College is full of trends and trend-setters alike. Even as one of the most diverse campuses in the United States, UW-Madison is no different. Just look around, there is enough New Balance and North Face in between Breese Street and the Capital to fill a very large barn. We'll get to that later...
Badger sports are highly influential. Last season, the men's basketball team, under the direction of head coach Bo Ryan, ushered \the boot"" to the streets of Madison.
""The boot"" was a modern-day cure all for the body's ailments, and a major fashion trend last semester. Brain Butch has mononucleosis'?-Coach Ryan throws the boot on him. Greg Stiemsma tears ligaments in his knee-simply apply the boot. Boo Wade compliments his healthy rap sheet with a .07 grade point average.-well ... ""the boot"" is not a divine invention.
Last year, the hoops team also provided some foreshadowing for the current semester. UW's most popular farmer, the graduated Mike Wilkinson, now looks to have been way ahead of the pack, as academic agriculture is now popular.
Spearheading the trend this year is the Badger Football team, which is filling the seats in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences faster than accumulated points against Temple.
Here's the agricultural or mathematical breakdown:
At the start of the semester, 80 players on the football team, not includingincoming freshman listed their majors.
Of those 80, 22 still were undecided as to their academic path, but 58 players on the team declared majors.
Of those 58, 23 percent were enrolled in the school of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
So, how did this school manage to recruit some of Madison's most popular figures? Many have heard the pitches from some of the top Division I programs in the nation, so how did the Agricultural Journalism major land four of the Badgers 11 starters-Brian Calhoun, John Stocco, Brandon Williams and Jason Palermo'?- on offense?
on offense? Dean of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences David B. Hogg believes he may have some of the answers.
""We don't have many mega size classes like a freshman English or math,"" Hogg said. ""We really don't do as much teaching as L & S does, but I will tell you our advantages are that they get better contact with faculty and all our advising is done by professors.""
Less teaching with less people. Now you have my attention.
So why not pursue a life away from the farm, I began to wonder? Why not apply for the School of Journalism or the School of Business at Grainger Hall? Is having the agricultural experience that essential in the 21st-century job market?
""It is sort of a specialized area,"" Hogg said, explaining the difference between the rival schools. ""They [students] look at agricultural issues and technology beyond agriculture.""
Agriculture and the technology behind it? Ohhh ... like Eli Whitney and his invention of the cotton gin. Now I'm starting to put things together.
The next logical question would be, what type of careers a graduate with a degree in Agricultural Journalism can expect in the future? Hogg kept his answer simple and to the point.
""I couldn't answer that, I don't know,"" Hogg said.
However, he was quick to point out the demands that are placed on each of his students.
""I think, Booker [Stanley] is a landscape architecture,"" Hogg recalled. ""Well, I know Kurt Penney was.""
Well, Booker's not with you guys, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on Penney.
Again I pressed for one final answer as to the lure of the farm to see indeed, if the clich?? was true: is the grass always greener on the other side with an agricultural degree?
""I don't know what it is, I think they must think they get a good value out of it, because I think we work them pretty hard,"" Hogg said. ""They aren't in there doing basket weaving or something.""
That's reassuring.
It's difficult to predict if the trend will last here on campus. However, one thing is for sure. Mike and his wife Alexis need to look no further than their Alma mater for future help on their farm, as a handful of future graduates wearing cardinal and white can provide the technological and journalistic skills required for gathering corn and milking cows.
And remember the first rule of the farm life: Go 1-0 today.
Jon is a senior majoring in human and consumer life science journalism with an emphasis in broadfield economic and agricultural management. He can be reached for comment at jrmcnamara@wisc.edu.
