Don't fuck with Wisconsin

I intend to weave a tapestry of profanity later, but since I'm fresh out my social work lecture on community organizing and community participation, I'm thinking a lot about this sort of stuff (from today's Chronicle of Higher Ed):

In Producing Volunteers for the Peace Corps, U. of Wisconsin at Madison Leads Again
For the 20th year in a row, the University of Wisconsin at Madison produced the most Peace Corps volunteers in 2005, according to a list issued this week by the international-service agency.

Wisconsin sent 104 volunteers to the field in 2005, according to the agency's list of top-producing colleges and universities. The University of Washington was second, with 102, in a ranking of large universities.

Among medium-size institutions, the University of Virginia again ranked No. 1, with 80 volunteers. Dartmouth College topped the list of small institutions for the first time, with 37 volunteers.

The University of California at Berkeley has produced the most volunteers in all -- more than 3,200 -- since the Peace Corps was established, in 1961. Wisconsin is second on that list, with more than 2,700 volunteers.

This year the Peace Corps also released figures about volunteers with advanced degrees. The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor produced the most volunteers with advanced degrees. In the No. 2 and 3 spots were Wisconsin and George Washington University, respectively.

Until this most recent survey, my alma mater (Grinnell College) led the small schools in the number of students it sent into the Peace Corps. I've been thinking about activism, participation, and the need people feel to engage and to do SOMETHING, anything. Does UW-Madison attract the people who feel this need? Does the environment there breed this? If the latter is the case, then is it something that other universities can replicate? Because I think we need more of this sentiment floating around in higher education. I don't feel like I'm going to school in order to make money to support myself. I see going to school as a chance to 1)broaden my perspective and learn about stuff I know nothing about 2)find a way to contribute to society with my talents and skills (by figuring out what those talents and skills are and polishing them.)

Wisconsin has a long progressive history despite it's current status of teetering on the brink of red statehood in the last national elections. I know Madison is not ALL of Wisconsin, but it's safe to say that the southern half of the state (Janesville excepted) is progressive, and by progressive I mean that the modus operandi is not every-man-for-himself. People participate, they care about their communities, they seem to believe that government plays an important role in looking out for the disadvantaged. Is it the cheese that does it? Or the cows?

It should be noted that Wisconsin's current governor is a Peace Corps veteran (I think he might actually have done it twice.) Thought I'm not sure the citizens of the dairy state are terribly happy with him (though who is happy with their governor in this time of economic downturn...) this is nevertheless the person they elected. What was it, again, that our national leader has ever done for anyone beyond his social circle?

It feels weird, but I think Peace Corps volunteerism may be labeled activism. Why doing something for those who have less should be considered activism and not our duty as decent humans is troubling.