Interview with Holly, an incoming freshman

Summer means hot sun, relaxing picnics, and...Freshman Orientation?  The new freshman class at UW- Eau Claire has been chosen.  They’ve opened their letters of acceptance, taken their placement exams and even received the name of their roommates!  It’s a busy time for these students, so we tracked down Holly, an incoming freshman from Wisconsin to see just what does happen the summer before Freshman year?

Housing and Residence Life
“I’m excited to meet a lot of new people and for the challenge of being put in the dorms.  I’m anxious yet excited at the same time.”  - Holly

What dorms did you choose to live in? I looked at Towers, Governors, and the all girls’ dorm -Oakridge.

What dorm were you assigned to? Towers South, 9th floor. 

Have you met your roommate yet?  No, but I’m going to meet her on Sunday.  We’ve been talking on the phone to figure out who is bringing what. 

What are you bringing to your dorm room?  We broke it down, I have a really nice futon and a nice TV… so I’ll bring the TV and the entertainment stuff.  She’s going to bring the refrigerator and the microwave. 

What are you buying?  I already had most of the stuff but I need to purchase an area rug. 

Summer Orientation
"Go in with an open mind because you’re going to be meeting a lot of people, and if you sit there with your arms crossed, it’s not going to make the situation any easier. Everyone’s in the same boat you are, no one knows anyone else and everyone’s nervous and if you just open up and even say hi to someone, it makes the experience more pleasant.” - Holly

Have you gone to freshman orientation yet? Yes

How was it?  I was really nervous.  You know, first impressions mean a lot and I knew I was going to meet my advisors and I was nervous.  It was overwhelming, but it went a lot better than I (thought) it would. 

What do you think could have prepared you for Orientation?  I don’t think anything really could have prepared me for it; you’re getting information just thrown at you from every direction.  You have no idea how  you should take it all in, what you you should take in, what you should worry about later.

Did you speak with an advisor?  Dr. Anderson was my advisor for the day and I’m going into biology, so that was cool!  My advisor teaches animal behavior and ecology and stuff like that-which is exactly what I want to go into.

How was your Orientation Assistant?  I really liked my student advisor, her name was Amy.  She was a lot of fun!

What are you doing this summer to prepare for school in the fall, academically, emotionally, or even physicaly with buying things, etc.?  Hmm, that’s a good question.  I think just emotionally prepare myself for the stresses of being a freshman and starting all over again, basically.  You’re a senior and then to go back to being a freshman is kind of a blow to the psyche.  I’m trying to meet new people this summer.  I got a couple of phone numbers yesterday at orientation and a couple names to find on Facebook, so I’m just going to try to network.

Are there any groups that you know you want to join? Yes, I looked at a couple clubs.  I took a survey at Orientation and input the activities I was interested in and it automatically sent an e-mail to the groups I chose. I am going to join a group called Global Wardrobe - it’s a group that plants trees!  And I signed up for the conservationists, a group for environmental science majors.  I was maybe thinking of doing an environmental science minor. 

How do you see your life changing in the fall?  Right now I’m really laid back, my life’s really slow and it’s going to go from 0 to 60 in just a couple days.  With CUBEfest and everything, it is going to be just a whirlwind the first week of classes.

To learn more about freshman summer orientation, or to find out what you should do to prepare, check out their website!

Blugold Softball Team Wins National Championship

Not your every day exam
At the end of May, while the rest of campus was busy studying for their upcoming finals, the Blugold women’s softball team had something additional to sweat about – the NCAA Division III Championships.

The Blugolds (36-11) entered the competition seeded fourth, but pulled ahead early, and made their way to the title game by defeating top-ranked Louisiana College, 2-1.  For this final game, UW-Eau Claire Blugolds were matched-up against fellow Wisconsin Intercollegiate Association (WIAC) member, the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater (39-11) Warhawks.  This is only the third time in WIAC history that two schools have met, in any sport, for a national championship.  Whitewater started out strong, but the Blugolds, after being down 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh with two outs, forced extra outs and went on to become the NCAA Division III Champions with a memorable walk-off homerun over the right field fence.  The Blugolds clinched the title 4-3, winning UW-Eau Claire’s seventh national team title. 

Continuing to Shine
After all was said and done, Leslie Huntington, head coach for the Blugolds said that she “couldn’t be more proud of our kids.  These plays have been resilient; they’ve hung together all year.   I told them today that in the last two weeks especially they have had one heartbeat and they kept that one heartbeat today and won UW Eau-Claire a national championship!”  UW-Eau Claire was also honored by having five players named to the All-Tournament Team and two players named to the Amateur Softball Association of America Regional All-Stars.  The All-Stars will play team USA this week before the team heads off to Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics

To learn more about 2007-2008 Blugold athletic stats, or to find out how you can get involved, check out the UW-Eau Claire Athletics website.

