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Swinging Yuletide planned for UW-La Crosse
Annual concert jazzes up holiday favorites

An upbeat performance of big band and vocal jazz holiday favorites is once again planned at UW-La Crosse. The Great River Big Band will join the UW-L instrumental and vocal jazz ensembles, along with the La Crosse Jazz Combo, for a Swinging Yuletide. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, in Valhalla, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition. Seating for the event is cabaret style. An annual visit by Santa Claus is expected during the concert.

Tickets are a suggested donation of $5 for students and $10 for others; or, reserved tickets for $20. Seating is limited; getting tickets early is recommend since the concert typically sells out.

For tickets or more information, contact the UW-L Music Listening Lab in 145 Center for the Arts or at 608.785.8415.

If you go—
What: Swinging Yuletide
Who: Great River Big Band, UW-L instrumental and vocal jazz ensembles, and the La Crosse Jazz Combo
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5
Where: Valhalla, UW-La Crosse Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition
Admission: $20 reserved; general admission is $5 for students and $10 for others.

Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ to be staged at UW-La Crosse

Charles Dickens’ well-loved holiday classic “A Christmas Carol” will take the stage at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Performances run Dec. 4-5 and 10-11 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 6 and 12-13 at 2 p.m. The production is in Toland Theatre in the Center for the Arts, 16th and Vine streets.

Once again Ebenezer Scrooge and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future journey through time and memory to find the true spirit of Christmas. Can goodwill and holiday cheer change Scrooge’s “Humbug!” to a “Merry Christmas?” Dickens’ London comes to life in this Christmas tradition that has enchanted audiences for generations.

For the performance, the Department of Theatre Arts welcomes two guest designers— lighting designer Jared Clarkin and scenic designer Billy Clow. Clarkin, a UW-L alum, is currently production manager for First Stage Children’s Theatre in Milwaukee. Clow, former chair of the UW-L Department of Theatre Arts and scenic and lighting designer, is dean of Fine Arts at the University of Montevallo.

Tickets for A Christmas Carol go on sale at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 30. Tickets are $5 for UW-L students; $12 for other students, senior citizens and children; and $14 for others. For reservations, call the box office at 608.785.8522.

If you go—
Who: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Department of Theatre Arts
What: “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens
When: Dec. 4-5 and 10-11 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 6 and 12-13 at 2 p.m.
Where: Toland Theatre, UW-La Crosse Center for the Arts, 16th and Vine Streets
Admission: $5 for UW-L students; $12 for other students, senior citizens and children; and $14 for others. For reservations, call the box office at 608.785.8522.

Works by graduating students featured in UW-La Crosse exhibit

Students graduating from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in December will display a variety of artwork in the University Art Gallery. “Graduating Seniors’ Art Exhibition” opens with a reception from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, in the University Art Gallery, located on the first floor of the UW-L Center for the Arts. The exhibit runs through Wednesday, Dec. 16. The reception and exhibit are free.

The students exhibiting include: Patricia Bindley, Zoe Browne, Chelsie Heidke, Vong Lao, Tiffany Pedersen, Kaitlynn Radloff, Jessica Shively and Amanda Willison.

Regular gallery hours are noon-8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, noon-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and during Toland Theatre events. The gallery opens for appointments by calling the UW-L Art Department 608.785.8230.

If you go—
What: Graduating Seniors’ Art Exhibition
Who: Eight UW-L students graduating in December
When: Opening reception from 5-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4; exhibit runs through Wednesday, Dec. 16.
Where: University Art Gallery, UW-La Crosse Center for the Arts.
Admission: Free

Need help around the house?
UW-L marching band members looking to help

Need help getting your yard in order before winter really sets in? Have a long “honey-do” list that never gets smaller? University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Screaming Eagles Marching Band members can help.

