Skip to main content

Category: Campus life

Teach for America Ranking

Badger Herald

The University of Wisconsin sent the 14th-largest amount of graduates to the Teach For America program in 2012, the organization said Wednesday. 

Flamingos flock on Bascom

Badger Herald

University of Wisconsin students were welcomed by hundreds of pink flamingos perched on Bascom Hill Tuesday in a unique advertisement by UW Housing.

#FindUW Scavenger Hunt to engage students with social media

Badger Herald

This Friday, a campus-wide scavenger hunt executed via social media will return to the University of Wisconsin for its second year.

Outreach Specialist of Visitor and Information Programs Nick Gonzales said the event, titled #FindUW, will have a narrower focus than last year?s hunt and will encompass the combined goals of promoting student services, teaching students about different facets of campus and familiarizing them with social media.

Student organization creation process needs to be simpler

Daily Cardinal

When I attended my Student Orientation and Registration (SOAR) session three years ago I was told the requirements to form a student organization on this campus were minimal. The University only demanded that the organization be composed of at least three students, and I don?t even remember hearing that an adviser was needed. Because I have held ?leadership? positions in two organizations, I can tell you first hand that the requirements to form and register an organization have expanded dramatically. This is my complaint letter.

Student Council hears new ASM constitution logistics

Daily Cardinal

Student government heard legislation proposing a new Associated Students of Madison constitution at a meeting Wednesday night that calls for a complete restructure of the current student government institution. The proposed constitution would establish four different branches of ASM, which include the executive, legislative, judicial and appropriations branches. These would replace the institution?s three current branches: Student Council, Student Services Finance Committee and Student Judiciary.

ASM takes action against UW Officials

Daily Cardinal

Associated Students of Madison Chair Andrew Bulovsky signed a document Wednesday night that could lead to a lawsuit with University of Wisconsin System administration over last year?s Wisconsin Union and Recreational Sports budgets. The Student Services Finance Committee voted last February to deny funding increases for both budgets because the committee felt neither budget provided adequate details for a sound evaluation, according to former SSFC Chair Sarah Neibart.

UW-Madison, Madison College to pilot test e-textbooks

Capital Times

UW-Madison, Madison College and more than two dozen other institutions of higher education are taking part in a pilot project to evaluate digital learning materials as an alternative to the more traditional ? but costly and bulky ? textbooks students have relied on for as long as most can remember. ?By working as part of a community like this where numerous other institutions are involved, this gives us more leverage with the publishers than if we were working alone on examining e-texts,? says Bruce Maas, UW-Madison?s vice provost for information technology.

Badgers football: Mom-approved Twitter policy

Madison.com

University of Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema has been asked several times lately about his Twitter policy regarding his players. The issue came up again on Tuesday, during the Big Ten Conference coaches? teleconference, after some Michigan State players were admonished by Spartans coach Mark Dantonio for some disrespectful tweets about Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson. Bielema?s Twitter policy essentially is that he has no policy, just some time-worn advice about only tweeting things that would not be objected to by players? mothers.

Campus Connection: UW-Madison video offers funny play on ?Don?t go?

Capital Times

It?s the first day of the fall semester at UW-Madison. The university posted this YouTube video featuring some familiar UW-Madison faces — including Bucky Badger, the Abe Lincoln statue, football coach Bret Bielema, Heisman Trophy candidate Montee Ball and interim Chancellor David Ward -? welcoming students back to campus. But the video saves the best for last. That?s when Dean of Students Lori Berquam pokes fun at herself by looking at the camera as it backs out of her office, saying ?Don?t go. Don?t go. Don?t go.?

New committee?s future rests on student?s shoulders

Daily Cardinal

New Legislation has recently been proposed to the UW-Madison student government concerning the creation of a new committee. The Sustainability Committee of the Associated Students of Madison would focus of issues concerning sustainability on campus. There are four areas of focus that this committee plans to address while in existence. These are campus water use, energy use, land use and food sourcing. Solutions to these important issues will come through policy mechanisms in student government and working with UW-Madison faculty and administration.

Soglin addresses social issues in Madison

Daily Cardinal

Mayor Paul Soglin told a campus learning community at Gordon Commons Tuesday afternoon, among various social justice issues affecting Madison residents and University of Wisconsin-Madison students, lack of housing poses the biggest threat to the area. Soglin discussed various social issues including lack of housing and pollution, with students from the Multicultural Learning Community, a campus learning community focused on social justice and diversity at all levels of society.

