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Category: Campus life

Some spring breakers staying domestic

USA Today

Once, most South Padre spring breakers visited nearby Matamoros, Mexico, for the touted “Two Nation Vacation.”

But news of gun battles between soldiers and drug cartels in Mexican border cities this winter appears to have reached even the frigid campuses of the upper Midwest. Tourists have not been targeted, but students and tourism officials on both sides of the border say spring breakers are keeping their toes in U.S. sand this year.

Non-academic misconduct policy may expand (The UWM Post)

Proposed changes to the University of Wisconsin Systemâ??s non-academic misconduct policy would make it easier for university administrators to penalize students for misbehaving off campus.

According to a report recently released by a UW System policy revision committee, the proposed policy changes to Wisconsin Administrative Code UWS 17 would make explicitly clear that university officials can sanction students for off-campus misconduct, including municipal violations, if that misconduct adversely affects a substantial university interest.

Area Health Experts See Increase In Flu Cases

WISC-TV 3

MADISON, Wis. — Health officials said they are seeing a high level of flu activity in the area, and they said they don’t expect cases to taper off for three to four more weeks.

Clinics like University Health Services on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus have been busy in last couple of weeks as the number of people reporting flu-like symptoms increases.

UPDATE: Man Dies after Marathon

NBC-15

A status report on the Madison man who died after finishing an Arkansas marathon.

27-year-old Adam Nickel collapsed last Sunday at the finish line of the Little Rock Marathon.

Preliminary autopsy results do not show exactly how the UW graduate student died.

The coroner’s office is waiting for additional reports. That could take up to five weeks.

Search committee holds last forum

Badger Herald

University of Wisconsinâ??s Search and Screen Committee asked members of the university community Thursday afternoon what they desire in the next chancellor, with responses ranging from supporting environmentally friendly policies to improving faculty retention.

Music Biz 101

Isthmus

When you picture someone booking bands, you think of a hardened pro, wheeling and dealing and probably smoking a cigar.

But the people booking one of the state’s busiest music venues are in their teens and early 20s, with little to no business experience.

The student union at the University of Wisconsin-Madison hosts more than 160 music programs, 35 weeks a year. At both Union South and the Memorial Union, students handle the nuts and bolts of concert promotion through the music committe

Ability to pay could factor into UW tuition (AP)

Green Bay Press-Gazette

MADISON â?? University of Wisconsin System officials are considering the merits of charging students from well-off families higher tuition to subsidize their lower-income peers.

The Board of Regents debated the issue Thursday as part of a wide-ranging discussion on tuition and financial aid.

U. of Nebraska bans assassin game

USA Today

When campus police got word that a masked student had a gun at his desk during class, armed officers immediately confronted him, confiscated it and found out others on campus were carrying weapons as well.

But instead of averting a real threat, University of Nebraska authorities found a toy gun that shoots foam darts being used for what amounted to an elaborate game of tag.

Thousands of players, mostly on college campuses, have participated for years in versions of the 24/7 battle to “eliminate” all other players. But some say the game â?? known widely as “Assassin” or “Assassins” â?? is ill-suited and possibly dangerous in times when campus shootings are fresh in people’s minds.

Student groups sing for charity

Badger Herald

For the first time in the history of the University of Wisconsin, musical groups Redefined, The MadHatters, Tangled Up In Blue and Fundamentally Sound will take the stage together, one group right after the other, during a new trailblazing show on Friday at the Union Theater.

Big Ten Champs!

Badger Herald

â??Big Ten Champions.â?

That was the chant from the crowd of students that flooded the floor after the final buzzer. That was the message the Kohl Center video board boldly proclaimed. Thatâ??s what the Wisconsin Badgers are.

Rotunda showcases UW students’ research

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

UW-Milwaukee senior Amanda Maslowski was one of about 80 undergraduates from throughout the University of Wisconsin System who came to the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday to share the findings of their research at the annual Posters in the Rotunda, an event designed to spread the word about student work to alumni, legislators and other state leaders.

Assembly votes to stop college aid in drug crimes

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The state Assembly has approved a bill that would block financial aid for college students convicted of drug crimes.

The bill would change state law to mirror restrictions on federal financial aid for those who are convicted of manufacturing, distributing or delivering controlled substances.

Differential tuition talks begin today (UW-EC Spectator)

The UW System Board of Regents is holding a session today to talk about issues related to college affordability and access to public higher education.

While no action will be taken during the meeting, David Giroux, spokesman for the System, said the meeting is an extension of the System’s overall strategic planning and will begin conversation regarding broad ideas such as tuition strategies. The discussion about the report will be mostly “blue sky thinking,” Giroux said, focusing on the realm of possibility regarding the issues.

UW Regents to Discuss Possible Tuition Hikes (AP)

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents is taking a closer look at how affordable a college education is at its schools.

A Regent spokesman says overall, a college degree at a UW college is affordable. However, he says the system doesn’t offer much financial aid to those who struggle to afford it. The Regents will discuss raising tuition for certain campuses or programs.

No ruling yet on runner’s death

Appleton Post-Crescent

The cause of death for a former Kaukauna man who died Sunday after running a marathon in Little Rock, Ark., remained unknown after an autopsy performed Monday.

