Biology Professor Scott Cooper reviews data on ground squirrel study with UW-L student researchers.

UW-L’s Biology Department received the 2013 UW System Regents Teaching Excellence Award for academic departments and programs. The prestigious award goes to one program in the UW-System each year. Recipients are selected for their strong commitment to teaching and learning, use of effective teaching strategies to enhance student learning and significant impact on students’ intellectual development. The committee was also impressed with the UW-L Biology Department’s success with underrepresented students.

“To this day, I continue to look up to their example, both as individual professors and as an exceptional department as a whole,” says Lindsy Boateng a graduate of UW-L’s biology undergraduate and graduate program who is now earning her doctoral degree at UW-Madison.

Biology students document the growth of tree seedlings as part of a forest restoration project.

“The cohesiveness, success, and intellect of the Biology Department motivated me to pursue a career in a similar environment where students are encouraged and challenged to do their best.”

Representatives from UW-L’s Biology Department will receive the award Friday, June 7, at the Board of Regents meeting in Milwaukee. Recipients receive a $5,000 stipend to be used for professional development or program purposes.

“It’s a privilege to recognize these deserving educators who are dedicated to preparing their students not only for success in the classroom and laboratory, but also for success in meeting the challenges of the world beyond their college campuses. They each set an exceptional example,” said UW System President Kevin P. Reilly

What you should know about the UW-L Biology Department

Biology is UW-L’s most popular major
UW-L has 1,100 biology majors — more than 10 percent of the university’s student population. It also mentors 40-60 Masters of Biology graduate students. Why is the field so popular? Acting Chair Mike Abler says biology students have opportunities to conduct research alongside talented faculty, collaborate with state and federal agencies on environmental projects, and can pursue graduate school and careers in high-demand fields such as health care.

Students processes fish as part of a River Studies Center project that explores the effects of contaminants in national parks of the Great Lakes region.

Faculty expertise is diverse
Walk through the biology department and you’ll hear about studies on blood clotting, plant pathogens, invasive species, snails, mycology, marine biology and much more. The areas of study are diverse and the faculty expertise is extensive. This gives students the opportunity to dig into and explore the aspects of biology they enjoy most through both courses and scientific research. More than 300 undergraduate research students have conducted biology research over the past five years that have led to 100 regional and national presentations. In addition, graduate students gave more than 90 presentations.

Staff are student focused
Whether teaching, assessing student learning, designing course materials or advising, UW-L’s 35 Biology Department faculty are committed to student success and have a student-centered approach. Biology faculty advise all students in the major.
Anna Hatch, ‘09, an alumnus of the biology program and graduate student at Dartmouth Medical School, said in her graduate interview she was asked to define the best feature of her college education. She unabashedly responded the faculty.
“From my own observations, I believe the department defines success by getting students where they want to be — whether it is graduate school, professional school such as medicine and physical therapy or another career choice.”

Grant success
The department has been successful in obtaining external funding to support research with students, including 53 different external research grants or contracts totaling more than $7.5 million in the last five years.

Outreach to minority and underrepresented groups
The department has demonstrated a commitment to increasing the involvement of traditionally underrepresented students through their leadership roles in several externally funded programs. Biology faculty members Roger Haro and Rob Tyser were the principle investigators on an $865,000 McNair Scholars grant that helps launch research careers for 30 minority students and first-generation college students annually. Biology faculty led the development of many other grants and programs, which help underrepresented students. Among them: a three-year National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site Program grant, local Wisconsin Alliance for Minority Participation (WiscAMP) grants, and the NSF funded First Year Research Exposure (FYRE) program.

Collaboration is strong
Faculty from different biology fields collaborate to plan, design, implement and assess courses. An example of such collaboration is Organismal Biology, a team-taught course where one faculty member’s expertise may be in animal biology and the other faculty member’s expertise may be plant biology. Also, the department has formed collaborations with state and federal agencies in environmental science, such as the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (USGS). Interactions allow the department to offer a broad array of research opportunities, internships and other experiences for undergraduate and graduate students that may not be available otherwise.

