officials would combat a possible avian flu pandemic.
UW-Madison students serving among troops deployed for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort spent the first two weeks of their semester performing security operations in New Orleans rather than going to class.
Gov. Jim Doyle sent Wisconsin National Guard units to Louisiana Sept. 1, just three days after the hurricane struck, to transport supplies, rescue victims and pets and aid night search missions.
The City of Madison sent both ground and air units to Louisiana.
UW-Madison’s nuclear reactor may be a target for terrorists, according to a breaking ABC news investigation set to run tonight on “Primetime.”
Over four months, ABC sent 10 Carnegie Fellows to 25 university nuclear reactors across America, including UW-Madison, University of Florida, Ohio State, MIT and Texas A&M. The investigation found potentially dangerous breaches of security protocol at campus reactors.
ABC reported the students, posing as tourists, were allowed access to nuclear reactors without showing ID or even passing through metal detectors in some cases. The students were allowed into control rooms and nuclear pool rooms, often encountering unlocked doors and reactor guards sleeping at their posts.
Students in Introduction to Programming started off their Wednesday discussion section with the usual exam review, but with a knock at the door, Microsoft chairman and CEO Bill Gates stepped into the room to give a surprise guest lecture.
Gates was met with awe from the class of 14 as he lectured about the future of the software industry, which was followed by a question-and-answer session from the students.
The surprise visit was orchestrated by mtvU’s popular “Stand In” series, where celebrities make surprise visits to college classrooms and stand in to teach.
Malcolm X once said, ââ?¬Å?Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.ââ?¬Â It is very unfortunate that our current Legislature apparently disagrees with the words of this great thinker. As students around Wisconsin head back for another year of higher education at one the 26 University of Wisconsin colleges and universities, Congress will be voting on one of the most detrimental pieces of federal legislation to face students in a very long time.
This pertinent proposal is called Budget Reconciliation. If Congress buys this pitch, it will cut at least $9 billion from student loan programs. Budget Reconciliation is a special process used by Congress to cut and change entitlement programs such as Medicaid, pensions and student loans. The attempt by Congress to use this process to gut federal loan programs will be devastating for students both today and in years to come.
Quoted: Virginia Sapiro, professor of political science
A class of Introduction to Programming students was on its best behavior Wednesday after Microsoft founder Bill Gates unexpectedly stepped in as substitute teacher for the day.
As part of the broadband cable network mtvUââ?¬â?¢s ââ?¬Å?Stand Inââ?¬Â series, in which celebrities drop in to college classrooms unannounced and teach for a day, Gates spoke to Computer Science 302 students about the importance and versatility of pursuing a career in computer programming.
Gates� stop at the University of Wisconsin was also part of a week-long tour of six universities promoting information technology and engineering careers.
The City of Madison Common Council approved a project Tuesday to remodel the Presbyterian Student Center Foundation, or Pres House, on State Street and to build a six-story student center adjacent to the religious center.
According to Mark Elsdon, executive director of the Pres House, the student center would have offices for University of Wisconsin staff on the first floor and the five floors above it would consist of three and four-bedroom apartments. The location of the student center would be where the parking lot of the Pres House currently resides.
Quoted: Molly Carnes (prof. in Medical School and Engineering); Cora Merritt (prof. emerita of Sociology).
After a decade of preparation, the UW Medical School is poised to become the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Despite the concerns of UW-Milwaukee officials and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the change in name – deserved recognition of a school-wide effort to incorporate more public health initiatives – is important for all of Wisconsin.
Quoted: Craig Roberts, UHS epidemiologist
In just 16 days, the first unofficial day of Halloween weekend ââ?¬â? Thursday, October 27 ââ?¬â? will be upon us. Starting that day, and extending for some 72 hours, Madison will be gripped by an influx of masked, oftentimes inebriated revelers in search of one of Americaââ?¬â?¢s foremost public parties. And, frankly, no one quite knows what to expect.
