The Flamingle

What the Flock is the Flamingle?

The Flamingle is a new, weekly newsletter created just for UW–Madison alumni. It’s quick, fun, and easy to read, making it the best way to reconnect you to campus. Each Friday, we curate and share a handful of the week’s top stories about campus and the surrounding community — from the quirky to the academic and everything in between. You’ll also get the latest installment of our column “Ask Abe,” which takes a look into campus quirks, traditions, and history. In short, the Flamingle lets you revel in everything you love about the UW.

So, why the Flamingle? Excellent question! On the morning of September 4, 1979, students trudging up Bascom Hill to their morning classes wiped the sleep from their eyes to see the entire hill turned pink. The Pail & Shovel Party, led by legendary jokesters James Mallon ’79 and Leon Varjian, “planted” 1,008 plastic pink flamingos on the Bascom lawn as a victory stunt after winning the student government elections. The flamingo stunt did more than give UW–Madison a reputation of “inspired goofiness.” It also solidified the bird as a campus and Madison icon: in 2009, the plastic pink flamingo became the official city bird.

Here at the Wisconsin Alumni Association® (WAA), we believe in helping all alumni stay tapped into the inspired goofiness of UW–Madison. So come on. Flamingle with us.

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Quiz: Can You ID These Red and White Stripes?

Every corner of the UW campus is covered in red and white. Can you look at these close-up photos of spirited stripes and tell what they are?

Ask Abe: Big Bass Drum

What happened to the huge bass drum I used to see with the band?

See Abe's Answer >

Ask Abe: The Cheer

When did “the Cheer” start? (You know the one I mean.)

See Abe's Answer >

Quiz: Which Game Day Gear Are You?

Love content like this? Be sure to check your inbox for your Friday Flamingle — the weekly newsletter created just for UW–Madison alumni. Find out more or subscribe.

Ask Abe: Residence Halls

Which residence hall has the largest rooms?

See Abe's Answer >

The Flaminglist: 10 Things You May Not Know about Wisconsin Tradition and Culture

Jim Leary is a professor emeritus of folklore and Scandinavian studies at UW–Madison and an expert on the folklore and culture of Upper Midwestern and Wisconsin people. “Every place, in its own way, is the center of the world, and all places are kind of interconnected,” Leary says. “But I think if we live in […]