WE EAT MORE WHEN WE ARE DRUNK

…OR IS THERE A LITTLE MORE TO IT?

Recently I visited Ian’s Pizza on several occasions, each time noting happenings around me—the ones that stood out, yes. But also, and more interestingly even, the ones that I had n ever thought to question. I began many internal questions with W’ s—What? When? and most often, Why? Why is Ian’s one of the most popular restaurants in Wisconsin’s capitol city? It’s just a small pizza place. Ian’s sells insurmountable amounts of pizza. Why? It got me thinking, and as I visited on a variety of occasions, I formulated several hypotheses. On the one hand, maybe the pizza tastes too good when we are drunk.

—What is Ian’s?

Ian’s is one of the finest pizza establishments in Madison—my opinion, of course. Over its years the humble pizza joint has become a hub for student activity at the UW and a fundamental feature of the city as a whole. The inside doesn’t boast much—relatively limited seating, not-so-flawless flooring and walling. In general, the place hasn’t changed much since it opened. It’s humble fluorescents have been lighting midnight meals of college students for years. Ian’s is orange, it is yellow; it smells like greasy pizza and booms loudly with raucous voices even out on the sidewalk. I’m led to believe that maybe this is the way its always been.

—When is Ian’s

In the small hours of the morning when sleep sounds like a pretty logical option, Ian’s still thrives: Thursday nights, Friday nights, and Saturday nights. In my experience, I have grown to trust that every weekend will be busy. How many restaurants can rely on this level of anomalous consistency? Weekdays with sparse but steady trickles of patronage, followed inevitably by weekends of irrepressible floods? Everybody knows that Ian’s gets rowdy. But upon closer inspection, the phenomenon of late-night pizza has become truly fascinating to me. Again, perhaps intoxication is to blame. But I’m not so sure. Perhaps there is more to it.

“Miss, I think the bathroom is flooding.”

I break now for a short anecdote that, at the time of its happening, seemed nothing but ridiculous. But now, in hindsight and set on the backdrop of questions on mystical pizzacism, it seems like it might lend something like meaning.

It was a Saturday night, as I remember, and immediately upon entry I made my way through a modest sea of people to get to the bathroom to wash my hands. The room was occupied, but soon a man emerged and hurriedly shouldered past me and out the side door to the street. His darted glancing and swift exit made me wonder What’s this guy’s deal? Entering the bathroom, however, I immediately understood, as I watched the toilet water rapidly rise to the cusp of the toilet bowl, my comprehension struggling to keep up with its imminent maximization. Sure enough, the water reached the toilet seat and began to pour over the side, at which point I hurriedly exited to go alert an employee. I hope people don’t assume I did it, I could only think.

After I alerted a girl behind the counter, her eyes grew wide and she thanked me, disappearing into the back room. Hearing commotion behind me, I turned to discover with dismay that the water had began to actually creep out of the bathroom from underneath the door. Very soon the water encroached standing space where customers waited in line, sending flustered patrons out of the way, yelling, climbing up on the railing. The wide-eyed employee emerged, looking prepared and anticipatory with a plunger and disappeared into the unknown, spectators lauding her bravery. After a few minutes she reemerged, having stopped the water flowing, gaining an applause from the populous of the establishment.

After that, things went largely back to normal.

So? What’s the big deal?

Maybe nothing. But for me, I wondered: How many restaurants could survive a flooding from the bathroom so unperturbed? Nobody—myself included—even gave it a second thought. I pictured myself in Potbelly, in Roast, in Tutto Pasta, and what the reaction to a bathroom flooding into eating space would look like at these places. Interesting to consider differences. And that brings me to my next question.

—Why Ian’s?

Eateries do all sorts of things to attract new customers. They renovate. They advertise farther and wider. They concoct combo deals for meals and monthly specials, etc. Ian’s, generally, doesn’t do any of these things. During my visits, I realized that Ian’s has accomplished something remarkable. Sure, the pizza is delicious. But I think there is a little more to it than that. Ian’s is an establishment that perpetuates its own legacy during its own time; advertisement comes form word of mouth, reliability of tradition bringing in new customers from far and wide. Renovation isn’t necessary because customers know precisely what Ian’s is—it doesn’t pretend to be anything more. It doesn’t try to reach out further or appeal to more, and it definitely doesn’t need to change. Ian’s fits comfortably right in the space it has found for itself—nestled humbly on Frances Street, residing peacefully and earnestly in the hearts and minds of thousands of college students. Ian’s is tradition. And that’s why.

