Category Archives: UW

12 Dec

A look into the college basketball transfer process through the eyes of a Wisconsinite

Photo by Mitch Listau.

By Austin Keller

Mitch Listau, a former collegiate basketball player for both the Belmont Bruins and Green Bay Phoenix, faced the dilemma of whether to leave everything he’s established behind just to play in front of his home state one more time.

Listau’s basketball journey began in Waunakee, Wisconsin, where he was named a three-time All-State honoree, led the Warriors to two Kohl Center appearances and still remains the program’s all-time leading scorer to this day, 700 points above the next closest alumni. In addition to his abilities on the court, Listau still draws appraisals from former coaches and teammates regarding his demeanor and how he carries himself.

“Mitch was a great leader. Not a rah-rah guy but a leader in the way he went about his business every day. And when your best player is a hard worker, the others follow,” Waunakee Assistant Coach Jeff Knatz said.

After graduating from high school in 2018, Listau was granted the opportunity to play his collegiate hoops at Belmont University, an NCAA Division I school located in Nashville, Tennessee. He ultimately spent three seasons with the Bruins before deciding it was time to come back home, where he then transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

“Being in Nashville for three years, there were many things that I grew to like about being down South. The people, the weather, the food, but also things about Wisconsin that I missed. One of those things being my family and friends that I was only able to see maybe once or twice a year,” Listau said.

Aside from reconnecting with familiar faces, Listau still had one year of remaining eligibility to use up on the court. However, the situation he found himself in with the Phoenix was anything but traditional.

His biggest surprise was the culture shock.

Mason Steffen

“Basketball-wise, I came into a Green Bay team that was looking to rebuild with a second-year coach and virtually all new guys coming in. I figured it would be a great spot for me to jump in, being a fourth-year guy, I was one of the oldest players on the team,” Listau said. “Also being on some very successful Belmont teams, I knew what it took to win and what made successful teams successful.” 

The Wisconsin native was poised for a breakout senior campaign in his new environment given his past experience playing against high-level competition. Listau opened the season as one of Green Bay’s starters and contributed in each of the team’s first eight games until adversity struck and he went down with an ankle injury that forced him to miss over two months of action.

While sidelined and going through rehabilitation, Listau had consistent conversations with his childhood best friend, Mason Steffen, where the two guys would keep each other up to date and talk about the transition from a larger, southern school to a smaller university in the north.

“His biggest surprise was the culture shock. Belmont is a fantastically run program that has everyone buying into a common goal for the good of the whole, whereas Green Bay was much more of everyone for themselves culture.” Steffen said. “Also, the cities are much different. Belmont is in Nashville, Tennessee, lots to do and diverse in what it offers. Green Bay is much more limited in that sense.” 

Though his return to Wisconsin didn’t quite go as planned, Listau’s brief presence was certainly felt by his Phoenix teammates and coaches both on and off the court.

“When talking about his impact on our team and program, he was the ultimate student athlete to coach and teammate. He struggled through injuries while at Green Bay but was very supportive of our staff and his teammates especially in tough times,” said Green Bay Assistant Coach Freddie Owens. “He was always the guy on the bench rooting for his teammates and spreading positivity throughout the locker room.”

Everyone knows that not everything in life is going to be perfect, but it’s the risks taken and lessons learned along the way that enhances personal growth. Despite the unfortunate injury Listau sustained during his final basketball stint back in his home state, sometimes, it’s the environment around you that can make all the difference in the world.

“I appreciated the players and coaches in my short time at Green Bay and they made me feel at home,” Listau said.

12 Dec

The Tibetan community of Madison, Wisconsin

Photo by Dani Csaszar.

By Dani Csaszar

The Tibetan Community of Madison may be a smaller one, but it thrives through its resources, allowing Tibetan families and individuals to practice their culture and educate themselves and one another. 

Kalsang Dolma, a mother of two, has lived with her family in Madison for over seven years Having previously lived in Downtown Madison, the family now lives in Fitchburg, only about a ten-minute drive from the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.“Me and my husband grew up in India, where it’s very clean, and there’s a lot of trees. That’s why we like to live in nature”, explained Kalsang. 

Kalsang was born in Tibet, which went under Chinese repression in 1959. At the young age of six, Kalsang fled her country to India for her education. “I finished high school. Then I went to college, finished college, and then I was a teacher there for 11 years, in India. I taught math and science for Middle High School for nine years,” said Kalsang. She is now a nurse, and her daughter Phurbu is also studying to become a nurse. Kalsang’s parents still live in Tibet, under Chinese rule. 

