It should be noted that nationally, most schools with the “State” association are considered “lower” schools. Michigan v Michigan State, Minnesota (which still sucks) v Minnesota State, Florida v Florida State, UNC vs NC ST, GA vs GA st, etc etc

Get over it: University of Pennsylvania - Ivy League Pennsylvania State University - Big 10

I think UW-Milwaukee should be proud/happy to say have UW at the front of their name. While traveling abroad and telling people I was attending the University of Wisconsin - River Falls, all anyone ever heard was University of Wisconsin, and assumed was I was to one of the greatest schools in the world… If UWM changed their name, people would ask where that school was and if it was any good.

I know this article is, at least in part, tongue in cheek. However, the author still sounds like a real prick.

I say rename them all!

Milwaukee State University Green Bay State University etc.

Then the University of Wisconsin would refer only to the institution in Madison, as it should.

You’ve got it backwards.

We’re the ones that sound like the inferior university. Major universities do not have hyphenated names. If you go outside the state of Wisconsin, and you say that you attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, people seriously think that it’s a branch campus. After all, people don’t go to Michigan-Ann Arbor or Texas-Austin.

I hope Milwaukee is successful in their quest to change their name, and then I can only hope that a similar effort will follow here that will rename our school to just the University of Wisconsin.

I came to Madison from Colorado and eventually earned my degree from UW-Madison. I worked with folks who attended UW-Stout, UW-Milw etc and all of the native Wisconsinites rooted for the Badgers. Something that helps make the Badgers one of the best travelling teams in the nation. I can understand how some in a competing Division 1 school might want a bigger peice of the cheering pie but at the same time it was great to see a state united behind a team and not have it be Nebraska.

Why are you so upset about what another school calls itself? Get over it and write about something that actually affects OUR campus.

Right on.

I think this was delivered in a ery condescending way. I go to UW-Madison, what so bad about UW-M? look at UM-Ann Arbor and Michigan State? Look at FSU and UF. Is it that big a deal they want to edit their name?? it might be better for the whole state and attract more students by making their college name less localized. I almost didn’t go here out of state bcuas ethe “madison” extension to UW seemed like this may not be a great school. A lot of great people go to UWM. A lot of smart people too. Why do you have to rip on them and be so harsh?? these days i ius really hard to get into a state college. Look at Northwestern, i is easier to get into than Madison is out of state. so is Purdue. UWM is probably better than Purdue for sure, so why not rip on Purdue? who cares which school is better or worse, its what you do with your education and the focus you bring to it that counts. I think you need to write an apology, your letter even offends me and I go to Madison. I hope people realize you do not represent many o the opinions of UW-Madison students. How would you feel if people in UCLA, UC Berkeley and etc. thought we shouldn’t be UW because we aren’t as good as UCLA or UC Berkeley and thus cannot represent the state of WI? UWM is a huge school in a huge city, they desreve to be more than a hyphen school if they want.

First of all, the name change isn’t going to be Wisconsin State University. The proposed name change is to University of Milwaukee. And while UW Madison students may brag about having the higher ACT scores and high school class rankings, that’s not to say that students only attend UW Milwaukee because they “aren’t good enough for Madison.” On the contrary, students who attend Milwaukee choose to go there because of the campus and the learning environment, regardless of their high school standings and ACT scores. I myself chose Milwaukee and I graduated in the top 2% of my graduating class, with an ACT score of 1200. If someone wishes to publish an article about a “proposturous name change” because they feel that their university is better than the rest, they should attend the “secondary” university and see the chemistry that occurs on campus. Madison only gets the Wisconsin name because it is in the state capital, and for no other reason, because the schools are equal. I certainly would not give up my years at Milwaukee to go to a school where the students believe they are better than everyone else and that students who did not attend UW Madison do not deserve to associate with them. And the Panthers have many more bragging rights when it comes to our athletics program than the Badgers could ever dream of. What does it say about the students when they can build an entire football team from scratch and keep the program running and even get the funding to keep it alive for many years to come and even to help the University’s surrounding community by building a stadium for the nearby High School? I’m pretty sure that the Badgers are too busy worrying about themselves to do something like that…

Agreed.

Good point Brad.

Let’s have a football game to decide it. Wait…Milwaukee doesn’t have a football game. Fine, let’s have a men’s and women’s hockey game to decide this issue…wait, Milwaukee doesn’t have a men’s or women’s hockey team.

How did you get an ACT score of 1200?

someone get out the ruler….

“On the contrary, students who attend Milwaukee choose to go there because of the campus and the learning environment”

-And because they couldn’t get into Madison…

u seem a little jealous

Anonymous @ 2:35 PM

An ACT score of 1200? Well hol-ee shite! You beat me by three orders of magnitude…

I think you just demonstrated why you went to UW-Milwaukee…

If you graduated in the top 2% of your high school class and chose to go to UW-Milwaukee, you’re an underachiever.

