Back to School 2022

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ADVICE FROM THE TOP

Need some back-to-school motivation? We asked local university leaders for their top tips compiled by tom giffey

BEFORE THEY REACHED THE HEIGHTS OF ACADEMIA, the leaders of UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout were students themselves, facing the same academic and social challenges that today’s undergraduates do. We asked the leaders of these local campuses to offer some practical advice to current students. Here’s what they had to say.

KATHERINE FRANK

Chancellor, UW-Stout College presents an unmatched land scape in which to pursue social, academic, and career experiences. You will make the most of it by being courageous, embracing your curiosity, and being intentional about each opportunity. Review your course sylla bi and ask questions to be sure you under stand new expectations. Investigate univer sity resources and support available to you, like advising, tutoring, health and wellness, and career counseling. Build time man agement strategies and other skills that address your specific needs (hint: they can vary based on your online, on campus, or hybrid courses). Take advantage of uni versity life – events, programming, student organizations, clubs, sports, etc. And check your institutional email at least once a day (or forward your inbox to an account you use).

UW-Stout’s career focused, collabo rative, and applied learning emphasis offers a number of unique opportunities. As a laptop+ campus, we recommend you become familiar with your campus-is sued laptop, get comfortable with the open education resources you will use in classes, and explore the degree-specific software you will use throughout your program. Labs and studios outnumber traditional classrooms 3:1 on campus and our applied approach to learning pertains to all of our programs, whether on campus or online. Think about what kind of internship, co-op, practicum, or applied research project you want to do (and how many). Take advantage of your instructors’ professional experi ence and career advice. Connect with stu dents in different majors, look for problems to solve and questions to bring to class, and lean on faculty and staff expertise to find ways to take your education beyond the classroom. Essentially, take advan tage of everything that makes UW-Stout Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University.

BILLY FELZ

Interim Vice Chancellor of Enrollment Management, UW-Eau Claire

Schmidt and Felz offered this Top 10 list of back-to-college tips for incom ing students:

1. Bring half as much from home than you need.

2. Do not be shy or embarrassed to seek help, especially around academic or mental health concerns.

3. Try to meet with every faculty member in office hours in the first month: Office hours are an open invitation for you to connect with them, don’t miss out; they are really there to help you succeed.

4. Eating alone in the cafeteria can seem like the end of the world, but it’s not. No one thinks it’s strange: Put yourself out there and invite people from your classes or floor to

meet for meals.

5. Keep your dorm room door open to meet others.

6. Attend your first sporting events: football games and vol leyball matches – featuring our national championship-win ning volleyball team – and, don’t miss the award-winning Blugold Marching Band!

7. Get involved in a club: There are 200+ to choose from.

8. Find a job on campus: This is

a great way to meet people, it’s convenient and flexible, and helps build your resume.

9. Homesickness in the first semester is normal for just about everyone, the cure is to get connected and engaged on campus.

10. Call and text your family as much as you want, but stay on campus for the first six weeks of the semester. Fight the urge to go home on the weekends.

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SUBMITTED PHOTOS
CHANCELLOR JAMES SCHMIDT

SOMETIMES IT

PAYS TO BE A STUDENT

Here’s a roundup of some of the places that offer discounts when you show your Student ID words by sawyer hoff

YOUR STUDENT

ID IS A LOT OF

THINGS: a form of identifica tion, a key, a debit card, and a library card. But to a lot of businesses in Eau Claire, it’s also a good way to get a discount on food, shopping, and ser vices. We’ve compiled a list of some of the businesses in the area that have student discounts for UW-Eau Claire and Chippewa Valley Technical College students who show their ID cards. (Know of others? Email us at editorial@volumeone.org.)

FOOD AND DRINKS

Eau Claire Downtown Coffee (ECDC) (205 S Barstow St, Eau Claire) Offers 10% off with Student ID.

Olson’s Ice Cream (80 S Barstow St, Eau Claire): Offers 10% off with Student ID.

