Campus Connection - October 6-12, 2008

Looking for an older
Connection article?

We've moved. Our Web site used to be under Advancement. We're now under University Relations. If you've done a search and been directed to this page, do another search from this page with "This Site" (top right) chosen to find the current link. If you need help, contact Sue Lee at lee.sue@uwlax.edu or 785.8497.

 

Jennifer Livingston with Joe Heim at Obama rally
Joe Heim, political science/public administration, was on hand for political commentary at the Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama rally on Oct. 1 in downtown La Crosse. He's shown here with WKBT-TV Channel 8 News Anchor Jennifer Livingston. A crowd of almost 15,000 attended the event. Photo by Jim Jorstad, Educational Technology.

October is a month of political campaigning on, off campus

Sen. Barack Obama's Oct. 1 rally in La Crosse began a month of political campaigning on and off campus. Joe Heim, political science/ public administration, was there to make political comments on WKBT-TV Channel 8 (see photo).

Heim will moderate political campaign debates on campus Tuesday evenings beginning Oct. 14 with the District 94th State Assembly candidates Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, and Cheryl Hancock. On Oct. 21, Wisconsin State Sen. Dan Kapanke and contender Tara Johnson face off. On Oct. 28, Wisconsin 3rd Congressional District competitors U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, Republican Paul Stark and Libertarian Kevin Barrett wrap up the campus debates. All debates begin at 7 in Port O' Call, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition. All are free and open to the public.

If you go—
Who: Theatre arts department
What: “The Diviners”
When: Friday-Sunday, Oct. 10-12, and Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 16-19. Curtain time is 7:30 nightly, except for Sunday matinees at 2.
Where: Toland Theatre, Center for the Arts
Admission: $4 for UW-L students; $10 for other students, senior citizens and children; and $12 for others. Tickets go on sale Monday, Oct. 6. For reservations, call the Box Office at 785.8522.

UW-L to stage 'The Diviners'
Play tells a story of self-discovery, personal strength

UW-L's theatre arts department will open its season with a compelling story of self discovery and personal strength. “The Diviners,” by Jim Leonard, Jr., will be staged in Toland Theatre in the Center for the Arts. Performances are set Friday-Sunday, Oct. 10-12, and Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 16-19. Curtain time is 7:30 nightly, except for Sunday matinees at 2.

“The Diviners” chronicles residents of a small town in rural Indiana as it struggles to cope with physical and spiritual needs amidst hardships of the Great Depression. Buddy, a gentle yet misunderstood boy with the gift for divining, befriends a disenchanted preacher barely clinging to his faith. The two find a common bond and work together to uncover the hope and truth for which each has been searching. When the townspeople demand the preacher return to the way of life he no longer believes in, both the man and the boy are driven to a crisis of trust.

“The Diviners” was Jim Leonard, Jr.’s, first work for which he received the Student Playwriting Award at the 1980 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Tickets are $4 for UW-L students; $10 for other students, senior citizens and children; and $12 for others. Tickets go on sale Monday, Oct. 6. Box Office hours are 1-4:30 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays and one hour before show times. For reservations, call the Box Office at 785.8522.

Oral historian to speak on campus Oct. 9

Oral historian Anita Hecht will discuss her life and career as an oral historian from 2:15-3:40 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, in the Ward Room, Cartwright Center. Hecht is the director of Life History Services, LLC, a professional life-history recording service for individuals, families, businesses and organization (see www.lifehistoryservices.com/). Her discussion, "Honor the Past, Capture the Present, Inform the Future: Stories from an Oral History Career, " will cover her personal and family history, her work with Life History Services as an oral historian, and on the process and value of conducting oral histories.

Hecht's family fled Nazi Germany and settled in Mexico City. Hecht was raised in a bilingual family, educated in Mexico and the U.S., and pursued an early career in counseling. She turned to oral history, specializing in the therapeutic value of narrative and history, working especially with those who have been victims of or who have lived with trauma.

In addition to private, family projects and public workshops, Hecht's work has been accepted into numerous archives, including The Spielberg Foundation in Los Angeles; the Judah Magnes Museum in Berkeley, Calif.; the Yale University Archives in New Haven, Conn.; and the Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco. Highlights of her many projects include the interviews Hecht conducted in Mexico City among the German refugee community for the Shoah project on the Holocaust.

