It’s kicking off at the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which hosts an annual Earth Day Conference conducted in the spirit of the original 1970 “teach-in.” The event is called Imagine and Adapt: Possibilities in a Changing World.
Category: Opinion
Add railing to all of Camp Randall — Jennie Larson
Letter to the editor: I was appalled that UW-Madison will be doing a trial on railings in four sections at Camp Randall. Why are they doing a trial run they know the railings are sorely needed?
Going Green: how UW students can start being environmentally friendly today
Simple changes such as turning off lights, recycling, composting and using the bus can make a difference, and are easy to implement.
The return of ‘reefer madness’
Noted: Lucas Richert is the George Urdang Chair in the history of pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of “Strange Trips: Science, Culture, and the Regulation of Drugs.”
Human viruses threaten the future of Uganda’s chimpanzees
My colleagues and I recently analysed two outbreaks of respiratory disease in two different chimpanzee groups, both located in Uganda’s Kibale National Park…Initially, we feared that the same virus caused both outbreaks, which would mean a single virus had been rapidly transmitted throughout the forest. But our team leader, Dr Tony Goldberg of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tested samples, and we learned that the outbreaks were caused by two different viruses commonly found in humans.
Column: Trend of UW students joining the Peace Corp is promising for future of the US, world
For the second year in a row, UW was awarded No. 1 for Peace Corp’s 2018 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities.
Reflecting on 30 Years of Forgiveness Science
It was great to be able to share our knowledge on the science of forgiveness, which we began to examine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1985, to aid in the advancement of this important area of research.
–Robert Enright, UW–Madison
Leckrone put on a great final show — Curtis Haugen
Letter: The spirit of Wisconsin grabbed me from the moment I entered the Kohl Center where I was surrounded by a sea of cardinal red and white worn by everyone from toddlers to elderly fans moving enthusiastically through the crowd with their walkers.
Foxconn announces protest center in Madison
Taiwanese flat screen maker Foxconn has announced that it is purchasing a building on the Capitol Square to make it easier for local protesters to gather at the building to denounce the $4 billion subsidy for the company, its skirting of environmental regulations and its history of backing out on its agreements.
Editorial Agenda 2019: Trees in the city
A new study, co-authored by a UW Madison professor, finds trees play a big role in keeping towns and cities cool. That’s important for humans, but it’s also important for other organisms essential to life.
Column: Increased funding for computer science will prove beneficial for Wisconsin
As universities struggle to keep up with increasing demand for computer science, government has a duty to fund these programs.
David Ward: Congress should invest more in ag research to keep US ahead of China
Since 2014, Wisconsin universities have received 74 AFRI grants totaling $38 million. These grants have gone to projects such as studying the impact of climate change on dairy production at UW-Madison and research on improved food access for rural, low-income communities at Northland College in Ashland. Locally, this means we are improving an industry that is a cornerstone to our economy. Globally, this allows us to maintain food-supply chains and remain a world leader in agriculture.
Samuel Ropa: How the Center for Religion and Global Citizenry is bringing inclusive interfaith dialogue to Madison
Column by Samuel Ropa, Center for Religion and Global Citizenry interfaith student fellow.
Aaron Yarmel: Classrooms — and society — need balance of structure and freedom
Noted: Aaron Yarmel is the director of Madison Public Philosophy and a Ph.D. candidate in philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Column: Music programs are integral to higher education curriculum
Music is ever-present in college students’ lives. Music education should be too.
Arboretum deserving of honor — Donna Silver
Letter to the editor: Congratulations to the many people over the years who have created the UW Arboretum on Madison’s West Side. This Wisconsin treasure has recently been added to the National Register of Historical Places.
Letter to the Editor: UW recognizes need for sexual assault reporting software and is dedicated to supporting students
Administration officials provide context for decision to reject Callisto sexual assault reporting software in favor of more productive changes.
Column: In light of Trump’s free speech executive order, UW’s existing policy is worthy of praise
UW should be applauded for its commitment to freedom and should continue striving to protect rights.
Column: University Health Services work to ‘support sisters, not just cis-ters’ is promising for a more inclusive future
While institutional efforts to increase inclusivity are important, such efforts need to be part of a greater, campus-wide conversation.
Column: Rec Sports is a major player in student wellness
The state’s inability to move forward with the new Natatorium could have serious consequences. Millions of dollars in private donations have been pledged to the project with the understanding that it will move forward on a certain schedule.
Campus free speech laws being enacted in many states, but some may do more harm than good
Continuing a recent trend, more states are passing laws that deal with free speech rights on college campuses.
Borsuk: What’s needed to restock the ranks of talented teachers is more Alyssa Molinskis
Noted: The University of Wisconsin System has created a task force to recommend ways to improve the pipeline.
