Last week, Metro bus driver John Nelson became a household name in Madison for his 2009 paycheck of $159,258. It's twice the median income of a Madison household plus a nice used car. While arguments over whether Nelson deserves all this are pointless, the number does dig up some deep issues in the Metro Transit System.
As we wrap up our week of op-eds dedicated to science education in America, it feels like we should have some grandiose assessment to make about the state of science. Some sort of condemnation or proclamation should be issued, something that tells us exactly where we are and where we should go in the future.
The Madison Initiative for Undergraduates' Oversight Committee held its final meeting last week, deliberating which 114 proposals to suggest Chancellor Biddy Martin fund. On its face, the meeting's intelligent discussion and probing analyses would have satisfied the standards expected of a group proposing to spend $6.2 million in our tuition. Unfortunately, it happened to be preceded by at least four other closed-door sessions that have shrouded the entire process in secrecy and suspicion. UW officials eventually announced they were opening the Committee's final meeting after intense pressures, but instead of admitting wrongdoing, they agreed to open the meetings ""in the spirit of transparency and openness."" How thoughtful.
Earlier this week, fellow Daily Cardinal opinion writer Anthony Cefali posed a question: ""How do we inspire our science program to shoot for the moon, or at least our own modern equivalent?"" Well, we think we have an answer.
President Barack Obama has plenty of controversial work before him. He is attempting to finish two expensive wars, pass health insurance reform and end ""don't ask, don't tell."" In a country with a devastatingly powerful moderate majority, Obama must pick and choose his political battles, pushing for some liberal issues and coasting through with other moderate proposals.
As we take a week to reflect on science education in America, I'd like to take a look back at my fondest memories of my personal science education.
With all the discussion of Charles Darwin's bicentennial over the last year, we kept hearing about the conflict between evolution and religion. It sometimes seems that the entire question of whether religion is reasonable turns on whether evolution happened, and the entire question of whether to accept that evolution happened depends on whether one wants to reject the existence of God. In these polarized discussions, it is worth asking why, if he believed evolution happened, wasn't Darwin an atheist?
Late last week, scientists at CERN announced they would be turning the Large Hadron Collider back on. The world's largest physics experiment broke down shortly after its first test runs in 2008 and has only been tested once since then. Unfortunately, the LHC will operate at half power for the next two years before being turned off yet again for another year's worth of repairs.
The Bohemian life, la vie Boheme, of ""Rent's"" star-studded cast illuminated the stage for four days at Madison's Overture Center two weeks ago, and I was among the lucky ones to be touched by not only the amazing musical talents of the performers, but by the enduring message. ""Rent"" was created to mirror humanity in its purest form, depicting extreme poverty, disease and heartache. It was a successful Broadway tour because it touches people emotionally, connecting people in ""an isolating age."" Walking back down State Street after the show in the frigid winter air, cold despite my warm clothes, my attention was drawn to the homeless not on stage, but on the street. They did not belt out the chords of ""Life Support,"" but their plight struck me in a way it had not before. I did not see these people as annoying panhandlers or creepy old men. Like the song ""La Vie Boheme,"" I saw these people as ""an us, instead of a them.""
The evolution-versus-creation-in-school debate has been raging for years. Some say religion should not be taught in schools. Some say students should not be exposed to material that conflicts with the religious beliefs their parents are attempting to instill in them. Still others say that both should be taught so that students are exposed to both sides of the argument and can make a decision for themselves. The debate could be boiled down to creation and the Big Bang Theory, since evolution only addresses what has happened after the appearance of life on earth. But the real debate should be more general: religion versus science.
Many believe that in a country with free speech, CBS should be allowed to air whatever advocacy message they so choose. Others believe that the Super Bowl is about football and it is in poor taste to televise controversial messages during that time.
With programs like ""No Child Left Behind"" beginning almost a decade ago and Race to the Top being included in the Recovery Act last year, the emphasis for national education reform has been on a teacher's ability to reach each and every student successfully. However, as of late, the focus shifted to the students. Specifically, universities have been questioned in their ability to properly highlight academic accomplishments of deserving students.
The beginning of my environmental education as an elementary schooler started with Reduce and ended with Recycle. Back in the day environmental education consisted of little more than teaching kids about the three Rs. If global warming existed in the early and mid-90s, I never heard about it. I remember learning about the rainforest, but never about deforestation. I do think I was introduced to the ozone layer, but only because it had a hole in it.
In a press conference last Monday President Barack Obama announced the national deficit would be increased to a record 1.6 trillion dollars in 2010 up from the 2009 deficit of 1.4 trillion. In the press conference Obama stated he was going to be fiscally responsible and that ""It's time to hold Washington to the same standards families and businesses hold themselves."" Conservatives like me wholeheartedly agree. We need to live within our means and work together to solve our country's problems.
You may not be able to tell from my relatively scrawny physique, but I spend quite a bit of time at the SERF. And I keep coming back despite seeing little in the way of results. School is stressful. So is working 30 hours a week at a newspaper for no pay. Doing some cardio and weight training at UW's recreational facilities helps ease a bit of that stress. And while my physical gains are minimal, it does a lot to keep me sane.
Before embarking on this article, I wish to make a statement about what I will be referring to as ""our culture."" I am choosing to engage with the culture that is widely propagated via our mass media, but surely is not the only culture in America. Yet, as the dominant culture, almost everyone in the U.S. is subject to its reaches, and it would be a mistake to dismiss this way of life as just one amongst many. As a white, middle-class male, I am inherently a part of this dominant culture, and I will engage with it here.
Throughout our American history, black Americans have made monumental change in our society. Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Billie Holiday, Spike Lee, Iman, Langston Hughes and Barack Obama have all made a lasting impact on this country. Not only have many African Americans made an impact nationally, but UW students of color have made great changes on campus that continue to affect students today.
To hear Gov. Doyle describing the ""state"" of our state, one has to wonder why he decided not to seek re-election in 2010. An outsider would never have known that his popularity as governor has been slipping for some time, even within his own party. Aside from a few comments about the difficult economic times we're immersed in, Doyle made things sound simply whimsical. But in reality, Doyle's speech bent the truth on some issues and simply sidestepped others altogether.
The academic staff ad hoc committee recently released a report analyzing the current state of UW-Madison's graduate school and the Administration's restructuring proposal. Written by seven members of a world-class research institution, the report's conclusion was fitting: Show us more evidence.
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