Or maybe people just eat more when they’re drunk. I don’t know.

A Journey of Literacy Sponsorshp; Courtsey of Gordon Commons

Gordon Commons is located on the southeast portion of campus between W. Johnson and Dayton

Gordon Commons is one of the most well known dining halls on the UW – Madison campus. Conveniently located on West Johnson Street, between East Campus Mall, The SERF, the Kohl Center, Sellery, and Witte, it is an extremely popular destination for many individuals on campus. Your first thought may be that most people stop by Gordon to grab a bite to eat or something to drink, but after studying this space for many hours, I have found it to be much more than just a place to eat.

Gordon Commons serves as a literacy sponsor to any and all students that choose to utilize this space. As defined by Deborah Brandt in Sponsors of Literacy, literacy sponsors are “any agents, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacy—and gain advantage by it in some way.” (166) Gordon Common’s extensive, multi-purpose space encompasses many “agents” given Brandt’s definition, but for the purpose of this post, I will focus on the two I deem most significant.

The Physical Space

The physical space that Gordon Commons offers is the largest way this space serves as a literacy sponsor to students. The endless, accommodating seating not only serves as a fashionable place to sit and eat, but to study, collaborate with peers, sit down with a tutor, and of course supplement students’ crave for social interaction.All of the above services the physical space offers, “enables” students to further immerse themselves in their education at UW – Madison, which ultimately is what is providing this access to literacy.

Student Employment

As seen in the short video above, Gordon Commons is expansive and is constantly serving the student population. There is a great need for employees to facilitate the everyday function of this space and students are the main prospects for employment. As stated on the Housing website on the topic of student employment, “…you’ll gain a variety of skills such as problem solving, prioritization, cultural      competencies, how integrate into a work culture, how to handle conflict, and how to      relate well to others. These skills will help you succeed academically, in your career post- college, and for the rest of your life,” it is apparent that these opportunities act as a sponsorship of literacy. In addition to students experiencing a variety of real-life situations working at Gordon Commons, having a job at Gordon Commons has its perks as well. The starting wage is $1.25 above the minimum wage in Wisconsin, students may opt out of paying Social Security and/or Medicare taxes, there is incentive to return the following years for increased pay, and frequent award ceremonies to recognize employees that do outstanding work. These perks appeal to students but what is really important is that this space is not only providing a great work experience, it rewards students for sticking with something long-term and awarding those that prove to have a good work ethic.

Gordon Commons has many agents that provide literacy sponsorship to students. Primarily, it serves as a place for students to meet their physical needs for food, and with those needs met, they can continue to take on their role as students. Secondary to providing food to students, Gordon Commons provides a community in which many skills can be developed such as communication skills and problem-solving skills, ultimately providing the intangible building blocks to gaining access to literacy. Combining the phenomenal space Gordon provides for students to fully experience their journey of literacy sponsorship at UW Madison, with the opportunities of employment, Gordon Commons is supplementing students’ journeys on a daily basis.

The Change in The Drinking Age

Life At UW While Students Were Able To Drink Legally

Many people do not know that binge drinking was far from non existent before the drinking age change in 1986. The University underwent a series of attempts to reduce drunk driving and binge drinking on and around campus. For example, in 1911, the University implemented a five-mile dry zone around the campus. This was created to reduce the use of intoxicating liquors on and around campus. The university noted that there would still be students who would use liquor, however, they hoped to see a large reduction in the amount of liquor being consumed.

This dry-zone was removed shortly after, and the overall conclusion was that it did not significantly aid in the binge consumption of liquor on and around campus. The interesting part about this law was that it only pertained to University of Wisconsin- Madison students, and only inhibited the purchase and sale of liquor.

Another way that the University collaborated with the Madison police force in hopes of decreasing the amount of binge drinking going on at the campus was through bar times required for fraternity parties. There was a law that required frats to have a license to sell alcohol passed 12:45 am in their houses. The police really tried cracking down on this law in 1986, before the drinking age was changed.

Why did the drinking age change?

