Category: Campus life

On a Wednesday afternoon, Bridget Maniaci sits in a State Street coffee shop among UW-Madison students paging through textbooks and staring at computer screens preparing for exams. Less than one year ago, Maniaci was one of them.
But now, Maniaci, a UW-Madison graduate with a degree in political science and economics, munches on a baguette and talks about life in Madison after her departure from the student demographic.

Up against a tight deadline, the city’s Alcohol License Review Committee will take one shot in the coming month at cracking down on the places that sell booze Downtown to the chronic street alcoholics officials say are plaguing the area.

There may be hope yet for high school students who received the disappointing letter from Wisconsin’s flagship university that reads, “we think you’re qualified, but …”

UW-Madison is poised to admit more students from its waiting list than ever before.

Natalie Ammerman, a 2004 graduate of Holmen High School, has been accepted as part of a group of professional students to tour Uganda and help in hospitals, medical clinics and pharmacies.

Ammerman, 22, is a doctor of pharmacy candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy. The university has an ongoing project in Uganda for pharmacy, medical and nursing students and sends students for three weeks each summer. Ammerman and 15 other UW students will travel to Kampala, the capital of Uganda, on May 24.

She knew her Brewers, Bucks and Packers. She even surprised herself by knowing Flavor Flav. But a bit of history that involved President John Tyler and Texas stumped Suchita Shah, and the UW-Madison senior saw her run on â??Jeopardy!â? end in a semifinal that aired May 14. By making it that far, she won $10,000 at the college tournament that was filmed at the Kohl Center last month.

“Now we know. Now we are going to do something about it,” says County Board Supervisor, Eileen Bruskewitz.

Help is on the way for the county’s 911 center. It’s something many say is long overdue since the recent botched 911 call from Brittany Zimmermann the day she was murdered in her home.

WSUM General Manager Dave Black has confirmed that the UW-Madison student radio station will broadcast a “major announcement” by Chancellor John Wiley during the 2 o’clock hour this Thursday afternoon.

The announcement will occur during “Raveathon,” a seven hour broadcast marathon to be hosted by music industry veteran Bruce Ravid, from 1-8 p.m. Thursday. Ravid graduated from UW-Madison in 1974 and was an early pioneer of student radio on campus.

For the fifteenth straight meeting spanning parts of three years, the Madison city council representative to a 911 Center oversight board failed to show up Wednesday.

It was also the first meeting of the Public Safety Communications Center Board since a 911 dispatcher mishandled an April emergency call from the cell phone of murder victim Brittany Zimmermann.

A group of students and others called on Madison alderperson Eli Judge to resign, after 27 News revealed Judge missed nearly a year’s worth of meetings of the 911 Center’s oversight board.

Judge’s last absence from his assignment to the Public Safety Communications Center Board was less than two weeks before a 911 call from the cell phone of murder victim Brittany Zimmermann was mishandled.

More than two weeks after revelations that Dane County’s 911 Center may have mishandled a call from the cell phone of UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann around the time she was murdered, the community is still asking questions about the efficacy of the 911 center and demanding quick action from public officials.

Nearly 100 people — including at least a dozen reporters — packed the basement of the Fitchburg Community Center on Monday night for an unofficial public hearing on the 911 system. More than 30 people spoke, and another 30 registered their concerns.

FITCHBURG â?? Can a 911 call from a cell phone be traced to an exact location?

How quickly are police being dispatched to 911 calls about suspicious activity?

Has Dane County spent enough on its 911 system?

Those questions and several others were on the minds of about 80 people Monday at the first town hall meeting since it was revealed the county’s 911 center mishandled a call from the cell phone of homicide victim Brittany Zimmermann on April 2.

I donâ??t think Iâ??m blowing a scoop by confirming that Greta Van Susteren, host of Fox Newsâ?? On the Record, was in town last week investigating the murders of Kelly Nolan, Joel Marino and Brittany Zimmermann.

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and 911 Center director Joe Norwick came under heavy fire Monday night as Dane County citizens and employees complained about Falk and Norwickâ??s failures to address longstanding problems at Dane Countyâ??s 911 Center.

â??The 911 dispatch chief quite frankly doesnâ??t have the shoes for the job,â? said citizen Gary Berliot. Norwick is not entirely to blame, Berliot said, because of Falkâ??s failures to commit adequate resources to the center.

â??Iâ??d like to see both of them retire or resign.â? The audience inside the Fitchburg Community Center applauded.

