(WAFC press release) The WAFC along the Friends of the WAFC group and the Whitewater Optimist Club will be hosting a drive thru Santa and Friends event on Saturday December 5th from 1 p.m.- 3 p.m. Folks will drive through our parking lot to see festive lights/displays with Holiday characters and receive a Holiday goodie bag at the end. Participants are encouraged to bring along a nonperishable food donation. We will be donating all of the collected food items to the local food pantry.
At approximately 2:10 p.m. on Dec 3rd, the Whitewater Fire Department was dispatched to a report of a subject stuck in the mud, by the boat launch on Trippe Lake. Upon arrival, crews found an elderly female person trapped in the mud along the waterline, up to her waist. The individual became trapped while assisting another family member. Crews requested assistance from the Whitewater Department of Public Works for plywood and additional shovels. The Whitewater Police Department was on scene and secured the person with a rope. Crews worked for approximately 50 minutes to free the victim from mud and sediment. The female was transported to an area hospital suffering from exposure to the cold. We would like to remind people to please use caution during the lake draw down. Exposed areas may be soft and pose risks to individuals.We would also like to thank the Whitewater Police Department and Whitewater DPW workers for their assistance in this rescue.
(UW-Whitewater submission) Pat Slane, who earned a BSE in physics education with a second major in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1977, was recently named director of the Chandra X-ray Center, which controls science and flight operations for NASA’s flagship X-ray telescope, housed at the Smithsonian’s Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The Chandra X-ray Observatory is one of the remaining NASA “Great Observatories,” along with the Hubble Space Telescope. The satellite was launched into space on the Space Shuttle Columbia on July 23, 1999, at a cost of $1.65 billion. The telescope is specially designed to detect X-ray emission from very hot regions of the universe; because X-rays are absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere, Chandra must orbit above it, up to an altitude of 86,500 miles in space. At Chandra, Slane oversees the staff who operate the satellite, process the data and distribute it to scientists around the world for analysis.
Pat Slane
Slane has been involved with Chandra since before its launch, including leading the mission planning team, and served as assistant director for science since 2015. His research interests include the study of supernova remnants, young neutron stars and pulsar wind nebulae.
“I have been working in high-energy astrophysics, and specifically X-ray astronomy, for much of my professional career,” said Slane. “It is an honor to be taking over as director of Chandra, which is one of the crown jewels of NASA and all of astrophysics.”
Slane’s path to becoming a director of a key NASA observatory included studying education as an undergraduate, several years teaching in a high school, a graduate degree in mathematics from UW-Milwaukee and a Ph.D. in physics from UW-Madison.
“If you look at it, I was on a very linear path,” said Slane, who was born in Milwaukee and grew up in New Berlin. “Once I made the decision to go to UW-Whitewater to be a high school math teacher — which I made before I got there — that’s what I did. I didn’t know at any step of the way, honestly, what was to come five years down the road. It wasn’t a discrete plan from beginning to end; at each step of the way it was ‘OK, this is what I am going to do now.’”
Chandra X-ray satellite
As a student at UW-Whitewater, Slane found unexpected opportunities.
“For reasons that remain mysterious to this day, the physics faculty recognized potential in this young, quiet, long-haired kid and embraced me as part of the department,” said Slane. “Hugo Tscharnack offered serious advice. Elmer Redford arranged a job as a tutor in the campus tutorial center, where I got my first real experience teaching. Ron Bergsten picked me out of the class of students to do independent research, leading to my first publication. These are debts that I’ve spent a career to repay.”
Professor Emeritus Ron Bergsten remembers working with Slane as a young student.
“At the time that I first met Pat, I had for many years been considering the possibility of conducting the research for a paper on Fourier Transform Spectroscopy,” said Bergsten. “But I felt that the project could serve as an independent study project for a worthy student, and thus waited for such a student to enroll in the physics program at UW-Whitewater. Upon meeting Pat, I was impressed with his interest in and enthusiasm for the project, so I invited him to collaborate. He willingly and proficiently executed the project, which resulted in the writing and publication of “Fourier-transform spectroscopy with inexpensive interferometers” in the American Journal of Physics in December 1978.”
