Almanac

Ask Bucky
Do you have questions? Ask Bucky has answers! Ask Bucky is a service provided by the Campus Information and Visitor Center — your one-stop shop for information about the UW–Madison campus and surrounding community, and your centralized source for off-campus housing listings. Below are two questions Ask Bucky recently answered.

How long has Bucky been a mascot?
In the 1890s, the UW football team began using an unnamed live badger as a mascot. But, after snapping at fans and being cited for delay of the game, he retired. A new mascot, drawn in 1940 by artist Art Evans, went by names such as Benny, Buddy, Bernie, Bobby and Bouncey. In 1949, the Pep Committee held a contest to name the badger, and Buckingham U. Badger — or Bucky — won. The first papier-mâché Bucky head was constructed and worn at the 1949 Homecoming Game, starting the tradition of the mascot cheering at UW sporting events. For more information about Bucky, visit http://www.uwbadgers.com/traditions/bucky_badger.aspx.

Where can I register my bike? Is it true that I must use a light at night?
You can register your bike online at http:// madisonpay.com, at any bicycle store or on campus at any UW Transportation Services Office, including the Transportation Information Place on the Park Street side of Memorial Union. The cost is $10 and the registration is valid for four years. To register your bicycle, you need to know the serial number, make and model, wheel and frame size, and color. At night, Wisconsin law requires a white front light and a red rear reflector, which can be purchased at any bicycle store. For more information on biking safety, visit the UW Transportation Services Web site.

The Campus Information and Visitor Center is eager to answer your questions. Call 263-2400 or e-mail askbucky@redgym.wisc.edu, visit the office at the Red Gym or online.

A new name for Campus Child Care
The Office of Campus Child Care has changed its name to the Office of Child Care and Family Resources to better reflect the office’s commitment to provide support and educational opportunities for parents. According to Lynn Edlefson, campus child care coordinator, those opportunities include a parent listserv, workshops, a lending library with books and other resources, and support groups for parents of infants, single parents and graduate-student parents. To subscribe to the listserv, which includes weekly updates on free or low-cost activities for campus families, contact jenny.buhler@housing.wisc.edu.

The office’s campus mailing address (611 Eagle Heights, Room 148) and Web site remain the same. The office does have a new fax number: 262-4622.

American dance and AIDS
San Francisco dance critic David Gere’s new book, “How to Make Dances in an Epidemic: Tracking Choreography in the Age of AIDS” (UW Press, 2004), is the first examination of the impact that AIDS has had on the dance community, particularly on its gay men. An assistant professor of dance history and theory at UCLA, Gere will discuss his book at a free lecture on Friday, Oct. 8, at 3:30 p.m. in Lathrop Hall’s Margaret H’Doubler Performance Space. The UW Press will host a reception and book signing in Lathrop’s Virginia F. Harrison Parlor immediately after the lecture.

Backward glance
From Wisconsin Week, Oct. 5, 1994: Fall enrollment is down 1.5 percent, representing the fifth consecutive year that numbers have decreased and meeting the goals set earlier by the UW Board of Regents to reduce class sizes and increase course access. … UW–Madison receives a $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to expand access to introductory biology classes and refurbish teaching labs. … The newest and largest of 14 open-access computer labs, reopened at Computer Science and Statistics, includes four workstations that meet national accessibility standards.