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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Diversity programs yield fewer four-year grads By Megan Orear The Daily Cardinal
New data shows a significant drop in the four-year UW-Madison graduation rates for two campus diversity programs, though their retention rates are higher than the overall campus minority population. The two programs, Posse Scholars and the Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence, seek out underrepresented student groups on a state and national level and provide mentoring and scholarships to help them succeed in a college setting. According to data assembled by the UW-Madison Office of Academic Planning and Analysis, the UW-Madison four-year graduation rate for PEOPLE students was 9.8 percent for the class that enrolled in the fall of
2005. The previous enrollment group had a four-year graduation rate of 18.9 percent. Posse Scholars saw an even larger drop from a 43.5 percent four-year graduation rate for the 2004 enrollment group to a 4.5 percent rate for the 2005 group. In comparison, the overall four-year graduation rate for UW-Madison students has steadily increased since 1999, to 52.4 percent from 42.4 percent. Of the targeted minority enrollment group from 2005, 29.2 percent graduated in four years. Jocelyn Milner, director of the Office of Academic Planning and Analysis, said though their recent graduation rates seem low, the sizes of the PEOPLE and Posse groups that enrolled diversity page 3
UW System committee may reform insurance policies By Ryan Hebel
UW-Madison’s University Health Services, will serve on the committee along with The UW System Board of Regents is another health director, two student repforming a committee to analyze and potential- resentatives, faculty, risk management staff ly alter the system’s current health insurance and other representatives from impacted policies, according to Larry Rubin, associate groups. Van Orman said other models to vice president for the UW System. consider might include better promotion of “What we are doing health insurance or recomcurrently is not sustainmending minimum levels able, and we are concerned of coverage to students. about what appears to be a Ruth Swisher, OUR AILING growing number of stuUW-Whitewater’s direcHEALTH CARE SYSTEM dents who are either unintor of health services, will sured or underinsured,” join Van Orman and said A collaborative reporting project of Rubin said. the committee must piece All Together Now, Madison, WI • ATNMadison.org The committee would together the good and bad probably begin work by the end of the semes- from various models, keeping rising university ter, depending on the H1N1 situation, and costs in mind at all times. would submit its recommendation by the end “We’d have to look at, ‘Would this be of the spring semester, Rubin said. worth it for the greater good?’” Swisher said. According to Rubin, the committee will aim to solve the problems inherent in the system’s voluntary insurance model that currently gives students little incentive to purchase university insurance like UW-Madison’s Student Health Insurance Program, leading to rising premiums. Over 77,000 Wisconsin residents “Health costs are always going up, so in lost their health insurance coverage order to provide a reasonably priced, highin 2009 because of unemployment, quality health insurance policy to students, according to statistics released Tuesday we have to look at a different way of doing by Citizen Action of Wisconsin. business,” Rubin said. According to the release, the perHe said the committee would research centage of uninsured Wisconsinites health insurance models throughout the jumped to 14.3 percent from 12 percountry, including systems in which all stucent within the past year. dents must purchase some form of insurance. The release also said 61.9 percent of Five Big Ten universities currently enforce Americans get their health insurance from mandatory coverage to increase applicant their employer or that of a family member. pools and keep their insurance costs down, That number is even higher in but Rubin said the committee has no “preWisconsin because the recession has had conceived notions” and wouldn’t necessarily the greatest impacts on the manufacturrecommend any change. ing sector, which includes a large amount Another possible solution to the risof Wisconsin jobs, according to Robert ing premiums would be to negotiate a Kraig, executive director of CAW. group insurance policy for all UW schools. He said Wisconsin was the 13th Currently, three UW System schools, includworst state in the country in terms of the ing UW-Madison, buy plans separately from the rest of the system, Rubin said. insurance page 3 Sarah Van Orman, executive director of
The Daily Cardinal jay jung/the daily cardinal
City planners and community members discussed the possible renovation of the Mifflin Street area as part of a Downtown Plan meeting at Memorial Union Tuesday.
Debate over redevelopment of Mifflin continues at Downtown Plan meeting By Maggie DeGroot The Daily Cardinal
The controversy over the redesign of Mifflin Street was the center of attention at Tuesday’s discussion of the Downtown Plan at Memorial Union. The meeting addressed a more detailed plan for the next 25 years in the city’s main downtown areas. Bill Fruhling, one of the principal planners, said that although the committee is far from being done, it is starting to move toward recommendations. The committee has received a great deal of feedback from previous meetings, including the April meeting at which some students brought to the committee’s attention their worries about the potential redevelopment of the Mifflin area. Fruhling said most people are divided on the issue of redevelopment. He said many residents feel that even though Mifflin Street may not be the most wellmaintained area, it has character and tradition. These people tend to have a strong
emotional attachment to the current look of Mifflin, he said. Others feel Mifflin needs a plan for transitioning over time, Fruhling said. He said the city needs to look 25 years into the future and make sure Mifflin will still contribute to the city. There is a need to keep houses in good shape for Mifflin to have a viable future, according to Fruhling. Fruhling and principal planner Michael Waidelich said it was important to keep the neighborhood at its current level or improve it. If Mifflin Street is to be conserved, the planners have suggested that buildings in the area would be kept at two or three stories. If it is redeveloped instead, some of the houses could be replaced by buildings four to six stories tall. In addition to its historical background, the Mifflin neighborhood is also an area with low-cost housing available. It contains some of the least expensive housing options for UW-Madison students, according to Ald. Bryon Eagon, District 8.
Brothers bar owners file lawsuit against UW System The owners of Brothers Bar and Grill, Marc and Eric Fortney, filed a lawsuit against the UW System Board of Regents Tuesday over disagreements regarding the UW System’s plans to purchase the land on which the bar is located. The UW System plans to purchase the land to construct a new music and performance facility as a part of the UW-Madison Campus Master Plan, which provides an outline for the future layout of the campus. According to a UW System statement, the Board of Regents is exercising its right to
eminent domain by purchasing the property. The right to eminent domain allows government entities to purchase property even if it is against the will of the landowner. The Fortneys say although they understand that the UW System has the right to obtain the property, they feel the process has not been conducted fairly and that the timeline for the project lacks any definite plans, according to a statement from the Wood brothers page 3
Madison
Rx
Over 77,000 Wis. residents lost health insurance in 2009
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”