MADISON, Wis. — Members of the Dane County Board of Supervisors held a meeting on Monday night to give area residents a chance to ask questions about the local 911 system.

It’s the second meeting in regards to the alleged mishandling of a 911 call.

But it was the first opportunity the public had to comment on the 911 controversy surrounding the Brittany Zimmerman 911 call.

Local officials and residents have raised questions about the 911 system after an operator was accused of mishandling a call from the cell phone of a University of Wisconsin-Madison student who was later found dead.

27 News has uncovered the last two Madison alderpersons assigned to a 911 Center oversight board have missed more than a year of recent meetings.

A review of the minutes of the Public Safety Communications Center Board show the common council representative to the board has missed the past fourteen board meetings.

Four Dane County Supervisors held what was supposed to be a Q&A session on Monday night in Fitchburg to address problems with the county’s 911 center. But there were many more questions, than answers.

None of the invited county and city leadership showed up, including the Madison Police Chief, 911 Center Director, County Executive, or Sheriff.

The meeting is being held three weeks after it was revealed that UW student Brittany Zimmermann called 911 the day she was murdered and police weren’t dispatched.

At the base of a State Street lamppost, beneath a banner that says “Celebrate Madison,” Darrell Regulus works the only job he knows.
He calls it “shaking the cup.” Others call it panhandling or begging for money.

“How’re you doing, sir?” he says to a middle-aged man walking by. “Can you help me out?”

Nothing.

Then Robert Weiss, 19, a UW-Madison freshman, gives him $5. Regulus’ mood improves â?? if he can get to $10, a motel owner near the Beltline will rent him a room for the night, he says.

Molly Somers is a woman who likes a challenge, and as the new University of Wisconsin-Madison marching band manager, she’ll certainly have one.

The Plover native will be responsible for scheduling the popular marching band’s performances, both in and out of Wisconsin, in addition to completing her studies as an elementary education major with a minor in French and education policy studies.

A few days ago Ashley Kay Huibregtse was chasing calves on a visit to her family’s dairy farm in the Town of Lyndon.

On Friday night, Huibregtse was chosen to wear the amethyst-studded tiara of the state’s preeminent ambassador for agriculture, as the 61st Alice in Dairyland at the selection finale at the Stefanie H. Weill Center.

MADISON, Wis. — Although this year’s college graduates are entering the workforce amid rising unemployment numbers and fears about the economy, graduation is still a day of joy and optimism.

This weekend thousands of students will trade in textbooks for briefcases as graduation ceremonies were held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and at Madison Area Technical College.

At the UW, about 5,000 Badgers received diplomas on Saturday as proud families looked on.

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) A theater student who died in a fire has been awarded the first ”extraordinary” degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Peter J. Talen, 23, was killed in a house fire near UW-Madison in November.

Talen had been a student at UW-La Crosse, but took a break in the fall of 2007 and was planning to return in January 2008, said Bill Clow, interim associate dean for the College of Liberal Studies and director of the School of Arts and Communication.

Thousands of students marched out of college and into the school of life this weekend in Madison.

The Class of 2008 received their two year and four year degrees from MATC and UW Madison.

About 5,000 UW students will graduate this weekend during four commencement ceremonies held at the Kohl Center.

MADISON, Wis. — Madison police have released more information about the slayings of 31-year-old Joel Marino and UW student Brittany Zimmerman.

Police said Marino and Zimmerman’s deaths do not appear to be connected.

However, in a statement released on Sunday, police said they cannot totally rule out any connection, mainly because of certain similarities.

Those similarities include that the victims were killed inside their homes, were in close proximity to each other and there was nothing in either case to suggest the victims had enemies or were at risk due to their lifestyles.

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. — A few days ago Ashley Kay Huibregtse was chasing calves while visiting her family’s dairy farm in the Sheboygan County Town of Lyndon.

Friday night in Sheboygan, Huibregtse was chosen to wear the amethyst-studded tiara of Alice in Dairyland, the state’s pre-eminent ambassador for agriculture.

The 23-year-old Huibregtse is graduating Saturday with a degree in education and communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Madison Police believe the murders of Joel Marino and Brittany Zimmermann are not connected.

However, according to an incident report issued on Sunday, police cannot completely dismiss a connection between the cases due to similarities both share.

Both Marino and Zimmermann were attacked inside their homes during daylight hours, with the two murders being committed in a reasonably close geographic area.

Also, police believe there was nothing to suggest that Marino or Zimmermann had enemies or were at risk due to eitherâ??s personal lifestyle.

