Category: Campus life

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is once again pushing back the start date for enforcement of its Badger Badge building access restrictions.

The university pushed the building access restrictions back from Feb. 1 to Feb. 8. There will be Badger Wellness Ambassadors at building entrances that will ask if they can see peoples’ Badger Badges, but this is a “soft-launch” period.

“The administration can not deny that ASM is justified in attempting to pass this legislation,” UW student says.

’I was so cold that I just left and didn’t work out that day,’ UW student says.

Difficulties with scheduled appointments and rejected saliva tests have forced the university to delay enforcement of their testing requirements until the third week of the semester and also switch to drop-in only testing.

As the United States nears another year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Wisconsin reopens for a third semester impacted by the deadly virus. With over 6,000 dead in the State of Wisconsin since the start of the pandemic and two vaccines now available for select populations, eyes turn to the UW administration, its students and Dane County to see where this semester will go.

Wilkerson, author of Caste and The Warmth of Other Suns, is the first African American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism. This event was hosted virtually by the Wisconsin Union Theater, UW-Madison Student Affairs and the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement.

The proposed legislation, designed to assist UW-Madison students with rent and utilities payments amid the pandemic, allocates between $1.8 million and $4 million to the Madison-based nonprofit Tenant Resource Center (TRC), which would administer the relief fund.

UW released a statement on Friday announcing a collaboration between University Health Services (UHS), UWPD, University Housing and the Dean of Students Office to provide improved mental health services on campus and better handle mental health related emergencies. However, Mitnick believes that this plan is not comprehensive enough, and that the Crisis Response Team, outlined in the new ASM legislation, is the best way the UW can serve its students in times of mental health related emergencies.

Day one of the spring semester at UW-Madison also meant day one of new, drop-in COVID testing — which started out a little rocky for sophomores Brian Pfeffer and Madison Tessler.

“I don’t think it’s that bad. I think the appointments made it easier to manage,” Madison Tessler, UW-Madison sophomore said. “I think it’s going to be hard to avoid lines.”

UHS, UWPD will discuss integration of mental health care professionals into responding to mental health situations.

Wilkerson’s recent book ’Caste’ looks at how advent of slavery led to caste system that continues to exist in today’s United States.

UW releases statement claiming ASM’s legislation takes legal liberties, ASM Chair refutes legality claims.

ASM Chair Matthew Mitnick maintains that the organization’s ultimate goal this past fall was to elevate the voices of students previously left out of important conversations and decision-making processes at UW-Madison.

Undergraduate students living in certain areas downtown will be required to be tested twice per week using a new saliva testing method, and access to university buildings will be restricted to those who can prove they are up-to-date on their tests and have not tested positive.

If you take a look at the Safer Badger app in the App Store, it’s pretty clear that some University of Wisconsin – Madison students and staff don’t like it. A large majority of the reviews are one star, with people complaining about glitches, not being able to schedule a test or see the new saliva-based test results. Reviewers called it “embarrassing” and “pointless.”

“What we realized after about three weeks of about pilot or soft launch testing is that we believe we can move people through the test sights more quickly and reduce wait times if we move to a drop in system,” said Meredith McGlone, UW-Madison spokesperson.

UW-Madison’s University Health Services (UHS) is working on a collaborative effort with UW-Madison Police Department (UWPD), University Housing and the Dean of Students Office to enhance the campus’s response to mental health crises.

UW Madison noted that people will now use the Safer Badgers app on the day they want to go get tested to figure out which testing sites have the shortest wait time.

Students can view available testing facilities in the Safer Badgers app, where different colored symbols will be used to indicate estimated wait times at each of the 14 on-campus testing facilities. Students will need to update their Safer Badgers app anytime after Saturday, Jan. 23 at 8:00 p.m. to access these new updates.

“I think the combination of both the testing strategy and the technology will, allow us to be more responsive. And, and then, therefore, you will contain the spread, if it should, if we should start to experience it,” said Jake Baggot, Executive Director of University Health Services.

Undergraduate students living in certain areas downtown will be required to be tested twice per week using a new saliva testing method, and access to university buildings will be restricted to those who can prove they are up-to-date on their tests and have not tested positive.

Board members raise concerns about legality but ultimately unanimously vote in favor of sponsorship.

UW-Madison is kicking off the Spring semester with a new COVID plan: a saliva-based rapid test is now available to detect cases quickly.

As many Badgers have spent the last few weeks resting and relaxing after the fall semester, students and faculty from the school’s University Health Services have been doing anything but that.

The plan is based off of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s SHIELD program, and will require students to be tested twice a week during the spring semester. The school will also introduce a new app, which students will use to show proof of a negative test in order to enter campus buildings.

The proposed fund would allocate $2-$4 million directly to students affected financially by the pandemic.

Mitnick will not be running to keep his position with ASM after the spring semester as he prepares to graduate early. Though, before he goes, Mitnick said ASM still has work to do as they lay the foundation for semesters to come and sustain the movements put in motion during ASM’s 27th Session.

ASM will introduce legislation on task force to student council Jan. 26.

Just over two weeks before instruction starts on Jan. 25, Blank updated the UW-Madison community with the university’s plans for students’ return to campus in an email.

Associated Students of Madison (ASM) legislation calling to compensate student hourly employees telecommuting from abroad has been accepted by UW-Madison officials for the spring semester.

Following the marches and protests we saw in Madison over the summer, UW-Madison’s Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership performed a survey of students’ understanding of the first amendment. The survey found many do not understand what constitutes protected speech or activity under the First Amendment.

UW is one of five universities in the Big Ten Conference who have not enacted a pass/fail policy.

A nine-story glass tower is taking shape on University Avenue as part of a $100 million addition and renovation to UW-Madison’s chemistry building.

“One of the things we saw in the fall is a spike in cases among students when they moved back to campus,’ said Meredith McGlone, UW spokesperson. To keep this from happening again, the university is implementing the Safer Badgers program in January.

The retailer’s newest location sits right next to the University of Wisconsin campus, in the 500 block of University Ave., and the 5,700 sq. ft. store is “specially designed” to serve a downtown community, the company says.