Memorial Union was evacuated Thursday afternoon as crews worked to put out a fire in the attic, officials said.
Memorial Union reopens after fire under roof tiles, officials say
Channel3000.com
Category: Top Stories
Memorial Union reopened after small roof fire
Wisconsin State Journal
Madison firefighters were at Memorial Union shortly after 3:30 p.m. on Thursday to combat the fire which was extinguished by 4 p.m., said Madison fire Department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster. According to Schuster, the fire was discovered underneath roof tiles of the Union. A portion of tiles had to be removed to put out the fire and some water damage occurred on the fourth floor of the building as a result. The cause has not been determined and the fire remains under investigation.
Darrell Bazzell leaving post as UW-Madison Vice Chancellor for Finance for job in Texas
WKOW TV
One of the top officials at UW-Madison is stepping down.
Darrell Bazzell is leaving his job as the Vice Chancellor for Finance in March. According to a press release from UW-Madison, Bazzell will become the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at the University of Texas at Austin in mid-April.
UW financial officer takes Texas job
AP (via Channel3000.com)
University of Wisconsin-Madison’s vice chancellor for finance is leaving to take a job at the University of Texas.
Both schools posted news releases Tuesday saying Darrell Bazzell will leave Wisconsin in March and begin a stint as senior vice president and chief financial officer at the University of Texas at Austin on April 18.
Scientists from UW-Madison lead way in stopping Zika virus
WISC-TV
Live at Four talks to UW-Madison’s Kristen Bernard and Matthew Aliota, both experts on Zika virus. Aliota is part of team that confirmed the Zika virus in Columbia and is working to find a way to stop it.
UW finance official — and ex-DNR chief — heading to Texas
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
University of Wisconsin-Madison’s vice chancellor for finance is leaving to take a job at the University of Texas.
UW-Madison administrator Darrell Bazzell moving to University of Texas
Wisconsin State Journal
Darrell Bazzell, UW’s vice chancellor for finance and administration and a former secretary of the Department of Natural Resources, said he sees the job as an opportunity to move closer to his family in the Houston area, and a chance to take on a new role after 31 years in Wisconsin state government. Bazzell has been vice chancellor since 2003.
Darrell Bazzell leaving UW-Madison for job at the University of Texas
Capital Times
Bazzell, 57, vice chancellor of finance and administration, said Tuesday he will become senior vice president and chief finance officer at the Texas campus, a role similar to but more focused on finances than his role at the UW. His last day at UW-Madison will be March 6.
Darrell Bazzell named senior vice president, CFO of University
The Daily Texan
President Gregory L. Fenves named Darrell Bazzell, vice chancellor for finance and administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as senior vice president and chief financial officer of the University on Tuesday. Bazzell will assume his new role at UT on April 18.
Lawmakers Look To Shield Sexual Assault Victims From Underage Drinking Citations
Wisconsin Public Radio
Wisconsin legislators are proposing a bill that would ensure sexual assault victims and others who report such crimes can’t be cited or disciplined for underage drinking.
Wisconsin bill would provide amnesty for sexual assault victims
AP
Wisconsin legislators are proposing a bill that would ensure sexual assault victims and reporters can’t be cited or disciplined for underage drinking.
Bill provides ticket amnesty for UW System students who report sexual assault
Wisconsin Radio Network
Legislation being proposed at the Capitol provides “ticket amnesty” for underage drinkers who report sexual assaults on UW campuses. With sexual assault remaining the most under reported crime, Attorney General Brad Schimel backs the legislation.
UW-Madison’s Why Files science magazine shuts down due to budget cuts
Capital Times
UW-Madison’s “The Why Files,” a pioneering, popular online magazine devoted to scientific questions, has closed after 20 years due to state budget cuts, according to a “bye-bye” post on Thursday.
UW System president meets with student activists, drawing rebuke from Republican senator
Wisconsin State Journal
UW System President Ray Cross met for two hours on Thursday with representatives from the United Council of University of Wisconsin Students — the same group that held a protest during a meeting of the UW Board of Regents last month … On Friday, state Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, sent out a press release blasting Cross for “wasting time appeasing the political correctness crowd.”
