Dane County Board urges UW-Madison to move classes online, close dorms
A hand sanitizing station along Linden Drive is available for students on UW-Madison’s campus.
The Dane County Board urged UW-Madison to move all classes online and empty out dorms, the latest call from local officials for the university to take more drastic action to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The board voted 24-9 in a roll call vote with 4 abstaining on the resolution at its Thursday meeting.
A number of county supervisors expressed concern with the rapid, recent spread of COVID-19 in Dane County, following the return of students to campuses in September. Sup. Yogesh Chawla said COVID-19 cases are out of control and fueled by the actions of the UW System.
UW-Madison and Dane County, led by County Executive Joe Parisi, have been at odds in recent weeks following a dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases tied to the campus that left the county’s public health infrastructure overwhelmed.
Parisi asked UW-Madison to move all classes online and send students in dorms home, a request that went unheeded. He said he is hoping his recommendation will be seriously considered for the spring semester plans administrators are currently crafting.
To get COVID-19 cases under control, university officials quarantined two of the largest dorms and paused in-person instruction for two weeks, a lockdown that lifted about a week ago. UW-Madison reported on Thursday a seven-day average positivity rate of 1.6% among students tested on campus. The seven-day average of UW cases from campus testing sites and the city-county health department is 32 cases.
Brenda Gonzalez, director of community relations at UW-Madison who spoke during the County Board meeting in opposition of the resolution, said testing and protocol put in place should keep the number of positive cases on campus low. She said Public Health Madison and Dane County is monitoring possible transmission of cases from campus to the surrounding community and hasn’t found evidence to support a large number of campus-to-community case transmissions.
“We do not believe that further limiting in-person instruction is prudent or necessary,” Gonzalez said.
Dane County Sup. Michele Ritt, a mother of a UW System student, voted against the resolution but questioned the effectiveness of policies meant to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 on campus.
“I see huge issues with enforcement of the policies,” she said, and asked what steps the university plans to take to monitor and implement mitigation tactics across a campus of tens of thousands of students.
Laura Downer, a UW-Madison graduate student, said the resolution does not serve the best interest of the students.
“Sending all students from residence halls home is unsafe and unrealistic,” she said. “If we close residence halls and move classes online, this will encourage students to engage in more reckless behaviors.”
Matthew Mitnick, chair of Associated Students of Madison who spoke in support of the resolution, said student concerns are not being met in the campus’ plan to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
“Public health is really not the priority right now, and as a student I’m extremely concerned about going to in-person classes,” he said. “Is it going to take a death for us to realized we’re in the midst of a global pandemic?”
In response to the vote, UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank reiterated that many students will stay in Madison regardless of whether classes are delivered entirely online because they are members of the community who live, work and vote in the city. Further, she said, no faculty or staff have become infected in classrooms or lab settings and the latest testing data on campus shows a lower infection rate than in Dane County.
“Given the low case numbers at UW, our extensive testing and messaging regime, and our students’ commitment to being part of the Madison community, we disagree with calls for the university to send student(s) home,” Blank said in a statement. “The university, the city and the county need to work together to make sure that all people — students and non-students alike – follow county health protocols and remain healthy.”
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce opposed the resolution, saying it strikes the wrong balance and would cause “unnecessary economic hardship” on businesses.
“Ending in-person classes and sending students ‘home’ is not a productive public health strategy and sends a terrible message to the students that are members of our community,” the Chamber said in a statement.
State Journal reporter Elizabeth Beyer contributed to this report.
Throwback photos: The evolution of Wisconsin’s Bucky Badger over the years
Live badger mascot, 1910
The University of Wisconsin started using a badger as its mascot in the late 1800s around the time when intercollegiate football began. It reflected Wisconsin’s nickname as the “Badger state,” so named because of the prevalence of southwestern Wisconsin lead miners who had to burrow into hillsides for shelter in the winter – like badgers do. In the early years, UW used a live badger mascot at games, like the one here in this photo from 1910. They found, however, that the animals weren’t always as lovable as they may have looked.
Players with the mascot, 1940s
Three Wisconsin football players, above, consult with their live badger mascot in the 1940s. The live badger (it had no name back then) was used for a while, until it was deemed unsafe for players and fans. The badger, who sometimes got away from its handlers, was retired to Madison’s Vilas Zoo. In the photo here, the badger is safely tucked in a cage but, if you look closely, you can see a sharp tooth and nails.
