News

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by the College of Arts and Communication, Department of Art and Design at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The Department of Art and Design in the College of Arts and Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater welcomes Della Wells as the 2023 Schuh Visiting Artist. Wells will be giving a free public lecture in the Young Auditorium on March 10 at 7 p.m. Prior to the lecture, beginning at 5 p.m., an hors d’oeuvres reception will provide an opportunity for everyone to view an exhibition of her work in the Crossman Gallery, located in the Greenhill Center of the Arts. 

Wells is a Milwaukee-based self-taught artist, curator, and arts advocate. In the lecture, she will speak about her journey with art in these various roles. Wells began drawing and painting seriously at the age of 42. Since then, she has created more than 2,000 images in various media and techniques, including collages. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and is represented by the Portrait Society Gallery in Milwaukee, WI. 

The exhibition, titled “Of Chicken, Myths & Fantasy: It Is Storied Tales Drives Our Dreams,” includes collages as well as drawings and paintings that are about storytelling and together reveal a magical land called Mamboland, where Black women rule and wherein Black women are both self-empowered and uplifted. The exhibition will be on view in the Crossman Gallery from March 6-23. 

Please join the Department of Art and Design for these free and public events on March 10: 

Exhibition Reception: 5 – 7 p.m. at the Crossman Gallery 

Artist Lecture and Q&A: 7 – 8:30 p.m. in the Young Auditorium 

No prior registration is necessary to attend the exhibition and reception. Free tickets for the lecture can be found online at tickets.uww.edu or by calling (262) 472-2222. The Crossman Gallery is located in the Greenhill Center of the Arts at 950 W. Main St., Whitewater, WI 53190. The Young Auditorium is located at 930 W. Main St., Whitewater, WI 53190. 

Ticketed events do not require a parking pass. Patrons can park in Lot 1 (corner of Prince & Main Street) starting up to 30 minutes prior to the event without a parking pass.
Non-ticketed events that happen during the week and before 5pm on Friday require that attendees have a parking pass. 

Ways to purchase a parking pass are as follows: 

• A visitors pass can be ordered online on the Parking Services website and printed at home. 
• Stop by the Visitors Center building at 826 W. Starin Road, Whitewater, WI 53190. Business hours are 7:30 – 4:30 pm. During non-business hours, attendees can stop by the kiosk located behind the Visitors Center building in the service drive-thru to purchase an hourly, daily or weekly parking permit. 

The Annette and Dale Schuh Visiting Artist Endowment supports an annual visit of a visual artist of a significant stature to UW-Whitewater. It offers a transformative visual arts experience to students in the Department of Art and Design. 

The College of Arts and Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater offers rigorous programs in music, theatre, dance, and the visual arts; internships; pre-professional opportunities in journalism, advertising, and applied communication; and innovative interdisciplinary studies. For more information visit uww.edu/coac.   

Fort Memorial Hospital Recognized as a Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital by The Chartis Center for Rural Health

Fort Memorial Hospital in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin announced it has been recognized as a 2023 Top 100 Rural & Community Hospital. Compiled by The Chartis Center for Rural Health, this annual recognition program honors outstanding performance among the nation’s rural hospitals based on the results of the Chartis Rural Hospital Performance INDEX™.

“It is a great honor to be awarded Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals in the United States in 2023 for the fifth consecutive year,” said Michael Anderson, MD, President and CEO of Fort HealthCare. “We are driven by our mission, vision, and values to deliver the highest quality of care, and receiving this award each year is a testament to the dedication everyone has at Fort HealthCare in serving our community and patients.”

“Across the nation, top 100 rural providers continue to serve as a source of inspiration for hospital leadership teams and staff working diligently every day to improve the delivery of care within their local communities,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, the Chartis Center for Rural Health. “The list of award winners in each category is as geographically diverse as we’ve seen in some time, which is wonderful to see. We’re thrilled to be able to honor the outstanding efforts of these top performing rural hospitals.”

Now in its 13th year, the INDEX has established itself as the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Leveraging publicly available data, the INDEX is trusted by rural hospitals, health systems with rural affiliates, hospital associations and state offices of rural health across the country to measure and monitor performance across a variety of areas impacting hospital operations and finance.

