East Gateway Prairie – Photo courtesy of Ginny Coburn
Ginny Coburn writes, “Shown here are purple prairie clover and coreopsis, two of the native Wisconsin plants growing in the mini-prairie surrounding a public art piece at East Milwaukee St. A matching sculpture and prairie is found across the street at East Main and together the area is known as the East Gateway to Whitewater. Other plants found in the landscapes are white prairie clover, silky Canadian rye, black-eyed Susan, rattlesnake master, butterfly weed, bee balm, liatris, milkweed and more. The growing of native plants benefits the environment by hosting caterpillars and pollinators. Birds need protein to feed their babies and caterpillars are a great source but some species of caterpillar are “specialists” and will only feed on one plant family. The monarch caterpillar, for example, only feeds on milkweed leaves. Growing a variety of native plants benefits birds and encourages a variety of butterflies and moths.
The pair of sculptures by Richard Taylor is titled “Ascent and Bloom” and suggests a tree with branches, each of which has symbols of Whitewater history such as agricultural implements, native birds, flowing water, Esterly Reaper factory parts and a wooly mammoth representing the Ice Age which shaped our Kettle Moraine topography. Pedestrians enjoy interpreting the various symbols for themselves, then making a visit to the Whitewater Depot Museum to see the actual artifacts.
The sculptures and prairie were made possible by a generous grant from Fort Community Credit Union.”
— Our thanks to Ms. Coburn for sharing this beautiful photograph and interesting information with us.
— Our Readers Share: We hope that you might have something that you’d be willing to share. Anything that’s been created by someone else should, of course, be credited, and you should ask their permission if you’re able. We cannot post copyrighted material without permission. We can’t guarantee that we’ll have space for all submissions, and contributions will be subject to editorial board approval. The one definite exclusion is anything politically oriented. We will assume that you’re willing for us to include your name as the submitter unless you indicate that you prefer to remain anonymous. Send to whitewaterbanner@gmail.com or click on “submit a story” near the top right of our homepage. Thanks for thinking about this!
(Whitewater Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Whitewater Press Release) In February, the Whitewater Marketing Alliance, a collaborative group whose goal is promote Whitewater as a place to live, learn, work and play, prepared a survey to begin to find out how residents of Whitewater feel about their community. The survey asked for one-word answers to the question “Whitewater is….”
The results of the survey, which received nearly 150 responses, can be seen in this graphic, commonly called a word cloud. Words that were used fewer than five times were not included in the graphic. Top responses include UW-Whitewater, community, home, small, quaint and friendly.
The Whitewater Marketing Council includes representatives from the City of Whitewater, Downtown Whitewater, the Whitewater Chamber of Commerce, the Whitewater Unified School District, UW-Whitewater, and the Greater Whitewater Committee.
From the International Students page on the UW-W website
UPDATE – 7/14 @ 2:40 p.m., per the Wisconsin State Journal and other media outlets, as a hearing was getting underway before a federal judge on a lawsuit contesting the policy, ICE announced that the Trump administration is rescinding the policy. For the story in the Wisconsin State Journal click here.
Message from Chancellor Watson on international students
Dear Campus Colleagues,
Earlier this month, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released its Fall 2020 operational guidance that prohibits international students from returning to or remaining in the United States this fall if the college or university they attend adopts online-only instruction models amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, Monday, July 13, 18 states, including Wisconsin, filed a lawsuit that challenges the rule. This is a dynamic situation and we are monitoring it closely, as is the UW System administration.
UW System President Tommy Thompson said, in a statement, “International students are welcomed here at the UW System. We fully support the Attorney General’s action today joining the lawsuit challenging the ICE rules regarding international students. While we provided background for the lawsuit, our belief is that our universities’ planned hybrid model of teaching delivery during the fall 2020 semester ensures our compliance with the rules if they are upheld.”
As a university that embraces diversity and inclusion — in all its forms — we find this order by ICE troubling. UW-Whitewater deeply values and appreciates our international students and staff. Our campus is a more engaging and vibrant place because of our international Warhawk family members. These valued colleagues represent more than 40 different countries contributing to the richness of our university. It is our hope that our international students and staff always feel that they belong on the UW-Whitewater campuses. We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure their presence and success at UW-Whitewater.