Slane started out teaching after college, before going on to graduate school, describing it as “where I learned the depths of responsibility, effort, and knowledge required to do an honest job of educating students — and just how rewarding that endeavor can be.”
Along the way, he kept his ties to UW-Whitewater.
“Pat has been a very active alumnus, particularly when he was serving on the College of Letters and Sciences Dean’s Council and Science Alliance,” said Robert Benjamin, professor of physics. “He has done many seminars for our students over the years, and the students are always interested.”
Slane has also served as an alumni mentor, including to one of Benjamin’s students, Heidi Watry.
“The alumni mentor program was for upper-level undergraduates to be paired with alumni,” said Watry. “I was studying a ‘space math’ emphasis, which was a way to apply science to math, to use math outside of the teaching realm. I was paired with Pat Slane, an astrophysicist.”
Benjamin and Slane conceived a plan for Watry to go to Chandra X-ray Observatory and work with both X-ray data and the Spitzer infrared data she had already been studying.
“It merged my existing research project experience with Dr. Benjamin with my mentorship with Pat,” she said. “That summer, I toured Chandra’s facilities, worked under Pat, and compared data sets. I got to experience what it would be like to be a researcher under Pat’s tutelage as well as learn about the other jobs at a telescope center. I ended my UW-Whitewater experience knowing that I had a real interest in astronomy, though telescope jobs are rare to come by, so after graduation I got a job at Epic.”
Watry, who graduated in 2005, soon got the opportunity to pursue that telescope job.
“Nine months into my job at Epic, Pat said, ‘By the way, I have a job opening for a data specialist.’ I applied, moved to Boston and went to work at Chandra in 2007. I worked there 4.5 years, working on Pat’s team with five other data specialists, planning out the schedule for what the telescope could observe.”
“Nearly 10 years after leaving my job at Chandra, I can still feel the excitement of working for the Chandra planning team, due the experience of working for Pat,” Watry said. “Pat meets you where you are and always has time. He pulls up the white board, pulls out the graph paper. He always left room in our job responsibilities and time in the workday to explore and find out what we are going to be passionate about. I was into scheduling optimization. Pat gave me the room to come to that niche.”
Reflecting on his continuing work as a mentor, Slane said, “Part of it is a payback thing. Part of it is that something special happened at Whitewater, something that made a difference that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.”
Ever the educator, Slane continues to relish opportunities to teach.
“One of the things I enjoy about coming back to campus is that I’m back to being that kid. I like engaging with students from anywhere. They ask questions that set me back into thinking, ‘That’s right, not everyone knows this. Oh yeah — this is an exciting thing to talk about!’ It gives you a new appreciation for what you are doing, to be able to explain it to others.”
Slane will talk about some of those exciting things in a virtual public lecture, “All About NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory (Whitewater Observatory Lecture),” including how the Chandra X-ray Observatory operates, some of the things that this telescope has discovered in its 20+ year mission, and some of his own personal observations about using and managing this flagship X-ray telescope. The lecture, which is free, takes place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4.
Dennis “Denny” William Kehoe, 92, of Whitewater passed on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at Glenwood at Mulberry Glen.
Denny was born on June 11, 1928 in Watertown to Charles W. and Anna O. (Dollase) Kehoe. He was a World War II era veteran, stationed in Occupied Japan. After serving his country, he was a UW-Madison graduate that lettered in boxing. He dedicated the rest of his career to education, and was a Professor Emeritus of Spanish and Portuguese at UW-Whitewater. He was an avid linguist.
Denny was a member of the Whitewater Knights of Columbus, an active volunteer with the Latin American Mission Program, and was very involved in the Latino community. He was an active member in the St. Mary’s Catholic Church and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church. He traveled and taught with college students in Mexico and Spain.
After retiring, he enjoyed traveling with his wife, Rita and singing with the Lake County Country Gentleman Barbershop Choir out of Lake Geneva. He had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to sing.