Additional winners of UW System award for 2013 include:

Christopher Coe, Professor, Psychology, UW-Madison (individual category)

Peggy James, Professor, Politics, Philosophy and Law, UW-Parkside (individual category)

Dumpster Diversion will help keep the city clean during move out time

UW-La Crosse students are teaming up with local landlords, area businesses and other community groups to divert slightly used goods from dumpsters during move out time. The groups are organizing a second annual Dumpster Diversion for two consecutive Saturdays in May.

The collaboration is “awesome,” says Jessica Olson, a local landlord with Olson Apartments.

“If this project didn’t have student leadership taking over and leading the cause, it wouldn’t go anywhere,” she says. “I think students respond well when the message is peer to peer.”

UW-L senior Andrew Londre is a co-founder of MOST or the Move Out Sustainability Team, which UW-L students formed in 2011 to facilitate a responsible and sustainable student move out process in La Crosse.

Londre says for decades La Crosse curbsides have been littered during move out as students leave behind items that someone else could potentially use such as clothes, furniture, dishes or recyclable electronics.

“Not only does this make large parts of our city look like a junkyard for several weeks, but it’s also bad for the environment and wasteful,” says Londre.

During “Dumpster Diversion” collection sites are set up for students to drop off items to go to Goodwill and other local charities. This year collection sites will be available on Saturdays, May 11 and 18. Sites are located in the Mitchell Hall parking lot off Campbell Road at UW-L and off-campus in the parking lot of Jade Café and Toppers Pizza on West Avenue.

Dumpster Diversion keeps La Crosse streets cleaner and benefits area non-profits who receive lightly used goods, says Londre. La Crosse County will also set out dumpsters in case students bring garbage to collection sites by mistake and Dynamic Recycling will provide large bins to recycle electronics and small appliances. After last year’s event, Dynamic Recycling recycled 1,800 pounds of TVs, among other items.

“One landlord can’t possibly change what’s happening in an entire neighborhood,” says Olson. “So it needs to be a neighborhood-wide effort.”

UW-L students and faculty involved in organizing the effort include County Board Supervisor Karin Johnson, City Council member Katherine Svitavsky, UW-L junior Zack Lindquist, UW-L sophomore Aaron Perkins and UW-L Associate Professor and City Councilmember Sara Sullivan. Londre is also a member of the La Crosse County Board.

If you go:

What: Bring unwanted clothes, small appliances, TVs, electronics, non-perishable unopened food to a collection site.

Where: Mitchell Hall parking lot off Campbell Road, UW-L; parking lot of Jade Café and Toppers Pizza, West Avenue.

When: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturdays, May 11 and May 18.

Want to volunteer to help Dumpster Diversion? Contact Andrew Londre at Andrew.londre@gmail.com

Accepted Items:

Electronics of all kinds. (Broken or working, it doesn’t matter.)
Furniture of all kinds: (Must be clean and free of damage)
Clothing of all kinds: (Must be clean and free of damage)
Small Appliances: (Must be clean and working)
Food: (Non perishable and unopened only)
Houseware / Domestics: (Towels, sheets, dishes, silverware, etc)

UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow with chemistry student Emma E. Sabel and Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Adrienne Loh.

Undergraduate Research & Creativity still in spotlight at UW-L

Undergraduate Research & Creativity will stay in the forefront at UW-La Crosse for a third week in a row when a student and her professor head to Capitol Hill to share their research.

Chemistry student Emma E. Sabel, winner in a national competition sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research, will visit Washington, D.C., Wednesday, April 24, to participate in a poster session with fellow winners from across the country. Her poster, “Shape Matters: How We Can Design Structural Features That Are Relevant to Antibiotic Peptide Function” will be displayed in the Rayburn House Office Building from 5-7 p.m.

The Capitol Hill visit follows a national undergraduate research conference on campus April 11-13. Also, at the annual “Posters in the Rotunda” at the capitol in Madison April 17, seven UW-L students were among 150 UW students sharing their research with legislators.

Sabel’s faculty mentor Professor Adrienne Loh of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department says participation in undergraduate research has a wide range of positive outcomes.

“It gives students an opportunity to connect seemingly discrete concepts from individual courses into a more unified understanding of the discipline,” Loh explains. “This broader perspective helps students to think more creatively and become better problem solvers.”

Loh says students who participate in undergraduate research also hone oral and written communication skills, which are essential to success in any profession. The experience also helps create strong, lifetime mentor relationships.

