In Depth - The Daily Cardinal

Based in urban Madison, it can be hard for the university’s research to reach the far-flung areas of the state where farming and agriculture comprise the greatest share of the economy.

IN-DEPTH

Off Campus: Extension’s agricultural agents spread university research and resources to every corner of the state

By Cameron Lane-Flehinger | Apr. 12, 2018

Based in urban Madison, it can be hard for the university’s research to reach the far-flung areas of the state where farming and agriculture comprise the greatest share of the economy. UW Extension faculty members, who have the same academic training and background as campus faulty but live and work in the communities they serve, are well-positioned to bridge that gap.

When asked how he would describe the relationship between the city of Madison and the surrounding farms in a single word, Dane County Food Councilman Carl Chenoweth answered with just one word: “Opportunity.”

IN-DEPTH

Community, business, opportunity: Madison’s urban and rural culture meet in the middle

By J. Adam Wigger | Apr. 12, 2018

When asked how he would describe the relationship between the city of Madison and the surrounding farms in a single word, Dane County Food Councilman Carl Chenoweth answered with just one word: “Opportunity.”

“Not only do women make great farmers, but they also bring innovation, new ideas and hard work into this industry,” said Association of Women Agriculture Media Relations spokesperson Emily Matzke.

IN-DEPTH

Women agriculturists may be the answer for dwindling farm industry

By Robyn Cawley | Apr. 11, 2018

“Not only do women make great farmers, but they also bring innovation, new ideas and hard work into this industry,” said Association of Women Agriculture Media Relations spokesperson Emily Matzke.

AgrAbility of Wisconsin, formed through a partnership between the UW Extension and Easter Seals of Wisconsin, provides assistance to an estimated 38,740 Wisconsin farmers with limitations or disabilities — including chronic illnesses, agriculture or non-agriculture-related injuries, and mental health issues.

IN-DEPTH

For Wisconsin farmers with disabilities, AgrAbility is a viable solution

By Grace Wallner | Apr. 11, 2018

Farmers rise with the sun, sometimes as early as 3 to 5 a.m., labor in the fields or work with livestock for the entire day, and end their day around 8 p.m.

Larger farms have caused large environmental problems for water contamination and soil health, most presently caused by the huge quantity of manure in this state.

IN-DEPTH

As conservation concerns grow, some farmers are taking the lead towards a more sustainable future

By Jessica Lipaz | Apr. 11, 2018

However, this advancement has caused large environmental problems for water contamination and soil health, most presently caused by the huge quantity of manure in this state.

UW administrators, Madison community join forces to seek poverty solution in Dane County

IN-DEPTH

Native American landmarks brought to the surface by preservation efforts

By Gabby Schwartz | Feb. 21, 2018

Walking up the cement path of Bascom Hill, students may not know they are stepping over remnants of Native American life.

One of the main issues is that teachers teach native history as if Native Americans are extinct, according to Rachel Byington, former Title VII First Nations Instructional Resource Teacher at Madison Metropolitan School District and member of the Choctaw tribe of Oklahoma.

IN-DEPTH

Native Americans want you to know they’re more than a history unit

By Max Bayer | Feb. 21, 2018

According to Byington, one of the main issues is that teachers teach native history as if Native Americans are extinct. She recounted one time she presented to a group of elementary students.

Wunk Sheek has become the "main resource" for Native students to build a community on campus, according to Mariah Skenandore.

IN-DEPTH

Wunk Sheek members help natives find community, take on previous university role

By Maggie Chandler | Feb. 21, 2018

With so few Native American students on campus, forming connections with other Native students is key for living on a majority white campus. But imagine if being a part of that community is contingent on whether or not student leaders are able to find you.

Mariah Skenandore has a tattoo on the back of her neck for missing and indigenous women, an issue surround the disproportionate amount of violence indigenous women face.

IN-DEPTH

Culture of hyper-sexualization leads to high rates of sexual assault for Native women

By Luisa de Vogel | Feb. 21, 2018

Nearly half of all undergraduate Native American women on the UW-Madison campus have experienced sexual assault, according to a 2015 campus survey on the issue.

The St. Croix Chippewa Indian Tribe in Northwest Wisconsin has felt the impact of the opioid epidemic in many facets of their society.

IN-DEPTH

Wisconsin tribe fights back as effects of opioid crisis deepen in Native communities

By Will Husted | Feb. 21, 2018

The opioid crisis across the United States is no secret. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 42,000 people died of opioid overdoses in 2016. Many counties around the country, as well as over two-thirds of those in Wisconsin, have taken legal action in an attempt to mediate this issue.

