wpadmin, Author at This is Wisconsin

12 Dec

A Slice of Gouda: Marieke Penterman brings a touch of Dutch culture to Wisconsin’s dairy cheesemaking business

Photo by Caroline Crowley.

By Alison Stecker

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Marieke Penterman grew up on her family’s 60-cow dairy farm. When she was a young girl, she remembers her mother taking her brother and her to the milking parlor and telling them to let her know when the cows were done milking.

“I remember being caught up in the magic of cows and milk, where nothing is more nutritional than milk, nothing can transform into so many valuable products that are also so heavenly tasteful,” said Penterman.

Penterman received her bachelor’s degree in the dairy business and started her career as a farm inspector while her future husband, Rolf Penterman, emigrated to Thorp, Wisconsin to open up a 350-cow dairy farm in 2002.

“I actually went to Canada first, but we came to the states for opportunity and growth,” she said. “The U.S. is really still the land of opportunity.”

Once in the United States, Penterman missed Dutch cheese and researched ways to start her own business. Since Wisconsin is the only state that requires a cheesemaker’s license, she flew back home to train alongside two different cheesemakers in the Netherlands.

“It was so fast,” Penterman said. “They were very knowledgeable and educational but left me to ‘find my way’ which in the end, was good for me.”

Throughout her training, Penterman learned how to make authentic Dutch Gouda cheese, and she brought all those skills back to the small town of Thorp to open up her award-winning cheese business, Marieke Gouda.

Why Wisconsin?

Penterman Farm is a 400-cow dairy farm located in Clark County, which is known for its flat landscape good for farming and farm-friendly people.

“If you want good milk and good dairy, where else would you go?” Penterman said. “Wisconsin was the best choice and Thorp is right in the heart of it.”

Penterman also decided to put down roots in Thorp because the dairy farming culture in Wisconsin was a lot more pleasant than in the Netherlands.

“In Holland, farmers are not rejoiced like they are here, they are considered a burden on the environment. But here it is different, others in the industry really are like family,” she said. “When you struggle, they struggle; when you are up, they are up.”

Penterman and her husband used to have a smaller farm on the outskirts of Thorp, but in 2013, the couple opened a brand new location along highway 29 within city limits.

“There was an opportunity for growth. People were starving for Gouda because it’s not something they have,” said Alexanndrya Barnickle-Miller, the marketing director of Marieke Gouda. “We are one of the few farms allowed within city limits, and the Pentermans got the city to agree to let them bring the dairy farm itself within city limits, which is super rare.”

Farmstead Cheese

According to Barnickle-Miller, Marieke Gouda is different from a typical Wisconsin dairy farm because it’s a farmstead –– everything is produced on location. The farm is located right across from Marieke Gouda, and visitors can grab a meal at Café DUTCHess or view the cheesemaking and milking processes through Milking Parlor windows.

“The milk gets pumped directly into our production room and then we have the full cheese production, which is actually very rare even in Wisconsin,” Barnickle-Miller said. “Usually, most cheese is produced from multiple sources –– so multiple farms –– but ours only comes from one source and it’s on location. It’s as fresh as you can get it.”

The cows on the farm are called “Gouda Girls” and treated like the “princess of farm animals,” according to Barnickle-Miller. They are kept in a free stall barn, which means the cows roam free within the barn structure and are not pastured.

“Cows in general are really hot, sweaty animals. The freestyle barn allows them the shade they need and the walls are completely open,” she said. “We have a few other things in our barn that’s a little different. We have temperature controls and fans that spray water on the cows after they’re coming out of the milking parlor.”

Penterman Farm also has a spa for its cows. They have technicians and crews come in to trim and shine the hooves and a nutritionist comes in to double-check the different feeds and grains. Each cow also wears a “fit bit” that allows the farmers to track their health and digestion cycles. All of these unique protocols ensure the cows are being appropriately taken care of to produce Gouda in a natural and true Dutch way, Barnickle-Miller said.

“We know exactly what goes into our cheese because we have control of the feed for the cows, how the cows are cared for and how the milk comes in,” she said. “We control the process from moment one to it hitting your hand.”

