In April, UW-Madison’s Jewish student community will be able to gather at the new, four-story, $14 million, 30,000-square-foot Barbara Hochberg Center for Jewish Student Life.
Category: Campus life
Crime Stoppers seeks texted tips
UW-Madison’s latest survey of student computing practices shows about three-quarters of students routinely text-message, an increase of 10 percent from the 2007 survey.
‘Please listen,’ say veterans of Iraq war
Nearly a dozen Iraqi war veterans gathered in Madison Saturday to tell war stories. These were not tales of honor and glory.
There were descriptions of a macho military culture that cracked jokes about gays and called Iraqis “rag heads” and “towel heads.” There were accounts of an army that sent soldiers into battle with broken equipment and insufficient training. They told of trucks that ran over young children and soldiers who played cruel games with prisoners and panicked and shot civilians. There were stories of commanders indifferent to their troops’ medical and mental suffering.
….A sparse audience of only 200 attended the Memorial Union Theater event, which was coordinated by the Iraq Veterans Against the War. IVAW is a national organization with 1,200 members in 48 states. Over the past year, IVAW has held a handful of similar panels across the country in an effort to mobilize opposition to the war.
Given the â??Green Lightâ? to Create (Smithsonian Magazine)
This past spring, Sarah Muehlbauer began sewing coaster-sized circles of wax paper together in her textile design course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was experimenting with the materialâ??s transparency and sometime thereafter the project took over.
Human Rights Initiative Kicks Off At UW
MADISON, Wis. — A public launch of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s human rights initiative kicked off on Friday.
The initiative began last year on campus but the public launch promotes human rights in teaching and in research in the community as well.
The goal is to bring faculty, students and residents from numerous backgrounds together for this common cause, WISC-TV reported.
The kickoff featured the former president of Ireland, Mary Robinson.
Election motivates UW student
MADISON â?? The 20-year-old never even considered entering the political fray.
Kristen Donat grew up in a Chicago suburb and followed the news and political discussion, but never had much interest in throwing herself in the middle of it.
Then this summer, something changed.
Donat, 20, is a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is facing the reality of finally having a vote in the election and began more closely following the news.
Alcohol Ruled A Factor In Crash That Killed Three UW Students
MADISON, Wis. — The Dane County coroner said alcohol was “a significant contributing factor” in a single-car crash last month that left three University of Wisconsin-Madison students dead.
Authorities said Richard H. Putze, 22, of Milwaukee, was driving a car that crashed into a tree near the intersection of Midvale and Hillcrest Drive on Aug. 27 at approximately 1:45 a.m.
Celebrating the “Geek” life
Geeks of all ages came to UW-Madison this weekend to celebrate video games, and everything sci-fi.
Outside in the courtyard, they did a little medieval sword fighting.
Inside, they solved a Victorian murder mystery, using ultraviolet light to look at invisible ink.
Judge rules UW not required to finance religious groups
UW-Madison can give money to religious student organizations, but is also allowed to deny funding to the groups, according to a federal district judgeâ??s ruling Wednesday.
Police urge students to track safety
Members of the city and university police departments addressed a group of Madison residents Thursday in the Memorial Union in an effort to increase awareness about safety and crime prevention measures.
Violent robberies target students, officials say
City and university officials teamed up Thursday and urged Madison residents to be on high alert after a string of violent robberies in the downtown area.
Mental health guide available
Students seeking mental health services can now look to a new guide released on Tuesday for ways to find help and learn more about their legal rights.
Grief Counselors At College After 2 Killed In Crash
WAUSAU, Wis. — Grief counselors have been on hand at the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County after the deaths of two students whose motorcycle collided with tractor trailer.
Violent robberies have potential link, suspects
More than a dozen robberies and burglaries on the University of Wisconsin campus are being linked by a common theme: violence.
News briefs: Man charged with theft for beer game
A drunk man needing a table for a game of beer pong tried to steal one from the Memorial Union, then led an officer on a foot chase after he was spotted, according to charges filed Wednesday.
Violent robberies targeted UW-Madison students and staff
Madison, UW and Fitchburg police are investigating 13 similar incidents that occurred between March 7 and Sept. 19 â?? including one in which a student was shot in the leg and another in which a student was pistol-whipped, said Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain.
“Many of the crimes share the same characteristics,” said Capt. Jim Wheeler of Madison’s South Police District.
Madison police investigate scary trend: violent robberies
Madison police are investigating more than a dozen violent robberies.
Victims include men, women and businesses in Madison and Fitchburg.
Police say the criminals attacked their victims either at gunpoint or implying they had a gun.
