For the past decade, women have outpaced men on key measures of college success. They attend college and graduate at higher rates, according to several studies, and they tend to earn higher grades. Yet on many campuses, student government is dominated by men, echoing gender gaps in state and national politics. At the 50 colleges ranked highest by U.S. News & World Report, less than a third of student presidents are women. Three of 12 major colleges in the Washington area have female student presidents: the University of the District of Columbia, Marymount University and Trinity Washington University, where nearly all students are women. The American Student Government Association estimates that 40 percent of student presidents nationwide are female, including those at community colleges. The share is believed to be lower at four-year colleges, though precise figures were unavailable.
Category: Campus life
UW-Madison panel eyes ban on bikes at Picnic Point
A UW-Madison committee is considering banning bicycles from Picnic Point ? a beloved recreational spot in Madison ? due to continued conflict between pedestrians and ?irresponsible? cyclists.
UW-Madison sees record number of applications
More than 28,000 students applied to be part of UW-Madison?s freshman class in the fall, a record number and the biggest increase in at least 20 years. It?s a bump of 3,214 students, or 12.6 percent, from last year?s 25,522 applications. Adele Brumfield, UW-Madison?s director of admissions, attributes the increase to a number of factors: an increased presence internationally with UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin?s trips to China, prestigious awards for professors, $1 billion in research expenditures and more recruiting trips.
They danced into sunlight
Author David Maraniss is fascinated by connections. Maraniss?s critically acclaimed history, ?They Marched Into Sunlight,? juxtaposes the stories of soldiers marching into an ambush in Vietnam with anti-war protests at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, all taking place over two days in October 1967.
It is these connections between people, places and time that provide the basis for two new dance works, together called ?March Into Sunlight,? premiering Saturday, March 26, at 8 p.m. in the Wisconsin Union Theater. The program is part of the Sunlight Project and Symposium, a three-day event focusing on war, peace and protest.
UW women’s basketball: Badgers will need Wurtz to step up against Butler, and next season
Officially, the WNIT will be the final part of the 2010-11 season for the University of Wisconsin women?s basketball team. But in many ways the postseason, which begins with Wednesday night?s game against Butler at the Kohl Center, represents a head start on the 2011-12 season.
It is a season that promises many transitions as the Badgers adjust to life without their senior class, which has been the heart of the program for three years. And no one figures to play a bigger role going forward than 6-foot sophomore guard Taylor Wurtz.
UW men’s hockey: Gardiner forgoes senior season, signs with Maple Leafs
Jake Gardiner played two distinct roles for the University of Wisconsin men?s hockey team, which helps explain why the junior defenseman made the move he did Monday. Gardiner signed a three-year entry level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, forgoing his final season of college eligibility even though he said it may be a year or two before he reaches the NHL.
University of Wisconsin-Madison students in Japan can get free flights home
The 14 UW-Madison students studying in Japan can get a free flight back, but it?s too late for them to enroll in spring semester classes here. Advisors in UW-Madison?s International Academic Programs office informed the students by e-mail that if they choose to leave the country by Friday, their flight costs will be covered by insurance. After that date, expenses will no longer be covered unless evacuation becomes mandatory.
UW men’s basketball: Taylor, Leuer are Wooden finalists
Senior forward Jon Leuer and junior guard Jordan Taylor from the University of Wisconsin men?s basketball team are among the finalists for the John R. Wooden Award, it was announced Monday. Leuer and Taylor are among 20 players on the final ballots for the award given to college basketball?s best player who also maintains at least a 2.0 grade point average and is making progress toward graduation.
UW hockey: Signs of life in ruined season
Amid the rubble of a ruined season there are encouraging signs of life where the University of Wisconsin men?s hockey team is concerned. Two prominent underclassmen ? sophomore defenseman Justin Schultz and sophomore center and assistant captain Craig Smith ? have indicated they plan to return for 2011-12 instead of turning pro.
Report: Badgers’ Gardiner signs with NHL’s Maple Leafs
Jake Gardiner has signed an entry-level contract with the NHL?s Toronto Maple Leafs and will forego his senior season at the University of Wisconsin, according to a report on the Minneapolis Star-Tribune?s website. Michael Russo, who covers the Minnesota Wild and the NHL, broke the news and later tweeted that he had validated the report “100 percent.”