1) ACT score of 1200? I think you mean SAT score of 1200. Good job. 2) According to admissions statistics, that would put you near the bottom of the middle 50% of incoming freshmen at UW. 3) UWM is clearly not a terrible school… But Madison is clearly the flagship school, and not just because we say so…

I am a Junior at UWM. UWM has been great for me. I really enjoy campus life, am involved in student organizations, and am able able to have a part-time accounting internship during the school year because of our convenient location in Milwaukee. I don’t pretend to think that we have a better academic program than “the Flagship University” but I am very happy with the program we do have. I don’t particularly care if there is a name change, but if there is, I am sure it isn’t to detract from your glorious bonfire of a University. I think that UW-Madison is an awesome school and by going there it is a testament to your academic success. I do however resent the sentiment from the author that the only reason people go to UWM is because they can’t get into Madison. That is probably true for certain students as it is far easier to get in to UWM out of high school, but UWM was the first choice school for a huge percentage of our student body. It is absolutely absurd how our recent success in certain areas would make you angry. You should be happy for the UW system as a whole because of its growth and success. Lastly, the primary reason why you shouldn’t concentrate your efforts on building an unnecasary rivalry is the fact the there is a perfectly good school in the “Marquette Gold” for all of us to rip on.

i graduated from UW and got my masters from UWM; I got a 3.0 at UW and almost had a perfect 4.0 in grad school. How does that happen? Did I get smarter during the summer in between undergrad and grad? doubtful. the two schools are not even comparable and it is not even worth debating. I don’t even think UWM denies any students admission. Seriously what a joke; i know people who got in with 17s on their ACT (or is that 1700 to UWM students).

Anyone who disagrees with your argument is full of it. As a proud Badger and Wisconsinite, I know there is no way that UW-Milwaukee can even come close to Madison. Thanks for sharing the same opinion!

Interesting that a Badger would be so troubled by a simple change of name. Now, I am a proud Madison area resident and I have enjoyed a few cold ones in Madtown with a few of my UW-Madison friends, but do I sense a bit of jealousy or perhaps nervousness passing through the UW-Madison campus? I quote, “As a few friends pointed out, if anyone should get the title of "Wisconsin State University," it's us.” Apparently you (Madison students) approve of the name! Thanks! So do we! If you like the name why couldn’t your student leaders in Madison (with their higher ATC scores and GPA)not think of the name ‘Wisconsin State University’, or maybe not think of it fast enough?! UWM’s student leaders took the initiative and necessary actions to bring it to the spotlight.

Is UWM’s increasing research grants, multi-million dollar donations (Business School’s recent $10,000,000 donation), increasing ability and recognition in graduating better student’s every year continually, academic growth (Scholars Programs are being launched campus wide and UWM’s Architecture School is ranked in the top 50 nationwide) that’s making UW-Madison Badgers anxious. Sure UW-Madison is more recognized, and recieves 55% of the UW system budget. The point is that the fact that a writer at “Badger Herald” felt a need to write an article about UWM’s possible name change signals something. Badgers are becoming more aware of UWM’s growing recognition state and nation-wide, and its academic and athletic improvement. Thanks for the publicity Mr. Vogel.

Is UWM starting to prowl the territories of academic excellence and notoriety that, UW-Madison held for many years? That’s up to you, but apparently a few Badgers have become a bit nervous. Have they seen too many Panthers prowling around their athletic trophies, academic notoriety, and overall recognition?! Perhaps.

DF UWM Black and Gold Committe Member UWM Student Association Senator Honors College Student Business School Scholar’s Student Proud Madison Resident

How far did Madison make it in the NCAA tournament this year???

Hey, thanks for solidifying our reasons for wanting to find a new identity. We don’t want to be associated with the snotty-assed elitists like you. UW = Marquette West

-The University of Milwaukee

This article is hilarious. This is exactly why I chose Milwaukee OVER UW-Madison. I couldn’t put up with the elitists. Man… you would’ve thought a Marquette kid wrote this article. Sick stuff.

This has got to be one of the most immature articles that I’ve ever read on the BH opinion page. Get a grip, Vogel! If you don’t like it then don’t go there. Oh wait! You DON’T go to UWM so who are you to tell them how to run their school? How about focusing on issues at our own school?

I get a kick out of people from Madison who blast Milwaukee for not having a football team when Madison is the REASON that Milwaukee doesn’t have one.

The board of regents doesn’t want recruiting competition from an in-state school. Think about it, I’m a Badger football fan (and a Whitewater student) and I can guarantee you that every bit of success that UW has had on the gridiron is because of their selfishness when it comes to limiting in-state competition to well… nothing.

Same with hockey… who are you battling for recruits? Nobody. So basically… UW only wins in Hockey and Football due to default.

1200 on the ACT??? proposturous??? was this a UW student posing as a UWM student? There’s no way someone with a college education writes this crap.

You don’t like being UW-Milwaukee??? Then don’t take state dollars to fund your programs.

I personally know someone that scored a 17 on his ACT and graduated in the bottom 50% of our high school class and was accepted to UWM. UW won’t even let it’s athletes get in with those numbers.

There is no comparison between the schools, and UWM should feel honored and priveleged to even be considered as a part of the family, even if they are considered equals with UW-Superior.

