Following a proposal presented to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents last week that would increase graduation rates across the UW System, concerns were brought forth over how the plan will be implemented and at what cost to students. The Growth Agenda, presented by UW System President Kevin… Read more »

With anti-Vietnam protests escalating and the Watergate scandal looming on the horizon, the newly founded National Public Radio successfully launched its first news program, All Things Considered, in the early 1970s with University of Wisconsin professor Jack Mitchell at its helm. The drive-time newscast started as a program that contained… Read more »

Student Services Finance Committee Chair Brandon Williams addressed the committee on a lesson in accounting because a review of the non-allocable budgets was in question. The budgets for the Wisconsin Union, University Health Services, Child Care Tuition Assistance Program and Recreational Sports are up for their annual review by the… Read more »

Nearly two years after his resignation from the Board of Directors at AIDS Network and his co-founding of advocacy group ACT UP Wisconsin, Greg Milward is increasingly frustrated over the lack of communication and stonewalling against his efforts of advocating for change by the network. “They won’t talk to me,”… Read more »

After much debate over thousands of dollars in the Associated Students of Madison 2010-11 internal budget, Student Services Finance Committee came to a decision they deemed fiscally responsible Monday. Working with a proposed budget of $1,112,062.69 from Student Council, SSFC finalized the budget at $1,055,412.69, an increase of 1.53 percent… Read more »

In an effort to ensure fiscal responsibility, Student Services Finance Committee made minimal changes to the Associated Students of Madison Internal Budget and moved to finalize their decisions at their next meeting. After months of meetings and heated debates, the ASM Internal Budget is reaching its final stages and ASM… Read more »

Associated Students of Madison Student Council made final amendment decisions for three of the available ASM positions Wednesday, specifically increasing the hours of the Press Office positions in an overall effort to raise awareness of ASM’s goals, activities and events. In their first meeting of the spring semester, Student Council… Read more »

Gov. Jim Doyle announced Monday his veto of a bill that would change how the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents representatives would be selected, basing the process on seven geographical regions. “[The regent’s bill] would undermine the unified strength and efficiency of the System by requiring governors to… Read more »

Among contentious debate, heated words and general frustration, Associated Students of Madison Student Council rushed to approve the Engineers Without Borders travel grant to Rwanda, extending the meeting past midnight to do so. According to Finance Chair Matt Beemsterboer, EWB requested $20,079.85 from the Finance Committee. Finance approved $10,509.85,… Read more »

Due to a first-offense policy violation, Student Services Finance Committee stipulated the Multi-Cultural Student Coalition would have its funds frozen by the committee unless a written letter of apology was received from the group for demonstrating fiscal irresponsibility. According to SSFC Chair Brandon Williams, on June 26 of the last… Read more »

With less than 50 percent of University of Wisconsin System students graduating in four years or less, the Board of Regents expressed concern over the cost of extended time necessary to complete a degree and debated various options to increase this percentage at their meeting Friday. According to UW System… Read more »

Associated Students of Madison Student Judiciary announced their decision to deny Campus Women’s Center a second appeal hearing Sunday night. According to the complaint filed by CWC, the organization was asking the court for an eligibility hearing before the ASM Student Council. CWC presented four counts in their appeal to… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison’s Student Services Finance Committee increased stipends for the chair positions of the Student Activity Center Governing Board and Student Judiciary during its budget decision Thursday, asserting it is adjusting the stipends to be more consistent. SSFC Chair Brandon Williams ceded his position to Vice Chair… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents will hold their last meeting of the semester in Memorial Union Thursday and Friday afternoon, paying special attention to discussion on quality, affordability and differential tuition. UW System said they strive to provide accessible, affordable and high-quality educational opportunities to Wisconsin citizens,… Read more »

With the severe weather conditions and uncertainty of whether members would be able to attend, the Associated Students of Madison Student Council meeting was cancelled Wednesday night. ASM Chair Tyler Junger said the decision ultimately came down to him and he acted in the best interests of the committee members… Read more »

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, commended the Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Committee for its increased participation and awareness of city issues and urged the committee to continue their support on upcoming issues. “I appreciate all the time, talent and energy this committee has put forth,” Verveer said. “It… Read more »

This week’s Board of Regents meeting on the University of Wisconsin campus will offer a unique experience for the regents, as they will be paired with various student leaders. Associated Students of Madison Vice Chair Tom Templeton said students were selected to match with the regents for breakfast, a… Read more »

Student Judiciary decided Thursday to hear a second appeal from Campus Women’s Center against Student Services Finance Committee, as well as four appeals against Student Activity Center Governing Board, next semester. According to the complaint filed by CWC, the organization is asking the court for an eligibility hearing before… Read more »

Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8, praised the Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs committee for their hard work and increased student involvement in City Council meetings while discussing upcoming proposals during their meeting Tuesday. According to Eagon, several issues are coming up next semester that could use plenty of student… Read more »

Student Services Finance Committee Rep. Carl Fergus resigned from his position at a meeting Monday night. Having served in all three leadership positions on the committee since October 2007, Fergus said in his letter to the committee — which he read at the beginning of the meeting — that Chancellor… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison Student Judiciary denied Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow a second appeals hearing last week. After being denied funding by the Student Services Finance Committee Oct. 6, CFACT appealed to Student Judiciary for another hearing. The court heard the case and then dismissed it in the… Read more »

Eight University of Wisconsin-La Crosse students were recently cited for underage drinking based off pictures a police officer took from their Facebook profiles. According to 19-year-old UW-La Crosse student Cassie Stenholt, she received an e-mail from La Crosse police officer Alan Iverson requesting her to call him and come down… Read more »

Student Services Finance Committee approved its requested budget for 2010-11 Monday, giving raises to three of its salaried positions in an effort to retain knowledgeable and dedicated members. The SSFC chair’s stipend increased from $6,800 to $8,400 in a vote of 7-2, the SSFC vice chair’s stipend increased from $4,000… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison’s Student Council approved Mark Woulf as its recommendation to Mayor Dave Cieslewicz for appointment to the newly created citizen-voting seat on the Alcohol License Review Committee. “The mayor promised to appoint a position to a student about two weeks ago,” said Adam Johnson, chair… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders was a gold finalist winner for the 2009 Mondialogo Engineering Award in Germany, bringing international recognition and publicity to their Haitian project. With thousands of teams submitting their projects for review by an international jury of prestigious engineers from around… Read more »

When Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow was denied a second chance at a Student Services Finance Committee eligibility hearing, they found themselves without a chance of receiving the nearly $130,000 budget they had come to rely on annually. However, as a part of a growing trend on campus, the group… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison Academic Affairs Committee presented its Affordable Textbook Campaign to the University Committee Monday in hopes of gaining its endorsement before the campaign’s appearance before the Faculty Senate. “The reason we brought this forth is because textbook costs are a growing concern for students,” Academic Affairs… Read more »

In a decision made Monday, the Associated Students of Madison Student Judiciary upheld the Student Services Finance Committee’s denial of funding to Wunk Sheek. The court dismissed all three counts Wunk Sheek brought against SSFC in its hearing Friday. Wunk Sheek stated in its first complaint against SSFC that they… Read more »

In a decision made by the Associated Students of Madison Student Judiciary for the Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow, CFACT’s funding denial by Student Services Finance Committee was affirmed by the court. In their hearing last week, CFACT brought SSFC to court for two counts of violation of viewpoint neutrality… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison Student Council claimed fiscal responsibility for its internal budget approved at $1.2 million Wednesday night. The budget prepared by Finance Committee Chair Matt Beemsterboer, presented to the council, was approved by a vote of 13-1-6, with an 8 percent increase after much debate of line… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison’s Legislative Affairs Committee announced Tuesday it will have the power to recommend the new student representative recently approved by the mayor for the city’s alcohol committee. The additional citizen position was granted to the Alcohol License Review Committee by Madison’s City Council Nov. 3 and… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison Finance Committee has frozen funding on grants for Student Labor Action Coalition and revoked an event grant for a committee of Wisconsin Union Directorate to emphasize the need for student organizations to follow their policies. According to Student Services Finance Committee Legal Counsel Kurt Gosselin,… Read more »

The Student Judiciary ordered Campus Women’s Center back to the Student Services Finance Committee for an appeal hearing in its decision released Wednesday, saying CWC was not granted a proper appeal process. Chief Justice Trenell Darby, Associate Justice Kathryn Fifield and Associate Justice Konrad Krebs presided over the case, and… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison Student Council unanimously voted to endorse a student-voting member on the Alcohol License Review Committee Wednesday, which they will advocate for at the City Council meeting next week. The original proposal was to increase the size of the ALRC in an effort to have more… Read more »

Concern was expressed over the need for widespread support for a student member to be appointed with voting rights to the city’s alcohol committee during the Associated Students of Madison’s Legislative Affairs meeting Tuesday According to Chair Adam Johnson, the Student Council is expected to pass a resolution in support… Read more »