Students presented their research posters as part of the National Conference on Undergraduate Research at UW-L, April 11-13.

“I have former research students, now professionals, who I continue to connect with in a meaningful way as they move through their careers and life experiences,” says Loh. “For many students, it also provides an opportunity to excel in a non-graded forum, where their work ethic, energy and love of the discipline are rewarded.”

Needs of the university and faculty are also advanced by providing person-hours to perform the research, resulting in publications and grant awards based on the students’ work. “Undergraduate research provides tangible benefits to the students, faculty mentors and university,” notes Loh.

Along with helping students excel, undergraduate research enriches faculty mentors as well, says Loh. “I have had the pleasure of working with students of diverse academic and cultural backgrounds and, in every instance, I can say that I also grew as a scientist and person in the process,” she notes. “I am a better faculty member as a result of my role as a faculty mentor to undergraduate researchers.”

UW-L hosted students from 48 states and seven countries for the National Conference on Undergraduate Research April 11-13.

Studies show that undergraduate research leads to better job readiness, encompassing a broad range of student talents, interests and skills across academic disciplines. Additionally, participation in undergraduate research contributes to improved student retention and graduation rates. UW System leaders believe that broader participation in undergraduate research will provide students with the knowledge and skills they need for 21st-century jobs, preparing graduates to succeed in a world that values innovation, problem-solving, teamwork and collaboration.

UW-L Chancellor Joe Gow says undergraduate research also impacts the state’s economy. “Clearly, it will take creative, new ideas to solve our economic challenges, and undergraduate research promotes exactly the kind of innovative thinking we need to move our state forward,” notes Gow.

Here’s how Professor Adrienne Loh weaves undergraduate research into work with students:

“My area of expertise is biophysical chemistry, which is the study of the fundamental physical principles and forces that govern the behavior of biological systems. Thus, my research is at the interface of chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology.

“Undergraduate students who do research with me are typically chemistry, biochemistry or biology majors. I draw from students at all experience levels — from freshmen to seniors.

“While I provide the framework for the experiments (I do most of the experimental design), my students perform all of the experiments, process the results, and we work together to interpret the meaning of the results. Thus my students are the ones who are actually doing the research, and are active participants in advancing science as they do so.

“I also make it a point to have my students present their research at national meetings. Each year I send at least one student to the Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society, the premier meeting of professional biophysicsts that draws scientists from around the world.”

Kayla Tippery, right, helps a student during her field experience at Holmen's Viking Elementary School. The experience offers an in-depth immersion into an everyday classroom.

Innovative changes make program unique

Family demographics. Technology. Dual language learners. These are just three reasons the university’s Early Childhood Middle Childhood major has been revised.

“We had a very strong program to begin with,” explains Barb Gander, senior lecturer in Educational Studies. “Our overall goal is to make the program even more efficient and current.”

That was accomplished with curricular changes in 2011. Among the seven components addressed:

• changing family demographics

• responsiveness to diversity of learners

• dual language learners

• inclusion practices

• response to intervention

• developmentally appropriate technology

• positive behavioral interventions and supports

“There are a variety of ways we’re making the program stronger and more streamlined,” explains Ann Epstein, assistant professor of Educational Studies who worked with Gander on the revisions. The seven components were integrated across the program’s curriculum. And program requirements were streamlined to allow students to complete degrees in as little as four years, compared with five years under prior requirements.

Revisions to the Initial Educator Standards from the National Association of the Education of Young Children provided impetus for the changes, along with a desire to keep curriculum cutting edge. Gander and Epstein also gathered feedback from teachers and recent graduates.

“The program has gone from earning a grade and completing courses to meeting certification standards through field experiences and preparing portfolios,” says Gander.

The innovative changes have made UW-L’s degree current and marketable. Students become certified for birth through 11-year-olds, allowing them to teach at a variety of settings, age and grade levels. Graduates are hired for teaching positions in elementary schools, as well as teaching and director positions in early childhood care centers and related agencies.

Additionally, the program that enrolls from 175-225 students a semester, now offers more field experience options. The options range from traditional classroom observation to a more structured immersion in a professional development school within a local elementary school. There, students form close relationships with professional teachers and students.

“For our majors to be prepared properly, they need to have a broad range of experiences,” explains Epstein. “We’re very deliberate about connecting with our students while they’re on campus. And that connection remains when they begin their careers.”