Campus Connection: Badgers fall in tourney opener
Catching up on a couple higher education-related items …
** How far would the University of Wisconsin-Madison men?s basketball team advance in the NCAA Tournament if winning was based on outcomes in the classroom? The Badgers would falter in the first round according to results of Inside Higher Education?s annual Academic Performance Tournament.
** A photo of UW-Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin anchors the front page of this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education. The article is headlined: “Flagships Just Want to Be Alone.” The deck headline explains: “Hard times strain relations between big public research universities and their states.”
Vital Signs: UW study shows simple dose of empathy closes racial gap in pain treatment
A recent UW study finds that white nurses work harder to ease their patients? suffering when those patients are also white. The finding fits in with decades of research showing a pattern of black patients consistently receiving less treatment from doctors and nurses than white patients. But it may not take much to fix this racial bias.
Schools set up resources for students in recovery
Universities nationwide are moving to establish on-campus recovery programs, some including residences, for students who have gone through drug or alcohol treatment. Plans are in the works for programs at Southern Methodist University in Texas and for a facility near New York University. Those schools would join Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Texas Tech and Rutgers University in New Jersey, which have established programs. It?s part of a trend of schools realizing they should provide resources for students with substance abuse problems, says Matt Russell, an associate director at Texas Tech?s College for the Study of Addiction and Recovery.
U responds: “Crank Dat Gopherboy”
More than 1.5 million people have watched the University of Wisconsin hate on the University of Minnesota (and some other schools) in its now-viral “Teach Me How To Bucky.”
Random Lake Teacher Charged with Battery (WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee)
The Dane County District Attorney?s Office charged a Random Lake High School teacher Monday with beating his girlfriend, a UW-Madison student, and pushing her down a flight of stairs.
Regents Worry UW System Split Could Pit Schools Against Each Other, Send Tuition Soaring
Gov. Walker?s two-year budget proposal was the subject of another big protest Monday. Student organizations ? along with pro-labor and faith groups ? gathered at UWM to oppose the governor?s plan to separate the Madison campus from the rest of the UW System.
Area cycling enthusiasts can now train year-round at Fitchburg facility
There?s a new option for local bicyclists looking to shift their participation in the sport into a higher gear – an option that?s temperature-controlled. Speed Cycling, which opened in late November in Fitchburg, offers cyclists of all abilities an indoor place to train and helps them to become more involved in the area?s fast-growing “community of cyclists,” said co-owner Gordy Paulson. Speed Cycling sub-leases its space to other groups, such as the UW-Madison club cycling team.
UW-Madison students in Japan believed to be safe after massive tsunami
Fourteen UW-Madison students studying abroad in Japan are believed to be safe, said university officials, after a massive earthquake struck off the coast, followed by a tsunami. Nine are studying in Tokyo, three in Nagoya in the north and two in Sapporo in the south.
On Campus: UW-Madison got $8,600 per student from state, slightly better than average
The percent of state aid coming to UW-Madison has dropped over the years, but the university is still doing a little better than the average of its peers when it comes to the state dollars spent directly on students, according to data from the Chronicle of Higher Education. In the 2008 fiscal year, UW-Madison got about $8,600 per student, compared with an average of $8,400 at the nation?s major public research universities, the Chronicle reported. The amount of aid per student given to UW-Madison declined by 7 percent in five years.
On Campus: UW-Madison got $8,600 per student from state, slightly better than average
The percent of state aid coming to UW-Madison has dropped over the years, but the university is still doing a little better than the average of its peers when it comes to the state dollars spent directly on students, according to data from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Wisconsin university teaching assistants at forefront of Capitol protest
The protests that rocked Madison over the last month drew union members and students ? but some key figures in the mobilizations were both. Members of the Teaching Assistants? Assn. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison spearheaded the two-week occupation of the Capitol that began Feb. 15 ? two days before Democratic senators fled the state to stall legislation limiting public employees? union rights. The students helped organize food and other supplies for the makeshift overnight campground in the rotunda.
