Two days before the start of classes, Becca Poor sat outside Witte Residence Hall, already busy with pre-chem homework. She graduated in the spring from Woodbury High School in Minnesota, after what she called ‘a pretty easy year’.
The university doesn’t have the exact numbers yet, but school officials say this year’s freshman class is expected to be the largest ever. To accommodate for the large class, the university has converted double rooms into triples and some triple rooms into quads.
The University of Wisconsin Law School is launching an Evictions Defense Clinic for law students to provide legal resources to people struggling with housing instability. The clinic, staffed by a supervising attorney and seven law school students, is an expansion of the Neighborhood Law Clinic and joins five other clinical programs run by UW’s Economic Justice Institute.
“We have seen an increase in enrollment,” said Meredith McGlone, a Spokeswoman for UW Madison. “We won’t see final figures until after the 10th day of class, but it looks like we’re on pace to have another record-setting first-year class. Interest in attending UW continues to remain very strong.”
Although Olivia Guo is starting her second year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she had never set foot on campus until two weeks ago. Following her first in-person class on Wednesday, she admired the view of Lake Mendota from her seat at the Terrace, hoping for a better, more interactive school year. Or, at least one that wouldn’t leave her so tired.
Many thousands of students have returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus to begin the 2021-22 school year, and once again, the pandemic looms large over how it will unfold. The university is aiming to maintain in-person instruction over the course of the fall semester, something many students have not experienced for over a year. Yet with the COVID-19 pandemic on the upswing once again due to the Delta variant, some students are concerned about returning to campus.
“This dashboard provides information to the campus community and the public about vaccinations and on-campus COVID-19 test results among current UW–Madison faculty, staff and students,” said a statement on the website.
The students gathered outside the Wisconsin State Capitol Friday to protest the mandate, arguing that the school’s high rate of vaccination among staff and students makes masking up unnecessary.
Regent and Monroe streets were clogged with traffic and the front yards of Breese Terrace filled with tipsy college students as the No. 12 Wisconsin Badgers opened their season against No. 19 Penn State instead of Cupcake U.
You can see the face of college football changing right there in the Wisconsin starting backfield this Saturday when the Badgers take on Penn State.
“I feel pretty comfortable being back in school, especially with the high vaccination rates,” Andrew Geng, a UW-Madison Graduate Student said.
As of Sept. 1, 88 percent of students are fully vaccinated and 91 percent of students have received at least one dose, verified by either documentation of on-campus vaccination or the upload of off-campus vaccination records, UW said in a press release. The number is based on those students coming to campus for in-person learning.
Excitement was the prevailing theme for Hall and the nearly 8,500 other students moving into UW-Madison dorms this week. Nerves were also on hand, but more often because of typical college concerns — grades, classes and finding one’s way around campus, for example — than reasons related to COVID-19.
Kate VandenBosch, who has served as dean since 2012, will either return to the faculty or retire, UW-Madison spokesperson Greg Bump said. She announced her resignation as dean to give the university time for a national search to launch. An expected timeline for when a new leader would be hired was not available.
The University of Wisconsin reported that 90% of its campus community had been vaccinated despite not having a mandate in place.
UW-Madison reported on Thursday that nine out of every 10 members of the campus community are fully vaccinated — even without mandating students and employees to get the shot. “I’m proud of our students and employees for taking this important step to protect themselves and others,” Chancellor Rebecca Blank said in an announcement. “And I’m grateful to our staff, who worked tirelessly to achieve these results.”
Nine out of 10 people on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, including faculty, staff and students, are fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
Asprinkler kept an oven fire under control at the UW-Madison Wisconsin Energy Institute on Tuesday until fire crews arrived to put it out, authorities reported.
In a “typical” semester, the University of Wisconsin-Madison would be sending hundreds of students abroad to more than 260 programs in 65 countries across the globe. This fall, only 97 students are currently signed up to make the trek, and that number may be dwindling.
