Author: Nathan Steagall

The Institute for Reforming Government is calling for an audit of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s BadgersVote Coalition after a report raised constitutional questions about the program.

IRG is a conservative think tank based in Wisconsin. The report “Liberal Arts: How BadgersVote Coalition Uses Donor Cash to Import Democratic Votes,” authored by IRG general counsel Jake Curtis and associate counsel Kevin Zielinski, was published earlier this month.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is implementing a $100 guest fee, ID checking stations and increased staffing between Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 for Halloween weekend.

The $100 policy was similar in 2025, and in 2024, guests were not allowed at dorms at all over Halloween weekend, according to Director of Marketing and Communications at UW-Madison Division of University Housing Brendon Dybdahl.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Child Development Lab is celebrating its 100th anniversary, bringing together current and former students, families and staff to mark a century of learning and community.

The centennial celebration is the first of its kind for the lab, according to Amy Lee Wagner.

UW-Madison students gathered on Library Mall Friday night to support survivors of sexual violence and call for stronger prevention measures on campus.

The rally provided survivors with an opportunity to share their stories publicly or anonymously while urging university leaders to take additional steps to address sexual violence. The event also included a concert to raise money for the Dane County Rape Crisis Center.

A group of students marched on Bascom Hill in 1975, demanding the University of Wisconsin-Madison establish a Chicano Studies Department. They hoisted signs in the air. One read, “EQUALITY for ALL. Even for CHICANOS.”

The Associated Students of Madison called a special order in their Wednesday meeting where University Health Services announced two surveys running in the spring that will cover topics including sexual violence, campus climate and students’ mental heath.

These surveys will need a large response rate in order for the results to be reliable and representative of the University of Wisconsin campus, Assistant Director of Violence Prevention at UHS Sam Bowen said.

An upcoming rally at the University of Wisconsin-Madison aims to support survivors of sexual assault and demand changes as the campus reckons with the fallout of reports of sexual assault on its campus and that of Cornell University.

Sophie Harrison is a senior at UW-Madison and is organizing Friday’s “Badgers Against Sexual Assault” rally. She told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” the rally is a space to provide resources and share stories with others.

Current and former staff shared concerns about the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s merger of botany and integrative biology departments into a new Department of Biology on July 1 — including layoffs, mistrust of a botany department administrator and worries the merged department would lower the focus on botany.

The department merge started from “an extensive shared governance process that began in Fall 2021,” according to an article by UW-Madison.

University of Wisconsin-Madison students and community members gathered at Library Mall to celebrate National Coming Out Day Oct. 9.

National Coming Out Day, which is celebrated Oct. 11, marked the 39th anniversary of the LGBTQ+ March on Washington, a protest that condemned the U.S. government’s lack of response to the AIDS epidemic. The Gender & Sexuality Campus Center (GSCC) commemorated the event with a “Coming Out” Door, a rainbow-colored door for attendees to sign. The door received over 145 signatures this year, according to Tiffany Lee, GSCC’s assistant director of Student Success.

University of Wisconsin faculty members and indigenous representatives discussed how UW can better incorporate Indigenous cultural values into the management of biological collections during a panel discussion Oct. 13.

During a campus visit from Sept. 28-30, University of Wisconsin-Madison alumna and animal activist Madeline Krasno spoke about her experience working at a university primate lab and her lawsuits after the university hid her comments about animal research on social media.

It absolutely blows my mind that you’re all here listening to ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ some 30 years later,” the Smashing Pumpkins front man Billy Corgan told Sunday night’s crowd at the Kohl Center, dressed in a black tunic.

A rally scheduled for Friday at Library Mall on the University of Wisconsin campus aims to raise awareness of sexual assault, support survivors and connect attendees with community resources.

Organizer Sophie Harrison said the “Badgers Against Sexual Assault” rally was inspired by a recent situation at Cornell University and by accounts of sexual violence in Madison.

The University of Wisconsin will allocate $12.5 million toward employee compensation during the 2026-27 fiscal year to improve market competitiveness, retain workers and increase pay for lower-paid employees, according to an Oct. 6 UW News announcement.

The funding includes $7.5 million for permanent base-pay adjustments and $5 million for one-time performance bonuses, according to UW News.

The author of UW-Madison’s campuswide book club pick is visiting the university next month.

Go Big Read is a nearly two-decade-old UW-Madison program that encourages campus and community members to have discussions around one book over the course of a year.

On Thursday, the University of Wisconsin-Madison revealed the cost of its air conditioning problems over the summer: $15.8 million.

A major chilled water line ruptured in June near the Charter Street Healing and Cooling Plant. The pipe was 4 feet in diameter and buried 20 feet underground, and was part of a system that provides air conditioning for much of campus.

Students, faculty and alumni embraced school spirit at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s annual Homecoming Parade on Friday, Oct. 2.

The parade featured over 70 entries composed of registered student organizations, UW-Madison leaders, local businesses and more, according to Shauna Breneman, the Wisconsin Union’s public relations and communications officer.

Faculty members asked University of Wisconsin-Madison Interim Chancellor Eric Wilcots to do more to combat sexual assault at the first faculty senate meeting of the fall semester Oct. 5.

After Cornell University’s handling of a sexual assault case sparked national backlash in recent weeks, faculty demanded accountability at UW-Madison. Last month saw two drugging and sexual assault reports at off-campus fraternities and records revealing that former Life Sciences Communications professor Dietram Scheufele had sexual relationships with two of his students, with one case including unwelcome sexual conduct.