Most students would never imagine their high school English teachers spending summer break freestyling and listening to hip-hop. But in an effort to reach out to students, that is just how area teachers have spent the last two weeks.
A class offered by the UW-Madison Summer Institute, with help from Youth Speaks Wisconsin, aims to give teachers the tools to bring hip-hop and spoken word poetry into their classrooms.
Category: Campus life
Flood displaces UW students
UW-Madison senior Anil Bhatoya was working on his computer near a window in his room on the lower level of Park Terrace West when Thursday’s deluge of rain hit the area around North Randall Avenue.
“I saw the street flooding,” Bhatoya said. “Ten or 15 minutes later, when I looked up, the water was past the window. Then it started gushing in.”
In another 10 or 15 minutes, the floodwater, which had also begun pouring in through a back door of the apartment building at 45 N. Randall, covered the floor of his room.
Lebanese Relief Efforts
Six lebanese students at UW Madison are spearheading relief efforts here to help refugees in their home country.
The students are from the American University of Beirut and are at UW doing engineering internships for the summer.
Campus Renters Evacuated
t was a race against time in Madison Thurday, and the water won.
At Park Terrace West, Ryan Woodhouse of Stillwater, MN had 6 six inches of water in his basement bedroom when he got home from work. 30 minutes later it was up to three feet.
UW Police Alert Residents of Intruder
UW Police issue a warning to residents in an 800 unit apartment building after a student woke up with an intruder inside her bedroom.
UW Campus Suffers Severe Flooding
This is one of the “lucky” students, who was still able to get to his car in a flooded parking lot just north of Regent on the UW campus.
Anyone who had a garage spot in this complex, doesn’t have that opportunity.
Thunderstorm damages downtown area (w/slide show)
Some were crouched with their heads in their hands, some were hugging friends, and some were drinking a beer on their porch, but the residents at Park Terrace West, 45 N. Randall St., all seemed in shock as flood waters stood in their downstairs apartments Thursday afternoon.
“I don’t have anything,” said David Kruser, a resident of the building. “All I have is my wallet, my cell phone, and my keys.”
Clean Up Underway at UW
Not even the most strict of professors could possibly blame students for leaving a classroom that’s quickly filling with water.
And that was exactly the case as a powerful thunderstorm dumped three andââ?¬â??aââ?¬â??half inches of rain on the UW campus today.
Woman Awakens To Find Intruder In Her Bedroom
University of Wisconsin police are investigating a home invasion early Thursday morning.
A UW-Madison resident of Eagle Heights told police she was awakened at about 4 a.m. by a man in her bedroom.
Madison, Waukesha Suffer Flooding After Storms
Thunderstorms that hit southern Wisconsin Thursday produced downpours or rain and flash flooding in Madison and Waukesha that caused police in both cities to ask motorists to stay off streets.
Far from home, but trying to help (Wisconsin Radio Network)
Lebanese students at UW Madison for summer engineering internships are organizing relief efforts.
Visiting Lebanese Students Start Relief Effort
In wake of the recent violence in Lebanon, some Lebanese students in Madison are taking action.
Six engineering students from the American University of Beirut have begun organizing relief efforts to help Lebanese civilians. They are completing summer internships at UW-Madison.
Lebanese Relief Efforts
Six lebanese students at UW Madison are spearheading relief efforts here to help refugees in their home country.
Getting into UW-Madison, Getting Tougher
UW Madison alumni might find it more difficult to see their children follow in their footsteps. The state’s flagship school has become more selective.
Nowadays, it takes more than good grades to get into UW Madison. The school is seeing more applicants, but the number of freshmen admitted is staying the same.
UW senior seeks to change handling of rape cases
Laura Dunn didn’t get the result she was seeking, but she’s hoping her efforts will help future victims of sexual assault.
A year ago, the UW-Madison senior reported that she had been sexually assaulted 15 months earlier by two men while she was drunk. The District Attorney’s Office has declined to prosecute.
The Dean’s Office closed the case without imposing any sanctions on the one suspect who was still enrolled at the university last semester.
City robberies on rise
Robberies are on the rise, especially in the northern, central and eastern parts of the city, according to a report compiled by Madison police.
The recent report, prepared by Lt. Joe Balles, shows a 60 percent increase in robberies in the first half of 2006 compared with the same time period in 2005.