Madison may be considered a small-big city, but it does have a focal Tibetan community that consists of around 500-700 people. In cities likeNew York or Chicago,  these Tibetan communities are much larger. “It’s to the point where in like those areas, you can just get away with not even learning like English,” explained Kalsang. Communities in larger cities can exceed thousands of individuals, such as New York City, which holds a Tibetan population of between five and six thousand individuals.

One main resource for the Tibetan community is the Buddhist Deer Park located in Oregon, Wisconsin. It resides just outside of Madison and is the homeplace of Tibetan celebrations and get-togethers. Kalsang emphasized that Deer Park is used for religious ceremonies, practices and teachings. The Deer Park is accessible all day and is welcome to any individual wanting to see it. You can pray, meditate, or talk to the monks.

Geshe Sopa is the founder and emeritus of Deer Park and was a huge inspiration for the Tibetan people in the Madison community. Kalsang talked of him highly. “He gained a lot of support. And he asked his students were a lot of the sponsors. So that’s why there’s especially like a huge community in Madison.” Geshe taught South Asian Studies at UW and was involved with the University for over thirty years. 

In 1979, the Dalai Lama visited Madison at the request of Geshe Sopa. Here, the Dalai Lama instilled the first Kalachakra empowerment for world peace in the Western part of the world. This was the Dalai Lama’s first time performing this outside of Tibet or India. He has visited Deer Park an additional eight times since.

Madison also has a community center for children to learn about Tibetan culture and other social events. Kalsang emphasized that the community will celebrate Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, the same day in history thatthe Dalai Lama  recieved the Nobel Peace Prize. “We have been celebrating since 1989– it’s a big occasion for us,” Kalsang said.

Kalsang’s husband Dhonpa currently teaches at the community center which is located on the east side. “On Sunday, for three hours, the little kids are taught our culture and the Tibetan language,” explained Kalsang. 

Having never been to Tibet, Phurbu still feels a spark from her culture and wants to continue that throughout her life. “I think the biggest thing is  me having the urge to learn more about my Buddhist heritage. Every few months I’ll go to the temple or just stuff like that to reignite it,” explained Phurbu.

“If you get involved in community activities or community programs, then you will be able to learn about your culture, and you will be able to retain the rich culture you have. And then, especially if you have kids, you know, the kids will learn from each other. And then you will be talking to the people about what resources there are. It can be really helpful when you have somebody coming from another country,” Phurbu said.

Sponsors or identified individuals of the Madison community helped Tibetan people adapt to Wisconsin. Kalsang emphasized that these first generations survived because of these sponsors, and that’s what truly makes Madison a community. Coming from a completely different part of the world, everything from language to societal norms is an element one must adapt to in order to succeed in their new environment.

Kalsang’s journey here is similar to many others in the Tibetan community: many Tibetan individuals and families were relocated to the United States. Starting as a settlement project for Tibetan refugees in the 1980s, Kalsang had two of her sisters move to Madison. “We have a family here. The eldest sister wanted us to move here in Madison so that we can stay close by and they can help us.” 

Phurbu Bhuti, daughter of Kolsang, has utilized her own experience of her Tibetan background. Having moved to Madison at only 8 years old from New York City, this was a huge switch in terms of knowing her culture based on her surrounding environment. “When we first came to Madison, we lived at my aunt’s house, and we lived there. There were a lot of Tibetan kids in that community and we all played together. That was that that was a fun memory for me,” Phurbu said.

Utilizing Madison’s many educational resources allowed Kalsang, Phurbu, and their family to learn English and American customs as well as find jobs and opportunities. Kalsang emphasized that their time at public libraries helped immersive them into American culture. Phurbu and Kalsang highlighted how much they love the educational opportunities that Madison has to offer. This involved not only Deer Park, but of general public services that would provide jobs and opportunities for the family. Some of these involve the Goodman Community Center and Urban League, two public organizations that help with food for the holidays, job opportunities, and more.

Kalsang and her family have hopes of retaining their culture for the following generations. “My goal for the future is like, we always try to teach our children how rich our culture is, especially in terms of trust we have in terms of prayers we do in terms of, you know, how we live our life, living with kindness, helping others, whenever or wherever you can know,”Kalsang said..

The Tibetan Community of Madison may be small, but it is a strong one. The one factor that can be highlighted for the Tibetan community of Madison is the people that make up it up. Individuals have the opportunity to relearn and educate themselves on a beautiful culture. One thing Kalsang wants all readers to take away is that anyone can find trouble in holding their identity close to them. It can be easy to avoid the responsibilities of who an individual may be, but Kalsang emphasizes that we all have the potential to hold on to ourselves. 