Hecht's visit is co-sponsored by the history department, the Institute for Latina/o and Latin American Studies, and by a grant from the Visiting Scholar/Artist of Color program.

Women's issues author to speak on campus Oct. 9

Andrea O'Reilly, a writer on women's issues and associate professor in the School of Women's Studies at York University in Toronto, will present "The Maternal Wall in Academe: Academic Mothers and Strategies of Resistance and Empowerment" at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9, in the Cleary Alumni & Friends Center.

O'Reilly's presentation will explore various strategies used by academic mothers as they encounter a maternal wall in academe, gender discrimination women — particularly those that are college educated, middle-class and professional women — encounter when they become mothers.

O'Reilly is the author and editor of several books on motherhood and is the founder and director of the Association for Research on Mothering (ARM). She is founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal Association for Research on Mothering. In 2006, as director of ARM, she founded Demeter Press, the first feminist press on motherhood. She is founder of the feminist mothers group "Mother Outlaws."

The presentation is sponsored by UW-L's women's, gender and sexuality studies department.

Bagpipe lessons begin Oct. 9

Learn to play the Scottish Bagpipe (Practice Chanter). You don't need bagpipes to learn. Lessons for beginners will be held from 7:30-8:30 p.m. Thursdays beginning Oct. 9 in 303 Main Hall. To register and for more information, contact Lloyd Bogart at bogart.lloy@uwlax.edu or 790.7739.

Economics seminar slated for Oct. 10

Kristen Monaco, California-State Long Beach, will present "Wages and Working Conditions of Truck Drivers at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles," at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, in 102 Wimberly Hall. For more information, contact the economics department at 785.8549.

Breast cancer awareness focus of Oct. 10 Jeans Day

Donate money, get a pink ribbon pin and wear jeans Thursday, Oct. 10, for the OCW-sponsored Breast Cancer Awareness Jeans Day at UW-L. Proceeds will be divided equally between Gundersen Lutheran and Franciscan Skemp medical centers. For more information, contact Campus Jeans Day Coordinator Carol Beckerjeck at 785.8489 or beckerje.caro@uwlax.edu.

Monopoly tourney planned Oct. 11

You’ve more than likely played Monopoly for fun. Now you can play it and win up to $500 in cash!

The 11th annual Junior Achievement Monopoly Game Tournament will be held Saturday, Oct. 11, at Center Court of Valley View Mall. Preliminary rounds begin at 9 and 11:15 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The championship round is at 3:45 p.m. Registration is $10 per preliminary round (you may play more than one) and you must register at least 15 minutes before the round is scheduled to begin. Get complete details by calling the Junior Achievement Office at 789.4777. All proceeds benefit Junior Achievement programming in the Coulee Region.

Employer panel on job search tips slated for Oct. 14

Students and others can hone up on their job search skills at Prep for Success. The employer panel discussion on job search tips is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, in 339 Cartwright Center. The event is co-sponsored by Delta Sigma Pi and Career Services.

Fall CAREER EXPO set for Oct. 15

This year over 70 employers will attend UW-L's fall CAREER Expo. The event to connect students with businesses to explore job opportunities runs from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 15, in Valhalla and Port O' Call, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition. The career fair is open to all employees and students, especially those looking for internships or full-time employment. For detailed employer information, go to www.uwlax.edu/careerservices/downloads/Fall08Expo.pdf.

Oct. 15 etiquette dinner tickets available

Tickets to the UW-L Alumni Association etiquette dinner traditionally sell out early, so tell students to purchase tickets now, says Alumni Association Program Coordinator Keli Highland. Nationally-known speaker Maria Everding will provide dining and business etiquette during a four-course meal Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the Cleary Alumni & Friends Center. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are available for $10 at the Cleary Alumni & Friends Center. For more information and to register, contact the Alumni Association at 785.8494.