College Democrats elect UW-Madison student
A University of Wisconsin-Madison student has been elected vice president of the College Democrats of America, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin said today. Awais Khaleel, who will be a senior at UW-Madison, was elected vice president at the group’s national convention in St. Louis over the weekend. (Part of the PoliticsWatch blog)
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Tuition reciprocity deal stays the same (AP)
Wisconsin students will continue to pay less in tuition at Minnesota schools than their Minnesota counterparts under an extension of the two states’ tuition reciprocity agreement.
A new agreement that went into effect July 1 for the coming school year means Wisconsin residents will pay between $2,700 and $1,000 less than Minnesota students, depending on the campus.
More students, fewer spaces
Flash back 25 years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and you’d find admissions standards that are sure to shock aspiring Badgers of today.
The university guaranteed admission to all high school graduates in the top half of their class. It accepted more than 80% of applicants.
“I walked upright,” Dan Conley, a 1981 graduate, said with a chuckle. “That’s how I got in.”
How times have changed.
Sheboygan-area students receive degrees at UW-Madison ceremonies (The Sheboygan Press)
More than 5,500 students received degrees during the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s spring commencement ceremonies, May 12-14.
Ex-Badger guilty of assault
A jury found Booker Stanley, a former running back for the University of Wisconsin football team, guilty of three felonies and three misdemeanors Thursday in the sexual assault of his girlfriend during a Dec. 21 fight.
After five hours of deliberation the jury convicted Stanley of second-degree sexual assault, second-degree reckless endangerment, felony bail jumping and one count of misdemeanor battery. He was acquitted on three additional battery charges.
A common tongue: progress
As more Wisconsin companies do business around the world, they’re also finding themselves becoming global employers. Some businesses have begun to tap into the pool of Chinese students who come to train as engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Report: SAT scoring process ââ?¬Ë?reliable’
A new report sheds no new light on why the scores of more than 4,400 SAT college entrance exams taken in October were incorrect or why it took the College Board until March to alert students and schools. The scoring process, including several steps put in place after the errors occurred, ââ?¬Å?is reliable and has prudent controls in placeââ?¬Â says the report, by consultants Booz Allen Hamilton. It offered recommendations for 16 ââ?¬Å?secondary risks,ââ?¬Â including making No. 2 pencils available to students and adding an ââ?¬Å?anchor pointââ?¬Â to answer sheets to help ensure they are aligned properly in scanners. College Board President Gaston Caperton said he is ââ?¬Å?pleased with (the) assessment.ââ?¬Â Critics were not. The College Board’s ââ?¬Å?lack of accountability in this matter goes to the heart of the arrogance that exists when an organization basically holds a monopoly in a certain market,ââ?¬Â said New York state Sen. Kenneth LaValle.
Engineering a new way
Amanda Pratt graduated from Arrowhead High School with scholarship offers, a 4.0 grade-point average and acceptance letters from colleges that included the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Northwestern University.
But when she reports to school in the fall, it won’t be to any of those better-known institutions of higher education.
Instead, Pratt’s off to a small, unaccredited college outside of Boston that graduated its first class of students this spring – 66 out of a beginning group of 75 students.
Door-to-door sales draw thousands every summer
Each summer ââ?¬â? and sometimes into the year ââ?¬â? a college-age army nearly 150,000 strong spills out across the nation hawking wares for such companies as Southwestern, Mary Kay, Avon and Cutco Cutlery. Some go door to door. Many others set up appointments or hold ââ?¬Å?product partiesââ?¬Â to reach customers.For the companies, the students provide a windfall.
City to Charge Admission to Halloween Celebration
Every Halloween, the 500 block of State Street transforms into a rebellious, outrageous, often riotous party.
As general manager of State Street Brats, Matt Goetsch has a front row seat.
City Unveils New Plan For Halloween On State Street
MADISON, Wis. — On Tuesday, Madison’s mayor announced significant changes in the way the city will handle the annual Halloween party on State Street.
Pay to Party on Halloween Saturday
It’s a big change, but a change city officials say is necessary to gain control of the crowds on Halloween weekend. A gated perimeter will be set up around State Street — and unless you pay up, you’ll be forced to keep out. Police will provide three access points for people who purchase tickets to the event.
