1.UW Regents appoint Rebecca Blank as next UW-Madison chancellor
The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents appointed Rebecca Blank to serve as the next chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison this spring after a year-long search process.
Blank previously served as dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, among other roles, and currently serves as secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
In a statement following her appointment, Blank highlighted two priorities for the university: educating the next generation of citizens and workers, and remaining at the forefront in national and international research and innovation.
She also said she looks forward to working at an institution with “a great history, an enormous amount of promise and some real challenges in front of it.”
A special regents committee charged with interviewing and selecting final candidates recommended Blank over three other finalists: Michael Schill, Nicholas Jones and Kim Wilcox.
2. Walker hits on education, health care in Feb. 20 biennial budget proposal
Gov. Scott Walker released his biennial budget proposal Feb. 20, which included initiatives to add flexibility to the University of Wisconsin System, to expand the state’s private voucher school program and reform the state’s Medicaid system.
In the budget, Walker proposed adding an additional $181 million in funding to the UW System. Most of the increased funding was designed to allow the system additional flexibility in pursuing programs focused on expanding workforce development training as well as to “preserve and expand access and quality in the UW System.”
Additionally, Walker’s budget proposed expanding private school vouchers to nine additional school districts in the state. The expansion, which has drawn heavy criticism from several state legislators and activists, would allow qualified low-income students who attend underperforming public schools to use taxpayer money to attend higher-performing private schools.
Advocates for the expansion say it will allow students to access the best education possible, while critics say the expansion will re-allocate public school funding to private schools, thus taking money from already struggling public schools.
A third controversial portion of the governor’s budget would redefine which low-income citizens could qualify for state Medicaid coverage. Walker’s plan would require any person with an income higher than the federal poverty level to purchase their own health care from federally run exchanges, which are programs that provide citizens possible health-care options. Walker’s reformed program would also provide coverage for every Wisconsinite with an income less than the federal poverty level.
3. Student leaders plan inaugural Revelry Arts and Music Festival
After initial criticism of the idea, student leaders began planning an end-of-the-year party, called the Revelry Arts and Music Festival, in December 2012.
Organizers, with a budget of $100,000, planned for the event to feature numerous artists across three stages, as well as host interactive art displays and a foam pit.
“A group of hardworking, forward-thinking Badgers came together to found Revelry, which is about creating a great year-end music and arts festival for UW-Madison,” Revelry Chief Executive Officer Sarah Mathews said on the event’s website. “They’ve put in unbelievable passion and effort into this.”
Following negotiations with numerous artists, Revelry leaders chose Toro y Moi, Hoodie Allen and Delta Spirit as headlining acts. Other performers included Phox, Chance the Rapper, The Mowgli’s, Julian Lynch and Oh Land.
Revelry organizers said they did not mean for the event to be an alternative to Mifflin, although many students thought that was the group’s intent.
4. Mifflin prevails despite ‘cancellation’
The 44th annual Mifflin Street Block Party followed a pattern of decreasing attendance displayed over the past few years, but drew sizeable crowds considering the city’s announcement earlier in the semester of a more stringent policing of the event, according to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.
The Madison Police Department abstained from officially estimating the number of attendees due to the statistic often being inaccurate and misrepresentative, according to Verveer, but he said “there were definitely fewer than [2012],” which was down 20,000 people from 2011.
MPD Chief Noble Wray announced in an April 11 letter to Mifflin residents a new “no tolerance” policy for illegal house parties and “strongly [recommended]” Mifflin Street residents planning on hosting a party to “reconsider.”
The letter went viral, along with the inaccurate message the city “cancelled” Mifflin, according to Verveer. He said he was concerned the “crack down” would scare Mifflin residents from participating, but the turnout was better than he expected.
“I was pleased to see that the majority of houses ... [kept] the tradition going,” he said.
5. UW System criticized for overpayments, reserves surplus
The University of Wisconsin System drew criticism this semester after multiple state audits brought public attention to its handling of funds in Human Resources overpayments and a large cash reserve built over the past year.
A January report from the state Legislative Audit Bureau first brought public attention to $33 million in overpayments to UW System employees for health and retirement benefits. Further research in February revealed an additional $1.1 million in overpayments.