Band members are once again offering their “Rent-an-Eagle” fundraiser. Members of the Screaming Eagles are willing to help with any and all general maintenance work that needs to be done. Among their expertise areas: yard work, seasonal cleaning, helping prepare for winter, and more. Band members are looking for work to help pay for an international trip to Mexico in January. Cost of their services is a donation toward the trip.

To Rent-an-Eagle, call 608.785.6733 and leave a detailed message with your name, phone number, and a brief description of what you need done. A band member will return the call to set up a time to help.

Gary Willhite appointed Director of the Masters of Education Professional Development (ME-PD)

Gary L. Willhite, Ph.D. has been appointed as Director of the Masters of Education Professional Development (ME-PD) On-campus programs and as the Director of Graduate Reading Programs. Gary received his Ph.D. from Kansas State University in 1992 and has been with the Department of Educational Studies at UW-La Crosse since August 2008. He looks forward to the challenges of restructuring and strengthening the MEPD initial certification strand and the professional development strand as well as exploring the possibilities of offering reading licensure as an on-line program. His research and teaching interests have included the role of the Professional Development School movement in advancing teacher education and most recently in Digital Storytelling as a reflective tool.

TV telethon to support Coulee Region Humane Society
It’s the 11th year UW-L students will help raise funds

Dogs, cats and other animals at the Coulee Region Humane Society will benefit from an upcoming live TV telethon produced by UW-La Crosse communication studies students.

The 11th annual Coulee Region Humane Society Telethon will air from 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, on KQEG-TV Channel 23, Charter Cable Channel 5, Digital 989 and UW-L campus channel 6. Rick Wilson, KQEG TV-23, and Sally Mroczkowski, a UW-L communication studies major, will host the show. Guests during the three-hour event will include owners of pets adopted from the society, pet therapy specialists, dog trainers and society advocates. The phone number to pledge during the telecast is 608.785.8379.

Along with money, donations of towels, sheets, soap, bleach, office and animal supplies or other items that could be used at the humane society are sought. Donations for the society’s general fund may be dropped off at the studio, 205 Wing Technology Center, during the telethon, or arrangements may be made by calling Professor Pat Turner at 608.785.8369. Checks should be made payable to the Coulee Region Humane Society. Monetary donations or goods can also be dropped off at Coulee Region Human Society, 911 Critter Court, Onalaska.

During the telethon, a Mississippi River Rentals vacation package worth $1,500 and a $399 guitar from Dave’s Guitar Shop will be given away.

The telethon originated in 1999 when UW-L student Kristen Lloyd decided to produce a live TV telethon instead of writing a traditional research paper. The student-produced telethon is sponsored by UW-L’s Communication Studies Department and campus TV station WMCM, in conjunction with Charter Communications and KQEG-TV23. Last year’s telethon raised over $8,000 in money and supplies.

To participate —
What: Coulee Region Humane Society Telethon
When: 7-10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21
Where: Airs on KQEG-TV Channel 23, Charter Cable Channel 5 and Digital 989. Drop off donations during the telethon at 205 Wing Technology Center at UW-La Crosse or call 608.785.8379.

UW-La Crosse professor creates maplike guide to ID arrowheads
More than 70 from the Upper Mississippi River Valley detailed

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Archaeology Professor Joe Tiffany has compiled the new guide to help identify arrowheads found in Upper Mississippi River Valley. The guides are $9.95 and available at the UW-L Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center or from the University of Iowa Press.

Those who have unearthed arrowheads can now turn to a handy guide to help identify historical information about the artifacts. The newly produced laminated guide folds up to the size of an ordinary road map. It includes images and details about more than 70 of the most common point forms found throughout the Upper Mississippi River Valley. The point images — in color and full size — allow seekers to lay their find directly on an image similar to what they have found. Each point lists its probable age, chert type it was made with, where the specimen is typically found and other archaeological information. The guides are geared for archaeologists and archaeologist-wannabes in the field, labs or classrooms.

