The external structure is nearly complete on Newell J. Smith Hall, and construction is on track for new students to move in for fall 2006. Smith Hall is part of a plan to expand UW-Madison�s campus housing, as the university�s goal is to eventually have enough housing available for an entire freshman class.
UW System President Kevin Reilly gave his first official State of the University System address to UW-Madison faculty Monday at the Faculty Senate Meeting, addressing how the tightening budget has affected hiring capabilities.
University of Wisconsin Interim Dean of Students Lori Berquam gets my vote for the overzealous, super-mother of the year award.
The U.S. House of Representatives will consider a bill this week that would include $14.3 billion in cuts to federal student aid programs throughout the nation over the next five years.
Ald. Paul Skidmore, District 9, amended his proposed keg-registration ordinance last week so that a person looking to secure more than two kegs for a party will no longer need to provide a reason to the city clerk during the application process.
While University of Wisconsin students and the Madison Police Department generally had the same goal of participating in a safe Halloween event, disagreement persists regarding the use of mounted patrol on State Street.
MADISON, Wis. — The wearing of the red and white in Wisconsin is at a fevered pitch right now. Nationally, the school is ranked 16th for the most collegiate merchandise sold and is on the verge of a break out year.
“We achieved over $500,000 royalties for the first quarter, so we’re on pace for a record year right now,” said Cindy Van Matre of University of Wisconsin.
Sweet victory alone is worth getting dressed up for, but people who buy Badger gear are doing so much more, and it’s a safe bet that most people have no idea.
“Half of that amount that we earn then from the royalties, half of it goes to athletics to help student athletes, and then, the other half goes to a scholarship fund that we call the Bucky Grants,” Van Matre said.
University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly delivered a State of the University System address to the UW-Madison Faculty Senate in Bascom Hall Monday, speaking about such topics as stem-cell research and relations with the Legislature.
WHITEWATER-The painstakingly painted table was spotted with plastic cups of cheap Milwaukee beer and half-ringed with college dudes who didn’t so much cheer for either team as they cheered for the game in general.
Four men clashed in beer-spattered battle around this table in the basement of a house near the UW-Whitewater campus before 10 p.m. on a Thursday.
….(Robert) Kenner’s film, based on David Maraniss’ book, “They Marched Into Sunlight,” forced viewers to confront the lessons of Vietnam that are made even more searing by the war in Iraq.
The television footage from the Halloween street battle, on the other hand, showed what happens when the UW-Madison’s Internet and bar culture reputation as America’s No. 1 Party School turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Here are a few ideas about how to make sure future Octobers in Madison don’t end up in a swirl of hard feelings, hangovers and hospital bills:
Students in the University of Wisconsin System binge drink at a higher rate than their peers across the nation, with 6 in 10 of them admitting doing so, a new survey shows.
The heavy drinking is taking a toll on college students at UW campuses from Platteville to Green Bay, often leading to poor academic performance and risky personal behavior, according to the survey of undergraduate students taken last spring by UW System staffers.
Ames, Ia. ââ?¬â? University of Iowa student Zachary Kmiec was amid the throngs of students nationwide this year who abandoned their home campuses in favor of a shoulder-to-shoulder bash in another college town that resembled Mardi Gras and surpassed Animal House. This year, he went to Madison, Wis., for the Halloween celebration.
MADISON, Wis. – Students in the University of Wisconsin System binge drink at a higher rate than their peers across the nation, with 6 of 10 of them admitting doing so, a new survey shows.
The heavy drinking is taking a toll on college students at UW campuses from Platteville to Green Bay, often leading to poor academic performance and risky personal behavior, according to the survey of undergraduate students taken last spring by UW System staffers.
CONSIDER the cadences of daily life that result from something as prosaic as a course schedule. This boring bit of housekeeping establishes a campus’s circadian rhythms, its bursts of activity and its lulls. It is the master calendar that dictates when plazas fill and when they empty.
