THE SPECTATOR
THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1923
Brotherly bond:
Blugold wrestlers Nathaniel and Ryan Behnke push each other to success despite different paths. Page 7.
Nathaniel and Ryan Behnke
VOL. 93, NO. 9
NEWS PAGES 1-5
Thursday, Oct. 30
SPORTS
Student fees could continue to increase next school year if enrollment decreases again or fails to increase after this year’s dip. Christian Paese, finance commission director, said the discussion in the university has been whether to raise the segregated fees for students to continue the same level of services or cut amount of allocations to programs and organizations on campus. “Even if we wanted to allocate the exact same dollar amount as last year because we know enrollment is going down, we have to make a decision,” Paese said. Paese said this year the commission needed to decide the intent and purpose of the fees, and it wants to keep the level of services as they are, continuing to bring students in and improve the campus. The part of the segregated fee that students pay is currently $691.24 for full-time students, of which $574.21 is non-allocable and $117.03 is allocable, according to the university’s website. That makes up the around $4 million dollars per year that Student Senate allocates. The level of increase for next year will depend on the appeals of organizations regarding their budgets and PAESE
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Administration discusses what to do with surpluses STAFF WRITER
OP / ED
CURRENTS
PAGES 7-9
Student fees expected to increase once again Glen Olson
FALL 2014
a decision by the senate, Paese said. Even as the segregated fee may increase in certain areas, other programs paid for out of student fees have running balances. Martin Hanifin, vice chancellor for administration and finance, said administration is currently discussing the use of the money collected from fees suchs as the fees for Davies Center and the textbook rental program. Hanifin said the Davies Center maintenance fee maintains the building and also pays for the bond payments on the building, which is essentially the mortgage of the building and is paid on a 20 year commitment. Students began paying for the building and maintenance of Davies Center several years before the building was built, and currently has a balance of $3 million. It was around $4.5 million until recently when Student Senate and the administration approved moving $1.5 million of that money to pay back university centers for purchases made for the Davies Center building to keep the opening on schedule. Likewise, the fees collected for the textbook rental program have an active balance of around $1.4 million. Hanifin said there are several options, including lowering the fees over time or freezing some of them at their current rate to utilize the money, as they did to the textbook rental fee this year.
>> BUDGET page 2
STUDENT LIFE PAGE 16
Giving for a cause The blood drive put on by Alpha Phi Omega and American Red Cross is one of many service projects on campus
SAM MARTINEZ / The Spectator
ALL FOR A PURPOSE: Senior Emma Hervat cools down Stuart Sutter after he became a little lightheaded while donating blood in the Ojibwe Room of Davies Center. Donors received snacks and beverages as a token of gratitude for particpating. Alpha Phi Omega teamed up with the American Red Cross Monday and Tuesday to sponsor the donation. It is one of many service projects at UW-Eau Claire. Read the entire story on page 2.
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NEWS
NEWS EDITOR: Kristina Bornholtz
THE SPECTATOR BUDGET/ Deciding on student fees
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Thursday, Oct. 30
“We should be, on an annual basis, looking at revenues and expenses,” Hanifin said. “If we find that revenues continue to meet or exceed expenses, we should put that 1.4 million to use.” He said this is also something being discussed currently, and he felt the majority opinion was that it should go to benefit the student body. Both Paese and Hanifin said the question of how much money should be on hand for emergencies or surprise costs, including further drops in enrollment, is what will need the most discussion. “We have to decide along with the students what is the appropriate amount, and then any repurposing again would go through the students, Hanifin said. “Because this is student revenue that was payed by previous students.” Hanifin said specifically in regards to Davies Center, a larger amount of money on reserve for the early years of repaying debt on the building makes more sense because there still could be significant changes. Paese went further and said it would be unreasonable to use the fees for lowering or preventing fees for a small time when eventually the money would run out. “Once you spend your savings, it’s spent,” HANIFIN
Saving lives; doing service Alpha Phi Omega hosts biannual blood drive Sam Martinez STAFF WRITER
Paese said. “So to have some artificially low fee increases when, in actuality, you’re running a deficit and intending to take money out of the savings, you’re going to have some issues down the road.” Paese said this could result in several jumps in fees once the money is gone and they must account for inflation and costs going up. He said part of the issue results from a freeze in the tuition and differential tuition, or Blugold Commitment, and that with no new money coming in from those sources, fee increases can be a last resort. Both Paese and Hanifin, however, said the most appropriate use of balances would be in a way that benefits the students. Sophomore Janel Balsavich said she thought the fee increases could be appropriate if they were weighed carefully with the need for services and the money that’s already there. Regarding any balances in the accounts, Balsavich said she would support its use to help students with fees or in other tangible ways if the decision came to the student senate or student body. “I think that what most people would want is something for the students,” Balsavich said. “They’re the reason those fees are there.”
