What’s hot this fall for UW-Madison students

From political blogging to plaid clothing, laptops to leggings, going green to gas-guzzler alternatives, University of Wisconsin–Madison students are leading and often creating the latest trends.

With students heading back to the classroom Sept. 2, University Communications student writers Niki Fritz and Bobbi Jo Snethen took a look at the trends they are bringing with them.

This is the first in a series of tipsheets this week exploring trends in the coming semester.

Transportation: Like people across the nation, UW–Madison students are feeling the pain at the pump, but luckily the campus is filled with alternatives to gas-guzzlers. According to Rob Kennedy, manager at UW–Madison Transportation Services, more than 90 percent of UW–Madison students use energy-friendly alternatives for transportation, including buses, biking, walking and car-share programs such as Community Car.

Community Car is a member-based car sharing program where, for $8 an hour, students can reserve a car, pick it up at on-campus locations, use it for their reserved time and then return the car for the next user.

“Community Car has become more popular. A lot of students who don’t always need a car are starting to use Community Car,” Kennedy says. “You don’t have to pay for gas, cleaning or insurance. Plus most students can’t afford new cars, but these are nice new cars like the Prius Hybrid.

Social Networking: Although some critics have claimed “Facebook fatigue” is beginning to grip college youth, new social networking sites such as Twitter and Linkedin are rapidly growing. Journalism Professor Lewis Friedland says these new sites may just be fads, but because of the usefulness of social networking sites, established sites like Facebook will stay the home page for many college students.

“Twitter had a really fast growth rate; so fast in fact that it crashed. But that is just the nature of the net. It is the fad migration to the next big network,” Friedland says. “[Facebook] is a network management site. It is useful because it saves people time and energy to keep up with their friends… I think it will be a fixture of young people’s lives throughout their lives.”

Politics: Youth voting has been steadily increasing since the 2000 presidential election and is expected to surpass 2004 rates in the upcoming November elections. But beyond the polls, youth participation — especially online via blogging and social networking — has also been growing.

According to political science Professor Kathy Cramer Walsh, campaigns are beginning to utilize “youth” communications such as text messaging, social network sites and blogging to engage a cohort that has previously felt marginalized by old forms of political communication. Walsh also says youth are voicing their political opinions more, especially via blogs.

“Students in some way have always been the most creative in the political world; they always bring in new perspectives,” Walsh says. “With blogging, new and creative voices are more readily available and apparent. When young people blog, they can really have an impact on politics in a way they haven’t had in the past.”

Entertainment: Forgoing the expensive cable boxes and TiVos, many college students are turning to free entertainment on the Web. In addition to old favorites like Youtube and movies posted online, made-for-net sitcoms like The Burg, which is only broadcasted online, are becoming popular on college campuses.

Communications Professor Sabine Gruffat says students are using the Internet not only to be entertained, but to produce their own entertainment.

“I have noticed that students are getting savvier. They are using the Internet as a resource for actually acquiring content,” Gruffat says. “They are also creating content-rich Web pages through sites like Facebook, Myspace and Youtube.”

Money: As difficult economic times become a fixture in America’s present, college students may not be buckling down as tight as their more frugal parents might hope.

Except for cutting back on gas and groceries, consumer science Professor Cynthia Jasper notes that students aren’t really cutting budgets anywhere else. And plastic and online shopping are still as popular as pre-recession days.

“I think it will be the case that students will be racking up larger debts on their credit cards as they aren’t cutting back expenses,” predicts Jasper.

Fashion: This fall, students will continue wearing some of their old favorites from last fall, but will be spicing their outfits up with personal style and creativity.

“Denim, always popular in fall, is the blank canvas and the rest is where you will be original. I think you will see more of a handcrafted look with lots of layers and textures,” says textile and design Professor Maria Kurutz. “Colors, of course we are Badger people so red will always be popular, but this year we will see a lot of bright colors like red, orange, hot pink, bright green with black and grey being the base color.”

Kurutz predicts old trends from last year such as fitted cropped vests, playful plaid, newsboy hats and leggings with tunics will all be coming back this fall, but with more of a focus on layering all the items and juxtaposing textures.

Technology: Following the trends of the past five years, more UW–Madison students own laptops than in any previous year. According to the Division of Information Technology (DoIT) annual survey, 87 percent of surveyed students own laptops, up from 77 percent last year. Correspondingly, only 31 percent own a desktop computer, down from 46 percent last year. More students are also using Macintoch platforms with 28 percent of students reporting using Macs, up from 20 percent last year.

“Briefly put, we think Macs are gaining popularity for a couple of reasons,” says Brian Rust, communications manager for DoIT. “One is the huge growth in iPod ownership. Once one has an iPod it becomes easier to justify a switch to Macs for computing, since iTunes works on both. Also, Macs can now run OS X and Windows, making them more versatile. Macs also don’t get viruses — at least not yet. Finally, pricing incentives — like the laptop plus free printer and free iPod Touch — are a very good deal.”

Fitness: A 2004 study showed that 83 percent of students utilize the workout facilities on campus — proof of recreational sport Fitness Director Lori Devine’s belief that “working out will never be a thing of the past.”

When students aren’t hitting the books, they can be attending any of the more than 100 fitness classes offered each week.

Spinology, a group cycling program, is a growing trend and the Department of Recreational Sports responded to student demand by purchasing all new bikes and upgrading the workout. Also skyrocketing in popularity is Zumba, the Latin-based workout that combines dance with exercise. If students are looking for ways to reduce stress, they can attend Sunrise Yoga or Tai Chi, both designed to improve flexibility, strength and balance.

Sports: Intramural and club sports are evolving with student interest. Just last spring, the Department of Recreational Sports added men’s ice hockey and wrestling to its club sports roster. In the fall of 2006, table tennis, or “ping pong,” was formed and attracted some of the most competitive participants in the area. The National Collegiate Table Tennis Association has ranked UW–Madison’s club team at number one in the Midwest and sixth in the nation.

Students can sign up for any of the 35 club sports or visit the extensive list of team and individual intramural sports. Intramural and club sports Director Becky Dahl emphasizes the opportunities for supervisors, officials and scorekeepers to become involved and earn a quick buck as well.

Environment: “Going green” has become a group effort on campus as UW–Madison’s WE CONSERVE program requests that students, staff and visitors help reduce campus energy consumption by 20 percent per square foot by 2010. By “creating efficient systems, informed people and reasonable expectations,” WE CONSERVE Program Director Faramarz Vakili says the initiative has identified more than $4 million in reduction opportunities thus far.

More than 1,400 people have become members of WE CONSERVE’S “I Pledge” program by committing to effective energy-saving life habits. Students can pledge to help save energy by simply turning off unnecessary lights, enabling power-save mode on personal computers, using cold water when possible and becoming educated on conservation issues.