Skip to main content

Category: Campus life

Do we really need to wear masks again?

The Daily Cardinal

Things were finally getting back to normal, or so it seemed. Now, with UW-Madison re-instituting a mask mandate on campus as of Aug. 5 and Dane County Public Health recommending that everyone mask up regardless of vaccination status, it feels in many ways like we’re right back where we started in March of 2020.

An evaluation of freshmen living amidst the housing crisis

The Daily Cardinal

Although UW-Madison Housing has offered make-do dorm rooms to its incoming freshmen class, it does not mean students are willing to take them. UW-Madison residence halls can feel like a shoe-box when shared with just one roommate. Further overcrowding living conditions are clearly far from ideal.

Student resilience shines through the pandemic

The Daily Cardinal

College in a “normal” year is hard for most students, but attending college during a global pandemic can amplify these challenges. Despite pandemic-enhanced challenges, UW-Madison students have shown their resilience and strength as a campus community.

All UW Campuses Enact Mask Requirements, Expectations Amid Rise In COVID-19 Cases

Wisconsin Public Radio

Every University of Wisconsin System campus in the state has instituted mask requirements or expectations for individuals regardless of their vaccination status as the number of new coronavirus cases rises. The measures come amid an effort by Republican lawmakers to block COVID-19 restrictions at universities.

As a new academic year begins, the state should recommit itself to the Wisconsin Idea

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

This August, faculty, staff, and more than 160,000 students at the 13 University of Wisconsin campuses are hard at work, getting ready for a new academic year.  Wisconsinites are justifiably proud of the UW System, and with good reason. Our public university system, built on the foundation of the Wisconsin Idea, truly serves every corner of the state.

Mandate or incentives? Wisconsin colleges try various strategies to drive up vaccination rates

Wisconsin State Journal

But the System has so far resisted those calls, taking the same position that the majority of other colleges have in strongly encouraging but stopping short of requiring that students get the shots. Many UW campuses are instead offering incentives such as laptops, gift cards and tickets to sporting events.

Native American burial mounds stall plans to remove ‘racist’ rock at UW-Madison

The College Fix

University of Wisconsin Madison leaders have yet to make good on their promise to remove a 70-ton boulder on campus deemed racist by some student protesters.

Progress has stalled as officials review concerns that its removal could interfere with Native American effigy mounds.

Campus spokesperson Meredith McGlone told The College Fix the project to move Chamberlin Rock is on standby.

University of Wisconsin in standoff with legislature over mask mandate

The Hill

A top university official in Wisconsin is butting heads with state Republican legislators over who has the authority to impose COVID-19 restrictions on campus.

Just hours after a Wisconsin state legislature committee on Tuesday required all University of Wisconsin schools to receive permission before issuing new coronavirus guidance, University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank reinstated her campus’s indoor mask mandate.

State employees in Wisconsin will be required to wear masks starting Thursday

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

State employees will have to wear face masks starting Thursday because of a surge in coronavirus cases, Wisconsin officials announced Wednesday.

The move came shortly after the two largest University of Wisconsin schools, in Madison and Milwaukee, put in place their own mask requirements. The policies are being enacted as the delta variant of COVID springs up around the world, including among those who have been fully vaccinated.

Schools Are Defying State Governments And Imposing Their Own Mask Mandates

Forbes

Branches of the University of Wisconsin and school districts in Arizona and Florida are ordering students and staff to wear masks indoors in spite of statewide regulations and laws that prohibit them from doing so, as the Delta variant’s rapid spread sparks new showdowns over mask orders between state and local governments nationwide.

UW-Madison to require masks indoors beginning Thursday

WISC-TV 3

A news release Tuesday said the decision was made as the delta variant’s emergence has led to a rise in new COVID-19 cases. Although Dane County and the UW-Madison campus have higher vaccination rates than other parts of the state, the virus has continued to spread among unvaccinated residents.

COVID-19 Roundup: Power Struggles Over Mask Mandates

Inside Higher Ed

Noted: In Wisconsin, a Republican-controlled legislative committee passed a resolution Tuesday requiring University of Wisconsin campuses to get the committee’s approval for mandatory COVID-19 vaccination, masking or testing policies, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Under the measure, the UW system will have to submit COVID-19 policies to the committee within 30 days. The committee will then have the ability to vote to suspend all or parts of the policies. Tony Evers, the state’s Democratic governor, does not have the ability to veto the committee’s actions.

