The Downtown Coordinating Committee and the Madison Police Department made assurances that Madison is prepared for any potential problems this year after outlining the final details of Halloween 2006 Thursday.
The college-age definition for it is fun. But what happens in Madison on the Saturday night closest to Halloween takes college fun over the line and dangerously close to tragedy.
Thousands of college students ââ?¬â? and, unfortunately, scores of high school students ââ?¬â? converge on State Street for what is loosely described as a party. There are excesses of everything. Much of it is not healthy or legal.
UW-Madison students are casting their ballots and the result may mean an increase in student fees, while at the same time bringing a new look to campus.
Students lined up on Thursday, voting on the Student Union Initiative, which would improve Memorial Union and build a new union South.
CHICAGO – For some, it would be unthinkable – certain social suicide. But Gabe Henderson is finding freedom in a recent decision: He canceled his MySpace account.
No longer enthralled with the world of social networking, the 26-year-old graduate student pulled the plug after realizing that a lot of the online friends he accumulated were really just acquaintances. He’s also phasing out his profile on Facebook, a popular social networking site that, like others, allows users to create profiles, swap message and share photos – all with the goal of expanding their circle of online friends.
Sixty percent of UW-Madison students reported in a recent survey that they never change the passwords they use for their campus accounts, although about 75 percent never intentionally share their NetID and passwords with others.
“That’s a good start, but it still gives us some cause for concern,” Jim Lowe, chief information security officer, said in a statement. “We would like to see all students regularly change and never share their passwords.”
While the controversy began before most of us returned to campus for the fall, the Kevin Barrett scandal seems not to want to die.
The big, nostalgic slogan of the Student Union Initiative is a clever one. It speaks of a time when some 3,000-odd University of Wisconsin students were selfless enough to give $50 each to fund the construction of Memorial Union.
For students looking to explore their faith, a new apartment building dedicated to spiritual growth will be opening on the University of Wisconsin campus next fall.
Many University of Wisconsin students have been there, either firsthand or in the case of caring for an inebriated friend.
The $167-millionÃ? Student Union InitiativeÃ? is almost 60% funded by students. That means students would pay an additional $48 starting next Fall. However, they wouldn’t see any construction begin until a year later.Some students say the investment in the union’s future is worth it, even if they won’t reap the benefits themselves.
“Halloween this year is an experiment,” says George Twigg, spokesperson for Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz. “The mayor wants to get away from past years and look at a new way of doing things.”
The city hopes to keep the festivities from getting too rowdy by cutting off the entrance at 1:30 a.m. and providing food carts and music. But the hardest factors to control are consumption of drugs and alcohol.
“The entertainment will hopefully give people an alternative,” says Twigg. During last year’s Halloween, he notes, Dane County detox filled all eight of its slots, and three more people had to be transferred to local hospitals.
At 76, retired University of Wisconsin-Madison music professor Karlos Moser remembers the first time he heard and saw grand opera produced grandly. He was studying at Princeton University in New Jersey and would slip into New York City to see productions at the famed Metropolitan Opera. That’s where he saw the world’s greatest singers in the world’s greatest operas.
….Moser, who composes as well as produces, directs and conducts opera, will hold a special concert this Sunday to raise money for an endowment fund to buy season tickets to professional opera companies in Madison, Milwaukee and Chicago. UW students, including musicians and production people, would get to use those tickets.
….For years, the Fetzer Center – located in the basement of the McClain Center – was the student-athlete’s best choice to get help. A second Fetzer Center opened today at the Kohl Center and will be put to immediate use by the men’s and women’s basketball and hockey teams. It’s located just 42 steps from the basketball and hockey locker rooms on the ground floor.
….Upperclassmen (and women) acting boorishly to lower-level classmates has been a time-honored tradition among many institutions. We all managed to live through those activities and become productive citizens ourselves. But, in these more enlightened times, it’s undoubtedly best they go away.
Nevertheless, I think the UW band and Leckrone got a bum rap.
The blanket “double secret” probation immediately gained the attention of cable TV news, which, typically, gushed over reports of semi-nude musicians and other titillating behavior. Sanctimonious critics denounced the band en masse and condemned the director for having lost control. And now the last straw is Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly joining in the condemnation.
Proponents of the Student Union Initiative say Memorial Union desperately requires renovation and that Union South is too small and unwelcoming to students.
University of Wisconsin Chancellor John Wiley discussed campus construction concerns at a luncheon with colleagues at the University Club Tuesday.