Currently, campus leaders and the staff in the Office of International Students and Scholars are working to support our international students. We are in contact with students at both campuses to ensure that the students feel supported, valued and cared for as well as receiving critical information that they need. We are also reaching out to instructors and administrators to explain the potential impact these rules could have on our students.
As members of the Warhawk family, I encourage all of us to take the time to reach out to students or friends impacted by these new rules to check in with them and to offer support.
Sincerely, Dr. Dwight C. Watson Chancellor
Banner addition: The following statement was issued by UW System Regent President Andrew S. Petersen:
“The value of international students to our universities extends beyond the financial and research support they provide Wisconsin. Their presence on UW System universities contributes to the learning opportunities and cultural enrichment provided to all of our students.”
By Jeff Angileri Director of University Communications, UW-W angilerj@uww.edu
Warhawk summers are for campers. When people visit the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater this time of year, they normally see thousands of kids engaged in activities at the laboratories, athletic fields, dorms and computer labs. Learning and laughter are everywhere. And then the global pandemic hit.
In our new normal, those special summertime traditions have evolved. The campers and the learning and the laughter are happening in new ways, thanks to a little Warhawk willpower. In the UW-Whitewater Camps and Conferences office, people are making memories —and they aren’t letting a pandemic stand in the way.
One of those online camps is a football skills camp for young quarterbacks created by Warhawk Football Offensive Coordinator and Quarterback Coach Peter Jennings.
“We were tasked to see if we could bridge the gap between a live camp and no camp at all. I talked to Coach Bullis and staff,” said Jennings, referring to Warhawk Football Head Coach Kevin Bullis. “I talked to my wife, and the idea began to come together and I started to think, ‘Hey, this could actually be really pretty good!’”
Jennings was off and running with a keeper. He designed the camp for two age groups: high school players on Tuesdays and youth (grades 1-8) on Thursdays. Campers poured in, attracted by online marketing, a seemingly one-of-a-kind program and the national profile of the six-time national champion Warhawk football program. Most campers joined from Wisconsin and Illinois, but Jennings has seen registrations from Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming and Florida.
On camp days at 4 p.m., Jennings goes from his home in Whitewater to the basement of the Berezowitz Student Athletic Complex on campus. He plugs his laptop into a projector, and his campers — about 25 of them per session — appear from their homes on a projector screen. Jennings then places his cell phone into a holder rigged to a length of plastic pipe and taped to a chair, for height.
“There are a lot of uses for athletic tape other than taping ankles,” he said.
The camera points toward a space — also marked with athletic tape — from which Jennings demonstrates throws, fakes, fades, hip movement, footwork and all the other nuances of quarterbacking. In every session he teaches fundamentals of throwing, and he adds a new application or emphasis each time.
“I give them a drill, I teach them the drill, I explain why we’re doing the drill,” said Jennings. “I blow a whistle and they go do that movement. And so I am watching them live, and I just go through and I can say ‘Hey Bobby, great work’; ‘Jimmy, we gotta focus a little more on rotation’; ‘Tommy, nice job.’”
“Then I blow my whistle. I bring them back to the screen and I give them another drill to do and give them the why and the how for that drill, blow my whistle and give them corrections for that drill. We do that for an hour.”
Jennings credits his wife, Kim, for telling him to use the whistle and for valuable feedback as he thought about how to teach the campers. The Jennings have two young children of their own — Mara, 6, and Ben, 7.
“She was the one who said ‘Use the whistle. It’s going to make it more authentic and it’s going to be loud enough to bring kids back and forth.’ She said I should get it into as large an area as possible for myself,” added Jennings. “Being able to go over to the Berezowitz Student Athletic Complex and utilize that basement has been awesome. She helped me tailor it to something that has become pretty successful.”
Jennings said the experience has been a game changer in some unforeseen ways for everyone involved. He can’t be there in person to lift a camper’s elbow or show a camper how to turn a shoulder correctly, so he’s refined his teaching skills. He thinks about precise, descriptive language in ways that will have lasting benefits.
And then there are the campers and the moms, dads, sisters, brothers and friends who catch the balls for campers and record the campers for Jennings to see in real time.