Editor’s Note: The following is from the Whitewater Public Library.

The Whitewater Public Library’s Glacial River Memory Café theme on March 13 is The Civil War Era, and it features reenactors, music, stories, and treats relating to the American Civil War. This will be held on Monday, March 13^th from 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon. This event is free, and is open to anyone affected by early-stage memory loss and their care partner.

Registration is requested at librarymemoryproject.org. Click on “events” at the top of the page.

For more information, please respond to this email or call Suzanne at 262-458-2785.

By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

Turnout was unexpectedly high for a spring primary in the city and surrounding towns that are part of the Whitewater Unified School District. It seems clear that the very competitive Supreme Court race combined with the very large field of engaged candidates for school board generated more than average interest. There were 1495 voters in the city, 215 of whom were in the Jefferson County portion and 1280 in Walworth County. Unofficial results are shown below. Voters were allowed to cast their ballot for up to three candidates. The six candidates with the highest votes, indicated by an asterisk, will advance to the general election on April 4.

Editor’s Note: The following was provided by Whitewater Kiwanis Breakfast Club.

Notice of Tour – Whitewater Aquatic & Fitness Center Committee – Monday @ 5:00 p.m.
Whitewater Aquatic & Fitness Center
580 S. Elizabeth Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin
This Notice is given to inform the Public that members of the Whitewater Aquatic and Fitness Center Committee, consisting of members of both the Common Council and the Whitewater Unified School District, will be meeting for the purpose of touring the aquatic and fitness center facility. This is to inform the public that the Committee will be meeting, but there is no official action planned to be taken, and this notice is merely given to inform the public of the assembly of the Committee.

City of Whitewater Parks & Recreation Board – Wednesday @ 5:30 p.m. CANCELLED

Notice of possible quorum – Thursday 4-6 p.m.

This Notice is given to inform the Public that the City of Whitewater is hosting a presentation from Whitewater’s
Immigration Attorney, providing general information that would be beneficial to City staff members and community members.
The presentation will take place from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 23, and will be held in the City of Whitewater Municipal Building, Community Room, 312 W. Whitewater Street, Whitewater, WI. It is possible that a quorum of the Common Council or other City Boards and Commissions will be present. This notice is given to inform the public that there will be no formal action taken at this meeting, and attendance at the meeting would be for the purpose of information gathering purposes.

City of Whitewater Urban Forestry Commission – Thursday @ 4:30 p.m.
Agenda
Cravath Lakefront Room 2nd Floor
312 W. Whitewater St.
Please join the meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
https://meet.goto.com/968318445
You can also dial in using your phone.
Access Code:
968-318-445
1 (571) 317-3112
Get the app now and be ready when your first meeting starts:
https://meet.goto.com/install

City of Whitewater Common Council – THURSDAY @ 6:30 p.m.
Agenda includes ordinance allowing ATV/UTV use on city streets, possible issuance of Class B alcohol license, water rate increase implementation, Starin Park water tower structural analysis report, and telecommuting policy.
City of Whitewater Municipal Building – Community Room
312 W. Whitewater St.
This will be an in person AND a virtual meeting.
Citizens are welcome (and encouraged) to join via computer, smart phone, or telephone.
Citizen participation is welcome during topic discussion periods.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89174124171?pwd=eG9weHpkajk3dmlYSDA5SzlGSHFNZz09
Passcode: 329583
Or Telephone:
1 312 626 6799
Webinar ID: 891 7412 4171
Passcode: 329583

The City of Whitewater Parks & Recreation Department will host Freeze Fest at Cravath Lakefront Park on Saturday, March 18th 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Freeze Fest will feature a chili-cook off, Polar Plunge, live music, hot cocoa, and more!