In 1986, the leading cause of death for the age group of 18-21 was automobile accidents. President Ronald Reagan sought to significantly decrease the death toll taken by drunk drivers of age 18-21. To do this, in 1986, he decided to give the states an extreme incentive to increase their drinking age from age 18 to 21. He linked his goal of decreasing the amount of drunk driving deaths to the incentives he provided for states to increase their drinking age by threatening to take federal highway funding. This way, if a state decided not to raise their drinking age, they would not receive 5% of the federal funds for their highways in the upcoming year, and 10% for every following year thereafter.

These incentives worked in the way that the President had intended; all states changed their legal drinking age to 21 following this bill. Some states had previously had a drinking age of 21, but Wisconsin was not in this group. Our legal drinking age changed to 21 in 1986, following this announcement from Ronald Reagan.

What were the effects of the new drinking age?

As stated previously, the main goal of the new drinking age was to decrease the amount of drunk driving accidents on a national scale. Was this goal achieved? Well, in order to understand this, it is important to look at the facts before and after the law change. According to Newsweek on Campus, the drunk driving deaths from the age group 18-21 are only slightly more than drunk driving deaths in the age group 22-24. It is hard to find specific statistics about the toll that the new drinking age took, however, according to an article written in 1996, Madison was listed as one of the top young and reckless areas for drinking and driving in Wisconsin. Clearly, there is still a fair amount of drinking and driving going on even after the law change.

Another main effect of the new drinking age was a huge increase in the amount of fraudulent identification seen on and around campus. Soon after the change, students were attempting to order beer at the union, or get into bars using fake ids and birth certificates. Kollege Klub reported confiscating between 350 and 400 fake ids in the fall of 1986. The persistence of such large groups of students to continue to drink, despite the law change, is one of many signs that the new law may have done little to prevent drunk driving accidents for this age group.

So what does this mean for me as a UW student?

Many undergraduate students are angered and upset by this law that prohibits them from going to bars and drinking with their older classmates. The important things to take away from the history of the drinking age change is to note that the goal was to significantly reduce premature deaths in the age group of 18-21. By peacefully protesting and presenting the facts to the (many) uneducated people on this subject, your voices will be heard. If the drinking age were ever to be changed back to 18, it is extremely important for this age group to prohibit drunk driving and be safe, proving that they are responsible enough adults to handle the privilege of drinking legally.

Flipped Classroom

• What is Flipped Classroom?

So… Flipped Classroom?

Flipped classroom is an innovating educational technique which consists of two major components. The first part being direct computer-based instruction outside the classroom, while the second part involves interactive group learning activities inside the classroom. Computer-based instruction outside the classroom refers to the fact that instructional content are delivered to the students before the class session which provides students the opportunity to prep; Interactive group learning activities inside the classroom, on the other hand, suggests that students devote their in-class time to collaborate with each other on homework assignments, exercises, projects and sometimes in-depth concepts that are beyond the course materials. This process is always accompanied with the presence of an instructor, which means assistance and feedback are available to students upon encountering problems.

• How is it different from the traditional teaching?

In traditional teaching model, the instructor is often times the center of the focus; he or she is in complete control of the flow of the classroom. Some teachers prefer to review old homework assignments during the class session in order to help the students to recall importance knowledge that they have learned previously; others would typically introduce new course materials every lesson and leave students with loads of assignments to practice. Regardless of how the instructor decides to spent the in-class time. whenever the students are puzzled with the lecture content, they would have to raise their hands and unintentionally interrupt the lecture in order to receive ensuring feedback from the teacher. In some traditional classrooms, however, the teacher would permit students to work either independently or within a small group on specifically chosen problems. Despite that, the class discussion is still centered on the teacher who would purposefully control the flow of the conversation by connecting the discussion with the lecture content. Thereby, the traditional teaching is essentially lecture content-oriented and the instructor appears to be the most prominent person leading the conversation.

Students engaging in discussions with the guidance of the instructor

On the contrary, the flipped classroom shifts the center of focus from the instructor to the students. In-class time is dedicated to enhance students’ ability to apply the skills they have acquired from the course material by allowing them to collaborate on either real-life problems or homework problems. On the other hand, the instructor is there to provide the students with immediate, insightful suggestions once the students raised questions in regards to their class activities. In addition, lecture content is generally delivered outside the classroom through the Internet. Through viewing these lecture materials (usually in forms of video, online discussion or text reading) students can brainstorm ideas and come into the lecture prepared with questions, while the instructor could devote his or her time on answering these questions thoroughly.

