Hey Warhawks! Here’s how the UC is helping you get connected this week:

Commencement Tickets
Graduates! Make sure you pick up your commencement tickets at Ticket Services in the Center of the Arts Atrium as soon as possible. Box office hours are 9:30 am-5:00 pm. Don’t forget to bring your UW-W ID!

“Book of Love” in Roberta’s Art Gallery
Roberta’s Art Gallery is currently featuring “Book of Love,” an exhibit of digital photographs by Mark McPhail, the Dean of the College of Arts and Communication. There will be a reception on Thursday, December 6 from 12:00-1:30 pm with light refreshments.

Gift Wrapping Workshop
Have some holiday gifts to wrap? Sign up the free workshop being hosted by Roberta’s Art Gallery this Thursday, December 6 from 5:00-7:00 pm. The gallery is also collecting toys for families in the Whitewater area who may be in need of a little extra holiday spirit this season. Community service hours are available for those who volunteer to wrap these gifts during the workshop!

Halo 4 Tournament
Want a chance to win Halo 4 for X-Box? Warhawk Alley is having Halo 4 Tournament on Tuesday, November 27 at 6:00 p.m. Prizes include Halo 4 for X-Box, Warhawk Alley gear, and other items. Just bring your $5 entry fee by Warhawk Alley to sign up!

“Book of Love” in Roberta’s Art Gallery
From November 20-December 6, Roberta’s Art Gallery will be hosting “A Book of Love,” an exhibit featuring the work of Mark McPhail, the Dean of the College of Arts and Communication. His collection of digitally manipulated photographs draws upon the aesthetic impulses of two Asian cultures: China and Japan.

Warhawk Alley Specials
Thanksgiving is almost here! Why not celebrate with some great deals on bowling, billiards, and other entertainment in Warhawk Alley? Here’s the Fall 2012 weekly specials:

Zimride
Heading home for the holidays? Why not save money on gas by car pooling with Zimride! Log in today to check what posted rides may meet your needs at Zimride.uww.edu.

Thanksgiving Building Hours
Fall12ThanksgivingHours

Eric Lee describing one of his back-painted glass creations at the “Transitions…” exhibit in Roberta’s Art Gallery on October 12, 2012.

Meet Eric Lee, an internationally renowned artist who encourages the creative thinking process. At his studio in Park City, IL, Lee has created numerous back-painted glass pieces, which are displayed worldwide. Earlier this semester, Roberta’s Art Gallery featured “Transitions…”, an exhibit of Lee’s work. He is also currently installing two art pieces in the University Center, one which will be created with UW-W students.

How did you get started in your field of work?
That’s an interesting story. I didn’t want to be a painter. My wife told me I was an artist; I argued that I wasn’t, and I started painting to prove her wrong. So, I went to the garage and picked up a piece of glass. The reason I chose glass was because I knew I could change it. Having a career as a writer, I knew that in order to be free, I had to be free from the desire to edit. With glass, you can just wipe off the paint and start again.

Please tell us about your overall experience here in the UC.
It’s been great! Usually, I am really cautious about agreeing to do such projects, because you never know what’s going to happen. I’m not really a public speaker, and I don’t usually find myself doing my work with people around, so the whole project has been a challenge for me. I do try to constantly push myself, though, so as Kim and I discussed the project, it has definitely evolved. I started out just producing a commissioned piece, and I wanted to contribute more because I caught a good vibe here.

Can you briefly describe your creative process?
When I paint, I’m generally listening to music. Most of my work revolves around color, transition, and flow, and music has a lot of those same elements. I also really focus on the segue. In music that would be the transition, but for me it’s about color. The way I usually explain it is that if you’re listening to a DJ and the song ends on a crisp beat and then the next one picks up right away, people keep dancing. If there’s a smooth transition, people still keep dancing. However, if it’s jarring and awkward, people stop. Therefore, my sense of color is to either make it a crisp transition or a subtle transition, but not anything that is awkward and unbalanced.

How can a student who is not an art major benefit from creative work?
Everyone can benefit from creative work. Something you have to remember about creativity is that it takes different forms. A lot of artists are problem solvers; in fact I believe the best artists are the best problem solvers. You have to be willing to see something from another person’s perspective and see things a little differently. One theory that I use a lot is thinking inside and outside the box. I don’t think that people that think of themselves as creative should be thinking “out of the box,” because that’s really just another limitation. You want to go in, out, and around the box at will.

What do you hope UW-W students learn from traveling to your studio and helping create a piece of artwork?

