Why do we view a K-12 education as so important that we require it and offer it free of charge, but in an increasingly competitive world, we are making it harder to go beyond high school?
Citizen Dave: The costs of college
Isthmus
Category: Opinion
Brad Taylor: City’s unfriendly view toward business hurts
Wisconsin State Journal
Positive signs exist, however. UW-Madison embarked on a “D2P” effort (development to product) pushing the $1 billion of annual research inflows beyond satisfying curiosity and reaching for validation of commercial usefulness. Examples include the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which is patent-focused, Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, Morgridge Institute for Research, the UW Foundation and Wisconsin Center for Education Products and Services (copyright-focused) as supportive, commercially-focused satellites of the university.
Darald Hanusa: Pridemore’s views on family abuse puzzling
Wisconsin State Journal
Regarding the recent assertion by Rep. Don Pridemore, R-Hartford, that domestic violence victims should not divorce their abusive partners, graduate students in my family problems in social work class composed this rebuttal.
A Cardinalista bids you adieu
Daily Cardinal
Two months ago, after hearing of the passing of his Cardinal colleague, New York Times reporter Anthony Shadid, ESPN?s Andy Katz tweeted the following: ?To all those aspiring college journalists. Value the time at the campus newspaper. We had an amazing Cardinal staff. Lifetime of memories.? To the Cardinalistas who made my college experience the adventure I dreamed it would be, I offer my most gracious admiration and love. I hope I have touched your lives in the same way you have mine, and though I am ready to see what the next chapter of my life holds, I doubt I will ever find a group of people as clever and kind as you guys and gals. Thank you all so much, and keep on sifting and winnowing.
Schneider and Goldrick-Rab: How to make the Texas Grants financial aid program more effective
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
As a conservative and a liberal, policy wonk and professor, Washingtonian and Midwesterner — there isn?t much we can agree on. Where we do see eye to eye is that most aid programs are less cost-effective than they could be. With money scarce and demand for college graduates high, now is the time to fix financial aid. In the Lone Star State, that means thinking smarter about Texas Grants.
Finals are stressful, seek out dogs to make it through
Daily Cardinal
With finals week fast approaching, many UW-Madison students will experience stress associated with the pressure to perform well on exams, an unfortunate reality considering the fact that everyone is extremely burnt out from school around this time. Therefore, university students should acknowledge the importance of stress relief options during finals week. I believe that one particular idea, allowing students to interact with dogs as a means to curtail stress levels, is an excellent idea.
Commentary: Wisconsin voter ID law is unfair to college students
Oshkosh Northwestern
Among the sweeping changes made to Wisconsin?s political landscape over the last year was the choice to make voting more difficult under the guise of preventing voter fraud. The voter identification requirement of Act 23 has been widely debated and is now suspended by judicial order. The reason for this suspension is that the law was unfair to the 220,000 or so adult state residents without a driver?s license, who are disproportionately poor, elderly and minority. Receiving less attention was the alteration in our residency requirement, which changed from 10 days to 28 days.
Andy Baggot: More voices needed in the huddle
Madison.com
First impressions, second thoughts and the third degree: When Lori Berquam made that original video about the notorious Mifflin Street block party, using her status as dean of students to say “Don?t go” to University of Wisconsin pupils, she caught a lot of flak that could have been avoided with one tweak to the script. She should have had some background vocals from UW coaches, who no doubt shared her protective instincts, but not her moxie. That kind of collaboration may have prevented an unfortunate jolt of embarrassment for Montee Ball, the most celebrated student-athlete in Badgers Nation.
Craig Werner: The Rising: Responding to Tragedy
Huffington Post
Tragedies are all around us. Some are large, while some are small: the death of a family member, unemployment, a failing grade. Who do you turn to when such a tragedy strikes? A close friend? A family member? A stranger? After the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Centers, an inconceivable tragedy for many, no one seemed to know where to turn. There were no easy answers, no solutions. Some turned to religion, some turned to revenge, and some turned to forms of art. Bruce Springsteen?s album The Rising was one of those outlets, and it covered the tragedy with unmatched delicacy and insight.