Marieke Gouda Achievements

Marieke Gouda has exponentially grown over the last 16 years. The business has won 166 awards, and in 2007, four months after Marieke crafted her first batch of Gouda cheese, she won the U.S. Champion Cheese Contest.

“When we got the call from a friend that we had won, we were just sitting around drinking coffee and didn’t even realize the impact or significance at the time. But when I walked the stage and saw the true glamour and importance of the industry and competition it is what made me love it,” Penterman said. “Cheese can really ‘live’ here in Wisconsin, it has its own awards, recognition and true following.”

In 2015, Penterman was the first female to win the Wisconsin Outstanding Young Farmers Award, which recognizes the younger generation of farmers in the state.

“Marieke had a dream and vision to bring her country’s gouda cheese to America and she set out to do just that. She is very self-driven with distinct goals and visions,” said Cindy Matton, a head committee member with the Wisconsin Outstanding Young Farmer Program.

According to Barnickle-Miller, Marieke Gouda also has new production equipment which has supported their efforts to source internationally and break exports into Mexico.

“Right now we use 40% of our milk to make cheese and then we sell the rest of our milk to other producers, but starting next year, we’re going to make 100% of our milk into cheese because of this new equipment,” she said. “We are going to grow by a ridiculous percentage.”

Penterman is currently in the process of opening a new retail storefront in Eau Claire, Wisconsin called “House of Gouda.” The purpose of the store is to educate people about Gouda and bring a little touch of Holland to the state.

“One of the contractors is making custom 3-D buildings to look like houses in Holland to take up one of the walls,” Barnickle-Miller said. “There will also be a big cheese island with glass around it so you can order a two-pound cut and be able to view it cut the old traditional Dutch way. It’s just going to be a full experience.”

12 Dec

Climate change’s impact on Wisconsin’s agriculture

Photo by Rachel Sokolow. This photo was taken on Dec. 11, 2022, and shows how uncharacteristic this winter has been in terms of snowfall.

By Rachel Sokolow

It is time to face the fact that Wisconsin’s climate is changing and has been for some time now.

This year’s weather stayed in the high 60 to 70 degrees, which is much longer than normal, and the amount of snowfall this winter was minimal compared to winters past explained Matt Turner a geography professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) released an impacts and adaptations report examining weather patterns from 1950 to now. So far, the average annual temperature has risen 1 degree Fahrenheit and winter temperatures have risen an average of 2.5 degrees. The average precipitation has also increased by roughly 10 percent, and more floods are expected to occur. These changes have affected season durations and led to an expanding growing season.

This new normal for Wisconsin weather has lasting environmental effects, especially on the agriculture industry.

According to Turner, certain crops are expected to have decreased yields because they are not adapted to grow in these new higher temperatures.

Turner also pointed out that more precipitation and the new season durations meant that the growing season is longer “but with instances of dry spells falling between large rainfall events tied to flooding.”

“We consider climate change to be our greatest challenge in the coming years,” said Kristen Kordet, the owner and primary operator of Blue Moon Community Farm. “We are already seeing more severe weather events that threaten our soil, our crop health and our overall viability.”

These changes have resulted in some fear about the future of agriculture and instilled farmers with the need to enhance their farming practices to be more inclusive of these new weather patterns.

Kim Jakubowski and her husband Jake co-own Westridge Farms and have worked together since 2004. In their time working together, they have seen major droughts and excessive rain.

“We are organic vegetable farmers for our full time living, this is our livelihood, and we need to find ways to fight the battle,” said Jakubowski.

One of the biggest problems has been diseases, such as black rot, that occurs due to excessive heat and moisture. The brassica crops –– broccoli, cabbage and kale –– are just one variety of crops affected by this rot.

Both the Blue Moon Community Farm and Westridge Farm made a point of adding high tunnels, similar to greenhouses but without heating, to help shelter sensitive crops, such as the brassica, from the elements.

The farms have implemented other practices as well.

So far, Westridge Farms has applied no-till practices to minimize soil disturbances caused by heavy rain and floods. They also started adding more compost to their soil because it acts like a sponge and helps to absorb water.

The Blue Moon Community Farm has implemented similar practices. In the summer, marsh hay is added as mulch to keep the soil covered, which protects the crop quality. They also add leaf mulch and compost to their fields to improve water absorption.