Applications for International Study, Research, and English Teaching Assistantship Grants due Oct. 15

Applications for The Fulbright U.S. Student Grant Competition for International Study, Research, and English Teaching Assistantship Grants are due by Wednesday, Oct. 15.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards approximately 1,500 grants annually and currently operates in over 140 countries. Fulbright full student grants generally provide funding for round-trip travel, maintenance for one academic year, health and accident coverage and full or partial tuition.

For more information, visit the Fulbright U.S. Student Program Web site at www.us.fulbrightonline.org. For more information, current UW-L students who want to apply should contact campus Fulbright Program Advisers Jay Lokken or Sandra Sieber at 785.8016 or lokken.jay@uwlax.edu or sieber.sand@uwlax.edu. Applications must be submitted both electronically and in hard copy to Lokken or Sieber by Oct. 15.

Win prizes in October with strength center membership

In October, UW-L's Strength and Conditioning Center is giving away a Nintendo DS ($129 value) and a $25 gift certificate to Buffalo Wild Wings. Members of the Strength Center can enter the drawing by simply working out at the Recreational Eagle Center's Strength Center. When members swipe their card at the door to the facility, their names are automatically registered in the drawing. Each card swipe will be recorded as an entry. Up to two swipes per day per member are allowed during October — that's 62 times.

During their Open House week during the first week of classes, the Strength Centers gave away three iPod Shuffles in a random drawing available to all members. The Strength Center plans to have drawings to members throughout the year. All money used to purchase prizes is privately funded from outside of the university and are not derived from membership fees.

Applications for Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program for 2009-10 due Nov. 7

UW-L faculty and instructional academic staff who want to apply to the Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars Program need to e-mail their applications to Bill Cerbin, Provost/Academic Affairs, at cerbin.will@uwlax.edu by Friday, Nov. 7. The year-long program is an opportunity for faculty and instructional academic staff to study teaching and learning with colleagues from across the UW System. Teaching Fellow applicants should be outstanding early-career, untenured faculty or instructional academic staff members. Teaching Scholar applicants should have at least 10 years of college teaching experience.

Each Fellow and Scholar attends Faculty College, a summer institute in Madison, a fall meeting, the annual spring teaching conference, and completes a scholarly teaching project during the year. In addition, Fellows and Scholars are expected to present their work in a public forum. Each Fellow and Scholar receives a $4,000 stipend and a small budget for supplies and expenses.

Guidelines and applications are online at www.uwlax.edu/provost/academics/faculty.htm. For more information, contact Cerbin at cerbin.will@uwlax.edu or 785.6881.

Spring 2009 Conference Development Grants applications due Nov. 12

The deadline to apply for UW System Office of Professional and Instructional Development (OPID) Conference Development Grants to fund events in spring 2009 (Jan. 1-June 30, 2009) is Wednesday, Nov. 12. The maximum award is $1,000.

OPID Conference Development Grants support workshops, seminars or conferences on teaching-related subjects, including meetings of faculty or staff in a particular discipline to discuss teaching issues raised by that discipline. OPID is interested in proposals that focus on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and in activities that build upon existing campus initiatives that focused on teaching and essential learning outcomes. In addition, recipients of previous Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Grants are encouraged to propose ways to share their projects and results with colleagues.

Funds typically support guest speakers, travel, materials and some expenses incidental to the funded event; they are not intended to support conference travel for individual faculty members attending non-OPID-funded events.

For the Conference Development Grant guidelines and application, go to www.uwlax.edu/provost/academics/faculty.htm. For more information, contact Bill Cerbin, the UW-L administrative representative to OPID, at cerbin.will@uwlax.edu or 785.6881; or Donna Silver, assistant director of OPID, at 608.262.4337 or dsilver@uwsa.edu. E-mail proposals to Cerbin.

Campus Climate

Sue Rankin of Rankin and Associates will make a campus-wide presentation of UW-L's campus climate survey from 10-11:30 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 8, in 339 Cartwright Center. UW-L faculty, staff and students completed the survey during the 2008 spring semester. See the executive summary of the survey at www.uwlax.edu/campusclimate/htm/survey.htm and www.uwlax.edu/general/diversity/initiatives.htm.

Campus Kudos art

Anne Galbraith, biology, and graduate student Richard Tommy presented the poster "High-copy Suppression of cdc7 Alleles in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae" Sept. 27 at the 2008 Midwest Yeast Meeting at Northwestern University in Chicago.

