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Category: Campus life

Campus Connection: UW funding debate, student loans and ?Golden Fleece?

Capital Times

Catching up on a couple higher education-related items:

** A months-long battle between UW-Madison student government and the Multicultural Student Coalition over whether or not the organization should receive funding for the 2012-13 fiscal year was finally resolved Wednesday night, the Badger Herald and Daily Cardinal reported.

** President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats continue to push efforts to keep interest rates low on student loans.

** From 1975 until 1988, William Proxmire — the Democratic senator from Wisconsin — made headlines by promoting his ?Golden Fleece Award,? which ripped scientists who used federal funding to produce what he viewed as wasteful research. Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee told the Chronicle of Higher Education he ?pleaded with universities to fight back with their own award to celebrate the widespread societal benefits of research.? Although those efforts fell flat, the Democrat earlier this week announced a new “Golden Goose Award” that?s designed to ?honor research that turns out to have been an especially productive use of federal money.?

Paul Ginsberg: Berquam said what everyone wanted to

Wisconsin State Journal

Kudos to UW-Madison Dean of Students Lori Berquam. She had the courage to say, publicly and clearly, what everyone in the university, city and police department was thinking but didn?t have the courage to say. That?s what deans of students do ? I know, I?ve been there. Students were not being told what to do, they were being told that going to the Mifflin Street block party was not in their best interest, nor in the best interests of the community.

– Paul Ginsberg, Madison, UW-Madison emeritus dean of students

On the Aisle: UW Dance’s ‘Les Muses’ showcases student work

Wisconsin State Journal

Les Muses” at the UW-Madison Dance Department is an entertaining short program of eight modern dance works, all with cryptic titles “Imagen Corporal,” “relentless equanimity” and danced to mostly textural music. The line-up includes two solos, a quartet, a trio and several larger works, all choreographed by students save “not enough of,” a new piece by artist in residence Pamela Pietro.

?Cinco de Mifflin? met with ethical questions

Daily Cardinal

Stabbings at last May?s Mifflin Street Block Party mired the future of the event in uncertainty for the past 12 months. Its occurrence now all but certain, the block party is still unable to outrun controversy, as the first Saturday in May of 2012 happens to be the fifth ? also known as the date of Cinco de Mayo. The combination of events in plans for the upcoming celebrations has members of the university community concerned with cultural insensitivity.

Citizen Dave: The Mifflin Street Block Party can be cool

Isthmus

Let?s start out with what should be an obvious truth. If there?s any trouble at this year?s Mifflin Street Block Party, it won?t be the fault of the UW Dean of Students or the mayor or the police. The fault will be with the perpetrators. Look, if it helps, I?ll take my share of the blame for last year?s mess. I?m not sure if the bad stuff would have happened if it hadn?t been for the transition between myself and the incoming mayor. Paul Soglin was legitimately focused on other more demanding issues and I was busy looking for more bubble wrap and packing boxes.

Tech and Biotech: Big weekend coming up for those with big ideas for tech companies

Wisconsin State Journal

Have an idea for a software program that will make life easier or an online business you?ve dreamed of? Tech types and their supporters will gather on Friday for Startup Weekend Madison, a marathon, 54-hour collaboration aimed at turning digital ideas into reality. A program similar to Startup Weekend, 3 Day Startup Madison, will be held the following weekend of May 4-6, and is aimed at commercializing technology by UW-Madison students.

Berquam?s Mifflin video misses the point

Daily Cardinal

Let?s get the obvious out of the way first: That video was bad. The message Dean of Students Lori Berquam released to students via YouTube Monday afternoon was an awkward, failed attempt to dissuade students from attending the Mifflin Street Block Party that inspired far more sarcastic comments than genuine discussions.

Dean responds to Mifflin video criticism

Daily Cardinal

Student backlash toward Dean of Students Lori Berquam?s ?Don?t Go? to Mifflin video prompted UW-Madison to pull the video from its YouTube channel.  But despite the criticism, Berquam said Tuesday she stands behind her original message that students should not attend the party.

Tensions run high at ASM meeting

Badger Herald

In a heated meeting last night, members of University of Wisconsin student government once again did not vote on a funding eligibility decision for a student organization.

UWs Mifflin Block Party video flops

WISC-TV 3

The University of Wisconsin-Madison dean of students took to the Internet to try to dissuade students from attending the Mifflin Street Block Party, but it didnt prompt the desired reaction from students.

UW student injured by hit and run driver on campus

Capital Times

A 21-year-old UW-Madison student was injured Tuesday by a hit and run driver on Park Street. Madison police said the crash was reported at 12:42 p.m. Tuesday in the crosswalk across Park Street connecting the pedestrian mall from the end of State Street to Bascom Hill. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call 911.