The robberies started in March through this month and most centered around the Vilas Neighborhood.
Violent Robberies Connected
Police believe a string of as many as 13 armed robberies may be connected. Twelve of the 13 center around one area. But what connects all of these robberies is the disturbing part.
“What draws us here today is the violence that is really associated with this dozen or so robberies,” said Lt. Joe Balles with the Madison Police Department Central District at a press conference on Thursday.
Since March, Madison Police believe two men may have been involved in as many as 13 armed robberies. Most of those were around the UW campus.
Suicide Attempt in the Dane County Jail
A college dropout awaiting trial in the high-profile stabbing death of a Madison man is under suicide watch after trying to hang himself.
The Dane County sheriff’s office says a 20-year-old inmate from Stillwater, Minnesota, tried to hang himself in the shower Thursday morning with his jail-issued pants.
Walgreen’s accused of promoting binge drinking on campus
Two prominent government officials tonight are calling on a local Madison business to take down a display they think promotes college binge drinking.
Dane County Exec. Kathleen Falk and UW Dean of Students Lori Berquam told 27 News they’re disappointed with the Walgreen’s on campus.
The new Walgreen’s in the University Square complex on campus has a display with plastic cups and ping pong balls. Students say it’s clearly for the popular drinking game beer pong.
Peterson Attempted Suicide In Dane County Jail
MADISON, Wis. — A former University of Wisconsin-Madison student accused of killing Madison resident Joel Marino in his home last January apparently attempted suicide in the Dane County Jail on Thursday morning.
Violent Robberies Increase In Madison
MADISON, Wis. — Madison police are warning residents about downtown safety.
Over the last few months, the downtown and southwest sides of Madison have seen a big jump in the number of violent robberies. Police said the public needs to be aware and be safe.
The sheer number of robberies isn’t what concerns police. They’re more concerned with the violent nature of the robberies, Madison Police Chief Noble Wray said.
UW-Milwaukee architecture joins with Madison art history
UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee have joined forces to provide graduate students a unique opportunity to take classes at the other university, while staying enrolled at and graduating from their own school.
O.A.R. to play at Freakfest 2008, ticket prices up from last year
After city officials hinted last week that partygoers could expect a popular headlining act at Madisonâ??s Halloween celebration this year, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz announced Wednesday the band O.A.R. landed the gig for the upcoming Freakfest 2008.
UW science photo takes second in national contest
From UW Madison: With a photograph that embodies the unexpected – and sometimes breathtaking – outcomes of science, University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student Jenna Eun has won second place in the 2008 Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and Science magazine.
The image, “Polymazing,” appears in the Sept. 26 issue of Science, which Eun herself finds somewhat amazing, considering the subject of her photo arose completely by accident.
Former Supreme Court justice to teach at UW
A former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice will begin teaching classes on campus this spring, University of Wisconsin Law School officials announced Wednesday.
Freak costs on the rise
Partygoers will have to pay more to get on State Street for Halloween this year. Admission prices have increased from $5 to $7 for advance tickets and from $7 to $10 at the door, and jam rock band O.A.R. will headline the event.
Judge: No rights violation by UW
A federal district judge on Wednesday sided with UW-Madison in a case over how much religion is too much when doling out money to faith-based student groups.
The ruling rejects claims made in a lawsuit filed a little more than a year ago by the Roman Catholic Foundation, a campus student group, that the university violated its First Amendment rights by refusing to fund some of its activities in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years.
It also dissolves a preliminary injunction put into place in January by U.S. District Judge John Shabaz that barred the university from refusing to pay for activities by the group involving prayer, worship or proselytizing.
Cliff Cleland: Students should be aware of voting rights
Dear Editor: Beware, college students! Someone may be trying to suppress your right to vote.
Last month, Barack Obama supporters were registering thousands of students at Virginia Tech University. The Montgomery County elections registrar then issued news releases incorrectly suggesting that students registered to vote at their college might lose their right to be claimed as dependents on their parents’ tax returns or could lose scholarships or lose car and health insurance. All lies.
Freakfest lineup announced; O.A.R. will headline
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Frank Productions announced the 2008 Freakfest line up Wednesday, promoting a national act that will bring higher ticket prices with it.
The annual State Street Halloween party will have four main entertainment areas this year, with headliner O.A.R. â?? an acronym for Of a Revolution â?? performing on the Mountain Dew Amp/Z104 stage at the top of State Street at the Capitol Square. Other stages will be hosting local bands such as The Box Social, Natty Nation and Awesome Car Funmaker.