Serkin brings exceptional performance to Union Theater
Wisconsin State Journal
Here are some of the things that I think characterize a good musical performance: a program that surprises in its content and its execution; moments of unexpected and enlightening conversation between pieces; the co-existence of stunning beauty, thinky material, and wit. So, Peter Serkin is my kind of performer. His solo concert at the Wisconsin Union Theater provided all of the above with intelligence and grace.
UW needs to pay commencement speakers
Daily Cardinal
Last week, the University made what should have been a grand unveiling of the 2012 spring commencement speaker. Instead, what we got was a rather disappointing ?wah, wah? flop for a handful of seniors?a dud that appears to be an annual trend for the UW. Like most years, the 2012 university committee and senior class officers worked together to recruit a successful individual to address seniors at graduation. And like most years, the year-long build up and dramatic reveal of the honored individual only ended in a brow-raising ?who??
UW’s Landweber inducted into Internet Hall of Fame
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Al Gore has been inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame. So has Wisconsin?s Larry Landweber.
I?m betting you know all about Gore, the former vice president and U.S. senator who is occasionally the butt of jokes on late-night comedy shows. While Gore didn?t “invent the Internet,” as he once claimed in a weak moment, he made essential political contributions during its formative years.
I?m also guessing you know next to nothing about Landweber, who along with Gore and 31 others made up the inaugural class of the Internet Society?s Hall of Fame, announced in late April in Geneva, Switzerland.
Student input important for budget debate
Daily Cardinal
Last week, UW Transportation Services announced a 10 percent cut in transportation services on the UW campus due to a budget deficit.
Mifflin rules can improve our safety
Badger Herald
The highly anticipated Mifflin Street Block Party is less than a week away. However, there seems to be so many rumors about this year?s Mifflin that it is hard to figure out what to believe. We are here to put these rumors to rest and explain what is really going to happen on Mifflin. We are a group of students who have worked closely with city officials, members of the neighborhood and the police in preparation for Mifflin, and one thing we can say for sure is that this year?s event will see some serious changes.
Refocus on Wisconsin Idea to boost UW image within state
Daily Cardinal
Katherine Walsh is an associate professor of political science at UW-Madison. Since 2007 she has gathered information about how the state perceives the university. Walsh?s research, published in her paper ?The Distance from Public Institutions of Higher Education,? has exposed a rift between Wisconsinites and the university and the university?s failure to live up to the high expectations of the Wisconsin idea. By taking an innovative approach to the problems Walsh has highlighted, Wisconsin could join the forefront of the national conversation on how to restructure higher education.
Chris Rickert: It’s not easy to rescue teens from themselves
Wisconsin State Journal
I asked three UW-Madison educators who know a lot more about alcohol abuse and teenage behavior than I do what they thought of social host ordinances. In general, they were fans, although they were not able to point me to any research on their effect on teen drinking and its consequences. Social host ordinances are aimed at “adults who allow a very large group of underage people to consume alcohol typically with no supervision at all, just no questions asked,” said Nina Emerson, director of the Law School?s Resource Center on Impaired Driving. Brad Brown, a professor of educational psychology, thought it was “naive to believe that an adult can adequately monitor the behavior of any more than a small group of teens at an event where the teens are drinking.”
Jay Rhodes: Cut costs to keep basketball here
Wisconsin State Journal
Now that the WIAA has made the decision to keep the boys basketball tournament in Madison, it?s time for UW-Madison, city officials and local businesses to get off the bench. According to reports, the boys basketball tournament brings in over $6 million to the Madison area. So you?ve got to ask, what is going to be done to keep the money in Madison versus losing it to Green Bay or even Milwaukee?
Dean condescending, Mifflin a must for students
Badger Herald
?Don?t go. Don?t go to that event.? These words will live in infamy, at least for the Mifflin Street Block Party 2012 cohort, thanks to Dean of Students Lori Berquam. The now famous video, posted online, removed and then reposted by some anonymous dark knight of Madison, features a concerned but fumbling Berquam pleading with students not to go to Mifflin.
Paul Ginsberg: Berquam said what everyone wanted to
Wisconsin State Journal
Kudos to UW-Madison Dean of Students Lori Berquam. She had the courage to say, publicly and clearly, what everyone in the university, city and police department was thinking but didn?t have the courage to say. That?s what deans of students do ? I know, I?ve been there. Students were not being told what to do, they were being told that going to the Mifflin Street block party was not in their best interest, nor in the best interests of the community.
