The Daily Cardinal Action Project series is an effort to investigate under-reported issues facing the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the surrounding community. The first edition of this Project surrounds the issue of campus climate. We hope this issue and these stories will spark an ongoing discussion.
About this issue
A note from the management desk: more needs to be said on the issue of campus climate.
"When we say Wisconsin, do we really say it all? Or in other words, as a community, are we really doing everything we can to foster inclusivity for all groups and ideas, and additionally, what else needs to be said about this issue?
These are the questions The Daily Cardinal attempts to explore in the first installment of the Action Project series. This installment specifically focuses on diversity and campus climate issues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison."
News
Gender gap fosters dedication: Women studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics envision bright futures.
"While it is true more women are careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics today than in the past, they still account for a smaller percentage than men."
Room for improvement in LGBT housing
"Navigating the transition from high school to college often proves challenging for incoming freshmen, but for Henriques, a trans man, concerns of privacy and safety were amplified by his gender identification."
Survey exposes minority faculty dissatisfaction
"While college students need a diverse selection of faculty members to provide multiple perspectives and viewpoints in the educational environment, a recent survey from the Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute shows minority faculty members feel less satisfied with their departmental workplace environment, according to the Study on Faculty Worklife.
From the runway to campus-wide equality
"Five months of preparation for Mason and six other women culminated the night of Feb. 3, before a crowd of cheering friends and family. The pageant is an extension of the historic mission of sponsor Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity."
Recruiting and retaining future Badgers who complete the conversation
"A simple taste of Madison’s scenery and school spirit is all it takes to clinch many incoming students’ commitment to the Badger family. However, had Maria Espino been exposed to the environment pre-enrollment, she said there is a good chance the ethnic uniformity of the student body would have dissuaded her from becoming the junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison she is today."
International students strive to make a home at UW-Madison
"International students face many roadblocks when they arrive at the university, according to students and administrators. Cultural assumptions are one of them, but often the most important is language barriers."
Arts
First Wave offers culture, community: UW-Madison program is the first to fuse scholarship with urban hip-hop and spoken word performance
First Wave is an urban arts movement that was brought to campus from the Bay Area by Executive Director Willie Ney with the mission of bringing multicultural spoken art to a wider college audience. Ney witnessed the youth poetry mecca in California, shook some hands and used his connections to start a pipeline program for students here.
Opinion
White privilege continues to plague American progress
"The first step to solving a problem is admitting that there is one, and sadly, too many white people reject the idea that they have a privilege based on the color of their skin and that it is fueling the fires of racial injustice."
Open dialogue rids diversity of uncertainty
"I am here to disclose my sadness at the fact that UW Housing elected to declare this month “Race and Whiteness Month” within the dorms and housing communities on campus. February… Black History Month."
The Dirty Bird: Respect sexuality by moving past stigmas and shaming
"There are two things that many students may struggle with while on campus within the context of sexuality: stigma and shame."
Cardinal View: Diversity Plan drafts need to be available, accessible to campus
"The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Ad Hoc Diversity Planning Committee, charged with drafting a new diversity plan, released preliminary suggestions Feb. 18 for improving aspects of diversity and inclusivity at the university. While we are glad these plans are in motion, we believe the success of the plan depends on campus input and making sure this draft—no matter how rough it may be—is available to the campus community."
The Daily Cardinal asked for the campus' input on the current social climate at UW-Madison. These are the responses we received. If you want to contribute to the discussion, email actionproject@dailycardinal.com, and we will publish your input. Tweet @dailycardinal with #dcactionproject to continue the conversation.
