Written by Andrea Dutton, an international expert on climate change and sea level rise who is a MacArthur Fellow and a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Category: Opinion
Intersystem Transfer: Supporting Our Students in Wisconsin
The University of Wisconsin System places a high priority on improving baccalaureate completion rates, closing the opportunity gap for minoritized students and minimizing the financial and other barriers to degree attainment for all students regardless of where they begin their college career. In a collaborative attempt to remove transfer barriers for Wisconsin students, the UW System engaged in statewide initiatives and created strategic partnerships with the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) to improve credit transfer between or among institutions of higher education across the state. The system-to-system partnership is key to student success, reducing time and credits to degree, lessening student debt, and providing the workforce the employees needed to support the vitality of the state.
Letter to the Editor: UW must recenter disabled perspectives in academia
Teaching classes from able-bodied perspectives reinforces ableism in campus community.
Jim Polzin: Why not trying to ‘out-Barry Barry’ served Wisconsin AD Chris McIntosh well in Year 1
Chris McIntosh’s one-year anniversary as University of Wisconsin athletic director passed in relatively quiet fashion earlier this month, his opening day of July spent enjoying time with family in northern Wisconsin.
Women’s athletics worth celebrating — Daniel Grant
Letter to the editor: I want to commend UW-Madison on its innovative “50 for 50” program to celebrate 50 years of Title IX and successful women student-athletes at UW.
As the midterm elections approach, we want to encourage thoughtful discussions about Wisconsin’s most important issues
Written by Susan Webb Yackee, a professor of public affairs and director of the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison.
UW isn’t as free after court ruling
Letter to the editor: UW gave women in my family an education before they could vote, and each daughter has benefited from more freedoms and opportunities. A post-Roe Wisconsin might end that UW legacy. All I can say is shame on the legislators and voters of Wisconsin. It’s a sad day.
Letter to the Editor: UW must do better by its Asian community
What happened last week in Madison is a perfect demonstration of the invisibility this society casts upon our Asian communities.
Opinion | I’ve seen what happens when abortions are unavailable
Column by Claire Wendland, a medical anthropologist and OB-GYN at UW-Madison.
UW must update patient visitor rules
Letter to the editor: Current COVID policy is bad for her mental health because she is restricted to two parents per day supporting her in the hospital. These unnecessary restrictions are putting undue stress and burden on families.
Jim Polzin: Shrewd power broker or backstabber? Both labels fit Big Ten in poaching Pac-12 teams
How should you as University of Wisconsin fans feel about this seismic shift in college athletics? I’m not really sure, to be honest, because there’s a lot to process here and I’m not even sure how I feel quite yet.
Letter to the Editor: UW must do better by its Asian community
Letter written by Steven Shi, a junior triple majoring in economics, international studies and political science.
Social Security benefits play key role in preventing older Americans from lacking enough quality food
University response to June 14 incidents appalling
f such a vile incident does not meet the bar for an alert, the criteria needs to be rethought.
US Foreign Policy Leaders Need to Prioritize Asia Over Europe
Responsible competition with China will require clear-eyed realism, astute statecraft, and an acceptance that Asia has supplanted Europe in terms of geopolitical importance. Whether US leaders like it or not, the United States and China will need to learn how to live with one another. With both countries maintaining sizable nuclear arsenals, the stakes are too high for anything less.
-Sascha Glaeser
Abortion bans trample on the religious freedom of Muslims, too
Whatever the future holds, let’s be clear: What the Supreme Court may be about to do is not “Christian sharia.” It is medieval state church thinking. And we need to stop it before it turns into a crusade.
-Asifa Quraishi-Landes is an interim co-executive director of the civil rights organization Muslim Advocates. She is also a professor of U.S. constitutional law and modern Islamic constitutional theory at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Higher education needs an intervention
Written by Ryan Owens, the George C. and Carmella P. Edwards professor of American politics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Fathers feed babies too — so why are they so scarce in media coverage of the formula shortage?
Co-authored by Tova Walsh, an assistant professor of social work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of the Scholars Strategy Network and Alvin Thomas, an assistant professor of human development and family studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a member of the Scholars Strategy Network.
Welcome to the Wild West era of college sports
Revenue college sports are a cutthroat world.
Mental health: The hidden pandemic
As students, peers and humans there is no mental health issue that someone else does not share. Conquering the stigma and supporting those who are open about their struggles is absolutely imperative to the direction of this conversation.
Editorial | UW Health should recognize nurses union
To our view, it is only a matter of time until the nurses gain the representation that they have been seeking. As such, it makes sense for UW Health Board members and the administration to dial down tensions, embrace a spirit of cooperation and recognize the union.