Members of the University of Wisconsin Student Labor Action Coalition gathered for a party at Chancellor John Wiley�s office Tuesday, bringing cake, balloons and party favors with them.
A Madison resident walked into her living room one evening and found her two children standing by the bay window, staring rather attentively at the house across the street.
In the face of growing security concerns nationwide, as the Department of Education hands over student information in antiterrorism efforts, a fact unearthed by Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism student Laura McGann, more and more universitiesââ?¬â?including UW-Madisonââ?¬â?are stepping up security measures for the protection of their students and alumni.
After months of printing green t-shirts, pinning campaign buttons, publishing ads in newspapers and pressing students for their support, advocates of the Student Union Initiative have only one thing left to do: Hold their breath and hope that students will cast a vote in favor of the plan.
Last week, Student Labor Action Coalition members planned to storm the Chancellor John Wiley�s office in protest to what they perceived as his reneging on the Designated Suppliers Program, an initiative intended to direct the purchase of university apparel toward union-friendly factories.
Just as this board opposed the Union referendums last March, we ask students to vote ââ?¬Å?Noââ?¬Â once again this week as the Student Union Initiative is put on the ASM ballot.
Many students, faculty members and administrators agree that on the University of Wisconsin campus, no building matches the Humanities Building when it comes to character. Of course, nearly all would be quick to point out that saying Humanities has character is a nice way of calling it ugly and out-of-place.
Though business around its Library Mall ticket booth might look anything but booming, the Madison Parks Department has distributed more than 3,000 tickets for this year�s Halloween celebration.
Dear Editor: I think it is highly unnecessary to have tickets sold for the annual Halloween bash downtown on State Street. Paid admission to a public place is not right. I think this is just another way for the city to get money.
I have no doubt in my mind that there will be just as many riots as there have been in past years. Why wouldn’t there be? Just as many people will be there. Just as many people will be drinking. There will still be fights and people throwing up. There is no way to get around either of those things.
Dear Editor: I am writing to express my sincere disappointment regarding the mishandling of the recent parking permit enforcement by the University Transportation Service.
….I understand that the use of mopeds and their placement must be controlled. However, I have not seen any “permit required” signs posted in the moped parking areas, and I was unaware that a permit was necessary until I received a $30 citation. Why are there no signs posted? Why is this moped citation so exorbitant? Most importantly, why did the UW not issue warnings before citations?!
Today’s college students are volunteering in greater numbers than those of just a few years ago, according to a report released on Monday by the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps
UNFORTUNATELY, IT has become an all-too-familiar tale in the world of collegiate athletics. Wild misbehavior, often associated with sexual exhibitionism and harassment, suggesting a rules-don’t-apply-to-me elitist mentality.
….Chancellor John Wiley may feel the need to bash the band, or to say that band members portray the university in a poor light, but I do not see the grounds he uses to make this claim. I know of no other group who loves the university more or supports the athletic teams more than this dedicated group of 300.
Dear Editor: In regard to the article, “Watch your step, Wiley warns band,” we are appalled at the reactions and comments by Chancellor John Wiley.
….Our daughter currently in the band has developed a great work ethic, morals and social skills that are enhanced by her association with the band program.
In other words, the band is a highly positive and productive program – one of the finest and most successful programs in the UW System.
University of Wisconsin linebacker Elijah Hodge, 20, will not face criminal charges for being in possession of a stolen moped on Sept. 19, Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard said Friday.
“There wasn’t sufficient evidence to prove he knew the moped was stolen,” Blanchard said.
27 News has uncovered Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard has declined to bring any criminal charges against Wisconsin football player Elijah Hodge, despite Hodge’s September, felony arrest.UW-Police officials said Hodge was about to leave an Athletic department parking lot on a stolen moped when he was arrested Sept. 19.
ââ?¬Å?Itââ?¬â?¢s not what actually happens, itââ?¬â?¢s what public perception is.ââ?¬Â These words, repeated by senior drum major Adam Gill, represent a concise understanding of how public relations works, something University of Wisconsin Marching Band Director Michael Leckrone has imparted to his band members frequently in the past.
After the release of last week�s allegations against the marching band, one thing is obvious: The University of Wisconsin Marching Band Director Michael Leckrone should not be blamed for the hazing actions of band members.
Four UW-Madison freshmen were mobbed by a group of teenagers on Allied Drive late Friday night, with one of the male students losing his wallet in the skirmish.