“People are hungry to get to some sense of normalcy,” said Jennings. “Showing up virtually and throwing a football with your dad or your mom feels normal for these kids. And it feels normal for the parents. And that’s huge.”
“The fact that these kids are getting better (as players), that’s icing on the cake,” he added. “This is something that feels right. It feels like a normal summer, and maybe that’s more important than anything.”
The current round of online quarterback skill camps has ended. Information on future camps and the many programs offered by UW-Whitewater Camps and Conferences can be found uww.edu/ce.
And so remember these days, these days of summer. And remember a few words from the legendary Green Bay Packers Coach Lombardi: “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.”
Fairhaven Senior Services is a WUL Hometown Hero “For taking action in early March in an attempt to keep its 420 residents and staff safe from COVID-19 by prohibiting in-house visitors to its main campus; for handling the social/emotional concerns of the residents and their families who have not been able to make in-house visits; and for graciously seeking viable alternatives for connections with loved ones.”
Paul Kuenning, President/CEO of Fairhaven said, “Our results are thanks to the extra effort of staff, residents, and their families to keep everyone safe.”
In the photo are: Nancy Denzin, Irving Sedano, Amy Crandall, Jessica Ward, Dawn Blazier, Stephanie Zwitter, Cindy Jolliffe, Tonya Zwitter, Shelly Kavanaugh, Sue Morse, Betty Schelb, Janet Hardt, Millie Zarate, Talon Kieffer, Brian Smith, Jasmyne Hauger, Karen Boyle, Terrie Munger, Paul Kuenning, Brian Robinson
He credits staff members being extra attentive to safety procedures — even when not at work — as one of the main reasons for the positive results.
“Our staff has done an outstanding job of protecting themselves for the benefit of our residents. They have gone out of their way to take precautionary measures at home,” said Kuenning.
Kuenning has high praise for the residents and their families, too. “Our residents and families have continued to be a great support,” he says, including Fairhaven’s Residents’ Council starting a “Keep Us Safe” fund that so far has collected $12,180. Funds will be used to support staff and provide needed protective equipment, including masks, washable protective gowns, shields, surgical masks, and movable carts.
Kuenning says that, thanks to everyone working together, Fairhaven is ready — no matter what the future holds. “Each day now, as businesses are opening, it will get more challenging to keep the virus at bay,” he says, “but I believe we are prepared for the eventuality, and will treat it and manage it as carefully as we have other difficult things in the past.”
Additional nomination comments included, “A large number of skilled nursing facilities and other senior residences around the state and the country have unfortunately struggled with keeping COVID-19 out of their buildings. Fairhaven took timely action in early March in an attempt to keep its residents safe, prohibiting in-house visitors to its main campus. The decision, though difficult, has paid off. All 420 residents and staff of Fairhaven, including Prairie Village residents, tested negative for COVID-19 in May.”
“There are signs on the property stating, ‘Heroes live here,’ and the residents, staff and family members have all played a part in helping to keep everyone healthy. It has required a great deal of patience, and recently Fairhaven responded by constructing a special area where visitors can be sheltered from the sun while seeing their loved ones through the windows and chatting on their cell phones.”
The staff has also worn masks at work throughout the pandemic, and has been cautious in their personal life in order to protect the residents.
WUL (Whitewater Unites Lives) is a locally-focused civil and human rights group that works to connect the people in our community and to create opportunities for all people to learn and support each other in our common humanity.
Anyone who would like to nominate a local hero of any age should send their nomination, with a short description, to whitewaterunites@gmail.com
Courtesy of Matt Amundson, who said, “I put this together as I’m sure everyone is starved for some sports content 🙂 It appears that everyone was so excited to see baseball again that no one took any pictures.”
On Wednesday, July 8th the Whitewater 12 & Under baseball teams faced each other at Treyton’s Field of Dreams in Starin Park with Whitewater Red defeating Whitewater Grey 9-8 in a fun baseball game amongst future Whippets. The Red team had a big first inning taking a 6-1 lead but the Grey team chipped away and eventually took an 8-6 lead heading into the bottom of the 5th inning. The Grey team was bolstered by a strong pitching performance from Caleb Jagodinski who struck out 8 batters over 3 innings. A bases-loaded walk off double by Ty Bucholtz ended the game in the Red team’s favor. Leading hitters for the Grey team were Caleb Jagodzinski with a double and 2 runs batted in and Evan Amundson with 2 singles and 2 runs batted in. Leading the way for the Red team were Lucas Jacob and Ty Bucholtz who each had 3 hits including a double by both. Lucas added 2 runs batted in while Ty had 5.
