Talk:University of Wisconsin-Madison

Racial composition

It has one of the smallest minority enrollments among major schools, with only 11.5% of its student population being African American (2.7%), Asian American (5.2%), Native American (0.6%) or Hispanic (3%).

UW draws its students primarily from the State of Wisconsin. Those numbers don't seem wildly discordant with the racial makeup of Wisconsin, which is only about 12.7% minorities:[1]

87.3% White

5.7% Black

3.6% Hispanic

1.7% Asian

1.2% Mixed race

0.9% Native American

Dpbsmith 21:27, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

Of note, the tuition rates are capped at rather low values for instate residents. I would be curious to see what state schools have a significantly different racial makeup than the state they are in. Currently, for 12 credits for a semester it is $3365.12. For an instate resident to pay so little for a semester of college at a world class university makes for a large percentage of the college bound students head there. I would also be curious to see if that enrollment is the undergrad or the graduate population. --Mtur 21:35, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

Wisconsin has "a conservative population?"

Wisconsin defies that sort of casual stereotyping. Even though it is the state of Joseph McCarthy, it is also the birthplace of the Progressive Movement, and it elected numerous Socialist mayors in Milwaukee. Dpbsmith 21:30, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

Purple America shows the county by county break down of elections for 1960-2004. In 2004, Wisconsin was fairly purple with some bright blue spots. I wouldn't classify it as a red state. --Mtur 21:37, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

Gossip? What's the relevance?

The article mentions that Tammy Baldwin, the state representative of the district in which the Madison campus is located,

lists her female partner on her official biography, and she is the first-ever openly lesbian member of Congress.

This seems like the sort of gossip Conservapedia accuses Wikipedia of dealing in. I don't think it belongs in the article unless it's clear how this impacts the University. Has she pressed for funding of a Gay Studies program or anything like that? Dpbsmith 21:38, 25 April 2007 (EDT)