Regdab the raccoon, 1948
George Holmes, the UW’s student Homecoming Dance chairman and raccoon keeper, is seated in November 1948 with a young raccoon named “Regdab” (badger spelled backward), wearing a tiny UW sweater, on his shoulder. By this time, the live badger that had been used as a mascot in prior years was deemed unsafe and replaced briefly with the raccoon to try to find something tamer that still looked the part. (Photo taken by State Journal photographer Arthur M. Vinje.)
Papier-mache head, 1949
The current incarnation of Bucky got its start in 1940, when an illustrator sketched the likeness of an upright badger wearing a cardinal and white sweater. But the mascot wasn’t introduced on campus until 1949, when a cheerleader brought him to life. In the photo above, Bill Sachse, a UW-Madison business major and pep chairman, holds the chicken wire and papier-mache head of the very first Bucky Badger as UW-Madison cheerleader Bill Sagal puts on the head. Carolyn Conrad, an art student who designed the original Bucky head, touches up the red paint on his cheek.
First human Bucky, 1949
Bill Sagal, the first human Bucky Badger mascot, appears at a UW-Madison football game in 1949. Bucky was first introduced to the campus at a pep rally Nov. 11 of that year and then appeared at the next day’s Homecoming game against Iowa. Sagal, then head cheerleader, wore his regular cheerleader trousers and sweater but added boxing gloves. (And yes, if you’re wondering, Wisconsin beat Iowa 35-13.)
Becoming Bucky
Bucky also got his name in 1949. The mascot initially went by names like Benny, Buddy and Bouncey. But a contest was held that year to name him, and the winner was Buckingham U. Badger — “Bucky,” for short. It was then that the papier-mache likeness was made. Even so, Bucky’s official birthday is considered Oct. 2, 1940, because of that original illustration and copyright. He’s pictured above in 1955.
Taxidermist makes Bucky for Rose Bowl, 1953
This 5-foot-tall animated Bucky Badger statue was sponsored by the Wisconsin Conservation Department to be sent to California for the 1953 Rose Bowl Tournament and Rose Parade. The figure was made by Karl Kahmann, a Hayward taxidermist. (Photo taken by State Journal photographer Arthur M. Vinje.)
Bucky and the band, 1950s
Bucky is pictured with the band in the 1950s.
Bucky the boxer, 1956
Bucky Badger sports boxing gloves in 1956. Boxing was an early theme for those playing the role of Bucky.
Bucky in suit and tie, 1957
Bucky Badger, wearing a suit and tie, gets tapped on the nose by an unidentified man in 1957.
Bucky on a camel, 1960s
Bucky Badger rides a camel in the 1960s.
Bucky in sweater, 1965
Bucky Badger wears a cardinal sweater that spells out “Wisconsin,” rather than just a big “W,” at a UW-Madison football game in 1965.
Bucky vs. Herky, 1965
Bucky Badger boxes with Herky the Hawk from University of Iowa in 1965.
Hugging Bucky, 1967
Bucky Badger has always balanced being tough and lovable. Here, he hugs a small child at a game in 1967.
Bucky in the 1970s
Bucky Badger scrolls on the sidelines at a game in the 1970s.
Bucky with children, 1971
Cheerleaders pose with Bucky Badger and children at Camp Randall Stadium in 1971.
Bucky Wagon, 1978
Bucky Badger, joined by some UW cheerleaders, rides in the Bucky Wagon during the 1978 Homecoming parade.
Hugging Bucky, 1985
A cheerleader gets a hug from Bucky in 1985 during a snowy game.
Bucky and Tommy, 1980s
Bucky is next to former Gov. Tommy Thompson, seen raising his fist, in the late 1980s or early 1990s.
Bucky on the move, 1990s
Bucky and then-Chancellor Donna Shalala help students move in sometime in the 1990s.
Bucky goes to school, 2003
Bucky Badger gets a running start as he low-fives students at C.H. Bird Elementary School in Sun Prairie on Dec. 12, 2003. He appeared to honor them for their exceptional charity work in the community.
Bucky tops pyramid, 2006
Bucky Badger is on top of a pyramid Jan. 14, 2006, at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Bucky on the Pier, 2011
Bucky does a handstand while warming up the crowd shortly before Party on the Pier in Santa Monica, Calif. on Dec. 31, 2011. Wisconsin fans were in town for the Rose Bowl.
Bucky plays with fan, 2017
Wisconsin mascot Bucky Badger plays with a similarly-dressed young fan during the basketball team’s open practice at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y., on March 15, 2017.
After many years of neglect, the 113-year-old Garver Feed Mill has been restored as a center for food and wellness businesses. Here’s a look a…
Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily.
