Kenilworth Square opens

The renovated Kenilworth building just south of North Avenue opened in late August. There were some contract cancellations due to students not being satisfied with the room sizes just before the start of the school year.

The upper-level student housing facility also had problems with residents cell phone reception and ongoing construction that resulted in numerous false fire alarms, but the first semester ended with Kenilworth at around 80 percent capacity and received positive feedback from residents. Kenilworth Square also houses an auxiliary facility for the Peck School of the Arts.

Embezzlement accusations hit SA member

An embezzlement scandal rocked the Student Association (SA), as former President and then Speaker of the Senate Russell Rueden was suspended in October, and later removed from SA.

A $10,000 check was written by former Sandburg Halls Administrative Council President Matt Franson to Rueden�¢����s advertising firm, AcerPrudens. The Student Association office was briefly shut down by the administration on Oct. 20, as financial records were seized for an internal audit.

Chancellor Santiago diagnosed with cancer

On Oct. 24, UWM Chancellor Carlos Santiago went in for surgery after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.

While recovering from surgery, Provost Rita Cheng served as acting chancellor for the rest of the fall semester. Santiago returned to full duty as chancellor the following semester after making a full recovery.

Resource Centers retain funding

Several resource centers on campus narrowly retained their funding through the Senate Finance Committee (SFC), as the Student Association debated their eligibility early in the spring.

The SFC ruled that the Women's Resource Center, LINKS Peer Outreach and Mentoring Center, Center for Volunteerism and Student Leadership, 8th Note Coffee House and the LGBT Center were ineligible to receive funding.

The Senate later overturned their ineligibility and after a series of votes and appeals, funded the centers at or near their 2006-'07 levels. For at least a year, their funding appears to be safe.

Jimmy John's driver murdered

Joe Munz, a UWM student, was shot multiple times Oct. 10 while making a delivery for Jimmy Johns on the 3200 block of N. Weil St. in Riverwest. He died soon after, leaving more questions about the city�¢����s safety.

On March 27, Michael R. Green pled guilty to the reckless homicide of Joe Munz. Green also admitted to attempted armed robbery, possession of a firearm and armed robbery as a party to a crime. All crimes were as a habitual criminal.

Riverwest dorms postponed

New freshman dorms were planned to open in fall 2007, but were postponed to spring 2008, due to construction delays.

According to neighbors, the university began building on the property before a land swap with the park system was approved and construction had to stop.

Meanwhile students planning to live there will have to find somewhere else to live first semester. The new RiverView dorms will be located just west of the Milwaukee River on North Avenue, overlooking the river. It has enough room for 475 students.

Man died in Union at BSU dance

Dimitrius "Tank" Jackson, 22, died April 7 after collapsing at a dance in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee earlier that night. According to autopsy results, he died of an enlarged heart. Witnesses were left wondering if dance security responded fast enough. Tank left behind many friends, and a 9-month-old daughter.

RPP to take effect this summer

After a tumultuous year of student resistance to Residential Preferred Parking (RPP), the bill is set to be enacted on Aug. 1, 2007. The bill was signed into law by Mayor Tom Barrett on Dec. 20, designating a side of many area streets for residents only.

It is estimated that 721 campus parking spaces will be lost through the bill. Violators will be ticketed or towed for parking in RPP designated areas. Other parking proposals are still being discussed to help ease the parking strain in the UWM campus area.

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