A second audit released in April revealed the UW System held a cash balance of over $1 billion as of 2012, with the majority of the funding coming from tuition. Approximately $200 million of the total was not identified as having a projected use at this time.
Many state and campus leaders reacted with outrage to the announcement, leading to a proposed tuition freeze and potential for a decrease in the original funding proposed for the UW System by Gov. Scott Walker in the 2013-’15 state budget.
6. The Frequency announces end to hip-hop shows
Hip-hop artists hoping to perform in Madison have one fewer venue option following The Frequency’s Jan. 29 announcement it would no longer host hip-hop artists due to a shooting outside the establishment earlier in the year.
According to a police report, two men were fighting inside The Frequency during a hip-hop show Jan. 28. The brawl escalated and shifted to the sidewalk outside the venue, located at 121 W. Main St., before one shot was fired. There were no injuries, according to the report.
The Frequency owner Darwin Sampson claimed in a Facebook post the next day he was discontinuing hip-hop shows because he was unwilling to put his employees or patrons in more danger.
“It is truly unfortunate that I cannot host an entire genre of music and artists because of the idiocy of a couple people and the ineptitude of the security company that evening,” he wrote.
7. City passes multiple campus-area high-rise apartments
The face of Madison will change in the coming years in light of new housing-development projects passed through the city’s Common Council this semester.
Two older apartment buildings on Henry Street and Iota Court will be replaced by a 72-unit, student-oriented development called “The Waterfront.”
The project drew criticism from a number of students who organized a petition aimed at making the Langdon neighborhood a historic district. Had the Langdon neighborhood held this status, it would have been more difficult to demolish historic buildings in the neighborhood.
Common Council also passed plans to demolish Stadium Bar, a longtime Madison staple, to make way for a 71-unit apartment building in its place.
Additionally, a redevelopment of Dayton Square on Dayton and Broom streets was passed through the city Council, sparking a debate about the availability of affordable housing downtown.
All three complexes will be ready for August 2014.
A faith-based housing project, at the site of the former Holy Redeemer School, was approved and will also open for August 15, 2013.
8. ASM grassroots campaigns move forward in state legislature
Two campaigns addressed by this year’s Associated Students of Madison student government are currently circulating in the state legislature for co-sponsorship and could be signed into law within the year.
The Responsible Action Bill aims to protect underage students across Wisconsin from receiving drinking citations or university punishments when they call the police to report an emergency situation or violent crime while under the influence of alcohol.
Although UW-Madison already has a responsible action policy in place, the bill aims to expand protection across the state. It also received support from the United Council of UW Students and student governments at other UW System campuses.
Additionally, the Student Regent bill would allow UW System student governments to each nominate one candidate for the student position on the UW System Board of Regents and require the governor to make a selection from the list of 26 candidates. The bill has received support from Chancellor David Ward and Dean of Students Lori Berquam.
9. Scott Walker, legislators enact contentious state mining bill
The Wisconsin state legislature and Gov. Scott Walker officially enacted a controversial mining bill designed to streamline the mine-permitting process in the state after similar legislation had failed in the legislature during the past two years.
The new mining bill, which Walker signed into law March 11, sparked intense debate among legislators.
State Democrats and state Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, repeatedly expressed concern over the bill’s weakening of state environmental regulations in relation to mines. They said the new bill would allow a mine to degrade the state’s wetlands and waterways without the threat of punishment by the state.
However, Republicans said the bill would lead to a boost in job growth in the economically degraded northern portion of the state where future mines would likely be opened.
Northern Native American tribes and activists who oppose the new law previously threatened to challenge it in court, however no significant progress has been made.
10. SSFC passes $100,000 cap on student organization funding
In late April the Student Services Finance Committee voted to adopt a $100,000 budget limit for student organizations that request funding from the General Student Services Fund, capping the amount for the first time.
GSSF organizations are student groups that provide “direct services” to campus.
In previous years, a number of student groups requested an amount above the new cap, including the Multicultural Student Coalition, Badger Catholic and Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group.
The overall cap does not include money for professional staff and some graduate student positions. However, SSFC also created a new $75,000 cap on those positions. The new rules also place limits on how much organizations can spend on travel, events and student hourly positions.
SSFC Chair Ellie Bruecker said she believes the new rules will prevent organizations from over budgeting and returning unused funds to the GSSF reserves.