Olson can be reached at olsongp@uwec.edu or @GlenPOlson.
blood drive. He said he donates because he knows how valuable his blood can be to people who really need it. “I don’t have anybody I directly know that’s impacted,” Hahn said. “But they always give out the statistic that you could help up to three people with just your one donation.” According to the Red Cross, many of the people who need donated blood are patients diagnosed with conditions such as sickle-cell
anemia and cancer as well as victims of car accidents. Anybody who wishes to donate blood but missed the drive can make an appointment online or over the phone at the Red Cross’s Chippewa Valley blood donation center located on East Hamilton Avenue. Martinez can be reached at martinsp@uwec. edu or @smartinez201.
Kellie Dougherty
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Campus service organization Alpha Phi Omega partnered with the American Red Cross for a blood drive on Monday and Tuesday in the Ojibwe Room in the Davies Center. APO brings the all-day event to campus every semester, and president Tyler Clark said they usually average about 150 donors a day. The American Red Cross provides about 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply to around 2,700 hospitals across the United States. Clark said the blood drive went smoothly, and working with the people from the Red Cross was a great experience. “They are all very happy and exciting people,” Clark said. “They love their job, and it’s exciting working with them.” Donors could walk in to give blood without making an appointment; however they must meet a few eligibility requirements. Prior to having their blood drawn, donors must have their blood pressure taken and take a test to ensure they have enough iron in their blood. The blood drawing process usually takes between eight to 10 minutes. Donors and volunteers alike received snacks, refreshments and pizza at the event. They even played some movies for people to watch before and after their donations. UW-Eau Claire student Aaron Hahn donated blood in high school, but Monday was his first time giving blood at an Eau Claire
SAM MARTINEZ / The Spectator
TERMS AND CONDITIONS : Those wishing to donate blood to the American Red Cross must read through a pamphlet of issues that may make them ineligble, like having recently visited a country at risk for malaria.
NEWS EDITOR: Kristina Bornholtz
NEWS 3
Thursday, Oct. 30
Observing and cracking down
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
University dining to take measures to prevent students from taking food
NOTABLE EVENTS HAPPENING BOTH ON AND OFF CAMPUS
Meghan Hosely
THURSDAY, OCT. 30
COPY EDITOR
Over the past month, employees at Riverview Cafe have encountered people taking whole pizzas, multiple bananas and even putting cottage cheese in a to go coffee cup. Due to instances like these, employees have had to pay extra attention to what is going out of the cafeteria doors. Christian Wise, general manager and executive chef of Blugold Dining said employees of the cafeteria on upper campus have been observant of students’ actions and have exWISE plained to students why they shouldn’t take food out of the building. Unless students are eating the food on the way out of the cafeteria or have one item of food in their hands, it’s considered stealing, a dining representative of Murray Hall said at the hall council meeting. Freshman Sara Balkowski said the measures the dining hall has taken in the past few weeks are both appropriate and intense. “I think it’s like half and half,” she said. “I think we should be able to bring a couple stuff (out of the cafeteria), but people are taking a lot more than they need to.” Wise said students stealing food has always been a problem, but some years it is more prevalent than others. The percentage of people who have mandatory meal plans this year is down three percent, but the food intake is up 15 percent. “We still have a healthy amount of … dinnerware that’s going out the door,” Wise said. “But what is really apparent is that we have an excessive amount of food that’s going out the doors.” The staff of Hilltop has not been successful with communicating to students why they should not take food out of the cafeteria, so the dining office has taken the next step. Within the last week, the university police have had an active presence in the cafeteria during dinnertime, according to Chief David Sprick.