These adaptive practices are necessary for keeping the agricultural industry alive and well. These new extremes of hotter temperatures and increased rain and humidity do concern farmers, but it is clear that steps have already been taken to mitigate the harms of climate change on agriculture.

“I am concerned that not enough farmers will have the ability to get ahead of the problem in order to stay in business,” said Kordet. “Mitigation isn’t cheap. I hope that support, research and education can be directed to retooling farmers for changes that need to happen.”

12 Dec

Wisconsin to face increasing adversities as residents age

Graphic by Ryan Mares.

By Ryan Mares

Wisconsin’s demographic continues to grow older, with concerns raising over how the state will support its aging populations.

The elderly population in the state, those 65 years and older, is projected to nearly double from 2010 to 2040, according to a study by the Wisconsin Department of Administration’s Demographic Services Center.

Key concerns include how to properly care for an increasingly older population, with their being tensions between long-term care facilities and Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services, which supplies much of their funding.

Additionally, an aging population means the working-age population is projected to shrink, with experts split on how to alleviate those pressures.

Population aging is likely to put large amounts of stress on long-term care facilities, LeadingAge Wisconsin CEO John Sauer said.

Sauer said as the state ages, more long-term care facilities will be needed. However, those services are becoming sparser as some facilities close due to budgetary issues, according to Sauer.

Two-thirds of the patients that long-term care facilities manage are funded by Medicaid, and the DHS is paying less than half of nursing homes what it costs to care for those patients, Sauer said.

“When the state goes out and contracts for bridge replacement, they don’t pay the contractor 65 or 75 cents on the dollar for the costs,” Sauer said. “And that’s what we need to move to for our reimbursement system for nursing homes, so that we have a payment system that better approximates that cost of care.”

Since early 2020, 2,666 beds, or spaces in long-term care facilities, have been closed, according to Sauer. Sauer said the number of beds closed in that timeframe is equivalent to 41 full nursing homes.

The reasons behind the closures are a mixture between facilities closing down and others decreasing their number of available beds, Sauer said.

Sauer said the problem is not the actual number of beds themselves, but the number of staff they have to man those beds. Long-term care facilities in Wisconsin are at less than 70% bed occupancy, but are facing a 28% vacancy rate in caregiver positions, according to Sauer.

“We have plenty of available nursing home beds,” Sauer said. “The struggle we have is we can’t staff those empty beds. The workforce crisis is fueled by a reimbursement system that pays less than cost. We must increase our investment in the long-term care system.”

The DHS administers two other programs through Wisconsin’s Division of Medicaid Services meant to help provide long-term care: the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly and the Family Care Partnership Program, according to DHS Communications Specialist Jennifer Miller. These programs aim to assist in care as an alternative to nursing homes and mixes health and long-term support services in home and community setting, respectively, according to Miller.

Wisconsin’s latest state budget included a 5% raise in Medicaid funding, specifically targeting increase for wages paid to direct care providers serving Medicaid long-term care participants, according to DHS Communications Specialist Elizabeth Goodsitt.

The state is attempting to alleviate Medicaid funding concerns through multiple avenues, with the DHS announcing that they will start to cover 91% of Medicaid costs for nursing homes, up from the old rate of 77%.

The additional funding will be used as a tool to attract healthcare professionals and alleviate staffing issues, according to Sauer.

Sauer is cautiously optimistic about this change. He said the DHS determines what counts as allowable expenses, and therefore what they will cover, so some legitimate costs of operation for nursing homes may still not get covered.

Sauer does hope the new system is able to assist with some of the struggles long-term care facitilies are facing, as he believes nursing homes are incredibly influental for the future well-being of Wisconsin.

“We need to prepare right now, to have a viable and sustainable long-term care system that would include nursing homes,” Sauer said. “The demand is coming our way.”

As elderly citizens continue to take up a larger portion of the state’s demographic that leaves fewer and fewer percentage of the state’s population to be of working age. Job opening are expected to drastically increase as the older generations retire, but the the state’s workforce is projected to stay virtually the same, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

This problem is notably worse within the healthcare field, where instances of resignation and increasing demand for care are combining to create vast worker shortages, according to Wisconsin Hosptial Association Media Specialist Erin Collins. These trends are referred to as the Great Resignation and the Silver Tsunami, and have led to the highest vacancy rates for registered nurses since 2005, according to Collins.