Adam Nickel, 27, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, collapsed after crossing the finish line of the Little Rock Marathon and never regained consciousness.

Van Vleck power outage cancels class

Daily Cardinal

A power outage Monday at Van Vleck Hall forced the university to cancel classes in the building for the day. Numerous buildings on campus experienced a power outage after a roof drain failed and water flooded the basement of Van Vleck.

UW’s Van Vleck Hall reopens today after power outage

Capital Times

UW-Madison students who have classes scheduled in Van Vleck Hall will be able to attend their classes today, after a power outage Monday forced the university to cancel classes in the facility.

The outage was caused by flooding early Monday morning when water leaked into the basement of the building. Van Vleck is home to the university’s math department.

Transformers were damaged in the basement of Van Vleck, which also knocked out power to a half-dozen other buildings.

A Text Message From Police

WKOW-TV 27

Megan Severson needed to get in touch with her mother ASAP.

So she sent her a text message.

“This afternoon I sent my mom a text message to see if she put money in my account so i can pay my rent. I didn’t get out until about when the banks closed,” Severson says.

UW Cancels Classes At Hall After Power Outage

WISC-TV 3

MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin-Madison officials are blaming melting snow for causing a power outage that forced the cancellation of classes at Van Vleck Hall on Monday. The outage also caused sporadic network problems around campus.

The outage began early Monday morning and electrical engineers investigated the problem to ascertain the cause of the outage and repair electrical service. Officials said that there’s also a “small amount” of flooding in the building’s basement, according to a UW news release. Officials eventually blamed the problem on a transformer, which is being replaced on Monday.

Face Value: U. of Wisconsin Faculty Members Chip In

Chronicle of Higher Education

When the University of Wisconsin faculty members answered a survey a year ago, most indicated that maintaining access to the university for lower-income students was a big concern. And now those faculty members are doing something about it, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

The percentage of students from families with incomes in the bottom 40 percent of all Wisconsin families dropped from 26 percent in 1994 to 21 percent in 2005, the article says.

Student loans are safe here

Capital Times

WASHINGTON — Many college students across the nation will begin to see higher costs for loans this spring, while others will be turned away by banks altogether as the credit crisis roiling the U.S. economy spreads into yet another sector, student lenders and Wall Street firms say.

But most students in Wisconsin won’t feel a thing, university and finance officials said today in interviews.

….The situation in Wisconsin is much better than in many other states, so student loans will not be much of a problem here, according to UW-Madison and Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corp. officials.

Susan Fischer, director of student financial services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said today that just 200 students out of about 17,000 who have loans have lenders who will no longer lend.

“He crossed the finish line, he gave a smile and dropped”

Capital Times

Adam Nickel had everything going for him. He was set to begin his last year of UW’s demanding pharmacy program. He was an accomplished runner and had just reached his fundraising goal for an upcoming charity marathon, which he was running in honor of his grandmother.

On Sunday, Nickel’s promising life came to an end as he crossed the finish line in Little Rock, Ark.

“All I know is he crossed the finish line, he gave a smile and dropped,” his mother, Cynthia Nickel of Kaukauna, said today.

Nickel, 27, who was running his sixth marathon, finished 18th in a field of 1,600. He was pronounced dead 21 minutes after crossing the finish line.

UW to look at tuition policies

Badger Herald

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents will discuss a set of strategies Thursday for improving the UW Systemâ??s tuition and financial aid policies.

Wangard, Grosskopf: UW has no business giving scanners to bars

Capital Times

Dear Editor: The University of Wisconsin administration has once again stepped out of line with our tuition dollars in hand — this time with its proposal to fund electronic ID scanners for local bars.

According to the chancellor’s office, “This is the university saying we are concerned about underage drinking.”

In our opinion, all the university is saying is that they do not know why we are paying them so much for tuition every year. Students are paying for an education, not to help offset costs that local businesses incur to comply with the law.

Is the administration really that out of touch with the students who pay the bills?

UW regents eye tuition changes to hike revenue

Capital Times

The University of Wisconsin System is looking at a variety of tuition options as a way to increase access to college while also gaining more revenue if state budgets slide.

An advisory committee will recommend to the Board of Regents on Thursday that it consider tuition stratification — charging more for institutions in high demand — and differential tuition — charging more for more expensive programs such as engineering, which is already being done to some extent.

The UW System also already uses tuition stratification to some extent, charging higher tuition for UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee than for other four-year universities and charging less for the two-year UW colleges than the four-year institutions.

Doctors To Perform Autopsy After Madison Man Dies During Marathon

WISC-TV 3

LITTLE ROCK, Ara. — Officials said that there is no word yet on what caused the death of a Little Rock Marathon runner. The 27-year-old Wisconsin man died after completing the 26.2 mile race.

Adam Nickel, 27, was attending graduate school, studying pharmacy, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He collapsed shortly after he crossed the finish line in Little Rock and died later at University Hospital.

Nickel was running his sixth marathon; his official Little Rock time of 3:02:26 is considered an elite time. He was preparing for a spring event in San Diego as part of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training, as a tribute to his grandmother.