The overall voter turnout for the Associated Students of Madison fall election increased by nearly 50 percent from last year’s results for both freshmen Student Council representatives and Student Services Finance Committee members, leading to current representatives lauding the elect’s campaign efforts. “Last year’s numbers were 2,035 ballots cast, which… Read more »

The Campus Women’s Center petitioned the Associated Students of Madison’s Student Judiciary Wednesday against the Student Services Finance Committee, appealing for a rehearing of their funding eligibility. According to CWC Programming Coordinator Tina Trevi�o-Murphy, SSFC’s decision to deny CWC’s eligibility was based off misinterpretation and misinformation of its direct services… Read more »

Tuition and fees for four-year universities increased by approximately 6.5 percent nationally from the 2008-09 to 2009-10 academic years due to state budget cuts, according to a report released Tuesday. “The findings were not as bad as they might have been, since in times of recession, tuition increases are often… Read more »

Part-time teachers at a standoff with Madison Area Technical College over their contract status began posting signs about two weeks ago claiming “MATC exploits part-time workers.” To educate the public on the matter and to garner support for their proposals, the union took to placing the signs around the Madison… Read more »

A nationally known economist and author said students need better advice on choosing a college during a presentation Friday afternoon for the Board of Regents at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. In his book “Crossing the Finish Line,” Spencer Foundation President Michael McPherson and his co-authors examine the effect of… Read more »

Despite traditionally low turnout rates for student elections, the Associated Students of Madison will be holding elections Monday through Wednesday Oct. 19 to 21 for four freshman seats on Student Council and two seats on the Students Services Finance Committee. Voter turnout among freshmen for Student Council has generally been… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin System was awarded nearly $83 million in stimulus funds, with University of Wisconsin commanding the majority of that money, receiving $75.5 million for its 236 projects. With more than 800 grant applications submitted from UW System faculty and staff, Director of Research Communications Terry Devitt said… Read more »

The UW System Board of Regents attended to the progress of a call to action at their monthly board meeting at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Thursday morning during a presentation of “Give the Students a Compass.” “Give Students a Compass: A Tri-State Partnership for College Learning, General Education and… Read more »

One of the more prominent Associated Students of Madison representatives stepped down this week due to problems with attendance, though ASM officials note this is not an isolated case. ASM Student Council Letters and Science Rep. Brian Benford resigned his position this week, saying he is “hopelessly challenged logistically with… Read more »

With Associated Students of Madison fall elections beginning Oct. 19, the five candidates for the two available positions on one of the student government’s most influential and often controversial committees. Student Services Finance Committee controls the allocation of segregated fee funding to student groups, and makes recommendations to the chancellor… Read more »

SAFEwalk services has been informed that Associated Students of Madison will not be funding the unlimited SAFEride cab rides home for staff members at night anymore. SAFEwalk supervisor Troy Ruland was informed last week his SAFEwalk staff will not be offered the unlimited service of cab rides and if the… Read more »

An online forum offering students the opportunity to share study materials, known as Studyblue.com, says they’re gearing up for midterms once again. “Studying in groups can improve learning,” said Ben Jedd, spokesperson for StudyBlue.com. “And with the start of midterms, Studyblue.com can be an incredibly useful tool for students to… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Committee met Tuesday to find ways to bring awareness to students about the $50,000 budget for the new lighting initiative. The lighting initiative was first sponsored by former District 8 Ald. Eli Judge and is being moved into the implementation stage by his… Read more »

A committee of 19 faculty, staff and student representatives was appointed Tuesday to begin the extensive “search and screening” process to select a successor for University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Chancellor Linda Bunnell. UW System President Kevin Reilly appointed the committee members based off nominations from faculty and staff. The chair… Read more »

A University of Wisconsin System official presented a project costing $81 million to state legislators Tuesday that would improve the efficiency and integrate of UW information systems. Tom Anderes, UW System senior vice president for administration and fiscal affairs, provided details to the Joint Committee on Information Policy and Technology… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin’s entrepreneurship program ranks 16th among undergraduate schools and 11th among graduate schools, according to a report released by The Princeton Review. Melissa Anderson, director of public relations for the Wisconsin School of Business, said the entrepreneurship program is an important one at UW because of the… Read more »

The External Affairs Committee — a relatively new branch of Associated Students of Madison — met Monday to bring together visions of better student outreach by setting in place a network and online database of all student organizations. Tom Templeton, vice chair of ASM, said the External Affairs Committee was… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison’s Student Council approved a student oversight board for the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates at the University of Wisconsin Wednesday night, which will give students a chance to propose ideas on how to allocate approximately $5 million of the funds. ASM Chair Tyler Junger said the… Read more »