Gander says the changes are improving the university’s already reputable teacher education program. “Anecdotally, we hear from principals who seek out UW-L graduates,” she notes.

New field experience finding success

A new field experience for UW-L students in the Early Childhood to Middle Childhood program is giving the majors a unique opportunity to discover what it’s like in the classroom before they student teach.

The Professional Development School at Holmen’s Viking Elementary offers an in-depth immersion into an everyday classroom.

EC – MC students typically spend Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings in the classroom learning directly from teachers, while building relationships with the students. Throughout the semester, they also attend faculty meetings; assist with bus, cafeteria and hall duties; work with student groups; teach at least three lessons; and more.

Assistant Professor Ann Epstein, who coordinates the effort, says students benefit greatly from long-time relationships. “Good teaching is based so much on relationships with students,” notes Epstein. “We’re able to focus on them becoming great teachers.”

The Holmen PDS began in fall 2012 with 14 students taking part. The spring 2013 semester has 12 students in the program.

Find more information at http://www.uwlax.edu/campusclimate/survey2013.htm.

It’s that time of the year to search and apply for scholarships. About 400 scholarships totaling about $450,000 are available through the UW-La Crosse Foundation on the scholarship website. Apply online as soon as possible. The deadline for scholarship applications is midnight Friday, Feb. 15.

UW-L went paperless with its application process in January 2011. Students can now search for scholarships by keyword and apply for multiple scholarships without having to re-enter general application information. This year, the site also provides links to about 500 external scholarships.

Scholarships through the Foundation range from $200 to $8,000; however, the majority are awards of about $1,000.

Scholarships are geared toward students within a variety of academic majors and colleges. For instance, scholarships are available specifically for students with majors in chemistry, physical therapy, education, business or a concentration in aquatic sciences. Another scholarship is for someone who is student teaching in the 2013-14 school year, or a student whose parent or grandparent is a UW-L alum.

Scholarship recipients will be notified via email in late March. A scholarship reception is at 4:30 p.m. Monday, April 29, 2013, in Valhalla, Cartwright Center-Gunning Addition.
If you have questions please contact, Sara Olson, UW-L scholarship coordinator, at solson@uwlax.edu or 608.785.8491.

Visit the scholarship website. A link is also available under “other resources” on WINGS.

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to offer math MOOC to boost college readiness and success

For more information or to pre-register, see: www.uwlax.edu/MathMOOC

MADISON, Wis. – University of Wisconsin System officials today announced that UW-La Crosse will lead the development of a new “massive open online course” – MOOC – at the developmental math level, with a $50,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Once developed, the free online course, available to everyone, has the potential to help students enter college and graduate in higher numbers, in less time, at lower costs.

“For many first-generation college students and those from lower-income families, the need to repeat high school-level work in remedial courses is unnecessarily frustrating and demoralizing,” said UW-La Crosse Mathematics professor Robert Hoar, who will lead the project. “Even when they persist, those extra classes cost time and money. While most MOOCs available today cover the kind of information you’d find in upper-level courses, we believe this teaching-and-learning model can help many students prepare for and succeed in general education math classes, which are required by every major or program.”

Approximately 21% of all new freshmen in the UW System need some remedial math education when they enter college. Among under-represented minority students, the percentage is significantly higher (40%). Overall, this parallels national data that show about 25% of high school graduates do not have the necessary skills to succeed in college-level mathematics courses. While those who successfully complete remedial-level instruction at UW campuses go on to finish their college degrees in large numbers, only about 45% of incoming freshmen who need remedial math instruction complete this requirement.

“One of our main strategic goals is to help Wisconsin create a stronger workforce. Math skills are a key ingredient to success in college, and in work. Many students who have the drive to earn their UW degree are just missing that one piece of math confidence, and this can help,” said Mark Nook, senior vice president for academic and student affairs at UW System. “At the same time, this kind of teaching platform has the ability to help us lower instructional costs, reduce a student’s expenses, and increase efficiency.”

With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, UW-La Crosse will lead the development of a free online math course, available to a wide variety of learners, including high school students who want to assess their college readiness. Non-traditional-aged students may also take advantage of the free course before returning to college, or to improve their math skills in ways that advance career goals.

