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UW-L Student Colin Thomas Receives Yale Fellowship

Colin Thomas, an Archeology major and Anthropology minor at UW-La Crosse, has received a Graduate Fellowship in the Anthropology Program at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. This prestigious Fellowship includes a full tuition waver and a generous stipend for five years, with an additional stipend option for the sixth and final year of the Ph.D. program.

Colin Thomas
UW-L Student Colin Thomas Received a Full-Ride Fellowship to Yale starting Fall 2008.

Colin's work in Archeology includes the successful award of three research grants and multiple fieldwork experiences. Professor Timothy McAndrews, Colin and 12 other participants spent four weeks in Bolivia last summer conducting field research and exploring major archeological sites in the area. At the Pirque Alto site near Cochabamba, Bolivia, they unearthed some rare finds - two intact pots, what may have been a looted burial site and the remains of a domestic terrace. Opportunities for this kind of fieldwork have led to many successful admissions into graduate school for Archeological Studies and Sociology graduates at UW-L. Colin remarked that his ability to demonstrate that he can effectively write and get grants and do undergraduate research was a primary reason for his successful admittance into Yale, plus excellent letters of recommendation from UW-L faculty.

Colin is actively involved on the UW-L campus, serving as the President of the Archeology Club and as a member of the Aikido Club as well as spending the spring beaks of his freshman and sophomore years building homes for low-income families in Florida as part of Habitat for Humanity. He graduates this semester and will go on Yale for the fall semester to earn a Ph.D. in Anthropology with a focus in Andean Archeology. While at Yale, he will be working with Dr. Richard Burger studying the Chavin culture of Peru. Dr. Burger specializes in the Central Andes and has been carrying out research in Peru for over two decades.

When asked how he chose this field, Colin remarked that when he was in kindergarten, he could spell paleontology before he could even spell his own name - he had his path picked out long ago!

UW-L Students Wage Advocacy Campaign - Be B.R.A.V.E.

During the week of April 20th, the Capstone in Child Youth Care students executed a well planned advocacy campaign called Be B.R.A.V.E. (Bullying, Respect, and Violence Education) in Holmen Middle School.

The Child Youth Care program is a multidisciplinary program between Community Health Education, Communication Studies, Educational Foundations, Exercise and Sport Science, Health Education and Health Promotion, Political Science/Public Administration, Psychology, Recreation Management, Sociology, Special Education, and Therapeutic Recreation that allows students to obtain either an emphasis or minor in working with at-risk children and youth.

Lisa Caya began coordination of the program a few years ago and, starting last year, revamped the Capstone course to include an advocacy component.  This year the students chose to educate on bullying - a huge problem in our schools today.  Activities for the week included:

April 22:
12:30-2:00 at Holmen Middle School. The students put on three different assemblies (there are over 700 middle school students in Holmen!) and shared their Be B.R.A.V.E. (Bullying, Respect, and Violence Education) campaign.

Also, during the following two weeks in Holmen Middle School they will be working with the students on counter-bullying strategies.  The CYC students created Brave Bucks that the teachers and staff will be handing out when they witness the middle school students exhibiting positive interactions with their peers.  The students created a contest between the homerooms and whomever wins with the most Brave Bucks gets a sub party.  There are also contests throughout the week, such as a poster contest, trivia games, etc. that can earn the students Brave Bucks or even a special raffle prize.  The CYC students were able to get prizes donated from the following companies/organizations: Papa Murphy's, Applebee's, Fayze's, The Pearl, La Crosse Loggers, Children's Museum, La Crosse Speedway, La Crosse Community Theater, Holmen Aquatic Center and Mary Kay Inc.

April 24:
7:00 p.m. at the La Crosse YMCA - The students hosted a panel discussion to educate the public on bullying.  Panel guests included: Dr. Casey Tobin (UWL Psychology faculty member) speaking from a counseling perspective, Lisa Hesch (at-risk coordinator for Holmen High School), a new teacher that has been subbing in different schools since graduating), and Karl (Leah’s father) and Leah Matz (Leah is a student from St. Peter, MN that has experienced extreme bullying).  The panel flyer can be found here.

Lisa Caya states, "I am very proud and honored to work with the dedicated, intelligent, and absolutely amazing Child Youth Care students in the Capstone course.  They have outdone themselves.  I am also very excited to say that our student, Kayla Breckheimer, was able to arrange Channel 8 to film both the assemblies and the panel discussion! After speaking with Adam from Channel 8, he said that Lisa Klein is doing a week long segment in May on cyber-bulling and would like to interview us for her news piece!"

