Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE- Each year, approximately 3,000 people see theatrical productions put on by the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneer Players. The group exists to entertain, learn new theatrical skills and promote the theater.

Pioneer Players will put on six shows this year. The remaining shows are "A Midsummer Night's Dream" by William Shakespeare, "The Laramie Project" by Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project, "Thoroughly Modern Millie" by Dick Scanlan and Richard Morris, and the "One Act Festival".

Everything is done by the students and two faculty advisors, Ann Farrelly and David Schuler, both professors of theater. Each show is a three-month process that begins with production meetings. Students then design and produce costumes, sets and lighting. Rehearsals are held for three hours a day, five days a week and last five to eight weeks. Students spend additional time outside of rehearsal memorizing lines and working on sets and costumes.

"You have to love theater or you won't be able to do it. It requires a lot of time and energy and people quickly realize that. It's real work," said Farrelly.

Added Amanda Valiquette, vice president of Pioneer Players, "(I love theater so much) I don't know what to do when I'm not rehearsing or performing."

Pioneer Players is open to all majors as are auditions. Auditions for spring shows will be held the week of Dec. 8. Being part of the group allows students to experience every aspect of the theater from acting to stage management. They can also earn class credit for being part of the productions. Each monthly meeting consists of a workshop where members learn something new about theater whether it's mask making or résumé writing.

"It prepares us (for a career in theater) by giving us experience. We get to be involved in all aspects of a show. It gives us the opportunity to see what we want to pursue," said Tiffany Hess, president of Pioneer Players.

All shows are $5 for UWP students. Prices for community members vary with each show but are always below $10. According to Schuler, UWP is the only campus in the UW System that sells tickets to student-made shows for under $10. Tickets are available through the University Box Office located on the ground floor of Ullsvik Hall. The University Box Office is open Monday and Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are also available by phone at (608) 342-1298 or online at http://tickets.uwplatt.edu.

Anyone wanting more information about Pioneer Players may contact Hess at hesst@uwplatt.edu.

Contact: Tiffany Hess, president, Pioneer Players, hesst@uwplatt.edu Written by: Krystle Kurdi, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, kurdik@uwplatt.edu

Labels: Pioneer players

PLATTEVILLE - Hampel Corp. has donated 20 Calf-Tel calf pen systems to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Pioneer Farm.

The donation from the Wisconsin company allows the farm to move its young calves from the greenhouse to the old Dairy Center, which provides a better and warmer environment. The 20 pens are installed side-by-side in two rows of 10 facing each other.

"It's a win-win situation," said Jaclyn Bevan, a development officer for the UWP Foundation. "The company's product will be visible to the public who visit the farm and it's a win for UW-Platteville because we can use the pens and expand our herd without having to expand our current facility."

The pens will house calves up to about 2 months old, said Cory Weigel, Pioneer Farm's dairy herd manager. A few days after the pens were installed, 15 already were in use.

The new two-by-six-foot pens allow for easy management and cleaning. When a calf is moved out, the bedding can just be removed and the plastic easily can be cleaned with a spray washer, Weigel said.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be conducted at the farm on Monday, Dec. 8. A ribbon-cutting will take place at 9:45 a.m. and an open house will run until noon. Refreshments will be served.

Calf-Tel's national sales manager, Lewis Anderson Jr., said the company's owner and others at the firm were very enthusiastic about donating the calf pen systems to UWP.

"We have a strong commitment to raising healthy animals and we want to be a part of it," Anderson said. "This is an opportunity to show our thanks for the research that goes on. We're happy to support the university."

Calf-Tel is a division of Hampel Corp., and is located in Germantown, a Milwaukee suburb. In addition to calf pens and hutches, Hampel also manufactures portable restrooms, reusable packaging and other products that utilize custom thermoforming. The company was formed in 1976.

Pioneer Farm opened its new Dairy Center in 2006. It includes cutting-edge technology, including robotic milkers. The university's goal is to expand its dairy herd to a full capacity of 200 cows by the end of 2009. With the calves moving to the old dairy barn, the greenhouse that previously housed calves will be used as an open-housing area for calves from 2 to 6 months old.