“This is a win-win for students successfully completing the program,” said UW-La Crosse Chancellor Joe Gow. “They will be able to take advanced classes sooner, allowing them to potentially graduate sooner — saving them and the university resources.”

The concept has already been tested, with promising results. Using start-up funding provided by UW System, UW-La Crosse launched the “Fast Track” pilot program in July 2012. The pilot involved 38 students whose test scores showed a need for developmental math instruction. Following the six-week online course, participants’ scores on the math placement exams increased significantly. All but one of the participants improved to the point where they could enter college-level math and science courses.

The award from the Gates Foundation will help the project personnel prepare for the large number of students that the MOOC is intended to support. Teams of online tutors will be trained and the set of learning materials will be expanded. To study the effectiveness of this learning format, the course development team will work with its partner, Desire2Learn, to design a high-quality student experience and to ensure that useful analytical data is collected by the learning platform.

The course instructor is Maggie McHugh, director of the Murphy Learning Center at UW-La Crosse. According to McHugh, who also taught the pilot program, “This MOOC provides for greater dissemination of the math knowledge and skills students need to succeed in college, providing more students access to college-level courses sooner in their academic career.”

“The math content in the course was developed to align with many of the Common Core State Standards needed for college readiness,” said Jennifer Kosiak, professor of Mathematics Education at the UW-La Crosse. “The skills and concepts covered in this course are found on key gateway exams, including the ACT, SAT and college placement exams.”

UW-La Crosse Provost Heidi Macpherson said, “This award is testament not only to the excellence of the Mathematics Department faculty and staff at UW-La Crosse but also our commitment to supporting students to achieve. It follows from the successful FastTrack program which saw unprecedented success levels for our incoming freshmen in attaining and in many cases exceeding the levels of math they needed to progress. We look forward to future success as this program grows and thank the Gates Foundation for its support and belief in our project.”

UW-L Alum Jason Church,’ 11, a political science major, played football at UW-L.

Alum to receive purple heart at UW-L’s Nov. 10 football game

A UW-La Crosse alum who sustained serious injuries while serving in Afghanistan will be awarded the purple heart as part of a tribute to veterans during UW-L’s last home football game Nov. 10.

UW-L Alum Jason Church,’ 11, a political science major, lost both of his legs below the knee after an IED explosion in a small village in Afghanistan. Church, a U.S. Army Second Lt., has since undergone 18 surgeries and is being fitted for prosthetics. During the half time show, Church’s father, Col. David Church, will present him with the purple heart. More than 70 UW-L reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets will be on the field to support Church.

“It’s one of those awards you never want to receive,” says Church, regarding the honor bestowed upon those wounded or killed in service.

Yet he says the outcome could have been worse and he is grateful to be here to receive it in the company of family, friends and the university community.

“The majority of the time, people who receive this award aren’t there to receive it,” he says. “It’s bitter sweet on my end. I guess, in a way, I’m lucky.”

Church chose to receive his purple heart at UW-L because he has good memories of playing football and studying political science on the campus.

The special recognition is part of a series of veterans-related activities surrounding Veterans Day Nov. 11 and UW-L’s Freedom Week, Nov. 5-11. Other events during the week include an art exhibit at UW-L’s Murphy Library, honoring the Armed Services; a 24-hour veteran tribute run; a flag football tournament; and the second annual breakfast for all area veterans and their spouses.

UW-L Athletics aims to pack the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex with veterans for the Nov. 10 game against UW-Whitewater. All current and former members of the Armed Services, along with a guest, will be admitted to the game free of charge, courtesy of LHI Founder and CEO Don Weber and his wife, Roxanne. Veterans and current service members must present a military ID. For a complete list of ticket distribution locations visit www.uwlathletics.com/Veterans.

Marine Cpl. Gauge Griffin, will also honored during the game.

“If you think about it, less than one percent of the population has served (in the Armed Services) and they carry 100 percent of the responsibility for our freedom,” says Don Weber. “We encourage as many veterans and their families to participate.”

Game kickoff is at 1:10 p.m. at the Roger Harring Stadium at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex. The UW-L Student Veterans Association will have a tailgate game day tent from 10 a.m. until game time. A series of pre-game recognitions include: a presentation of the flag by the ROTC Color Guard, an aerial flyover, the live-playing of “Taps,” a 21-gun salute and a recognition of all service members in attendance.