WOW!!! You’re architecture program is in the top 50 and you recieved $10,000,000 in donations.

Ever hear of the drug Warfrin? Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation-rin. School of pharmacy in the top 2, school of education in the top 3, law school in the top 25, poli sci program in the top 25, school of engineering several programs in the top 15 and list goes on and on and on. You can brag about your stupid Sweet 16 teams for the past two years (I believe Rob Jeter was a UW assistant for the past 4 years), but don’t even start with the academics because the beat down will hurt severely.

I think Madison is upset of the name change due to the popluarity of the school increasing; if this change would happen then UWM would receive more funding. Unless you participate in the research or play on a team that contributes to your school’s success, you should not be bragging. Hey Brad do you realize you do not go to Harvard or Yale…

you chose UWM over UW because you didn’t want to put up with the elitists??? just like the kids in Connecticut pick Eastern Connecticut State over Yale because they didn’t want to deal with the snobs there. Give me a break…

How “Madison” of you to say those things…It is funny though that none of this was directed at your school, yet somehow you find a way to bash ours. I’m glad you are ALL smarter than ALL of us. But you know what…I’m ok with that because I have my dignity. I don’t have to become bitter for what you said because I know better than to fall into your trap. It just so happens that UW-Madison isn’t the best school in the world…however we know it’s the best in the state…all these students and staff wanted to do was make a name for OURSELVES, and although I don’t agree with the name change, it’s rude people like you that make me want to vote for it just to spite you…Congratulations on going to the University of Wisconsin-Madison…where students go to learn how to become better than everyone else (or so they think)

Doesn’t the other UW schools have their own student newspapers?? If you don’t go to the UW, why are you concerned about one student’s editorial in the BH??

“Major universities do not have hyphenated names. If you go outside the state of Wisconsin, and you say that you attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, people seriously think that it’s a branch campus.” Most people call Madison “The University of Wisconsin” that is it. All the other schools get the hyphen, because they know their place. On TV, the announcers on TV always say UW when talking about the badgers. So, know your place and take the hyphen like a man.

How about all the University of California schools?

Duh….

Wow, at least you got one thing right: you are quite condescending! Judging from your commentary, I can almost guarantee you that my ACT scores etc. etc. are higher than yours, Brad, and Milwaukee is the school I CHOSE to attend. Furthermore, Milwaukee as a school, as well as a city, has many other “sparks” that Madison does not that you so obviously fail to mention. But why bother? The point of your article is plain as day. You’re obviously scared and jealous of the attention now being focused on a state school other than your precious “flagship” campus. Perhaps it was the fact that Milwaukee’s basketball team made it further in the NCAA Tournament this year that "sparked" your commentary? Or maybe it was the fact that the Milwaukee women’s basketball team simply MADE the NCAA tournament, while Madison’s did not? In any case, if this “column” is any indication of popular opinion on “the isthmus”, you have now dubbed yourself MARQUETTE WEST thanks to your Holier Than Thou outlook and arrogance on this subject. Congratulations!

Sincerely, U.S. Army Specialist Jason A. Kuks Camp Virginia, Kuwait

Why does UW- Madison care about what UWM names itself? Doesn’t UW- Madison have something better to write about, perhaps something that has to do with their own school.

I’m a Madison student and I’m embarrassed to have a guy like Brad Vogel representing me. I realize that the “Milwaukee idea” is to promote diversity and give more people a chance to experience a World Class education. Obviously Brad doesn’t realize this and apparently some of my classmates don’t either. Sorry UWM for the diss, please don’t associate this creep with all UW students.

Top Five reasons I went to UWM over UW:

5) The pulse around campus… there’s always something to do and if you can’t find anything on the East Side, go downtown or to MU or to the West Side. It’s impossible to be bored here. 4) There’s nothing to do in Madison other than partying and that’s not my style. 3) Milwaukee campus is beautiful and compact. 2) Ever spend a whole summer in MKE? Amazing. 1) Guys like Brad here. This is also the No. 1 reason I didn’t go to Marquette.

I had the ACT scores and GPA to go anywhere… I chose UWM and I’m proud as proud as you could be to be a Panther.

This writer and all you people from Madison can't be serious. You think your school is better because of some inherent quality, you outspend everyone, on everything. You act like your some progressive school, while editing your brochure to include diversity. UWM took an inclusive enrollment policy in order to help minority students from the surrounding area, whose non-suburbanite parents (read almost every Madison student who got in without affirmative action) and under-funded school districts weren't "college prep." Only recently has the school, because of its urban location, proximity to the lake, and new chancellor seen a change in its attitude. The school is in transition, and thus a name change is part of re-thinking this university and what it means; not what it means to Madison students, whose primary concern is how drunk they need to be to forget their high school non-egos, and fornicate for self affirmation, but for our alums, our incoming students, the city of Milwaukee, and Wisconsin. How can Madison students claim superiority when you are more typically judged on how long you can drink through the night, how many idiot things you can say, and how many different times you've puked on yourself?