– Paul Ginsberg, Madison, UW-Madison emeritus dean of students
Ed Friedman: If China Sneezes?
The Diplomat
Fixation on political vicissitudes in China can draw attention away from the ever larger global impact of a rapidly rising China ? and the conditions that make that awesome rise possible.
Citizen Dave: The Mifflin Street Block Party can be cool
Isthmus
Let?s start out with what should be an obvious truth. If there?s any trouble at this year?s Mifflin Street Block Party, it won?t be the fault of the UW Dean of Students or the mayor or the police. The fault will be with the perpetrators. Look, if it helps, I?ll take my share of the blame for last year?s mess. I?m not sure if the bad stuff would have happened if it hadn?t been for the transition between myself and the incoming mayor. Paul Soglin was legitimately focused on other more demanding issues and I was busy looking for more bubble wrap and packing boxes.
Doug Bradley: The Odyssey of Learning
Huffington Post
“When this old world starts getting me down,” as the old song goes, and the usual antidotes — family, friends, writing, and music — can?t soothe my soul, I take comfort in knowing there?s one place I can always go that?s akin to being “Up on the Roof.” And that?s my annual engagement with the inspiring students enrolled in UW-Madison?s Odyssey Project. While I?m typically there with my colleague and collaborator, Professor Craig Werner, to talk about music and the Vietnam War, I always come away from those evenings awed and stimulated by the students and their insights. My encounter this past week was no exception.
Berquam?s Mifflin video misses the point
Daily Cardinal
Let?s get the obvious out of the way first: That video was bad. The message Dean of Students Lori Berquam released to students via YouTube Monday afternoon was an awkward, failed attempt to dissuade students from attending the Mifflin Street Block Party that inspired far more sarcastic comments than genuine discussions.
Gregg Mitman: Happiness depends on environment, too
Wisconsin State Journal
The United States may be one of the richest nations on the planet, but we aren?t the happiest. Neither are Britain, Japan, Germany or many other wealthy countries, according to a new “World Happiness Report” commissioned by the United Nations. The United States ranks 11th in the report. Not surprisingly, the world?s poorest countries are far less happy than their well-to-do counterparts.
(Gregg Mitman is interim director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison.)
Plain Talk: Student athletes get short end of stick
Capital Times
March Madness, the incredibly successful college sports event that produces hundreds of millions of dollars for the NCAA and many of its member schools, is behind us for another year. This year?s tournament proved once again there are few sports as entertaining as college basketball. Despite all the accolades lavished on the annual tourney, the NCAA leadership has been seething because a New York Times op-ed columnist, Joe Nocera, has been relentlessly questioning how the supposed ?guardian? of ?student athletes? really operates.
Craig Werner: Almost Famous: Uncoolness and the Spirit of Rock and Roll
Huffington Post
Earlier in the semester, a musician named Stewart Francke visited our class to discuss his music and his connection with Bruce Springsteen, who sings on Francke?s song “Summer Soldier (Holler If You Hear Me).”
Scheufele & Brossard: Misguided Science Policy?
The Scientist
Public meetings and consensus conferences seem to be the tool du jour for many government agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Agriculture. Designed to give the public a voice in policy decisions, they can, in some cases, provide valuable insights into the local public?s views and opinions on certain issues. But they can also have disastrous consequences when used as a policy-making tool designed to tap public opinion more broadly. And the likelihood of failure is particularly high when debates emerge in a community about if and where to build controversial facilities for storing nuclear waste or conducting research on potentially deadly biological pathogens.
US scepticism ? it’s been a long time coming
New Scientist
From Rick Santorum?s assertion that global warming is a “hoax” to Rick Perry?s support for intelligent design, the current Republican presidential primary season has sometimes seemed like a science-free zone.
Michael A. McRobbie: Proof Is in: Public Universities Are Economic Powerhouses for States
Huffington Post
For two centuries, public research universities such as Indiana University have helped shape the fortunes of the United States. They are economic and intellectual growth engines that give back far beyond what they receive in taxpayer support and knit together the residents of a state in a way that is uniquely American.