Ramone’s Ice Cream (503 Galloway St, Eau Claire): Offers 10% off with Student ID.

FOR SHOPPING

The Local Store (205 N Dewey St., Eau Claire): Offers 10% off with Student ID.

Hope Gospel Mission Bargain Center (2511 W Moholt Dr, Eau Claire): Offers 15% off with Student ID.

Tangled Up in Hue (505 S Barstow St #B, Eau Claire): Offers 10% off with Student ID.

Goodwill (3605 Gateway Dr, Eau Claire): Offers 10% off with Student ID only on Thursdays.

SERVICES

Estilo Salon (438 Water St, Eau Claire): Offers 10% off all services with Student ID.

Anytime Fitness (329 Water St, Eau Claire): Join for $19 with Student ID.

Mighty Mufflers (601 Water St, Eau Claire): Offers 10% off all parts with Student ID.

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MASCOT SMACKDOWN!

They’re both blue, made of foam, and boost school spirit. But which university mascot is the best?

NAME: Blu (although known in a prior incarna tion as “Chip E. Wa”).

ALMA MATER: UW-Eau Claire.

OFFICIAL DEBUT: 2013.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Wingless blue and gold man-bird.

REMINDS US OF: One-quarter pre-Columbian bird god, three-quarters Muppet.

ORIGIN STORY: Discovered roosting in Council Oak when university was founded.

OFFICIAL STATUS: Student body mascot managed by the UWEC Student Senate. The university itself has no official mascot, just a disembodied nick name, the Blugolds.

MOST IMPRESSIVE FEAT: His (or her?) mere existence. UWEC has a long and convoluted history of not having a mascot.

PROS: Swift, birdlike movements; opposable thumbs.

CONS: Foam beak largely useless for combat or consuming birdseed.

QUOTE: “There’s some controversy with alumni that want to keep (the mascot) the Blugold spirit, but I think in today’s day and age it is important to be able to point to something and say, ‘That’s what I am,’ ” Erica Rasmussen, Student Senate Public Relations Commission (The Spectator, Nov. 6, 2013).

NAME: Blaze.

ALMA MATER: UW-Stout.

DEBUT: 2011.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Broad-grinned blue demon with sweatpants.

REMINDS US OF: Crownless version of old Burger King mascot, but less creepy.

ORIGIN STORY: Arose from the blue flames of a welding torch in a manufacturing tech class.

OFFICIAL STATUS: The real deal. UW-Stout’s teams have long had the “Blue Devil” nickname, but the first official mascot was created just a few years ago.

MOST IMPRESSIVE FEAT: Defeating other Chippewa Valley mascots in an 2014 dance-off at the National Night Out on Crime in Eau Claire. (Seriously, Blaze can break it down.)

PROS: Rumored satanic powers; blindingly white teeth distract opponents.

CONS: Freakishly oversized head causes neck pain.

QUOTE: “Blaze is appropriate. We want our Blue Devil athletic teams to be hot in their sports, so Blaze will fit right in,” then-Chancellor Charles Sorensen, when Blaze’s name was officially revealed (athletics.uwstout.edu, Feb. 13, 2012).

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NEED SOMEWHERE TO STUDY?

get back into the academic groove with these spots near UWEC and CVTC words by sawyer hoff

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN:

Target has been transformd into a school-supply wasteland and you’re making last-minute scrambles to the bookstore. It’s a stressful time, we know. We’re here to help ease your transition back into study groups and procrastination-induced all-nighters with the best study spots on these local campuses.

UW-EAU CLAIRE

Centennial Third Floor: This quiet floor sits in one of the newest build ings on campus and has many tables and chairs with great views of the campus mall.

Schneider Hall Lounge: This lounge sits right at the entrance of Schneider and is a great place to relax or pop in some earbuds and get some studying done.

L.E. Phillips Hall Garden: Located on the first floor, you can become one with nature while doing some last-minute cramming in this unique and exciting place to study.