Additionally, Wisconsin’s birth rate is facing a steady decline, meaning that these problems are likely around for the long term, according to a study by the Wisconsin Policy forum. The study suggests that when lawmakers consider policies on immigration, taxes and family leave, they should do so with the context of needing more children to build the students, workers and citizens of tomorrow.

Many experts are suggesting using immigration to fill population gaps and meet labor demand, according to the Milwuakee Journal Sentinel.

Some experts suggest filling employment vacancies with H-1B visas, which allow companies to bring in college-educated workers to for specailized fields, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Those experts say such immigration could help local economies and give them an entrepreneurial boost, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Other experts believe such immigration programs could drive down wages and Wisconsin should focus on existing workers, according to the Milwakuee Jouranal Sentinel.

As we move towards a more elderly state, lawmakers, employers, long-term care facilites and workers must take into account the changing demographics. The entire state of Wisconsin has to build to a better future together.

12 Dec

Packer bars around the country

Photo from 96.7 The Eagle.

By William Fannon

The Green Bay Packers and their fanbase dubbed as “Cheeseheads” are a vital aspect of the cultural makeup of Wisconsin. There’s just something different about the relationship that the Packers have with the people of Wisconsin. It could be that the Packers are the only sports team that is publicly owned. It could be its rich history, winning the first two super bowls with Bart Starr and Vince Lombardi, to the Brett Farve era and the Aaron Rodgers era, each quarterback netting the franchise a Superbowl and multiple division titles (Bleacher Report). It doesn’t matter to Wisconsinites who have to suffer through the harshest weather conditions at Lambeau in the cold, bitter months of December and January, the wait to get season tickets can be almost decades long. Evidence pointing to the nationwide Packer influence is the Packer bars that can be found all across the country.

Being a Packer bar is almost like being a member of an exclusive country club. If bars want to be named Packer bars they have to apply and meet specific qualifications. According to the Packer Bar website, to be a Packer bar your bar must, “open the doors to Packers fans every gameday and serve as a ‘local Lambeau’’ for Packers fans across the country and world,” and they are required to always have a Packer game on whenever they are playing. Once a bar is officially named a Packer Bar, your bar will be put in the Packer bar database, a beacon for cheeseheads nationwide to know what game will be aired on Sundays. The Packer bar database lists bars in every state in America, evening Alaska and Hawaii (Packers Everywhere).

These Packers bars have allowed Wisconsin Cheeseheads to pass down their Packer fandom to future generations even if they do not live in Wisconsin anymore. One of these future cheesehead generations includes a resident of New Canaan, Connecticut, , Patrick Colwell.

AlthoughColwell has never been to Wisconsin, he is a huge Packer fan. As a Packer fan, Colwell has been a frequent goer of registered Packer bars.

“My parents would take me to the bar on as many Sundays as they could,” said Colwell. “Even though we’re like half a country away, on game day the bar would be filled with green jerseys and cheese hats.”

Colwell’s mom is a native Wisconsinite, growing up in Madison. Even though she left Wisconsin for Connecticut her Packer fandom never died.

It is through these bars that a football team based in the 292nd largest city in America, they have cultivated such a strong fanbase.

References

Bleacher Report, “10 Reasons Packers Have the Best Fans in the NFL”. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1401096-10-reasons-the-packers-have-the-best-fans-in-the-nfl

Packerseverywhere.com https://www.packerseverywhere.com/

12 Dec

A look at Wisconsin’s drinking culture

Photo by Flickr.

By Gretchen Blohm

12 Dec

The journalism opportunities for UW students, and the many different directions people can go in

Photo by Caroline Crowley.

By Max Stapleton

12 Dec

What’s your “comfort place” in Madison?

Photo by Caroline Crowley

By Kelsey Barrett

Barrett-Second-Story-2 Download

12 Dec

Displaced and Tokenized: Indigenous students feel used by UW-Madison

By Ellie Nowakowski

An Instagram post made by UW-Madison was met with backlash when Indigenous students and allies used the comment section to criticize the school as hypocritical.