Halloween bash to be gated event
It will cost $5 to trick-or-treat on State Street this Halloween. And you’ll have to pass through a gate to get in.
Sources close to the mayor’s office confirmed, in advance of Mayor Dave Cieslewicz’s noon news conference today, that the mayor would announce plans to fence off and charge admission to the hugely popular, but sometimes chaotic party scheduled this year for Saturday, Oct. 28.
Not enough meningitis vaccine to go around
Demand for a new meningitis vaccine has created a shortage, and health officials say doctors should give priority to older teens and hold off on giving the shots to pre-teens.
UW students not in harm’s way
The latest Middle East crisis has led the U.S. to start evacuating some citizens from Lebanon, but officials with University of Wisconsin-Madison student organizations say they’re not aware of any students who have been hurt or who are in danger.
The president of UW’s Arab Student Organization, Karima Berkani, said there are currently no UW programs operating in Lebanon and that the only UW students in the area are Lebanese citizens or students pursuing independent studies.
E-slacking: It’s laptop over lecture (Chicago Tribune )
As professor John Decker reviewed bail guidelines and other criminal procedures one recent evening, some students in his DePaul University College of Law class had other things on their minds.
UW Police: Tips Coming In About Violent Robbery
MADISON, Wis. — A number of tips have come in regarding possible suspects in an assault on Observatory Drive earlier this month, University of Wisconsin police said.
Soldier tends injured Afghans
Spc. Megan Papierniak, 20, of Osseo takes the vital signs of a 10-month-old Afghan boy this week at a free clinic for residents near Camp Salerno in Khost, Afghanistan. Papierniak is a UW-Madison sophomore who hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon someday.
Public help sought in mugging case
Campus police want the public’s help in finding two people suspected in the violent mugging of a 31-year-old UW-Madison graduate student on Observatory Drive last week.
On Thursday, police took the unusual step of presenting the victim, Stephen England, who spent eight hours in the hospital after the attack, at a news briefing at the scene of the crime. He spoke about the case and made a plea for help in finding the pipe-wielding man who hit him multiple times and a female accomplice who may have helped the attacker get away in a red sedan.
Beating Victim In Campus Attack Speaks Out
Most beating victims are reluctant to tell their story, but Stephen England says there’s a dangerous man still on the loose and he hopes his story will help catch him.
UW Police Asking People to Stay Safe on Campus
UW Police are asking anyone on campus late at night not to walk alone after a mugging and beating last week.
Mugging Victim Speaks About Attack On UW Campus
MADISON, Wis. — A University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate student who was the victim of a campus attack one week ago has spoken publicly for the first time about the attack with the hope that someone will recognize the man who attacked him.
UW men’s hockey: Pavelski signs with Sharks
All that apparently stands between Joe Pavelski and a spot in the San Jose Sharks’ organization is a phone call.
The University of Wisconsin center has done everything else – received a contract offer, signed it and shipped it back to California – to make the jump to the pro ranks and forgo his final two seasons of college eligibility.
Campus Cells (Inside Higher Ed)
About 500 students at Wake Forest University this fall will have a special cell phone/personal digital assistant that will have a feature that could be a professor�s dream: The cell will automatically be linked to students� course meeting times, so it will be silenced during class hours.
Volunteer rates hit record numbers
College graduates, shaped by such events as Sept. 11, Hurricane Katrina and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are applying to service organizations such as AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps in record numbers.
Late-Night Incidents Prompt Concern Over Drinking
Downtown does appear to be thriving, even amid recent reports of late-night violence.
UW Grad Student Mugged In Another Downtown Attack
MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin police are investigating another violent mugging in Madison’s downtown area.
“A Flower Ready to Bloom”
Emily Bawden wrote the following essay when she applied to the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where she will be a freshman in the fall:
Mind. Body. Spirit. Built like a triangle, these gifts support each other, as one cannot be had without the other.
EC On Campus (Choice Magazine)
Clark University sophomore Julia Charvat and her boyfriend make a point to always use a condom when they have sex ââ?¬â? always, that is, except for one lapse in judgment last fall during the semester break.