River Watch still going strong
Just last week, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse junior Casey McHugh came between two intoxicated people and the river.
â??I think that it is something no one should ever die from,â? he said. â??But, it has happened so much in the past.â?
For nearly two years, student volunteers have been an extra set of eyes along the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown La Crosse as part of Operation: River Watch.
Professor calls for change in drinking attitude after 3 student deaths
The Dane County Coroner reported this week the driver in the Midvale Blvd. fatal accident that killed three UW students in August had a blood alcohol level of 0.144, well over the legal limit of 0.08.
In light of that, UW music prof. Todd Wellbourne is calling for change.
Not change of laws or change of official programs, but change of attitude.
UW survey reveals student interest in online education
A study from the UW-Madison E-Business Institute (UWEBI) found the majority of undergraduate students strongly prefer online-learning study and courses with lecture captures.
Wis. Alumni Association announces initiative to reverse â??brain drainâ??
After survey results suggested many UW-Madison alumni living outside Wisconsin would return to the state, the Wisconsin Alumni Association announced an effort Monday to retain the universityâ??s graduates.
Forum leaders stress revision of diversity plan
UW-Madison faculty, staff and students discussed ways to move beyond Plan 2008, the campusâ?? previous 10-year diversity plan, at the ninth annual Diversity Forum at Memorial Union Tuesday.
Experts examine funding trend
Scholars presented findings and research about the ups and downs of an increasingly volatile pattern of state funding for higher education at the University of Wisconsin Tuesday.
State funding of UW lagging
A study released Tuesday revealed state funding for the University of Wisconsin over the past 25 years has doubled, but it also found that universities and colleges are still not receiving as much as K-12 schools.
Drunken driving causes deaths
The driver involved in an August crash that killed three University of Wisconsin students was legally drunk, according to a report released by the Dane County Coroner Tuesday.
Martin shoots for diversity dialogue
Hundreds of University of Wisconsin students, faculty and staff gathered to explore diversity and climate issues at UW Monday.
Q&A with Kathleen Falk: Taking on Wisconsin’s drinking culture
At the top of Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk’s current to-do list is a problem Wisconsin knows all too well: alcohol abuse.
There’s too much of it in Dane County and throughout the rest of the state, Falk says, and we’re not doing enough to combat it. The financial and social costs are high. Funding for alcohol abuse prevention and treatment is tight. Treatment programs in Madison have wait times that are months long. And for Falk and many others who have watched family and friends struggle with addiction, there is too much suffering and too many painful memories.
Q&A with composer Fred Ho (77 Square)
It’s not easy to define the artistic endeavors of Fred Ho, the latest artist brought to campus by the UW-Madison Arts Institute. Ho, sponsored by the Asian American Studies department and the School of Music, is a composer, a performer of poetry, a jazz virtuoso on the baritone saxophone, an activist and, for the past two years, a survivor of a particularly malicious cancer.
This fall, the composer of everything from operas to a “martial arts ballet” is teaching more than a dozen UW students some intangible things — how to invent art rooted in their background and beliefs, how to push their minds and bodies to new levels of creativity and how to trust themselves.
Alcohol, speed cited in Midvale crash
Alcohol and speed were “significant contributing factors” to the Aug. 27 Midvale Boulevard crash that killed three UW-Madison students.
Dane County Coroner John Stanley confirmed Tuesday that 22-year-old Richard Putze of Milwaukee was the driver of the car that crashed into a tree on Midvale between Mineral Point Road and Regent Street and that Putze had a blood alcohol content of 0.144, almost two times the legal limit of 0.08 in Wisconsin.
Pets take the bite out of dorm life
Two years ago, Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania joined what appears to be a growing college-life trend: pet-friendly dorm rooms offered to interested students. There are at least a dozen such colleges, and administrators and students alike declare the concept a hit.
Coroner: Alcohol Involved In Crash That Killed 3 UW Students
MADISON, Wis. — The Dane County coroner said that alcohol played a role in a single-car crash that killed three University of Wisconsin-Madison students in August.
Authorities said Richard Putze, 22, was driving on South Midvale Boulevard when his car struck a tree near the intersection of Midvale and Hillcrest Drive on Aug. 27.
The Dane County coroner said Putze had a blood-alcohol level of 0.14.
Michelle Obama pushes female, youth activism
Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, visited Madison Monday and spoke to voters about the important role of women in the election.
UW to look beyond Plan 2008 at day-long Diversity Forum
UW-Madison faculty and students will attend the ninth annual all-day Diversity Forum at the Memorial Union Tuesday.
