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Tip Sheet for the week of Nov. 7, 2011
RELEASED: Nov. 7, 2011
Story/Photo Idea
UW-Eau Claire will host a Hmong New Year celebration Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 12-13. Activities will run from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Olson addition of the McPhee Center on upper campus. At 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Rep. Ron Kind will cut the ribbon to officially welcome in the New Year. Kind will talk about his work with the Hmong population in Wisconsin, as well as his recent trip to Laos and Thailand, where he discussed Hmong refugee issues with government officials. The Hmong New Year, which marks the end of the harvest season, is a time for families to give thanks to their ancestors and welcome in the New Year. The most popular holiday celebrated by Hmong people, it's usually celebrated by casting away old habits and welcoming new behaviors. During the celebration, the game "Pov Pob," a ball-tossing that is a traditional form of courtship for young people, will be played, and youth talent competitions and other performances will take place. Many Hmong participants wear traditional Hmong clothing. Information sessions for non-Hmong attendees will be offered at various times during the two-day celebration. The sessions will focus on the history, culture and values that surround the Hmong New Year. For details, contact Charles Vue, associate director, Office of Multicultural Affairs, at 715-836-3367 or vuecc@uwec.edu.
Story Idea/Guests to speak at Veterans Day events
Two guest speakers will be on campus this week for events in observance of Veterans Day:
- Connie Bengston from the Minneapolis VA Medical Center will speak during a "From Combat Boots to Classroom & Books" event Nov. 9. The session will run from noon-1 p.m. in the Alumni Room of Davies Center. The event also will include a discussion among a panel of student military veterans about their transition from military to campus life. UW-Eau Claire's military benefits coordinator also will share research and statistics. For more information, contact Amy Hobbs in Student Affairs at 715-836-5992.
- Retired Col. Dan Doughty, a town of Seymour resident who served more than 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and spent almost seven years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, will be the keynote speaker during a Veterans Day Celebration at 10 a.m. Nov. 11 in the Presidents Room of Davies Center. (Doughty recounted his ordeal as a POW in North Vietnam in a Nov. 6 Leader-Telegram article.) For more information, contact Miranda Cross-Schindler, UW-Eau Claire's military benefits coordinator, at 715-836-5212 or crossmk@uwec.edu.
Story Idea/Campus Expert
How plants' response to carbon dioxide may impact global warming is the topic of a campus lecture this week. Dr. Tali Lee, associate professor of biology, will present "Can Plants Help Us Reduce Global Warming?" at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, in the commons area of Towers Hall North on upper campus. Lee will discuss her research on plant physiological responses to the growing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations associated with global climate change. She also will talk about how plants often are seen as a promising solution to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels associated with global warming since they take up carbon dioxide in photosynthesis. Long-term studies of plant responses to global change are showing that this response may be overestimated. Lee will share the findings of a study she is part of in Minnesota that focuses on plants responses to environmental change and how the responses are affecting species interactions, restoration efforts and our ability to predict plant response to global change. For details, contact Kate Hartsel at 715-836-2505 or HousingSustainCoordinator@uwec.edu.
Story Idea
Two students and a recent graduate were winners in the Wisconsin District Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. The Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions is one of the most prestigious singing competitions in the United States and is known worldwide for its potential impact on the career development of young singers. Vocal performance major Meagan Seubert, soprano, and 2010 graduate Kevin Newell, tenor, each received Encouragement awards along with $450 to assist them in furthering their studies. Seubert, a senior from Eau Claire, studies voice with Dr. Mitra Sadeghpour, associate professor of music. Newell, who also studied with Sadeghpour, is pursuing a master's degree at the University of Michigan. Anthony Reed, bass, was one of five singers selected to advance to the Midwest Regional Auditions to be held Feb. 4, 2012, at the Ordway Center Main Hall in St. Paul, Minn. He received an award of $1,750. Reed, a senior vocal performance major from Alexandria, Minn., studies with Dr. Mark Mowry, assistant professor of music. More information can be found online.
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