Concert Review: Famed Pianist Performs With UW Students In Free Concert
Here?s what you might have done for free Thursday night. You might have walked into the University of Wisconsin-Madison?s Mills Concert Hall and heard famed pianist Paul Badura-Skoda play with the UW Chamber Orchestra.
PRWeek Awards highlight industry’s progress (PRWeek)
Noted: Other very happy people included a slightly shell-shocked looking Marian Salzman from Euro RSCG Worldwide PR, who beat off intensely strong competition to become PR Professional of the Year; and PR Student of the Year Alyssa Vande Leest from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who received $5,000 and an internship at Hill & Knowlton as a prize to add to her trophy and a well-deserved round of applause.
Floyd A. Hummel: Walker will ruin our education system
….it took about 40 years for Wisconsin college teachers to win the right to try collective bargaining, which they may well lose after two years. Meanwhile, I took my math talent and training to another state and to private industry, where in eight years I managed to more than triple my last, best college salary. What message is Gov. Walker sending to Wisconsin students who aspire to be teachers? Will a career as a perpetual political football appeal to them?
Earthquake: Impact Felt In Madison
From the international media to Twitter & Facebook, images from the deadly earthquake in Japan continue to stream in. For Minami Goda it?s close to home. Luckily for Goda, a senior at the UW, her family is in Osaka and hasn?t been affected.
UW-Madison students in Japan believed to be safe
According to a statement released by University Communications, the UW-Madison has made contact with all 14 students that are studying abroad in Japan now and confirmed their safety.
UW Students, Faculty Check In With Family In Japan
University of Wisconsin-Madison officials have confirmed all 14 students studying abroad in Japan are safe after a devastating earthquake and tsunami rocked the island nation, but the 82 Japanese students on campus are finding it difficult to watch as the devastation unfolds.
Board of Regents will seek flexibilities for all UW campuses
In response to the governor?s proposal to break the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus from the rest of the System campuses, the Board of Regents unveiled a plan to seek similar flexibilities for all UW institutions at a meeting Thursday.
UW-Madison earns silver in Bicycle Friendly University rankings – JSOnline
The League of American Bicyclists bestowed a silver award on the University of Wisconsin-Madison in its first-ever rankings of bike friendliness on college campuses. Darwin “Dar” Ward, the commuter solutions manager for the UW, said the silver designation was both an honor and motivator.
UW men’s hockey: Schultz is named WCHA Defensive Player of the Year
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. ? Justin Schultz has had some distinctive moments on behalf of the University of Wisconsin men?s hockey team this season, a flair for the remarkable that was recognized in a big way Thursday. Schultz was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, becoming the first sophomore to win the postseason honor since it was introduced in 1992.
Wisconsin Capitol quiet after anti-union vote
The Wisconsin Capitol was eerily quiet Thursday night following three weeks of protests against anti-union legislation that drew tens of thousands of demonstrators to Madison. While people had been sleeping in the building for weeks, all eventually left after the Assembly voted to approve a bill eliminating public employee?s collective bargaining rights. Danny Spitzberg, 26, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said officers gave protesters vague explanations for why they had to leave.
UW Oshkosh creates ?Save My UW? campaign (UWO Advance-Titan)
As an initiative to help inform the student body about the possibility of UW Madison splitting from the UW System, students and faculty passed out fliers and buttons that read, “Save My UW.”
Business as usual at UW, UWM while teaching assistants consider strike
It was business as usual at the state?s two largest public universities Thursday, but with an undercurrent of tensions over the state Senate?s abrupt vote Wednesday night to eliminate collective bargaining provisions for most public workers.
Court dismisses rape case against Sigma Chi fraternity
A lawsuit against Sigma Chi?s UW-Madison and national chapters, filed by a UW-Madison student who claims she was raped at the fraternity house in October 2008, has been closed, according to Milwaukee County Judge Timothy Dugan.
On Campus: UW-Madison plans normal day; no plans for T.A. strike yet
UW-Madison plans a normal class and work day today, despite tensions at the Capitol over a bill that strongly curtails collective bargaining rights for public workers.
One group on campus that would be affected by the measure — teaching assistants — has a membership meeting scheduled for tonight, but there?s no motion currently on the agenda to strike, said Kevin Gibbons, co-president of the T.A.A.