Opinion | GOP obstruction knows no bounds
Vos’ aim, along with that of UW-bashing state Sen. Steve Nass, was to set the stage for the Republican state Senate to fail to confirm those Evers-appointed Regents so that if Republicans can unseat Evers this fall, they can again gain control of the UW’s governing body by immediately replacing them. Mnookin’s appointment as chancellor was the choice of liberals, they imply, even though the five Scott Walker appointments on the board voted for her, too. In their view, “liberals” have no business picking qualified candidates.
Mnookin deserved a warmer welcome — Janet Price
Letter to the editor: Why would Vos make negative comments without even meeting and having a discussion with Mnookin? I heard her respond with grace and politeness — that she is excited about coming to Madison and “looks forward” to meeting all of the state legislators.
Why Ukraine and Russia Both Look to the Nuremberg Trials
Of course, none of this is inevitable. History shows that it is the victor who gets to organize postwar tribunals. For Ukraine to bring Putin and his circle to justice, it will first have to win the war. There is also a dark alternative: a Nuremberg-type tribunal of Ukrainian leaders held by Russia. This would inevitably be a Soviet-style show trial—a kangaroo court that would degrade international law and could taint the meaning of Nuremberg forever.
-Francine Hirsch, Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the author of Soviet Judgment at Nuremberg: A New History of the International Military Tribunal after World War II(Oxford, 2020).
Opinion: Once again, the Wisconsin Legislature tries to undermine UW-Madison
Welcome to Wisconsin: Legislative leaders immediately slammed the newly named chancellor for the university’s flagship campus for being too liberal.
Both style and substance keyed Rebecca Blank’s success
It was one in a series of heartfelt goodbyes. Rebecca Blank stood at the entrance in a roped-off lobby area of the Discovery Building on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus at what was billed as a “community leadership reception” earlier this month. The chancellor, in the final days of her nine years in Madison, greeted each of the few dozen arriving attendees to wish her, per the invitation, a “fond farewell” as she leaves to become president of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
Welcome to Wisconsin Dr. Mnookin, and apologies for our Assembly speaker
Editorial: The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, a diverse body made up appointees from current Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and defeated former Republican Gov. Scott Walker, united across lines of partisanship and ideology to unanimously select Dr. Jennifer L. Mnookin to serve as the 30th chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Free speech doesn’t apply for Mnookin
Letter to the editor: It’s kind of ironic that the Republicans decrying Jennifer Mnookin being named chancellor of UW-Madison are all claiming to want a chancellor who believes in free speech, given that it is Mnookin’s speech, and her free expression of her beliefs, that are the stated basis for their opposition.
Jennifer Mnookin gets a withering blast of GOP diplomacy
Welcome to Wisconsin, Jennifer Mnookin. There was a time when we actually gave someone hired to take an important job like leading the campus of our world-class university a chance to prove herself. But the state with the historic motto “Forward” hasn’t been like that for the past decade or so.
The War in Ukraine Is Not Comparable to World War II
Hyperbolic comparisons to the titanic struggle of World War II increase the risk of escalating a conflict currently localized to Ukraine. Given the risk of nuclear escalation should the United States find itself in a war with Russia, the leaders of our time may in fact be pushing us closer to World War III. Instead of making emotional appeals to the glory of victory in World War II, Western and Russian leaders would be wise to reflect on what came after—a Cold War with the ever-present threat of mutually assured destruction.
–Sascha Glaeser is a research associate at Defense Priorities. He focuses on U.S. grand strategy, international security and transatlantic relations. He holds a master’s of international public affairs and a bachelor’s in international studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Letter: Vos’ petty opposition to Mnookin
Vos, beholden to an egotistical, illiterate bully, continues to embarrass us Wisconsinites while perpetuating Fox false statements.
Letter: Vos and Nass fear intelligent women
Clearly, both men view a supremely intelligent, articulate woman with a proven record of increasing campus diversity and surpassing fundraising goals as a threat. What a pity.
If GOP doesn’t like Mnoochin, she must have been the right choice
Letter to the editor: It appears they are afraid they will not be able to manipulate her and continue to destroy the university, which has been their goal.
Robin Vos should look in the mirror to see what a ‘blatant partisan’ looks like
Vos this week urged the UW Board of Regents to reconsider its unanimous decision to hire Jennifer Mnookin as UW-Madison chancellor. Vos wants her gone before she even starts Aug. 4. Why is Vos rashly prejudging Mnookin, the dean of UCLA’s law school whom he’s never met?
Tim Higgins: Hedge funds help UW students, research, pensions, nonprofits
Column from former Regent Higgins.
Michael Gableman’s vendetta over Wisconsin’s 2020 election must end – before he wreaks havoc the next one
Co-authored by Barry C. Burden, a professor of political science and director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Free speech survey plays into GOP hands
Column by David Vanness, a professor of health policy and administration at Penn State University and UW-Madison faculty member from 2003 to 2018.
Letter to the Editor: UW must take steps to restore composting program
UW’s successful composting program was abruptly halted in 2021 but relaunching program remains possible.