State needs a plan to retain more physicians
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin-Madison?s soon-to-be-expanded School of Nursing will be graduating 130 nurses per year, with additional students in clinical doctoral training programs and 29 seeking their doctorates. The physician assistant program at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health is also in the process of expanding in response to the growing need of providers. Also mentions UW-Madison programs to train urban and rural doctors.
[A column by Richard E. Rieselbach, M.D., is professor emeritus of medicine; Byron J. Crouse, M.D., is professor of family medicine, associate dean of rural and community health and director of the Wisconsin Academy of Rural Medicine; John G. Frohna, M.D., MPH, is associate professor of pediatrics and medicine and pediatric residency program director at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; Barbara J. Bowers, PhD, is professor and associate dean for research at the University of Wisconsin School of Nursing.]
Ami Orlin: Don’t scapegoat child protection services
Wisconsin State Journal
Significant attention has been paid to a horrific case of child abuse and neglect in Dane County. This child deserves the public?s attention, and it is always fair to ask: “How did this happen?” It also is important to understand the role and parameters of Child Protective Services before casting blame.
(Orlin is an adjunct faculty member at the UW-Madison School of Social Work)
Campus Connection: Making a case for privatizing state universities
Capital Times
If you?re looking to inject some spice into a higher education conference, adding Richard Vedder to the lineup of invited speakers is never a bad idea. Vedder ? the director of the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, and a retired professor of economics at Ohio University ? doesn?t fit the stereotype of the liberal college professor. Not even close.
The Role of Reality in Prices – Room for Debate
New York Times
In the typical introductory textbook, wages and prices adjust so that labor is fully employed and goods are sold at the right price. A more sophisticated treatment shows up in more advanced texts, but even in some graduate texts, there is an emphasis on the self-correcting aspects of the modern macroeconomy. [A column by Menzie Chinn, economics and public affairs professor at UW-Madison.]
Chris Rickert: Trouble isn’t brewing ? it’s already here
Wisconsin State Journal
“Research has found that individuals tend to drive drunk 80 to 100 times before they are caught,” according to Richard Brown, a UW-Madison physician and clinical director of the Wisconsin Initiative to Promote Healthy Lifestyles. “There just aren?t enough police officers around to catch most people most of the time.” Moreover, most of the people responsible for alcohol-related traffic deaths have never before been picked up for drunken driving, he said.
Chris Rickert: Don’t insult Nerad’s social work background
Wisconsin State Journal
A comment in Tuesday?s story about the resignation of Madison schools Superintendent Dan Nerad caught me short. “You can?t behave as a social worker and run a massive complex organization,” said Don Severson, head of the conservative watchdog group Active Citizens for Education. First, Severson’s comment speaks to a long-standing disrespect for the profession and what Kristen Slack, director of the UW-Madison School of Social Work, called an occasional “misunderstanding.”
“I think (Severson’s) comment itself is a gross mischaracterizing of the skills social workers bring to a role,” she said.
Alleged incident at Delta Upsilon house needs to be addressed by whole campus
Daily Cardinal
Last Thursday, The Daily Cardinal, Badger Herald, Wisconsin State Journal, Madison.com, UW-Madison and other news outlets broke headlines on a report detailing an unfortunate alleged racial incident against two black female students walking through frat row.
Alleged incident at Delta Upsilon highlights campus-wide issues
Daily Cardinal
People are often surprised when I tell them I am in a fraternity. I joined Delta Upsilon my freshman year and lived in the house last year, but I am no frat star. In the past two years, I?ve been to maybe three DU events, however I am close to active and inactive members. Considering I am a non-white member of an allegedly racist fraternity, I can speak to last week?s racial incident with some clarity. There are three things that I am sure of: excessively punishing DU is a mistake, disciplining the individuals involved needs to be firm and fair and DU?s proximity to the end of Frances Street is a factor that has been ignored.
Madison360: Doctors behind bars? Another splendid GOP idea
Capital Times
One can see why Laurel Rice does not follow politics closely, considering that what she calls her ?day job? is performing gynecological cancer surgery. Dr. Rice is chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Who better, I thought, to ask about the bill that majority Republicans in the Legislature recently passed requiring that doctors take unnecessary steps and abide by new restrictions before performing an abortion.