Roberta’s Art Gallery is pleased to announce a social media photo contest. We invite you to submit your favorite photos of summer fun. We look forward to viewing the creative submissions from Warhawks and friend of UW-Whitewater!
GUIDELINES: – Can be a UW-Whitewater student, faculty, staff, or community member to enter**Roberta’s Art Gallery employees are not eligible to enter the contest.- ENTER ONLINE BY WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2020- Submission limit of 3 photos (must fill out one form per submission)- PHOTOS WILL BE POSTED ON THE UW-WHITEWATER UNIVERSITY CENTER FACEBOOK PAGE (uc.uww)- There will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place Winners for Viewers Choice and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place Winners chosen by Guest Judges- WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON FRIDAY, JULY 31
Photos can be of favorite summer memories, people, summer festivities, nature, etc. We ask that all photos depict appropriate content as they will be posted on our social media. Upload Photo – no major editing or digital enhancing, photo must be taken between 2018 to present time.
(Whitewater, WI) Fifteen years ago, the University Writing Awards were established to recognize exceptional writing by students from across all colleges at UW-Whitewater. Each year, instructors nominate outstanding work in a wide variety of genres ranging from essays and research papers to business emails, poetry, and personal reflections.
The University Writing Awards committee includes faculty members, Jolly Emrey, Elizabeth Blair, Kris Curran, John Pruitt, Russell Kashian, Barrett Swanson, and Elizabeth Hachten, chair. There are three levels of awards (1st – Outstanding, 2nd – Superior, 3rd – Distinguished) except in the category of First-Year Writing. Thanks to the support of the University Foundation, winners receive cash awards, as well as, a certificate of achievement.
This year, the Writing Awards Selection Committee’s task was particularly difficult as they received a record 56 submissions. In the end, twenty-two students were chosen to receive awards in nine categories: creative writing, expository essay, group projects, journalistic writing, professional writing, personal reflection, research paper, reviews and critiques, and first-year writing. Congratulations to this year’s winners on the effectiveness of their writing and the committee encourages them to continue polishing their skills in the years to come. And kudos to the faculty mentors who have nurtured and encouraged their development as writers.
The winners in the College of Arts and Communication are:
Outstanding award for Creative Writing to Kathleen Grace Martin for “Mask-Wearing 101” nominated by Barrett Swanson.
Superior award for Expository Essay to Alex Emery for “The Intersectionalities of Ma Rainey” nominated by Erin Bauer.
Distinguished award for Journalistic Writing to Kylie Jacobs for “Discover Whitewater Series beats our rain” nominated by Keith Zukas.
Superior award for Research Paper to Alex Emery for “Influences on John Cage’s Musical Form” nominated by Erin Bauer.
Distinguished award for Research Paper to Allison Keller for “Upheaval and Loss in Stravinsky’s Symphony in C: Searching for Order to Cope with Tragic Times” nominated by Erin Bauer.
Distinguished award for Research Paper to Allison Keller for “The Art of Program Music: An Analysis of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s Piano Cycle Das Jahr” nominated by Erin Bauer.
First-Year Student Writing Award to MacKenzie Lindow for “Rhetorical Analysis: Just Mercy” nominated by Erin Bauer.
By the way, the Grand Prize went to Olivia Viets, a spring 2020 graduate who majored in Social Studies Broadfield Education and minored in Spanish. Her topic was “Language, Literature and the Welsh Nationalist Movement.”
The UW-W football team has been ranked first in the nation by College Football America Yearbook in the publication’s NCAA Division III Preseason Poll.
#2 – Mount Union #3 – Defending National Champion North Central (IL) #4 – University of Mary Hardin-Baylor #5 – Wheaton (IL)
UMHB was ranked fourth as a team in the magazine’s preseason ranking. Wisconsin-Whitewater was picked #1 by the publication. Mount Union was picked second and defending national champion North Central (Ill.) was picked third. Wheaton (Ill.) rounded out the magazine’s top five.