Steve Brown Apartments, which owns 57 properties in the Madison area, submitted a proposal Tuesday to the city to transform the four-story, 48-room boutique hotel built on a half-acre at 1501 Monroe St. on the Near West Side into 50 apartments and about 3,000 square feet of commercial space.
Problems with the new chemistry building addition on the UW-Madison campus continue with part of the ventilation system collapsing earlier this month, closing two wings of the University Avenue building.
UW-Madison leaders on Monday pledged to review the university’s handling of requests from instructors with a disability or medical condition who asked to teach online this fall.
This week more than 8,500 students from all over the world are moving onto the UW-Madison campus making it their new home as new Covid safety protocols start to kick in.
Students at UW-Madison are moving into the residence halls on campus this week.Move-in days kicked off Monday morning. There are slotted times for students to move in through Thursday.
“Currently, 90% of employees are vaccinated and we have exceeded our goal of 80% for students,” said McGlone, noting that the numbers will be updated the week of Aug. 30 as there has been increased interest in vaccinations following the announcement of a campus-wide testing requirement for those that are unvaccinated or have yet to submit proof of vaccination to the university.
This week more than 8,500 students from all over the world are moving onto the UW-Madison campus making it their new home as new Covid safety protocols start to kick in.
Camp Randall’s gates are back open this year, and the Badgers’ Saturday debut against Penn State is an experience fans and local businesses have been awaiting eagerly.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison will not limit access to campus buildings for students who fail to meet testing requirements this fall, instead relying on disciplinary measures that will be enacted on a “case-by-case” basis.
Three UW-Madison instructors with a medical condition or disability who wanted to teach online this fall said they were told the university is denying nearly all requests regardless of one’s health circumstances because of a need to offer as many in-person classes as possible.
Faculty members at the University of Wisconsin at Madison are questioning whether it is possible for anyone to get permission to teach online, The Wisconsin State Journal reported.
At the height of the pandemic last year, half of all internship opportunities had been canceled, according to job site Glassdoor. The ones that weren’t canceled were mostly virtual and some were unpaid. By spring 2021, just 22% of students said they’d had an internship during the school year and only half of those said they were in-person, according to research from the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Video: UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank details the university’s plans to combat a likely increase in COVID cases on campus due to the highly-contagious delta variant with in-person classes starting September.
New University of Wisconsin Division of Arts Director Chris Walker has been at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for many years now. He arrived as a visiting faculty member and worked in the Dance Department, the School of Education and as the founding artistic director of the First Wave Scholarship Program. While reflecting on where he began at UW, he talked about how his journey and work at the UW has come full circle.
The Assembly Majority Leader said Thursday he is not on board with suing the University of Wisconsin System over control of its COVID-19 policies, as one Republican senator has called on legislative leaders to do.
Wisconsin needs more Tommy Thompson and less Steve Nass.
Thompson, the former Republican governor, put his foot down this week when a meddlesome group from his own party tried to tell him how to run the University of Wisconsin System.
Alverno College announced Thursday that all students, staff and faculty must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 1.
After COVID-19 canceled all of their performances, the University of Wisconsin Band gathered for their first practice of the fall.
Automatic payments hit students’ bank accounts this week, university officials said.
UW-Madison became the latest college in Wisconsin leveraging federal COVID-19 relief money to erase debt owed to the university, a move that will help students who financially struggled during the pandemic.
A New York Times guest essay published Tuesday took aim at the “performative antiracism” of the Black Student Union at the University of Wisconsin, mocking group members for advocating the removal of a large rock from campus they saw as a symbol of bigotry.
University of Wisconsin System interim President Tommy Thompson says he will not comply with an order from Republican state lawmakers to submit COVID-19 safety restrictions and requirements for their approval. Thompson said he doesn’t think the state Legislature will sue over the matter but said if it goes to court he’s confident the UW will win.