Teaching Around the Globe

Erica, a UW-Eau Claire Art Education Major, decided that when she needed to student teach for a semester, it would be more than just a short trip to a local high school. With the Global Student Teaching program, she was able to spend part of her time student teaching in another country. We caught up with Erica between teaching and traveling in New Zealand and found out why she decided to do this and what she is learning from her experience!

What has your student teaching experience been like so far?

For my first student teaching experience I was placed in Black River Falls at Forrest Street Elementary, grades K-1 and Gebhardt Elementary, grades 4-5. My cooperating teacher split her time between both schools, which were on a 6 day rotation. For my second placement I am at Wellington High School in Wellington, New Zealand. I am teaching Art, Art History, Special Education, as well as Physical Education. I am also coaching the girl’s high school basketball team.

What are you most looking forward to while you’re in New Zealand?

I am most looking forward to just being immersed in the culture. In the city of Wellington there is a huge Maori population as well as many other ethnicities, several of which are refugees from nearby countries. I am hoping to gain a better understanding of these cultures, especially their art, so that I can incorporate it into my own classroom and make it more culturally responsive.

Why did you decide to do Global Student Teaching?

Students have the opportunity to study abroad in over 50 countries on six continents!

One of the main reasons I chose to student teach abroad was to experience the life and culture of somewhere different. Being from a small town and living on the family farm, I had not challenged myself enough by immersing myself into a culture different than my own. My travel experience has been limited and far from diverse.

Do you think there are benefits to you or your students in doing part of your student teaching outside of the country?    

I feel that in art it is extremely important to experience first hand the art of different cultures and incorporate these experiences into the classroom. I want to explore and understand how and why art is created in different cultures and more importantly I want to learn how art is introduced and taught to children. Is it presented as a means of personal and spiritual expression, decoration, functional purposes,etc.? I believe that the more I can experience and explore will only enhance my life personally, academically, and also professionally. For future teaching I plan to bring artifacts from my experiences into the classroom along with a greater knowledge of the art and education from New Zealand culture. I strongly believe that my experiences from teaching abroad will only make me a stronger, more understanding, and culturally responsive person and teacher.

When you get back home, what are your plans for post-graduation?

While I am over here I am keeping an eye on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website as to what jobs are available and I am actually applying for jobs while I am here. When I get home I plan to remain in the job hunt. If I find myself unemployed I plan to do substitute teaching until I find a full time job. There are actually heaps of teaching jobs open here in New Zealand but it is just too far from home for me to stay here.

Life Beyond the River

With everything to do on campus, it's easy to forget that the largest city in western Wisconsin is right at your fingertips! With over 65,000 people, 250+ restaurants, and 44 miles of bike trails, the city of Eau Claire provides Blugolds with countless opportunities to get involved in the community and discover what is beyond the river. Everything from Farmer's Markets and the Summer Concert Series to Taste of Eau Claire and the Monday night back alley movies makes this city a hot choice for summer entertainment! Read on and find out what great events have already happened downtown this summer!

Taste for yourself
The City of Eau Claire celebrated it second annual Taste of Eau Claire on June 1 in Phoenix Park.  Thousands of people came with hungry bellies in anticipation of tasting food from over 30 food vendors.  The festival featured local restaurateurs who showcased their most delectable menu items. But participants didn't just come for the food - United Way, the sponsor of Taste of Eau Claire, also booked four local bands to entertain the crowd while they chowed down on their local favorites. This family friendly event also had a Kid’s Zone where children could participate in arts and crafts. 

Bigger, Better and Tastier
Organizers of the event said they had many more people visit this event than last year.  Planning for next year has already started and it will hopefully be ‘bigger, better and tastier', according to United Way committee members. The Taste of Eau Claire is a great opportunity to support local restaurants and specialty food vendors and enjoy delicious food and friends along the banks of the Eau Claire and Chippewa Rivers.

Art in the park
Not only was Phoenix Park home to the Taste of Eau Claire, it also housed the second annual Open Air Festival of the Arts on June 14.  The OAFA has something for everyone including art vendors, regional food artisans and growers. 
Visitors came hungry to feast on fresh, local food from the Eau Claire Farmers Market and stayed throughout the day to enjoy performances by local artists, musicians and poets The whole family was invited to enjoy live music and activities for children in the Phoenix Park Labyrinth.
  
Filling up the calendar
But what can students do downtown for the rest of the year? Check out this list of events sponsored by Downtown Eau Claire, Inc. that will keep your planner full year 'round!

• Open Air Festival of the Arts: June 14
• Juneteenth: June 19
• Summerfest: August 8-9
• Chalkfest: August 9
• International Fall Festival: September 20
• Trick or Treating: October 31
• Christmastime in the City: Dec 4-6
• Idea Lounge Series discussion October-December
• Farmers Market : May-September 2008

So during the year, in between Jazz nights in The Cabin and Karaoke at Higherground, don’t forget to discover what lies across the river in downtown Eau Claire.  Explore the city and find the tasty, the artsy, and the historic treasures the community has to offer!