Craig Werner: Springsteen, Glenn Beck and Tom Joad
Huffington Post
Unlike some of my peers, I never really listened to Springsteen before taking Craig Werner?s class at UW Madison — “Bruce Springsteen?s America.” My parents were fans of the Boss, but he and the E-Street crew took a back seat to David Bowie, U2, The Clash, and R.E.M.
Bousquet: Wisconsin sectors must unite to educate for a global marketplace
Wisconsin Technology Council
MADISON?It is widely recognized that we live and work in a world that is increasingly interdependent and interconnected. Yet, the financial resources at our disposal to respond to the educational challenges of this global environment continue to shrink.
Branton Kunz: A resident?s perspective on Block 100
Capital Times
From 2009-2011, I walked rent checks over to my landlord at The Rifken Group on Madison?s Capitol square. Write the checks to Central Focus LLC, they told me and my two roommates. We didn?t realize the significance. As graduates of the University of Wisconsin in 2007, my roommates and I had a genuine affection for living in downtown Madison.
Doug Bradley: The Man From DARE
Huffington Post
The recent publication of the fifth, and final, volume of the Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) marks the culmination of nearly five decades of work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. DARE is a landmark of American scholarship, recording the words, phrases, pronunciations, and pieces of grammar and syntax that vary from one part of the country to another. And the attendant hoopla and coverage from media and DARE admirers around the world is fitting and deserved.
Chris Rickert: Bad policy to coddle UW spring breakers
Wisconsin State Journal
All of us well-educated Madison liberals can “tsk, tsk” at the regular bashing our beloved UW-Madison takes from the likes of such “anti-intellectuals” as Republican state Rep. Steve Nass. But for being so smart, university types sometimes seem dumb enough to bring it upon themselves.
Witte: Evidence that vouchers work
Philadelphia Inquirer
School vouchers have stalled in the Pennsylvania legislature, and President Obama’s budget proposes to end the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, which allows children from low-income families to attend private schools with government aid. This is despite a U.S. Department of Education evaluation led by one of us Wolf that found the Washington program boosted the high school graduation rate by 21 percent.
Don?t blame UW for rising tuition
Daily Cardinal
Members of the university?s Faculty Senate fear that professors at UW-Madison will soon leave the university in search of better paying jobs at competing schools. This fear came shortly after a report was released showing that faculty at UW-Madison are paid significantly less than their peers at other universities. In fact, salaries here are about 11 percent lower overall than at competing institutions.
Craig Werner: Exploring Bruce Springsteen’s America
Huffington Post
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, I spend 75 minutes listening to and talking about Bruce Springsteen with twenty 19- and 20-year-old freshmen at the University of Wisconsin. When the class (technically titled “Bruce Springsteen?s America”) began, most the students didn?t know much of Springsteen?s music beyond “Born in the U.S.A.” and “Born to Run.” The most common explanation for why they signed up for the class was something like “my parents are crazy about Bruce and I?d kinda like to know why.” They?re smart, engaged, a bit more urban and geographically diverse than the average UW class. (New York City, Long Island, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Pittsburg, and China via Queens, in addition to our standard upper Midwestern mix). I?ll introduce you to a few of them in a minute.
Mozart’s score comes alive in UW Opera’s performance
Daily Cardinal
Mozart rocks. So when I heard that the University Opera was staging Wolfgang?s classic ?Don Giovanni,? I knew it would be a must-see.
Brad Barham and Bill Tracy: Many faculty salary solutions considered
Wisconsin State Journal
The UW-Madison faculty is disturbed by columnist Chris Rickert cherry-picking two items from a list of 11 possible solutions to the problem of declining faculty salaries, not one of which has been endorsed by the Faculty Senate, in his March 8 column, “Professors, it shouldn?t be all about the money.”
Charo: Warning: Contraceptive Drugs May Cause Political Headaches
New England Journal of Medicine
Foster Friess, a conservative political donor, recently discounted the importance of insurance coverage for contraceptives, saying, ?Back in my days, they used Bayer Aspirin for contraception. The gals put it between their knees, and it wasn?t that costly.?
