Every Badger has his or her own reasons for attending University of Wisconsin-Madison and upon arriving to campus, their reasons multiply. For all of the fabulous reasons there are to coming to Madison — academics, sports, new people, beautiful campus, etc. — one reason in particular seems to be consistently overlooked and unknown by most Badgers.
“I will never be content until the beneficent influence of the university reaches every family in the state.” If a quarter of the student body knew, off the top of their head, which former UW-Madison president conveyed the preceding quote, I would be surprised. I would be even more surprised if someone knew where one can find the quote on campus, and if the same person knew that those words are the cornerstone of one of the greatest reasons to attend Madison, I would assume he or she works directly with the Wisconsin Idea on campus.
The quote comes from former UW-Madison president Charles R. Van Hise. The quote can be found on a rock near the Observatory, and these words have become the cornerstone for The Wisconsin Idea. The Wisconsin Idea: something you probably heard about in Soar Orientation, Advising, and Registration freshman year and never paid attention to. Something your House Fellow brought up at the first house meeting, but never again. Something Chancellor Blank or Lori Berquam promoted, but it went in one ear and out the other. Something that shows up on Madison’s website, but you just glazed over it to look for what you need. However, this thing that keeps popping up randomly in your Madison career is probably the most important skill you can gain during you time here.
The Wisconsin Idea is the belief that everything we learn here on campus can be taken and used by us in our communities and world to improve it. What is really important to understand is this concept of ‘everything.’ Even though you are a humanities major, it does not mean that your Quantitative Reasoning B course was just to fill a Gen Ed requirement. Even though you are an engineering major, it does not mean your Communications B course was to be regarded as a pointless Gen Ed. In every class you take, there is something to be learned from it that can improve the world. Case in point, I will be a communication arts major and this semester I am taking Physics in the Arts. It may seem like there is nothing in this course that will help me in my future career or improve my community. On the contrary, I have learned about lenses and how they work in photography. I can apply this knowledge to my future because in our digital age, we communicate visually all the time. By having this understanding I can make sure images are accurate and eye-catching.
The Wisconsin Idea does not limit itself to just what you learn in class, but to life lessons as well. For all of us undergrads, we have experienced living on our own for the first time. How to do laundry, new study habits and making choices when no one is watching. As we make mistakes, we learn more about ourselves through those life lessons that are applied tomorrow, next week and in the years to come. Everything we do on campus. Everything.
To each and every one of us the Wisconsin Idea means something different, and what we make of it is our Wisconsin Experience. No other college can make a claim to having this notion, it is one of those things that makes Madison unique. Therefore we should take advantage of everything our campus has to offer, including the Wisconsin Idea. When one starts to think in terms of the Wisconsin Idea, those classes you took just for the Gen Ed suddenly have more meaning. That time you fought with your roommate over chores is preparing you to interact with future co-workers. The Wisconsin Idea is more than some annoying phrase that pops up from time to time. It is the most important thing our university can offer you, because it is completely all your own. You make it what you want. When you view your college career through the glasses of the Wisconsin Idea certain things that seemed meaningless and pointless now have greater value than you ever thought possible. This is your Wisconsin Idea and your Wisconsin Experience. What does it mean to you, and what are you going to do with it?
Leah Holloway ([email protected]) is freshman majoring in communications arts.
