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Category: Campus life

UW has resources to do better

Badger Herald

A fulfilling undergraduate experience should extend past academics to issues of importance that will remain with the lives of students for years to come. We may not remember all material from classes taken, but we will remember our relationships with others and how they helped shape who we are today.

Chancellor knows best

Badger Herald

Our university strives to set high standards for the values and the recognition of people from all different backgrounds. As someone of mixed race, I have felt completely comfortable and have established a great connection with UW in the four years I have attended this institution.

UW needs eminent oversight

Badger Herald

Depending on how much you read the paper, or how often you feel the need for that two-for-one Long Island special, you may or may not be aware of the lawsuit Brothers recently filed to prevent losing its current location. The suit came after the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents granted the university the right, under eminent domain, to build a performance facility on the property occupied, in part, by Brothers.

UW looks to improve graduation rates for poor students and minorities

Wisconsin Public Radio

The UW System is joining about two-dozen colleges and universities in pledging to improve graduation rates for two specific groups of students. They want to cut achievement gaps for low-income and students of color in half by 2015.A new report this week shows that collectively, 45 percent of such students earn a bachelorâ??s degree within six years, compared to 57 percent for other students enrolled at the schools. (Second item.)

Nontraditional students key to campus diversity

Daily Cardinal

Diversity issues extend beyond race and nationality. I would argue we are a product of our experiences, and though skin color and nationality play a significant role in influencing our experiences, encouraging a diversity of experiences on campus cannot be measured by admittance data alone. UW-Madison cannot hope to achieve true diversity simply through programs aimed at aiding minority students. A truly diverse campus would embrace students from all walks of life, whose experiences are as vast as they are different and who are united by a common goal: to educate and better themselves.

Report: Universities try to cover up rapes

USA Today

A Washington-based investigative journalism organization said in a report issued Tuesday that it found a “culture of secrecy” surrounding sexual assault cases on university campuses across the U.S. The report by the Center for Public Integrity showed that nearly half of the 33 female students it interviewed in the past year about being raped were unsuccessful in pursuing criminal charges. That left the campus judiciary system as their only recourse.

Badgers shock Duke at Kohl Center

Badger Herald

It was a game few people expected Wisconsin to win.

Instead of losing, the Badgers never trailed Wednesday night at the Kohl Center en route to a 73-69 upset, handing the No. 6 Duke Blue Devils their first loss of the season and first ever in the 11-year history of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Campus Connection: How much debt is too much for college grads?

Capital Times

How worried should we be that the debt load for college graduates keeps increasing — while job options keep decreasing?

According to this report recently released by the Project on Student Debt, the average debt for graduating seniors with loans rose from $18,650 in 2004 to $23,200 in 2008.

In Wisconsin, 62 percent of the students graduating from a public, four-year institution had debt. And of those, the average debt was $19,789. Of those who graduated from a private, nonprofit institution in Wisconsin, 70 percent left school with debt. Of those, the average debt was $26,802.

First Wave program blends hip-hop, academics (77 Square)

Wisconsin State Journal

Some of the student emcees of First Wave, at its core a bridge between academics and the arts, are putting on an end-of-semester hip-hop show at the Rathskeller on Saturday, Dec. 5. Their efforts are two-fold: theyâ??re using their music as a vehicle for academic inquiry, and theyâ??re also giving Madisonâ??s off-campus hip-hop scene a shot in the arm.

Report: 40 H1N1 Flu Deaths In Wisconsin Since Spring

WISC-TV 3

Noted: The University of Wisconsin-Madison is encouraging all students 24 years old and younger to get a free H1N1 vaccine shot on Friday. University Health Services has about 4,000 doses available and is holding the vaccination clinic from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.

Forum addresses LGBT concerns

Daily Cardinal

Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Campus Center Director Eric Trekell and Dean of Students Lori Berquam hosted a listening session for the UW-Madison community, students, faculty and staff Tuesday.

New H1N1 vaccination clinics open

Badger Herald

Madison and the University of Wisconsin are continuing their push to vaccinate students and a targeted group of community members against the swine flu by offering new H1N1 vaccine clinics in the next few weeks.

First Wave program blends hip-hop, academics

Wisconsin State Journal

Young people today donâ??t know a world without hip-hop. Itâ??s simply the “mechanism and medium right now,” said Rafael Casal, and as creative director of the First Wave program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, heâ??s pushing to get this recognized on campus.

“Weâ??re trying to make a shift in the lens through which they see the world,” said Casal, a 24-year-old San Francisco Bay Area native who had been a successful touring emcee and spoken word poet for years when he landed in Madison and in his current job.

Some of the student emcees of First Wave, at its core a bridge between academics and the arts, are putting on an end-of-semester hip-hop show at the Rathskeller on Saturday, Dec. 5. Their efforts are two-fold: theyâ??re using their music as a vehicle for academic inquiry, and theyâ??re also giving Madisonâ??s off-campus hip-hop scene a shot in the arm.

Why aren’t there more Deidre Greens?

Capital Times

Deidre Green got off to a rough start with a bad case of infant jaundice that overwhelmed her mother. She went to live with her grandmother, who showered her with attention that likely changed the arc of her life.

â??I suppose I got pretty spoiled,â? the UW-Madison freshman says with a laugh. â??My grandma played with me all the time â?? she did puzzles with me, read to me. She always told me I was smart, so when I got to school, that was what I expected. It was what she expected, too.â?

For Green, a variety of serendipitous factors â?? her own talent and hard work, supportive mentors in and out of school, a core group of good friends and key opportunities â?? helped her excel in Madison public schools. An educational pioneer in her family, she intends to also do well in college and then go to law school.