Larry Davis, a current Residence Life director and founder of the MLC, said the purpose of Soglin?s visit was to inspire them to get involved with campus, like he did when he was a student at UW-Madison.

UW-Madison Student Dies After Being Pulled From Lake Mendota

NBC-15

The Dane County Medical Examiner?s Office is releasing the name of the person who was recovered from Lake Mendota this morning. The male had been swimming with several friends when he went under the water and did not resurface. This event occurred a short distance from a pier in the 600 block of North Park Street.

Update: UW student drowns in Lake Mendota

Capital Times

The man pulled out of Lake Mendota and taken to UW Hospital Thursday morning has died. Eric Dahl of the Madison Fire Department told Madison.com the victim was a UW-Madison student. The identify of the victim will be released after notification of family, said UW-Madison Police Sgt. Aaron Chapin.

UW student reports sexual assault

WISC-TV 3

MADISON, Wis.- Madison police are investigating a sexual assault reported by a 19-year-old University of Wisconsin-Madison student. The woman told police she was walking on North Brooks Street between Fahrenbrook Court and Spring Street Sunday at 10:15 p.m. when she was approached by two men.

UW students move in

WKOW-TV 27

The bulk of more than 7,000 students will be moving into residence halls on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus on Wednesday and Thursday. 

College trap: Do for-profit schools adequately serve students?

Capital Times

Sarah Koran was excited about applying for entry into the veterinary technician program at Madison College in 2010 but her application was denied. That meant hopes of starting the popular associate degree program, which often has a waiting list, was likely pushed down the road for two years. So instead of putting her life on hold, she decided to investigate other options and was thrilled to learn that Globe University in Middleton, which is part of the burgeoning for-profit higher education industry, also offered a vet tech degree ? and she could start classes almost immediately.

Police arrest 3 Madison men for Aug. 1 attack on Badgers’ Montee Ball

Wisconsin State Journal

Three 21-year-old Madison men were arrested Tuesday on tentative charges of being a party to substantial battery for the Aug. 1 attack on University of Wisconsin running back Montee Ball. Madison police arrested Deonte J. Wilson, Robert A. Wilks and Wendell J. Venerable. Police said they believe the men were involved in the 2:15 a.m. attack, which occurred in the 500 block of University Avenue as Ball was walking home from a Downtown bar and restaurant.

Camp Randall Classics: Surging students trampled in wake of 1993 win over Michigan

Madison.com

One minute, Camp Randall Stadium was filled with unbridled excitement, the kind not felt in the football program in three decades. The next minute, sheer terror. What should have been a glorious postgame celebration stamping the University of Wisconsin as legitimate Rose Bowl contenders after beating Michigan, turned horrifying when students tried to storm the field, trampling people in the front rows.

New university policy limits moped parking

Daily Cardinal

University of Wisconsin-Madison students could see fewer mopeds and less congestion between classes this fall, after UW Transportation Services established a new Moped Parking system that aims to cut down intra-campus moped transportation. Under the new policy, which will take effect Sept. 1, students can purchase a $120 moped parking permit and choose one lot from a list of approved parking lots located throughout campus.

Get ready for traffic snarls on UW campus, dorm move-in days start Wednesday

You know it?s the end of summer when hundreds of confused drivers try to find parking on the UW-Madison campus. Football? No, move-in days. The annual migration of underclassmen to campus ramps up on Wednesday, with more than 7,100 students lugging boxes, computers and mini-fridges into residence halls.The students have assigned days when to move into their rooms, either Wednesday or Thursday, with the halls opening at 8 a.m. each day to accept the eager freshmen and sophomores.

Police looking for tips after robbery of two women

WISC-TV 3

The 22-year-old and 24-year-old victims are from an Asian country and are students at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Police said nine similar robberies have occurred in the same area the past couple of years and that several of those have also targeted Asian women.

Cracking down on clutter is a key furnishing strategy

Wisconsin State Journal

SACRAMENTO, Calif. ? It may be small (and shared). But for at least one academic year, for thousands of college students, it?s home. Over generations, the dorm room hasn?t gotten bigger. But the amount of must-have stuff ? including technology ? that needs to squeeze into that space has morphed into a much longer list.

