Blugold Nuggets - October 2007

October is an especially exciting month at UW-Eau Claire! The month is full of events, including Homecoming week. This edition of the newsletter highlights many of the activities, deadlines and opportunities for your Blugold.

Message from Chancellor Levin-Stankevich

Chancellor entertains students on the campus mall as a part of the welcome to campus activities.

Students First
This is just my second year as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and as I walk the campus this fall, I continue to be impressed by the commitment to serious learning I see and hear everywhere. Repeatedly I hear from our faculty and staff the essence of this commitment: “We really like our students,” they say, and “we respect our students.”

I first experienced this attitude as a student many years ago at what has now become an expensive private liberal arts college. At that school I found a faculty mentor who helped me discover and pursue new interests. I still visit him whenever I can, nearly 36 years later.

I see that same mentoring happening all around me every day at UW-Eau Claire. In fact, I consider it my primary job to nurture and preserve that same dedication to our students today and into the future.

This commitment to students is just one reason that UW-Eau Claire was pleased to again be named among the top public comprehensive universities in the Midwest, by both U.S. News & World Report  and The Princeton Review. It is an honor we’ve earned thanks to our nationally recognized opportunities for undergraduate research, study abroad and community service. I hope you’ll encourage your student to experience these “Eau Claire Advantages.”

But as the writer William Faulkner once noted, it’s not enough to be better than your contemporaries; try to be “better than yourself.” This year at UW-Eau Claire we are engaged in a strategic planning process that will involve our faculty, staff, and students in looking at ways in which we can be even more responsive and distinctive in the educational experience we provide. In short, how can we be better?

You can learn about our ideas at our Stategic Planning Website –we’ll be refining our ideas throughout this year. And we’ve already taken some first steps: this fall I signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, joining 350 other institutions in pledging to set and attain sustainable energy goals for our university. We will involve our students in helping us determine how to be better environmental stewards.

As we look ahead to a great academic year, you can rest assured that all our faculty and staff are working hard to make UW-Eau Claire the best university we can be, one where your student discovers both talents and passions, and is inspired by new experiences that will begin to change the future. 

Parents' Weekend

We are excited to welcome Blugold parents and families to campus for Parents' Weekend 2007 - September 28-30!

The weekend will feature an Entertainment Showcase with The Comedy of Pete Holmes and the Moody Magic of Nate Staniforth, Saturday, Sept. 29, 8:30 p.m., in Zorn Arena. Tickets are $5 for UW-EC students and Parents' Weekend participants. Also featured during the weekend is local favorite- The Thundermen- who will entertain guests with their 50's and 60's music during a family dance.

Check-in for the weekend will take place from 3 – 10 p.m. Sept. 28 in the Towers Hall TV Lounge. Questions about the weekend should be directed to Paul Shepherd, assistant director of Housing and Residence Life, by e-mailing shephepr@uwec.edu or calling 715-836-3630.

Map and directions

Schedule of events

Homecoming Week

Homecoming 2007

Homecoming Week is an exciting week jam-packed with fun events and Blugold traditions like the sand sculpture contest, campus games, medallion hunt, Yell Like Hell, and Varsity Night Live. The week culminates with a parade, Alumni Relations sponsored pre- and post-game festival in Carson Park, and Blugold football game versus UW-LaCrosse. Encourage your student to get involved in the many activities and traditions. These activities are a great way to meet new people and to learn what it really means to be a Blugold.

Homecoming Festival 2006

You also may want to have a conversation about high-risk drinking and safety during homecoming week. Because of increased visitors to campus, students should carry identification at all times, walk in groups, and lock their car and room doors. Underage students should be reminded that law enforcement still takes place even though it is homecoming weekend! We’ve had a number of cases already this semester where students have been transported by ambulance to the hospital for detox because of excessive drinking. These students are drinking large amounts of alcohol in short periods of time. The excitement of homecoming may tempt students to forget about responsible decision making.  A friendly reminder from you may help them to choose wisely!

Leadership Development

iLead Conference

The iLead Leadership Skills Workshop is a half-day workshop designed for any Blugold!  Whether a new leader, an experienced leader, or not even
sure if your student is a leader, this opportunity is designed with all students in mind. This conference-style workshop will feature several breakout sessions on various leadership topics, an opening keynote and closing endnote speaker, and drawings for some GREAT prizes! Brunch will be provided.

Some topics for the day will include intentional leadership development, résumé building and tracking, 24/7 leadership, wellness, servant leadership, negotiation and conflict resolution.