Mike Leckrone said Sunday he consistently takes a disciplinarian approach to band activities despite media coverage to the contrary.
ââ?¬Å?Our justice is pretty quick and sometimes very sudden,ââ?¬Â the embattled University of Wisconsin Marching Band Director said.
Seven months after the off-campus party at the heart of the unresolved rape case involving the Duke University lacrosse team, colleges across the country have profoundly changed how they respond to even the most minor indiscretions by athletes.
In the groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the start of the construction of a $40.5 million addition to Grainger Hall, a distinguished panel spoke of the advantages the addition would bring to the University of Wisconsin business program.
A group of juveniles robbed four University of Wisconsin freshmen on Madison�s west side Friday evening, adding to the string of local crimes that have occurred this year.
With Halloween less than two weeks away, the Halloween Action Committee and the mayor�s office made final decisions on both the performing bands and street vendors for the evening of Saturday, Oct. 28.
In a student-oriented debate Sunday evening, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and her Republican opponent Dave Magnum answered questions submitted by University of Wisconsin students.
MADISON, Wis. — While many Badger fans will gather this weekend to celebrate University of Wisconsin-Madison’s homecoming game against the University of Minnesota, members of the school’s marching band might be looking to make the crowds extra proud amid recent accusations of hazing and improper conduct allegations.
MADISON, Wis. — While many Badger fans will gather this weekend to celebrate University of Wisconsin-Madison’s homecoming game against the University of Minnesota, members of the school’s marching band might be looking to make the crowds extra proud amid recent accusations of hazing and improper conduct allegations.
MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin-Madison officials said they are hoping casting ballots will be easier this fall than it was in the spring.
After three days of heavy media coverage regarding the UW Marching Band�s alleged misconduct, university administration revealed specific, graphic details of the band�s misbehavior Thursday.
University of Wisconsin libraries are going digital, and Google is there to help.
The University of Wisconsin Marching Bandââ?¬â?¢s Sept. 23 trip to Michigan was the latest incident in its ââ?¬Å?ingrainedââ?¬Â culture of sexualized hazing, Chancellor John Wiley said Thursday.
University of Wisconsin marching band director Michael Leckrone, under fire from Chancellor John Wiley because of misconduct by band members, said Thursday if the conduct doesn’t improve, he might not continue on as the director.
At a hastily called news conference in the university’s administrative offices at Bascom Hall, Leckrone, 70, band director for 38 years, said if changes don’t come, he could relinquish his baton.
UW Marching Band members engaged in a head-shaving hazing incident and lewd dancing on a recent road trip that recalls even worse conduct in previous years, administrators said Thursday.
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Joseph Munz, a former high school football player from Lodi, didn’t worry about the danger of his job delivering sandwiches to help pay his way at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, friends and family say.
John Kunz, the entertainment promoter for Madison’s Halloween Party on Oct. 28, today announced this musical lineup of local talent: I Voted For Kodos, the CREST, Plunket, the Mighty Short Bus, DJ Jeremy Thomas, Paper Tiger and Depth Beyond Depth.
The performances are scheduled on two stages between 7:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m.
After Madison�s ABC 27 News unearthed a story Tuesday that a textbook used by UW-Madison Professor Kevin Barrett is politically charged and includes an essay comparing President Bush to Hitler, state legislators again decried Barrett�s UW-Madison lecturer position.
Library eighth institution in world to team with Book Search program
UW-Madison and Google announced an agreement today to digitize more than 7.2 million holdings at UW-Madison Libraries to their book search database, exposing the world to Wisconsin resources and shaping the way Internet research is conducted worldwide.
For a group that does its work on large fields in front of thousands of fans, it�s hard to believe the University of Wisconsin marching band could be shrouded in so much mystery.
The executive producer of Nova, PBS�s popular science show, will be interacting with students and faculty at the University of Wisconsin next week.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee received a $100,000 housing grant from the Department of Commerce Wednesday.
Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle unveiled a new job-creation initiative Wednesday in an effort to address the state�s growing need for workers capable of filling jobs in emerging high-tech industries.
Wednesday marked the 35th anniversary of the creation of the University of Wisconsin System, following the merger of the state�s two public university systems in 1971.
For many University of Wisconsin students, owning two houses and a new BMW Z4 is out of the question. Not for Drew Breneman.
With recent increases in the number of downtown muggings and assaults, several Madison officials are taking action by increasing the number of street lights on some campus-area streets.
