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Category: UW-Madison Related

Trawling for trolley tracks

Capital Times

The Madison Streetcar Study Committee’s list of streets where streetcar tracks might be installed are talking points to get a public conversation going, not recommendations, said David Trowbridge, the city’s streetcar project manager.

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, the committee and its staff are starting that discussion tonight at a streetcar directions neighborhood workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. at Monona Terrace.

Burglaries up this month

Capital Times

Burglars apparently are getting ready for Christmas along with the rest of the population and have struck� numerous residences and businesses this week.

….Laptop computers also were the target of burglars in the campus area this week.

Pregnant UW researchers may get paid leave

Capital Times

The Chemistry Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is proposing paid maternity leave for research assistants as a way of ensuring that more women advance to faculty status.

The department’s 40-member faculty – which includes four women – voted in May to approve the idea for a 12-week maternity leave with pay, but it remains under consideration by the university’s attorneys and the Office of Human Resources.

Barrows retires from UW

Capital Times

Controversial UW-Madison administrator Paul Barrows has retired from the university, but is continuing� legal claims stemming from a forced leave from his position there, his attorney said.

The State of Wisconsin Claims Board denied a claim today in which� Barrows asked for $124,521 in accrued benefits used while he was on unpaid leave due to allegations of sexual misconduct. He also was seeking compensation for lost income because he was placed in a position at a lesser salary than he said he had been promised.

Editorial: Bold tuition idea is bad idea for state (Appleton Post-Crescent)

Appleton Post-Crescent

There’s a common misperception that unusual ideas are good ideas. If it’s something people have never heard before, they’re more likely to greet a concept with a smile than the scowls they reserve for the same old status quo.

Unfortunately, while thinking outside of the box is good, that doesn’t necessarily mean the thoughts themselves are always good. That’s why the proposal of tying free tuition in the University of Wisconsin system to a state residency pledge sounds great but is actually a bad idea all around.

EDITORIAL: Bold thinking. What’s the cost? (Beloit Daily News)

THE PROBLEM HAS been expressed in many ways, such as a ââ?¬Å?brain drain,ââ?¬Â or the notion that ââ?¬Å?Wisconsin’s biggest export is its educated young people.ââ?¬ÂSo we applaud a study panel’s bold idea to examine whether Wisconsin should offer free college tuition in exchange for students agreeing to stay and work at least 10 years in the state after graduation.

They came, they saw, they stayed

Capital Times

It was the summer of 1996 and Money magazine had just made Madison famous.Across the Atlantic Ocean, Rebekah Rickner and her then-husband had been living in Germany for five years and were interested in returning to the States. They were seeking a suitable place to raise children when they stumbled across the Money magazine article ranking Madison the No. 1 city in America to live.

Rickner was reluctant to move to a “smallish” city like Madison, having grown up in Baltimore before living in San Francisco and Boston. But move here they did.

(Business professor emeritus Jon Udell is quoted in this article.)

Editorial: A growing, worrisome gap

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Mentions a new study by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that the biggest public cost for year-round, low-wage workers was medical assistance as more companies forgo providing insurance.

What’s in a name?

Capital Times

Should Madison’s newest elementary school be called Barry Alvarez Elementary? Or how about the Roberto Clemente School?

Don’t like the notion of a sports figure’s name on the plaque outside your child’s school? Well, then, what do you think about Leonardo da Vinci? Mark Twain?

3rd sex attack in two weeks

Wisconsin State Journal

Another Madison woman has been sexually assaulted by a stranger, in the third such random attack in the city in less than two weeks.
“It is unusual to have that many in this period of time,” Madison police Sgt. Dave McClurg said Saturday.

No arrests have been made.

UW regents delay action on admissions

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents voiced support Thursday for a new admissions policy that would take into account the race, income and other non-academic factors of all applicants, not just some. But regents held off approving an official change to admissions policy after a state legislator warned of a public backlash.