Students can register for the workshop using the online registration form.

Paying Tuition

If your student elected to participate in our partial payment plan, the remaining balance of their bill, plus finance charges, is due on Friday, Oct. 26.  An electronic bill will be emailed to students at their UW-Eau Claire email address on Oct. 3.

For more information about billing go to: http://www.uwec.edu/bussvs/busoff/index.htm

Career Development and Major Selection

This month there will be many opportunities for your Blugold to do some career development. These opportunities offer all students- from the undeclared first year student to the graduating senior- the chance to advance their own careers.

The annual Career Conference is being held Sept. 27, from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. in Zorn Arena. The Career Conference provides an opportunity for all University students to gain more information about attending organizations. Students and alumni use this opportunity to discuss career plans, exchange resumes, and make preliminary contacts with organizations. These contacts can be followed up with more formal interviews either on or off campus. Each year, over 125 employers attend this event. Attendees include companies, grad schools, and state and federal agencies.

The Graduate and Professional School Fair is an annual event sponsored by Golden Key International Honour Society and Career Services. This year's event will take place Thursday, Oct. 11, in Davies Center from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. This fair will showcase graduate school programs and will offer your Blugold the opportunity to learn more about the application process to graduate and professional schools.

Possibility Pete

Career Services sponsors Explore Your Possibilities Week during the week of October 15-19. This week-long programming event has something to offer every Blugold. Your Blugold will have the opportunity to participate in the session, win fantastic prizes, and receive assistance in resume writing and career development. Students can view a complete schedule and register for sessions at: http://www.possibilitypete.org/schedule.htm.

 

The Eau Claire Student Nurses Association and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences students collaborate to sponsor the Nursing and
Health Care Professional Career Fair. This event takes place Thursday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. in the Council Fire Room of Davies Center. Nursing and Health Care students won't want to miss this opportunity to network with service providers.

Advising and New Student Initiatives will host a Majors Fair on Oct. 25, from 10 a.m. -3 p.m. in the Council Fire Room of Davies Center. Students who are thinking about changing majors or are looking to declare a major will want to attend this exciting program. All majors will be represented at the fair.

Encourage your Blugold to check out these excellent opportunities for career development and major exploration!

Staying Healthy

Flu Shot Clinic

Cold and flu season will be here before we know it! We encourage students to practice healthy lifestyle habits to remain as healthy as possible and protect themselves from colds and flu. Healthy behaviors we promote to students include frequently wash hands, cover mouth and nose when sneezing, eat wisely and nutritiously, get adequate sleep, exercise regularly, and avoid smoke. These protective behaviors help maintain and strengthen one’s immune system.

The Student Health Service offers the flu vaccine to all UW-Eau Claire students for a cost of $15.  Students can check the SHS web site for a schedule of flu shot clinics.

Students who are absent from class for three consecutive days or more because of illness should contact the Student Development and Diversity office. Students can call 715-836-2003, stop by Schofield 240 or complete the online absence form. SDD then sends electronic correspondence regarding the illness to student's instructors.

Money Smart Week Wisconsin

Smart Money Week Wisconsin

UW- Eau Claire will participate in Money Smart Week Wisconsin.  This week, Oct. 7 - 13, of programming is part of a public awareness initiative to increase financial wellness among Wisconsin citizens.  It is aimed at building financial knowledge so students can deal with their money more quickly, confidently and shrewdly. There will be sessions on paying for college, scholarship searching, budgeting, and money management. These sessions are free and open to all students. Encourage your Blugold to attend!

Spring Semester and Winterim Registration

Spring semester schedules become available on the Web & MyBlugold Sept. 26 and it is important for your student to begin planning spring semester ahead of his or her registration date.  Registration is from November 7-December 7.  With a few exceptions, students register according to the number of credits they have, with seniors registering first. Second semester freshmen will start registering around Thanksgiving.

Here is some important information you can share with your students.

• During the week of Oct. 15 students will be e-mailed their registration materials, including their exact registration time as well as a degree audit that lists all the requirements for their degree. 
• All students must pay a $100 deposit for spring semester prior to registering. This goes toward the spring semester tuition.
• All students with fewer than 60 earned credits and all students in academic difficulty must see an adviser and receive their PAC (personal advising code) prior to registering. In reality, all students should see an adviser before registering. Please encourage your students to make these appointments early.
• Students who want to change their major should do it before they register so they can talk with their new adviser. Information on how to do that can be found on the Registration Web site.
• Students who are considering changing a major can get a “What-if degree audit” on the web for the major they are considering.