Madison is a dumping ground for high school tools who need affirmation from 40,000 other high school tools, alcohol, and good sports teems to make them feel better. Milwaukee is a far more dynamic community, we go to school in a real city, versus your willy-wonka town for the over-privileged or signpost beggars. You've only reminded the other 99% of the state that the world stops in Madison, and so does personality and respect.

As far as high school standings, what are you bragging about? The only thing a class rank proves is that you kissed 98% more ass than the rest of your class. It's so hard for in state students to get into your university because of the need to enroll wealthy out-of-state students — i.e. the funding for you magnificent collegiate and sports programs. And need I remind a previous commenter than both Rob Jeter and Bo Ryan came from UWM. A school whose athletic director seems to make decisions that top funded universities respect.

I love it when I see a mini-van driving down the road with a sticker that reads, proud parents of a UW student, or some crap like that. You guys are worse than Packer fans that think their football team is the only team in the NFL that has history, character, and value. Quit worrying about a school that you believe is second rate, and go back to focusing on which sluty Madison girl you're going to say rude and obnoxious things to this weekend.

“Have they seen too many Panthers prowling around their athletic trophies, academic notoriety, and overall recognition?! Perhaps. “

This was the funniest thing I’ve read all day. Thanks for the laugh.

You obviously know nothing about UW-Milwaukee if you say things like this in your article. All of the descriptions you gave of UWM show that you have no knowledge of how things really are here. Therefore, your article is by no means credible…and neither are you. Oh yes, and by the way, this is from a UW-Milwaukee graduate who was in the top 5% of her high school graduating class and graduated from UW-Milwaukee Summa Cum Laude. Nice try jerk!

Okay, let’s leave the Packers out of this. And teams is spelled with an “a”, but it’s an easy mistake to make because sometimes the “ee” and “ea” blends sound similar. great article brad… i found it funny and honest and i dont go to mil or mad town

“Oh yes, and by the way, this is from a UW-Milwaukee graduate who was in the top 5% of her high school graduating class and graduated from UW-Milwaukee Summa Cum Laude.”

And cried after reading her REJECTION letter from UW-Madison.

seems like he thinks the UWM name change would jeopardize wisconsin’s status as the “number one” school in the state. haha. i sense some fear.

you obviously have no idea whats going on here in milwaukee. if you would’ve taken the time to do a little research you would’ve found that the majority is supporting a change to the university of milwaukee. you make yourself sound as elitist as a marquette alum. get over yourself!

I think I may be the only person who could comment on Brad’s high schooling. I too am an alum of Kiel High. The pride of the tri-county area.

Brad has been and always will be the Man, in pretty much everything (except the douche-baggery that people seem to be accusing him of). Period.

And I’m a Marquette student (read: elitist).

-Logan

I had the test scores to attend any school and the high school grades of someone who didn’t care. I went to Univ of Northern Colorado (Div II at the time) to play basketball, but ended up at Wisconsin. Why people go to a certain school can be determined by more than just their grades. I could have gone to Northwestern or Tulane but having grown up in smaller towns I didn’t really feel comfortable moving to large cities that I knew would be slightly uncomfortable for me.

The fact is that Madison was a better fit than Chicago or New Orleans for me. I can see where Milwaukee might be a better fit for others and that is the real point. The peice of paper is what matters, although the bigger the name the smarter people assume you are. Of course intelligent people can really say stupid things in Madison, whenever they hear somebody say, “I’m a conservative.”

Come meet me downtown Milwaukee, then we’ll see who’s mediocre.

Brad’s a second-rate writer.

Loved the response on April 10, 2006, at 11:01 p.m. that said:

WOW!!! You’re architecture program is in the top 50 and you recieved $10,000,000 in donations. Ever hear of the drug Warfrin?

WOW!!! Three typos in 21 words!

For the record (and in case your English 101 TA has not got to this yet):

In this context, the word is your, not you’re (the latter a contraction for the words you and are, incidentally).

In any context, received is not spelled recieved.

And, no, I never heard of Warfrin. Warfarin, however, is a medication with which I am quite familiar.

Considering that I have disregarded the writer’s warning to not even start with the academics, I now humbly await the beat down, which I am led to believe will hurt severely.

After reading this article and the comments that follow it I felt compelled to register and post a comment. First, I know Brad personally and consider him to be an uncommonly nice guy. The article he has written is not an ample demonstration of his personality…his politics on the other hand? It is this dichotomy that intrigued me, a friendly person writing an article that contains so much overt cynicism. Surprised as I was, I proceeded to the comments section after reading the article to see if others would concur with my assessment that the article was a tad elitist. Oddly, most of the comments seem to support Brad’s sentiments. I guess I didn’t consider how powerful some people feel a name, or hyphen for that matter, could be. Secondly, I wish to apologize to the UW-Milwaukee (Sorry for the hyphen) student. I understand that he does not want to be derided for the institution he chose to attend. Mocking him for expressing this, specifically for his SAT score, is childish. I guess in Madison intellect is rewarded at the expense of maturity. Lastly, I disagree with the UW-Milwaukee students regarding the hyphen. I could be wrong but I believe they see the hyphen as a derogatory symbol. It’s just a matter of Madison being the largest/first university in Wisconsin. The other schools, fine as they might be, were founded later (Some might call them sister schools. Rather than change the name of UW-Milwaukee, perhaps a removal of the hyphen alone would do. Otherwise it will be hard to recognize Wisconsin Institution at Oshkosh, Wisconsin State University and Stout School are all part of the same system.