OP-ED: Black Studies becomes major factor in social advancement
Noted: The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in Black Studies, much to the disappointment of Dr. Mayibuye Monanabela who is among the founders of the Africana Studies department at Tennessee State University. He said getting students to major in Black Studies is often difficult primarily because, outside of teaching, there are not many well-paying trades that would require such professional acumen.
Now is the time to invest in research for our dairy future
UW System agricultural research, which Wisconsin farmers of the past relied on to help build America’s Dairyland, still focuses on nutrition, production efficiency, welfare and disease prevention in dairy cows. In addition, UW researchers are also developing new stress-reduction programs for farmers, formulating new dairy-based food products, and creating sustainable practices that benefit water, land, rural communities and farm workers.
Column: UW should support efforts to include substance-free students on campus
We must shift our social expectations and spaces to be more conducive to a substance-free lifestyle, which will be far more accommodating and comfortable for both students in recovery, and those who simply choose not to drink, alike.
Tom Still: Blending research, entrepreneurial spirit
Through what has been named The Isthmus Project, Mackie and others connected to UW Health will offer a set of coordinated services to innovators in the health-care space.
How to cut child poverty in half
Other countries have demonstrated that where there is a will, there is a way to accomplish this goal. Without strong action by policymakers, poverty and its inevitable consequences will continue to impose great costs on children, families, and the nation.
–Ron Haskins is the Cabot Family chair and a senior fellow in economics at the Brookings Institution. Timothy Smeeding is the Lee Rainwater professor of public affairs and economics at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
Column: Perfect is not the enemy of good: UW must do better to improve sexual assault reporting
Rejection of Callisto software on basis of imperfection jeopardizes students, ignores the software’s many benefits.
Column: Hate speech is free speech — it’s time that changes
President Donald Trump’s recent executive order prompts discussion on free expression vs. diversity on campus.
Why an ageing China will never overtake the US as the world’s biggest economy
Assuming that China and the US will have GDP growth rates of 6.3 per cent and 3 per cent in 2019, and then fall to 2.2 per cent in 2033, the size of China’s GDP, which was 66 per cent of the US GDP in 2018, will peak at 84 per cent in 2033.
Why ageing China won’t overtake the US economy as the world’s biggest – now or in the future
Noted: Yi Fuxian is a senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of Big Country with an Empty Nest
Column: Mental health and students of color: An oppressive, neglected epidemic
Accessibility to mental health resources is important for everyone, but students of color lack accessibility more than their white counterparts.
Editorial: Congratulations Badgers champions
We’re a little late with this, but we want to celebrate the UW Women’s Hockey team winning the national championship, because we’re not sure it’s gotten enough attention.
Journal Times editorial: In wake of scandal elsewhere, good to see UW-Madison reviewing its admissions policies
The college admissions scandal which broke earlier this month — federal prosecutors on March 12 charged 50 people with taking part in a scheme where unqualified students were admitted to prestigious universities, allegedly because their parents paid bribes and the students cheated on standardized tests — angers us because it seems unfair, other students’ hard work and ability taking second place to Mommy and Daddy’s bank balance.
Ray Cross: UW System partner Fund for Wisconsin Scholars improves lives
One of the pleasures of leading the University of Wisconsin System is listening to students describe how our campuses have improved their lives.
The Admissions Scandal Is About Parental Narcissism—and the Schools’ Complicity
The fact is that you can get an excellent education at hundreds of American colleges, many of which have fine reputations and are easier to get into. Take Bard, for instance, which accepts 49 percent of its applicants; Sarah Lawrence, whose acceptance rate is 43 percent; or the University of Wisconsin–Madison, which admits more than half of all students who apply.
Wisconsin proposed budget affects farmers
But the Wisconsin Farm Bureau would like to prioritize the positions of integrated specialist roles that would hold a joint appointment between UW-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and UW-Extension. Those specialists perform and teach the specialized research that is essential to Wisconsin farmers.
The Role of the Student Engineer in Medicine and Innovation
This idea—first implemented at a few universities, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison—is where students are tasked with solving biomedical and clinical problems for a client under the advisement of a BME professor.
Tom Still: Building stronger tech workforce is issue nationally and Wisconsin
Despite the coast-to-coast glut of well-paying jobs in tech professions such as coding, cybersecurity and network management, the pipeline of potential workers is much smaller than what observers would prefer.
Universities should pay students back — Irwin Kass
Higher education institutions used the loan program to irresponsibly profit at the expense of students and their families. It is time to pay up one way or the other.