UW Madison engineering students are in a national vehicle competition that’s winding down this weekend. The UW Madison team is among 17 schools to re-engineer a 2005 Chevrolet Equinox, using advanced propulsion technologies to increase fuel efficiency and reduce environmental impact. Team Leader Dan Mehr Mehr says it’s been a challenge getting all the components biodiesel-electric hybrid entry to work together smoothly.

A 21-year-old UW-Madison student was injured Thursday when her bicycle was struck by a car at the intersection of Lathrop Street and Van Hise Avenue on Madison’s west side.

Madison police said the driver of the car was southbound on Lathrop and the bicyclist was eastbound on Van Hise shortly after noon Thursday.

Madison fire investigators have learned that the fraternity whose Langdon Street house was destroyed by fire early Tuesday recently suspended a member for an alleged sexual assault.

Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter President Mike Miesen said he doesn’t believe there’s any link between the assault allegation and the subsequent fire, and he said the fraternity didn’t tell fire investigators about the assault allegation until after a Wisconsin State Journal reporter asked about it.

“Pomp and Circumstance” will be the hit song of the weekend as seven commencement ceremonies take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday for three Madison institutes of higher learning.

Graduation ceremonies for UW-Madison will be at the Kohl Center Friday through Sunday, Madison Area Technical College has commencement Saturday at the Coliseum at the Alliant Energy Center, and Edgewood College graduates will get their diplomas Sunday at the Coliseum.

Traffic on Dayton Street and in the Kohl Center area will most likely be congested, as UW-Madison students continue their massive move-out from Witte, Sellery and Ogg Hall dormitories on Dayton Street and Johnson Street, coupled with five commencement exercises for UW grads.

About a dozen fraternity members from the Sig Ep house that burned down on Monday night toured a new house.

This one is directly across the street from the old one.

“It’s ironic, the new one would be across from the old one,” said Ryan Sugden, a fraternity alum and spokesman for the group of 28.

“We’re committed to finding a new place where we can remain a fraternity,” said Sugden.

A man who allegedly tried to steal from the burned-out Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house on Langdon Street was arrested by Madison police Wednesday night.

Wilkie L. Johnson, 43, was tentatively charged with burglary, criminal damage to property, resisting an officer, obstructing an officer, unlawful trespass and a probation violation.

She knew her Brewers, Bucks and Packers. She even surprised herself by knowing Flavor Flav.

But a bit of history that involved President John Tyler and Texas stumped Suchita Shah, and the UW-Madison senior saw her run on “Jeopardy!” end in a semifinal that aired on Wednesday. By making it that far, she won $10,000 at the college tournament that was filmed at the Kohl Center last month.

MADISON, Wis. – If you want to find out who one of the youngest Democratic superdelegates in the country supports, check out his YouTube video.

University of Wisconsin-Madison student Awais Khaleel, 23, became the first superdelegate in the country to use the popular Web site to announce his endorsement of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

MADISON, Wis. — Several members of the Dane County Board of Supervisors announced plans to hold a community meeting next Monday in connection to the county’s 911 system and the ongoing controversy about whether a call from the cell phone of a slain University of Wisconsin-Madison student was mishandled.

The meeting, which is set for 6 p.m. in Fitchburg, will feature comments from several local officials with time for questions from the public regarding the death of Brittany Zimmermann, 21, in early April and the call that came from her cell phone to the Dane County 911 Center.

Dane County 911 Center director Joe Norwick, Dane County executive

Investigators collected debris, ash, and burnt wood today from the scene of the fraternity fire on Langdon Street.

Head Investigator Lt. Brad Olson told 27 News it’s too early to say what caused the fire, although he says it started somewhere in the rear of the house.

“All possibilities are still on the table,” said Olson.

The State Crime Lab will analyze the material for possible evidence of arson. Olson says this is part of any routine investigation into such a large fire without an obvious cause.

Representatives of Dane County law enforcement agencies and fire departments asked for more time before deciding whether to support changes in 911 Center practices to have police and fire departments notified of every 911 call.

The review of center practices was ordered by County Executive Kathleen Falk and prompted by the mishandling of a 911 call from the cell phone of murder victim Brittany Zimmermann.

Two of five previously undecided superdelegates in Wisconsin have endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, including a previously undecided superdelegate from Madison.

College student Awais Khaleel announced his decision in a video posted on YouTube. Khaleel did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment Wednesday.

Monday UW graduate student He Chang was in a panic.

His family lives in Sichuan Province.

16 miles away from the earthquake’s center.