Liv A. Anderson: Barrett taught a worthy class

Capital Times

Dear Editor: I am writing of my own accord, as a student of Dr. Kevin Barrett’s at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His 15-week course on Islam is almost over and I wanted to take a moment to describe how the class has turned out as most people have not had the opportunity to attend the lectures.

Barrett course treated Sept. 11 conspiracy fairly

Daily Cardinal

I am writing on my own accord, as a student of Dr. Kevin Barrett�s at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His 15-week course on Islam is almost over, and I wanted to take a moment to describe how the class has turned out as most people have not had the opportunity to attend the lectures.
When I signed up for African Studies 370, ââ?¬Å?Islam: Religion and Culture,ââ?¬Â I knew nothing about Dr. Barrett and was unaware that he was teaching the course. However, I am very glad I took this class. Yes, Dr. Barrett has controversial views on how 9/11 unfolded.

Court Reviews Race as Factor in School Plans

New York Times

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 � By the time the Supreme Court finished hearing arguments on Monday on the student-assignment plans that two urban school systems use to maintain racial integration, the only question was how far the court would go in ruling such plans unconstitutional.

There seemed little prospect that either the Louisville, Ky., or Seattle plans would survive the hostile scrutiny of the court�s new majority. In each system, students are offered a choice of schools but can be denied admission based on their race if enrolling at a particular school would upset the racial balance.

Doug Moe: Let’s leave the tram in Portland

Capital Times

LISTENING THIS week to a new song devoted to public transportation in Portland has led me to conclude that Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz needs to expand his vision of how Portland’s futuristic ideas can be transferred to Madison.

….The question for Madison is: Where can we build a tram? The obvious answer is Bascom Hill….

Chazen expansion behind schedule

Daily Cardinal

UW-Madison�s Chazen Museum of Art expansion is not progressing as quickly as officials thought.

Two years ago, estimations were made to have all funds raised by fall 2006 and expansion completed by 2009 for the university�s museum. The plan requires funds adding up to $35 million.

UW talent helps in tangible ways

Wisconsin State Journal

For every wacky, part-time lecturer spinning silly conspiracy theories at UW-Madison, there are hundreds if not thousands of talented educators and researchers helping Wisconsin in tangible ways.

No place like home

Capital Times

Don’t know much about history? Don’t know much geography? There are some painless remedies for that this holiday season.

This week’s main event is the launch of “Madison: The Illustrated Sesquicentennial History, Volume 1, 1856-1931” by city planner-journalist-labor mediator-politician Stuart Levitan.

The University of Wisconsin Press launch party, free and open to all, will be Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. in the lobby of the Orpheum Theatre on State Street.

Slow fundraising will delay Chazen expansion

Wisconsin State Journal

Fundraising for the $35 million expansion of UW- Madison’s Chazen Museum of Art is lagging $10 million behind projections, delaying construction by at least two years – or, worst-case scenario, leaving its elaborate building plans uncertain.
When UW-Madison alumni Jerome and Simona Chazen donated $20 million to the former Elvehjem Museum of Art in May 2005, university administrators were confident that another $15 million for the facility’s 62,000- square-foot addition could be rounded up by this fall. To date only $5 million is “firmly committed,” said museum director Russell Panczenko.

Kutler: It�s Civil War in Iraq. Now What?

New York Times

Finally, a large number of American and Iraqi scholars, leaders and policy analysts have determined the obvious: yes, we have a civil war in Iraq, and it has existed for a long time.

Anyone with a sense of history knows that when a country is being torn apart by contending internal forces (two or more) and the government is largely dysfunctional and, above all, incapable of quashing the effort, that is civil war. Hardly rocket science. Add to the mix what historians recognize as ââ?¬Å?an insurgency,ââ?¬Â one that is remarkably successful and gaining in strength by the day. Maybe we are getting better.

After years of denial in Vietnam, we recognized reality ââ?¬â? and left. Does that mean ââ?¬Å?cut and runââ?¬Â? Can we move beyond President Bushââ?¬â?¢s clichÃ?©s and manipulative language and simply say we must leave a situation that we cannot control?