The primary thing is that I would like them to understand what is possible as an artist. When I started painting, I was in a two-car garage. I was just thinking that I’d make enough to have a nice vacation sometime; I wasn’t really seriously contemplating a major career. That was ten years ago. Now when students come to the studio, they’ll see that it’s 8,000 square feet including a full welding suite and gallery. I also hope they’ll gain some perspective that there is nothing wrong with being successful. The reason I think that’s so important because there’s been this misimpression that there’s some sort of romance attached to being a starving artist. There’s nothing wrong with success, in fact, it allows you to do the type of projects you want to do and to work with the type of people you want to work with, and there’s a lot to be said for that. It allows you to live a nice lifestyle. Quite frankly, if this career didn’t allow me to live a nice lifestyle, I’d be doing something else and be an artist as a hobby.

Happy National Recycling Week! We’ve all heard the three Rs mantra: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” but how does that fit into your life as a college student at UW-W? Read on for the UC’s tips and tricks of being green at UW-W. After all, every little bit helps.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle
Have old batteries, media discs, printer cartridges, or cell phones? Drop them by he UC! Just a few weeks ago, the UC became home to this new recycling receptacle. Also don’t forget about the regular receptacles around campus for paper, aluminum, glass, and plastic. It’s a great way to get rid of the layer of soda cans and old assignments currently littering the floor of your res hall room!

Lights Out and Unplug
Leaving a room? Turn out the light! It doesn’t get much simpler than that, and turning off lights helps to conserve energy use. Many electronics such as TVs, computers, cell phone chargers, electric razors, etc. still use power when they are plugged in. Whenever you’re not using something, such as your cell phone charger, simply unplug it.

Conserve Water
How much water could UW-W save if every student living in the residence halls cut their shower shorter by just one minute? According to the Wisconsin DNR, each person could conserve over 700 gallons per month.

Many students out there also have a habit of purchasing cases of disposable water bottles. Why not buy one reusable water bottle and fill it up at water fountains. If you can’t seem to find one of these water fountains on campus, stop by the UC! There’s one on second floor, right outside of the Old Main Ballroom.

BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag
Plastic or paper? How about neither? Instead of using bags from the store when you go shopping, bring your own. Some local stores such as Daniel’s Sentry even offer a discount for bringing in your own bags. Now you’re saving money and the environment!

Zimride
Ever wondered if there was someone on campus to share your commute or trips to neighboring towns? Zimride is UW-Whitewater’s ride share program that is sponsored by the University Center. Thus far, UW-W users have posted over 494,000 miles and reduced CO₂ emissions by approximately 108,756 lbs.  To post a ride, log in at zimride.uww.edu. As an added bonus, everyone who adds a ride in November will automatically be entered to win an iPad!

There you have it, Warhawks! Looks like it is pretty easy to go green on this purple campus. If you’re interested in more information, check out UW-W Sustainability, an organization dedicated to helping the environment. Keep up to date with Sustainability at UW-Whitewater on Facebook or Twitter.

ACUI- it may just sound like another four letters in the never-ending alphabet soup of college vernacular, but for ten UW-Whitewater University Center student employees, this acronym recently took on a whole new meaning. From November 2-4, ten students and six professional staff attended the 2012 Association of College Unions International Region 8 and 9 Conference at traveled Memorial Union in Madison. This conference is one of many opportunities for students to get involved at UW-Whitewater while learning skills that can apply to their futures.

An additional outcome of the conference was UW-Whitewater receiving recognition for the work of Kaitlynn Parrott, UC Graphic Artist, and Kat Shanahan, UC Promotions Coordinator. Kaitlynn received a 2nd place award in the Graphics Competition for the Information Services cell phone charger that she designed. Kaitlynn is an asset to the UC Graphics and Marketing team, and this award recognizes her achievement. Kat received the Gary E. Bartlett New Professional Leadership Award. This is a very prestigious award, and the UC is incredibly proud of Kat’s accomplishments.

Curious what this event was all about? Let’s hear from the students themselves:

Even though I’ve attended other ACUI events, this conference was an entirely different experience.  The thing about this conference was the amount of student employee interaction that I was able to get. I was fortunate to meet other students from around our region and learn how they conduct business around their unions. It was also interesting to see how my particular department compared to other art galleries in other unions. This helped me realize how successful we are as well as ways we can improve.
-Ella Hopkins, Roberta’s Art Gallery Student Manager

I was incredibly enlightened by Kim Clarkson’s session about learning styles. I came out of it with a new understanding of my own learning process as well as those of others around me. Knowing one’s learning style is an incredibly important transferrable skill that not only can be applied to our jobs in the UC, but also to our classes and future careers.
-Heather Harris, Graphic Artist