Prominent American philosopher Daniel Dennett said mankind is made of “microscopic robots” that do not know or care who we are, during his lecture on Darwin and evolution at the Distinguished Lecture Series Monday night. “Natural selection tracks reasons, creating things that have purposes but don’t need to know them,”… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee made recommendations Monday for the Recreational Sports and the Child Care Tuition Assistance programs’ non-allocable budgets. The committee made small provisions to the budget plan, recommending Recreational Sports create a list of student segregated fees to clarify where student funds are… Read more »

At the Memorial Union Theater Tuesday night, one of the nation’s most prominent economic journalists warned University of Wisconsin students not to put much faith in people who predict the future of the nation’s economic crisis. As part of the Distinguished Lecture Series, Chrystia Freeland, United States managing editor… Read more »

Former lead journalist for Ma’an News Agency, Amira Hanania called for global involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and challenged people to become responsible future leaders Monday at the Distinguished Lecture Series. Twenty-seven-year-old Hanania is the subject of the recent documentary film “Live from Bethlehem” about the conflict in Palestine and… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison requested over $ 1 million for their internal budget at a meeting with the Student Services Finance Committee Thursday. In their presentation, ASM Chair Brittany Wiegand and Vice Chair Hannah Karns explained the list of priorities used to establish the guide for their internal budget.… Read more »

Ishmael Beah lost his family when he was 11 years old. When he was 12, he was forced to become a child soldier. Now, after writing a novel and lecturing across the globe, Beah is putting a “human face” to his story. A former child soldier and a survivor of… Read more »

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is aiming to lessen the paperwork student organizations have been required to fill out by implementing a new software program. Starting next semester, the Information and Technology Commission and Finance Commission for UW-Eau Claire Student Senate will employ a software program known as OrgSync. According… Read more »

The Associated Students of Madison’s Student Council voted Wednesday to require a 15 percent student body minimum voter turnout for capital building projects. This issue was brought to the table due to concern the student body was not being fully represented in decisions for allocating segregated fees for capital… Read more »

University of Wisconsin students and staff will soon be able to access a variety of student services on campus housed on nine floors of the new University Square building. The top three floors will house the Registrar and Bursar Offices, as well as the Financial Aid and Transcripts Office. Student… Read more »

National Medal of Science winner Francisco Ayala discredited the theory of intelligent design at the Distinguished Lecture Series Monday, while adding evolution and religion are adequate means for scientists to explain natural processes. Ayala highlighted the history of evolution and Darwin’s theory of natural selection. He drew from other historical… Read more »

After several hours of debate, the Student Services Finance Committee voted to postpone the decision for the budget of the MultiCultural Student Coalition, the organization with the largest budget request the SSFC has approved in the past four years. According to SSFC Chair Kurt Gosselin, the past two years have… Read more »

The MultiCultural Student Coalition is asking for $25,511 less than their previous budget. MCSC, the University of Wisconsin student group with UW’s second largest budget, requested $323,243 from the Student Services Finance Committee, a 7.8 percent decrease from the 2008-09 academic year. “We are hoping that they can view… Read more »

American journalist Robin Wright shared a memo Wednesday that she has written for the future president of the United States. In a speech on campus as part of the Distinguished Lecture series, Wright outlined five major challenges she believes he will face in regard to policy in the Middle… Read more »

Shirin Ebadi spoke to an enormous crowd in the Union Theater Monday night on democracy and human rights in Iran, and Iran’s relationship with the U.S. “Violence begets violence and as a result, groups of innocent people are dying,” Ebadi said through a translator. “Let us sow the seeds for… Read more »

After a series of legal disputes over the past few years concerning funding for religious programs, the Roman Catholic Foundation of the University of Wisconsin appeared before the Student Services Finance Committee to present next year’s budget proposal Thursday night. RCF received $177,211 in funds for ‘08-‘09 and presented a… Read more »

The Student Services Finance Committee approved budgets Monday for Greater University Tutoring Service and Promoting Awareness and Victim Empowerment after much debate over each organization’s line-by-line proposals. GUTS received $143,243.42 for its budget. SSFC voted against the tutor’s food and beverage proposed budget while maintaining the proposed budget for water… Read more »

University of Wisconsin graduate Linnea Smith shared stories Thursday about her life-changing vacation to Peru, and said her two-decade trip transformed her medical career. “Somewhere along the way, at the end of the week when it got time to move on, I said, ‘I don’t think I want to leave… Read more »

Influential feminist author Rebecca Walker declared the “world is on fire” Monday at the Distinguished Lecture Series and said historical animosity is a leading factor in the inability to solve racial disparities. Walker read a selection from her book, “Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self,” which… Read more »