And consider Friday. Most colleges and universities offer fewer classes on Friday, and while freshmen and sophomores might have to take required classes, juniors and seniors can easily schedule their way around the day.
TWO SATURDAYS ago, on a movie set in Chicago, a UW-Madison student named John H. Bradley ate a catered late lunch with a film crew that included the director, Clint Eastwood.
The scene being shot was at Union Station on Canal Street. The lunch break was just a half hour, but when Bradley sat down at a table he found himself seated next to the actor Ryan Phillippe, and that was an interesting experience, because in the movie being filmed, “Flags of Our Fathers,” Phillippe plays a 21-year-old U.S. Marine named John H. Bradley – young Bradley’s grandfather.
Dear Editor: As a 42-year-old law-abiding citizen, I feel compelled to express my outrage at the way people were pepper-sprayed Saturday night of Halloween weekend.
I can tell you that people were on their best behavior all night. Then without provocation the police appeared in riot gear and started pepper-spraying everyone for no reason. I was just standing there on the sidewalk minding my own business when I was pepper-sprayed. I was blinded for hours.
The Capital Times suggests that I chill out over Halloween. It is true that thanks to an unprecedented level of planning and cooperation among city officials, the Police Department, UW-Madison, students and downtown business owners, this year’s event was an improvement over past years. Most notably, we avoided the kind of serious property damage that has marred the event in the past.
But there is reason to be concerned, and a need to have a communitywide discussion about the future of Halloween.
Regulating scientific research is a priority for lawmakers, but as science marches forward, its breakthroughs must be incorporated into policy-making and modern legislation. To address this need, the UW-Madison Neuroscience Training Program and LaFollette Public Policy School created a joint program to equip Ph.D students with skills to bridge scientific and political disciplines.
MADISON, Wis. — A new study shows students in the University of Wisconsin System binge drink more often than their peers across the country.
A survey of more than 12,000 UW students last spring found six out of 10 of them had gone on a drinking binge at least once in the last two weeks.
University preparations for a possible future avian influenza pandemic are still in progress, according to University Health Services Director Kathy Poi.
While individuals afflicted with the avian flu are as of yet confined to Southeast Asia, the disease�s severe attack on the respiratory system so far killed approximately 50 percent of the 120 people infected.
As soon as calculated Halloween arrest statistics are available, University of Wisconsin officials will discipline students as they see fit. But those numbers have yet to be released, according to Mike Hanson, public information officer for the Madison Police Department.
A collection of John Lennon artwork displayed over the weekend at the University of Wisconsin attracted many art and music enthusiasts, but also raised questions about the exhibit�s marketing.
The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is reviewing the legalities of its policy banning resident assistants from leading Bible studies in their dorms, a spokesman said.
The university’s associate director for housing and residence life sent a letter last July to several resident assistants who had been leading Bible studies.
�A majority of college and university students (54% of first-year students and 63% of seniors) say they often discuss ideas from readings or classes with others outside of class; more than nine out of 10 do this at least sometimes.
�Three of 10 first-year students report studying just enough to get by.
�African-American and Asian-American students are the least satisfied with their college experience.
�High-profile student athletes generally take part in effective educational practices at the same level as other students.
�Students who worship frequently or engage in other spirituality-enhancing practices such as meditation also participate more in a broad cross-section of collegiate activities.
Nearly half of college seniors are ââ?¬Å?swirlingââ?¬Â through school ââ?¬â? that is, they have taken or are taking classes at multiple institutions on their way to earning a bachelor’s degree, a report released today says. And, it says, those seniors tend to be less engaged in their education compared with peers who have spent their college years at one school.
Every Tuesday last school year, Lance Steiger took a Bible to the basement of his dormitory at UW-Eau Claire and led a small group of friends in a discussion about a particular chapter or verse.
Steiger, a resident assistant and a junior at the time, said he was never told he could not lead a Bible study in the dorm where he worked helping students adjust to college classes and campus life.