Ryan Owens: Turn a Wisconsin prison into a school
Some things make so much sense they simply demand attention. That’s what we call “common sense.” And when a policy will save Wisconsin millions of dollars, put people and businesses to work, and enhance the dignity of our citizens, policymakers should take heed.
Say goodbye to Nails’ Tales sculpture
The meeting last Wednesday afternoon had gone on for almost an hour when Gary Brown, director of campus planning and landscape architecture at University of Wisconsin–Madison, said, “Let me address the so-called elephant in the room.”
Column: College admissions scandal sparks national debate over opportunity in education
The reality is that “cheating the system” of college admissions happens all the time, and since it occurs within the law, we don’t hear about it.
Letter: UW has space for students of color on social media — just not on campus
If you attend any major on-campus event, you have likely seen a member of the university communications team taking photographs. What you may not have noticed was their center of focus was probably on the students of color attending the event.
Column: Let’s be clear — College admissions have always favored the wealthy
Don’t let scandal surrounding college admissions distract from financial privilege inherent in college admissions process.
Cardinal View: Time to expand, improve the Ethnic Studies requirement at UW
In an increasingly polarized political and social environment, courses on race and ethnicity in the United States are crucial to educating young people on the roots of these issues. Ideally, this intersectional education will help address the lasting notions of racism and develop cultural sensitivity.
Column: Blue lights will guide us nowhere: How ASM’s election platform fails UW students, survivors
ASM must focus on the cause of sexual assault, rather than focus solely on mitigation efforts.
Letter: Interfaith dialogue, religious literacy are driving forces fueling campus-wide activism
UW’s Center for Religion and Global Citizenry leads the conversation about religious pluralism in our community.
Letter: Students have a lot on their plates — but not enough food
In light of confusion surrounding accessibility, eligibility of food insecurity relief programs, Second Harvest Foodbank provides clarity.
Industrial hemp may be agriculture’s next big thing
The predecessors for today’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the UW-Madison were already on the scene, helping farmers transition. It happened again in the 1890s when Professor Stephen Babcock developed the first simple and practical test for measuring the butterfat content for milk and cream, which propelled the dairy industry. The state’s cranberry industry took off at the turn of the 20th century, again with the help of decades of UW research.
Joseph Ohler Jr.: It’s tipping point between humanities and practical education
Letter to the editor: Shall the entrenched self-interests of humanities faculty win out, or will those championing greater cost-effectiveness and graduate job-placement success prove victorious?
Jared Schroeder: Free expression for students is getting muzzled
Free speech in the public schools might just be the only area where First Amendment safeguards have narrowed, rather than expanded, in the past half century. It seems the court has hung Tinker out to dry.
Out-of-state students need freeze, too — Karissa Niederkorn
Letter to the editor: I support Gov. Tony Evers’ proposal to continue the in-state tuition freeze for UW students. Being a resident of Wisconsin attending UW, I am grateful that I can afford my tuition without going into debt. But nonresident students don’t have it as nice as I do. Most of my friends live out of state and are struggling with the amount of loans needed to achieve a degree.
Socialism Is Back
Health care should be affordable for all. Education shouldn’t be followed by a debt hangover, decadeslong. The disenfranchised need to have the opportunity to succeed.That’s what young people mean by socialism.—Matthew Ingebritson, University of Wisconsin-Madison, finance, investment and banking
Editorial: Keep tuition freeze, boost funding for UW System
The Democratic governor told the Associated Press in Sunday’s State Journal that he planned to freeze in-state, undergraduate tuition in his 2019-2021 budget proposal. UW tuition for state residents has been flat since 2013, thanks to former Republican Gov. Scott Walker.
Column: As UW’s buildings crumble, so might its reputation as a prestigious learning institution
After catastrophic flooding around campus, it is clear that UW must allocate more money to stronger infrastructure.
Letter to the Editor: UW still lacks safe spaces for students of color
In response to research about lack of inclusivity Hmong students feel on campus, HASA offers thoughts about next steps.
Paying Students to Play Would Ruin College Sports
The chancellor at the University of Wisconsin, Rebecca Blank, has also said that her school would consider cutting sports programs altogether.
One number determines who gets an organ transplant. And it’s horribly unfair.
We have a liver selection meeting every Wednesday to consider which patients will get transplants. Each patient is listed by name, age, weight, diagnosis and MELD score — a number, based entirely on lab values, that predicts how bad their liver is and correlates with how likely they are to die waiting for a transplant.
Joshua Mezrich is an associate professor of surgery at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. He is author of “When Death Becomes Life: Notes from a Transplant Surgeon.”
Column: UW, please pass the (sidewalk) salt
We all slip on the ice once in a while, but I have never seen as many spills as I have this winter in Madison.