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Category: Campus life

UW Madison gives out more emergency funds for students

NBC-15

University of Wisconsin- Madison students who have been financially impacted by the pandemic started to receive a second round of emergency grant funding on Monday. The university is giving out grants by pulling from $9.89 million of the federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II, according to a news release.

Journal Times editorial: UW System initiative a pipeline for the future

The Journal Times

It’s a challenging time for colleges and universities, and for the students who want to attend those institutions to prepare for life in a rapidly changing world.

“Especially now, with COVID, we are seeing that (high school) seniors especially are having a difficult time getting prepared for college,” UW-System President Tommy Thompson said at a Feb. 3 press conference announcing plans for a new precollege pipeline initiative.

UW-Madison COVID app goes live

WISC-TV 3

“Safer Badgers” is a key part of UW’s spring semester health and safety program. The app monitors COVID-19 test results and can either grant, or deny, admittance into campus buildings and classes.

UW policy of publishing personal phone numbers alarms TAs

Badger Herald

The university is not transparent about the disclosure of this information, according to UW Teaching Assistants’ Association Leader of Membership Coordination Rachel McClure. Unless they opt out, the data of university employees is shared with members of the public upon their request, McClure said.

The students who graduated on YouTube

Badger Herald

Many 2020 grads stepped foot inside their alma mater for the last time in mid-March, with some attending online graduations and others like UW graduate Michelle Nguyen just trying to put school behind them altogether.

ASM introduces $2 million COVID-19 student relief referendum

Daily Cardinal

If the referendum—crafted by ASM Chair Matthew Mitnick, 10 other representatives and chairs and the UW-Madison BIPOC Coalition— receives a vote of confirmation at Tuesday’s meeting, the general student body will be able to show their support for or against ASM’s COVID-19 Student Relief Fund when they head to the student government ballots in March.

McDonagh completing degree during breaks in Lightning schedule

NHL

Ryan McDonagh isn’t just lacing up his skates this season. He’s also hitting the books.

The Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman is working on getting his bachelor’s degree in personal finance at the University of Wisconsin via online learning. He left Wisconsin in 2010 after his junior season, just 18 credits short of the finish line, and signed a contract with the New York Rangers.

Pandemic offers Lightning’s Ryan McDonagh opportunity to finish his degree

Tampa Bay Times

Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh has found a way to make the most out of the new normal brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. He’s finishing his college degree.

McDonagh, who is 18 credits short of getting his personal finance degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is now taking online classes to put himself on a path to graduate.

Five UW System schools to put higher education counselors into targeted high schools to help guide students to college

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

In a novel initiative to address a series of challenges on Wisconsin campuses — projections of declining enrollment, recruiting and supporting students of color and the damage of COVID-19 — five universities are putting counselors in targeted high schools to help guide students to higher education.

UW student government continues push for COVID-19 relief fund

The Capital Times

Administrators opposed the legislation, saying it violates UW System Policy 820’s approved uses for segregated fees. The policy prohibits lump sum payments to student organizations or “direct financial aid” to individual students, except for certain situations including employee wages and scholarships or stipends to student government leaders.

Rights to privacy versus safety on college campuses

Daily Cardinal

UW-Madison has also seen an upgrade in surveillance with the Safer Badgers app for the 2021 Spring semester, but in an email statement Chancellor Rebecca Blank has promised, “the app does not track your current or location history in any way, on or off campus.” Instead, UW-Madison has offered Bluetooth exposure notifications that notify students in extended periods of contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. “Participation is optional but strongly encouraged,” said Blank in a Jan. 13 update.

ASM Approves Amendment to COVID-19 Student Relief Fund

Daily Cardinal

The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) continued to fight for approval of their COVID-19 Student Relief Fund at an emergency meeting on Tuesday night. The student council voted unanimously to pass legislation creating the Mask Ambassador position — opening a possible loophole for the fund to be enacted despite university concerns over its legality.

UW Arboretum names National Historic Landmark

NBC-15

The National Park Service has officially designated the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Arboretum as a National Historic Landmark. The arboretum gained landmark status last month when the park service named the 21 newest locations. In all there are over 2,600 national landmarks across the country, according to the NPS’ website.

Thompson Center stands by free speech report despite concerns over methods

Daily Cardinal

In an interview with the Daily Cardinal, Thompson Center Executive Director Ryan Owens said the center “absolutely” stands by the methods and findings of the report. Owens, who is also a professor in the university’s Political Science department, argued that the survey results were consistent for questions on other, less vague beliefs like climate change denial.

‘They have the skills and are ready to go’: College health care students step up to help massive COVID-19 vaccine effort.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Quoted: “Think about it — our hospitals and clinics are near capacity because we have a heavy caseload of COVID right now,” said Mary Hayney, a pharmacy professor at UW-Madison.

“We need to find other people to … administer vaccines to the public. So students are a resource that can be tapped to do that because they have the skills and are ready to go,” she said.