We have now added a new feature to this site, one that is intended to complement  the main S&W page:   an open community discussion forum for UW-Madison that allows anyone to post informally about almost anything without moderator involvement (except in clear cases of spamming or other abuse).     From the main S&W home page, the link to the new forum is found under “Sifting and Winnowing Resources” in the sidebar on the right.

The full potential of the discussion forum will be achieved when there is enough daily traffic in the form of interesting new postings to keep readers (and posters) coming back regularly.   In the meantime,  we invite readers who think this is a good idea to help get the ball rolling by (a) posting on anything and everything, no matter how mundane, without being too concerned about how many folks are reading yet and (b) forwarding this article to your friends.

If you think you might become a regular poster, we encourage you to register so that readers will become familiar with the personalities behind the posts.  You may use your real name, your initials, or (most likely) a pseudonym.

Have a textbook to sell?  Post a free ad!   Upset about construction?  Post a rant!   Want advice on the best live music venues or WiFi cafes near campus?  Post a question!  Looking for recruits to your campus organization?  Post an announcement!   Want to start a debate?  Post a provocative political, philosophical, or religious assertion, and watch the sparks fly!

All we ask is the following:

• Put your topics in the right forum.   If it doesn’t seem to fit with any of the specialized forums, then it belongs under “General discussion.”
• Be civil, and don’t use the cloak of anonymity to post insulting or potentially embarrassing comments about identifiable people.  Abusive, slanderous, or spammy messages should be reported by clicking on the ‘!’ above the message.   Repeat offenders may be banned.
• Have fun!

-  S&W Admin

Typically, we will post either a solicited or unsolicited article that will lead off a new discussion thread. That article will then serve as the nucleus for an open-ended discussion via reader comments.

With this post, we solicit specific suggestions for topics. Here is a sampling of the kinds of things we are looking for:

• Impacts of the new budget on the quality of research and/or teaching
• Oversight, accountability, and responsiveness in the administration hierarchy
• Faculty recruitment/retention issues
• The future of the tenure system at UW-Madison
• State funding vs. state control
• The tuition surcharge for graduate students in grant budgets
• The utilization of overhead charges collected on research grants
• Infrastructure issues — what is needed, and who pays?

In addition to replying with specific topic suggestions, consider whether you are in a position to contribute a lead article, short or long, addressing any topic of likely interest to our readership. If you are, please see the page Information for Authors.

- the Editors