Student loan cost hikes ‘a disservice to country’
Wisconsin college students will need to pay between $1,999 and $2,406 more for federal student loans starting today, according to a report released Friday by the research arm of the Campaign for America’s Future.
UW parking lot prices to jump
Users of a popular lakeside parking lot at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will see a significant price increase come this fall.
The best brains money can buy (Chicago Tribune)
Increasingly, hardworking students like him — as well as much wealthier ones — are winning merit scholarships that do not take into account financial need. It comes at a time when local and state schools have continued to raise tuition at rates far higher than the rate of inflation, a Chicago Sun-Times survey found.
Naperville Man Sentenced In Anti-Gay Hate Crime (Naperville Sun)
MADISON, Wis. The last of four men arrested last year for their roles in an anti-gay hate crime at the University of Wisconsin at Madison was sentenced Thursday for his part in that incident.
July 1 Deadline Looms For Student-Loan Consolidation
MADISON, Wis. — July 1 is the deadline for a decision that could mean big money for those with student loans.
Each year, thousands of students decide whether to consolidate their student loans, but this year, it’s thousands of dollars ride on making that decision by the Friday deadline.
“I had no idea that I had to consolidate until a few weeks ago when I got all these notices in the mail,” said recent UW graduate Katie Doherty. She has about $30,000 in loans, so saving money in repayment is important.
The ââ?¬Ë?millennials’ come of age
Demographers differ on just what ages they include in this next generation. Some include those born since 1980; others start with 1982 and go to about 2000. Most researchers have focused on the ââ?¬Å?first-waveââ?¬Â millennials ââ?¬â? those roughly ages 16 to 25. Although there’s no one set of traits that everyone shares, research has suggested some commonalities in areas ranging from home life and education to workplace behavior and leisure-time interests.
Students race to refinance, beat rate hike (AP)
College students and parents are clogging phone lines and rushing to Internet sites in a scramble to refinance college loans before a sharp interest rate increase this weekend.
An almost 2 percentage point interest rate increase for federal student loans kicks in Saturday, and advisers say that not refinancing could cost thousands of additional dollars in interest in the decades after a student enters the work force.
Student borrowers face deadline (The Sheboygan Press)
College student Sierra Bethke is a little nervous about the rising cost of higher education ââ?¬â? but she has a chance this week to save more that $1,000 in interest on her student loans.
Rape law expands to include alcohol
The nation’s top party school could get a sobering jolt from a change in state law that puts alcohol on a par with date-rape drugs as an aggravating factor in certain sexual assaults.
The change, long sought by rape- victim advocates in Wisconsin, means that victims who are very drunk during a sexual encounter can be judged incapable of giving consent, triggering a possible second-degree sexual assault charge.
UW Graffiti Plan
UW Officer Heidi Laundrie credits UW staff for covering up or cleaning graffiti on campus as soon as it’s reported. So far it cost the University 20-thousand dollars to fix the graffiti in the Humanities building
Religion in Residence (Inside Higher Ed)
This week, an excited group of Protestant clergy members and nonprofit officials broke ground on a new and unusual dormitory project that will serve the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Once constructed, the building will allow just under 300 students to live in an environment that is supportive of spirituality and religion, say organizers.
Can kids, parents afford college? (Fond du Lac Reporter)
60,000 big ones.
That’s how much Laura Pickart expects to owe, despite a partial scholarship, after earning a biology degree from St. Norbert College in DePere.
College costs pushing students deep into debt (Fond du Lac Reporter)
It started already in elementary school ââ?¬â? pushing young kids to pick a career path, says college junior Jennifer LaBorde.
But the cost of college is pushing back, she maintains.
UW transfer program expands
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has expanded a program that guarantees admission to qualified transfer students from state technical colleges. (Final item)
Madison dorm answers growing call for religious housing
Benjamin Fortin does not mince words when discussing Ogg Hall, a University of Wisconsin-Madison dormitory where he lived last year.
“It was no fun,” the sophomore said with a sigh. “I was on the bad floor.”
A socially conservative, practicing Presbyterian, Fortin was turned off by the drinking, smoking and general troublemaking that went on in the dorm. He craved a more serene place to lay his head.
As the university’s Presbyterian ministry sees it, Fortin is not alone. The ministry, known as Pres House, is spending $17 million to build a private residence hall for the university’s students of faith.