Buddhist Deer Park Temple
Buddhist Temple Deer Park Stupa
Geshe Sopa Altar
12 Dec

Is student drinking culture at UW an impact of the drinking culture in Wisconsin as a state?

Photo by Caroline Crowley.

By Kelsey Barrett

Wisconsin. The state of beer and cheese. What’s not to love about that? 

Known as the dairy state, Wisconsin is also home to a plethora of bars and government policies that make drinking accessible to just about everyone.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Wisconsin ranks third in the country for the percent of adults who currently drink alcohol. More Wisconsin adults report current alcohol use in the past 30 days (64.8%) than the national average (55.1%).

The University of Wisconsin-Madison, the state’s largest university, has unsurprisingly adopted a heavy drinking culture. Many attend the university because of its party scene and abundance of local bars. For some, the campus embodies an opportunity to explore partying and drinking.

I wonder, is the heavy drinking culture on campus a direct result of the drinking culture in the state as a whole?

According to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards 2021- 2022 Annual Report, 1,045 alcohol/ controlled substance charges were given, and 904 alcohol use or possession charges were given in 2022 alone.

Tonya Schmidt, the Assistant Dean of Students at UW-Madison, explained that most students at UW-Madison drink to socialize and fit in. Schmidt oversees the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards which is responsible for investigating and adjudicating academic and nonacademic misconduct, along with student organization misconduct. 

“Students all want to feel a sense of belonging and they think drinking to meet people is the only way to do it,” Schmidt said.

While this may be true for the majority of white students on campus, it differs for marginalized students and students of color.

We need to stop normalizing and glamorizing the drinking culture on and off campus.

Tonya Schmidt

University Health Services conducted a study in 2017 called “Color of Drinking,” which aimed to “better understand how marginalized and underrepresented students of color perceive and experience alcohol culture at a predominantly white university.”

Like Schmidt explained, students that participated in the survey concluded that drinking culture is how UW-Madison students socialize. The survey also reported that “sense of belonging” at UW-Madison is tied to participation in drinking culture. It’s important to consider that this sense of belonging mainly comes from the lens of a white person.

“The alcohol culture is very white driven. People of color do not feel safe on this campus when alcohol is involved because people’s true thoughts about people of color come out,” shared a student of color who participated in the survey.

Another student explained that police officers and adults react very differently to drunk students depending on their demographics.

The study concluded that African American/Black students consider leaving UW-Madison at three times the rate of white students, citing racial climate as the number one reason, whereas white students cited academic reasons as their number one reason for leaving.

The study also concluded that 82.7% of students of color make a great effort to avoid fraternity and sorority housing, and 66.8% of students of color avoid Langdon Street, the street with the most Greek life housing.

Greek life is significant at UW-Madison, but unlike some other major universities, it is not essential for having a quality social life.

“Greek events ultimately contributed very little to the underage drinking incidents we deal with — not that it’s nothing, but there are so many non-Greek ways that students drink,” Schmidt said.

While underage drinking incidents may not have been heavily reported, there are an abundance of other issues that occur during alcohol-related Greek events.

Students of color that participated in the study say that they experience microaggressions while on Greek life property. The survey defined microaggressions as “brief and commonplace verbal, behavioral, or environmental treatment that communicates racial slights towards people of color.”

One student of color recited the time she went to a Greek life party freshman year and some boys started touching and playing with her hair.

The survey suggests that many students of color feel an overall sense of discomfort and isolation while on Greek life property.

Wisconsin’s heavy drinking culture and disproportionately high white population are becoming a problematic combination on UW-Madison’s campus. 

“We need to stop normalizing and glamorizing the drinking culture on and off campus and communicate that all students do not drink and that you don’t have to drink to fit in,” Schmidt finished.

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.

From left to right: Evan Yang, Kyle Sung, Tyler Auth and Brendan Chang
Brendan Chang (left) and Kyle Sung (right) at HASA fundraising event
Brendan Chang (left) and Tyler Auth (right) at HASA tailgate
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

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

UW-Madison enrollment demographics

Photo by Caroline Crowley.

By Cate Schiller

These graphs, made with information from UW-Madison’s Enrollment report from 2020, show the out-of-state growth reflected in UW’s student body. While a large percentage of UW-Madison students come from out of state, the university still overwhelmingly supports their in-state students, with over 22,000 Wisconsinites reportedly enrolled in 2020. 

UW-Madison’s student population has steadily increased over the past few years, welcoming the school’s historically largest freshman class in the fall of 2021, and again in the fall of 2022, despite admitting nearly 3,000 less students. 

Rising undergraduate enrollment has had negative effects on the infrastructure of the city of Madison, putting the college town into an affordable housing crisis as of fall 2022.