Dangerous areas need lighting
Badger Herald
As a freshman, one of the first things I was told was ?Don?t walk Rapeshore alone at night.? As unflattering as that nickname is, ?Rapeshore? doesn?t only describe Lakeshore Path anymore.
Expect Sweet 16 for Marquette, Wisconsin
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Sunday was another very good day for college basketball in the great state of Wisconsin.bMarquette is a No. 3 in the West. Wisconsin is a No. 4 in the East.
Doug Bradley: Holler If You Hear Stewart Francke
Huffington Post
What do Bruce Springsteen, leukemia, the Funk Brothers, Afghanistan and Iraq, Chuck Berry, bone marrow transplants, and blue-eyed soul have to do with Stewart Francke and his music?
Anecdotes don’t reflect UW reality
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Task Force on UW Restructuring should be using its time to refocus the state and UW on the needs of Wisconsin students and families. It should be working to open the university doors to all Wisconsinites, instead of protecting the prestige of UW. It should be focused on rebuilding the relationship between our communities and the universities in them and reprioritizing public investment in UW. [A column by Allie Gardner, ASM chair.]
UW-Madison professor?s low pay negatively affects academic merit
Daily Cardinal
This week, a Faculty Senate committee outlined its Commission on Faculty Compensation and Economic Benefits report, a report describing the growing problem that UW-Madison has and will be facing in regards to the salaries and compensation of its faculty. The report states that the salaries of instructors, specifically professors and assistant professors, are significantly lower compared to other Big Ten and public institutions.
Time for UW drinking culture to change
Badger Herald
The University of Wisconsin made headlines a couple weeks ago when it was named the fifth-best value of public colleges in America by Princeton Review. The university gave itself a pat on the back for this, as it should have. However, we also came out as the 14th best party school in America. Now, I am not opposed to a little partying and drinking, but I realize that the extent to which Badgers do it is ridiculous. I think we as a campus should slow down.
Chris Rickert: Most UW-Madison professors must love something more than money
Wisconsin State Journal
….In choosing low-paying career paths ? social services and journalism ? I aimed for a full life, if not necessarily a full-bank-account life, and I?m happy I did. So I?m puzzled by these cries coming from that expanse of state-owned land on the shores of Lake Mendota that the quality of UW-Madison is in jeopardy because its miserly professorial salaries are not enough to keep and recruit the best faculty. I had always assumed that college professors, like me, saw money-making as a fairly low priority.
Judge makes the right decision on voter ID law
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
It?s entirely possible that the temporary injunction against Wisconsin?s voter ID law issued Tuesday won?t stand. The decision has obvious flaws. And, no, Dane County Circuit Judge David Flanagan should not have signed a petition to recall Gov. Scott Walker. Nevertheless, Flanagan raised enough issues in his 11-page decision to call Wisconsin?s version of voter ID into question and to warrant this action. We think that?s good news for the state?s voters, especially the 220,000 who, according to one expert quoted by the judge, don?t have the proper ID to vote.
Doug Bradley: Johnny Cash & Vietnam
Huffington Post
Earlier this week, members of Johnny Cash?s extended family gathered in his boyhood home of Dyess, Ark., to commemorate what would have been the singer?s 80th birthday. That celebration jump-starts a tsunami of Cash activity this year, including the release of new and old music and the opening of a Johnny Cash museum in Nashville. “The Man in Black” will be toasted and lionized and, hopefully, appreciated.
The Badger Herald: Effects of unprecedented cuts approaching
Badger Herald
In order for Gov. Scott Walker to balance the state budget, the University of Wisconsin has been handed $46.1 million in cuts. As of yet, no UW group is sure how to shoulder the setback, and right now, all anyone can do is plug leaks in the levy while the flood of consequences is ready to break loose.
Trubek: Contraception War Goes On
New York Times
Can we still be arguing about a woman?s ability to control her own fertility? Almost 50 years ago in Griswold v. Connecticut, the Supreme Court struck down state restrictions on contraception because they violated a right to privacy. (Louise G. Trubek is a public interest lawyer and an emerita professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School.)