Reorientation

Reorientation is a narrative podcast from the Center for Campus History. Each season we’re taking a deep dive into a historical topic with new archival research, interviews with experts and scholars, and stories of campus community members.

Subscribe: Spotify | Apple Podcasts

Season 1 — Campus Police

What’s the deal with campus police? How did UW–Madison and hundreds of other universities across the country end up with their own deputized law enforcement agencies? And what does their existence mean for the communities they police, both on and off campus? From private detectives in the ragtime era to rogue security officers in the postwar years, antiwar demonstrations in the turbulent late 60’s to campus protests in 2024 — hosts Kacie Lucchini Butcher and Siobhan Ryan dive into the history to answer those big questions.

You can find full teaching guides for each episode here.