P.S. To Brad, Jesus is my homeboy.

To the person from UWM who said that our grades meant nothing and all we are concerned with is partying and sex, I won’t challenge your intellect, but I don’t think UWM is full of sober virgins.

If anything, Vogel is a complete idiot for starting this insipid, immature and illogical competition between UW and UWM. Congratulations on becoming the Badger Herald’s in-house joke, Bradley. Apologies to UWM on behalf of the non-frat / non-elitist population(the vast majority)of UW Madison. We don’t appreciate these snooty types here either.

No one mocked that UWM student for his SAT score. He was mocked for discussing his “ACT score of 1200”. He didn’t even know the name of the test he took.

And here’s the problem with renaming UWM to Wisconsin State. Michigan State is not part of the University of Michigan system. Penn State is not part of the University of Pennsylvania system. Ohio State is not part of the University of Ohio system. In fact, no _ State University in this country is part of the University of _ System. So why should a school that is part of a far superior parent institution be given an independent name? The only way to do this is for the UW to stop providing funding to “Wisconsin State University”. Then “Wisconsin State” will become an even more mediocre school than UWM is now.

I have to disagree with almost EVERY statement that you make in your editorial. I am now an alumni of UW-Milwaukee, but did spend two years of school at Madison and two at Milwaukee. I have to say I much prefer everything in Milwaukee (the campus, the city, the atmosphere, etc)! Going to school in Madison is a thing of the past. I associate all of my schooling to my preferred school, UW-Milwaukee! UW-Madison may stand above us in many aspects but looking at the reality of it and having attending both schools, I have come to find more and more reasons why my transfer was a good choice!

“How would you feel if people in UCLA, UC Berkeley and etc. thought we shouldn’t be UW because we aren’t as good as UCLA or UC Berkeley and thus cannot represent the state of WI?” … Huh????

Youve have to be kidding me is right. I’m a Madison student with a ACT score of 33 and a high school gpa of 3.9. I think I would know which school has acedemic prowess: uw Madison. You know what? I could have gone to uw milwaukee’s little critically acclaimed architecture school, but I didn’t. And another thing, the Packers could woop anyone’s rear, including UWM’s.

Proud Madison Student GO BUCKY!!

Wow, the above was written by someone with an ACT score of 33 and a HS gpa of 3.9 That’s funny. GO BUCKy PACKERS!!!

As a UW-Milwaukee student, I agreed with some points in your article but found incredible misconceptions in others.

Your article implies every Milwaukee student desires this name change. Most of the students I've talked to find this proposal ridiculous, including myself. I agree that Madison is the flagship university of the UW system. It's located in the capital, it was the first UW college, and it's the largest by far. If the name of a school is so important those who don't like UWM should consider attending a different school; perhaps a private college. Schools should be noted for their accomplishments. A name means nothing. A hyphen does not limit my education. There is a point to be made about this, though. I'm sick of being labeled "mediocre" by people like you. This type of identification sparked the desire for the name change.

My biggest problem is your apparent ignorance of the intelligent students who chose to attend Milwaukee. For statistical purposes, I graduated high school with a 3.6 and a 27 on the ACT. Could I have gone to Madison? Perhaps. I've known some to get in with less. However, I'll never know because I only sent my application to Milwaukee upon researching both schools. (Make snide remarks about my rejection letter now). I admit, on average the students at Madison or Marquette are probably more intelligent than those who attend Milwaukee. However, I hope you recognize that there are stupid students at Madison and Marquette as well. GPA and ACT do not always represent a person's intelligence well. Furthermore, there is an Honors College offered to those with exceptional academic proficiency at Milwaukee. Classes are taught by Ivy League professors who have informed us that the classes they teach here are no different than those at their respectable universities. Isn't the education you receive dependent on how and by whom it is taught?

And no, I do not feel the need to hold a match to Madison. I chose Milwaukee because I wanted to go here. I don't feel the need to compare myself with those from other colleges. I find the rivalry between colleges petty, just as I did in high school. Naturally, everyone thinks their high school is the best. Then people go to college and think their college is the best. This is incredibly stupid competition, just like your reference to both schools' sports, Brad. Since when does physical ability make one school better than the other?

Furthermore, the School of Architecture is not the only good school Milwaukee has to offer. I'm enrolled in the School of Business. I wasn't interested in Madison's Business School because I wanted internships at companies located in an urban metropolis. Additionally, I knew there would be more competition for me at Madison. There are more students of my academic capability, and more exceeding it as well. I decided it would be a lot easier for me to compete within Milwaukee's Business School. Am I an underachiever? Maybe. I think of myself more of a strategic realist.

Brad, I would appreciate a reply from you in regards to the rather long response I have just made. I'd like to know if you agree with some of my points.

