Student NewsLink
March 25, 2009
The News
Tuition initiative promises quality, affordability
The Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, a major effort to preserve the quality of a UW-Madison education and improve its affordability, was announced today (March 25) by Chancellor Biddy Martin. The proposal would begin a supplemental tuition charge to improve undergraduate value.
Read more, view a video from the chancellor
School of Medicine and Public Health sets school record for residency placement
At the Match Day ceremony at the school, the 170 graduating students learned where they will spend the next three to five years of their careers, and 96 percent – the highest rate in the school’s history – matched into their preferred specialty.
Campus Area Housing Office warns students about subletting scams
The Visitor and Information Program's Campus Area Housing Office is warning students about a recent upsurge in rental scams in Madison, saying students trying to sublet their apartments are especially vulnerable. The office has provided a number of tips to help identify scams and suggests that students forward suspicious e-mails to them.
Living & Learning
Chancellor Martin now on Facebook
Chancellor Biddy Martin is now on Facebook, where she plans to update her page with news and information. Visit her page and become a fan.
Teeth of Columbus’s crew flesh out tale of new world discovery
In a study that promises fresh and perhaps personal insight into the earliest European visitors to the New World, a team of UW-Madison researchers is extracting the chemical details of life history from the teeth of crew members Christopher Columbus left on the island of Hispaniola after his second voyage to America.
Optimum running speed is stride toward understanding human body form
A new study by the zoology department's Karen Steudel, working with Cara Wall-Scheffler of Seattle Pacific University, shows that the efficiency of human running varies with speed and that each individual has an optimal pace at which he or she can cover the greatest distance with the least effort. The result debunks the long-standing view that running has the same metabolic cost per unit of time no matter the speed
Journalism classes combine to cover the economic crisis
The nation's economic crisis, unfolding across Wisconsin in painful and historic ways, is being examined by student journalists at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. About 25 students in Steven Walters' and Pat Hastings' Intermediate Reporting classes are examining, analyzing and reporting on aspects of the crisis and posting their stories to a student-produced Web site.
Around Campus
Wisconsin Teen Poetry Slam Finals on tap this weekend
The sixth annual Wisconsin Teen Poetry Slam Finals features the top youth poets from Madison and Milwaukee. Their passion, courage, insight and writing craftsmanship will be on display at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, in the Wisconsin Union Theater.
University hosts first annual Disability Awareness Conference
On Saturday, March 28, the university is hosting "Eye-Opening Perspectives: A Disability Awareness Conference" to call attention to various deaf and disability-related issues. The conference will include panels and interactive workshops on topics ranging from historical perspectives on disability to current events, and the keynote speaker will be Rep. Tammy Baldwin. Free online registration requested.
Athletics recertification self-study results to be forum topic
A campus forum to discuss the preliminary results of a self-study conducted as part of the university’s NCAA athletics certification program will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31, in the Microbial Sciences Building's Ebling Symposium Center.
Semiannual book sale planned for March 25-28
Organized by the Friends of the UW-Madison Libraries, this semiannual sale is the largest used book sale in Wisconsin and includes more than 15,000 books covering almost any subject. The preview sale ($5 entry) will be held from 5-9 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25. The regular sale (no entry fee) runs from 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Friday, March 26-27. A $3-a-Bag sale will be held from 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, March 28. Bring a grocery-sized bag to fill or buy a bag for $1. From 1:05-2 p.m., the remaining books are free. 116 Memorial Library.
Leading religious scholar to keynote conference
Alan Wolfe, founding director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College, will deliver a plenary address, "Who's Afraid of American Religion?" as part of the conference on "Religion and the State." 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, in the Gale VandeBurg Auditorium, Pyle Center.
Annual juried student exhibition 'Design 2009' opens March 27
Showcasing the best projects by students in the Department of Design Studies, “Design 2009” is the latest in a series of annual exhibitions juried by professionals in the field. The exhibition will be open from Friday, March 27–Sunday, April 26, at the School of Human Ecology’s Design Gallery. An opening reception will be held from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. on Friday, March 27. Awards will be presented at noon.
UW Press presents multimedia lecture, panel discussion for 'Picturing Indians'
Steven D. Hoelscher's "Picturing Indians: Photographic Encounters and Tourist Fantasies in H. H. Bennett's Wisconsin Dells" is a new publication by University of Wisconsin Press that explores the intersection of art, commerce and cultures through the lens of pioneering photographer H.H. Bennett, whose portraits of the Wisconsin Dells’ Ho-Chunk inhabitants transformed the area into a modern tourist mecca. Joining him in this multimedia presentation to provide a Ho-Chunk perspective will be Janice Rice, outreach coordinator at College Library, and photography professor Tom Jones, whose own celebrated portraits of contemporary Ho-Chunk explore issues of representation and identity and provide an illuminating counterpoint to Bennett’s work. 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, L160 Chazen Museum of Art.
Notable
Nationally prominent comedian instructing comedy mini course
Wisconsin Union Mini Courses will offer a new course, “Stand-Up Comedy: for the Stage and for Business,” to be instructed by Nick Mortensen, a two-time winner of Madison’s Funniest Comedian. The class will run 7:30-9 p.m. each Wednesday from April 1-29, TITU Memorial Union. The fee is $49.50 for students and Wisconsin Union members and $59.50 for faculty. A discount of $20 applies for any two people who enroll together. For more information, e-mail mruhnke@gmail.com.
U.S. Airways co-pilot to be Crazylegs Grand Marshall on April 25
Alumnus Jeffrey Skiles, the co-pilot of the U.S. Airways plane that made a successful emergency landing in New York City’s Hudson River on Jan. 15, will serve as the grand marshal of the 2009 Crazylegs Classic on Saturday, April 25. Early registration is now open and will continue until noon on Monday, April 6. The cost is $25 for the run and wheelchair event and $20 for the 2-mile walk.
Friday, March 27: Last day to drop classes
The last day to drop courses for all students is Friday, March 27; Friday is also the last day for graduate students to apply for pass/fail privilege or to convert from credit to audit.
Opportunities
Last career fair of the semester approaching
Career Internship Connection is the last career fair of the semester, offering a chance to connect with many different organizations. Employers will be available to discuss full-time positions and internships. 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, TITU Memorial Union.
Second Annual Hirsch Family Award applications due March 31
The Hirsch Family Award supports imaginative projects wherein undergraduate students and faculty or instructional staff collaborate on projects that showcase and shed a positive light on a UW-Madison initiative, department or division. The deadline to submit a completed project is March 31, and the award will be announced in April.
Annual student art show announces call for artists
The 81st Annual Student Art Show will be accepting artwork on Friday, March 27, from noon-5 p.m. and Saturday, March 28, from 1-3 p.m., in the Porter Butts and Class of 1925 galleries located on the second floor, Memorial Union. The show is a juried exhibition of works by current students that opens with a reception on Friday, April 3, and continues April 4-26 during regular gallery hours (10 a.m.-8 p.m.).
Represent the university as an information or tour guide
The university's new "front door," the Visitor and Information Programs and the Admissions Office, is looking for outgoing and enthusiastic students to represent the university as information guides and tour guides beginning in summer or fall 2009. The offices seek to employ students who reflect the diversity of the campus community. Starting Salary is $8 per hour with opportunities for advancement up to $12. Applications are available online at http://www.vip.wisc.edu and http://www.admissions.wisc.edu. The deadline is April 3.