UW-Madison: Bike-Friendly Campus

UW-Madison: "The University of Wisconsin–Madison is one of only eight institutions honored as a platinum-level Bicycle Friendly University. The award is the highest given by the League of American Bicyclists, the oldest advocacy organization for people who bike. The Bicycle Friendly University program includes 208 colleges and universities and is part of the league’s Bicycle Friendly America program, which also awards communities and businesses as part of its mission to create a 'bicycle friendly America for everyone.' Designations are given in bronze, silver, gold, and platinum, which is awarded for excellence across the board."

"UW–Madison had previously received a gold designation, given to universities with strong bike cultures but that may still need to offer more accessibility in their bike networks or reach more students and staff with bicycling education and encouragement programs ... Platinum level, according to the league, indicates a strong institutional-level bicycling program as well as active campus and local advocacy groups and student clubs supporting cycling. The Bicycle Friendly University program started in 2011; UW–Madison was recognized in 2011 at the silver level and upgraded to gold in 2015."

"The UW’s renewal application and upgrade to platinum was supported by amenities and improvements such as ... Elm Street Bike Shelter: The soon-to-be-open enclosed bicycle shelter near the Lakeshore residence halls will feature 48 stalls of high-density bike racks, a fix-it station, and free access to those with a Wiscard ... Ten “air and repair” stations located throughout campus ... The University Bicycle Resource Center, for those interested in performing tune-ups to their own bicycles and attending free, monthly events held during the academic year."

College or University: What's The Dif?

Mental Floss: "In America, few people use the phrase 'going off to university,' or “headed to university,” even if they are indeed about to set off for, say, Harvard University. Why did college become the predominant term for postsecondary education? And is there any difference between the two institutions? While university appears to be the older of the two terms, dating as far back as the 13th century, schools and students in North America have embraced college to describe most places of higher learning. There is no rigid definition of the words, but there are some general attributes for each."

"A college is typically a four-year school that offers undergraduate degrees like an associate or a bachelor’s. (Community colleges are often two-year schools.) They don’t typically offer master’s or doctorates, and the size of their student body is typically the smaller of the two. Universities, on the other hand, tend to offer both undergraduate and graduate programs leading to advanced degrees for a larger group of students. They can also be comprised of several schools—referred to as colleges—under their umbrella."

"Some colleges can be bigger than universities, some might offer master’s degrees, and so on. To complicate matters further, an institution that fits the criteria of a university might choose to call itself a college. Both Dartmouth College and Boston College qualify as universities but use the college label owing to tradition. Schools may begin as colleges, grow into universities, but retain the original name ... Keep in mind that some states, like New Jersey, have rules about how institutions label themselves. There, a university has to have at least three fields of graduate study leading to advanced degrees."

Extra! Student Papers Fill News Void

The New York Times: "Student journalists across the country have stepped in to help fill a void after more than 2,000 newspapers have closed or merged, leaving more than 1,300 communities without any local news coverage. And several young reporters have broken consequential stories that have prodded powerful institutions into changing policies ... A high school newspaper in Pittsburg, Kan., forced the resignation of the principal after discovering discrepancies in her résumé. After writing an article about a school employee’s unprofessional conduct charges, high school editors in Burlington, Vt., won a censorship battle against their principal. And when the State Department’s special envoy for Ukraine resigned abruptly last month, a 20-year-old junior at Arizona State University broke the news in the school’s student newspaper, a scoop that gained international attention."

"Despite little training and no university journalism program, the staff of The Michigan Daily has embraced its vital role. Last year, in the wake of the #MeToo movement, it published a lengthy investigation ... against a professor, leading to his early retirement ... The Daily also covers issues that matter to Ann Arbor’s 121,000 residents, such as the inner workings of the municipal government, cuts to the county’s mental health budget, and a police oversight commission that was created last year in response to the shooting death of a black woman and the violent arrest of a black teenager."

"In a sign of how seriously The Daily takes its responsibility to fully cover the city, Maya Goldman, 21, was elected editor in chief only after she was able to name the 11 members of the City Council, along with their wards and party affiliations ... Unlike many college newspapers, The Daily has the financial support — in the form of a $4.5 million endowment — to sustain its breadth of reporting, said Neil Chase, the chairman of the university’s student publications board."