Protests planned across state at 9 a.m., union says
Wisconsin workers will be gathering in a dozen cities across the state on Thursday morning to protest Senate passage of a bill curtailing collective bargaining rights, organizers say. The rallies are being organized by the state AFL-CIO.
The biggest rally will be at 9 a.m. at the State Capitol, where thousands of protesters surged into the building Wednesday night when the Senate quickly passed the bill.
KNOW YOUR MADISONIAN | KEVIN GIBBONS UW teaching assistant proud of his role in budget protests
Kevin Gibbons, 29, a doctoral student in geography, is co-president of the UW-Madison Teaching Assistants? Association, which helped run the budget protest in the state Capitol. The organization coordinated such things as rallies, cleanup crews, medical help, day care and food and is credited with helping keep the peace in the historic building and working with police and maintenance people.
Colleges urged to screen more for depression
For many young people, the excitement of attending college is often followed by the stress brought on by new challenges.
Editorial: Engaging students still is needed
The legacy of the Wisconsin Covenant may be as much about helping students develop aspirations for college as it is about funding them. While it?s unfortunate Gov. Scott Walker intends to end state support for the program, after making good on aid to students already enrolled ? we think it has held a laudable ? if far from perfect, place in Wisconsin?s educational landscape.
Camping gear from Capitol protests will be tossed after 6 p.m. Wednesday
If you have camping equipment, sleeping bags or other materials on the State Capitol grounds, remove it or the state will dispose of it. The latest update from the Department of Administration?s blog said camping gear has been collected and moved to the outside of the ground-level Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard entrance.
“Any camping materials not removed from this area by 6 p.m. Wednesday will be considered abandoned and will be hauled away and discarded,” the blog said.
Supreme Court rejects appeal in student fee case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by the University of Wisconsin at Madison of a federal appeals court ruling that could require many public colleges and universities to permit the use of student fee money to pay for explicitly religious activities, including those involving prayer.
You can toss a snowball in Madison, but not in Oshkosh
Almost a dozen cities — Antigo, Chippewa Falls, Eagle River, Menasha, Merrill, Neenah, New London, Oconomowoc, Oshkosh, Sturgeon Bay and Waupaca — ban throwing snowballs, The Appleton Post-Crescent notes. There is no such ban in Madison, the state capitol, however, which opens the way for all kinds of snowy mayhem by students at the University of Wisconsin.
(Includes photo of Bascom snowball fight.)
Wis. governor’s budget goes far beyond just unions
The showdown over collective bargaining rights for public employees is just the first step in a contentious debate over how to solve Wisconsin?s budget woes, with newly elected Republican Gov. Scott Walker also seeking to dismantle an array of social policies enacted under his Democratic predecessor. On the chopping block is a policy allowing in-state college tuition for the children of illegal immigrants. Walker?s budget plan would ax a Democratic initiative approved under former Gov. Jim Doyle that grants in-state college tuition rates to children of illegal immigrants, so long as the students have graduated from a Wisconsin high school and lived in the state for at least three years. The students also have to sign an affidavit promising to pursue legal residency or citizenship. Fewer than two dozen of the 182,000 students in the University of Wisconsin system have used the program, said university spokesman David Giroux.
U applications up 7 percent (Minnesota Daily)
Ohio State spokesman Allen Kraus said the school received about 29,000 applications for next school year. Madison has received 28,564 as of Feb. 15, spokesman John Lucas said. Both figures equate to a 10 percent increase over last year.
Block the Vote
Well, New Hampshire?s state House speaker was certainly right when he said college students have feelings.
UW Marching Band Surprises Meals On Wheels Clients
The University of Wisconsin marching band was marching for a different reason Tuesday.
Supreme Court will not hear case on funding Badger Catholic
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to try the University of Wisconsin?s appeal after a previous ruling required funding for a Catholic student organization?s religious activities, a decision that essentially ends the university?s appeals process.
Supreme Court decides not to hear UW-Madison Badger Catholic case
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday it will not hear UW-Madisons appeal of a lower court decision that found denying funding to the Catholic student group Badger Catholic violates the First Amendment.