‘Freezin’ for a Reason’ returns to Cravath Lakefront Park for the first time since 2020! “We are excited to have our Freeze Fest back after a 2-year absence. Whether you are there to take the plunge to raise money for Special Olympics, or partake in the Chili Cook-off, it is always great to see everyone enjoying the event,” said Eric Boettcher, Parks and Recreation Director. “This year’s event is in March rather than February, making it possibly a touch warmer for everyone. Regardless, I hope you come down to Cravath Lakefront Park to enjoy this fun event.”

The Polar Plunge will help raise funds for Special Olympics Wisconsin Athletes (SOWI). Whitewater plungers raised $54,000 in 2019 and $67,056 in 2020. Whitewater is one of eight locations participating statewide. The Polar Plunge aims to raise $200,000 for athletes of Special Olympics Wisconsin. Polar Plunge participants will plunge into the icy water of our 18,000-gallon pool. Registration runs from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The Polar Plunge will follow the 11:00 a.m. opening ceremony. To register for the Polar Plunge, visit https://polarplungewi.org/locations/whitewater/

The Chili Cook-Off serving begins at 11:00 a.m. and judging will take place at 11:30 a.m. in the Polar Plunge warming tent. The cook-off is limited to the first 12 entries. First place will win bragging rights, a traveling trophy, and gift certificates. The runner-up will win gift certificates. There will also be a People’s Choice Chili winner and an award for the best decorated table. Proceeds will be split between the Special Olympics Wisconsin Athletes and Seniors in the Park. To register for the Chili Cook-Off go to https://whitewater.recdesk.com/Community/Program?category=2 Class #6224.11Class #6224.11, call 262-473-0535 or email jfrench@whitewater-wi.gov. There is no entry fee.

“Freeze Fest is a great opportunity to bring our community together while supporting a great cause. Whether you would like to take the plunge, taste the chili, or stop by the event, we hope you will join us,” said John Weidl, Whitewater city manager.

For more information about the event, please visit www.wwparks.org

The Royal Purple, the UW-Whitewater student produced newspaper, is currently accepting votes for its 7th annual Best of Whitewater awards. Since their ad indicates that the annual list is voted by the Whitewater and UW-W community, it’s evident that they welcome the larger community to join the campus community in voting. The ballot is available here. The “polls” are open until March 1, and the results are to be displayed in an online edition starting Monday, March 6.

The following students who consider Whitewater to be their home are among UW-Whitewater’s 2023 Greek chapter presidents.

Montserrat Cuevas, who is studying Spanish, has been elected president of Alpha Phi Gamma National Sorority, Inc

Conner Young, who is studying Legal Studies, has been elected president of Lambda Chi Alpha

Ranging from one member to more than 80, the 25 Greek chapters at UW-Whitewater stem from a rich history and are affiliated with national, international and local organizations. While the individual goals of each chapter are different, the overall mission of the presidents of the chapters is largely centered around service, engagement and commitment to their members and campus.

“Being a president of any organization is an important role,” says Jacob Foulker, program specialist – Greek community and service. “In the Greek community, they play a vital role in the operations and oversight of their chapter. A president of a fraternity or sorority chapter is a leader on campus. These individuals manage an organization with upwards of 60+ members. They oversee everything from finances, to recruitment, to social activities along with other executive board members.”

When a student joins a fraternity or sorority, they meet other young professionals looking to develop long-lasting relationships on campus. By joining a Greek organization, students have the ability to meet and network with individuals nationally through conventions, conferences and other campus and national events. On average, members of fraternities and sororities have a higher GPA, higher retention rates and higher graduation rates.

“Going Greek is a great way to get involved and give back to the community. 95% of the community service done by UW-Whitewater students comes from members of the Greek Community. Greek students have provided thousands of community service hours annually, and raised more than $20,000 toward local and national philanthropies in 2022. Chapters also provide many opportunities for students to lead and learn by doing. The role of a Greek president is an example of one of those positions. They are necessary to foster the type of dedication and commitment needed for Greeks to complete the amazing work their organizations accomplish,” Foulker said.

All members of the Greek community are responsible for representing not only their fraternity or sorority but UW-Whitewater as a whole every day. For more information on the presidents of the Greek chapters or the Greek community at UW-Whitewater visit reach out to Jacob Foulker at FoulkerJA10@uww.edu.