Campus lashes out on anti-Mifflin video

Badger Herald

While many students are gearing up for this year?s Mifflin Street Block Party and preparing for the changes that will be implemented at this year?s event, the University of Wisconsin Dean of Students Office put forth a simple message Monday: Don?t go.

On Campus: ‘Radioactive’ chosen for UW-Madison’s common reading program

Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison students will be reading ?Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout? next fall as part of the university?s common reading program, Go Big Read, according to a UW-Madison news release Monday. The illustrated biography by Lauren Redniss, a National Book Award finalist, was chosen by interim UW-Madison Chancellor David Ward.

On Campus: UW-Madison changes language of scholarship offer after student complaint

Wisconsin State Journal

UW-Madison has agreed to change the wording on a scholarship letter after at least one student complained that it led her to believe she would receive thousands of dollars more than she did. The scholarship is called the Advanced Opportunity Fellowship and it was given to about 229 graduate students at UW-Madison in 2011-12. The fellowships are given to students who will increase diversity on campus.

Tech and Biotech: Flexatory wins $10K at UW innovation competition

Wisconsin State Journal

Flextory, a Web-based, flexible inventory system, is the big $10,000 winner of the 2012 UW-Madison Qualcomm Wireless Innovation Competition, held this week to highlight innovative, wireless technology products. UW senior Chris Beley, 22, a computer engineering and computer science major from Hayward, developed Flextory. It lets users decide what they want to organize and how they want to do so, and works by scanning bar codes.

Q&A: Raising awareness about sexual violence on campus

Capital Times

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the United States, which means Val Kowis has been even busier than usual. Kowis is chair of Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment (PAVE), a student organization at UW-Madison whose mission is to end sexual assault, dating/domestic violence and stalking on campus through education and activism.

Doug Moe: Brewers pitch in on baseball fan’s mission

Wisconsin State Journal

It was during the 2006 Major League Baseball season, the summer after Ben Rouse?s freshman year at UW-Madison, that the Fort Atkinson native first wondered if it might be possible to attend all 162 games of a Milwaukee Brewers season. Rouse wants to attend every Brewers game this season, home and away, but it?s more than that. He thinks his story can help lift the profile of the Be the Match Foundation, which raises funds to provide marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other diseases.

Lake Effect: A Mighty Welder

Lake Effect?s material culture contributor, Gianofer Fields, introduced us to Madison-based metal artist Erika Koivunen and her mighty welder. Fields is a material culture student at UW-Madison, and she produces and curates the series, “It?s A Material World.” That project is funded by the Chipstone Foundation, a decorative arts foundation whose mission is preserving and interpreting their collection, as well as stimulating research and education in the decorative arts.

Week-long All Campus Party to begin Saturday

Daily Cardinal

Students can enjoy a week of free events, food and prizes beginning Saturday, as members of the Wisconsin Alumni Association and more than 85 student organizations will participate in the 12th annual All Campus Party.

Farmers? Market opens Saturday featuring five new vendors

Daily Cardinal

Because of the proximity to campus, many students attend the market to browse, taste-test, and purchase from the wide variety of produce and flowers. Morgan Rehberg, a freshman at UW-Madison said the Farmers? Market is a different experience than shopping at a grocery store. ?It?s bringing?the small town thing into a city,? she said. ?I like how they kind of meet together.?

#UWRightNow displays universitys reach

Daily Cardinal

It?s not often that students in Bascom Hall know what other student  are doing across campus, let alone in the South Pole.  But that?s  exactly what #UWRightNow aimed to do all day Wednesday.

In the Spirit: UW-Madison students go all out for atheism with major conference

Wisconsin State Journal

Chris Calvey calls it “a little bit of a crazy idea.” He?s a graduate student at UW-Madison, and along with some of his fellow students he?s organizing a major three-day conference in Madison starting Friday, April 27, for atheists, humanists and agnostics. As of this afternoon, 510 people had registered for the free event. Calvey expects the total to reach 700.

UW men’s basketball: Uthoff says Badgers won’t let him transfer to any ACC school

Madison.com

The Jarrod Uthoff saga continues to get more bizarre by the day. On Tuesday, University of Wisconsin men?s basketball coach Bo Ryan was heavily criticized by several members of the national media after a report surfaced that he had put the entire Atlantic Coast Conference on a list of teams that Uthoff is restricted from speaking with regarding a transfer.

UW universities get overseas recruitment help

Madison.com

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is among a growing number of campuses turning to agencies to recruit foreign students. Recruitment agencies can charge schools more than $1,000 per international student, but universities say the cost leads to more revenue. During a four-year period, an international student will spend about $68,000 in tuition, said UW-Eau Claire international education director Karl Markgraf.