• Two Examples

Professor Barry Van Veen flipped his ECE 330 class by introducing the course materials through sending students short online videos. This allows his students more time to practice on actual problems during the class session and thereby dramatic improvements in students’ test score is observed. Professor Barry Van Veen received the Harvey Spangler Award for Technology-Enhanced Instruction in 2014.

Professor Barry Van Veen working with his ECE 330 students on the fourth floor of Wendt Library.

Speaking of flipped classroom, I definitely think our English 201 class possesses some strong components that a flipped classroom has. For instance, often times we would have reading assignments before the class session, and we were supposed to reflect our response to the reading through a designated discussion page (course materials delivered outside the classroom). Then, we would spent in-class time either on in-depth discussions of the reading material as a class where people freely express their opinions and involved in heated conversations with one another (interactive group learning inside the classroom). As the result of this “flipped classroom” technique, we improved ourselves as writers and learned abundant amount of precious writing techniques!

• Benefits

1. The fact that lecture contents are delivered ONLINE implies students can access to the course materials AS MANY TIMES AS THEY WANT.
2. Flipped classroom setting allows students to cooperate with their peers IN CLASS,, which is generally not an available option for students to consume their time in class in case of a tradition classroom setting.
3. Students can prep for the lecture beforehand and brainstorm questions at home. Coming to the class with most of the lecture contents absorbed can help the students to efficiently utilize their in-class time.
4. Often times distractions(e.g. cellphone ringtones) during lectures would negatively affect the students’ note-taking abilities (especially if the instructor is dictating notes), in a flipped classroom students do not have to worry about it.

11 Fun Facts about Swimming and Diving

11 Things You Didn’t Know About the Women’s Swim and Dive Team

 1. In 1919, the practices and competitions    for women’s swimming were actually done in the lake.

2. Before women could be recognized by the athletic department all of their water activities had to be through a program called the Dolphin Club. They trained in the Red Gym.

3. Wisconsin has been making waves in and out of the pool. In 1926, we were the Big Ten champions.

4. While many teams have gotten new facilities in the recent years,the swim and dive team still uses the Natatorium, which was built in 1963 when the university realized the Red Gym was not large enough.

 5. In 1971, the Wisconsin women were able to compete on the national level for the first time. They placed 25th in the national championships that season.

6. In May of 1994, the women’s swimming and diving team had a huge turning point. The men’s coach, Coach Hansen, was given the responsibility for both the men’s and women’s team. The team was now combined, meaning they practice together, travel together, and compete together. The teamswere now on equal playing fields and are given the same amount of opportunities.

7. One large impact on the women’s swimming and diving team being seen as equal to the men’s swimming and diving team is sharing the same young coaching staff. Every coach is under forty-five years old, giving our team a very young open-minded staff.

8. Both the men’s and women’s teams train together which is not seen in all programs around the nation. This makes the teams more as equals.

9. The men and women’s swim and dive team have seen a total of ten Olympians from this program, there hopefully will be one more added to that list next year, Ivy Martin.

10. Ivy Martin, is one of the fastest swimmers in the world and just graduated from this university. She won seven events at Big Tens, which is the most anyone has ever one in one year. She won every event she was racing in.

11. The Wisconsin swimming and diving team practice 6 days a week, at 6 am five days a week. They are one of the hardest working teams on campus and excel at not only the conference level but also at the national level.

COME OUT AND SUPPORT YOUR LADY BADGERS THIS FALL!

Images 1-4 from the University Archives, 5-10 from the UWbadgers.com, 11 from personal camera

Professor Library Mall: How a Public Space Can be a Teacher

Prof. Mall

Background: 

In 1889, the University of Wisconsin-Madison finalized its acquisition of a small piece of land located between North Lake Street and Park Street along the infamous State Street. This piece of land came to be known as “Library Mall” and serves a plethora of purposes for the members of the Madison community. Interestingly, the construction that has been going on in the area throughout my Wisconsin Experience is not surprising to those who have been here longer. Despite the constant chaos, Library Mall serves as a common ground for group activities such as protests, demonstrations, drum circles, eating, studying, chatting, and pure enjoyment of the area’s beauty. Depending on the weather, Library Mall is filled with passers-by and stationary patrons and there is constant communication between the two groups in both verbal and non-verbal manners. As a connector of four areas of campus, Library Mall brings a lot of people together from all directions and walks of life.

