The tour guide seems bent on selling Texas A&M University to her audience –Ã? 26 black and Hispanic students brought here from big-city high schools as part of the college’s “Very Important Prospects” campus-visit program.
Category: Campus life
Race-based grants face new debate
Stirring a longstanding local and national controversy, a series of UW System race-based grants has recently provoked both criticism and adulation.
“We believe the law is clear: that it is illegal to have programs for which skin color is an absolute [qualification]; that is, programs where you are not even considered if you have the wrong ethnicity,” said Roger Clegg, general counsel for the Center for Equal Opportunity, a conservative Virginia-based group that monitors state and federal race-exclusive programs.
Task force recommends reforms
A task force assembled by the Wisconsin Innocence Project, a program run through the University of Wisconsin Law School, approved measures this month to introduce legislation addressing possible reforms in the criminal justice system.
Men�s crew team to practice in new home
The University of Wisconsin men�s crew team will begin practice for the first time in its new home today. The crewhouse, sitting on Lake Mendota next to Adams Hall and the Kronshage residence halls, is now ready to host both the men�s and women�s crew teams as construction winds down.
Women�s teams have already
UW freshman falls off balcony at College Court
Eighteen-year-old University of Wisconsin freshman Sean Weas fell from a balcony during a house party at a College Court apartment Friday night, and after two nights in the hospital he has been released with extensive injuries.
Two possibilities for state school mergers
Two proposals could restructure the University of Wisconsin System in order to alleviate budget pressures.
Mary Rouse to retire after 38 years at UW
Mary Rouse, former University of Wisconsin Dean of Students and current director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service, announced her retirement this month from the university after working at UW for 38 years.
Potential bill to reform funding
U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Wisconsin, with the support of Rep. George Miller, D-California, is planning to re-introduce a bill that would potentially allow students who already receive Pell Grants to be eligible for more money.
College Students Jeer and Cheer at President Bush’s Inaugural Parade
Hats, gloves, and pocketfuls of PowerBars kept college students from across the country warm and sustained along the route of the presidential inaugural parade on Thursday, as they waited for up to five hours to either cheer or heckle President Bush’s motorcade.
U-M gap in grad rates at high end (Detroit Free-Press)
The gap between graduation rates of white and black students at the University of Michigan is the second highest among 11 similar elite universities, according to a study released Wednesday by a national advocacy group for minority and low-income students.
Colleges use stunts, celebrities and skiing to recruit students (AP)
LINCOLN, Neb. – Forget course catalogs and colorful pamphlets. Think sex, skiing and rock ‘n’ roll.
When it comes to recruiting students for college, admissions officials are turning to increasingly outlandish stunts to get the attention of high schoolers. Birthday cards, ski weekends and even reality TV shows are being used by colleges and universities to get an edge. (1/20/05 Capital Times print edition)
Colleges use stunts, celebrities and skiing to recruit students (AP)
LINCOLN, Neb. — Forget course catalogs and colorful pamphlets. Think sex, skiing and rock ‘n roll.
When it comes to recruiting students for college, admissions officials are turning to increasingly outlandish students to get the attention of high schoolers. Birthday cards, ski weekends and even reality TV shows are being used by colleges and universities to get an edge. (1/20/05 Capital Times print edition)
Indian classical dance in Madison
Their dance is a celebration and an offering, both personal expression and public prayer, a rite of passage and a demonstration of poise.
Bharatanatyam, also referred to as Bharata Natyam in some circles, is a classical dance style that girls in south India study from childhood into womanhood. Unlike their mothers, some no longer give up the dance after they marry and have children.
Moe Knows: Sports Illustrated notes Badgers’ home winning streak
THE JAN. 24 Sports Illustrated takes note of the basketball Badgers’ 38-game home winning streak, noting that the crowd at Sunday’s Michigan State game made “the bland Kohl Center sound like a rollicking German beer hall.” So what IS the home court advantage?
