Vol. 38, No. 144, August 20, 2007     /     Log Archive

Consumer confidence is shaken. A bitter aftertaste lingers. Disillusioned buyers — uncertain where they'll re-purpose their cash reserves — wait things out on the sidelines. Fallout from the sub-prime mortgage loan debacle? No, the unexpected discontinuation of Taco Tuesdays at the Garden Café. No word yet on whether the Chancellor's Office, or perhaps the Fed, will intervene to resupply the market, but we'll continue to monitor the situation as events unfold. In news today:

Shepard, Rafn, Nerad: Budget implications dire
Green Bay's top public-education leaders sat down recently with the Press-Gazette editorial board. For his part, Chancellor Bruce Shepard says a tax-cutting mindset is a defensible philosophy, but less so when evidence suggests Wisconsin is not, in fact, a "tax hell," and when cuts to the education infrastructure would limit future growth. Click http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070819/GPG06/708190673/1269.

Bradley says tuition cap OK only with 'buydown' for students
New Board of Regents President Mark J. Bradley continues his forceful advocacy regarding the UW System budget. In a prepared statement this month, he reiterated that the Regents did what they meant and meant what they did in setting a 5.5% tuition increase. Legislative proposals to cap tuition at 4% are welcome, he says, only if they include additional public funding to maintain quality and service. See http://www.wisconsin.edu/news/2007/r070810.htm.

Countdown to Convocation: One week to go
Here's a reminder that back-to-school week at UW-Green Bay is only a few days away. The annual Faculty/Staff Convocation takes place Tuesday, Aug. 28, with continental breakfast at 8 a.m. in the Union's Leona Cloud Commons, followed by the program from 9 to 11 a.m. And the always-popular new freshman move-in day is Thursday the 30th. Watch for more details.

Road to Kress Center is off-limits, for the week
Already announced campuswide, but posted here for the benefit of off-campus readers: The road and small parking lot "behind" the new Kress Events Center is closed to traffic this week (through Aug. 27). Alternative access to the Kress, MAC Hall, Union and Ecumenical Center will be via Walter Way, through the Residence Life complex.

LGBTQ Inclusivity Initiative moves forward with September focus groups
A chance to shape discussion of climate issues for LGBTQ faculty, staff and students is offered across the UW System on Sept. 27. Lisa Beckstrand, director of the Sytem's Inclusivity Initiative, is organizing confidential focus groups with Rankin and Associates researchers in order to begin developing the climate survey that will go out to several campuses during the second semester. For an update on the Initiative, click http://lgbtq.uwsa.edu.

Sept. 11 is date chosen for campus to celebrate life of Mahalia Xiong
The Southeast Asian Student Union and the American Intercultural Center are coordinating the campus Celebration of Life for Mahalia Xiong on Tuesday, Sept. 11. The event will be held in the Phoenix Rooms of the University Union, starting at 5:30 p.m. The campus community and general public are invited. Questions about the event should be directed to staff member Mai Lo in the AIC at 465-2112. Xiong's body was recovered in her submerged vehicle in the Fox River on July 27. She had been missing since July 13. Xiong was a senior at UW-Green Bay and president of the Southeast Asian Student Union.

'Dorm shortage takes toll at UW-Madison'
Some state legislators think new dorms are too posh, even when built with program revenue, while UW-Madison officials say an inability to guarantee on-campus housing for promising first year students is a serious limitation. The state budget impasse is also having a fallout on capital projects; read about it at http://www.twincities.com/wisconsin/ci_6666784?nclick_check=1.

Editorial says high ACTs are great, but don't ignore achievement gap
The Green Bay Press-Gazette praises Wisconsin schools and students for a favorable showing in ACT testing for 2007, but said a distressing gap between white and minority achievement needs to be addressed. Click http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070816/GPG06/708160520/1269/GPGopinion.

Briefs
Scott Ashmann, assistant professor in the Professional Program in Education, recently returned from the University of Oxford where he was invited to give a presentation focusing on the ways in which environmental education draws upon the traditions from both the arts and humanities culture and the science, mathematics, and technology culture.

Staff members Jenny Leavitt and Jamie Van Boxel, area coordinators for the Office of Residence Life, were selected to present at the annual Association of College and University Housing Officers International conference in Seattle in July. Their roundtable, "A 'Gateway' to 'Innovative' Apartment Style Residential Facilities," focused on the latest trends in on-campus apartment living, facilities and community development.

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