 

Layout:

 

The location and layout of Library Mall heavily contributes to its success as a source of instruction. At the center of Library Mall, four paths intersect around a large circle of stone benches. To the north, Langdon Street, home of fraternities, sororities, College Library and Memorial Union, feeds into multiple sidewalks that congregate at Library Mall. From the south, East Campus Mall, which comes from the southeast section of campus, meets with the benches. East of Library Mall is State Street and the capital building and west is Bascom Hill and the academic buildings of the university. With this seamless intersection of the entirety of the UW-Madison campus, Library Mall brings together students, professors, families, visitors, and more. Once in Library Mall, one can chose from a multitude of seats depending on their mood or social situation. Semi-circle stone benches line the north and southwest areas of Library Mall and the southeast area has a large, raised wooden platform that can seat more than six people and can be stood on to get a better view of the campus. With its ample seating, strategic layout, and perfect location, Library Mall can easily be seen as a space of communication, but in digging deeper, it can be seen that it is a source of liberal education for Badgers and Madisonites alike.

  

Liberal Education Sponsor:

 

 

Library Mall vs. Typical Classroom

To begin to understand Library Mall’s power, it must first be put on the same playing field as a typical college classroom and that is done by labeling Library Mall and a classroom as special kinds of teachers called sponsors. In an article titled “Sponsors of Literacy”, Deborah Brandt explains that, “Sponsors, as I have come to think of them, are any agents, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacy…” (Brandt 166). The article focuses on sponsors of literacy and the art of reading and writing, but in a more general sense, sponsorship as I understand it, means someone who promotes growth and in this case, Library Mall and a typical classroom act as sponsors of communication and education. What I see as the main difference between Library Mall and a typical college classroom is the difference in pressure: social, academic, personal, etc. While a classroom encourages a sort of dictatorship and “do better than your classmates to pass” vibe, Library Mall puts everyone on an even playing ground and eliminates many stressors one typically feels in class. During my research, I saw people biking, running, and casually laying out in Library Mall. There was a guy doing bike tricks and jumps, a couple laying really cutely with one another, and tons of people jogging through and saying “hey” to their friends. That wouldn’t happen in a classroom now would it?!

 

So What?:

 

By now you are probably asking yourself: I see the difference, but how can a space teach me? Let me try to explain. In a classroom, a teacher stands at the front of the room and lectures about important material that mainly is focused on preparing you for a final exam. Rarely do we get to engage with our fellow students in typical classroom environments and that lack of communication separates us from not only the professor, but also our peers. Library Mall faces none of these problems. You are free to sit wherever you want, talk freely, ask questions, have conversations, and not be worried about failing an exam. A liberal education emphasizes a connection between people through communication, problem solving, and humility. In Library Mall, all of these goals are present; where can I sit so the wind doesn’t blow away my homework? That’s problem solving. Talking to a friend about their weekend or home life? That’s communication. Learning something new and expressing confusion? That’s humility. In a typical classroom, none of the character traits are worked on, rather than are almost discouraged. To me, Library Mall is more than a simple place on campus and I hope this blog makes you feel that way too!

PROS AND CONS OF BOXING

Pro: Encourages discipline and discourages street fighting

Gloves help people to not injure themselves completely. They act as a cushion to your hand and they displace the area of damage during a friendly bout. When you fight in a safe environment, such as the UW boxing club, there are no enemies. You get to know your opponents and work with what they need so that they can improve. Those who are better than average take it just easy enough for the opponent not to get injured but hard enough to punish the mistakes that they may make. This manner of training, one person having the ability to hold a punch and the other person having the choice to stop whenever they want, helps people become strong of will.

Most importantly, you should not forget that it’s a sport you’re playing.

Consider this video. Prince was an athlete who took his training so seriously that he was able to just have fun in the ring. A man who dedicates himself to the sport so fully would not want to risk all of his efforts on a street fight where anything could happen.

Con: Attacking people in the ring can promote violence

It is true that while it is a sport, you are still actively choosing to harm another human being. 