Stanley I. Kutler
The writer is emeritus professor of history and law at the University of Wisconsin.

WARF to abandon claim to $100,000

Daily Cardinal

UW-Madison has decided not to pursue $100,000 originally promised to the university as part of a donor�s estate to which his daughter claimed as her rightful inheritance, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

Case illustrates a dilemma for nonprofits

Wisconsin State Journal

The UW-Madison fundraising arm is drawing criticism for unsuccessfully fighting for two years to obtain an additional $100,000 from the estate of a donor who meant to leave the money for his once- estranged daughter.
Just as the state Supreme Court was ready to hear the case, the UW Foundation last month agreed to allow the estate of Harold Mennes to pay $100,000 to his daughter plus $34,000 in fees to her attorneys.

The case highlights a dilemma for nonprofit groups: how hard to pursue money they believe is theirs. Fight too hard and they risk antagonizing potential donors, but too soft might mean they lose money for their cause.

Let Barrett Debate His Views

Wisconsin State Journal

As one of the 37 percent of Americans who believe it is either “very likely” or “somewhat likely” that federal officials either participated in or took no action to prevent the Sept. 11 attacks, I’d like to point out that UW-Madison lecturer Kevin Barrett has challenged anyone — especially Rep. Steve Nass — to a debate.

Hot topics: Breastfeeding

Wisconsin State Journal

U.S. must change backward views on breastfeeding

Thanks to Susan Lampert Smith for her Sunday column “UW being a boob with mom who must pump.” Smith accurately described the discrimination and humiliation new mothers often experience in the U.S. while breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding needs to be promoted, protected and preserved. New mothers should not have to be banned to the rest rooms to either feed their child or pump milk. I’m sure Camp Randall has an appropriate, clean place for mothers to breastfeed or pump in privacy.

Bill Hibbard: Bio-defense lab should be isolated

Capital Times

Dear Editor: The University of Wisconsin is one of 14 competitors for the new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, intended to replace the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Plum Island Animal Disease Center. The proposed facility would be located at the UW’s Kegonsa Research Facility in the town of Dunn.

Case illustrates a dilemma for nonprofits

Wisconsin State Journal

The UW-Madison fundraising arm is drawing criticism for unsuccessfully fighting for two years to obtain an additional $100,000 from the estate of a donor who meant to leave the money for his once- estranged daughter.

Just as the state Supreme Court was ready to hear the case, the UW Foundation last month agreed to allow the estate of Harold Mennes to pay $100,000 to his daughter plus $34,000 in fees to her attorneys.

Alcohol policy coordinator: Police can�t go it alone

La Crosse Tribune

Joel Plant doesn�t think taverns should have last calls, because they cause patrons who may already be intoxicated to rush the bar and then drink fast before they pour out into the street.

Plant, Madisonââ?¬â?¢s Alcohol Policy Coordinator for about a year, also believes municipalities should have a system that prevents an establishment from morphing from a restaurant into a bar by removing tables and creating ââ?¬Å?vertical drinking space,ââ?¬Â where patrons stand shoulder to shoulder.

Bookmark this map – New UW-Madison online campus cartography is fun and useful.

Isthmus

This is way too cool to resist sharing it with the rest of the class: The UW-Madison has launched an interactive online campus map that blows all previous campus maps out of the water.

From Eagle Heights and Frautschi Point in the map’s northwest corner, the map encompasses the Lake Mendota shoreline all the way to Lowell Hall and from there south to the Kohl Center. But what’s cool about the map are its interactive features.

Student hopes to save Union Travel Center

Daily Cardinal

Wisconsin Union Travel Center employees and other UW-Madison students have drawn up a student initiative in hopes of saving the campus-funded Travel Center after Union administration announced Thursday that it would close in Summer 2007.

UW Cooperative Extension dean quits

Capital Times

Arlen Leholm will resign as dean of the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension at the end of January to become executive director of the North Central Regional Association of State Agricultural Experiment Station Directors.