Dennis is survived by his children, Rita (Parker) Dow, Bill (Heather) Kehoe, Maria (David) Hinners. He was a loving grandpa to Heather (David) Buehler, Holly Dow, Morganne (Andrew) Seiner, Shannon Kehoe, Meghan Kehoe, Alex Hinners, Eric Hinners; and great-grandchildren, Seraphine and Sebastian Buehler. He is also survived by his sister, Jane Boyink; and many nephews and nieces.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Anna Kehoe; wife, Rita (Lassa) Kehoe; brother, Mack Kehoe; and sister, Ethel (Kehoe) Kachelmeier.
A funeral mass will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, December 7, 2020 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Palmyra. Masks and social distancing are required. A graveside service will follow at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Palmyra or St. Patrick’s Catholic Church.
The family would like to give special thanks to Glenwood and Marquardt Hospice for their exceptional care of Denny.
Nitardy Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences can be made at www.nitardyfuneralhome.com
Dennis D. Floerke, age 68, of Stitzer, WI, formerly of Whitewater, passed away on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at his residence with his family by his side. He was born on January 12, 1952 in Fort Atkinson the son of Lawrence and Nora (Beighley) Floerke. He was united in marriage to Jean Fritz on November 30, 2013 at the Boscobel United Methodist Church.
Dennis worked for the Jefferson County Highway Department for over 33 years. He began his duties as a Patrolman’s Helper. He also served as a Patrolman. The previous 20 years, Dennis ran a grader on the Grade Crew and he loved to snow plow. After his retirement, he was employed at Reddy-Ag in Stitzer as a seasonal employee for the past three years until having to retire due to his declining health. Dennis enjoyed going to stock car races along with watching NASCAR. He enjoyed going for rides in the country looking at the beautiful scenery and wildlife. He and Jean took road trips to Las Vegas, Florida, Texas, Colorado and Canada. Dennis was a handyman and liked working on projects around the house. He was most proud of his family and especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He made special bonds with each of them. He will be remembered for his big heart, his desire to always help others, and always having a positive outlook on life. He will be deeply missed.
Dennis is survived by his wife Jean of Stitzer, his daughter Cheryl (Tim) Oechsle of Fennimore and their children Jacob (Megan Klema) Oechsle and Levi (Erica Boylen) Oechsle, and son Cliff (Amy) Floerke of Whitewater and their son Anthony (Jessica) Floerke and their two children Madelyn and Kate Floerke, along with Jean’s family; daughter Cindy (Andy) Ploessl and their children; Phillip Peer, Tesha (Jake) Millard and their children Kamden and Aubree Millard, daughter Alisa (Jeremy) Miles and their two children Dalton and Ashley Miles, son Michael Butler and his two children Xander Fecht and Coral Butler. Dennis is also survived by his two brothers Eugene (Alice) Floerke of Richland Center, and Alan (Pam) Floerke of Fort Atkinson.
Dennis was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Walter Beighley.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, 2020 at the Larson Family Funeral Home in Fennimore with burial to follow in the Prairie Cemetery in Fennimore. Pastor Mary Ann Floerke will be officiating. Visitation will be held from 12:00 noon until the time of service at the funeral home on Saturday. If planning on attending services at the funeral home the wearing of masks will be required. Online condolences may be made at www.larsonfuneralhomes.com
(UWW/Community Optimist submission) For 26 years, UWW/Community Optimist Club has been hosting the annual Mitten Tree collection during the holiday season for the kids in our community!
As everyone is painfully aware, the COVID 19 virus pandemic has caused the Optimist Club to rethink this year’s collection procedures. First Citizens State Bank, Fort Community Credit Union (FCCU) and First English Lutheran Church will be collection places this year but in a much more limited fashion. First Citizens State Bank will be taking collections from their employees and First English Lutheran Church will only collect from their church members indirectly. The Whitewater branch of Fort Community Credit Union’s lobby is open, and they will serve as a collection site for the public. Donations will be accepted now through Friday, December 18th by 4 p.m.