Brian Ward, assistant director of housing at UW-Madison, said dorm rooms vary in size by building, but average 12 by 16 feet for a two-person room ? 192 square feet in all. Including a meal plan, the university estimates living in the dorms will cost students about $8,000 for the coming school year. Ward said rooms come with the basics for each resident: a bed, desk, chair and either a dresser or closet with shelves built in; roommates share a mini-fridge. The challenge is to make that Spartan room feel like home.

Chris Rickert: Higher education, but lower standards

Wisconsin State Journal

It struck me as pretty ironic last week that even with Wisconsin?s new looser, alternative path to a teacher?s license, public school teachers probably are more likely to know what they?re doing than the public university teachers many students will get just a couple of years later. Such is the way of the American education system, where K-12 teachers must have years of training and meet multiple state licensing requirements, but the teaching assistants responsible for handling much of the introductory course material in college can know next to squat about teaching. The discrepancy didn?t seem odd to Cheryl Hanley-Maxwell, UW-Madison School of Education associate dean for teacher education, but then, “it?s a system I grew up in. Is it best practice? I doubt it,” she said.

Catching Up: UW-Madison plans to try a three-week ?winterim?

Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison will offer a few three-week classes in January, experimenting with a small-scale ?winterim? term that could grow in future years, said Aaron Brower, vice provost for teaching and learning. The idea of offering classes during the typically dormant month on campus arose last school year as part of discussions about ?educational innovation,? a term interim Chancellor David Ward used to describe how the university can operate more efficiently and creatively in a time of diminishing state funds.

Gary L. Kriewald: UW-Madison `brain drain’ is no mystery

Wisconsin State Journal

Tuesday?s article describing UW-Madison?s state-mandated ?performance report? was both enlightening and disturbing. UW System spokesman David Giroux deserves the understatement of the year award for his observation that UW-Madison serves ?a very different population of students compared to most other UW System campuses.? Make that all other. For one thing, median family income for UW-Madison students is pushing $100,000 per year. UW System President Kevin Reilly proclaims ?we?re making progress toward the goals we?ve set.? Would one of those goals be spending billions on new construction at UW-Madison over the last decade?

UW-Madison plans new restrictions on students’ moped use

Wisconsin State Journal

In the minutes between classes at UW-Madison, hundreds of students hop on mopeds and scooters to drive from building to building, creating a chaotic scene along with pedestrians and bicyclists. Now UW transportation officials, citing what they call inefficient and dangerous use by moped owners, are looking to end the practice of students riding between their classes this year by requiring owners to apply for parking in just one of 52 campus lots starting Sept. 1. The idea is to get moped owners to park in one place and walk or ride buses between buildings, UW Transportation Services Director Patrick Kass said.

Four Madison businesses among 1st graduates in tech startup program

Wisconsin State Journal

The startups have gone through three months of intensive training and mentorship to reach “Launch Day,” at which each entrepreneur made a five-minute pitch to investors, entrepreneurs and potential customers.

“Their progress over the past three months has been truly remarkable and inspiring and (has taken) a tremendous amount of hard work,” said gener8tor co-founder Joe Kirgues. One of the companies is SpanDeX (pronounced SPAN-deck), started by two UW-Madison students who developed a simple typeset format for technical scientific manuscripts. The company was “in its infancy” when the students began the gener8tor program, said SpanDeX co-founder Joshua Gross.

Hey girl, Ryan Gosling the feminist

Marie Claire

Ryan Gosling is a hero; he breaks up street fights in New York, saves British women from stepping into the paths of a speeding NYC taxis and, thanks to a few pro-women statements, has become not only a heartthrob but a thoughtul feminist.

UW regents honor professors, program for excellence

Capital Times

Two professors and a program designed to help new students transition to college have been honored by the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. The 2012 recipients of the 20th annual Regents Teaching Excellence Awards are Donald Hanlon, professor of architecture at UW-Milwaukee; Jennifer Kosiak, associate professor of mathematics education at UW-La Crosse, and the First Year Interest Groups Program at UW-Madison.

UW regents honor professors, program for excellence

Two professors and a program designed to help new students transition to college have been honored by the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents. The 2012 recipients of the 20th annual Regents Teaching Excellence Awards are Donald Hanlon, professor of architecture at UW-Milwaukee; Jennifer Kosiak, associate professor of mathematics education at UW-La Crosse, and the First Year Interest Groups Program at UW-Madison. The First-Year Interest Groups (FIG) program, directed by Greg Smith, was established at UW-Madison in 2001, with 75 students living and learning together, usually during their first semester, in four pilot FIGs. This spring, more than 1,200 students were enrolled in 66 FIGs.