UW-Milwaukee Student

to UW-Milwaukee Student … I’m not 100% sure about this, but I think that the writers are not allowed to respond on here. Maybe send an email to him?

Aright. I go to Milwaukee, and for whatever reason you hate our school. That’s ok. But I don’t understand why you’re hating on the name Wisconsin State. My assumption (correct assumption at that) is that many at Wisconsin are pretty arrogant about, well, everything.

On the majority, the academic standards at Madison are better than in Milwaukee. Still, not everybody who goes to Madison is a genius and not everybody who goes to Milwaukee is a moron. You probably were on the low end of the ACT scores, didn’t party at all in high school, and had very few friends. But since you go to Madison you can take credit for the school’s reputations, which have nothing to do with you.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge Badger fan. Football, basketball, hockey, whatever. I like Wisconsin Sports, and cheer for all the universitys (like Whitewater’s football run, or even Marquette’s athletics). I just like rooting for the state of Wisconsin.

So why wouldn’t it be cool for the state of Wisconsin to have two schools with the state’s name as opposed to just one. Michigan isn’t the only state with a State to go with it. In fact, its one of probably mroe than 50% of the states if you do some research.

Even before I came here—even before I even knew there was a UW-Milwaukee—I thought it would be cool to have the name Wisconsin State (which UW-Milwaukee used to go by). That way, there would be some sweet rivalries (not football) like Texas A&M vs. Texas and Oklahoma St. vs. Oklahoma. Wouldn’t that be a sweet little rivalry to have between the two Wisconsin schools?

Naturally, everyone at Madison wants to be the only school with the name Wisconsin, since most are very elitist. You know, like you. But remember that nobody in Milwaukee wants to be like Madison. Nobody wants to be associated with the arrogance that comes with many of the students in Madison. It would just be cool to have another school representing more the state than a certain city.

Milwaukee students are not jealous of you. Many chose to go to UW-M for the exact opposite reason—to not be near people like you. So that’s not what this move is about.

We’re all Wisconsinites here, so lay off the WSU bashing. (Yes, the initials could be made fun of, but so could UW if you really dug for something. Ur Women. Ur Weak. Ur Wusses. Ur Wrong.) So let’s get a Wisconsin State for the betterment of the state of Wisconsin, and let go of our arrogance regarding any other university in the state.

why do you even care? you dont go to school there, it doesnt affect you at all, and it means nothing. its harmless name change. settle down.

Madison Milwaukee who cares least we are not in iowa

I don’t have any feelings for or against the Title of WSU in place of UWM. Yet, I do feel that in this article, the author makes every person that attends UW Madison seem like arrogant fools. I believe the way the author brags about the Students in Madison and how they have Higher GPA’s and ACT scores absolutely foolish. Furthermore, completely incorrect. Not every high school student with high grades and test scores chooses to go to a large university that doesn’t care about their students. Personally, I graduated at the top of my class with a 4.0 and had an ACT score of 30. I chose to not even apply to Madison because when I toured the campus, I believed that the institution was incredibly unclean and all together unsatisfying. I chose to attend a nicer, private univesity in Wisconsin with a reputation for producing well-rounded, respectable students. Now, I had once second guessed my choice not to apply to Madison but now that I read this article, I have to say Thank you. Thank you for making me see what a mistake it would have been to attend Madison. I would never want to be associated with of a group of students that is arrogant that they will make a hugh deal out of allowing any other school to take away anything that they believe belongs to them, something as foolish as a title. UW Madison, I will never again refer to you as University of Wisconsin.

i’m a sophmore at uwm and i have no clue what is going in some of my fellow panther’s heads. i walked out of the dorms one day and saw ‘wsu’ chalked all over the sidewalks. people just stopped and stared at it. nobody had any idea what was going on. now that we do…we’re ashamed by this little group of confused and whiny panthers. this makes us look bad…worse than we already kind of do. no, we ARE NOT the best school in the state, as some tend to think so. this has only made me want to tranfer to u of iowa even more! i am ashamed by these people…ashamed. besides…there’s quite enough wsu’s about. this country DOES NOT need another one. thank you. :) -sarah burns

UWM student on Sarah Burns-

First, you don’t know what you’re talking about… there’s a lot more than “a little group” that supports the change. I’d venture to say that a majority of the students support it. Second, you’re right…maybe you should go to school in Iowa. Maybe there you’ll know a little bit more about your campus and fellow students.

~Scott

Brad..”Are you kidding???” you’re a tool!..what a moron. You got into Madison..hooray for you. Granted, Milwaukee’s acceptance guidelines are low..it doesn’t mean the intelligence of their students is just as low. “Given our higher ACT scores, higher class rankings, higher GPAs..” what is your source on this information? As a journalism major you should be able to back this information up with a source..especially in your article. I think your head is a little too big for your own good..someone from UWM should come along and pop it. I don’t attend either of the schools discussed in your article, however, you are being ridiculous..grow up and stop acting like you’re better than everyone else. As for you, students of UWM, especially the “ninjas” whose name is so first grade I can’t even begin to explain…go back to your anime clubs and stop trying to change the name of your school to gain popularity and escape from your nerdy existence.