The 430-acre Pioneer Farm - located just southeast of Platteville - includes corn, oats and alfalfa along with beef, dairy cows and swine. The farm also includes a classroom and the capability to provide distance education.

For more information about the calf pens, contact Bevan at (608) 342-1864 or zimmermanj@uwplatt.edu.

Contact: Jaclyn Bevan, UWP Foundation, (608) 342-1864, zimmermanj@uwplatt.edu Written by: Gary Achterberg, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, achterbergg@uwplatt.edu

Labels: calf-tel, pioneer farm

PLATTEVILLE - Preparations are under way for the 2008 Christmas telethon in support of Wisconsin Badger Camp. The University of Wisconsin-Platteville has been hosting the telethon for over 30 years. The telethon will be broadcasted from the TV studio located in the basement of Pioneer Tower on the UWP campus on Saturday, Dec. 6, from noon to 10 p.m. The telethon also will be available on the Internet for the first time this year. A live stream will be broadcast at www.badgercamp.org.

Wisconsin Badger Camp is a non-profit organization designed for individuals with developmental disabilities. The theme of this year's telethon is "The Greatest Camp on Earth," and will show viewers what camp is all about, while raising funds to send individuals to camp. The camp accepts campers of all ages, regardless of the severity of their disability or geographic location, and is designed so that every camper can participate in every activity.

"The Christmas Telethon raises money for our campership program. Camperships provide financial assistance for campers who cannot afford the camp fee," said Betsy Ralph, Badger Camp's director of development and communications. "The success and longevity of the Christmas telethon is a true reflection of the dedication UWP and Southwest Wisconsin have to supporting Wisconsin Badger Camp."

The telethon was designed as a hands-on learning experience for broadcasting students and has evolved into an event that includes students, UWP staff and faculty, community members and a host of others from around the tri-state area. It is estimated that over 500 students of all majors participate in the event. They volunteer to answer phones, perform during the telethon, raise funds, run cameras and help out wherever there is need. Hosts and volunteers from past telethons take part in the alumni portion of the telethon as well.

"I come back because Badger Camp and the telethon meant so much to me during school that I like to come back and return the favor," said Angela (Drake) Reideman, UWP graduate and former telethon host. "It's fun to see former classmates and catch up with them. It's heartwarming to continue the relationship with the staff of Badger Camp and see the campers."

Not only students come back year after year, but many businesses and organizations in the community continually help out with the telethon. Corporate and community sponsors of the telethon this year include: UWP, Faherty Inc.,Eastman Cartwright Lumber Co. of Platteville, Lancaster First National Bank, Mound City Bank, Platteville New Car Dealers, Wal-Mart, Platteville Elks Lodge No. 1460, TUBB CLUBB, Platteville Thrift Shop, CenturyTel, Grant and Iowa County Tavern League, Design Homes/Deer Valley Inc., Platteville Jaycees, the Platteville Community Fund, TriCor Insurance and Financial Services.

If anyone has an auction item to donate or wants to get involved with the telethon, call the Badger Camp office at (608) 348-9689. For more information about the UWP Badger Camp telethon, contact Colleen Garrity at (608) 342-1628 or garrity@uwplatt.edu. For more information about Wisconsin Badger Camp, visit badgercamp.org.

Contact: Betsy Ralph, development/communications director, (608) 348-9689, bralph@badgercamp.org Written by: Anne Killian and Jason McGraw, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, killiana@uwplatt.edu, mcgrawj@uwplatt.edu

Labels: Christmas telethon, Wisconsin Badger Camp

PLATTEVILLE - Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle will preside over the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's new engineering building on Saturday, Dec. 13.

The new building, located at the intersection of Southwest Road and Longhorn Drive on the UWP campus, will open at 8 a.m. The ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.

Parking is available in Lot 24, off of Longhorn Drive, and Lot 10, near Pioneer Stadium.

