By Lisa Dawsey Smith
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
At the Common Council meeting on September 15, the members unanimously appointed Gregory Lee Majkrzak II to fill the District 5 seat that was vacated by McKinley Palmer on September 1. The other applicants were Brandon Joseph Thomas and Neil Hicks. Both Majkrzak and Hicks introduced themselves in the Zoom meeting; however, Dr. Thomas did not appear.
Mr. Majkrzak moved to Whitewater in 2016, lives on Tower Hill Pass, and is employed by Generac Power Systems as an Engineering Manager. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, and a Master of Business Administration from William Woods University, Columbia, MO. He is married to Dr. Tia Schultz, an associate professor in the Special Education Department at the UW-W, and they have four kids. Greg is the Vice Chair of the city Board of Zoning Appeals, and also serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Whitewater Grocery Co. He indicated that he would plan to run in the April 6, 2021 Common Council election.
City Manager Cameron Clapper announced that Officer Shane Brandl, who has been serving as the School Resource Officer, has been promoted to Detective Lieutenant. He also reported that a new online form is available for citizens to express an interest in serving on boards and commissions. The form may be submitted at any time, regardless of whether there is an open position on a particular body.
Lisa Dawsey Smith, President of the Downtown Whitewater Board, spoke of the COVID-19 precautions that are in effect at the City Market. This year’s market is not considered a social event; there is no music and no food trucks are anticipated for the remainder of the season. Ms. Dawsey Smith encouraged citizens to support the farmers and other vendors, most of whom come from a 15-20 mile radius. Turnout this year has averaged only about 25% of that of previous years.
Board member Kathleen Fleming and Kellie Carpenter, Executive Director, of Discover Whitewater, gave the 2019 tourism report. An upcoming highlight is that Whitewater will be the first stop on the Mammoth 40 Hike Challenge on the Ice Age Trail.
UW-W Interim Chancellor Greg Cook reported on recent efforts to mandate student compliance with infection control practices in the midst of rapidly rising COVID-19 positivity. He indicated that the university now has the ability to discipline students for off-campus behavior, in particular for substantiated violations of the COVID-19. Printed below in italics is a portion of the communication that Dr. Cook sent to the campus community on September 14.
“At a special meeting last Wednesday night, I made an impassioned plea to the Whitewater Common Council regarding an ordinance to limit large scale gatherings. If we don’t change the course of this virus now, we will join other campuses in moving to remote delivery, maybe for two weeks, maybe for the remainder of the semester. This isn’t something any of us wants to do, but it may be required. We’ve said all along your health and safety is our main concern. Nothing has changed in that regard, and we will continue to put your health and safety first.
The COVID-19 virus has the immediate potential to impair our ability to fulfill our normal teaching mission. Failure to follow safety precautions impairs our ability to continue. Failure to wear a mask, observe social distancing, or take other suggested precautions will therefore be investigated aggressively and may lead to disciplinary action up to and including suspension and/or expulsion. This applies to student activity on campus, and it also applies off campus at any location when the student is expected to return to campus or participate in university events of any type. My official notice to you about this policy is attached to this email.“
Therefore, please be aware that the university will invoke state law and UW System policy UWS 17.08(2) which gives the Dean of Students Office the authority to discipline students when their behavior both on and off campus:
- presents or may present a danger or threat to the health or safety of themselves or others, or
- seriously impairs the university’s ability to fulfill its teaching, research, or public service missions.
The COVID-19 virus has the immediate potential to impair our ability to fulfill our normal teaching mission. Failure to follow safety precautions impairs our ability to continue. Failure to wear a mask, observe social distancing, or take other suggested precautions will therefore be investigated aggressively and may lead to disciplinary action up to and including suspension and/or expulsion. This applies to student activity on campus, and it also applies off campus at any location when the student is expected to return to campus or participate in university events of any type. My official notice to you about this policy is attached to this email.
Dr. Cook indicated that city residents observing students disregarding the safety precautions are encouraged to report the concern with the use of this form. Reports could also be called to the COVID-19 Hotline at 262-472-1362.
Cook indicated that there has been a backlog on contact tracing for those with positive tests, resulting in the designation of some University personnel to assist the county with this responsibility. Dr. Cook acknowledged having been disappointed with the Council’s decision at the special meeting on September 9 to not adopt an ordinance limiting the size of gatherings off-campus. After favorable comment about an ordinance from two citizens, including Will Hintz, Intergovernmental Affairs Director for Whitewater Student Government, and considerable Council discussion, there still was insufficient support informally indicated by Council members to warrant another attempt to develop an ordinance.
An article by Jonah Beleckis in The Gazette titled, “Reversing course, UW-W says it will punish students for off-campus actions,” provides further details.