Mike Tyson, a boxer well known for his animosity in the ring, is a prime example of how being molded by boxing can lead a person down the path of violence outside of the ring. He changed boxing because of how often his goal was to incapacitate his opponents. He tried his hardest to knock out everyone he faced. People could stop feeling safe knowing that there is someone who understands how to cause serious harm to them.

Pro: The goal is not to knock someone out

Charlie Mohr was a boxer here at UW Madison. He was an amateur fighter that lived and breathed honor. He was the person who would never take advantage of finishing the match when he had the opportunity because of the fear of injuring his opponent. My point with bringing up Mohr is that it is not because of the sport that makes people violent. People who are violent will continue to be violent whether or not they discover boxing.

To restate the positive, boxing was not created as a medium to knock people out. There is a system where people earn points by getting hits, by dodging correctly, by showing off to the judges their skill, and lastly by how often they play fair. Referencing a recent fight that people were disappointed by, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather did not do that much damage to each other. The most damage they did was the damage to their legs from running for so long. It was a very technical fight on the professional level and it was understood that that would be the outcome. People like Tyson do exist but he was a rarity because of his intensity and his continuous desire to seek out his opponent instead of waiting for them to stay put.

Con: 488 people have died within the last 60 years in the ring

            The goal may not be to knock someone out, yet many people have died in boxing! Charlie Mohr died himself because of a blow to the head during a fighting match which was the reason for starting the death count in 1960. Yes it may be safe for many people but there are people who come in with a loose nerve or blood vessel that can be severely injured if they are unaware of their condition. 488 people could have lived for years at least without this sport because of the lack of physical punishment they would receive per match.

Once more, the goal is not to knock someone out, but those who are considered great were not the light hearted hitters.

They were people who made the opponent incapable of fighting. People who strive to reach professional level cannot be the best unless they work hard to incapacitate the people they go up against. That is not a healthy goal to try and reach.

Pro: Aware of the risks going in

            The professional level is the most dangerous level, I agree. However people who get to that level do it because they want to be there. It isn’t wrong when you say the same thing for other sports. People die in Football and get severely injured in Hockey. Professionals who give too many headers to soccer balls also will risk a small chance on their cognitive function to play the sport that they love with people who can test their skill. I am not saying it’s encouraged to go that level, but if you enter the ring, even once, be aware that the fighters know they are going to get hit and are aware of what could happen. The good thing in all of this is that the things that could happen are very rare.

Con: You may not necessarily die but you can reach severe brain injuries on the professional level

People like Muhammad Ali and Tyson have reached a level where they’ve gotten hit so many times that their brains work nothing like they would without the toll their heads took. It may seem safe, but if it can get that bad over time, there definitely must be damage done for every single match you experience. Going off of that, the damage done may be rare but it is an awful thing to experience.

 

Video 1: Prince vs Donello. A fight which is regarded highly because of how skillful Prince was with his movement. (No sound)

Video 2: Mike Tyson steamrolling through his opponent, hoping to land the one hit he needs to end the match (No sound)

Video 3: It isn’t boxing, but there is boxing involved. It goes along with the idea that the winners play with an iron fist and take advantage of them to conquer opponents.

Video 4/5: This last video (fighting starts at 0:21 seconds) is just for me to emphasize what is key to the upper level boxers. It isn’t necessarily how hard they hit, it’s the flair that will get them to appeal to the judges. The defensive style is to undermine the hard work your opponent is giving off only so you can best them with what seems to be no effort.

 

Going To School While Your Child Is Too

As any parent will tell you, taking care of a child is a full-time job. On top of maintaining a household, many parents must also work a regular job either full or part-time. The audacious ones will go further yet and throw college into the mix. I myself have a 6-year-old son in kindergarten, work 2 jobs, and attend classes at UW-Madison full-time. Understandably, this is an arduous feat but it is not impossible. The university offers various forms of assistance to parents who wish to pursue a degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

It’s no secret that college is expensive so it’s nice to know that UW-Madison offers a variety of scholarship opportunities to help ease the financial burden of attending college. They offer assistance to all types of students whether young or old, full-time or part-time, etc. One 1994 Single Parent Scholarship winner said, “Single mothers often feel that the systems in our culture, from the legal to the political, aren’t on our side. The scholarships…mean someone is on my side and wants me to succeed.” Below is a short list of a few of the scholarships offered by the Division of Continuous Studies at the university for non-traditional students. For a more complete list of financial assistance offered to adult students or to apply, click here.

