UW-Madison announced a second round of furloughs and expense reductions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic financial crisis in order to decrease the expected $320 million deficit this semester.
October 27, 2020
Top Stories
UW-Madison announces another round of furloughs for most employees in 2021
Facing a coronavirus-induced “budget crisis” that exceeds $300 million, UW-Madison announced on Monday another round of furloughs and pay cuts for the first six months of 2021.
UW to start second round of furloughs, increase minimum wage in January
The University of Wisconsin-Madison will implement more furloughs for spring semester to help offset revenue losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. The first round of unpaid leave, announced in August, ends this month.
Research
Election 7 days away: Biden picks up campaign pace as Trump barnstorms swing states | Fox News
The RealClearPolitics poll averages show Biden up 5.5 percentage points in Wisconsin and leading by 9 percentage points in Michigan. A new poll released Monday by the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found Biden had increased his lead in the so-called “blue wall” states, with support above 50% in each state.
Higher Education/System
COVID-19 didn’t stop these Wisconsin colleges from having large freshman classes. How did they do it?
Last spring and summer, as colleges and universities around the state scrambled to adapt to the new realities of educating in a pandemic, one issue kept coming to the fore: student enrollment.
Campus life
SSFC approves budget for sexual assault victim empowerment after amendments
SSFC voted to accept eligibility for Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment and approved their budget after making amendments, resulting in a 2% decrease in their overall budget.
CDC director praises UW-Madison COVID-19 testing efforts as cases continue to rise across state
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield praised the expansion of COVID-19 testing at UW-Madison, adding that the UW System sets an example for how the pandemic can be controlled.
Student Inclusion Coalition and campus partnership progress report to address UW-Madison climate, diversity
The Coalition, which was formed in response to the 2019 incident, created this year’s video in order to allow for students to not only undo the wrongs of last year’s exclusive video, but also to relay students’ experiences of campus climate, diversity and inclusion.
Badgers’ start time against Purdue announced
The Badgers will kick off their next home game against Purdue at 2:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at Camp Randall Stadium.
State news
Foxconn construction continues, but the company is silent about hiring
It signed an $100 million agreement with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and several local agreements to build “innovation centers” in Racine, Green Bay and Eau Claire.
Health
COVID-19 Case Spike Stretches Medical Resources In Wisconsin
NPR’s David Greene talks to Dr. Jeffrey Pothof, an emergency room doctor in Madison and chief quality officer at the University of Wisconsin Health, about the surge in COVID-19 cases in the state.
Reports Of Positive Antigen Test For Mertz Highlight Challenges Of Playing Amid Pandemic
Since the Journal Sentinel and the State Journal published their reports, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Athletic Department has kept quiet on Mertz’ condition, issuing a statement Sunday citing medical privacy as the reason it won’t release coronavirus test results for any student athletes.
Athletics
Badgers coach Paul Chryst won’t discuss Graham Mertz’s status, supports Big Ten COVID-19 protocols
“I will not and cannot and should not, therefore, comment about anything dealing with our testing and coronavirus,” Chryst said on a Zoom call with reporters Monday morning. “Certainly as a team, a program, we’re following the guidelines that were set in place by the Big Ten. A lot of work went into those and I feel confident with that. As a team, each day you try to keep working on things you can do to best take care of everyone in the program.”
Badgers men’s hockey team will play home games at LaBahn Arena in 2020-21 season
There are multiple reasons why the University of Wisconsin decided to move men’s hockey games to LaBahn Arena for the 2020-21 season, senior associate athletic director Jason King said.
UW Experts in the News
David Canon on Campaign 2020 and Wisconsin
David Canon, political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, talked about the 2020 presidential campaign in the battleground state of Wisconsin
USPS put to the test by Fox News ahead of 2020 election
“Some estimates are that there might be one hundred and fifty million people voting for president this year,” Barry Burden, director of Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Fox News.
We Can Tackle Hunger and Joblessness at the Same Time
Bolstering the National School Lunch Program is central to Andrés’ vision. In the 2019 book The Labor of Lunch, Jennifer Gaddis, a professor of civil society and community studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, traces the modern-day school lunch program to WPA-era efforts to feed hungry kids and boost family incomes by hiring women to cook school lunches. By 1941, Gaddis writes, the WPA employed more than 64,000 workers who churned out 6 million school lunches a day, feeding one in four schoolkids.
What If Our Problems Feel Too Big for Therapy?
Bruce Wampold, an emeritus professor of counseling psychology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, has studied the impact and efficacy of psychotherapy throughout his career and wants to emphasize that, generally speaking, psychotherapy works. “For most mental disorders, psychotherapy is as effective as antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications, and it’s longer lasting — there’s less relapse when it’s over than with medication and fewer additional episodes over the life course,” he says.
Student loan debt adds to racial wealth disparities, research finds
Fenaba Addo is a professor of consumer science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and has researched this student debt gap. The following is an edited transcript of her interview with “Marketplace Morning Report” host David Brancaccio.
UW-Madison Related
A Conversation with Lynne Cheney
Mrs. Cheney earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors from Colorado College, her Master of Arts from the University of Colorado, and her Ph.D. with a specialization in 19th-Century British literature from the University of Wisconsin. She is the recipient of awards and honorary degrees from numerous colleges and universities.
A Conversation with Lynne Cheney
Mrs. Cheney earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with highest honors from Colorado College, her Master of Arts from the University of Colorado, and her Ph.D. with a specialization in 19th-Century British literature from the University of Wisconsin. She is the recipient of awards and honorary degrees from numerous colleges and universities.