Most tribes run their own health care systems through the federally-funded Indian Health Services. But it can also be difficult to know where exactly help can be found, because clinics that are not bound to cities or reservations are often few and far between.

IN-DEPTH

Experts say to look to history for answers as health inequity persists among Native communities

By Andy Goldstein | Feb. 21, 2018

Concern erupted nationwide last year, after the release of a Centers for Disease Control report indicated that, for the first time in over five decades, Americans were starting to die sooner. But the document, which made national news, showed a mere 0.1 year decline in average age of death.

A new partnership between the Menominee Nation and The Nelson Institute may help advance the tribe’s current conservation goals while also exposing UW-Madison environmental studies students to Menominee land management traditions.

IN-DEPTH

Menominee Tribe partners with UW students to protect sacred place of origin

By Sydney Widell | Feb. 21, 2018

The Menominee River winds southeast from Iron Mountain, MI, through densely forested ridgeland all the way to Marinette, where it empties into Lake Michigan’s Green Bay.

Professor Rand Valentine, who lived with an isolated Ojibwe tribe in Canada during the 1980s, teaches four different levels of Ojibwe at UW-Madison.

IN-DEPTH

Despite decreasing proficiency, next generation renews push to learn native languages

By Lawrence Andrea | Feb. 21, 2018

For years, Native culture was suppressed by the U.S. government through religious bans and efforts to assimilate Natives by “breaking their strand” of language. Now, however, this increased student interest will keep these languages alive, according to Greendeer.

Mariah Skenandore said this classroom environment impacts her sense of belonging and her comfort levels while interacting with both professors and peers.

IN-DEPTH

Eradicating erasure: Native American students advocate for recognition, respect of culture in classroom

By Megan Provost | Feb. 21, 2018

Upon entering a classroom in November and throughout the school year, many indigenous-identifying students feel as though their identities are disregarded in the academic setting.

IN-DEPTH

Recent UW programs build high school-to-college ‘pipelines’ for Native students

By Sammy Gibbons | Feb. 21, 2018

Only 10 of the people UW-Madison sophomore Demko Montgomery-Elm graduated middle school with now attend post-secondary schooling. The decision to quit schooling is not uncommon for many students in districts near tribal communities of northern Wisconsin similar to the one she attended in Minocqua, Wis.

The causes of death for one-third of UW-Madison students who died between 1998 and 2017 remain unknown. With hopes of identifying trends in order to coordinate prevention services on campus, University Health Services staff are working through a process to obtain these students’ death certificates and fill in these blanks.

IN-DEPTH

UHS resurrects two decades of missing student death data

By Sammy Gibbons | Jan. 23, 2018

Of 192 students that died from 1998 to 2017 while enrolled at UW-Madison, one-third did not have causes of death recorded in data collected by University Health Services. Now, UHS staff is in the process of obtaining formal documents to reveal these missing causes. Adequate data will allow them to identify trends and determine if actions can be taken to prevent numbers of certain causes from rising.

More than twice as many college-aged individuals said they use vapes, the electronic smoking devices, in 2016 than 2015. Many users believed vaping was a safer option than cigarettes, but experts still warn of negative consequences.

IN-DEPTH

As vaping increases for college students, health risks don’t go up in smoke

By Gabby Schwartz | Dec. 5, 2017

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 7.1 percent of college-aged individuals used vapes in 2015 — this number rose to roughly 16 percent in 2016. Additionally, 2016 records show 3.1 percent of the Wisconsin adult population vapes.

IN-DEPTH

Campus Climate survey question exposes food and housing insecurity on campus

By Grace K. Wallner | Dec. 4, 2017

While most students have enough on their plate worrying about overwhelming homework and looming exams, some face a more pressing problem — finding their next meal or a place to stay the night.

IN-DEPTH

The public university’s future in private funding

By Nina Bertelsen | Nov. 2, 2017

Within the next three years, private donations through this endowment will rival the combined contribution of tuition dollars and state funding to UW-Madison’s revenue. This is the school’s only growing revenue source, but the foundation hasn’t grown nearly enough to make up for that gap left by lacking state contributions. A study done by the university found that among peer institutions, UW-Madison was last in terms of revenue growth.

Madison Metropolitan School District and UW-Madison work together to facilitate enrichment programs for high school students in order to bridge achievements gaps among student demographics.

IN-DEPTH

Madison schools, UW strive to close disparities among student demographics

By Luisa de Vogel | Oct. 23, 2017

Programs created through collaboration between Madison Metropolitan School District and UW-Madison address the “achievement gap” exists among high school students of color have historically been given fewer educational resources — and some students are left behind with an “educational debt,” compared to advantaged peers. She said we can’t assume it is the student’s responsibility to catch up, but rather society's responsibility to invest in education for students of color.