Eagle Connection - Dec. 10-31, 2008

Joe Heim talking with Regents

UW-L presentations share UW-L story with Regents

Political Science Professor Joe Heim spoke Dec. 4 to the UW System Board of Regents about the impact of politics on campus and in the community as part of "The Story Behind the Numbers" presentations. UW-L strives to teach students the importance of civic engagement, train future leaders and create awareness of the impact and significance of the university, Heim says.

See also "Board of Regents visit UW-L," WXOW, Dec. 4. Full story: http://www.wxow.com/Global/story.asp?S=9461857.

"Regents' blessing: committee approves Veterans Hall of Honor addition," La Crosse Tribune, Dec. 5. Full story: www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/12/05/news/01regents1205.txt.

"UW regents recommend 2.5 percent salary increase for faculty in 2010-11," La Crosse Tribune, Dec. 6. Full story: www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/12/06/news/02regents1206.txt.

"Regents looking to lower book costs," La Crosse Tribune, Dec. 6. Full story: www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/12/06/news/03regents1206.txt

"UW-L student, Chavez, overcomes childhood challenges to find success," La Crosse Tribune, Dec. 8. Full story:
www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/12/08/news/00lead.txt

For more on the regents, see www.uwsa.edu/bor/.
Diploma and mortar board

Mid-year commencement ceremonies set

The university holds its 44th annual Mid-year Commencement Sunday, Dec. 14. A total of 741 students are expected to graduate, including 516 receiving undergraduate degrees and 225 receiving graduate degrees.

Three ceremonies are planned for Mitchell Hall Gymnasium. The ceremonies include:

  • 11 a.m. – College of Liberal Studies undergraduate and graduate students
  • 2 p.m. – College of Business Administration undergraduate and graduate students
  • 3:30 p.m. – Science and Health undergraduate and graduate students

To see a live videostream of the mid-year commencement ceremonies, see www.uwlax.edu/edtech/graduation.

Rotary Lights reflection in Mississippi River

UW-L volunteers help with Rotary Lights fundraiser

Over 2.2 million lights are shining in La Crosse's Riverside Park during the Rotary Lights display through New Year's Eve. Last year the fundraiser provided 186,374 food items for local food pantries. Of 86 non-profit organizations providing “people power” to make Rotary Lights happen, 26 are from UW-L. Find out more. Go to www.rotarylights.org.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kappa Delta Pi meeting features international videoconference

UW-L's Beta Tau Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, the international honor society in education, met Nov. 11 in 102 Wing for a special videoconference with two recent graduates. Using interactive TV, the group of 40 chatted with Angie Armstrong who teaches in Columbia and Joe Lawrence who teaches in Taiwan. The 90-minute program was cablecast on UW-L's Charter television channel, channel 96, which is seen throughout western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota. To see the video of the meeting, go to http://edtech-media.uwlax.edu/UWLMediaSite/Viewer/?peid=83fe85c8-4449-4104-a4f7-f3572060e535.

Ecstasy topic of Just Say Know discussion

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), better know as Ecstasy, is the topic of the Just Say KNOW series third edition presentation from noon-1 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, in Port O' Call, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition. The series explores drugs realistically, sensibly and free from judgment. Bring lunch and a friend. To download and print a poster of the event, go to www.uwlax.edu/universityrelations/images/JustSayKnow3.pdf.

Reception for Sondreal set for Dec. 10

Linda Sondreal is retiring from Murphy Library after a 40-year career that spanned almost every department in the library. Celebrate with Sondreal at a reception in her honor from noon-2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, in Special Collections, 155 Murphy Library. Sondreal's retirement plans include vacations, cruises and the upcoming weddings of two of her children.

OCW Holiday Social planned for Dec. 11

Women faculty, staff and graduate students are invited to this year’s Organization for Campus Women Holiday Social from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, in Port O’Call, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition. The OCW Steering Committee will provide refreshments and desserts. Book Club participants encourage everyone to bring books for exchange. Goodies and door prizes available.

Still time to form Relay for Life team

The sixth annual Relay for Life, "Marga Relei Ville," is Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6 and 7, in the Recreational Eagle Center. Last year's 92 teams included 1,000 participants and raised $78,708.04 for cancer research. Although the T-shirt deadline was Friday, Dec. 5, you can register a team until Tuesday, Feb.3 , at www.relayforlife.org/laxcolleges.

The next team captain meeting is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, in 339 Cartwright Center. T-shirts will be distributed. Bank night is at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 3, in Port O’ Call, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition.

The teams spend the night relaying and enjoying entertainment. The night is filled with live music, exercise classes, a dodgeball tournament, a ping pong tournament and a silent auction. There are also several theme laps in which teams dress up including: dude looks like a lady, under the sea, out of towner, Gilligan’s Island, aloha lap, and school spirit. 

Participants who raise over $100 become VIPs, are entered for exclusive drawings, and have access to food, drinks and extra perks all night. The more money participants raise the greater the chance to win prizes. Each time a participant reaches the next VIP level — $100, $500, $1000 — chances to get a price increase.

For more information, e-mail relayforlife@uwlax.edu.