Wisconsin President Criticized for Meeting Students
Inside Higher Education
An influential Republican state senator has criticized Ray Cross, president of the University of Wisconsin System, for meeting with student leaders last week to talk about how to improve the climate for minority students, The Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Univ. Wisconsin student activists get long-awaited meeting with president
USA Today College
On Thursday afternoon, a group of student activists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison finally got what they’ve been asking for since December: A meeting with Univ. of Wisconsin System President Ray Cross and other top administrators to discuss their concerns about the well-being and inclusion of minority students throughout the system.
UW students meet with Ray Cross, who admits there’s more to be done on race inclusion
Capital Times
After crossed signals scuttled efforts to talk last month, students advocating for a more inclusive racial environment on University of Wisconsin campuses sat down Thursday with UW System president Ray Cross. They emerged with a promise to meet, at least partially, the first in a list of student demands.
Authors say GOP college affordability bills are better way to help students than refinancing
Wisconsin State Journal
Members of the state Assembly’s higher education committee sparred Thursday over the best way to help students manage the cost of going to college, with Republicans putting forward a package of bills that include new financial aid funding and a tax break for some student loan borrowers, and Democrats arguing for a plan to let graduates refinance their debt.
College officials say GOP college affordability bills are ‘a good start’
Capital Times
UW System president Ray Cross, who testified in support of the entire package, said the bills are “a good start” and will “undoubtedly be of benefit” both to current UW students and graduates living throughout the state.
Politicians At Both State, Federal Levels Zero In On College Affordability
Wisconsin Public Radio
College affordability is getting lots of lip service at the state and federal level — though it’s not clear that such talk will translate into action, given partisan divisions on the issue.
Scott Walker talks college affordability in first State of the State since presidential bid
Capital Times
(Walker) also announced plans to work with the University of Wisconsin System to explore providing a three-year degree program that would start in high schools and continue on some UW campuses. He lauded high school students’ high ACT scores and the impact of his tuition freeze for the University of Wisconsin System, enacted in the 2013-15 budget and extended in the 2015-17 spending plan.
Walker’s State of the State priority: employment
AP
Gov. Scott Walker promised during his State of the State speech Tuesday to help more people find work and attain college degrees faster as he works to bolster approval ratings that sank after his failed presidential bid.
UW Health Emergency Chopper To Be Stationed In Southwestern Wisconsin
Wisconsin Public Radio
Come spring, University of Wisconsin Health in Madison plans to move one of its Med Flight helicopters to Iowa County in order to improve response times in southwestern Wisconsin.
Legislators spar over college affordability plans
Racine Journal-Times
Republicans and Democrats agree college needs to be more affordable for students, who in 2014 reportedly graduated with an average debt of $28,810.
Findley: ‘Making a Murderer’ shows that our justice system needs a healthy dose of humility
The Washington Post
Guilty or innocent?Viewers addicted to the Netflix documentary series “Making a Murderer” are fiercely debating the case of Steven Avery and his nephew, Brendan Dassey.
Olver looks to ‘foster interaction’ at a more urban URP
WisBusiness.com
Aaron Olver wants University Research Park to look more like a city. That, says URP’s managing director, includes bringing in restaurants, coffee shop and fitness centers, as well as adding more picnic tables and social events and expanding URP’s food carts program. It’s all part of an effort to attract more companies to URP and bring in talent that increasingly seeks urban spaces and collaboration.
Raised voices
Isthmus
Dr. Seth Dailey knows it’s hard to underestimate the power of voice. “Think about the number of people you make judgments about based on their voice,” says Dailey, a UW-Madison surgeon who specializes in vocal disorders. “We do it all the time. It’s part of the perceptual package. It affects how people can do their jobs with altered voice production. Vocal issues are more important than ever before in human history.”
Student Leader Wants Walker To Lift Tuition Freeze On UW System
Wisconsin Public Radio
Gov. Scott Walker unveiled a new college affordability plan this week, but not all college students are in favor of the proposed legislation.
Scott Walker: Package of bills will make college more affordable
Wisconsin State Journal
Borrowers paying back their student loans would get a bigger break on their taxes and more students at Wisconsin’s technical colleges could receive need-based aid under bills Gov. Scott Walker unveiled Monday that are aimed at making higher education in the state more affordable.