Jeanine Fassl accepts 105 pairs of hand-knit mittens from Dottie Koenitzer last year with Dottie making 108 pairs this year as well. Any donations of hats, gloves, scarves, mittens, socks, and underwear, for children especially in smaller sizes, are greatly appreciated. Thank you for helping support the children in our community!
The main needs are mittens, hats, and scarves. In addition, underwear and socks are encouraged as they are used for emergency items for the area children throughout the year. Gift cards are also valuable and will help local agencies to purchase items as needed.
There is a large need for smaller sizes since there are more than 300 children under age 5 in the Whitewater Unified School District.
Many thanks to all three collection sites for continuing to sponsor this worthwhile program.
(Press release from St. John’s Masonic Lodge) A message of gratitude:
One of the iconic buildings in downtown Whitewater is the Masonic Temple at 226 W Main St. The building was erected in 1904 and has been home to several Masonic organizations over the years. Recently, the building has been in severe need of a roof replacement. This year, that was accomplished by very generous donations from the Kachel family, and from Mr. James Caldwell. Jon, Larry and Mike Kachel and Jim Caldwell are all long term members of St. John’s Lodge. The lodge extends our deepest gratitude to these fine Masonic Brothers.
With the Covid pandemic, many organizations are suffering from lack of funds. This year, the lodge had to omit our spring dinner fundraiser, which funds a significant part of our annual budget. We had a carry out only dinner on November 17th. The outpouring of support from the Whitewater community for this fundraiser was overwhelming! The lodge would like to thank everyone who purchased dinners.
Finally, within the membership of St. John’s Lodge, many donated significant cash contributions and/or volunteer time for fundraising. Our gratitude to all.
Despite difficult times, our organization has had a great year, thanks to all the support from this great community.
(UW-Whitewater College of Business and Economics submission) After seeing year-over-year increases during the previous six years, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater set a new graduate enrollment record of 1,567 students in fall 2020.
The record enrollment follows the launch of UW-Whitewater Online, which was largely conceived and developed in 2019. UW-Whitewater Online currently encompasses 11 master’s degrees, 20 graduate certificates and 11 bachelor’s programs.
“We have seen tremendous success with online graduate programs in the college, and they were clearly a driver of growth,” said John Chenoweth, dean of the College of Business and Economics. “The convenience and flexibility of online delivery make a master’s degree more attainable for working professionals.”
“The online degree programs at UW-Whitewater are among the best in the country and have earned strong rankings by U.S. News & World Report,” said Joan Littlefield Cook, interim associate provost at UW-Whitewater. “The UW-Whitewater Online brand was developed to organize our efforts campus-wide and to generate the awareness these programs deserved.”
The university launched its fully online MBA in 1998. By building on that success and investing in faculty and technology over the past two decades, UW-Whitewater is able to deliver high-quality graduate education to students worldwide.
All UW-Whitewater Online graduate programs are developed and delivered by Ph.D. faculty with assistance from experienced instructional designers and media specialists. Courses are completely asynchronous and delivered 100 percent online.
The university also responds to market demands and higher education trends related to both its online and on-campus programs.
“One of the strengths of our MBA program is the number of emphasis options we offer,” said Paul Ambrose, associate dean of the College of Business and Economics. “We took two popular emphases that have particularly strong market demand, and created Master of Science degrees in business analytics and finance for people interested in more focused coursework.”
“Expanding our portfolio of graduate programs has been intentional and focused on degrees in demand,” said Chenoweth. “As a result, they are a great choice for professionals looking to change careers, update their resume or position themselves for advancement.”
In the last several years, the College of Letters and Sciences added a Master of Science in Computer Science degree and a Master of Science in Social Work, which have been very successful. The new M.S. in Cybersecurity, offered jointly by the Colleges of Business and Economics and Letters and Sciences, provides students the advanced training needed to succeed in this growing and competitive field.