• 4- 5 p.m. — Biological Sciences Seminar Series, L.E. Phillips Science Hall • 7 - 8 p.m. — More Than Meets the Eye Planetarium show, Phillips Planetarium
FRIDAY, OCT. 31 11:30 a.m — 12:30 p.m — Featured Cabin Artist: MaryLeigh Roohan, The Cabin 7 - 9 p.m. — Women’s Volleyball vs. Whitewater, McPhee Physical Education Center
• •
SATURDAY, NOV. 1
1--4 p.m — Football vs. UW-Stout, Carson Park 7-- 9 p.m — Women’s Hockey vs. Bethel University (Minn.), Hobbs Ice Center
• •
SUNDAY, NOV. 2 Noon -- 4 p.m. — International Folk Fair, Davies Center Noon -- 4 p.m. — Curling Open House, Eau Claire County Expo Center
• •
• ANNA MATEFFY / The Spectator
CODE OF CONDUCT: Ian McAlister, junior, mans his post at the Riverview Cafe, where students can get a to-go box and cup. Recently, authorities are paying close attention to what students are taking out of the cafeteria in those containers.
“We try to … prevent illegal activity by having a presence and encourage people to abide by the law,” Sprick said. While it’s too early to tell if the police have been effective in stopping students from stealing, Sprick and Wise both said it was effective in the past. Sophomore Andrew Truman said while he thinks stealing shouldn’t happen in the first place, the university might have gone too far. “It does seem like an extreme measure to bring the police into the caf for stealing food,” Truman said. Since the staff at the caf has been trying to catch students taking food, students have reacted negatively toward the people catching them. Wise said students write complaints on complaint cards posted in the cafeteria and on popular social media websites such as Yik Yak and the UW-Eau Claire Confessions Facebook page. However, people do not complain to the dining office in Davies Center. “I know everyone wants to complain about it,” Wise said. “And they want to complain about the expense.” Wise calculated the most
What’s considered stealing from the caf?
— Taking any sort of dinnerware out of the cafeteria and not putting it back on the carousel. — Taking food out of the cafeteria that is not in any “authorized” togo box. The staff issue authorized boxes. — Letting other people besides yourself use your Blugold ID to access the cafeteria. popular meal plan, the upper campus meal plan, into how much students pay per meal if they ate three meals a day every day during the semester. Students essentially pay for a buffet-style meal for $4.60. Pizza Ranch, a popular pizza buffet in Eau Claire, has the cheapest buffet price in town. Their lunch prices for a single adult is $9.99. Throughout each of the resident halls on campus, dining representatives come from their hall council weekly to discuss issues with campus dining. Freshman Katherine Kocen, a Murray Hall dining representative said the committee has discussed stealing in the cafeteria for the past two to three meetings. Kocen said while no one has complained to her about the
policy, she has talked to people about why they shouldn’t take from the cafeteria. “I know I’ve told a lot of people … ‘well you’re not allowed to do that,’” she said. “I tell them to not take more than what they’re eating.” Wise said while giving students consequences for stealing isn’t in the top ten perks of his job, it is a necessary thing for him to do to create the best environment in dining. “All I want to do is feed people the best possible food we possibly can feed them and create the best possible environment to eat food in that we can,” Wise said. “That’s all I want to do.” Hosely can be reached at Hosely@ uwec.edu or @mj_hosely.