UW System’s treatment of free speech survey indicates hesitancy toward open learning environments
UW-Whitewater interim president Jim Henderson resigns over proposed free speech survey, but UW System must consider implications of delaying survey.
Letter to the Editor: It’s time to say goodbye to international student fees
The fees are difficult for international students to afford and prevent top academic talent from attending UW.
The Badger Herald Editorial Board: Six issues our next chancellor can’t afford to ignore
As UW prepares to welcome a new chancellor, The Badger Herald Editorial Board outlines key concerns UW’s next leader must address to succeed in the job.
Opinion: Ending access to legal abortion has potentially deadly health consequences for Wisconsin women
Co-authored by Jenny Higgins, PhD, MPH, a professor of gender and women’s studies and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health.
UW doesn’t need free speech survey — Laurence Schiffman
Letter to the editor: After reading the proposed questions, I am convinced that UW System is more concerned with student attitudes than with educated opinions. The faculty should be able to generate a clear policy of tolerance that includes the concepts embodied in the First Amendment. There should be consequences if it is not followed.
Yes to endorsement deals, pay for grades, NCAA enforcement
Star athletes at UW-Madison are finally getting a piece of the enormous revenue surrounding Badgers sports, especially men’s basketball and football. That’s only fair. Other players with lower profiles deserve greater financial incentives, too. We love the idea, floated by the chancellor earlier this month, of offering student athletes cash awards for good grades. That will help continue Wisconsin’s strong reputation for graduating most of its players in all of its sports.
Institutionalized Islamophobia: UW fails to recognize Ramadan
My teachers asking me what Ramadan means is institutionalized Islamophobia. My classmates not knowing what Ramadan is institutionalized Islamophobia. My research lab not accommodating me is institutionalized Islamophobia.
Americans see Afghan and Ukrainian refugees very differently. Why?
Co-authored by Adeline Lo, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She researches factors that motivate or mitigate conflict between groups and designs statistical tools for prediction and measurement.
UW shouldn’t fear free speech survey
Professor Tim Shiell’s free speech survey appears straight-forward and worthy. It shouldn’t trigger outrage, much less an interim chancellor’s resignation.
Opinion: Cooperation between U.S. public and private sectors will be critical in the years ahead
Noted: Tana Johnson is a faculty member in the La Follette School of Public Affairs and the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Jamelle Bouie critiques liberals in college towns like Madison
He will speak at the Monona Terrace Convention Center on May 4 as part of a program by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs.
Opinion | Good riddance, Joe Sanfelippo
“Ernie,” as we reporters used to call him back then, was one of several GOP legislators convinced that the University of Wisconsin was being overrun by hoodlums and communists, and they demanded that UW administrators purge the school of these subversives who were railing against the Vietnam War and the direction of the country.
Opinion | Let’s make the tax system reflect our values
As we discuss questions of tax burden in Wisconsin, the Biden administration’s so-called billionaire income tax plan, or IRS reforms and funding levels, we need to view our tax system as a statement of our community’s values.
Sarah Halpern-Meekin is an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a member of the Scholars Strategy Network.
Opinion | Lincoln was right on ‘originalism,’ and so was Judge Jackson
But more importantly, as a law student in l969, I was taught some of the fundamental principles of statutory construction by one of the preeminent, national law professors of the 20th century, Professor J. Willard Hurst, then teaching at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Senate republicans politicize Wisconsin higher ed by withholding confirmations of Board of Regents appointees
The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents finds itself at a standstill as a dozen of Governor Evers’ appointees to Wisconsin’s higher education management systems remains unconfirmed in the state Senate. This includes five picks for the state technical college system board and seven for the UW Board of Regents.
‘De-Ukrainization’ is genocide — Biden was right to sound the alarm
The international community must affirm that there are universal values. It must support Ukraine and call out Putin’s lies. It must act to prevent the destruction of the Ukrainian nation.
Francine Hirsch is a professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of “Soviet Judgment at Nuremberg.”
UW free speech survey is flawed — Donna Silver
Letter to the editor: The proposed University of Wisconsin System free speech survey, which has already caused a UW-Whitewater administrator to resign, will likely be asking the wrong questions. Do we really want absolute free speech in the classroom?
Recent grant for UW Health highlights need for mental health support in medicine
$5.5 million grant will support integrative holistic medicine, paving way for more dynamic patient experience.
Letter to the Editor: Lack of UW campus diversity is hurting student potential
UW, while representing many minorities, is not representing them enough. The Badger undergraduate population is almost 68% white, followed by 9.4% international, 7.8% Asian, and minuscule numbers of Hispanic, Black and African-American students.
Despite challenges, America is prospering
Column by Mark Copelovitch, a professor in the UW-Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs and Department of Political Science.
The CDC is beholden to corporations and lost our trust. We need to start our own
Josh Garoon, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Letter to the Editor: UW must pay student employees living wage
Recent increases in Consumer Price Index make already low student wages impractical.