What happened to the good old days where people did not judge… oh wait that was never. If you are so quick to judge then i will be too. You are a snob, a stuck up snooty “my grades are better than yours so i am better than you” person. Are you just mad that Milwaukee might get the name change, therefore “enhancing” its reputation above Madison’s? And why would someone want to be credited for going to Madison when they went to Milwaukee? If Milwaukee was more well known but Madison was still harder to get into, would you want to me known as someone who went to Milwaukee? Exactly. I don’t think that you have heard of school spirit because your face was jammed into a book through your entire high school and now college career.

This guy is an ignorant, condesending ass who should worry about himself.

Who writes about another schools name change? I think YOU have to be kidding US! This is just ridiculous, I honestly do not want to waste my time with you. It is so upsetting hearing from arrogant people like you, you make me sick! I know many of my friends who received 28 and 29’s and even 30’s on their ACT scores with a 3.8 GPA and they CHOSE UWM over UW most likely for reasons other than to brag about how great they are because they are attending UW. You need to write and worry about things going on at your school, not others. Get over yourself bighead!

What is going on here? Why do they even let someone like little Bradley post ridiculous things like this? I wonder why Brad, you couldn’t talk about something other than your grades & test scores? How about something like oh, i dont know…maybe your campus? maybe your classmates? your professors? Something that people actually care about when they want to go to a certain school. I’ve never heard about someone being like “I am only going to a school that has students who have the highest GPA’s, test scores, because those snotty people make the best friends and best times.” …nope never heard of that. In fact, that would make me not want to go there. What i look for in a school, is the campus, the atmosphere, the students, and the faculty. Your campus~i’ve never seen it, so i am not going to knock it. The atmosphere~apparently that sucks ass. The students~Look at you! The faculty~if they are anything like the students, I’d say, i never want to meet them, let alone be taught by them. Those are the reasons i turned down Madison. The only thing that i would for sure like about your school, is the parties..but… What you seem to forget, is that you are looked down upon as being the Biggest Party school in the country. I hear crickets….. ~Sarah

You are seriously the biggest tool ever. For you to write this article, and sit and bash UWM students is ridiculous. You think because you go to Madison you are so much better….ha! Anyone can transfer to Madison after going to some crappy two-year school. Why don’t you worry about your own college rather than UWM!

I’m a student at UWM as well, and the “WSU” movement is a very vocal minority. I agree that the name change is an idiotic idea (we’re part of the UW system, aren’t we required to have “UW” in our name like everyone else?) but to associate this fringe movement with the entire student body of UWM is wrongheaded. Even more wrongheaded is your use of this issue as a launching pad for gratuitous UWM bashing. We’re two different campuses, with different foci, and different student bodies. Your implication that UWM is lesser than Madison is exactly the kind of sentiment that fueled this name change movement in the first place, and I don't see how you think unwarranted insults are going to alleviate this. Don't act as though we're all secretly pining to be at Madison; plenty of us had our pick of schools and chose UWM because of all that the campus has to offer. Maybe UW-Madison is more famous, but all that is directly representative of is a good PR department. Don't worry, though, ridiculous and irresponsible student publications like this story ought to squash much of the goodwill your school has accumulated soon enough.

Hi all. I don’t go to UW-Milwaukee, but I go to one of the University of Wisconsin system schools. I believe that the name change is a great idea for reasons that some may not fully understand. For most undergraduate students, name change may not seem reasonable. However, for certain types of jobs, the school you’re from really matters and a hypenated name is usually not considered that great. This is just a matter of psychology. Therefore, name change could be associated with a first step in the process of building UW-Milwaukee’s reputation. UWM is not just about the Panthers and an academic concern also exists here. “Wisconsin State” is the way to go. The University of Wisconsin system is not necessarily about the name. It’s a group of universities that have gotten together and work closely together for their common good. Some students, like Sarah Burns, may feel ashamed by the effort that UWM students put in bettering the University. But it’s not right now, but after you get out of school how a hypenated school affects you.

I love you, and I couldn’t agree with you more!

Don’t get me wrong, this name change idea is pretty stupid; UWM is part of the UW system, I don’t see why a name change is necessary. But UWM is in no way trying to be Madison, so get off your horse and accept the fact that there are now two recognizable universities in the WIsconsin system. And your “higher ACT scores, higher class rankings, higher GPAs” comment… Just because the standards a higher at Madison doesn’t mean that the students at UWM are idiots. Get your facts straight and then make that comment.

wow. People like YOU are why I elected not to go to Madison. Go pop your collar or something, arrogant prick.