• Continuing Education Grant (less than half-time status)
• Bernice D. Kuney Scholarship & Osher Reentry Scholarship (returning adult students who experienced a 5+ year gap)
• Alma Baron Second Chance for Woman Scholarship (adults 45 years or older)
• Nicholas Scholarship (adult students pursuing degree in business)
• Gertrude Anthony Scholarship (adult students pursuing degree in education

If you have a younger child, you are probably aware that exceptional child care is difficult to come by and often difficult to pay for. Fortunately, the Office of Child Care and Family Resources (OCCFR) at the university coordinates child care on campus which is available to children between 6 weeks and 12 years of age. OCCFR director, Lynn Edlefson said that, “…financial stress is the biggest obstacle that student parents face. That, and time management.” Campus child care costs about $10,872 per child per academic year which costs more than full-time, in-state, UW-Madison tuition ($10,410). To help alleviate the financial stress of paying for child care, the OCCFR offers assistance such as the Child Care Tuition Assistance Program (CCTAP) which awards 200-300 students each semester with grants that generally cover 30-40% of child care costs. Though only covering a fraction of the cost, nearly 90% of eligible undergraduates are able to graduate on time due to the aid of CCTAP. The OCCFR also offers other scholarships such as the Single Parent Undergraduate Scholarship and the PLATO scholarship to help relieve the financial burden that many student parents carry.

One of UW-Madison’s Child Care Programs, Eagle’s Wing, is located in the Eagle Heights Community located on the west side of campus. Along with providing child care, the Eagle Heights Community Center serves as a housing facility for student parents and their families. Residents of Eagle Heights get first priority for child care at Eagle’s Wing which may prove beneficial considering the length of some of the waiting lists at campus child care centers. Some children may spend up to 2 years on a waiting list before a spot opens up so, as many parents already know, it’s important to be proactive about these kinds of things. Click here for more information on the Eagle Heights Community or Eagle’s Wing child care center.

Though finding and paying for child care is certainly an important aspect for student parents to consider, having a reliable support group is just as important. Personally, I don’t use any of the resources talked about thus far. Part of the reason is that my son is old enough that he is in school during the day so I try to schedule my classes during that time. Unfortunately, because I must schedule my classes during the day, I must work in the evenings. Finding child care that operates in the evening is extremely difficult so I’m lucky to have such a wonderful boyfriend to help and support both me and my son. He too schedules his classes during the time that my son is in school so that he can be home with him in the evenings when I work. Because he is a US Marine, his tuition is covered and he receives a monthly paycheck to cover his cost of living. This means that he does not have to work while he is attending classes which means he has plenty of free time with which he picks my son up from school, makes him dinner, and puts him to bed on nights that I cannot. Without his incredible support, I would have an incredibly hard time pursuing a degree. Friends, family, and professors may also serve as part of your support group. Some professors were student parents themselves and are often encouraging and are sometimes flexible with exams or assignment due dates.

Above all, it’s important to understand that everyone’s college experience is unique. Some have it harder than others because the system was not originally set up for mass appeal. There is no reason to feel discouraged if you must take a path less traveled. What matters is that you are doing what you want to do in a way that works for you. My son was 2-years-old when I began my college career. His father and my parents were my biggest support system. I attended full-time and also worked part-time. I did very well my first couple semesters but ended up failing all my classes one semester because I fell into a bout of severe depression. I took a year off so that I could gather myself and regain my confidence. Two semesters later, I received a 4.0 before transferring to UW-Madison. Being so far away from my family and boyfriend left me with an extremely limited support system and I ended up withdrawing from my classes the following semester. After my boyfriend was able to move to Madison as well to attend the university, I had the support I needed to finish the semester. So you see, sometimes the situation is far from ideal but if you are willing to work with what you have available to you, you can accomplish your goals no matter how demanding.