Campus Connection: Examining the ?Mindset? of incoming freshman class

Capital Times

Freshmen entering college this fall have never seen an airplane ?ticket? and they probably have a tough time picturing people carrying luggage through airports rather than rolling it. To these first-year students, there have always been blue M&M?s, but no tan ones, while Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Richard Nixon have always been dead. And to these young adults, the Green Bay Packers have always celebrated with the Lambeau Leap. These factoids and many others are part of this year?s Beloit College Mindset List, which is designed to provide a glance at the cultural touchstones that help shape the lives of students entering college this fall.

West Virginia ranked as No. 1 party school

WISC-TV 3

(CNN)- Perhaps right now in Morgantown, West Virginia, they are raising a glass, or rather a mug, to celebrate their No. 1 ranking from the Princeton Review. Not as the best university for academics, but for being named the best party school in the United States. The 22,000-plus students there like to let some steam off every now and now, according to the survey, which asked questions of about 325 people on 377 college campuses.

Study: Binge drinking students report being happier

WKOW-TV 27

MADISON (WKOW) — Some health experts are concerned about a study released Monday on binge drinking in college. Researchers from Colgate University say college students who binge drink report being happier than those who don?t. “Oh, the drinkers were happier? Wow,” says Tyler Mitchell, a former UW-Madison student. “Everything is so glamorized,” says Lee Stovall, another former UW-Madison student. “It?s hard to take a step back and say, ?Maybe I could be happier bowling for a night or something random.?”

“When we look at alcohol use, there is a lot about the institution, public or private, small or large, urban or rural, that really affects alcohol use patterns. This is one study at one university,” says Sarah Van Orman, UHS executive director.

State makes it easier to obtain license to teach in public schools

Wisconsin State Journal

The announcement raised some concern at the UW-Madison School of Education, Associate Dean for Teacher Education Cheryl Hanley-Maxwell said. “At the same time that they are ratcheting up requirements for students going through the traditional route, it looks like they?re reducing the cost and requirements for those going through alternative-route programs,” Hanley-Maxwell said.

On Campus: UW study on college debt finds ‘middle-income squeeze’

Wisconsin State Journal

College costs keep rising. More students pile on student loan debt to get through. It?s a much-chronicled story in higher education. But a new study by UW-Madison professor Jason Houle reveals surprising findings about who gets soaked the most by these trends. It?s not the poor. Or the rich. It?s the middle class. On average, students from middle-income families leave college with $6,000 more in loan debt than their peers from poor families. Compared with higher income peers, the difference is even greater: middle-class students rack up $12,000 more.

On Campus: UW student leaders take step toward lawsuit over increased fees

Wisconsin State Journal

Student leaders at UW-Madison recently moved a step closer to suing the university over having some student fees raised with what the group claims was inadequate student input. At a meeting last Saturday, the Associated Students of Madison voted 11-1 to file a “notice of claim and circumstances” against UW System Board of Regents, UW-Madison interim chancellor David Ward and the University of Wisconsin System.

Report paints mixed picture of UW-Madison

Wisconsin State Journal

When the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents meets later this week, it will for the first time be presented with a separate, Legislature-mandated performance report on UW-Madison in addition to the one regents typically see annually for the 13-campus university system. Both reports were released publicly late Monday. At first glance, they paint a picture of the flagship UW-Madison campus living up to its reputation, with students more likely to stay put from freshman to sophomore year, more likely to graduate in six years and more likely to say they?d recommend the school to others when they?re done.

Madison 360: Wray offers insights into ‘troubled’ University Avenue

Capital Times

Over the years, various Madison neighborhoods have been described as ?troubled,? but the adjective has usually been applied to low-income and transient residential areas. Troubled, of course, is a catch-all descriptor for places where bad things are repeatedly happening, and this year we have the ?troubled? 600 block of University Avenue. University is a heavily traveled urban thoroughfare, and the block in question has student bars sprinkled on one side and the upscale Fluno Center ? an executive education building that is part of the University of Wisconsin?s School of Business ? dominating the other.

Biker returns home after 1,700-mile trek

Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune

After traveling 1,700 miles, dealing with 14 flat tires, getting chased by more than 100 dogs, and developing some prominent tan lines, Matt Stoltz was happy to be home in Wisconsin Rapids this week from his bike trek to West Palm Beach, Fla.