Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville earned a spot on G.I. Job's list of military-friendly schools, characterized by their efforts and successes in recruiting veteran students. G.I. Jobs, a website and magazine that helps current and former members of the military transition successfully into civilian life, formed the list which recognizes the top 15 percent of the most military-friendly of the nation's 7,000 schools. Schools on the list range from state universities and private colleges to community colleges and trade schools. The common bond between them is their shared willingness to cater to the unique needs of military students.

The United States government has allocated tens of billions of dollars through the Post-9/11 GI Bill for educating America's armed forces, providing monies paid directly to schools for tuition, housing allowance, stipends for books and other fees associated with higher education.

"Veterans need a trusted friend to help them decide where to get educated," said Rich McCormack, G.I. Jobs publisher. "This list is especially important now because the recently enacted Post-9/11 GI Bill has given veterans virtually unlimited financial means to go to school. Veterans can now enroll in any school, provided they're academically qualified."

Cody Brigman, president of the UWP Veterans Club, was unsurprised that UWP was included in the list. "This campus has a long-standing relationship with veterans," said Brigman. "The Registrar's Office, which also functions as a veteran liaison, goes to bat for veterans time and again. It is through their dedicated service that many of us on campus are able to concentrate on schoolwork rather than paperwork."

Brigman also mentioned that many veterans joined their particular branch of service immediately after high school, and that ACT and SAT scores are something that most veterans don't have before enrolling.

"When a vet leaves his or her branch, it can be at any given time of the year, which doesn't always lend itself to jumping right into college, but the campus works with us so that we have the chance to get enrolled at our earliest convenience," added Brigman.

Changes in environment and social structure are also significant challenges veterans face as they begin college. However, UWP's veteran community aims to help veteran students with these transitions and better acclimate them with their new environment, according to Brigman.

For more information about the Post-9/11 GI Bill or other veteran-related questions, contact the Registrar's Office at (608) 342-1321. To learn more about the UWP Veterans Club, contact Brigman at brigmanc@uwplatt.edu

Contact: Cody Brigman, president, UWP Veterans Club, brigmanc@uwplatt.edu Written by: Ian Clark, UWP Office of Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, clarki@uwplatt.edu

PLATTEVILLE-University of Wisconsin-Platteville students studying international relations will share the poster projects with fellow students through a display in Heritage Hall in the Pioneer Student Center. The event will take place on Friday, Nov. 20, beginning at 8 a.m.

"The posters will focus on all kinds of topics," said Susan Morris, professor of political science at UWP. "Because there are so many things that could be covered in a class as broad as International Relations, the poster project helps expand the course and gives students the opportunity to explore sub-topics of what we've been discussing. The projects are all quite exciting and I'd like to invite everyone to come and not only enjoy the posters, but to soak up as much knowledge as possible."

Some of the posters will display research on topics such as, but not limited to, international food, agriculture, diplomacy, climate change, business and nuclear proliferation, added Morris.

For more information about the poster projects, contact Morris at (608) 342-1809 or morrissu@uwplatt.edu.

Contact: Susan Morris, professor, UWP Department of Political Science, (608) 342-1809, morrissu@uwplatt.edu

PLATTEVILLE - The University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Hmong Club will be putting on their annual Thanksgiving dinner on Friday, Nov. 20 at 5:30 p.m. in Velzy Commons of Ullsvik Hall. Tickets for the event are free, but are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis and must be acquired at the University Box Office or 124 Warner Hall, beginning Wednesday, Nov. 11.

The theme of the event this year is "The First Hmong Thanksgiving." The menu will be catered and includes Hmong-style roast turkey, Hmong sausage, boiled chicken, egg rolls, pork and greens, purple sticky rice, tapioca, sesame balls, pumpkin and squash. Vegetarian options-fried greens, veggie egg rolls and Hmong salad- are also available.

Entertainment will include a variety of shows such as Hmong music, a film about the Hmong Club and a Hmong play about the first Hmong thanksgiving. A few original dances will also be performed. Guests will have an opportunity to try on costumes and take a free picture beginning at 5 p.m.

For more information on the Hmong Thanksgiving Dinner, contact Pusaporn Tabrizi at tabrizip@uwplatt.edu or Kong Thao at thaokon@uwplatt.edu.

Contact: Pusaporn Tabrizi, advisor, Multicultural Educational Resource Center, (608) 342-1506, tabrizip@uwplatt.edu Written by: Laura Becherer, Office of Public Relations, (608) 342-1194,

PLATTEVILLE - The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Symphonic Wind Ensemble will be performing its annual fall concert titled Masterworks for Wind Band on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. The event will take place in the Richard and Helen Brodbeck Concert Hall in the Center for the Arts on the UWP campus. Admission to the event is free to the public.

This fall's concert will include selections by Norman Dello Joio, Paul Hindemith, Gustav Holst, John Philip Sousa, Frank Ticheli and Eric Whitacre. The overall theme for the concert will be standards of wind literature. Barry Ellis, UWP professor of music and director of bands, will be conducting most of the works for the evening including the march by Sousa. Ellis stated, "It is appropriate for us to include a march by Sousa, because his marches are masterworks and marches are part of our band heritage. If there is one musical genre that bands can claim as their own, it's the march."

Matthew Gregg, UWP associate director of bands, will be conducting "Variants on a Medieval Tune" by Dello Joio. Gregg remarked on the pieces contemporary aspects, "Even though some of these piece's are newer to the concert band scene, all have been embraced as recommended literature and are on many of the standard lists for concert band/wind ensemble. This allows us to place even more emphasis on exposing our players and the audience to band works that they should know. It is all fantastic music and a it's really challenging program."

For more information on the concert, contact Ellis at (608) 342-1017 or ellisb@uwplatt.edu.

Contact: Barry Ellis, professor of music and director of bands, UWP Department of Performing and Visual Arts, (608) 342-1017, ellisb@uwplatt.edu Written by: Suzi Morath, UWP Office of Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, moraths@uwplatt.edu

PLATTEVILLE - The University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Children's Center is a place where children of UWP students, faculty, staff and community members can learn and be cared for in a positive and caring atmosphere, according to their mission statement. In order to continue providing a quality environment for these children, the center is planning to replace the 13-year-old existing playground this spring.

"There are very few options with the current playground," said Julie Soja, director of the Children's Center, "It's wooden and requires a high level of maintenance."

According to Soja, the new playground will be packed with new features, including three slides, a climbing wall and four swings. The playground will not only benefit the children at the center but the environment as well, because it is made entirely out of recycled milk jugs.

"We knew the playground was going to cost around $25,000 for the equipment and installation," Soja explained. "We have been trying to raise funds over the past couple of years but had to do something more."

And they did. With the support of the Platteville campus and community, the Children's Center started a raffle in October and raised just over $7,000 in three weeks.

"It was exciting to see the community support for the raffle and we are very grateful," said Soja. The raffle prizes were donated from local venues and many community members purchased raffle tickets.

In addition to raffle proceeds, the center received a grant from the Platteville Community Fund toward the playground. "Our board really felt like this was an essential project to support," said Sue Conley, executive director of the Platteville Community Fund. She added that the project is important to improve the educational and skill development of community children.

As of today, the Children's Center has raised about $15,000 toward their final goal of $25,000. For more information, contact Soja at (608) 342-1260 or sojaj@uwplatt.edu.

Contact: Julie Soja, director, UWP Children's Center, (608) 342-1260, sojaj@uwplatt.edu Written by: Anne Killian, UWP Office of Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, killiana@uwplatt.edu