“The creation of the M.S. degree in cybersecurity allows us to build on existing faculty strengths in a way that benefits our current students as well as those who will join us in the future,” said Frank Goza, dean of the College of Letters and Sciences. “We are extremely excited about this dynamic new program as it will provide our students with cutting-edge knowledge that will enable them to advance in their current positions or find rewarding new careers.”
To better meet students’ needs, the colleges are employing a new format of eight-week courses organized into stackable certificates, allowing students to earn certificates in specific areas while completing a master’s degree. The new M.S. in Instructional Design and Learning Technology in the College of Education and Professional Studies uses this structure, as does the newly restructured online M.S. in Communication in the College of Arts and Communication.
For questions about UW-Whitewater’s 100 percent online master’s programs, contact Paul Ambrose, associate dean of the College of Business and Economics, at 262-472-1945 or gradbus@uww.edu.
By Lynn Binnie Whitewater Banner volunteer staff whitewaterbanner@gmail.com December 1, 2020
It’s not possible to precisely differentiate new cases at UW-W from those in the larger community, but last week there were 63 new positive test results in the Walworth County portion of the city, and during that period UW-W only reported 17. Presumably some of UW-W’s cases would have been reported in Jefferson County. Out of the tests reported in the Walworth County portion of the city in the past week, a concerning 41% were positive. Mandi Kolb, a 911 dispatcher, stated at the virtual WUSD board meeting on Nov. 23 that she is “taking call after call related to COVID-19.”
The Walworth County portion of the city has three census tracts. Until December 1, all of those census tracts were in the initial, nonspecified reporting level of 0-4 deaths from COVID-19.Now, however, tract #04 has experienced a total of six deaths. From November 1 to December 1 the cumulative deaths in Walworth County have increased from 39 to 53.
With a 7-day case incidence as of December 1 of 70.1, Walworth County’s positive cases have continued to moderate, from 86.3 in the past week. The county is still very deeply into the “very high risk” category (which begins at 25) under the Jefferson County model that Whitewater Unified School District (WUSD) is no longer using as guidance. Whitewater’s case incidence, 51.6, is still very high but has fallen considerably since UW-W went virtual. Meanwhile, Jefferson County is currently reporting a 7-day case incidence as of November 29 of 58, a considerable improvement from two weeks ago. The statewide case incidence is reported to be 103.2. (Case incidence = daily average new cases per 100,000 people.)
Informed by new guidance from Walworth and Rock Counties, the WUSD board voted on November 23 to pause in-person instruction beginning Nov. 30. With rapidly rising cases in the area, the health departments reverted to Phase I in their COVID-19 guidance and expressed concern regarding the potential for additional spikes related to the upcoming holidays. The school district has now had four school closings since the gradual return to in-person school, with classes going virtual at Lakeview for 11/5-6, at the High School on 11/9, at Lincoln for 11/10-12, and at the High School for 11/20.Though the District Administrator indicated on November 23 that there is only evidence of one student having been infected at school, cases among students had risen considerably. Only two new cases among staff were identified during the short Thanksgiving week, and there were no new student cases. WUSD’s current data indicates that since September 1 there have been 57 positive cases among students and 19 staff members. In-person classes resumed fulltime for 4K – 5th grade on September 28; grades 6-12 began a hybrid model on October 12, and fulltime in-person classes resumed on November 2.
UWWs current data shows that last week there were 15 students and 2 staff/others with positive PCR tests, a decline from the 47 students in the previous week. Many students had returned home, as in-person classes had ended the previous week. Positive results from the rapid antigen tests that are administered to asymptomatic and random volunteers had increased from 1.1% seven weeks ago to as high as 8.15%. Last week’s testing found only 2.9% positives.
Two weeks ago the state introduced a new “critically high” COVID activity level. Per this state website, the state as a whole and all but seven counties now have “critically high” COVID activity levels. Jefferson, Rock, and Walworth counties are all at the critically high level. Per the state, “COVID-19 remains very contagious and most people in Wisconsin are still at risk of getting sick from the virus.”