Also, during the pre-game recognition ceremony, another local veteran, Marine Cpl. Gauge Griffin, will be honored. Griffin, a recent graduate of Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau High School, lost his left leg below the knee and sustained other injuries after stepping on an IED during a routine patrol. He also had a severe case of traumatic brain injury, prompting doctors to remove a portion of his skull plate to allow the brain to swell. He was on life support for 46 days and in a coma for 120 days.

Church’s father, Col. David Church, Second Lt. Jason Church and Church’s mother, Barb Church.

“What we do in the Athletic Department involves tough people doing hard things. But it’s not exactly what these men and women do to fight for our country,” says Josh Whitman, UW-L’s director of athletics. “Why we are able to put the flag up and go play our games is because of the freedom provided to us by the men and women of the armed services.”

Weber and Whitman encouraged people to turn out to show their support of the sacrifices made by these young men and women. All event donations will go to support the Wounded Warrior Project, an organization devoted to honoring and empowering wounded warriors. UW-L’s Freedom Week is organized in conjunction with the UW-L Foundation, the Freedom Honor Flight and Logistics Health.

Check out this video from WEAU.com on Jason Church’s first visit home after his injury

Activities in celebration of Veterans Day and UW-L Freedom Week

Art Exhibit
An art exhibit honoring members of the Armed Services will be on display Nov. 5-11 at UW-L’s Murphy Library. Find more at: http://www.facebook.com/UwLaCrosseStudentVeteransAssociation?fref=ts

Veteran Tribute Run – Nov. 10
Beginning midnight Saturday, Nov. 10, the UW-L Student Veteran Association will sponsor a 24-hour tribute run/walk at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex. From midnight Saturday to midnight Sunday, at least one UW-L student veteran will be on the stadium track at all times walking or running as a tribute to fallen members of the Armed Services. Anyone is welcome to join in the event.

Freedom Honor Flight Veterans Breakfast – Nov. 11
The Second Annual Freedom Honor Flight Veterans Breakfast will be on Veterans Day, Sunday, Nov. 11 at UW-L’s Mitchell Hall Fieldhouse. Doors open at 8 a.m. UW-L student-athletes and ROTC cadets will serve a free breakfast to all veterans and their guests beginning at 10 a.m. Prior to the breakfast, a brief memorial ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Monument outside Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex. UW-L Alum Jason Church will be one of the featured speakers during the breakfast. For reservations call 784.1015.

Flag Football Tournament – Nov. 11
UW-L Student Veteran Association will also host a flag football tournament for veteran students in the afternoon Sunday, Nov. 11, at the Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex. Cost to participate is $10 dollars per team. All proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Foundation. Find more on Facebook by searching UwLaCrosseStudentVeteransAssociation

Theatre Arts performs ‘Mirror of the Invisible World’

The production showcases storytelling by seven beautiful princesses as they impart their mystical stories to their beloved King Bahram Gur.

“Mirror of the Invisible World” runs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, through Saturday, Oct. 27. A matinee performance is at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28.

All performances will be in Toland Theatre, Center for the Arts. Tickets are $4 UW-L students, $12 for senior citizens and non-UW-L students, and $14 for others. For more information visit the box office in the Center for the Arts or call 785.8522.

Explore theatre at UW-L

UW-L offers Theatre Arts as a major, a minor or an extra-curricular activity. Majors and minors can emphasize performance, design/tech, theatre management, or music theatre.

The department produces a 6-play season. Upcoming performances for the 2012-13 season include “All in the Timing,” “These Shining Lives,” “Spring Awakening,” “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse” and “Big Love.” Find more details on the upcoming season.

The Department of Theatre Arts invites students to audition, volunteer or sign-up for class credit for production work. Most auditions are cold readings (nothing to prepare) and backstage work is always available. Learn more about the Department of Theatre Arts.

Junior Luke Klefstad holds the medallion near where he found it outside Graff Main Hall early Friday. He and sophomore Carissa Krug worked together to decipher the clues. “I happened to be the one who saw it first,” says Klefstad.