For the past three years, the event has come to a harsh ending in the morningââ?¬â?¢s pre-dawn hours as tear gas, drunken mobs and police donning riot gear have merged on State Street. The public is being assured that this year will be different. And the city as well as the University of Wisconsin has clearly gone out of its way to ensure that the public has a loud voice in determining just how that will be so. Committees have met, leaders have voiced their opinions and preliminary policies ââ?¬â? including school dorm restrictions ââ?¬â? have already been announced.
The University of Nevada Board of Regents has come under fire due to accusations about board members using their position to obtain favors from university employees.
Regent Howard Rosenberg said ethical concerns began when former Regent Doug Seastrand accepted an administrative position at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas before resigning from the board.
(Quoted: Doug Bradley, UW System)
Twenty-five City of Madison bars have not yet responded to a federal antitrust lawsuit filed by two University of Wisconsin students, but they still have several weeks to formally reply.
Marsh Shapiro, owner of the Nitty Gritty and a Dane County Tavern League member, said the federal lawsuit differs from a previous state lawsuit, which is currently in the appeal process, by including more defendants, including UW Chancellor John Wiley. It extends the length of the antitrust violation back to 1990, rather than 2002 like the original. Shapiro said the lawsuit is taxing, both financially and emotionally.
ââ?¬Å?All theyââ?¬â?¢ve tried to do by filing a federal lawsuit is try to muddy the water,ââ?¬Â Shapiro said. ââ?¬Å?This is just another classic example of the legal system running amok. Theyââ?¬â?¢re bloodsuckers. [The plaintiffsââ?¬â?¢ law firmââ?¬â?¢s] only motive is money.ââ?¬Â
This is the first part of a series profiling members of the Board of Regents, the governing board for the University of Wisconsin System.
Mark Bradley sat quietly at the Board of Regents meetings in Madison last week, listening intently to university administrators, deans, professors, a state senator and a mayor express their concerns about a plethora of issues facing the state�s public higher education system.
As vice president of the Board of Regents, Bradley is immersed in public education. Three of his children are enrolled in public universities and he himself benefited from a public education and a University of Wisconsin law degree.
The UW System Board of Regents passed a controversial proposal Friday to rename the UW-Madison Medical School to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Representatives from UW-Milwaukee as well as Tom Barrett, Milwaukee mayor, contested the proposal on the grounds that the Milwaukee campus is better suited for a school of public health.
UW-Madison’s new policy of contacting parents of students intoxicated in life-threatening drinking situations has already resulted in 22 phone calls home this semester.
According to UW-Madison Dean of Students Lori Berquam, all but one of these incidents involved students who had been sent to detoxification for binge drinking.
Most people who live in Wisconsin will tell you that Milwaukee is not exactly a shining beacon on a hill. While its condition cannot quite be described as abysmal, Milwaukee is simply a city that has been left behind. Sadly, if the University of Wisconsin successfully receives something it is currently seeking, Milwaukee will be left behind once more.
Recently, UW requested to rename its medical school the ââ?¬Å?UW School of Medicine & Public Health.ââ?¬Â One could easily dismiss this plan as attempting little more than a rearrangement of the medical schoolââ?¬â?¢s title. However, to do so would be to ignore the impending changes such a shift would bring.
If a student organization is looking for an exciting opportunity to strengthen communication skills as well as problem-solving and decision-making abilities, the Adventure Learning Programs (ALPs) may be something to look into.
Serving the multitude of student organizations on campus, ALPs conducts team building workshops to challenge all groups to think and take risks while getting to know and support one another, creating an environment of cooperation and understanding.
As a 26-year veteran of University of Wisconsin student financial services, Susan Fischer said she would be honored to assume the helm of the department and fill the void left by her former boss and colleague Steve Van Ess.