In a series of Native November events, UW-Madison and Ho Chunk Nation’s Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Bill Quackenbush built a Ho Chunk dwelling called a ciiporoke near Dejope residence hall. The event was documented by the UW-Madison communications team who shared a video to Instagram.

The post went up the same day that UW-Madison disclosed master plans for a parking structure that would involve the demolition of the building which houses the Indigenous Student Center.

“It’s just another example of how they love to promote us but will never listen to us when our voice needs to flourish on a campus where their Indigenous student retention rate is barely above 50%,” said Sam Giguere, student at Edgewood College and Wunk Sheek member.

While the 2015 university master plan includes the demolition of the current Indigenous Student Center house, UW-Madison Director of Media Relations and Strategic Communications Kelly Tyrell emphasized that these plans are not final.

“The post celebrates the Ho-Chunk, whose ancestral land UW–Madison occupies, and members of University Communications were welcomed to produce a video about this dwelling, considered by the Ho-Chunk of Teejop to be a place of home, family, community, teaching, learning and ceremony,” said Tyrell. “It was shared to celebrate their culture and the importance of the place.”

The Instagram post documenting the event was filled with comments of criticism and hurt. Students noted the belief that their identities were being used as a marketing ploy by the university. By commenting, students and allies paint a more accurate picture of the university’s support, freshman and Indigenous student Marisol Dashnaw said.

“The university is saying one thing to the public and then other things to us,” Dashnaw said. “People should really be aware of the discrepancy in the university’s messaging to different groups of people before commending them for what they perceive to be strides and racial equity.”

Backlash wasn’t over the building of the ciiporoke, which initially seemed positive, said Giguere. Criticism comes from a place of feeling that the university is not meeting the practical needs of its Indigenous communities. Many of whom feel that having a space of their own is vital to the well-being of their community.

“It feels like the only thing the university knows how to do is displace,” Giguere said.

The university has promised to consider student input when considering moving forward with its plan of action. They are also committed to finding solutions to any disruptions to the house due to the construction of Levy Hall, a new campus building that will break ground in the new year. The building is next to the current Indigenous Student Center house.

“The university is engaging in campus conversation, including directly with students and others who might be affected by future changes, which also includes identifying students’ space needs and options,” Tyrell said.

Students also expressed a willingness to work with the university to find a viable solution. Though the Red Gym was offered as a potential alternative, the space will simply not cut it, Dashnaw said.

“We are happy to work with the administration if only they would extend the invitation,” Dashnaw said.

Indigenous students stand firm in their belief that a space of their own is vital to a flourishing Indigenous community at the university.

“Wunk Sheek is a place of resistance, Wunk Sheek is a home and Wunk Sheek feels like a community and it feels like that community is going to be taken away,” Giguere said.

12 Dec

How a student from Sydney, Australia found himself in Madison, Wisconsin

Photo by Ollie Akayan

By Grace Friedman

For Oliver Akayan (Ollie) the story begins with a love of American football and a trip to a thrift store in Sydney, Australia.

Ollie, a current junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, dreamt of going to college in the United States of America since he was a young man.

“It all started with my love of sports,” said Akayan. “I started watching college football, and I just found it amazing that you could be at a school and there would be these high level athletes playing in stadiums of thousands of people.”

Raised in a completely different social climate in Sydney, Australia, Ollie was also fascinated by the stereotypical college experience: Greek life, dorm rooms, community; all of which served as motivators for Ollie applying to various U.S. universities.

“Ollie was very keen to go to the United States,” said Alison Akayan, Ollie’s mom.

Ollie had been to the U.S. a number of times, mainly Hawaii due to the geographical closeness to Australia, but he had also taken a few trips to DC to visit his relatives, and to LA to visit Disneyland, three very common tourist locations for international travelers.

“I had never even been close to the Midwest,” said Akayan. “I remember looking at photos of Wisconsin and thinking that there is no way I am going to the University of Wisconsin, that was genuinely something I thought.”

After a college counselor in Australia heard that he wanted to go to a college with a big sports team, she encouraged Ollie to apply to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He soon began feeling more comfortable with the idea of expanding his vision of what an American university would look like.

Some time later, while at a thrift store in Sydney, Ollie stumbled upon a very specific article of clothing, a Wisconsin sweatshirt, which quickly became the favorite piece of clothing in his closet, and later served as yet another sign for Ollie to pursue this dream.