UW-La Crosse Archaeology Professor Joe Tiffany compiled the new guide —“A Guide to Projectile Points of Iowa.”Along with teaching at one of the few comprehensive undergraduate archaeology degree programs in the country and the only one in the Midwest, Tiffany is also director of UW-La Crosse’s Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center. He says there is always interest in archaeological findings.

“Just about every day we get an e-mail or someone dropping in with a question about a point or artifacts they have found,” Tiffany says. “They want the object identified and the story that goes with it — what were the people like who made the point, when did they live, what did they eat, and so on. The guide will provide answers to many of these common questions.”

The guides are $9.95 and available at the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center on campus or from the University of Iowa Press http://uipress.uiowa.edu/search/index.cfm.

History Department celebrates Marti Lybeck’s Yale and SUNY recognition

Marti Lybeck, UW-L History professor, is “continually amazed” at her recent Yale and State University of New York (SUNY) recognition. Yale University faculty invited Lybeck to speak about women’s sexuality in early 20th century Germany at a featured Oct. 22 presentation. Lybeck also earned the SUNY best dissertation of the year in Queer Studies. SUNY Press chose her dissertation in its annual manuscript competition and awarded her a book contract. “It is a very prestigious award,” says Charles Lee, History Department chair. “There is only one document per year in her field of study that gets this award.”

Lybeck believes Yale noticed her work from an award she received for best dissertation from the German Historical Institute in 2007. “I got an e-mail out of the blue asking if I could speak at Yale this coming semester,” says Lybeck. “The other speaker is a well known scholar in the field, so I was extremely flattered, humbled, and honored.” The SUNY distinction was also unexpected. One of Lybeck’s dissertation advisors from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor suggested she submit her dissertation for this award. She ended up winning the award on Oct. 1.

From 2002 to 2003, Lybeck lived in Berlin, Germany to research historical perspectives on female homosexuality for her dissertation. She completed her study in 2007. The work contains four case studies, or “micro histories,” that illustrate the personal thoughts and attitudes of women, some who considered themselves homosexuals, during the era. Her research focuses on female homosexuality from 1890 until the time of the Nazis. Research methods include historical ethnographies and literary analysis.

After speaking at Yale, she plans to present her research at an international conference during March 2010 in Antwerp, Belgium. Lybeck recently earned an International development fund grant to assist with travel and other expenses.

Lybeck joined the UW-L History Department Fall 2008 and teaches courses in Modern European, German and World History. She also teaches courses for the Women’s Studies Department. Lybeck earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Augsburg College in Minneapolis and later graduated with a Master’s degree in Library Science at the University of Minnesota. After several years as a librarian, Lybeck earned master’s and doctoral degrees in History at University of Arizona-Tucson in 1999 and University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in 2007.

UW-L instructor’s book has poems on hungry, homeless
Book is No. 4 on Amazon’s hot release list

UW-La Crosse Instructor Patrick T. Randolph and his wife, Gamze, have published a book that’s getting recognition by Amazon.com. Randolph, who teaches in the UW-L English as a Second Language Institute, and his wife have published a unique anthology of poetry: “Empty Shoes: Poems on the Hungry and the Homeless.” On Oct. 19, it hit No. 4 on Amazon’s new hot releases.

The idea behind the project came when Randolph asked his wife how a poet could make a small difference. She mused, why not use a craft to have fun, raise social awareness, showcase poets and help people in need? Randolph’s answer was an anthology. The book includes 80 poets, 151 poems and 30 photographs. It’s the first of its kind with such depth and participation of poets, says Randolph. For the past two years Randolph has worked one-on-one with 79 poets from three foreign countries and 28 states. Three local writers are also featured in the anthology: Dave Dolle, Andy Davis and David Hart.

The poets also include notables such as: Ellen Kort, who served as Wisconsin’s first Poet Laureate; Linda Aschbrenner, publisher of the first 100 issues of Free Verse magazine; Pushcart prize nominees Sharmagne Leland-St. John and Ellaraine Lockie; Jeri McCormick, past president of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets (WFOP); and emptyshoes current WFOP president Lester Smith.