Scott Walker announces GOP college affordability initiative
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Gov. Scott Walker announced a legislative package on college affordability Monday that would eliminate the cap on student loan interest that borrowers can deduct from their state income tax, putting an average $165 extra in taxpayers’ pockets
The Trials of Alice Goffman
New York Times
Her first book, ‘On the Run’ — about thelives of young black men in WestPhiladelphia — has fueled a fight withinsociology over who gets to speak for whom.
Walker talks tuition freeze, college affordability at UW-L
LaCrosse Tribune
Despite a power outage on campus Monday, Gov. Scott Walker outlined proposals he said would make college more affordable during a visit to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Walker Rolls Out College Affordability Legislation
Wisconsin Public Radio
Gov. Scott Walker is endorsing a package of measures that he says will make college more affordable.
Gov. Walker & GOP lawmakers plan to announce student debt proposals
WLUK-TV, Milwaukee
MAPLE BLUFF — With student loan debt in America standing at a record $1.2 trillion, Gov. Scott Walker and some Republican lawmakers say they’ll be rolling out some proposed legislation on Monday.
UW-Madison to end dairy sheep research program, disperse herd of ewes
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The University of Wisconsin-Madison will close its dairy sheep research program and disperse the flock of about 300 ewes in the fall, as the university rethinks how it serves the state’s broad agricultural sectors in light of state budget cuts.
University of Wisconsin to end dairy sheep research program
AP
The University of Wisconsin-Madison plans to end its dairy sheep research program and get rid of hundreds of ewes in northwestern Wisconsin.
UW System names new top academic officer
Wisconsin State Journal
James P. Henderson was named Monday as the system’s chief academic officer, overseeing academic programs, diversity planning and faculty and staff development, among other responsibilities, officials said.
Louisiana administrator tapped as UW System chief academic officer
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The No. 2 administrator for the largest campus in the University of Louisiana System has been tapped to be the top academic officer for the University of Wisconsin System.
40 Under 40: Jake Wood: Deploying Veterans for a New Mission
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Jake Wood was fresh out of the U.S. Marines and weighing business school when a deadly earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010. He rallied some fellow military veterans and medical personnel, flew to the Dominican Republic, and rented trucks. The group made its way into Port-au-Prince, where for 20 days they provided emergency relief and treated people who had what Mr. Wood describes as “horrific wounds.”
Anti-Abortion Group Launches Ads Calling For Vote On Fetal Tissue Bill
Wisconsin Public Radio
An anti-abortion group has started airing a television commercial calling on Assembly Speaker Robin Vos to hold a vote on a bill that would prohibit research using tissue taken from aborted fetuses.
Vos: Campus carry bill unlikely, lawmakers to take second look at fetal tissue ban
AP
MADISON –Wisconsin lawmakers, back in Madison for a brief session before focusing on their own jobs for the rest of 2016, will consider one bill making it easier to hire and fire state workers and another banning the use of fetal tissue from abortions.
Vos says changes to concealed carry laws unlikely
Wisconsin Radio Network
Changes to Wisconsin gun laws are unlikely to happen during the spring legislative session, according to a top Republican in the state Legislature.
Vos: Vote On College Concealed Carry Not Likely This Session
Wisconsin Public Radio
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says a bill allowing concealed weapons in college buildings probably won’t get a vote before the legislative session ends early next year.
Nycz: Why the Wisconsin Partnership Program works
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Twenty years ago, a friend approached me about a problem. Many of the youths in the small community were in a cycle of trouble: incarceration, release and repeat. Concerned parents, clergy and others came together to seek solutions. They felt as if they were spinning their wheels and getting nowhere.
Task force finalizes new UW tenure policy
AP (via Channel3000.com)
A University of Wisconsin System task force has finalized new tenure rules. The Wisconsin State Journal reported Thursday that the task force wrapped up work Wednesday. The task force is expected to forward the policy to the Board of Regents’ education committee by February. The full board is expected to vote on the plan in March.
UW professors make final plea for changes to tenure, layoff policies
WKOW-TV 27
Professors from across the UW System got to make their final pleas Wednesday on what two new policies concerning faculty layoffs and tenure review might look like.
UW task force finishes writing faculty layoff rules
Wisconsin State Journal
A contentious rewrite of tenure rules for the state’s public university faculty has advanced to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, months after lawmakers stripped tenure protections from state law.