Before I went to this conference I never thought a lot about student unions.  Because of this conference, I now realize just how important they are.  They really are the focal point of a campus.  The University Center should be the place where everyone wants to go to hang out, relax, and have a good time.  This conference ignited my interest in possibly working for someplace like the UC as a career after graduation.  I am an education major and I believe in the power of education.  I also believe that a quality University Center in a higher education setting can truly foster growth and learning.
-Amanda Davis, Reservations Assistant

One of the first things that I would like to say about the ACUI conference in Madison is that I really enjoyed going and spending time with the people who went. Even though this isn’t an educational part of the conference, I feel that by getting to know people from all different departments was really helpful, and a big part of the experience. I always feel like it is important to get to know what other people do that work in the University Center. By getting to know each other it will ultimately help us in the end when we need to work together on something.
-Rachael Kuehnel, Administrative Assistant

I thought it was really cool how other schools used social media in so many aspects of the union and how it brought more students together. I also enjoyed being able to network with other students and faculty at other schools and learn how they run things at their own unions, and I was able to take away many ideas that I think we want to use at our own University Center.
-Cody Cooke, HawkCard Office

I myself have always had a sense of pride when it comes to the university and the University Center. It opened up my eyes to the fact that though my time here is almost over and graduation will be here any minute.  I can still make a difference.  I will leave my mark and try my best to make the University Center the best place it can be and live up to its true potential.
-Kaitlynn Parrot, Graphic Artist

Meet John Piazza, a non-traditional Warhawk from Redding, California. At UW-Whitewater John is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in history, serves as a Campus Assistant, and is also active as a member of the men’s wheelchair basketball team. Read on to discover how his experiences at UW-Whitewater have shaped his life thus far.

Give us a brief outline of your higher education experience. What made you choose UW-Whitewater at this point in your life.
After high school, my best friend and I actually saved up enough money and moved to Hawaii for three months. I intended to go to school there, but it was too expensive, so I came back to Redding and worked for a year. I attended junior college for a year, and then I got in my motorcycle accident. Once I got back after that, I started working and traveling a lot, and then I realized that I didn’t want to work dead end jobs, so I went back to school as an International Marketing major. After a little while I realized that I actually wanted to teach, and I also started to get more interested in wheelchair basketball. That’s how I found out about Whitewater. I kept looking up YouTube videos, and Whitewater just kept coming up! Whitewater’s academics also attracted me, especially the combo of small class sizes on a larger campus; it offers a lot of experiences and it’s like the best of both worlds.

How does being a non-traditional student differ from the typical undergraduate experience?
Plain and simple: I’m old! It’s different for me because I had a pretty life changing experience when I was 20. One of the first things they told me when I got hurt was: “You’re no longer a kid. You’re a man now. At the same time, anyone coming back has already experienced his or her younger, more rebellious side. You get a little bit more pragmatic as you get older. For me, my priorities are really set in stone. Now I can’t easily get talked out of studying for two hours to hang out with my friends. My Friday and Saturday nights aren’t very exciting because I’m usually either trying to catch up on homework or I’m exhausted and just kind of want to lay low.

What is your most memorable experience at UW-W thus far?
I think that would probably be my first day in classes. I’m a typical older student, so I was sitting in the front row, ready to ask questions, and it was the first time I actually felt old. I was 26 for my first semester, and I was in a freshman English class. I thought I was going to be young forever because I’m Californian, but it was like, well, I’m in college, but now I’m a little old.

How does being on the men’s wheelchair basketball team impact your involvement at UW-W, and how is it helping you prepare for your future?
Work ethic, hands down. I don’t think there’s another athletic team that gets up five days a week at 5:15, works out for two hours, goes to class, and then does a scrimmage and work out in the afternoon. Our coaches expect a lot from us, even outside of practice. You attend every class, you work at every practice, and you learn time management. You have to work hard if you want to make it.

What is the best piece of advice you can share with other undergrad students regarding their experiences here at UW-W?
Come up with a goal and stay focused. That’s really the best thing, because it’s so easy to get distracted. I see that a lot as a non-traditional student. You’ve got to understand that once you pick a goal, you might not get it in a few days. Life’s always going to throw things at you that you’re not prepared for, so if you can keep a focus, you’ll eventually get what you want.

If you’re interested in learning more about John’s experiences with wheelchair basketball, stop by UW-W’s tournament being held November 16-17. In the words of John, “I’ve done a lot of sports throughout my life, and wheelchair basketball is the by far the hardest. If you’ve never seen it before, stop by and experience it. That’s really what college is all about- the experiences. Also, because we’re at Whitewater, you know it’s going to be good!”