This is Randolph’s fourth book and his second book of poems. His first book of poetry, “Father’s Philosophy,” was a collection of his original poems written from 1999-2006. It has been a bestseller for Popcorn Press. “Father’s Philosophy” will soon be released in its second edition. “Empty Shoes: Poems on the Hungry and the Homeless” is available on Popcorn Press’s Web site, http://www.popcornpress.com, and Amazon.com. All profits from the book will go to nationwide programs devoted to helping the hungry and homeless.

Randolph hopes local stores will soon carry the book. Since its release in late September, the it has consistently been on the top 10 of Amazon’s list for Hot Releases.

CLS “Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Endeavors”
09-10 Friday Brown Bag Lunch Presentations
12:00-1:00 p.m.

Friday, October 2, 2009 – Port O’Call, Cartwright Center – Shelley Sinclair (History) - Presentation on Sabbatical Research – “The Public and Private Trials of Lizzie Borden”

Friday, November 6, 2009 – Ward Room, Cartwright Center - Joe Tiffany (Sociology/Archaeology/MVAC) – Presentation on Sabbatical Research – “New Perspectives on Pre-historic Ceramics from the Glenwood culture of the Loess Hills of Southwest Iowa”

Friday, February 5, 2010 – Ward Room, Cartwright Center – Betty De Boer (Psychology) – Presentation on Sabbatical Research – “Managing the Behavior of Children with Attachment Issues”

Friday, April 2, 2010 – Ward Room, Cartwright Center – Jodi Vandenberg-Dave (Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies) – Presentation on Sabbatical Research – “Good Mothers: History of an American Ideal”

University Art Gallery season set
Sound art, artist books highlight 2009-10 season

Artist books, a unique sound art show, and works by faculty and students will be featured in the 2009-10 UW-La Crosse University Art Gallery exhibition season. The schedule includes:

• Sept. 18-Oct. 10, 2009 — “Books of Note: Artists Books collected by Jody Williams”
Reception: 5-7 p.m. Sept. 18
• Oct. 23-Nov. 14, 2009 — “Drumming with Thoreau: Kinetic Sound Art of Dan Senn”
Opening Reception: 5-7 p.m. Oct. 23
• Dec. 4-16, 2009 — “Senior Exhibition: Graduating UW-L Seniors”
Featuring the works by seniors: Patricia Bindley, Zoe Browne, Chelsie Heidke, Vong Lao, Allison Mader, Tiffany Pedersen, Jessica Shively, Cedarose Siemon and Amanda Willison.
Opening Reception: 5-7 p.m. Dec. 4
• Feb. 5-27, 2010 — “Faculty Exhibition: UW-L Department of Art”
Featuring the works of: Justyna Badach, Cam Choy, Joel Elgin, Linda Levinson, Brad Nichols, John Ready, Binod Shrestha, Karen Terpstra, Jennifer Williams Terpstra, Marcia Thompson and Stella Vognar.
Opening Reception: 5-7 p.m. Feb. 8
• March 26-April 10, 2010 — “All-Student Juried Exhibition: Juried Exhibition of Work from UW-L Students”
Opening Reception and Awards: 5-7 p.m. March 26; Awards Presentation at 5:30
• April 23-May 7, 2010 — “Senior Exhibition: Graduating UW-L Seniors”
Opening Reception: 5-7 p.m. April 23

All exhibitions and opening receptions are free and open to the public. The University Art Gallery is located on the first floor on the Center for the Arts, 16th and Vine streets. Regular gallery hours are Noon-8 p.m. Mondays-Thursday, Noon-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and during events in Toland Theatre. Find out more at:http://www.uwlax.edu/art/gallery.

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Swinging Yuletide planned for UW-La Crosse Annual concert jazzes up holiday favorites