For answers to most registration related questions, see “Steps to a Successful Registration.”  

Winterim

Winterim

Winterim sessions are a great time for students to earn additional credits - allowing them to catch up, or to move ahead in working toward a degree. The classes are usually smaller; the atmosphere is more casual, yet more intensely focused because of the short timeframe. Students can enjoy the camaraderie of these classes, and instructors frequently have more time to interact with students.

The 2008 Winterim session will begin Jan. 2, 2008 and run through Jan. 18.  Required classes will be held on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008. Students will register for Winterim classes Oct. 8 - 18. They will be notified of the first day they may register, based upon their classification - graduates first, then seniors, juniors, and so on. Enrollment will be reviewed and classes with low enrollment may be cancelled. Registration continues until classes begin, but students take the risk of classes having closed or cancelled if they haven’t registered by Oct. 18. 

Winterim class schedules will be available on the UW-Eau Claire web site beginning Sept. 28. Students are not required to see an adviser in order to register for Winterim, but it is always a good idea to do so.

Study Abroad and National Student Exchange

Study Abroad

Tessa Larson and Beth Fugina ride an elephant while abroad in Thailand.

UW-Eau Claire is a national leader in study abroad.  What sets us apart is not only the number of students who study abroad, roughly 25 percent of a graduating class, but the fact that the majority of our students study abroad for a semester or more.  This is possible because UW-Eau Claire academic departments increasingly treat study abroad as an integral part of the academic curriculum.

Application deadlines are early:  November of this semester to study abroad summer or fall 07; March or April of spring semester to study abroad in spring ’08. The early deadlines allow students to plan both academically and financially for their time abroad, and it allows the Center for International Education to provide a comprehensive orientation to help students maximize their learning abroad.

Lucas Barnekow, Tim Eisle and JP Severson pose with school children while studying in South Africa.

Students considering study abroad should visit the Study Abroad Fair from 3 – 5:30 p.m. Oct. 11 in the Council Fire Room of Davies Center. All UW-Eau Claire study abroad programs will be represented by past student participants and/or international partners from our sites abroad.  Students can stop in for five minutes or browse for two hours. A study abroad application fee (value $30) will be raffled off every 15 minutes.

National Student Exchange

When most people think of exchange, they think of crossing oceans and international borders that are thousands of miles from home.  But, thinking globally can begin a bit closer to home through the National Student Exchange. NSE is a consortium of 190 colleges and universities in the United States, Canada and three U.S. territories. Students can go on exchange for a single semester or a full academic year, continue to pay normal tuition and fees to UW-Eau Claire and earn resident degree credits. Who wouldn't want to travel, study in another state and have a once in a lifetime experience?

NSE participants must be full-time students with a minimum 2.5 GPA, in good standing (academic, personal and financial), and have completed at least 30 credits at the time of the exchange. Successful NSE applicants also are flexible, goal oriented and curious.

Now is the time to begin thinking about NSE participation during the 2008 - 09 academic year by attending an NSE information meeting. NSE information meetings will be held during October and November. For a complete listing of NSE information meetings visit www.uwec.edu/sdd/nse/nseapp.htm.

The application process, requirements, timeline and the placement process will be explained and application packets and NSE directories will be distributed. Students who have participated in the NSE program will be available to talk about their experiences and answer questions. Because the NSE placement process involves far more than identifying schools, NSE applicants must attend an information meeting. Completed applications will be due the first week in February 2008. Please encourage your students to learn more about this terrific opportunity.

Housing and Residence Life Updates

Chancellors Hall Applications

Chancellors Hall

All students can apply to live in Chancellors Hall, UW-Eau Claire’s apartment-style residence hall. Applications for the Spring 2008 term are currently available at all residence hall front desks and in the Housing Office, Towers Hall 112. Students who apply by Oct. 1 will be given priority consideration based on seniority.

Applications for the 2008-09 academic year will be available at all residence hall front desks, the Housing Office and Campus Information (Davies Center) beginning Nov. 1. Students who apply by Nov. 16, will be given priority consideration based on seniority.

Resident Assistant Selection

Resident Assistant Staff

Students who have lived in the residence halls for one semester can participate in the resident assistant selection. If your student is interested in applying for resident assistant position, encourage him/her to talk to an R.A. The applications for Spring 2008 are now, and may be picked up from any residence hall front desk, hall director or the Housing and Residence Life Office, Towers 112.