Campus Mall: While this one may be a gimme, it cannot be overlooked. Stretch out on the grass or set up shop on one of the many stone slabs in between Davies and Schofield. This is the perfect place for an out door fall or spring study session.

McIntyre Library: There are a plethora of great studying spots in this one building, but my favorite is snagging one of the big comfy chairs that sits by the window on the first

floor. You can look over the campus mall while you study or do some people-watching!

CVTC

The Library: Another gimme, but come on. No one can beat the serene energy that radiates from this library.

Caribou Coffee: Without going into the whole Caribou vs. Starbucks debate, let’s just all agree that any coffee shop is a must during prime study season.

The Commons: Lots of places to study here, and some very sunny ones if you snag a window seat.

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MAKING A PROMISE

Newly announce program aimed at helping lower-income students can attend UW System words by university of wisconsin system

ATTENTION WISCONSIN

STUDENTS: UW System President Jay Rothman recently announced the creation of the Wisconsin Tuition Promise, a new initiative starting in fall 2023 to ensure underserved Wisconsin students can attend any UW System university without paying tuition or fees.

The goal of the program is to increase the number of state residents who graduate with a bachelor’s degree – especially first-generation students and those from low-to-moderate income families throughout Wisconsin – thereby improv ing individual lives and communities and helping meet the state’s workforce needs.

“The benefits of a college education are unas sailable,” Rothman said. “A college degree needs to be within reach for every Wisconsin citizen as a path to a better life, and the Wisconsin Tuition Promise will provide these opportunities. It is also how we can close the skills gap that now limits Wisconsin’s potential to thrive in a global economy.”

Rothman said an estimated 8,000 students will be supported through the program once it is fully implemented over four years. Eligible students will be awarded an average of $4,500 over four years. The UW System intends to fund the first year of the program in academic year 2023-24 at $13.8 million and seek state investment for subse quent years.

“College is a long-term investment in human capacity – the ability to do work that is finan cially, socially, and emotionally rewarding,” said UW-Eau Claire Chancellor Jim Schmidt. “The Wisconsin Tuition Promise provides students the financial support they need to earn a college

degree, which improves their lives and improves the communities in which they live.”

“Even with an unmatched 98.4 percent employment rate for UW-Stout graduates, our industry and business partners tell us they need more skilled graduates who are ready to help them serve our state and compete globally,” said UW-Stout Chancellor Katherine Frank. “The new Tuition Promise will allow us to provide access to more students seeking the distinct, career-fo cused, applied learning experience that UW-Stout, Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, offers.”

Modeled on Bucky’s Tuition Promise at UW-Madison, the Wisconsin Tuition Promise would provide up to four years of tuition and fee funding for students coming from families earning less than $62,000 annually and enrolling at any of the other 12 public universities within the UW System. The program would be structured to pro vide “last dollar” financial support after federal and state grant aid is accounted for; as a result, Tuition Promise awards will vary.

Eligible students will be Wisconsin residents, first-time enrollees or transfers, and attending full-time. They will need to make sufficient aca demic progress each year and attest that they were employed at some point during the previous year.

Rothman said the affordability review he sought shows a UW System education is the most affordable in the Midwest and is very affordable nationally compared to peers. However, fewer low-to-moderate-income and first-generation stu dents are attending UW System universities, sug gesting that despite a tuition freeze in place since 2013, a state college education is increasingly out of reach for some, he said.

“Education unlocks success in Wisconsin,” Rothman said. “By ensuring that every Wisconsin student is given the full opportunity to get a high er education, we will improve those lives directly while building the economic engine and commu nity prosperity that benefit all Wisconsinites.”

Students will be automatically considered for the Wisconsin Tuition Promise when they apply for federal financial aid. A full publicity campaign led by the universities will begin later this fall. Current information can be found at wisconsin. edu/tuition-promise

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PHOTO BY ANDREA PAULSETH UWEC CAMPUS
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