Category: Campus life

‘Incredibly Excited:’ Mnookin vows to make UW stronger in cooperation with campus community.

The first cohort of students to receive four years of free tuition through the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Bucky’s Tuition Promise received their diplomas Saturday. The donor-funded initiative has grown since its inception in 2018 to include thousands of recipients at the state’s flagship university.

“You made it,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who gave the commencement address, said. “This is what you all have been waiting and working for.”

Photos from the UW spring commencement ceremony at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., Saturday, May 14, 2022.

Thomas-Greenfield reflected on her time at UW. While she loved her experience, she said her first days here were uncomfortable to say the least.

“I’m not talking about my legacy, I’m talking about our legacy,” said Blank in her opening remarks. “All of the things done on campus took an enormous amount of effort from staff, faculty, students, my executive team and the deans. All of this was a team effort and not an individual effort.”

Chancellor Rebecca Blank shouted out the L&S graduates in the stands, encouraging them to “take advantage of one last chance to ‘Jump Around’ in the student section. No other class has gotten to do that.”

Thousands of students and family members will be in town celebrating spring commencement. Downtown Madison is expected to be very busy.

‘Students paying this amount of money to be at this school deserve more than a crumbling building,’ anonymous statement says.

University of Wisconsin-Madison students will take the stage Saturday for commencement ceremonies, and some of those students will be graduating debt-free, thanks to Bucky’s Tuition Promise. The program started four years ago with 796 students, and UW staff say roughly 600 will graduate this year.

Roughly three-quarters of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison feel welcome and safe on campus, but disparities remain among those in marginalized groups, initial results from the university’s 2021 Campus Climate Survey show.

According to a press release from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the majority of students on the UW-Madison campus find the environment to be inviting to people of all backgrounds. Even so, the university is continuously striving to make the campus a more welcoming place for all. One of the ways the university gains information about areas needing improvement is through Campus Climate Surveys.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison BIPOC Coalition plans to drop the university affiliation from their name, a decision that was made months ago according to co-founder Tarah Stangler. The organization does not want to focus on the same administrative goals as the university, but rather continue to have the freedom to organize independently.

Despite being excited to graduate, some UW seniors are frustrated with shipping delays and construction that will impact their commencement experience.

On Saturday, May 7, UW-Madison unveiled a much-overdue landmark of one such community’s presence on its campus. Hundreds turned out to witness the unveiling of the Divine Nine Garden Plaza, dedicated to the history and achievement of Black members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council at UW-Madison.

When Israel Oby was a freshman at UW-Madison, he felt out of place. “It felt kind of lonely, and I didn’t really have a support system,” said Israel, Project Leader for the new garden.

“While we worked hard together to create a more inclusive climate at UW, meeting all of the demands is part of the ongoing process,” Reesor said. “It was also about building relationships, helping student leaders accomplish their goals and supporting their well-being.”

Hundreds of members and alumni of UW-Madison’s historically Black fraternities and sororities gathered on East Campus Mall Saturday to bear witness to the unveiling of the Divine Nine Garden Plaza, the first physical manifestation of the National Pan Hellenic Council’s presence in its 75 year history at the state’s flagship university.

It’s a program that transforms lives right here in the Madison community. The UW-Odyssey Project offers University of Wisconsin-Madison humanities classes for adult students facing economic barriers to college.

John Karl Scholz, the provost and a professor of economic policy at UW-Madison and the only UW-affiliated finalist, laid out his vision during an event on campus.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Union team will host a variety of festivities from May 8 to May 14 for the upcoming graduates. The Class of 2022 accomplished many incredible feats in their time at UW-Madison, and staff around campus want to ensure they feel celebrated and appreciated.

On Thursday dozens of Badgers took part in “It’s Just Coffee” a student lead initiative to encourage conversation between people with different perspectives on campus, the last of it’s kind for the semester.

Marie Lynn Miranda, a professor of applied computational mathematics and statistics and a former provost at Notre Dame, laid out her philosophy during her question-and-answer session.

Miller remains disappointed with the university’s announcement that the Class of 2022 will have a “unique” spring commencement experience new to Camp Randall’s history.

’I would argue that in order to make the Wisconsin idea come alive, we must create an environment in which all people feel like they can speak and be heard,’ Miranda says.