Completed applications are due by noon on Oct.15 to the hall director of the hall where your student plans to apply.

Campus Safety

Keeping Campus Safe

Providing a safe campus environment for our students, faculty and staff has long been a priority at UW-Eau Claire. We believe that is one of the reasons why our campus is consistently recognized as one of the safest in the United States (so is the Eau Claire community in general). But since the tragic events at Virginia Tech, we've been more mindful than ever about the importance of campus safety. Next month we will be conducting an exercise to test our emergency preparedness plan – we will use the results of that exercise to analyze the effectiveness of our plan and identify areas of improvement.

But that's not all we're doing. Since the Virginia Tech shootings UW-Eau Claire has:

• Participated in both the UW System President’s 2007 Commission on University Security and the Governor's Task Force on Campus Safety
• Reviewed the Emergency Contingency Plan for campus response
• Discussed campus safety issues with students at a Chancellor's Roundtable
• Reviewed internal University Police emergency response protocols
• Reviewed mutual assistance protocols with City of Eau Claire police and fire departments
• Reviewed and updated the University Police Use of Force PolicyH
• Held a University Police/Eau Claire Police Department joint crisis negotiation and tactical response team training exercise on campus
• Begun the process of evaluating emergency communication systems to quickly and effectively communicate emergency information to the entire campus

Students also have a personal responsibility for their own safety. Unfortunately, early this semester, one of our freshman students jumped from the footbridge into the Chippewa River while trying to elude a University Police officer. Remarkably, the student was uninjured. But this episode serves as a reminder to all of us how tragic accidents can easily occur (especially when overconsumption of alcohol is involved). With Homecoming weekend quickly approaching, now would be an opportune time to remind your student about the importance of acting responsibly and using good judgment.

Brian Levin-Stankevich, Chancellor

Roommate Relations

Roommate Relations

For most of our students sharing a room is a new experience. Sharing space with people we love can sometimes be challenging so sharing space with a new roommate definitely requires effort and communication. Sometimes it takes creativity and skill when learning how to negotiate arrangements for schedules, sleeping, cleaning, visitors and sharing any number of belongings and space.  It is important for students to address problems in advance if possible and to avoid confrontations in the “heat of the moment”. Communicating needs and wants with “I statements” is helpful. For example, you may encourage your student to say, “I need to be up for my 8:00 a.m. class, is it possible for you to . . ."

If your student isn’t finding success after talking with their roommate it is important to know that their resident assistant and hall director are available to help. Please, encourage your student to seek help when needed.

Midterm Exams

Midterm Exams

Expect your student to become a little stressed toward the end of this month and the beginning of November. Let your student know that you are supportive during this difficult time of the semester. If your student is struggling or not doing as well as they had hoped, encourage him or her to seek help early.  The Academic Skills Center provides a variety of resources for students experiencing difficulty.  Mid-term grade reports are emailed to all new freshmen on Nov. 5.  Encourage students to seek out professors for help if they feel they aren’t understanding course material. The ASC developed the following check-list for test preparation.

Preparation - in general

• Attend all lectures and take notes.
• Do all assigned reading and take notes.
• Review all notes periodically.

Test Day

• Get a good night’s sleep.
• Eat a good breakfast.
• Arrive early enough to get settled in and comfortable before the test.

During the Test

• Write your name on the test and scan the entire test.
• Write down any important information that you might forget on the back of the test.
• Budget your time.
• Answer easier questions first.
• Skip difficult ones, or guess, if they are multiple choice or true/false.
• Ask instructor to clarify any questions you don’t understand.
• Don’t worry about being the first or last to finish the test.  Take the time you need to finish, within the time allotted.
• Review skipped questions. If you still don’t know, make an educated guess.
• Review your test before turning it in.
• For essay questions, decide what is being asked.
• Outline your answer in the margin.
• Organize the response by using major points and supporting details.

After the Test

• Decide how you can better prepare for the next exam.
• Review concepts, terms, ideas that proved difficult on the test.

Blugold Parent and Family Office

The Blugold Parent and Family Office is starting the Blugold Parents' Association. The purpose of this Office is to help you get the information you need to support your student.  We are looking for family members who would like to participate in the parents' association.  Among the things we would like to know from you are - What information is valuable in the newsletters?  How can the website better serve you?  What resources are you looking for? If you would to seve as a member of the parents' association, please indicate your interest by emailing family@uwec.edu, by calling Jennifer Lee at 715-836-5111, or by stopping by Schofield 30 to visiting our office.