"I would also like to say thank you to all the campus community that has supported the Child Youth Care program.  I feel very fortunate to coordinate the program and work with the incredible students that I do.  We couldn’t do it without the campus-wide support and we appreciate it."

The brief WKBT newscast about this event can be found here.

The audio clip of the radio announcement for this event can be found here.

Lisa Caya can be contacted at caya.lisa@uwlax.edu or at 608-785-6895.

UW-L's Found-Object Heron

Erin Woida and Nichol Schoen One of 35 Herons of La Crosse presented to the city in awareness and celebration of the Arts, the Found Object Heron was sponsored by the UW-L Foundation.

Members of the UW-L Art Student Association - Carly Dilworth, Beth Crook, Patty Bindley, Erin Woida and Nichol Schoen and Meagan Rhodes from the School of Education - created this heron, inspired by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi.  He is known for his trencadis structures throughout Spain. Trencadis is a type of mosaic made from broken tiles. Gaudi used this technique to cover irregular, curved surfaces with tiles.  He is most famous for projects in Barcelona's Park Guell. 

The "found objects" were mostly broken ceramic plates purchased from Goodwill that the students spray painted.  Their spray technique involved different layers of harmonious colors. First the plates were painted whole and then broken with a hammer. The pieces were next mortared to the heron. Finally they grouted their mosaic pieces using white unsanded grout. They did not want to cover the entire heron in a mosaic; as a result, they completed the heron using vivid acrylic paint.

The heron can be found at the corner of 16th & State Streets, adjacent to Morris Hall, from April to October 2008.

Student Senior Artwork Exhibit Opening Reception

Art students graduating in May will show a wide variety of artwork in the Spring 2008 Senior Exhibition.

Seventeen graduating seniors will show paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photographs, metal work, prints and video. The exhibition opens with a reception from 5-7 p.m. Friday, April 18, in the University Art Gallery in the Center for the Arts. The show runs through May 9; admission is free.

Student artists exhibiting work include: Rachel Abraham, Hassan Albanjabi, Christine R. Benzschawel, Wesley DeVries, Carly Dilworth, Chris Hansen, Ingrid A. Hudak, Joseph L. Keenan, Maggie Lach, Lindsey Martin, Meghan MacCoun, Jessica Mootz, Heather Neff, Ian Roberts, Nichol Schoen, Becki Viner and Billy Zakrzewski.

Regular gallery hours are noon-8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, noon-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and during Toland Theatre events. The gallery also opens for appointments by calling the art department at 785.8230.

If you go-
 What: Spring 2008 Senior Exhibition
When: April 18-May 9. Opening reception is from 5-7 p.m. Friday, April 18. Regular gallery hours are noon-8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, noon-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Where: University Art Gallery, Center for the Arts
Who: John Ready at ready.john@uwlax.edu
Admission: Free

Symphony Orchestra Sets Masterworks Concert - Commissioned Piece to Debut

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Symphony Orchestra will debut a commissioned piece at its upcoming final concert of the academic year. The orchestra presents “Masterworks Concert Series IV” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8, in Valhalla, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition.

The concert will feature three pieces. One is the debut of “From the River to the Skies” by Daniel Maske. The work was commissioned by the orchestra and the winner of the Composer in Residence Competition sponsored by UW-L and the Wisconsin Alliance of Composers. The title refers to the La Crosse area, specifically the bald eagles that live along the Mississippi River. Maske holds bachelor’s and master’s in music theory and composition from UW-Milwaukee and doctorate in music composition from UW-Madison.

Beethoven’s “Concerto for Violin, Violoncello and Piano Op. 56 in C Major” will feature UW-L faculty, soloists David Phipps, Derek Clark and Mary Tollefson. Ensembles and arias from the first act of Mozart’s “Cosi fan Tutte” will highlight voice students from the music department. The orchestra is conducted by Enaldo A. Oliveira.

Suggested ticket donations are $2 for UW-L students, $4 for other students and $8 for others. Get tickets by calling in the music department listening lab, 145 Center for the Arts, or at 608-785-8415.

If you go—
 Who: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Symphony Orchestra
What: “Masterworks Concert Series IV”
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8
Where: Valhalla, UW-La Crosse Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition.
Admission: $2 for UW-L students, $4 for other students and $8 for others.

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