DAILY CASE INCIDENCE PER 100,000 PEOPLE – WALWORTH COUNTY
End Date
New cases/14 days
Incidence
New cases/7 days
Incidence
9/15
527
38.8
403
59.2
9/22
648
47.7
245
36
9/29
379
27.9
134
19.7
10/5
302
22.2
176
25.9
10/16
308
22.6
176
25.9
10/25
427
31.4
265
39.0
11/1
533
39.2
268
39.4
11/8
795
58.5
527
77.6
11/16
1218
89.6
628
92.4
11/24
1266
93.1
586
86.3
12/1
1063
78.2
477
70.1
*
DAILY CASE INCIDENCE PER 100,00 PEOPLE – CITY OF WHITEWATER (WALWORTH COUNTY PORTION)
End Date
New cases/14 days
Incidence
New cases/7 days
Incidence
9/15
345
206.8
284
340.4
9/22
419
251.1
132
158.1
9/29
180
107.9
48
57.6
10/17
42
25.1
20
24.0
10/25
61
36.6
45
54.0
11/1
75
44.9
30
36.0
11/8
88
52.7
58
69.6
11/16
160
95.9
87
104.3
11/24
205
122.9
101
121.0
12/1
144
86.3
43
51.6
TEST POSITIVITY RESULTS – CITY OF WHITEWATER (WALWORTH COUNTY PORTION)
End Date
# Tests Reported – 14 days
# Positive
Positivity %
# Tests Reported – 7 days
#Positive
Positivity %
8/22
216
27
12.5%
103
6
5.8%
8/29
240
19
7.9%
128
13
9.2%
9/7
421
77
18.3%
274
60
21.9%
9/20
958
404
42.2%
571
204
35.7%
9/29
663
180
27.1%
236
48
20.3%
10/17
175
42
24.0%
80
20
25.0%
10/25
310
61
19.7%
140
45
32.1%
11/1
266
75
28.2%
126
30
23.8%
11/8
297
88
29.6%
171
58
33.4%
11/16
413
160
38.7%
234
87
37.2%
11/24
443
205
46.3%
182
101
55%
12/1
287
144
50.2%
105
43
41.0%
TEST POSITIVITY RESULTS – WALWORTH COUNTY
End Date
# Tests Reported – 14 days
#Positive
Positivity %
# Tests Reported – 7 days
# Positive
Positivity %
% of Those with Positive Results Who Reported being Asymptomatic
Total Deaths
8/22
2386
277
11.6%
1071
112
10.5%
11.4%
25
8/29
1972
210
10.6%
901
98
10.9%
11.1%
27
9/7
1953
228
11.7%
986
129
13.1%
10.9%
32
9/22
2689
648
24.1%
1249
245
19.6%
9.7%
34
9/29
2504
379
15.1%
1255
134
10.7%
9.75%
35
10/5
2189
302
13.8%
864
176
25.6%
9.49%
35
10/16
1803
308
14.6%
1142
176
15.4%
9.47%
36
10/25
3304
427
12.9%
1097
265
24.2%
9.36%
38
11/1
2289
533
23.3%
1192
268
22.5%
9.10%
39
11/8
2748
795
28.9%
1556
527
33.9%
8.8%
39
11/16
3465
1218
35.2%
1824
628
34.4%
7.84%
43
11/24
3651
1266
34%
1787
586
32.8%
7.51%
47
12/1
3081
1063
34.5%
1294
477
36.9%
7.47%
53
Note: On May 12, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) advised governments that before reopening, rates of positivity in testing (ie, out of all tests conducted, how many came back positive for COVID-19) should remain at 5% or lower for at least 14 days. If a positivity rate is too high, that may indicate that the state is only testing the sickest patients who seek medical attention, and is not casting a wide enough net to know how much of the virus is spreading within its communities. Wisconsin’s current positivity rate is 12.6%.
WUSD is providing the following “COVID Tracking Data” on its website at this link.
COVID TRACKING DATA
On September 23, 2020 the WUSD School Board voted to suspend the utilization of a community level metric.