Black-white graduation gap at U. of I. (Chicago Sun-Times)
The gap in graduation rates between blacks and whites at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is among the largest of any public school in the country and twice the median rate, data from a new study show.
Legislator proposes merging tech schools and universities
A proposal introduced by state Rep. Rob Kreibich, R-Eau Claire, would merge the UW System’s 13 two-year colleges with the 13 four-year universities, according to a press release.
However, the lack of an actual proposal raises concerns among state government and UW System officials.
Students trek to D.C. protesting inauguration
Several University of Wisconsin students are taking time off from the beginning of semester classes to travel to Washington, D.C. to protest the inauguration of President George W. Bush.
Reilly suggests UW head cuts
While Rep. Rob Kreibich, R-Eau Claire, announced his plan to merge the UW System�s 13 two-year colleges and 13 four-year universities, UW System President Kevin Reilly recommended an unrelated plan suggesting a single chancellor for UW Colleges and UW-Extension.
UW groups plan aid for tsunami victims
University of Wisconsin International Student Services held a meeting with representatives from all international-student organizations Wednesday evening to brainstorm ideas to provide relief for victims of the Dec. 23 Asian tsunami disaster.
Proposal would merge campuses
Rep. Rob Kreibich, R-Eau Claire, chair of the Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities, has proposed a new solution to save the state money.
Degrees of debt hound grads
Kristin VandenLangenberg sometimes has trouble sleeping and often worries about how she will pay back her student loans.
VandenLangenberg was fortunate to find a full-time job after graduating from Carthage College, a private school in Kenosha. Although her income is comparable to that of any typical recent college graduate, it is barely enough to cover her monthly expenses.
Buses For Protesters
Three buses are scheduled to leave Wisconsin for Washington, D.C., Wednesday to take people to the “Turn Your Back on Bush” protest at President Bush’s inauguration.
Time to consider guaranteed tuition
Over the past few years, UW students have seen their tuition increase at unprecedented rates. In the face of drastic budget cuts that originate in the statehouse, the university has been forced to continually demand more money from students while offering fewer, more crowded classes. A fourth-year in-state student now pays $2,933.12 per semester-a 64.4 percent increase from a semester’s tuition when he or she entered the university in the fall of 2001.
Homicide suspect commits suicide in Dane Co. jail cell
Meng-Ju “Mark” Wu, a former UW-Madison student facing three counts of first-degree intentional homicide, committed suicide in his cell early Monday morning at the Dane County Jail.
UW flag to travel with armed forces
Sunday, Bucky Badger presented the Wisconsin National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing with an “official” UW-Madison spirit flag.
“The point of the flag is to continue to foster positive relations with the National Guard units in Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin-Madison,” said Don Nelson, UW Assistant Director of State Relations. “We want to support our troops.”
Court charges student
A University of Wisconsin pharmacy student was charged this month for three accounts of fires she allegedly started in the Elizabeth Waters residence hall two years ago, in addition to a charge of allegedly stalking a UW Pharmacy School official.
Citizens remember King�s dreams
More than 40 years after the �60s civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the Wisconsin Union Theater, people gathered at the auditorium to honor his memory Monday evening.
Wu takes own life in county jail
Meng-Ju ââ?¬Å?Markââ?¬Â Wu, a 20-year-old former University of Wisconsin student who was charged with a triple homicide in 2003, committed suicide Monday in the Dane County Jail.
SAT’s New Question: When to Take It?
Angela Alfano has taken the PSAT three times and will take the old SAT on Saturday, but to her that is almost ancient history.
Her real concern is the new SAT. Like many of the nation’s 3 million high school juniors, the Fairfax County teenager is immersed in a great debate over exactly when to take the test.
On Campuses, Studying How to Prevent Student Suicides
A cluster of sudden deaths over a few months last winter and spring, including two suicides, prompted a George Washington University commission to ask some tough questions in an internal report that has already changed life on campu
‘Recovery dorms’ offer student support (AP)
CLEVELAND, Ohio (AP) — His name is Ben and he’s a campus drunk trying to stay sober amid a lot of chances to party.