Medallion found early Friday morning

Luke Klefstad didn’t need the final clue in the Eagle Eye Medallion Hunt to find the elusive piece of metal. But the junior did need a flashlight. He found it at 1:50 a.m. Friday, the day the final clue was to be posted.

“I did the River Watch patrol from 11 p.m.-1 a.m. then headed out for another look,” says Klefstad, a marketing major from Prairie Farm, Wis. He and his sleuthing partner, Carissa Krug, were more worried about being tracked down by campus police in the wee hours of the morning than getting sleep. But, their persistence paid off.

Klefstad says he encouraged Krug, a sophomore political science major from Green Bay, to take part in the hunt because he knows she loves challenges. Deciphering the clues each day was challenging, but they cracked most of the clues by searching historical information online.

They found the medallion under a bush in a planting area just west of Graff Main Hall. “I happened to be the one who saw it first,” says Klefstad.

The first clue with the “’08” reference led them to Graff Main, built in 1908, as well as the stadium, which was built in 2008. The second clue that referred to “cheer” kept them there, but also took them to Wittich Hall. The third clue referring to Wing Technology Center brought them there. The fourth clue, which referred to Chancellor Kenneth Lindner, moved their search to Linder Forest.

Because he found the medallion, Klefstad is now a lifetime member of the UW-L Alumni Association. He also received a $25 gift card provided by the University Bookstore.  University Communications sponsored the hunt.

Here are all the clues:

Clue #5 – Friday, Oct. 19

An area where the band marched and played,

Soon converted to a forest that provided shade;

Outside the window of the campus’ top cheese,

Look closely and you’ll find the treasure with ease.

Clue #4 – Thursday, Oct. 18

From a professor to a state system administrator,

Came back to become the sixth president and first chancellor;

Campus grew and the halls went co-ed,

Then off to Madison he went to work for the governor dressed in red.

Clue #3 – Wednesday, Oct. 17

Books and more books were stacked from the floors,

But a human link changed that taking them out the doors;

In the 70s became home to the computer rage,

Nearly three decades later lead more technology rampage.

Clue #2 – Tuesday, Oct. 16

A campus pioneer who helped people get in gear,

Eventually, a building where people would come and cheer;

A lasting tribute for those in the air and on the mat,

A father who with the team would stand pat.

Clue #1 – Monday, Oct. 15

The Eagle Eye Medallion Hunt is back after a four-year hiatus,

Read the clues carefully before you scour the campus;

The construction on the sandy tract of land began in the spring of ’08,

These early buildings made the campus look great.

The 2012 Eagle Eye Medallion Hunt Key

Clue #1- The search is underway; the land originally purchased for the Normal School where construction began in 1908 plays a major part in the location.

Clue #2- The campus pioneer referred to is Walter Wittich, one of the originators of the physical education program. A lasting tribute from a father of a gymnast is on the southwest corner of the building, which directs seekers to the hiding spot. 

Clue #3- Wing Technology Center was built as the main library on campus. After Murphy Library opened in 1969, the building housed communications – and the campus’ first mainframe computer. In 2000, the building became the campus’ computer hub.

Clue #4-Chancellor Kenneth Lindner’s career is referred to in the clue.

Clue #5- Lindner Forest was named in Chancellor Kenneth Lindner’s honor. You’ll find the medallion on the plantings area outside the current chancellor’s office in Graff Main Hall.

Eagle Eye Medallion Hunt begins Oct. 15.

After a four-year hiatus, the Eagle Eye Medallion Hunt is set to return on campus Monday, Oct. 15.

There will be five clues given, one a day through Friday, to help seeker find the medallion. By 9 a.m. each day, a clue will be posted via the spotlight section of the homepage, www.uwlax.edu. A notification will also be posted via the homepage when the medallion is found.

The search is open to staff, students and alumni.  General rules for the contest are as follows:
The medallion …

• is located within the boundaries of the university’s campus
• is never buried in the ground
• is never inside a building
• is accessible 24 hours a day
• fits in a person’s hand
• may be camouflaged.

The successful seeker must return it to University Communications, 115 Graff Main Hall, during regular business hours, 7:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays. Instructions for the lucky finder will be on the medallion.

Among the winnings is a $25 gift card to the UW-L bookstore and a lifetime membership to the UW-L Alumni Association — a $400 value! The contest is sponsored by the UW-L Communications Office.