Oh honestly, This is all just nonsense. Two of my children have graduated from UWM, one with honors. They both graduated from a nationally recognized Madison High School with good gpas, 3.4 and 3.7 respectively, and 27 and 28 on ACT. And no, they weren’t accepted at Madison. However, it should be noted that if grades had been weighted they both would have had or exceeded a 4.0 gpa. They were fortunate to attend a high school that valued and provided academic challenges and excellence - this became particularly evident in college- at UWM. I’m aware of the high grade points necessary to achieve admission to UW Madison, I am also aware that students coming from other school did not enjoy the academic rigors from their respective high schools while achieving that blessed gpa. We do need to remember however, that there are other aspects to the admission process, the voluntary and work experience, those tests scores, etc. I am not sure if UWM was a “second” choice for either of my children, but I do know it has been a decent undergraduate education- they would both admit that some classes were disappointing academically, while others (the above mentioned honors seminars/classes) were most worthwhile. Spending their college years in a bigger city and “growing up” in that urban environment has been a positive experience. They both have the credentials and have been accepted at “Big Name” (non-hyphenated) graduate schools. So, let’s all get over ourselves and stop this nonsense. As a life-long Madison resident I get awfully tired of those of you who transplant here and champion all that “we” have to offer. When you become contributing members of the Madison Community I might be able to take you more seriously.

Brad I went to Madison for 3 years, my GPA never dropped below a 3.8 and I was majoring in electrical engineering. I just wanted to let you know that, considering that is the only thing you use to weigh a persons worth. Anywhey I moved to MSOE to finish my degree because of people like you. I know a lot of people in madison and Im sorry to say I have met many more “smart” people from UWM. Sure thier are smart kids at madison, but it seems everywhere you turn you incounter big headed people like yourself. And just because people dont have your GPA, or High School rank (u are pathetic if u think that matters at all) does not mean they are not smarter then you, and after reading your little posting, I am hoping you just tryed to make people mad. because you come off as a 7th grade student who mad because he is not the only shinning star, and because u base your whole existance on your GPA you feel like your accomplishments are not worth as much, I think you are jelous that other people are taking attention away from you. Oh and as for the name change, Milwaukee is a city filled with culture, and after moving here I want nothing to do with the kind of people who go to madison, so I am for a name change or at least drop anything that hs to do with people like you

Brad, I must say, I understand you’re viewpoint about how UWM is considered “mediocre” but, I must say that UWM is more challenging that you may want to believe. UWM gets a bad rep because they let anyone in to the school as freshmen, but they do not let everyone stay. Granted, I do find most of my classes to be easy, and I did test out of math and english here, once students reach the level of junior or senior, school becomes a real challenge, and it is can easily be compared to Madison. I understand that Madison is a more difficult school to get into, and it is has a great reputaion, but I must say, give UWM a chance. And also, you’re not so great for getting into Madison, I got in, but didn’t want to go there because I wanted to take architecture, and Madison doesn’t have an architecture program and I couldn’t afford to go out of state.

There are a couple of things that Brad, and others who posted have neglected to mention. UWM /is/, in fact, viewed as a second class school, and Brad’s article proves this on a number of levels. As such, UWM has felt the effects of poor funding for years. We are a /different/ school. It’s hard to get a lot of people to recognize this, and it’s importance in funding decisions.

Brad sees the name change for everything that it isn’t. Concerned and intelligent students at UWM know that unless we fix some of the funding problems here, we will continue to be treated as a lesser school in the UW system. The problem has been compounded by our school’s current administration. Is a name change a futile attempt at separating ourselves from the pack? In some regard, yes. I’ll tell you one thing, though; It’s a wonder it even got to the point that people were considering it. Many of the students here are apathetic when it comes to policy, and rightly so, because the administration, since I’ve been here, has been atrocious. In any event, I would have much rather the name of UWM be changed to UM. I suppose there are a number of cute little things you could say about a school that inverts the letter “W” for their school’s name, but no one is calling the UW “Under Water” or “Uneducated Writers”, but who knows, the latter might catch on! I kid the author.

That said, Milwaukee is on par with a school like UW Madison, and there are a number of reasons why this is true. Milwaukee is a /metropolitan/ campus. Madison is a speck compared to the Milwaukee area. There are far more internships and co-op opportunities in Milwaukee than there are or will ever be in Madison. These are very important details that really carve out the niche for the UWM institution, and it’s time people start recognizing them.

“It would only be a matter of time before we saw UW-Park Falls gunning for "Northwood U" or UW-Oshkosh seriously considering "Sloshkosh" for placement on its letterhead.” The article is so cynical that it’s hard to tell if you actually believe this, but let me just assure you that the slippery-slope argument is way too easy to spot, and given it’s ambiguity, hurts the credibility of your article.

Brad, I’m sure you’re a very nice guy, but this article reeks of condescension and flowery highfalutin language. Maybe when you graduate from the “most ultimate learning institution the world has ever seen”, or whatever you call it, you could get a job for the New Yorker, stroking..um..egos.

Cheers, Devin Walters

Well if you would check your facts then you would know that UW-Milwaukee graduates more actual Wisconsin residents than any other school in the state. Which makes it only seem right to be called Wisconsin State University.

As a friend of Brad, I find it comical that people don’t realize it’s not actually serious. Brad’s belief here is that the idea of the name change is ridiculous. The rest is satire. Congrats on writing an piece people are still commenting on one month later, even if most don’t actually get it

James