Since Van Ess retired earlier this year, Fisher, the associate director of the department since 1990, has found herself in a position ââ?¬â? as well as two other experienced candidates, Craig Munier from the University of Nebraska and Albert Hermsen from the University of Michigan ââ?¬â? to continue his vision and goals as senior Director of Student Financial Services.
University of Wisconsin employees will now have to provide a certified doctor�s note in order to take paid sick leave from the university for more than five consecutive full working days, the Board of Regents unanimously decided Friday.
The revised policy comes after it was revealed former Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Paul Barrows took months of sick leave from the university without a valid doctor�s note, and was allowed to do so by UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley.
Nearly 20 spectators were given a little more trick than treat after a section of a Memorial Union pier collapsed into the water during the ââ?¬Å?Giant Pumpkin Regattaââ?¬Â Sunday afternoon.
While watching the regatta ââ?¬â? where students and community members ply the waters of Lake Mendota seated atop carved-out pumpkins attached to inner-tubes ââ?¬â? numerous attendees congregated on a section of pier adjacent to the race that subsequently buckled under their weight, leaving them chest-deep in cold water.
The University of Wisconsin Medical School got its wish Friday as the Board of Regents unanimously agreed to approve the renaming of the school to the ââ?¬Å?University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health,ââ?¬Â effective Nov. 11 this year.
The name change is not without conditions, however. As part of the resolution the regents directed the medical school to immediately commence a ââ?¬Å?good faith dialogueââ?¬Â with the City of Milwaukee and the chancellor of UW-Milwaukee on specific strategies to address the public health issues facing portions of the impoverished city.
SIt was my first time in a canoe and I couldn’t remember which stroke was which.
There I was, paddling along without a clue. My instructor patiently suggested that I do a reverse sweep stroke.
Becoming an Outdoors-Woman was started by Christine Thomas, dean of the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
UW-Milwaukee made an impassioned bid to be the site of a school of public health Thursday, while UW-Madison officials argued that it made more sense to integrate the offering within its School of Medicine and change the school’s name to reflect that growing focus.
“We have the buildings and we have the funds,” Medical School Dean Philip Farrell told the UW Board of Regents, adding later, “We have worked for a decade preparing for this.”
An innovative effort to prevent domestic violence is under way in Dane County with efforts to help young men examine media messages and their own thinking.
Called the Delta Project, the effort has established MENS clubs for teenagers from three Madison high schools and for fraternity members at UW- Madison. The name stands for Men Encouraging Nonviolent Strength.
Like many female UW- Madison students, Dite Bray and her friends walk past the fraternity houses on Langdon Street wondering if the men inside will notice them.
Unlike most of the other students, it’s not because they’re looking for dates.
The whimsical regatta, which drew hundreds of onlookers to the Memorial Union terrace, was marred briefly when a section of the pier in front of the Hoofers Sailing Club boathouse fell into the water.
Getting a collection online begins on the System campuses, where faculty members and researchers are encouraged to pitch ideas based on their work and certain guidelines. Possible projects are vetted through a committee and the accepted ones are then shaped into a usable collection.
That editorial process is at least as, if not more, important than the actual technical work that goes on once the materials are physically transported to UW-Madison, said Pat Wilkinson, co-director of the digital library.
On the fourth floor of UW- Madison’s Memorial Library, the center uses scanning equipment and data-entry software to publish and promote the university’s research and resources beyond geographic boundaries. Using a special Internet site, the digital library brings together photos, maps, diaries, artwork, rare books, manuscripts, audio clips, video strips and more from collections held throughout the University of Wisconsin System and by public libraries and agencies throughout the state.
City officials and legal experts gave mixed interpretations of the federal compaint filed Tuesday against 25 Madison bars on allegations of a 15-year conspiracy to inflate drink prices.
Minneapolis law firm Lommen, Nelson, Cole & Stageberg filed the suit on behalf of former UW-Madison students Brian Dougherty and Eric Stener charging bars, city alders and UW-Madison officials with illegal price-fixing.