The 19-year-old, sticking with his first name in the style of Alcoholics Anonymous, knows how to party. He learned to drink in the fifth grade in Cleveland. By high school he was drinking at least three nights a week, sometimes having 20 drinks of beer, gin and tequila.
Front Page News
First, there was the “Daily Cardinal,” then the “Badger Herald,” now the “Mendota Beacon” is trying to make it’s mark on UW’s campus.
The founders of this paper say they’re looking for more balanced coverage of campus events – they say the other two papers are slanted towards the left
Colleges urged to change how they treat students: Higher rate of graduation is the goal
Colleges and universities can raise graduation rates by focusing on the academic and social problems of new students and emphasizing academics over research, suggest findings released today by an education advocacy group.
Fall illustrates dangers of drinking
Angie Gratzl was gripped by fear as she dropped her son Jason off at his freshman dorm in Madison last summer.
“He kept saying, ‘Don’t worry Mom, I’ll be fine,’ ” Angie Gratzl said in an interview. “But when I drove away sobbing, I knew in the back of mind, something was wrong.”
Quandary for colleges: how to battle binge drinking (csmonitor.com)
As Lynn Gordon “Gordie” Bailey Jr. prepared for his freshman year at the University of Colorado last fall, his parents gave him the usual warnings about alcohol – be careful, don’t ever drink and drive.
They didn’t mention the warning that drinking too much at one sitting could prove fatal.
101 Redefined
SEMICIRCULAR rows of benches face the front of the room. A raised platform faces the benches. Anyone who has ever attended college will recognize the setting at once: a lecture hall.
Just Say No? No Need Here
LIKE many students enjoying the newfound freedom of college, the young man accelerated the drinking he had begun at prep school. ”You go nuts,” he explains, looking back, seemingly both amazed and disgusted. At 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, he was able to put away up to 18 beers a night at weekend parties. ”It was crazy,” says the student, now a junior at Fairfield University, adding that afterward, ”I’d feel like death all day.”
Got a kid headed to college? Ask for aid, starting now. Apply even if you think you don’t qualify
Unless your child is 7-foot-3 and has an amazing jump shot, people will not show up on your doorstep offering to pay for his college education. If you want financial assistance, you have to ask for it. And the first step in that process is filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
Among Halloween solutions, police weigh closing highways
Halloween is in 290 days.
This means the university, Madison city officials and the Madison Police Department have 289 days to come up with a plan to curb the disturbances on State Street that have plagued the celebration the past three years.
Dept. of Education proposes Pell Grant cut
As many as 2,000 UW-Madison students could see a reduction in financial aid from Pell Grants due to a proposed government revision of the formula that determines the amount of money students can receive, according to Steve Van Ess, director of UW-Madison student financial services.
25 UW students studying abroad safe after tsunami
The unexpected natural disaster in Southeast Asia devastated nations yet brought together the world, including administration and student groups at UW-Madison.
The UW-Madison Departments of International Student Services and International Academic Programs have already focused much of their attention on locating international and study abroad students and ensuring their safety. All 25 UW-Madison students studying in India and Thailand have been found.
Education priority in State of State address
The state of Wisconsin is, apparently, on the move.
In the annual State of the State address Wednesday evening, Gov. Jim Doyle highlighted Wisconsin’s progress and optimistic future regarding agriculture, child care, health care, minimum wage and education. Regarding education, however, Doyle dropped a part of his speech that promised to give the UW System and its financial aid a larger increase in state money than the corrections system in his budget to be revealed next month.
University Square to get facelift
The University of Wisconsin, in cooperation with Executive Management Inc., continues to push a multi-million-dollar redevelopment project at the heart of the UW campus. The public sector and private developer EMI are completing the preliminary stages of what will be a 12-story development plan on the University Square property.