After difficult summer, UW-Madison fighting off efforts to poach top professors
Wisconsin State Journal
UW-Madison officials say the campus has seen an increase in the number of professors entertaining job offers from competing universities.
UW task force to take up proposed faculty layoff rules
Wisconsin State Journal
The UW System Tenure Policy Task Force, the body charged with writing new faculty protections, plans to meet Wednesday afternoon to review draft policies that outline layoff protections for tenured faculty and the review process professors must go through after they have received tenure.
Proposed UW System policies would govern faculty layoffs
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Proposed policies expected to clear a major hurdle Wednesday will pave the way for something that has never been done in the University of Wisconsin System’s 44-year existence. One would allow tenured and tenure-track faculty to be laid off if academic programs are discontinued for “educational considerations,” including financial or strategic planning reasons tied to “long-term student and market demand and societal needs.” The other, if adopted, would strengthen procedures for evaluating faculty performance at least once every five years after they have achieved tenure.
Energy research institute will stay open another year after receiving $3.5M from UW alums
Wisconsin State Journal
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation plans to give $3.5 million to keep the Wisconsin Energy Institute operating for a year. It’s a stopgap move after state lawmakers passed a budget in July that removed $8.1 million in funding over two years for the Wisconsin Bioenergy Initiative.
UW Police Chief Condemns Republican’s Pro-Gun Response To Madison Shooting
Wisconsin Public Radio
University of Wisconsin-Madison’s police chief is taking a Republican state representative to task after the lawmaker called for more citizens to become armed with guns and to end gun-free zones.
10 Best Music Books of 2015
Rolling Stone
Featured: Prof. Craig Werner, lecturer Doug Bradley and alumnus Charles L. Hughes
The year’s best music reads included open books on a roots-rocker, a dance icon, a punk poet and a rap pioneer; not to mention deep looks at everything from the Vietnam war to the current EDM explosion.
A legislative proposal wants to bring back shared governance to the UW System
WKOW TV
Representatives Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) and Terese Berceau (D-Madison) held a news conference on Monday to announce a proposed piece of legislation that would bring back shared governance to the University of Wisconsin System. This proposed bill aims to improve the status of faculty, staff, and students within the UW System. If passed it would mean a return to students, faculty, and staff being decision makers on campus, not simply advisers to campus chancellors, as is now the case.
Shared governance in the UW System was removed by Wisconsin state legislators during the last passed budget.
Legislation would restore shared governance at UW to former status
Capital Times
The bill will bring statutory language back to what it was before it was changed in Gov. Scott Walker’s 2015-2017 budget to downgrade the role of faculty, staff and students from “active participants” to advisory.
Badgers men’s basketball: Barry Alvarez shares some details of Bo Ryan’s surprising retirement
Wisconsin State Journal
During an interview with the State Journal on Monday, UW Athletic Director Barry Alvarez addressed the timetable of former basketball coach Bo Ryan’s retirement and also elaborated on what he expects to see from interim coach Greg Gard.
Loneliness darkens twilight years
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quoted in story, part of series: “Social isolation is a huge issue,” said Art Walaszek, a professor in University of Wisconsin-Madison’s department of psychiatry. “The other huge issue is suicide in older adults. After age 65, the suicide rates just skyrocket. They’re much higher than for any other demographic group. And one of the top five risk factors for suicide in older adults is social isolation.”
Back to school for the public good
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
From Jeffrey Russell, Dean of Continuing Studies: A democracy requires government to function effectively, and public employees are the ones who make that happen.It’s easy to take government services for granted. Most of us don’t think twice about the clean water that comes from our faucets, the trash that’s picked up on schedule or the effort that goes into caring for our most vulnerable citizens.One key to doing these jobs well is lifelong learning. In a rapidly changing world, public employees must commit themselves to mastering the latest developments in their fields so that government runs as efficiently as possible.
Bo Ryan announces retirement after 15 seasons at Wisconsin, Greg Gard named interim head coach
Badger Herald
What University of Wisconsin men’s basketball fans dreaded for months became reality Tuesday night when Bo Ryan officially announced his retirement, effective immediately.
Bo Ryan announces his retirement, Greg Gard named interim head coach
Daily Cardinal
After nearly four decades as a coach at the collegiate level, Bo Ryan has finally decided to hang up the whistle for good.