Featured Articles

UW-Eau Claire faculty and staff group to hold teach-in on Iraq War

Jazz Ensemble II to present spring concert April 15

Augusta teachers and students create public displays to showcase history

University students donate art to help fight hunger

UW-Eau Claire to celebrate Honors Week

UW-Eau Claire representatives continue to tout
UW System's value
UW-Eau Claire representatives have been talking with legislators from across the Chippewa Valley and Wisconsin about the proposed state budget bill, financial aid, student tuition and long-term policy decisions that will protect the value of UW-Eau Claire and the University of Wisconsin System.

The governor has proposed to cut $250 million in state GPR funding from the UW System over the next two years. Tuition increases of $250 a semester at comprehensive universities and $350 at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee would offset $150 million of the cuts.

In general, the message to lawmakers is that the UW System is taking a disproportionate share of the budget cuts — 38 percent, even though it represents only 9 percent of total state spending. The UW System is asking the state Legislature to not let the cuts go any deeper than already proposed and to approve the tuition increase, or decrease the cuts and decrease the tuition hike, in an effort to keep the net reduction to not more than 5 percent. The UW System also is asking legislators to approve the increase in financial aid proposed by the governor, but not to fund it with auxiliary dollars.

Following is an overview of recent legislative activities:

Vice Chancellor Andy Soll testified on behalf of Chancellor Mash at the Joint Finance Committee public hearing in River Falls Thursday, April 3. Chancellor Ann Lydecker, UW-River Falls; Chancellor Charles Sorensen, UW-Stout; and two dozen faculty, staff and students also addressed the committee on behalf of the UW System.

UW-Eau Claire hosted a legislative luncheon Monday, April 7. Reps. Rob Kreibich, Larry Balow, Jeff Wood, Joe Plouff and Scott Suder, along with Sens. Ron Brown and Dave Zien attended the luncheon — as did Chancellors Mash, Lydecker and Sorensen, and UW-Barron County Dean Paul Chase. The discussion focused on the current fiscal challenges and the need for thoughtful, long-term policy-making regarding the mission of the UW System. Some UW-Eau Claire students also had the chance to join in the meeting and provide their viewpoints.

Chancellor Mash and a few UW-Eau Claire alumni met with local lawmakers April 9 at UW Day in Madison. The event, held at the State Capitol, gives representatives from each UW System campus an opportunity to discuss the state budget and other UW System issues with state lawmakers.

Joint Finance Committee hearings also were held April 8 at UW-Platteville and April 9 at the State Capitol. The Committee's executive sessions currently are set to begin Tuesday, April 22 and be completed in late May. Lawmakers have told UW-Eau Claire representatives that they expect the budget to be delivered to Gov. Doyle by June. 13.

For the latest news and information about the state budget, check out UW-Eau Claire's State Budget Update Web site. You also can find the Web site by going to UW-Eau Claire's home page and clicking the State Budget Update heading under Headline News.

UW-Eau Claire faculty and staff group to hold
Teach-in on Iraq War
UW-Eau Claire Staff and Faculty for Peace and Justice will sponsor a teach-in on the Iraq War Tuesday, April 15, in Davies Center. The teach-in is intended to provide information and a forum for discussion on various issues surrounding the war with Iraq.

Beginning at 1 p.m., concurrent hour-long presentations and discussions will be held in the Tamarack Room of Davies Center. Topics will include Just War, Civil Liberties During Wartime, Socialist View of War, Introduction to Islam, Iraq War Background, U.S. Military Interventions and Bases since Vietnam, Iraq War Myths, the Hmong Refugee Experience and Women's Perspective on War.

John Nichols of the Capital Times will wrap up the day with his keynote speech, "War and the Media," at 7 p.m. in Davies Theatre. A question and answer session will follow. Full story.

Jazz Ensemble II to present spring concert April 15
The UW-Eau Claire Jazz Ensemble II will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, in Gantner Concert Hall of the Haas Fine Arts Center.

Jazz Ensemble II, conducted by Robert Baca, associate professor of music, will begin the concert with "Double Helix" by Jack Cooper. The concert also will include "Reflexions" and "Secret Love" by Ted Pease, "Nardis" by Mike Crotty, and "Sackbut City" by Rayburn Wright.

The second half of the concert will be a coming together of Jazz Ensemble II and the Concert Dance Company in a production of "Experience Movement Through Music." This is a production of "New Orleans Suite" by Duke Ellington. The suite, comprised of nine musical selections by Ellington, will include "Blues from New Orleans," "Bourbon Street Jingling Jollies," "Thanks for the Beautiful Land on the Delta," as well as several other Ellington favorites. Members of the Concert Dance Company will perform three dances in the production. Full story and ticket information.

Augusta teachers and students create public displays to showcase history
Teachers and students from Augusta Middle/High School will present the first of the research they've completed as part of a two-year project exploring the history of Augusta. The public presentations will run from 1-8 p.m. April 16 in the school.

The "Our Town Augusta: History in Public Places" project is part of a UW-Eau Claire's Center of History Teaching and Learning Initiative, which is designed to help Augusta middle and high school teachers increase their knowledge of history, technology, art and the care and management of museum collections, while exploring the history of Augusta with their classes. The teachers use their increased knowledge to create interdisciplinary units for their classes. Classes then work together to create displays for public places that bring local history to the people of Augusta. Full story.

University students donate art to help fight hunger
Ceramics students from UW-Eau Claire art department are pitching in to help fight hunger in the Chippewa Valley. Under the direction of associate professor of art Michael Weber, students are once again donating 200 handmade ceramic bowls to the Feed My People Food Bank for their upcoming "Empty Bowls" fund-raiser. Seniors Matthew Carlson, New Auburn, and Dawn Carey, Tomahawk, are coordinating production of the bowls at UW-Eau Claire.

"Empty Bowls" is a fundraising supper of soup, specialty breads and desserts scheduled for 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 25, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1314 E. Lexington, Eau Claire. The Bread Box, Great Harvest Bread Co., area churches and volunteers are donating the meal. Ticket prices are $20 for supper and a hand-designed bowl, $8 for the supper alone and $5 for children 12 and younger. Full story.

UW-Eau Claire to celebrate Honors Week
April 21-27
UW-Eau Claire is celebrating its 31st annual Scholastic Honors Week Monday, April 21, through Sunday, April 27.

"This week is set aside by the university to recognize students of high scholastic achievement," said Bob Shaw, associate dean of students and the coordinator of Honors Week.

This year, 34 UW-Eau Claire honor societies will sponsor and participate in the week's activities. Full story.

University Bulletin
Published weekly during the fall and spring sessions by the UW-Eau Claire News Bureau. News items and notices should be sent to the News Bureau, Schofield 201, by 10 a.m. Monday for publication in the following week’s issue. E-mail submissions to Liz Wolf Green at greenew@uwec.edu are encouraged. Faculty/staff news items are published on a first come, first-served basis.