Time for spring break: Don’t forget sunscreen, condoms
When going on spring break, don?t forget to pack condoms and sunscreen. UW-Madison students will take a break from studies March 14-18, so school officials have come up with a list of suggestions to make the break more enjoyable, safer and relaxing. Madison Area Technical College and Edgewood College also have spring break the same week.
Quoted: Dr. Sarah Van Orman, executive director of University Health Services
Editorial: Wisconsin Covenant will come up empty
So much for the promise of the Wisconsin Covenant. When he introduced his vow to state eighth-graders it in 2006, Gov. Jim Doyle said, “As long as the student holds up his or her end of the bargain, every family that qualifies for financial aid will get a package that fully covers their tuition” in the University of Wisconsin System. But, with no actual cost to the state attached to it at the time, the Covenant looked like more of a bill of goods.
Jon Fischer: New Badger Partnership right for UW
Dear Editor: As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I would like to express my support for the New Badger Partnership, Chancellor Martin?s principles to provide the university with the means to navigate through difficult times. The New Badger Partnership aims to readdress the relationship between the state government and the university, freeing it to focus on its primary missions.
Supreme Court won’t hear UW-Madison appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court says it won?t hear an appeal of a lower court decision to grant a Catholic student group funding from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The decision by the high court effectively ends UW-Madison?s appeal process. The university has argued that its funding of Badger Catholic?s religious activities is a violation of the First Amendment.
News: Religion Financed With Student Fees
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by the University of Wisconsin at Madison of a federal appeals court ruling that could require many public colleges and universities to permit the use of student fee money to pay for explicitly religious activities, including those involving prayer.
On Campus: U.S. Supreme Court declines to take Badger Catholic case
An appeals court decision that said UW-Madison must fund religious activities for student groups will stand, after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the university?s appeal on Monday. In September 2010, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the university violated the First Amendment by refusing to fund some events for the student group Badger Catholic involving prayer, worship and proselytizing.
UW Afro-American studies staffers: Don?t take rights away from struggling teaching assistants
….Many of the students who enroll in our master?s program and serve us as teaching assistants are from diverse working class backgrounds and are struggling to make ends meet and stay in school right now. Like the UW-Madison, in general, the department of Afro-American studies relies on the high-quality performance of our teaching assistants.
It is with dismay and disappointment, therefore, that we greet Gov. Scott Walker?s plan to deny collective bargaining rights to Wisconsin?s public employees. This will certainly have a detrimental effect on these students? welfare and a negative impact on their ability to maintain the superior service that they currently render to the hundreds of undergraduates who take our courses.
Wisconsin ironworkers take center stage at labor exhibit
A lot of people don?t understand what ironworkers do, said Mike Grimslid, business manager for Ironworkers Local 383, so he?s glad a UW-Madison class took an interest and put out a short film called ?The Art of Ironworking.?
On Campus: UW-Madison’s Sellery Hall named a top party dorm
UW-Madison students who live in Sellery Hall now have the (dubious?) honor of living in one of the top party dorms in the country, according to a new survey. The first annual “Dormy Awards” ranked Sellery the seventh biggest party dorm, based on 7,100 reviews on DormSplash.com. According to UW-Madison?s University Housing website, Sellery Hall “means living in the heart of campus” and houses 1,152 students in double rooms.
On Campus: UW-Madison’s Sellery Hall named a top party dorm
UW-Madison students who live in Sellery Hall now have the (dubious?) honor of living in one of the top party dorms in the country, according to a new survey.
UW women’s basketball: Last-place Illinois ousts Badgers from Big Ten tourney
The University of Wisconsin women?s basketball season of high aspirations ended with a thud on Thursday.The Badgers dug themselves a big hole early and could never climb all the way out as they suffered a shocking 63-56 loss to No. 11 seed Illinois in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament.
Connie Schultz: Ohioans take a cue from Wisconsin protesters
Any politician who still thinks it?s a keen idea to go after the collective bargaining rights of public employees ought to come over to Ohio. You know the old saying: As Ohio goes, so goes the nation. It doesn?t take much of a stroll through the Buckeye State to see that somebody sorely underestimated regular Americans? fondness for the freedoms of regular Americans.