Richard Shultz, UWP dean of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science, and UWP Chancellor David Markee also will deliver remarks during the brief ceremony to inaugurate the $25.6 million, 108,500-square-foot building.

When classes resume after winter break, the building will be home to electrical engineering, engineering physics, physics and the general engineering labs as well as the Nanotechnology Center for Collaborative Research and Development. Student organizations also will have workspace.

Plans for the new engineering building were driven by a need for more space as enrollment and other program needs had grown past the capacity of Ottensman Hall, the current engineering building. Discussions already are under way for an extensive renovation of Ottensman Hall.

The new building will have more than 300 computers, many dedicated for special equipment. There will be three computer labs, facilities for distance education and nine study areas for students.

The two main wings of the building have been named for two respected and popular former members of the faculty. The wings are named for Dale C. Dixon, who taught in Platteville for 42 years and was here during the transition from the Wisconsin Mining School, and Edward O. Busby, who was dean of the College of Engineering from 1966 until his retirement in 1988.

For more information on the ribbon-cutting ceremony for UWP's new engineering building, contact Barbara Daus, UWP special assistant to the chancellor, at (608) 342-1282 or daus@uwplatt.edu.

Contact: Barbara Daus, UWP special assistant to the chancellor, (608) 342-1281, daus@uwplatt.edu Written by: Gary Achterberg, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, achterbergg@uwplatt.edu

Labels: Gov. Jim Doyle, ribbon-cutting

PLATTEVILLE - The University of Wisconsin-Platteville's 181st commencement ceremonies will be conducted in the Williams Fieldhouse on the UWP campus on Saturday, Dec. 13.

The university will award a total of 480 degrees, 82 of which are master's degrees and 398 bachelor's degrees.

The first ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. and acknowledge students receiving master's degrees or graduating from the College of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture.

The second ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. and include students graduating from the College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Science or from the College of Liberal Arts and Education.

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle will be the principal commencement speaker for the morning ceremony. Dr. John E. Busby, president of Affiliated Dentists, Madison, will be the commencement speaker in the afternoon.

The morning ceremony will be kicked off as commencement marshal Karen O. Bennett Allen carries the university mace and leads in the graduating students. Todd A. Faulhaber will carry the BILSA banner.

Jeremy E. Hach will serve as the senior valedictory speaker.

In addition, Chad W. Griepentrog, '93, vice president of RB Publishing Inc., in Madison; and Darin J. Pauls, '93, owner and chief executive officer of Beratung, a business consulting firm in Phoenix; will receive Outstanding Alumni awards.

The afternoon ceremony will be led by James K. Valaskey, who will carry the university mace and serve as commencement marshal. Samuel T. Straub will carry the EMS banner and Larissa J. Smage will carry the LAE banner.

Smage also will serve as the senior valedictory speaker.

The annual Underkofler Excellence in Teaching award will be presented during the afternoon ceremony to Philip J. Parker, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at UWP. Parker, who earned his bachelor's, masters and doctorate degrees from Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y., has been on the UWP faculty since August. 1998. The award is presented annually by Alliant Energy to recognize and reward outstanding teachers at UW institutions within the company's service area.

In addition, Virginia A. Emmons, '99, executive director, Educate Tomorrow Corp., an international non-profit organization in Florida that provides educational opportunities to disadvantaged people; and Tammy J. Salmon-Stephens, '94, senior director of the Engineering Advising Office at UW-Platteville, will receive Outstanding Alumni Awards.

The song leader for both ceremonies will be Joseph R. Dalton. The UW-Platteville Symphonic Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Matthew Gregg, also will perform at both ceremonies.

No tickets are required for the commencement ceremony but seating is available on a first-come first-served basis. Handicapped seating is available upon request at least one week prior to the commencement ceremony.

For more information on the UWP commencement, contact the registrar's office at (608) 342-1321.

Contact: Barbara Daus, UWP special assistant to the chancellor, (608) 342-1282, daus@uwplatt.edu Written by: Gary Achterberg, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, achterbergg@uwplatt.edu

Labels: commencement ceremonies