Incident Type: Missing Person
Incident Date: April 1, 2018
Address: University of Wisconsin
Person: Rebecca Blank, 62
Details: After weeks of speculation about what had happened to University of Wisconsin Chancellor Rebecca Blank and if she had fled to Canada to escape her duties as chancellor, Madison Police Department found Blank in Bascom Hall.
Blank, who was not in any danger or injured, was found behind a podium. The podium, which was much, much taller than Blank, had hidden her for weeks.
A UW janitor who was cleaning Bascom Hall Sunday night heard noise coming from behind the podium. Concerned, he called MPD, who arrived promptly at the scene.
At first, the scene looked normal, and if it wasn’t for the officers moving the podium and spotting Blank, she might have been there forever.
Blank said whenever she sees a podium now she gets nervous and does her best to avoid them at all costs.
MPD recommended UW get Blank her own customized step-stool to bring to future press conferences to prevent this from happening again. It’s also recommended UW hire Blank an assistant dedicated to carrying this stool around.