“I started to call my family, and I couldn’t get to them. So I was worried,” Chang says.

After hours of frantic calls, he talked to his family who was scared, but safe.

They described the chaos to him over the phone.

MADISON, Wis. — Several members of the Dane County Board of Supervisors announced plans to hold a community meeting next Monday in connection to the county’s 911 system and the ongoing controversy about whether a call from the cell phone of a slain University of Wisconsin-Madison student was mishandled.

Barack Obama may have lost West Virginia’s primary on Tuesday, but he won an online “contest” that has yielded him a pair of additional delegates to this summer’s Democratic National Convention.

And that’s got the senator from Illinois personally welcoming a University of Wisconsin student as his latest delegate catch.

Two weeks ago, the president and vice president of College Democrats of America — both convention superdelegates — posted a YouTube video that asked young people to tell them to commit either to Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

“Let me tell you, the responses were overwhelming,” said CDA Vice President Awais Khaleel, a UW senior.

Dane County Supervisor John Hendrick is absolutely right when he says that an independent investigation of the troubled Dane County 911 Center is needed. And the investigation should not stop there.

Each day brings new evidence to suggest that:

1. The 911 Center mishandled a call from UW student Brittany Zimmermann, who was murdered April 2.

2. Investigations of that murder and others have been plagued by miscommunications.

3. Top elected and appointed officials have been more concerned about avoiding controversy than they are about making necessary changes to guarantee public safety.

Madison Police Officer Angie Dyhr realizes that had she happened upon the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity fire even five minutes later, the result could have been devastating.

Dyhr, 33, a mother of three, was patrolling Langdon Street in her squad car when she noticed what appeared to be a campfire or a grill fire in the back of 237 Langdon St. So she pulled in the driveway and notified dispatch right away.

Two weeks earlier she had gone through an in-service training with the fire department, where she learned how quickly a house can become engulfed in fire. She was taught that any time she witnesses a fire — no matter how small — to get on the radio and alert the Fire Department.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and three other media outlets sued Dane County and Madison Tuesday for withholding public records, including a tape of a 911 call made from a murdered college student’s cell phone.

The media groups are seeking the tape and other public records related to a 911 call made from Brittany Sue Zimmermann’s cell phone around the time she was killed April 2. Officials have acknowledged that the 911 dispatcher did not call Zimmermann’s phone back as is required under county protocol, but they have refused to release a copy of the tape, an uncensored copy of an investigation into how the call was handled and other documents.

More than two dozen Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity members who were forced to flee their burning house in Madison now face finals week without their computers or books.

None of the 28 fraternity members living at the house on Langdon St. near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus were injured in the fire, which was discovered late Monday by a police officer who saw a glow coming from the back of the building.

All that online pressure, all the instant messages on AIM and Gchat, all those YouTube comments and Facebook messages and wall posts added up to something: Two more delegates for Sen. Barack Obama.

In a YouTube video posted shortly before midnight yesterday, Lauren Wolfe and UW-Madison student Awais Khaleel, who as president and vice president of the College Democrats of America are among the youngest Democratic superdelegates, endorsed Obama. In the two-minute video, Wolfe said: “We’ve received over 5,000 e-mails . . . hundreds of YouTube comments. . . . We support Senator Barack Obama.”

Madison fire officials are searching for the cause of a fire late Monday and early Tuesday that destroyed the historic Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house at 237 Langdon St.

Fire Department spokesman Eric Dahl said Tuesday afternoon that evidence from the blaze has been sent to the state Crime Laboratory to test for accelerants to determine whether the fire was arson.

MADISON, Wis. — Madison fire investigators have cleared the scene of a fire at a fraternity house on Langdon Street, but there is still no word on what caused the fire at the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house late Monday night.

The Madison Fire Department said the fire caused about $750,000 in damage.

Authorities said that the first fire call came in at about 11:40 p.m. A Madison police officer in the area said she noticed a glow coming from inside the fraternity house and went to investigate. Upon discovering the fire, Officer Angie Dyhr said she pounded on the fraternity’s front door to get the attention of residents. She helped safely evacuate everyone inside.

MADISON, Wis. — Four television and newspaper media organizations filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Dane County, the city of Madison and Madison Police Department as part of an effort to obtain open records information concerning the county’s 911 system and the investigation into a University of Wisconsin-Madison student’s death.

The smoke billowing from the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house on North Langdon Street was so intense, you could smell it eight blocks away.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries, but no students were hurt.

The fire destroyed the house worth 750 thousand dollars. 28 students must now find alternate places to live.