Best and worst of 2016 at UW-Madison

2016 was a year filled with all sorts of crazy events. For those of us here in Madison, it was the little things that kept us laughing, smiling, and sometimes crying from day to day. Here are some of the best and worst things to occur throughout the past year at the UW Madison

Out with the old, in with the new

With Bo Ryan’s retirement last December came Greg Gard’s takeover as the basketball coach for the Wisconsin Badgers. Greg led the team throughout the 2016 basketball season to the 2016 NCAA Tournament and Sweet 16.

Vikings Guy and Mystery Girl

Star-crossed lovers searched (and found) each other via Snapchat. The modern day love story went viral and was featured by Seventeen Magazine, Refinery29, and Business Insider to name a few. Of course, the infamous event took place nowhere else but UW Madison. Don’t forget you saw it on The Tab first.

Guest appearance

In April, Shailene Woodley showed up on library mall before the primary election to campaign for Bernie Sanders. It was the perfect mid day photo op while waiting on the spring roll line.

Let’s talk politics

In light of the 2016 presidential election, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton showed up and made their marks on the UW Madison campus. The selfies that students tried to snatch with these politicians were marvelous.

Sexual assaults and crime warnings

This past year, students received a number of notifications about sexual assaults and crime warnings on campus. The most notable was Alec Cook who will be facing 21 sexual assault related charges. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the crimes committed this year.

Hail in May

At the spring 2016 commencement ceremony last May, temperatures dropped to below freezing and hail fell from the sky as students tried to stay warm in their caps and gowns. Talk about a spring storm!

Student murdered abroad

After one day abroad in Rome this past summer, a UW student, Beau Solomon, vanished and was found murdered. He suffered multiple injuries that were consistent with a man reportedly throwing his body into the river days before. May he rest in peace.

Going for the gold

In August, UW Madison alumni and students competed in the Olympic games in Rio. Not only did they perform exquisitely, they also brought the gold medal home!

Fun and games

Princeton Review crowned UW Madison the number one party school in the US for 2017. Looks like we know how to work hard and play hard after all. Don’t worry we know how to do more than party though, because we also ranked in the Top Ten Universities Public Universities.

College Game Day

In October, ESPN College Game Day came to town. Some might say this was the most anticipated event of the year, as students lined up on top of Bascom as early as 4 am to be featured on TV and get a great view of the broadcast.

Meningitis breakout

It’s hard for students to forget the long lines they waited on in October at different clinics held around campus to receive their meningitis B vaccination. There was a rapid Meningitis breakout this past fall, resulting in some students being rushed to hospitals. As a result of the outbreak, UW Madison took precaution and sent out notifications requesting that all students get their shot.

‘All White People are Racist’

In October, sophomore Eneale Pickett created a line of apparel called Insert Apparel to stir up a conversation regarding race, gender, sexuality and discrimination. Articles of clothing had messages like “All White People are Racist” on them in aim to show that everyone deserves an equal standing on campus. In return however, the apparel faced great controversy and UW Madison did not make any efforts to stop the distribution.

Snapping for consent

Students created a Snapchat filter this past Halloween that said “Get Consent this Halloweekend” in order to spread the importance of consent. With over 100 million users on Snapchat, UW Madison students believed this was an easy and convenient way for students to be reminded of the seriousness of a prevalent issue.

Badger nation

The Wisconsin Badgers defeated their rivals, the Minnesota Golden Gophers in November at the annual Thanksgiving day game. We got the Axe!

Big 10 Championships

After beating Minnesota, Wisconsin made it to the Big Ten championship game against Penn State in December. Although the Badgers didn’t win, they are still the better team (and school, and everything).

An inappropriate Obama costume

A patron wore an inappropriate costume to a Wisconsin Badger Football game. The costume was Obama wearing a noose, and caused a lot of controversy and call for safe spaces. Athlete’s such as Nigel Hayes and Jordan Hill condemned the university for how they handled the situation.

 

Brand new Union

Memorial Union reopened in the winter after being renovated. The beautifully designed interior served as a perfect spot for students to study and eat during finals.

Badgers protest important issues

Badgers made sure their voices were heard this year when they protested everything from sexual assault to Donald Trump winning the election. This campus is full of people who stand up for what they believe in.

2016 is a year that will never be forgotten. From the biggest to the smallest events, everything that took place helped shape this year. Happy 2017!