John Greany, health professions, presented the research poster "The Effect of Post-Exercise Hypotension as It Relates to Six Hours of Free Living in Hypertensive and Prehypertensive Subjects" Sept. 19 and 20 at the American Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation annual meeting in Indianapolis.

Carl Foster, Kirsten Hendrickson and John Porcari, all exercise and sport medicine; co-authored "Drop and Give Me 20: Fitness Benefits of Boot-Camp Style Workouts," published in the September/October issue of the American Council of Exercise Fitness Matters journal.

Rebecca LeDocq, mathematics; co-wrote with Kathy Ernie, UW-River Falls; and Sherrie Serros and Simei Tong, both from UW-Eau Claire; the chapter, "Mathematical Reasoning: Challenging Students' Beliefs about Mathematics," in the book "Exploring Signature Pedagogies: Approaches to Teaching Disciplinary Habits of Mind." The book is published by Stylus Publishing, Sterling, Va.

June Reinert, Disability Resource Services, presented "Universal Design for College Campuses" Sept. 26 at the AccessEd conference in Milwaukee.

Continuing Education

Dementia Specialist Program: Best Practices, Oct. 9-10, offers the most up-to-date knowledge and techniques to those caring for persons with dementia. For more information or to register, call 785.6508.

human resources

New employee

Sue Ann Green, associate instructional specialist, Field Experience Office, Aug. 27.

Promotion

Ron Whitehead to facilities repair worker advanced, Physical Plant, Oct. 12.

Retirement

Barbara Gromacki, custodian, Custodial Maintenance, Sept. 29.

Exam opportunity

UW-L Business Services is seeking to fill an accountant position in Schedule/Range 07/04. The position will be responsible for preparing financial analyses and reports, and assisting with the maintenance of financial records, accounts, ledgers, vendor information and electronic financial journals.

To request the ELPA application packet, call 608.266.1536; write DMRS-ELPA, 101 East Wilson St., 4th Floor, P.O. Box 7855; Madison WI 53707-7855; e-mail the Employment Services Center at esc@wisconsin.gov; or visit http://oser.state.wi.us/docs_list.asp?doccatid=62. Completed information must be received in Madison by 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17.

For more information, contact Kathy Ring at 785.6499.

Fifth annual UW-L health, financial fair set for Oct. 16

Have you taken steps to ensure your health, wealth, and ability to enjoy your retirement? Assess your health and financial needs and take appropriate action at UW-L's fifth annual health and financial fair from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, in Valhalla, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition.

There will be informational booths on nutrition, diabetes education, women’s health, cancer prevention, heart care, vision care and quality management. Talk with the experts. Most benefit vendors, including Employee Trust Funds and Social Security, will attend, as will financial vendors from all of the Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) programs, and the Deferred Compensation Program, and vendors from the Wisconsin Physicians Service (provider for the Standard Plan), Gundersen Lutheran, Health Tradition, Employee Reimbursement Account, Epic, Minnesota Mutual Life, Long-term Care Plans and the Employee Assistance Program. Discuss benefit plan options. Ask specific questions and voice concerns.

Life events can drastically change health and financial needs. Find out more about changes to consider. Visit www.uwsa.edu/hr/benefits/lifevent/index.htm.

The event is being held in conjunction with the annual Dual Choice open enrollment period from Monday through Friday, Oct. 6-24. Open enrollment opportunities during Dual Choice include health, vision, dental, and the employee reimbursement account.

National Depression Screening Day is Oct. 11

Depressed? Depression is a common, treatable illness. Sixteen percent of all Americans struggle with depression. Nearly one million in Wisconsin— about one in six — do. Unfortunately, thousands battle depression alone and remain untreated.

With early screening, depression is easily diagnosed and treated. This year, Mental Health America of Wisconsin will offer once again a free, confidential, and simple online screening on Saturday, Oct. 11, National Depression Screening Day. Complete the screening at www.ltgov.wisconsin.gov and receive immediate feedback and resources for treatment.