Two UW students robbed on campus over weekend
Two University of Wisconsin students were robbed at gunpoint on the corner of Randall and Mound Streets just before 10 p.m. over the weekend.
Michelle Obama reaches out to women, students at UW
Michelle Obama reached out to women and students of Madison Monday, encouraging them to register their friends and take them to the polls to vote for her husband, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, on Election Day.
Coroner: Alcohol Involved In Crash That Killed 3 UW Students
MADISON, Wis. — The Dane County coroner said that alcohol played a role in a single-car crash that killed three University of Wisconsin-Madison students in August.
Authorities said Richard Putze, 22, was driving on South Midvale Boulevard when his car struck a tree near the intersection of Midvale and Hillcrest Drive on Aug. 27.
The Dane County coroner said Putze had a blood-alcohol level of 0.14.
Passengers Lindsey Plank, 23, and Daniel Myers, 22, also died in the crash.
Williams: The Complex Mandate of a Chief Diversity Officer
Perhaps more than any other top campus administrator, the chief diversity officer is a lightning rod for criticism. Of course, some people simply oppose efforts to increase access, equity, multiculturalism, and inclusion. But even people committed to diversity can object to the presence of these officers.
Some critics believe that hiring a chief diversity officer removes the responsibility for diversity and inclusion from the university’s president, other leaders, faculty members, and the campus as a whole. The institution now has a “diversity messiah,” who is singularly responsible for advancing campus-diversity efforts and is nothing more than a symbolic figurehead.
Damon Williams is the the vice provost for diversity and climate at UW-Madison.
I’ll Take My Lecture to Go, Please
It looks like students can be open-minded after all: When provided with the option to view lectures online, rather than just in person, a full 82 percent of undergraduates kindly offered that theyâ??d be willing to entertain an alternative to showing up to class and paying attention in real time.
A new study released today suggests not only a willingness but a â??clear preferenceâ? among undergraduates for â??lecture capture,â? the technology that records, streams and stores what happens in the classroom for concurrent or later viewing.
The study, sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madisonâ??s E-Business Institute, tackles the much-discussed question of studentsâ?? preferences for traditional versus online learning with unusual rigor.
Authorities Investigate Another Holdup Near Randall, Mound Streets
MADISON, Wis. — A Middleton couple were the victims of the latest in a string of armed robberies that have recently occurred near downtown Madison.
The incident happened at about 10 p.m. on Friday night at the corner of Randall and Mound streets, near Vilas Park.
Madison police said that the couple, who were both in their 20s, were walking toward the park when a man with a handgun demanded the woman’s purse. The woman surrendered her purse and the robber unsuccessfully tried to get the man’s wallet before fleeing with an accomplice.
New website to pay students for note-taking
A social networking website launched last week aims to connect college students around the worldâ??not through wall posts and photos, but through uploaded class notes.
Pell Grant funding could come up billions short
The Pell Grant, a national scholarship widely awarded to low-income students, could experience a serious shortfall for the 2009-10 fiscal year, though officials remain hopeful Congress will act to correct the lapse.
Obama campaigns in Wisconsin
Sen. Barack Obama and his wife will be visiting several different Wisconsin cities today.
UW community looks for peace
In the midst of political and international turmoil, the University of Wisconsin held a Peace Day rally Sunday addressing members of the Madison community about international conflicts and how to attain peace.
“Youthanized” — Are college students apathetic? And if they are, do they care? (77 Square)
You hear it every day from Baby Boomers — that today’s college students aren’t as engaged in political issues as they were, that back in the ’60s they had to walk 5 miles uphill both ways in the snow to get their heads beaten in at an anti-war protest. And they liked it!
But student activism (or lack thereof) is an important issue, especially in this election cycle where one presidential candidate has really electrified young voters. Which makes it a perfect time for a group of UW-Madison filmmakers to present “Youthanized,” their short documentary comparing college students of 1967 with those of today.
Michelle Obama targets women, young voters
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Michelle Obama says the outcome of the presidential race can be determined by young people and women.
Speaking Monday on the campus of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Michelle Obama tailored her speech to the many women and college students in the crowd of about 1,800.
Frat house fire still a mystery
Demolition of the historic Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house at 237 Langdon St., destroyed by fire in the early morning hours of May 13, is scheduled to start in mid-October, contractors say.
Wall Street crisis triggers national alarm (AP)
Sean Grossberg closed the textbook for his financial derivatives class and sank into the couch.
If all went according to plan, a year from now he’d be finished with school and working on Wall Street. But now he needed a break.
The University of Wisconsin senior hit the remote control and the second half of a Sunday afternoon football game filled the 100-inch screen.