But in July, he got a letter from school administrators warning him that if he continued to hold Bible studies in his dorm this year, he would face disciplinary action.
Dear Editor: As a peaceful participant (along with the other 99,600 State Street-goers), I thought the use of police pepper spray was ridiculous.
While trying to leave the 400 block of State Street, I got sprayed when I was legally leaving the bar at bar time and heading home just as the speakers told us to do. I had to run back in the bar like everyone else to escape this. I saw no attacks on police, their horses or any revolt against police except for maybe playful teasing.
As anti-war protesters made their lunchtime stand on Library Mall, a small band of counter-protesters sized up their ideological competition as they marched by.
“It’s 30 students and 150 old hippies,” mused one of the counter-protesters, before the two dozen conservative students broke into “God Bless America.”
It was, of course, an exaggeration. The anti-war group was about 400 strong. But on a beautiful fall day, the somewhat sparse turnout at Wednesday’s “The World Can’t Wait” rally had some protesters wondering where was the muscle behind their movement.
Supporters gathered today to thank the troops serving overseas, while opponents of the war gathered to say it’s time to bring American soldiers home.
About 30 UW Madison student members of the College Republicans rallied in support of the troops near University Square downtown.
Nothing was going to keep first-year art history student Mary Johnson from participating in the largest college Halloween party in the country, she said.
Despite requests from Madison, Wis., and University of Wisconsin officials to stay home, Johnson and thousands of other out-of-towners donned their costumes last weekend on State Street, Madtown�s main drag.
It started with one group against the war in Iraq, calling for students to walk-out of class in protest. But, another group countered the Anti-War message head on, in the middle of Library Mall.
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently delayed, once again, its decision on whether to make the “morning-after pill” available over the counter, a top official had enough.
Susan Wood, director of the FDA’s Office of Women’s Health, quit in protest.
As an alcohol fueled event, Joel Plant has a stake in what happens every Halloween. Hired in August, Plant was thrown into the deep end; right in the middle of the smoking ban debate — and during final preps for this past weekend’s Halloween mayhem.
As the crowds gathered on State Street, the city’s new Alcohol Policy Coordinator observed — both in the command post, and amongst the crowd.
With a state audit of the University of Wisconsin�s hiring practices underway at the request of UW System President Kevin Reilly, it might not be surprising to learn that some professors within the humanities departments of the College of Letters and Science are worried about the tenure process.
Despite thousands of rowdy party-goers and the use of pepper spray, many State Street and downtown businesses deemed Halloween weekend safe and successful.
Approximately 58 UW-Madison students were arrested last weekend for violations related to Halloween parties.
That number is nearly identical to the number of UW-Madison students arrested last Halloween. UW-Madison students accounted for approximately 15 percent of all arrestees this year, approximately the same as last year. Police report that 447 people were arrested during this year�s Halloween festivities.
Earning the title of the No. 1 party school in the nation is something that many students here are proud of. Our school is known for being a place where students like to have fun, but lately it seems that this behavior has gotten too out of control and even dangerous.
As the University of Wisconsin continues to address diversity issues on campus, the Multicultural Student Coalition wants to help the university attain and retain more minority students.
The University of Wisconsin�s own Susan Fischer trumped two out-of-state candidates to become the new director of the Office of Student Financial Services, officials announced Tuesday.
After another Halloween party in Madison required police to deploy pepper spray to disperse the crowd, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz may look to generate support to cancel the event next year.
….Working at the UW I know how rules must be set down firmly for students, but this year I’m thinking the police were oversensitive and perhaps used tear gas when they did not have to. I think they were looking for a way to say “No More Halloweens” – and a quiet, peaceful one would not have given them what they want.
Since David Couper has left, the Madison Police Department has the mind-set that they are only doing their jobs when they are exerting their presence, by gassing crowds, knocking heads, and making arrests. Turn the police force into a helpful peace force. This will prevent future police riots. Another Halloween has come and gone. I am not going to elaborate on the mistakes.
