If one would like to see the present condition and future prospects of Whitewater’s insiders, there are no better accounts (truly) than two stories from the Daily Union: UW-Whitewater chancellor session held @ http://www.dailyunion.com/news/article_f042575e-a63a-11e4-bcd8-939679ffcc09.html Whitewater bids fond farewell to Telfer @ http://www.dailyunion.com/news/article_68cb8454-1c18-11e5-8e44-a3bfa315d78f.html. Each story is purportedly about UW-Whitewater’s chancellor (the search for a new one,…
Culture
City, Culture, Press, Social Media
On Trends in Whitewater’s Media
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
If print’s in decline (and it is), then what’s next for Whitewater (or other small towns)? I’ve contended that a new Whitewater is inevitable. We’ve passed the beginning of that process, and are now in a middle time toward a new city. There are years yet ahead, but most now living in Whitewater will one…
City, Culture, Local Government, Marketing, Politics
Marketing Whitewater Over the Last Decade
by JOHN ADAMS • • 4 Comments
Yesterday, I mentioned that I would share observations from a longtime resident about marketing efforts on behalf of Whitewater. First the observations, then my remarks. ….Ten years ago I think all the rhetoric about a perfect Whitewater was meant to set the tone for those already living in and around the town. They wanted to…
City, Culture, Local Government, School District, University
The Last Inside Accounts
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
America has a continent, Wisconsin a vast expanse, and Whitewater nine beautiful square miles. For Whitewater’s waning top-tier notables, however, there’s no more area than an arm’s length among a few dozen men and women. When even one of them steps aside for the bathroom, the remaining universe for the others shrinks by a percent…
Assault Awareness & Prevention, Culture, Local Government, Politics, University
The Better Way to Address Sexual Violence on Campus
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Neil Heinen is the editorial director of WISC-TV in Madison. I have little idea of his politics; we’ve never met. I do know, however, that his station’s position on how universities should address allegations of sexual assault is better – ethically and practically – than the approach that UW-Whitewater has adopted. Heinen is entirely right:…
Culture
The Best Advice You’ll Get Today
by JOHN ADAMS • • 2 Comments
Assault Awareness & Prevention, City, Culture, Education, Elections, Law, Local Government, Politics, School District, University, Waste Digesters
Policy Topics for the Spring
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
In October 2014, I wrote about Four Public Topics for the Fall. They seemed to be the city’s prominent public policy questions, looking ahead from 10.20.14. Those topics were (1) the 2015 City of Whitewater budget, (2) Whitewater Schools referendum, (3) UW-Whitewater’s social relations, and the (4) City of Whitewater’s waste digester proposal. Now, as…
City, Culture, Local Government, New Whitewater, Politics, School District, University
Whitewater’s Near Future Depends on What Year It Is Now
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
City, Culture, New Whitewater, Politics
The Absence of Equilibrium
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Later this week, I’ll check to see how I did on my predictions for 2014, and make some new ones for 2015. The week of January 6th, I’ll elaborate on themes from the predictions for 2015. Here’s an observation, however, that I think describes Whitewater’s politics and culture, generally: there is an absence of equilibrium,…
Culture, Film, Food
Film: Ethiopia
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Ethiopia! from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo. We travelled to Ethiopia for two weeks and filmed the making of injera, false banana and coffee as well as everything else we saw. Please watch, enjoy and visit this amazing country! Created by: www.theperennialplate.com In Partnership with Intrepid Travel: http://www.intrepidtravel.com/foood/ Filmed & edited by: Daniel Klein (…
Culture, Development, Marketing, Politics
The Bad Bet Placed on an Eternal 2004
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Some local proposals, in Whitewater or nearby places, look like they were designed by someone from 2004. Some in that year assumed that local residents would support public funding for any designated purpose, that claims of job-creation would be swallowed whole, that the press would support those claims relentlessly, that press support would make a…
City, Culture
The Fragmented Audience
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Whitewater’s a small town, but it has more than one culture within its nine square miles. (There’s a separate issue, suitable for another time, about whether it’s legitimate to have more than one culture or method from Whitewater’scity government. It’s not; unlike diverse private life, a representative government cannot legitimately allow its officials and employees…
Culture
Three Kinds of Public Officials
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
There are more than three kinds of officials, but consider these three broad types: 1. The Mediocre. In almost all cases, people are more than intelligent enough to complete the tasks before them – it’s usually ignorance or laziness that inhibits successful work. These are the so-called public servants who mostly seem to be serving…