’We realized our organizations were very similar and decided we could continue our services more efficiently by merging,’ DREAM co-director says.

Ann Cudd, a provost, senior vice-chancellor and professor of philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh, took to the stage Wednesday evening.

Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday at Memorial Union’s Great Hall to celebrate the 2022 graduates of the UW Odyssey Project. The program, founded in 2003, empowers low-income adults and their families to start earning college degrees.

The fundraiser started with a communal gathering, where residents sold an assortment of baked goods, pins, stickers and T-shirts to support those affected by the anticipated displacement. Current officers, residents and other speakers then described their experiences in the co-op, as well as their frustrations with UW-Madison’s promising words, but unfulfilled actions.

UW recognizes Ramadan as a religious observance and worked accordingly to support Muslim students and staff throughout the month, UW Interim Director of Media Relations Kelly Tyrrell said. To support Muslim students, Tyrell said UW has prayer spaces on campus and a Ramadan boxed meal service through UW Housing and Dining and posted a newsletter on creating inclusive workspaces well wishes on Instagram.

Cudd cites CRT, other free speech limitations as antithetical to UW’s mission, emphasizes research initiatives.

After working as a visiting professor for the past semester, Morgan Jerald will permanently join the University of Wisconsin Department of Psychology in fall of 2022, bringing her research on intersectionality and stereotypes with her.

By starting this project, UW joined a national network of about 175 other writing project sites — all of which are housed at universities, according to GMWP co-directors Bryn Orum and Mark Dziedzic.

Jennifer Mnookin, a professor and dean at the UCLA School of Law, said the university should be a national standard for how it serves the community beyond just students and researchers.

The panel discussion featured former UW running back Montee Ball, former Badger linebacker Chris Borland, current UW soccer player Emma Jaskaniec and former Wisconsin Director of Sports and Clinical Psychology Dr. Kris Eiring.

The University of Wisconsin Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life in Student Affairs and the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) will unveil the Divine Nine Garden Plaze on the East Campus Mall in an invitation-only ceremony Saturday.

The forum, titled “American Power, Prosperity and Democracy,” will feature experts in public policy, prominent journalists and, of course, free lunch.

A Little Help, a report conducted by Wisconsin Policy Forum Director Jason Stein, indicates that this trend has a disproportionate effect on students of color and could lead to skilled labor shortages in Wisconsin’s future.

’I generally just want people to come away from reading me feeling that they have learned something new,’ Bouie says.

Former University of Utah Provost emphasizes engagement with local Native communities during Q & A interview.

Currently, UW requires only three credit hours of ethnic studies. Adding another class requirement for graduation would help students develop an in-depth understanding of the struggles and cultures of specific ethnic groups, former Associated Students of Madison community engagement coordinator Crystal Zhao said.

Wisconsin Hoofers, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s premier outdoors activity club on campus with over 2,000 members, celebrated its 90th anniversary on April 30 at Memorial Union. Alumni and current members gathered to commemorate the club’s history of adventure, community and outdoor endeavors.

Daniel Reed, a presidential professor of computational science and a former provost at the University of Utah, was the first candidate to take part in a public session.

The fundraiser, put on by the group Rise UW, aimed to raise money for the Zoe Bayliss co-op. After nearly 70 years on campus, the co-op will be replaced by the new Irving and Dorothy Levy Hall when construction begins next year.

Thirty graduates will walk across the stage on May 4 at the Memorial Union Great Hall as the UW-Madison Odyssey Project graduates its 19th class at its first in-person graduation ceremony in three years.

Jamelle Bouie of The New York Times and “CBS News” and Catherine Rampell of The Washington Post will join other experts in economic policy and international relations at the La Follette School’s third annual Forum, American Power, Prosperity & Democracy, on May 4 at Monona Terrace.

Majoring in landscape and urban studies, Fonkem worked as ASM’s Diversity Engagement Coordinator and as an Equity and Inclusion Committee member. By moving up in the ranks of student government, Fonkem wants to continue the hard work put in by past ASM leadership and build off of what they have already accomplished.

Thousands of students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison welcomed Nye with roaring applause as he walked onstage to the theme song for “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” the educational kids show that gained him fame in the ‘90s.