Regents influence campuses
When students look down State Street to the Capitol building, many may say they see a monopoly of power for University of Wisconsin policies, tuition setting and budgeteering. Many students do not know that much of the power held in planning the UW System�s future rests in the top floors of Van Hise, where they will find the Board of Regents� offices and where meetings are often held.
Doyle addresses education funding in State of State speech
Gov. Jim Doyle addressed the state of Wisconsin Wednesday night, discussing an agenda which included job-growth measures and funding for the University of Wisconsin System.
Lack of aid burden on students� pocketbooks
The amount of financial aid available to University of Wisconsin students has remained at a standstill while the cost of attending UW has continually risen, according to Steve Van Ess, director of the Office of Student Financial Services.
NCAA approves plan for stricter academics
A plan to reduce scholarships for all Division I student athletes who are performing poorly in the classroom was recently approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Board of Directors.
Overture exhibit showcases talents of graduate
Climbing the long, winding staircase to the third floor, it�s easy to be struck by the austerity of the Overture Center. White and cream, glass and steel, it has more the feel of a memorial than it does a vibrant arts center. Yet as you round the corner to Gallery III, everything changes. Humanity floods in, in colors and shapes, in honesty and reality.
Bush cuts Pell Grants
Students across the nation face a reduction in financial aid next school year due to cuts in the national Pell Grant program.
Ex-Badger Wade to be back in court
Former University of Wisconsin basketball player Boo Wade, who quit the team for good last week after taking time off for what was described as personal reasons, will be back in criminal court to face sentencing on charges from last year of fighting with his girlfriend and bail jumping.
Murder suspect kills self
Triple murder suspect Meng-Ju Wu, who was scheduled to go on trial Wednesday and faced the possibility of spending the rest of his life in a Wisconsin prison, killed himself overnight in his jail cell.
For security, she’s the one at UWM
The campus police chief at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has a “passion for kids,” she says.
Here’s proof: five of them call her “Mom.”
Pamela Hodermann is about to begin her second semester as police chief on the UWM campus, the culmination of 30 years on the UWM police force.
President Bush Would Pay for Pell Grant Proposals by Making Student-Loan Program More Efficient
President Bush announced on Friday that he will seek to raise the maximum Pell Grant by $500, to $4,550, over the next five years, as well as to eliminate a $4.3-billion shortfall that has plagued the program for the past several years.
Triple Murder Suspect Hangs Self In Dane County Jail
MADISON, Wis. — Just hours before his high- profile murder trial was to begin, Meng-Ju Wu killed himself at the Dane County Jail early Monday.
Bush May Raise Pell Grant Award (AP)
WASHINGTON – To ease tuition sticker-shock, President Bush (news – web sites) wants to raise the maximum Pell Grant award by $500 over the next five years and fix a persistent shortfall in the nation’s chief college aid program.
Student loan changes could boost Pell grant funds Gannett News Service)
WASHINGTON – Proposed changes in the federal guaranteed student loan program for college students could save $12.3 billion over 10 years, according to a new analysis by the Congressional Budget Office.
Brief forays offer lasting lessons to US students (csmonitor.com)
History professor Jacqueline Moore had prepared her students as best she could for a month-long course on temples and empires in Thailand, Burma (Myanmar), and Cambodia.
Babcock House Accepting Applications (Wisconsin Ag Connection)
UW Madison’s Babcock House is now accepting applications for the 2005-2006 academic year. Babcock House is UW Madison’s only housing unit dedicated to providing quality housing for male and female students with a common agricultural interest at a substantial savings over dorm living.
Over Break, Campus Is No Sleepy Hollow
From around Christmas through this week, most UW-Madison students disappear, spending their hard-won winter break at home with friends and family or traveling.
NCAA Approves Penalties for Division I Teams That Fail to Meet Academic Standards
The National Collegiate Athletic Association gave preliminary approval on Monday to a plan to take scholarships away from Division I sports teams when their players flunk their courses. That was the highlight of a flurry of meetings here in which delegates from all three divisions of the NCAA considered rules changes.