 

Going Beyond the Binary: Redefining “Co-ed” in UW Residence Halls

“Be the place where everyone wants to live.” Currently, the University of Wisconsin-Madison utilizes this phrase as their University Housing mission statement. The declaration is simple, but it expresses the university’s desire to provide the best services and environments within the residence halls for all students. Because students are not required to live on campus, University Housing has made intentional efforts to attract students to their facilities. The residence halls have attempted to create inclusive spaces for all identities. Regardless of race, ability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, or gender, University Housing wishes to make their communities more diverse. However, historically, gender inclusivity has been of relatively little concern to University Housing. Representation of all gender identities in the residence halls is a fairly recent feat that has been gradually accomplished over the last 150 years. Through the UW Archives and the current University website, we are provided a brief history of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Housing attempts to diversify the gender makeup, beginning with the creation of the first on-campus residence hall in 1851 and ending in 2015 with considerations for future housing modifications to accommodate all individuals and their gender identities.

The Gay Purge: Social Unrest at the University of Wisconsin

In 1962, Lewis Bosworth was stripped of his scholarship to study abroad by Dean of Men, Ted Zillman, because he was a gay man at the University of Wisconsin (Bosworth, 2).

Zillman worked in conjunction with the UW Police Department to call, or sometimes even threaten, gay men into the Dean of Men’s office so that they could be kicked off campus. 

To be a gay man on campus in the 1960s meant that you were a second-class citizen lacking the rights afforded to every other student.

History

The 1960s were a tumultuous time at the University of Wisconsin for the LGB (the T was not yet established) community. The intense discrimination towards heterosexuals and gays caused the University of Wisconsin administration to withdraw most of its support towards gay faculty and students. Ultimately, gay individuals were stripped of their right to an education in the sixties because of their sexual orientation. Ted Zillman believed that allowing “openly gay men into the world was a blemish on the institution and he wanted to weed out potential gay graduates that he believed would reflect badly on Madison” (LGBT Podcast Transcript). The purge on campus was a serious matter, in which gay students were harassed, threatened and oppressed by the university’s administrative system. The discrimination during the purge was blatant; if you were gay, it was believed that you did not deserve an education.

Moving Forward: The Student Body Voice

UW Madison students at a gay pride rally in the 1990’s promoting gender equality on campus. This image is from the UW-Madison Archives.

During the 1970s until the end of the 1990s, students responded to the events of the purge and pushed campus administration to establish equal opportunities for LGBTQ students and faculty. These decades were a time of pathos, or a way to instigate emotions in the student body and administration to recognize members of the LGBT community as equals. Additionally, due to student activism, one can see a shift in ethos and the establishment of the LGBT community as an influential voice of campus rhetoric.

Taken from the Campus Center website, this image mixes Bucky and gay pride thus promoting the idea that the UW-Madison student body is supportive of LGBTQ members.

Groups like the Lesbian Switchboard, Gay Center, Madison Lesbians, and Madison Gay Liberation Front formed to advocate the rights of LGBT students on campus. The Lesbian Switchboard and Gay Center were advising services for lesbian and gay students, respectively. The Madison Lesbians and the Madison Gay Liberation Front were more active organizations that fought for equal rights through legislation and protest. In a flyer titled, “Union Management Unfair to Gays!!!” written by the Madison Lesbians and Madison Gay Liberation Front in 1973, the two groups argue against the University Memorial Union rejecting a clause to give job security to gay individuals (UW-Madison Archives). The rhetoric of this message is meant to instill awareness and cause change. These groups of students were responding to the rocky social climate on campus and pushing the university administration to better protect the rights of its students, sexual orientation and gender aside.

The effects of this student movement can be seen on campus today. The LGBT Advisory Board, the LGBT Dean of Students Liaison and the Campus Center are all examples of how student action pushed for the creation of safe and equal spaces for LGBTQ students on campus.

The Campus Center today in the Red Gym. It’s open to anyone and is now an office of the Dean of Students.

Questions to Consider:

1) What is the role of a university administrator in a student body?

2) What are some ways students can change the social atmosphere on their campus?

3) What are some movements we see taking place today in Madison? Who are the principle actors?

 

Bibliography

Bosworth, Lewis. Interview by Scott Seyforth. “Madison’s LGBT Community, 1960s to Present.” University of Wisconsin-Madison Archives Oral History Program. 2009. Web.

“LGBT Podcast Transcript.” Narr. Scott Seyforth. LGBT Podcast Transcript. UW-Madison Campus Voices. Web.