Before the Badger football showdown with Michigan, AOL Instant Messenger away messages, T-shirts and dialogue among Badger football fans were flooded by puns depicting Ann Arbor as whore-personified -deserving to be beaten, conquered and dominated.
Before the Badger football showdown with Michigan, AOL Instant Messenger away messages, T-shirts and dialogue among Badger football fans were flooded by puns depicting Ann Arbor as whore-personified -deserving to be beaten, conquered and dominated.
A “five-day trigger” option approved by the Board of Regents’ Business and Finance Committee Thursday could limit the number of consecutive days of sick leave a UW System employee can take before having to produce medical proof of illness.
The use of lights, blocked streets and increased arrests will characterize this year’s Halloween celebration, according to city officials who met Thursday at a Halloween forum sponsored by ASM.
Gov. Jim Doyleââ?¬â?¢s 2002-05 budget proposal eliminated about 200-300 courses at the University of Wisconsin in 2003. Students were forced into crammed classrooms far exceeding capacity. Since the proposal was instated, the College of Letters and Science ââ?¬â? the largest school on this campus ââ?¬â? has cut $4.5 million from its program. Such cuts have reduced the number of faculty and staff positions, increased class size and diminished the overall quality of a UW education.
The second of three finalists vying for the vacant position of Student Financial Services Director at the University of Wisconsin, Al Hermsen, spoke to a handful of students and faculty members Thursday.
The University of Wisconsin Police Department�s increased enforcement of moped parking and traffic violations has left many students frustrated.
The Associated Students of Madison held a student forum Thursday, where University of Wisconsin and City of Madison representatives urged students to behave responsibly during the Halloween celebration.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and State Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, ardently attempted to convince the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents not to accept UW-Madisonââ?¬â?¢s request to rename its medical school the ââ?¬Å?UW School of Medicine & Public Healthââ?¬Â and expand the school to include a public health component Thursday.
Guest Column: C. Coe and E. Sandgren
Upon reading Leslie Hamilton’s Sept. 29 guest column in the State Journal, we were struck by the large cultural void that has emerged between people.
UW-Madison students say the university should have done a better job of including them in the process as they planned for a less destructive Halloween celebration this year.
UW-Milwaukee made an impassioned bid to be the site of a school of public health Thursday, while UW-Madison officials argued that it made more sense to integrate the offering within its School of Medicine and change the school’s name to reflect that growing focus.
“We have the buildings and we have the funds,” Medical School Dean Philip Farrell told the UW Board of Regents, adding later, “We have worked for a decade preparing for this.”
All 33,000 employees of the 26-campus University of Wisconsin System would have to get a doctor’s note for sick leaves longer than five days and the System would pump up the powers of its internal auditor under changes approved Thursday by a committee of the UW Board of Regents.
UW-Madison is losing a top researcher and the prominent center he oversees to Florida State University. The Applied Superconductivity Center, which has been at UW-Madison for more than 20 years, will move to Tallahassee early next year, taking with it some $2 million in research grants and as many as 30 staff and student researchers, including professor and center director David Larbalestier.
Paul Peercy, dean of the UW- Madison College of Engineering, said he tried to keep Larbalestier but couldn’t match the financial incentives or new opportunities offered by Florida State.
Attracting a well-rounded, intelligent, talented and diverse student body is essential in maintaining the viability of any university and something to which UW-Madison is strongly committed.
Halloween adheres to no easy solution, and the beginning of solving any problem with no easy solution is extensive discussion among those involved. In this endeavor, both Associated Students of Madison and UW-Madison administrators fell short.
The “Justice for Janitors” union in Madison is calling on CleanPower, a commercial cleaning business servicing approximately 44 percent of Madison buildings, to support hundreds of their employees in need of a living wage.
The UW System Board of Regents will meet today and Friday to discuss myriad important issues, including the renaming of the UW-Madison medical school, new sick-leave policies and an evaluation of the use of student social security numbers.