UW grad student, 27, dies after marathon

Capital Times

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A 27-year-old Wisconsin man collapsed and died after completing the 26.2-mile Little Rock Marathon.

Adam Nickel from Kaukauna, who was attending graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, collapsed Sunday shortly after he crossed the finish line.

Emergency personnel used mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to try to revive Nickel until an ambulance arrived with a defibrillator. He could not be revived and was pronounced dead after being taken to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Hospital.

The marathon’s medical director, Dr. Kent Davidson, said at a news conference Sunday that no determination had been made yet on what caused Nickel’s death.

Quartet of UW a capella groups come together for charity

Wisconsin State Journal

Sixty-six: Number of young women who auditioned in 2005 for three vacancies in Tangled Up in Blue, an all-female a cappella singing group on the UW campus.

2,251: Seats in Overture Hall, which the all-male a cappella group The MadHatters has sold out for its annual spring concert three times.

Two: Other student a cappella groups — the all-male Fundamentally Sound, and the co-ed Redefined — that will join Tangled Up in Blue and The MadHatters at Union Theater Friday for a first-ever “A Cappella Showcase ” to benefit Madison charities.

Uw To Add Text For Urgent Notices

Wisconsin State Journal

An emergency notification system is only effective if people quite literally get the message.

To increase those odds, UW-Madison is preparing to add an emergency text messaging service to its system of getting the word out to students, faculty and staff about any urgent situation involving the campus.

Kaukauna native collapses, dies after marathon in Arkansas

Appleton Post-Crescent

A Kaukauna native collapsed and died Sunday after doing what he loved â?? running in a marathon.

Adam Nickel, 27, who currently lived in Madison and attended graduate school in pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, died late Sunday morning after completing the 26.2-mile Little Rock Marathon in Little Rock, Ark.

Report gives regents options to raise UW tuition revenue (AP)

MADISON, Wis. â?? The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents should consider raising tuition at high-demand schools and continue a trend of charging more to fund specific programs, according to a report released Friday.

Those options would increase tuition revenue and help the system sustain its goals to educate more students in coming years, the report from a task force concludes.

Program Offers Free ID Scanners To Downtown Bars

WISC-TV 3

MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin-Madison is offering free identification scanners to downtown liquor stores and bars to help crack down on underage drinking.

On a weekend night with visitors buying from liquor stores and heading to bars up and down State Street, employees said they usually spot at least three fake IDs through the course of a night.

As manager of Riley’s Wines of the World in downtown Madison, Andy Beaulieu has developed a keen eye for spotting fake IDs.

UW-System clarifies conduct rules (UW-EC Spectator)

The UW-System has invited public comment on changes it recommended to rules regarding student conduct, including conduct on university property. The rules are contained in chapters 17 and 18 of the administrative code.

The chapters in question involve what the university can do with a student who is repeatedly in trouble off-campus.

David Giroux, spokesman for the System, said this administrative code has the force of law within the university systems. He said that while it lays out the process for disciplinary problems, it never included a “scope” for these rules cover, which is why they needed to make clarifications.

A Team Effort

WKOW-TV 27

You could hear the pounding from practically anywhere from inside Alliant Energy Center’s Exhibition Hall.

Badger football players, using their brute strength to build a home.

“We’re out working for Habitat For Humanity- got quite a bit of guys about 60 guys from the badger men’s football team,” says Badger Football player Andy Kemp.

UW Student Dies after Marathon

NBC-15

A Madison man dies at the finish line of a marathon in Arkansas Sunday morning.

Officials with the Little Rock Marathon say 27-year old Adam Nickel collapsed as he crossed the finish line of the 26.2 mile race.

CPR attempts on Nickel were unsuccessful. No word on the cause of death.

NBC 15 has confirmed Nickel was a graduate student at UW-Madison. Spokesman John Lucas says he was in his third year at the School of Pharmacy.

UW-Madison to add emergency text messaging service

Wisconsin State Journal

An emergency notification system is only effective if people quite literally get the message.

To increase those odds, UW-Madison is preparing to add an emergency text messaging service to its existing system of getting the word out to students, faculty and staff about any urgent situation involving the campus.

Employees charged in Union thef

Daily Cardinal

The District Attorneyâ??s office filed a criminal complaint Wednesday against five former employees at the Memorial Unionâ??s Stiftskeller for allegedly stealing a total of nearly $15,000 from cash registers.

UW turns to TXT alerts

Badger Herald

Starting this spring, the University of Wisconsin will offer a new method of notifying students in case of a campus emergency: text messaging.

Band of others: At UW, one need not be a music major to be instrumental to the program

Wisconsin State Journal

The College of Engineering does not tend to invite students to build bridges just for fun. The University of Wisconsin-Madison ‘s genetics department doesn ‘t train amateurs to analyze DNA as an unpaid hobby.

But for every credit the UW School of Music awards to music majors, it gives nearly four to non-majors. On Sunday three of the concert ensembles designed for non-majors, the University Bands, will perform.

Call it the Wisconsin Idea in music, the philosophy that the university should share its resources with all.