•
MONDAY, NOV. 3 5 -- 6:30 p.m. — Student Trombone Recital, Phillips Recital Hall, Haas Fine Arts Center. 6 p.m. — Loopy’s Amp Quiz Trivia, Loopy’s
TUESDAY, NOV. 4
• •
10 a.m - 2 p.m. — Flu Shot Clinic, Davies Center 7:30 p.m. — ‘The International Bank of Bob’, Bob Harris Forum, Schofield Auditorium
•
12-- 12:50 p.m. — Paul Thomas Physics Faculty Forum, Old Library 5:30 p.m. — Fall Music Series, Fanny Hill
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 5 •
Foster Gallery “Hell Is a Place We Make: Visions of Dante’s Inferno” 7:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. — Mon. - Wed. 6:00-8:00 p.m. — Thurs. 1 - 4:30 p.m. — Fri. - Sun. Runs from Oct. 2- Oct. 30 Haas Fine Arts Center
UAC Films: “Maleficent” Maleficent tells the story of the villain from the 1959 Disney classic, Sleeping Beauty, relating the tale of betrayal that turns her pure heart to stone. Driven by vengeance and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent places an irrevocable curse upon the king’s newborn child, Aurora. As she grows, Aurora is caught in the seething conflict between the magical forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds her legacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and is forced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.
NEWS
NEWS EDITOR: Kristina Bornholtz
Building Blugolds Grant allows for more participants in Blugold Beginnings Kristina Bornholtz NEWS EDITOR
Blugold Beginnings, the program that floods campus with hundreds of fifth graders for two days each spring, has received a grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation, worth $159,189. Though the campus tour days for the fifth graders are the most visible to the whole of Eau Claire, the grant will be going to the more behind-the-scenes portion of the program. Blugold Beginnings partners with UW-Eau Claire students who apply to be a part of the program and allows them to mentor in Blugold Beginnings’ school-based programs. “We are looking for someone who is willing to commit,” Jodi Thesing-Ritter, Blugold Beginnings program director said of potential applicants to the program. “If they’re going to be accepted, they have to be willing to commit.” Commitment is a major factor, because the program lasts through graduation. Thesing-Ritter calls it a “comprehensive college access program,” starting in fifth grade going through graduation. When a student is chosen after applying for the program, they sign up for two courses to take as a group, paired with a faculty and student mentor, and are mentor members of the program in elementary schools. The continuity of the program is what drew Great Lakes, a non-profit organization that works to help with student loans and financial aid for students in need, to give the grant, Thes-
Thursday, Oct. 30 ing-Ritter said. She said the program received grants from Great Lakes in years past. Blugold Beginnings received this grant, called the College Success continuation grant, because it has consistently proved to be a strong partner, Thesing-Ritter said. She said the fact that the program grows stronger every year drew the attention of Great Lakes for the grant, which will fund further growth. “This grant helps us to support the learning community of 50 (additional) freshman,” Thesing-Ritter said. The program aims to form a partnership between students in the community and the university itself, she said. By pairing college students in Blugold Beginnings with students in the school-based programs, she believes the school-based students will be more inclined to apply and enroll at Eau Claire. Kaeleigh Wilson, senior secondary English education major and one-time participant of Blugold Beginnings said she thinks the program is important especially for members of the schoolbased programs. “I definitely think it’s a good idea,” she said. “It makes them realize that, ‘Hey, the things you’re doing right now in school matter. It’s not just a thing you can blow off. If you want to go to college someday, that’s a reality you need to think about.’” The first round of school-based program members are currently in high school and will soon be applying for colleges. Because of Blugold Beginnings, Thesing-Ritter said she hopes they will choose Eau Claire. “As our program grows, more students come to UWEC because of our program,” she said. “So this grant helps support those students.”
Bornholtz can be reached at bornhoke@uwec.edu or @kebornholtz.
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SUBMITTED
BRINGING UP BUDDIES: The Blugold Beginnings program brings members of local fifth grade classes to campus for two days in the spring to teach them about the college experience. Not only does the program involve the 50 mentors involved in the program, but it also employs 300 volunteers to run the event.
