learning us culture – UW-Whitewater English Language Academy

May 1, 2019

English 163 Students Visit Local Businesses

By: Donfak Dongo, Diana Mora and Gary

The entrance to The Black Sheep restaurant.

In the English language, “black sheep” is an idiom used to describe a person that goes against the norms.

English 163 class visited the local restaurant Black Sheep – which is a small non-franchised restaurant – to learn about business practices in the United States. The founder of Black Sheep, Tyler Sailsbery, is a former student of UWW. He also has one more restaurant in Whitewater, Casual Joe’s. Current university students are employed at both restaurants.

Tyler gave us a tour around the restaurants and a detailed explanation on how he started the business and what he valued about it. We also had the opportunity to taste some of the food made at Casual Joe’s. It was delicious!

Casual Joe’s has an open view concept where customers can see how their food is prepped.

We learned that it takes determination and creativity to start a business. For example, at Casual Joe’s the owner used inexpensive materials such as the chairs and tables that he purchased cheaply from UWW. He also did not get discouraged by the hardships of starting a business and did what he had to do to succeed. We learned that one can start a business with a small budget and keep improving as one grows.

The visit helped us see that owning a business necessitates a lot of hard work and management. Also, a restaurant should have something different from other competitors, but not too new or formal, because casual menus and atmosphere make people want to come back again.

This experience related with our textbook chapter and it helped us see different aspects of business in real life. It helped us see and compare business practices here and in our own countries of Mexico and Cameroon, for example.

Here is a video link that showcases the students’ tour experience at The Black Sheep and Casual Joe’s! Credits: Donfak “Bih” Dongo

March 22, 2019

ELA Visits the Chamber of Commerce

On Wednesday, March 13, UW-Whitewater English Language Academy students visited the Whitewater Chamber of Commerce and talked with the executive director, Marie Koch. Students learned how this organization helps local businesses. They also learned these facts:

The town of Whitewater is now an official Ice Age Trail community! This is great news for those who are interested in hiking and learning more about the Ice Age Trail.
The University of Wisconsin at Whitewater is also an official Ice Age Trail university. That is even more good news for students who are interested in nature. There will be a big celebration at UW-Whitewater in April to mark the occasion.
Two new businesses opened in Whitewater within the last two weeks. One is called The Book Teller and is located in an old bank building. The other is La Piazza Pizzeria, owned by the same folks who run the popular Italian restaurant, Fanatico.

Mingwei from China peruses used books for purchase at The Book Teller.

The Book Teller is located within an old bank. You can still see the safes in the backroom!

We also learned that Whitewater’s nickname is “Nature’s Playground.” This is because of all the beautiful nature surrounding Whitewater and all the different ways people can enjoy outdoor activities here. Hiking is very popular in Whitewater.
The Kettle Moraine State Forest (Southern Unit) is only a 20 minute drive away from Whitewater.

It was a great day for ELA students to learn more about their community, the natural wonders surrounding our town, and talk with people directly involved in building up this community.

March 13, 2019March 13, 2019

Exploring UWW History

This past February, students in English 163: Introduction to U.S. Culture for International Students class learned about University of Wisconsin – Whitewater history by exploring the permanent exhibit, The Royal Purple, located on the ground floor of the University Center. The Royal Purple is UWW’s official student-run newspaper since 1901. Here, we share one student’s reflections.

Donfak Dongo (“Bih” from Cameroon) reported that she was impressed to read about “the 16 grievances of the Afro-American students [which was] a turning point for the black student committee […] in February 18, 1969.”

The headlining story for the February 1969 issue.

Donfak continued, “Because of the [students’] firm rejection of President Carter’s vague answers to the Afro-American’s demands at a press conference of making the Black student Union culturally relevant, having a seat on the student senate, increasing financial aid and so forth, President Carter was compelled to pay the issue more attention to accommodate their needs.”

Commenting on her UWW history “find,” Donfak reflected: “What I found interesting was the firmness and briefness in which the Afro-American students’ representative addressed the topic to the press. This showed how determined they were to make their voices heard.”