Shortly after buying this iconic piece of clothing, Ollie was given the opportunity to attend the Rose Bowl and see Wisconsin play Oregon. In the stadium, Ollie sat with a group of Oregon fans who encouraged him to apply to the Univeristy of Wisconsin. “It was really bizarre,” said Akayan. “Despite both of their kids going to the University of Oregon, both of them said I had probably get a better degree and title at Wisconsin.”

When continued encouragement from other sources persisted, Ollie settled on the University of Wisconsin and has not looked back.

“I was really impressed with the response that he received when he applied there,” said Alison. “So when the offer came through, we decided to accept it, even though we hadn’t been for a visit.”

*Ollie wearing the infamous thrift store sweatshirt*

Nearly halfway through his third year in Wisconsin, Ollie continues to talk about this experience with contentment. “I absolutely love every aspect of it, minus the cold,” Akayan laughs, “I have created this amazing network of people that genuinely care about me. It is just phenomenal.”

With a 17-hour time difference to reach his friends and family at home, it has been imperative that Ollie build a network in Madison that feels like home. Ollie joined the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and Alpha Kappa Psi Business organization shortly after arriving in Madison which introduced him to individuals who have quickly become his American family.

Ollie even had the opportunity to travel to Minnesota last year and South Carolina this year, to celebrate Thanksgiving, a holiday unfamiliar to him, with friends he has made through the University.

“I’ve never been in a position where someone might just open up their house to me for a week,” Akayan said, “to celebrate something when they know I don’t have access to my own home.”

After visiting Ollie in October for the first time, Akayan’s mom was relieved to see her son attending college in such a beautiful place, surrounded by so many people that love him so much.

“We love his friends and the support that he has on campus,” said Alison, “it feels like sending him to Wisconsin was the best thing we could have done.”

While Wisonsin may not be as iconic a location as Bondi Beach or the Sydney Opera house, it has offered Ollie emotional connections that he will treasure for a lifetime.

“The beauty of the Midwest is captured in its people,” said Akayan. “Everyone I meet here is a lot more welcoming than back home. It’s quite different.”

While the thrift store Wisconsin sweatshirt ultimately became an important material possession to Ollie, he was sad to admit he later lost it.

“I was initally really sad to have lost it,” said Akayan, “but then I realized it had served its purpose, it was a full circle, it brought me to Wisconsin and then I lost it in Wisconsin.”

While Wisconsin has offered Akayan many important experiences and connections, Ollie has offered a unique perspective to the UW-Madison campus as well, as noted by his closest friends.

“A lot of people are the same at Wisconsin,” said Drew Friedman, one of Ollie’s closest friends, “because he is is from Australia, Ollie brings a uniqueness that is extremely beneficial to the people around him.”

At the University of Wisconsin, only 14% of the student undergraduate population is international. Therefore students like Ollie have a disproportionately large impact on the culture of the University.

“Ollie brings a nice change from the people that you’re used to meeting,” said Friedman, a student at the University who had never had an Australian friend before, “and isn’t that the importance of going to college.”

According to Ollie, making the courageous decision to study at the University of Wisconsin was one of the best decisions he could have made, and his peers on campus could not be more grateful that he did.

“I am honored to have met Ollie,” said Friedman, “my college experience would not have been the same without him, and Madison is better off with him here.”

12 Dec

The Hmong community in Wisconsin: An analysis on the migration and student life of one of largest Asian ethnic group in Wisconsin

By William Fannon

A crucial element of Wisconsin’s identity is its Hmong residents. The Hmong ethnic group is the largest asian-ethnic group in Wisconsin, comprising 29% of the total Asian population in Wisconsin (PBS Wisconsin). The Hmong population is increasingly growing, with its estimate in 2019 being around 58,000 (PBS Wisconsin) showing around an 18% increase from the recorded population of 49,240 reported from the census in 2010. Wisconsin is also a very popular destination for Hmong immigrants as it holds around one-fifth of the country’s total Hmong population. (U.S Census).

It may seem kind of odd that a state like Wisconsin, the center of America has one of the largest portions of an immigrant population (Pew Research Center), however when learning about student experiences attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it could seem clear why many Hmong generations stay in the Midwest.