Typically, my first move to promote Cap Times Idea Fest is to wave my hands about our big names, captivating topics and reputation for putting on an event at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that is both intellectually rewarding and fun.
AUW-Madison plan to temporarily house students who are exposed to or infected with COVID-19 in university-owned apartments worries residents who live there, many of whom have young children who cannot yet get vaccinated.
Ashley Portillo Recinos was one of those students getting the honor Friday night. She’s from Los Angeles, and says from a young age she knew she wanted to help people from different backgrounds get the help they need.
This year’s ranking from Niche.com, which scores based on student reviews and U.S. Dept. of Education statistics, gives the UW school A’s across the board for academics, diversity, athletics, value, campus culture and party scenes.
Catacutan, a Filipino-American college student entering her sophomore year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said it was hard to cope with the social isolation, virtual learning environment and anxiety over her family’s well-being plus the rise in anti-Asian hate during the pandemic.
University of Wisconsin officials remain determined to see full attendance at campus athletic venues during the 2021-2022 academic year.
“I am so excited for our fans to get back here in Camp Randall on Sept. 4 and get back to business,” athletic director Chris McIntosh told a crowd of several thousand fans who attended football practice Saturday morning.
Goodbye cardboard cutouts and hello in-person fans. Spectators returned to Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday as the University of Wisconsin football team conducted an open practice.
Juliana Bennett is a rising senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the city’s District 8 alder. Unlike most college students, her social media posts are public record — a new territory Bennett navigates with candor and care. “When I post something, I always think, Am I okay with this being in anyone’s hands? If that passes the ‘yes’ test, then I post it, because once it’s out there you can’t take it away,” Bennett tells Teen Vogue. “It just makes it a bit more weird. But I try to just remain true to myself.”
Fire safety tests performed over the summer found the elevator shafts in the newly constructed nine-story addition along University Avenue did not pass pressurization tests, the university said in a statement. A construction update posted July 12 said elevator shaft pressurization reduces the spread of smoke during a fire, making improper pressure a “life-safety issue.”
University of Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced a weekly COVID-19 testing requirement Wednesday for all students and employees who do not show proof of vaccination against COVID-19.
Noted: University of Wisconsin-Madison botany professor John Curtis came up with the idea of intentionally burning the prairie to kill the invasive plants. Other universities out west were doing fire research at the time, but theirs was mainly geared toward increasing forage for livestock grazing, Hansen said. The idea of using fire to restore a landscape to prairie was new.
Effective Aug. 30, all individuals that have not shared their proof of vaccination with University Health Services (UHS) will be required to test weekly for COVID-19. In the previous academic year, students and employees were required to test twice a week to access university facilities.
University of Wisconsin- Madison students and employees who are not vaccinated against the coronavirus will be subject to weekly COVID-19 testing starting Aug. 30, officials announced Wednesday.
University of Wisconsin-Madison students and staff who can’t or won’t show proof of vaccination will have to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, the school announced Wednesday.
Wisconsin Public Media on Wednesday announced the appointment of an interim director following the unexpected death of public broadcasting leader Gene Purcell last month.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison hasn’t welcomed fans to its athletic facilities for 17 months. That’s set to change Saturday.
The Badgers are hosting an open football practice at Camp Randall Stadium, featuring appearances by Athletic Director Chris McIntosh and the marching band. The volleyball team’s annual Red-and-White Scrimmage at UW Field House will follow. Both events are free, but tickets are required, according to a news release from UW Athletics.
The University of Wisconsin is tapping into the state’s sports scene for its keynote speaker at a celebration in September.
Pat Connaughton, a key contributor to the Milwaukee Bucks’ NBA championship run that wrapped in July, will speak at an event at Camp Randall Stadium on Sept. 18 that will acknowledge 2020 graduates.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton will deliver the keynote address at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s celebration for 2020 graduates next month, the school announced Tuesday.