Marshfield Clinic, WiSys to cooperate (Wisconsin Radio Network)

Wisconsin Radio Network

It’s all about synergy as two of the state’s top research institutes join forces. Marshfield Clinic and WiSys Technology Foundation have announced a partnership to strengthen collaborations in research and technology transfer. Dr. Robert. Carlson, director of Marshfield Clinic Applied Sciences, says the agreement’s been in the works for several years.

Tuition remission plan best for UW

Daily Cardinal

The UW-Madison Teaching Assistants� Association vigorously opposes a new graduate assistant tuition remission plan set for implementation in January. TAA estimates hundreds of graduate assistant positions will be lost�an outcome disputed by the university administration.

Rob Zaleski: Team’s spirit endures years after fatal crash

Capital Times

The first TV bulletin said only that a plane had crashed near Tri-State Airport in Huntington, W.Va.

“I remember feeling sad, but I think we all assumed it was a tiny plane of some sort. So we really didn’t give it much thought,” recalls Veronica Heide, who was a senior at Huntington High School at the time and had been watching TV the night of Nov. 14, 1970, with her parents and three siblings.

Don’t abuse academic freedom

Wisconsin State Journal

Movie viewers unfortunate enough to start watching the infamous 1987 flop “Ishtar” were quick to ask: “When does this end?” Wisconsin is asking the same question of the Kevin Barrett story at UW-Madison.

Graduate Leaves Uw $16.5 Million

Wisconsin State Journal

A long-time benefactor of UW-Madison has left more than $16.5 million to various university programs as part of her estate.
Ethel K. Allen, known to friends as “Toddy,” died on May 7 at age 98. Allen received her bachelor’s degree in botany in 1928 and a master’s degree in bacteriology in 1930 from the University of Wisconsin. Those departments will receive more than $412,000 each.

UWM gets nod for IT system

Badger Herald

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was added last week to InfoWorld�s 2006 list of organizations that best contributed to expanding businesses through the use of technology.

Editorial: Weekly laurels and laments

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Since we’re on the topic of weird stuff, we see that Kevin Barrett, professor emeritus of wacky ideas at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, plans to apply for more teaching jobs at UW after his fall course on Islam ends. Barrett created a controversy by teaching the theory that the Sept. 11 attacks were orchestrated by the Bush administration. What’s next, Kevin? A course on meteorology exploring the possibility that Hurricane Katrina was caused by UFO training exercises in the mid-Atlantic? Here’s a tip: If you’re looking for work, try Faber College, and be sure to tell Dean Wormer we sent you.

Policy enters final stages

Badger Herald

A special Board of Regents committee met Thursday with representatives from various University of Wisconsin System campuses to further discussions on revising the current faculty disciplinary policy.

Students blast UW coal plant

Badger Herald

Though the University of Wisconsin campus is adorned with ââ?¬Å?We Conserveââ?¬Â signs promoting environmental consciousness, a number of UW students and Dane County residents gathered Wednesday to say the university is not actually adhering to that agenda.

With the permit for the coal plant on Charter Street up for renewal this year, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources held a public hearing to hear residents� opinions.

Most Students in Big Cities Lag Badly in Basic Science

New York Times

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 � A least half of eighth graders tested in science failed to demonstrate even a basic understanding of the subject in 9 of 10 major cities, and fourth graders, the only other group tested, fared little better, according to results released here Wednesday.

Making A Difference: The Memory Project

WKOW-TV 27

As we get older, it’s always great to look at photos of when we were young. The memories of childhood just start flowing back into our minds.

A UW Madison alumni is making a difference by giving orphans a portrait of themselves painted by art students a world away.

Labor’s wish list: After helping Dems win, pro-worker agenda sought

Capital Times

WASHINGTON – Organized labor delivered millions of votes for the Democratic Party in the 2006 midterm elections and has spelled out what it wants from the Democratic-controlled Congress in return.

Union workers voted Democratic in the House races, 67 percent to 30 percent. And others in union households voted almost as strongly Democratic, according to exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and the networks.AFL-CIO President John Sweeney sees the elections as a “mandate for a union agenda.”