While Wisconsin is a popular destination for Hmong immigrants, they are still a large minority within the state. When attending white-dominated institutions like UW-Madison it could be hard as they are a severe minority. Asian Americans in general make up only 9% of the total population of the campus (collegefactual.com).

“Being in a place where you’re the only non-white person can be a bit intimidating,” said junior Brendan Chang, who is a part of the Hmong ethnicity. “I’m cool with it and everything, it just helps if there is at least one other Asian kid there.”

Chang is from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, where he has lived for his entire life. There he hung out with mostly other Hmong students and cited that a big thing that he felt was different between him and his white classmates was that he didn’t go to church unlike a lot of his other classmates.

Once Chang had arrived in Madison for college and had to make new friends in a space dominated by white people, he had decided to join the Hmong American Student’s Association or “HASA” to help connect with people of similar backgrounds.

As a result of joining HASA, Chang said he has been able to,“connect with other Hmong students, around the state and around the country.”

Chang is also the fundraising chair for HASA, where his duties include helping find funding and plan events to generate revenue for the club. In this role, he hopes he is able to “encourage other students to put themselves out there and provide a safe space for Hmong students.”

Even though it has Hmong in the name, HASA is not exclusive to just Hmong students. Other Southeast Asian students, like Tyler Auth who is Cambodian, have joined the organization in order to meet other Asian students with different ethnicities.

The prospect of meeting and interacting however with other ethnicities is a big draw to many Hmong students even as well, like Chang’s roommate, Evan Yang. Like Chang, Yang is Hmong and has lived in Wisconsin before coming to college. He grew up in La Crosse, another predominately white city in Wisconsin, but lived in La Crosse, but he was friends with Hmong and white kids in High School.

“In La Crosse, I was really cool with white and Asian kids,” said Yang, “but since college is so much larger, it definitely was a priority to make sure that I joined some multicultural orgs so I knew people who had similar backgrounds as me.”

Like Chang, he felt intimidated by coming to a predominantly white university, so he looked for an organization consisting of fellow Asian students to join. He joined a more multicultural organization called the Vietnamese Students of America or VSA.

“VSA includes students of a larger variety of Asian ethnicities, not just Hmong students, there I get to learn about far more Asian cultures and it is the perfect level of abnormality, not too little to bore me, but not too much to make me feel uncomfortable,” Yang said.

These same sentiments of wanting to be around others who have a similar racial and ethnic make up can explain why Hmong people are primarily exclusive in Midwestern states such as Wisconsin and Minnesota. Their other roommate, Kyle Sung who is Korean and from Maryland, had no clue about the Hmong ethnicity until he arrived at the university.

“Yeah, at first when I came here I was like, Hmong, is that some type of food,” said Sung, laughing and looking at his Hmong roommates, “I mean I’m Korean, so I figured I knew all other ethnicities from Southeast Asia, but I guess I didn’t until I came here.

Hmong immigrants are different from a lot of immigrant populations because when the first generations arrived in the U.S., many were fleeing war prosecution. They fled the war in Vietnam as a result of them helping the U.S. military in their efforts to fight the communist government (Hmong American Center). The states that were the most accepting of Hmong immigrants turned out to be midwestern states like Wisconsin and Minnesota (PBS Wisconsin).

However, both Chang and Yang’s families did not move to America in that first generation. Instead, Chang’s parents moved to Wisconsin after working in California in the ‘90s. His parents had a lot of relatives in Wisconsin and wanted to be near family. Chang shares the same desire to stay near family and live in a predominately Hmong community, as once he graduates, he hopes to stay in the Midwest in either Minnesota or Wisconsin.

Yang’s dad shares a similar story as Chang’s, he moved to La Crosse from California once he was able to in order to stay near family.

“My Dad at first wanted to live in California, once he moved to the States,” said Yang, “but once he made some money, he knew he would rather be with family, so he decided to move to Wisconsin.”

Family is a crucial part of Hmong culture and explains why Hmong immigration continues to rise in Wisconsin. By staying in communities with members of similar ethnicity, Hmong people in Wisconsin have been able to provide safe spaces for one another in a predominantly white state, which promotes them to continue moving to Wisconsin and attending the universities.