I am disgusted with the Madison police and Mayor Dave for their handling of this year’s Halloween festivities.
….This is a disgrace. Simple solutions have been offered in the past – keep the bars open later or close them down all together. But Mayor Dave and the Madison Police Department think it’s best to use preemptive violence to solve the problem. Perhaps they’re following the lead of our so-called president. It seems after this year’s Halloween fiasco, they are at least as incompetent.
Dear Editor: I wanted to relate my personal experience from last Saturday night….
Dear Editor: New Orleans and Mardi Gras; Madison and Halloween.
That says it all.
How come New Orleans manages to celebrate Mardi Gras every year without generating national news headlines about “police riots,” pulling in thousands if not millions of dollars of tourist revenue, whereas Madison regularly loses its head and blows it every year at Halloween?
Come on, Mayor Dave! Take a delegation from Madtown down to the Crescent City and find out how they do it!
Theodore H. Voth Jr. Madison
Those arrested during last weekend’s State Street Halloween celebration provide a snapshot of just how far the party’s reputation has spread, police say.
Those arrested came to the celebration from 15 states, including Wisconsin; 25 states if you add the hometowns of those attending universities in Wisconsin.
“It clearly shows this has become a well-known, large event, as people from all over the country attended,” police spokesman Mike Hanson said.
As police in riot gear worked to clear State Street after the annual Halloween Party, UW-Madison senior John Ostlund was leaving a bar, dressed as a sperm, and about to get dosed with pepper spray.
By his account, he had just left The City bar as it was closing, was “rather sober,” and had no warning that authorities were taking aggressive action to clear the area sometime after 2 a.m. on Sunday.
It’s time again for another round of hand-wringing, blame-assigning, and all-around navel-gazing about Madison’s biggest holiday of the year and the problems that come with it.
MADISON, Wis. — Madison police spent Tuesday breaking down the arrest numbers from the weekend Halloween bash, only to discover a trend.
The numbers show most of the trouble is coming from three midwestern states, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois.
MADISON, Wis. — News 3 found the police tactics over the weekend were somewhat different from those used last year.
Police said the tactics prevented violence but they still were forced to use pepper spray.
(MADISON) The most effective way to reduce violence against women is to change men�s attitudes about what it means to be a man. That�s the message a national speaker will bring to the UW-Madison campus Wednesday. (Third item.)
Former Sen. John Edwards� supporters speak of his ability to disarm crowds with his Southern charm in the same mythical tones Star Wars fans use when referring to the Force. Edwards� powers were put to the test Wednesday when he delivered a passionate and personal plea asking UW-Madison students to commit themselves to a new fight against poverty.
Madison police deemed this year�s Halloween festivities a success Monday, despite the need to declare an unlawful assembly and disperse the crowd using pepper spray.
In the wake of another Halloween celebration that ended in police force and pepper spray, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz has had enough. The mayor, who has crusaded against the festivities for some time now, has already begun to rally support for the cancellation of the annual tradition.
After more than a year of staunch deliberation and a summer of idling, the Teaching Assistants Association and the Office of State Employment Relations agreed to resume negotiations for a new contract today.
The Madison Police Department confirmed the death, possibly related to the weekend�s festivities, of a 22-year-old University of Wisconsin alumnus at a press conference Monday.
MILWAUKEE – The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to consider an appeal from a man who was sentenced to eight years in prison for jamming Madison police radio frequencies.
A 19-year-old Illinois man remained in critical condition today after falling down some stairs at an apartment building during the State Street Halloween celebration.
Customers seeking the morning-after pill from a Wisconsin pharmacy stand a good chance of leaving empty-handed.
They might also very well encounter an uninformed pharmacist – at least when it comes to birth control.
Another unruly end to the State Street Halloween celebration has Mayor Dave Cieslewicz threatening to close the street, and maybe all the businesses, next year.
But he’s not likely to find much support among business owners, many of whom said as they reopened on Monday that Halloween weekend is the biggest cash cow of the year.