JCES web site

New UW-L Sustainability and Environmental Literacy Web site online

UW-L’s Joint Committee on Environmental Sustainability (JCES) has created a sustainability and environmental literacy Web site (www.uwlax.edu/sustainability) to provide information about the JCES, its membership, meetings and current activities. The Web site is a clearinghouse for news, events, campus projects, resources and information relating to sustainability and environmental literacy both on and off campus.

The JCES was created as a result of Chancellor Joe Gow’s signing of the Talloires Declaration. The Talloires Declaration is a 10-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy into teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities. The Joint Committee on Environmental Sustainability has faculty, staff and student members, as well as several, non-member community sustainability experts, regularly attend JCES meetings.

For more information about the JCES or its Web site, contact JCES Chair Rob Tyser at tyser.robi@uwlax.edu or 785.6992.

Campus Climate

Beat final exam stress

Finals begin Friday, Dec. 12. Final exam time can be stressful, so here are some helpful tips retrieved from CollegeFashion.net to help avoid stress that inevitably comes with final exams.

  • Avoid stressful people. Stress is contagious.
  • Eat healthy and exercise. Skip the sugar. Go for snacks such as granola bars, healthy cereal or fruits and veggies to keep your blood sugar stable. A 10-minute walk will leave you calmer and more focused.
  • Just say NO. Say no to the distractions and be selfish. You want a good GPA, right?
  • Force yourself to take breaks. For every hour or so that you work, take a 10- to 15-minute break. This gives your brain a little rest and will help keep you focused.
  • Visualize it all going right. When you imagine a happy ending, that’s often what happens because you make decisions leading to it without even realizing.
  • If you’ve studied all you can, get up your confidence. The tip here is to do whatever works to convince yourself you are going to do really well. You’ll like the results!
We hope these tips will help you beat the final exam stress. And as always, if you need a place to rest or study we’ve got those comfy couches!

Also: remember to attend the World Cafe from 2:30-4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, in the Ward Room, Cartwright Center. Campus Climate survey results is the focus. For more information, contact the Campus Climate Office at 785.5094.

grants

Computer science department wins National Science Foundation undergraduate, graduate S-STEM awards

UW-L's computer science department has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant of $526,000 over five years in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) program. The award will fund scholarships for students studying full time in the master of software engineering program. For further details, including the application process, visit www.cs.uwlax.edu/S-STEM. Watch the Web site for 2009 application deadlines.

UW-L's computer science department and the electronic and computer engineering technology program at Western Technical College have been awarded a National Science Foundation grant of $597,000 over five years in the S-STEM program. The grant will fund scholarships for students studying full time in UW-L's computer science program and the electronic and computer engineering technology program at Western. For further details, including the application process, go to www.cs.uwlax.edu/UGSSTEM.html.

Little Women book cover
Twilight book cover
Oil on the Brain book cover
OCW Book Club

The OCW Book Club invites you to participate in its spring reading lineup:

Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009 -"Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. Visit www.jandysbooks.com/children/lttlwmen.html.
"Little Women" will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Feb. 27 and 28; and Thursday through Saturday, March 5-7; and at 2 p.m. Sundays, March 1 and 8; at Toland Theatre, Center for the Arts.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009 - "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. Visit www.amazon.com/Twilight-Saga-Book-1/dp/0316015849.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009 - "Oil on the Brain" by Lisa Margonelli. Visit www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385511450/bookstorenow79-20. Margonelli will speak on campus at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, in the Graff Main Hall Auditorium as a Campus Activity Board event. To see other CAB events, visit www.uwlax.edu/CAB/Calendar.htm.

Discussions are open to the campus community and run from noon-1 p.m. in Murphy's Mug. To find out more about the OCW Book Club, contact Jaralee Richter at richter.jara@uwlax.edu or 785.8906. Find out more about OCW at www.uwlax.edu/ocw/index.html.

Oral presentation

Tim Parker, master of software engineering candidate, "TOZE: A Graphical Editor for the Object-Z Specification Language with Syntax and Type Checking Capabilities," 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18, 102 Wing Technology Center. Advisers: Kenny Hunt and Kasi Periyasamy, both computer science.

Thanks

Many thanks to all the members of the UW-L community who have shared my professional life here since l987. As Tennyson wrote, "I am a part of all that I have met;/Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'/Gleams that untravell'd world, whose margin fades/For ever and for ever when I move." I leave UW-L with immense joy for the privilege of having worked with so many students and faculty during my teaching years. It has been an unforgettable journey. - Mary Davidson, English

Classified ads

For sale

15" HP LCD flat panel monitor with integrated speakers. Used less than one year, in perfect condition. E-mail: zinsli.kell@students.uwlax.edu.

Snowboard lessons, at Mt. La Crosse with Larsi Sondreal, includes a free hot cocoa. Lessons begin at $8. Visit www.mtlacrosse.com or call 788.0044 for details and scheduling for ski and snowboard lessons.

Three printer cartridges for use in Hewlett-Packard (HP) LaserJet 5L, 6L, 3100, 3150. $20 each. Contact sociology/archaeology at 785.8457.

Wanted

Summer sub leasers from June 1 to mid-August. Five-bedroom, one bath, full kitchen and big living room. $1,250 or $250/person plus $20 for utilities. Good condition. E-mail ormsby.aman@students.uwlax.edu.

Found

"Book of Hope" with leather book cover. Stop in to 124 Mitchell Hall or call 785.8156.

Getting information into the Eagle Connection

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

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