Doug Moe: Poking fun at students and their excuses to not take exams

Itâ??s the “Dead grandmother problem” — an all-too-common occurrence before a big exam is scheduled. Last spring, students at the School of Human Ecology could walk into their school’s building on Linden Drive and see in the entry an exhibit detailing just how perilous exam time is for the grandmothers of college students.

UW-Madison moves forward with plan to replace Gordon Commons dining hall

Wisconsin State Journal

It was built in 1965 as an all-you-can-eat cafeteria, serving three meals a day to a line of hungry college students. But UW-Madison officials want to build a new dining hall to better feed todayâ??s army of undergraduates. Plans to tear down Gordon Commons, 717 West Johnson St., and build a new $34 million cafeteria next to it will be presented before a city of Madison committee Wednesday.

Case concerns student loans, bankruptcy

USA Today

Four years after Francisco Espinosa took out student loans to attend an Arizona trade school, he had not advanced beyond his job as an airline ramp agent in Phoenix and faced $13,250 in student debt. He declared bankruptcy, and a judge allowed him to pay off part of the loan and wipe out the remaining debt. Tuesday, Supreme Court justices considered Espinosaâ??s case in a closely watched dispute that could affect debtors and creditors nationwide when student loans cannot be repaid.

Rising: Zola Jesus (Pitchfork)

Zola Jesus is Nika Roza Danilova, an opera-trained caterwauler from Madison, Wisconsin who makes noise music that scrapes and glistens in equal measure. She loves Ian Curtis and Lydia Lunch, and their uncompromising tendencies can be heard throughout her bruising, beautiful recent album, The Spoils. The ambitious 20-year-old is currently studying French and Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin, but hopes to wrap up her studies “as soon as possible” so she can devote all of her time to creating more haunting atmospherics

MIU proposals ready for review

Badger Herald

The second round of proposals for Madison Initiative for Undergraduates funds have been accepted and are now ready for review, the university announced Tuesday. With 114 proposals coming in this round â?? compared to 29 in the first â?? allocating the limited funds will be difficult and competitive, said Aaron Brower, University of Wisconsin vice provost for teaching and learning.

Upgraded Planned Parenthood opens in revamped Villager Mall

Capital Times

Planned Parenthoodâ??s newest health center is set to open today in a brand new building owned by the Urban League of Greater Madison in the revamped Villager Mall. But at least one Planned Parenthood client is unhappy that the new facility will be supplanting the downtown location. “I feel like there should be a Planned Parenthood on every college campus, especially one thatâ??s rated one of the top 10 for party schools,” says Flannery Pendergast, a University of Wisconsin-Madison student who learned of the move in a letter from Planned Parenthood. She says the move will also affect high school students, other college students and homeless individuals.

UW-Madison sees decline in international students

Wisconsin Public Radio

Although more international students are enrolling at American universities, the UW-Madison has actually seen its numbers drop this year.The Institute of International Education reports foreign student enrollment nationwide has gone up eight percent, for an all time high of about 672,000 students. (Eighth item.)

Lodi’s Internation Education Week broadens students’ horizons

Wisconsin State Journal

When Max Love attended the annual International Education Week at Lodi High School as a student there, it fueled his interest in global learning and led to his desire to serve in the Peace Corps in Eastern Europe. A 2009 Lodi High School graduate, he returned to the event this year as a guest speaker on multicultural and international education. Now a UW-Madison student in Middle Eastern studies, he received a scholarship to study Arabic and wanted to let students know about the opportunities that exist.

Editorial: End ties with Nike

Daily Cardinal

Recently, the UW Labor Licensing Policy Committee voted 7-2 to suggest Chancellor Biddy Martin take written action against Nike for their violation of UW labor codes.

Conversation surrounding diversity needs fresh start

Badger Herald

Diversity.

If the article stopped there, the comments section would still be ablaze. While most would focus on the bizarre nature of my minimalist post-modern commentary, the rest of the debate would focus on the definition of the term, the â??racistsâ? on campus who oppose it and the response to being called racist until someone cites Hitler and our comments hit a new low.

Hundreds gather to talk diversity

Badger Herald

Initiated by a recent opinion column in the Daily Cardinal, and reinforced by others in The Badger Herald, hundreds of University of Wisconsin students gathered in Smith Hall Monday with an eye fixed on the future of diversity on campus.

Badger Bus causes travel confusion

Badger Herald

As students gear up to head home for Thanksgiving break, their travel preparations may look different from years past without the familiar Madison Bus Depot to rely on for their ticketing needs.

UHS receives 2,000 swine flu vaccines for students; flu cases decrease

Badger Herald

Just as University Health Services saw a drop in the number of people reporting swine flu-like symptoms for the second straight week, it announced Monday the H1N1 vaccine is now available to all students. UHS Director Sarah Van Orman said 2,000 doses of the vaccine are currently available and she expects more to arrive in the coming weeks.

Parole denied to Ralph Armstrong in N.M.

WKOW-TV 27

He was imprisoned in Wisconsin for 29 years for the murder of a UW-Madison student. Then his conviction was overturned. Yet Ralph Armstrong will continue to serve at least one more year behind bars. This time in a different state.

Students must do their part to end racism

Daily Cardinal

After I read the article â??Race deserves no place in university admissionsâ? in Tuesdayâ??s issue of The Daily Cardinal, I struggled with how to explain the intent of the author. I was caught wholly off-guard by the call for an end to affirmative action.

City investigating possible overcrowding in neighborhoods

Wisconsin State Journal

For the first time in decades, the city is setting straight how many people can legally live in houses in the Greenbush and Vilas neighborhoods south of UW-Madison. The new information is motivating neighborhood homeowners to push for inspections and get quick action at properties suspected of illegal overcrowding.