In Case You Missed It
A Review of the Fall Semester
The Madison Federalist will work hard this semester, too. Keep an eye out for our first print edition soon!
UW ENCOURAGED STUDENTS TO WATCH PORN
University Health Services temporarily took down its SexWise module after an inquiry from The Madison Federalist revealed that it included a link to a pornographic website. The lesson said “there’s nothing inherently wrong with using porn” and was available to all students, including those who were still minors. A revised version of the module has since been restored.
STEVE FORBES DEFENDED CAPITALISM
The editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine spoke at the Wisconsin Historical Society in November. He warned that “modern socialism is not the old kind of Marxist socialism where governments would own the means of production, as they would say. Modern socialists realize you don't have to own the things. You just regulate the things in finite detail, and that way you get control over, well, the economy.” He emphasized that “nine out of ten people 200-plus years ago” lived in dire poverty, but it is “less than one in ten” today. Forbes argued that this reversal is because of the invention of modern capitalism.
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER ON CAMPUS
John Thune, the new Senate Majority Leader, spoke to GOP Badgers at a campaign event for unsuccessful candidate Eric Hovde in October. Other speakers hosted by College Republicans last semester included Governor Scott McCallum, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, and Republican Party of Wisconsin Chairman Brian Schimming. Donald Trump also campaigned in Dane County in 2024, the first GOP presidential nominee to do so since Bob Dole in 1996.
PROFESSOR CALLED RFK JR. A “MORON”
Timothy Paustian, a bacteriology professor at UW, told students during a lecture in December that "we have a psychopath that’s going to be the head of Health and Human Services in RFK Jr. He’s against vaccines. He's a moron. That's not a political thing, that's a fact." His remarks were criticized by Rep. Tom Tiffany, Rep. Bryan Steil, and Megyn Kelly. He issued an apology to students, according to university spokesman John Lucas.
SCHOLAR CRITICIZED DEI PROGRAMS
Podcast host Coleman Hughes argued in favor of a “colorblind campus” at an event hosted by the Thompson Center in November. He said that “we should try our best to treat people without regard to race” and said “no society in history, nor any society in the future, will ever achieve this fantasy that is held up of so-called equality of outcome.”
ANTI-ISRAEL STUDENTS CELEBRATED HAMAS
On October 7th, the anniversary of the Hamas terror attacks, Students for Justice in Palestine gathered to protest Israel’s military response. Professor Samer Alatout, who was detained while participating in last year’s illegal encampment, was heckled by counterprotesters when he got up to speak at the event. One pro-Israel student shouted, “Get a job,” while another said, “Put the fries in the bag!” Alatout later decried “Jewish supremacy” during his remarks. Jewish students held a large vigil that evening to commemorate the lives lost to Hamas and pray for the hostages.