The lives of University of Wisconsin-Madison students unfold in diverse and distinct ways. And as with everything else in life, no blueprint exists for how to be a Badger. Attending a public university in a bustling capital city, students have an expansive array of choices that allow them to shape their college journey in a way that is uniquely their own.
This is what The Daily Cardinal’s Life & Style writers aim to capture, and it is the reason why there is no definitive answer to the question of “what is Life & Style?”
Life & Style writers explore a wide range of experiences of being a Badger, whether in the capacity of a UW-Madison student or as a part of the wider Madison community.
For first-year students, the Life & Style desk may serve as a friendly guide for navigating their next stage in life in Madison. From learning about how to pick your major to mastering how to dress in the harsh cold winter, the desk provides wisdom that assists them as they acclimate to their new environment.
For those who have been in Madison for a while, Life & Style articles are an encouragement to go explore and try something new. That may be going to the Crossing to enjoy a homemade meal from Slow Food UW or staying until the UW Marching Band’s Fifth Quarter. The articles invite students to continue discovering everything Madison and the university have to offer.
The Life & Style desk also provides a feeling of comfort and belonging by celebrating shared moments that come with being a student at UW-Madison. The articles bothy recognize and embrace experiences that bring all of us together, whether it’s brief excitement sparked by rumors of Kendall Jenner’s visit or confusion and anxiety during the three-and-a-half-day UW Net shutdown.
And while all of these articles fall under the same desk, their authors each see Life & Style a little bit different.
In a survey, Cardinal writer Kaylie Wiedmeyer shared that, to her, Life & Style is “how people express themselves, both individually and within a community.”
During the Fall 2023 semester, the desk published 25 articles. Each article and writer brought their own unique perspective, but one genre kept resurfacing — community.
UW-Madison and the city of Madison have a lot to offer Cardinal readers; the Life & Style desk strives to create a connection between the paper and the community.
That community reaches from the on-campus culture found in the deep rooted history of ‘Jump Around’ and other Badger songs to small businesses gathered on State Street for the Madison Night Market. The community even stretches east, outside of our campus bubble to local shops on Willy Street.
The desk is all about “highlighting the community, culture and people that make Madison what it is,” said Cate Schiller, incoming Life & Style editor.
All our college experiences are different, but we share more than meets the eye. Together, we make up parts of UW-Madison and the city of Madison, belonging and contributing to a shared community.
So, whatever Life & Style means to you, let this desk at The Daily Cardinal serve as your community and culture how-to and our writers as your personal guides.
That is a Life & Style wrap. We will see you in the spring, Badgers.