Murphy LIbrary

Online environmental resources

In addition to biological and other scientific databases, Murphy Library provides online access to some key information resources related specifically to the environment. These databases and e-books include:

  • GreenFILE, provided free of charge by EBSCOhost, covers both scholarly and general interest publications related to climate change, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling and more. It indexes and abstracts more than 600 publications with historical access to some titles, such as Journal of Ecology going back to 1913.
  • The Encyclopedia of Global Warming and Climate Change provides a primarily nonscientific resource to understanding the complexities of climate change. It includes more than 750 articles that explore major topics related to global warming and climate change — ranging geographically from the North Pole to the South Pole, and thematically from social effects to scientific causes.
  • The Encyclopedia of Bioethics, while not primarily geared toward environmental studies, does include many relevant entries such as sustainable development, environmental health, environmental ethics and ecofeminism, corporate compliance, endangered species and biodiversity, climate change, environmental policy and law and more. Coverage includes complete text and images from the five-volume print edition.

The library also maintains a list of journals in Environmental Studies, comprised of online and print journals to which the library maintains individual subscriptions (as opposed to those aggregated in the large databases).

Find these at the library’s Environmental Studies subject page, in the library’s list of databases by title, or go directly to http://libdata.uwlax.edu/lacrosseuw/rqs.phtml?subject_id=22. They are also temporarily featured on the library home page.

Thanks

Thank you so much to everyone who sent cards, brought food and comforted my family at the loss of my brother, Joe. A special thank you also to my theatre family whose love and strength will carry me through this difficult time and the PAPD Committee whose kind gift for my garden will honor Joe always.

– Krista Shulka, theatre arts department

Women in group

Steppin’ Out in Pink — Sept. 6, OCW Team — Save Second Base. From left, front row: Dawn Wilson, Stanton Loh, Madeline Loh, Adrienne Loh, Jaralee Richter, Emma Holman, JoAnn Kuester and Becky Yoshizumi. Back row: Kim Amundson, Angela Dingel, Susan Grebel, Anita Evans, Angie Lee, Mary Berling, Jen Holman and Lori Anderson. Not pictured: Amery Bodelson, Dan Bodelson, Karry Auby, Donna Anderson, Karla Stanek, Kathy Emmert and Jenalee Emmert.

The Organization for Campus Women thanks everyone who participated or donated money to support the Save Second Base team, which walked for breast cancer in the Gundersen Lutheran “Steppin’ Out in Pink” event Sept. 6. The team raised approximately $762 to support local breast cancer research. A special thanks to the UW-L’s women’s summer golf league for its contribution of $180. Together we can and do make a difference! Mark Sept. 12, 2009, for next year’s “Steppin’ Out” walk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting information into the Campus and Eagle connections

The Campus Connection is published Mondays. The Eagle Connection is published Wednesdays when classes are in session. To submit information for inclusion in the Campus Connection or Eagle Connection, e-mail it to connectx@uwlax.edu. The deadline for the Campus Connection is noon Wednesday for the following Monday's edition. The deadline for the Eagle Connection is noon Mondays preceding the Wednesday edition. Refer students who are interested in writing or shooting photos for the Connections to Editor Sue Lee at lee.sue@uwlax.edu or 785.8497.

To view the Campus Connection online, see: www.uwlax.edu/universityrelations/campusconnection/

Or go to the Campus Connection from UW-L's home page. Click on "More News" at the bottom of the page, then click on the Campus Connection link on the Campus News Resources page.

To view the Campus Connection calendar online, see: www.uwlax.edu/universityrelations/campusconnection/calendar.html

Or go to the Campus Connection calendar from UW-L's home page. Click on "More Events" at the bottom of the page, then click on the Campus Connection calendar link on the Campus Event Resources page.

To view the Eagle Connection online, see: www.uwlax.edu/universityrelations/eagleconnection/

Or go to the Eagle Connection from UW-L's home page. Click on "More News" at the bottom of the page, then click on the Eagle Connection link on the Campus News Resources page.

To view the Eagle Connection calendar online, go to www.uwlax.edu/universityrelations/eagleconnection/calendar.html

Or go to the Eagle Connection calendar from UW-L's home page. Click on "More Events" at the bottom of the page, then click on the Eagle Connection calendar link on the Campus Event Resources page.