Below is the cumulative and current number of close contact, symptomatic, COVID positive staff and students.
0District COVID Tracking Data Sept 1 – November 30 (updated Dec. 1)
Cumulative
Nov. 30
STAFF
Close Contact Positive Person
56
12
Showing Symptoms
51
0
Tested COVID-Positive
19
3
Total Quarantined Staff
126
STUDENTS
Close Contact Positive Person
347
68
Showing Symptoms
389
0
Tested COVID-Positive
57
3
Total Quarantined Students
793
Totals
Number of Positive COVID Cases
76
Number of Days of School
58
UWW has established the following dashboard which provides useful information. It is found at this link.
COVID-19 Dashboard
The COVID-19 pandemic is an ever-changing situation and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater actively monitors and reviews a series of health, safety, and resource metrics to guide decision-making with regard to university operations. These metrics are considered in combination and consultation with recommendations and orders from the state and county health departments before any changes in operations are made.
Last Updated 11/30/2020 at 9:00 AM
COVID-19 cases reported to UW-Whitewater
New reports – Week of Nov. 15-21
Previous week
Cumulative reports since March 2020
Students
15
47
663
Employees
1
2
38
Other
1
0
6
Unknown
0
0
3
Dashboard is updated on business days with available data. Numbers include cases reported through university-coordinated testing, as well as those reported through the COVID-19 Hotline, which may include testing that occurred off-campus through other health clinics/providers. Student employees are counted in the student numbers. The “Other” category is defined as any positive cases reported to UW-Whitewater who are neither students nor employees and may include visitors to the university, contractors or vendors, or others who have been to the university in person. These numbers represent individuals who have had direct contact with the campuses. Individuals who are working or attending solely in a remote manner and not living in University Housing are not included.
Regional Metrics
University Health and Counseling Services (11/16-11/30)
Walworth County (11/14-11/27)
Rock County (11/11-11/24)
Jefferson County
Wisconsin (7-day average)
Percent Positive
38% (100/264*)
20.45%
32.5%
25.1%
28.7%
Time to complete contact tracing
100% of contacts are initiated within 48 hours**
29% of contacts are initiated within 48 hours
33% of contacts are initiated within 48 hours
Not Available
N/A
Healthcare system capacity level
No crisis management of care
8% ICU beds available
Hospitals at a medium capacity level
Not Available
15% Available (Based on Immediate Bed Availability)
Total cases per 100,000
n/a
1262.0 (90.1 per day)
1187.4 (84.8 per day)
1455.0 (103.9/day)
1445.3 (103.2)
*UHCS percentage positive is based on PCR testing performed at the University Clinic site of students only. Case totals are represented by (Total Positives/Total PCR Tests)
**To avoid duplication, UHCS actively partners with Walworth, Rock, and Jefferson Health Departments. County Health Departments do tracing of positive cases and UHCS employees do tracing of contact cases.
Previous 7 days of PCR Tests Administered
PCR* Test Date
# of PCR Tests Administered
11/19/20
14
11/20/20
21
11/23/20
22
11/24/20
3
11/25/20
10
11/26/20
0
11/27/20
8
*PCR testing is conducted on symptomatic individuals and individuals with positive Antigen testing results.
Total All PCR Tests
# of PCR Negative
# of PCR Positive
Percentage Positive
1576
1120
518
31.6%
3.2%Antigen* Test Date
# of Antigen Tests Administered
# of Antigen Negative Results
# of Antigen Positive Results
Percentage Positive
11/18/20
269
257
12
4.5%
11/19/20
270
260
10
3.7%
11/20/20
258
253
5
1.9%
11/23/20
299
290
9
3.0%
11/24/20
159
158
1
.6%
11/25/20
121
118
3
2.5%
11/26-27/20
0
0
0
Weekly total
1376
1336
40
2.9%
Total All Antigen Tests
7081
6781
288
4.1%
*Antigen testing is conducted on asymptomatic and random volunteers.