‘This is madness’: Between politics and public health, UW schools work to adapt for fall

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Colleges across the state are working to reevaluate on-campus masking policies in the weeks leading up to the start of the fall semester, as new national data on the delta variant’s spread among vaccinated people,updated masking recommendations and political pressure further complicate a quickly evolving situation.

UW-Madison will require masks indoors regardless of vaccination status

Wisconsin State Journal

The mask mandate could mark the first major change in UW-Madison’s fall plans. The university previously allowed vaccinated people to forgo a face covering, a policy that began in early June, but a concerning increase in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks that experts attribute to the delta variant of the coronavirus caused campus officials to reassess.

Flexible parking, BRT good for UW-Madison campus — Patrick Kass

Wisconsin State Journal

Letter to the editor from Patrick Kass, director, transportation services, UW-Madison: Recently, we’ve had over 4,000 employees enroll in flexible parking options that allow them access to campus parking facilities without a commitment to purchasing a dedicated space for a full year. Combined with a robust bus rapid transit (BRT) system, these policies can build a network of transportation options that will allow our employees to access campus in convenient, cost-effective and more environmentally friendly ways.

Burnout symptoms increasing among college students

The Hechinger Report

Noted: At the University of Wisconsin, administrators are acknowledging the mental health difficulties of the pandemic year by urging first- and second-year students to establish healthy coping mechanisms and participate in a 30-day meditation challenge through the Healthy Minds Innovations app (which does not connect students with therapists).

‘Never in my wildest dreams’: Hmong Wisconsinites rejoice over gymnast Suni Lee’s Olympic gold-medal victory

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Noted: When she heard the news, Caitlin Yang, a University of Wisconsin-Madison student, took a moment and let the wave of emotion wash over her, alone in her apartment.

Yang, a rising junior and member of the Hmong American Student Association, said Lee’s victory showed that Hmong women could break down gender barriers and defy norms in a culture where parents don’t normally place much importance on athletic achievement.

She hoped Lee’s victory would empower women to “find who they are and what they are capable of and know that they are capable of it,” she said.

As Fall Semester Approaches, Delta Variant Complicates School Districts’ Plans

WORT FM

While Madison’s students are preparing for the fall semester, the Delta coronavirus variant is complicating plans for the upcoming school year. According to local public health officials, Delta is now the dominant coronavirus strain in Dane County.

For more on what the Delta surge means for local students, our Producer Jonah Chester spoke with Dr. Gregory DeMuri, a professor of pediatrics at UW-Madison.

Reports Of Students Cheating Increased Substantially At Some UW Universities During Pivot To Online Learning

Wisconsin Public Radio

Reports of cheating and other forms of academic misconduct increased substantially at six of the University of Wisconsin System’s 13 universities when classes were moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Administrators say increased student stress was a major contributor, and they expect misconduct reports to decrease once more classes are taught in person.

Badgers football team over 85% vaccinated from COVID

Wisconsin State Journal

The University of Wisconsin football team is over 85% vaccinated from COVID-19, according to coach Paul Chryst. Speaking with local reporters Friday at the Big Ten Conference football media days, Chryst said there was an instant surge of vaccination among his players once shots were available, and their total has climbed over 85% over the summer.

Frustrating College Access and Enrollment Barriers: Websites and Application Processes

The Good Men Project

Noted: While some higher education institutions like the University of Wisconsin-Madison and The Johns Hopkins University feature sophisticated and user-friendly websites, and their leaders have instituted efficient, unencumbered application processes, college applicants may encounter inept websites and application processes when applying at many other institutions.

Wisconsin Lawmaker Proposes Lifetime Restraining Orders To Protect Sexual Assault Survivors

Wisconsin Public Radio

Quoted: Ryan Poe-Gavlinski is clinical director of the Victims of Crimes Act Restraining Order Clinic at the University of Wisconsin Law School. She said creating a lifetime protective order would put survivors of assault “in the driver’s seat.”

“If someone has committed sexual assault and that’s been determined, either at the (civil) restraining order level or through a criminal court, there’s no reason that that perpetrator needs to have contact with that victim going forward,” Poe-Gavlinksi said.