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There’s been plenty of backlash, some on a national scale, to the idea that the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point would cut 13 liberal arts majors like English and history in favor of technical studies and in-demand fields.In this week’s most-read article on CapTimes.com, UW System Regent Regina Millner said that decision was needed, but was bungled in its messaging.“As for Stevens Point, that’s turned into a communication nightmare,” Millner said.Not every regent on the board agrees. Published emails show some regents praising communication of the decision.“This is what good, thoughtful leadership is all about," wrote Regent Drew Petersen, vice president of the Board of Regents.Another top read this week looked at a recent Madison School Board meeting crowded with teachers asking for a base wage increase.“Our working conditions are our students' learning conditions," said Madison Teachers, Inc. president Andy Waity. "Now is the time to … [Read more...] about This week’s top read zeroes in on UW ‘communication nightmare’

A University of Wisconsin law professor is defending his decision to ban laptops in his constitutional law class.Professor Anuj Desai tells the Wisconsin State Journal that he is not a “Luddite.”Desai said that when he was in law school, he was the only student in his 1991 class to use a laptop computer. But his laptop had only word-processing capabilities, while computers today have wireless Internet access that offers many distractions.Desai bans laptops in his con law class because it hampers discussion. “I want students engaged with not only what I’m saying but with what other students are saying so they can respond,” he told the publication.Earlier this year, the University of Chicago dealt with the problem of Web-surfing law students by shutting down Internet access in most of its classrooms. A University of Memphis law professor has also banned laptops, resulting in a complaint filed with the ABA, the story says.Ann Althouse, another UW-Madison law … [Read more...] about UW Law Prof Who Banned Laptops Says He Is Not a Luddite

More protests erupted in Wisconsin on Tuesday, this time over a study (PDF) that saw reverse discrimination at work in admissions at the University of Wisconsin’s law school and undergraduate college.The Center for Equal Opportunity released the study results at a press conference on Tuesday interrupted by about 100 protesters, the Wisconsin State Journal reports. They chanted “power to the people!” and “more than our scores!” prompting center president Roger Clegg to pack up his briefcase and leave, the story says. Afterward, protesters took over the microphone to share stories of diversity. Police were called, but there were no arrests.On Tuesday evening, Clegg debated the wisdom of affirmative action with UW-Madison law professor Larry Church. There was some hissing and booing, but Clegg was able to speak, according to the Althouse blog. Students who asked questions “sounded passionate but not irrational,” the blog reports.The law school … [Read more...] about Group Hits Affirmative Action at UW Law School; Protesters Storm News Conference

MADISON, Wis. — A plan to merge the University of Wisconsin System's two- and four-year schools is proving challenging to execute and likely won't be complete until at least the end of 2019, chancellors and the two-year schools' leader told regents Thursday. The regents in November approved UW System President Ray Cross' proposal to make the 13 two-year schools branch campuses of seven nearby four-year schools as of July 1. The four-year schools will officially take control of the two-year campuses on that date pending approval of the Higher Learning Commission, which must give the four-year schools permission to award associate degrees. The commission is expected to issue a decision in June, UW System spokeswoman Stephane Marquis said. Approval would mean associate degrees could carry the four-year schools' names as early as December. But how the rest of the merger will look remains vague. The seven four-year chancellors told the regents Thursday that they've created multiple … [Read more...] about UW merger will take until end of 2019

MADISON, Wis. — UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank is launching a multi-pronged effort to acknowledge racism and exclusion on campus. Blank announced the initiative Thursday after a study panel presented its findings on the history of Ku Klux Klan campus activities. Blank convened the panel in response to a violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesvile, Virginia. The panel found two UW groups used the name Ku Klux Klan between 1919 and 1926. Blank's plan calls for documenting campus figures who have struggled against prejudice, funding a plan from the school's four ethnic studies division to hire more faculty, recruit faculty from underrepresented groups and expand access to first-generation and low-income students. She added that she wants to implement the plan before debating whether to rename campus spaces that honor members of the Klan groups. … [Read more...] about UW-Madison launches project to acknowledge racism