NEWS EDITOR: Kristina Bornholtz
Faculty prepare students for internships and post-grad life COPY EDITOR
Day one: That’s when freshman business students start planning their futures, Tiffany Weiss, adviser and career development specialist in the Center for Advising, Development and Enrichment, said. Students’ years at Eau Claire are filled with more than just classes and student organization meetings. They are being trained on how to become successful adults after graduation, whether they are pursuing an internship or a full-time job. “We have freshman meetings for all declared business students, and in those meetings we talk about a four-year plan,” Weiss said. “We also try to get them involved in student organizations from day one and begin to talk about internships.” After the initial meeting, these students then find out who their individual advisors are, and they can work one-on-one with them when planning for classes and
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Thursday, Oct. 30
Real World Ready Trent Tetzlaff
NEWS
internships. In addition to other opportunites, there are courses in the curriculum titled business writing and business speaking that are required for graduation. “Employers and companies that we collaborate with love the communication aspect these courses offer,” Weiss said. “They like when graduates can come in with strong written and verbal communication skills to offer.” Will Armstrong, a junior business major said he thinks the university provides a plethora of opportunities for students to get work experience and training prior to graduation. “Eau Claire gives all students a great opportunity to find internships within their field,” he said. “It’s a great way to get students involved with businesses in their field and get a chance to work with potential employers.” Not only does the business program on campus provide services to
students seeking assistance prior to graduation, but many others such as the department of music and theatre arts provide real-life experiences for students. Alan Rieck, professor and department chair of the department of music and theatre arts said when it comes to preparing music and theater students for post-graduation life, the experiencSLABY es the students receive through trips, music gigs, performance programs and mentoring are one of a kind. The most notable event for students is the trip to the state music teacher conferences for students in the music education program, who normally don’t get much experience outside of the four semesters they spend in schools student teaching. “Every year we travel down to Madison for the state music teacher conference with 70 to 80 students,” Rieck said. “This allows our students the opportunity to make connections and contacts before they are thrown into the job field.” Career Services, located in Scho-
Resume tips
field Hall, is a campus service that gives students who are looking for career advice a place to go for help. Alyssa Slaby, a career and employment advisor for Career Services said whether it is simply resume help, a career workshop, — Typically keep the length to finding an internship or even lookone page. ing for a career, they can help. — Leave your high school “Career Services does maintain accomplishments out. contact with companies that recruit — Craft a new resume for UW-Eau Claire students for internships and post-graduate employeach position. ment,” Slaby said. “We also actively — Don’t cram text. seek out employers to build opportunities for students at UW-Eau — White space makes reading easier. Claire.” Along with this, Career Services — Put the most important is part of the National Association information at the top. of Colleges and Employers, which provides the university with current After your resume is industry trends, best practices and career research. completed: Slaby said she recommends stu— Proofread. dents meet with a Career Advisor to — Complete the resume discuss goals, career opportunities critiquing guideline sheet. and resources available on cam— Have your resume pus. Students can access information about pursuing internships or reviewed by Career Services. career opportunities on the Career Services website. Tetzlaff can be reached at tetzlata@ uwec.edu or @ttetz5
Tips courtesy of: uweccareerservices.org
UW-EAU CLAIRE STUDENT SENATE
Biking incentives prompt lengthy discussion ZAP bill shot down by 1 vote; efforts to get students to vote particularly challenging this year Glen Olson STAFF WRITER
After a long, and at certain points heated debate, Senate voted down a bill proposing the addition of a ZAP bicycling program in Monday’s meeting in a 14 to 13 vote. The program, which was a recommendation of the Comprehensive Bicycling and Pedestrian Plan, would have registered bikers and count the number of times they went on the bike routes on campus and register them for prizes. Bikers would have been given tags when they registered their bike with the parking and transportation office which would have been detected within 30 feet of sensors placed at strategic areas on campus. Bailey Kramer, student office of sustainability director, introduced the bill at the prior meeting. Kramer said that the program would have provided incentive for students to bike to campus, and to use the approved bike routes instead of going through the campus mall, which bikes are supposed to avoid. “I believe that the ZAP program would have brought more biking to campus and less car commutes,” Kramer said. “It would have helped a great deal in implementing the Bi-
cycle and Pedestrian Plan and given UW-Eau Claire students a better biking experience as a whole.” In a Spring 2014 survey by the SOS, 83 percent of respondents said they supported or strongly supported the implementation of the ZAP program.
“I believe that the ZAP program would have brought more biking to campus and less car commutes... .” BAILEY KRAMER
Student Office of Sustainibility Director
In the survey, 73 percent said yes or maybe to whether they would use the program. The program cost $26,000 to implement and was asked to be allotted from the student office of sustainability’s 2014-15 environmental responsibility account.
An amendment, also highly debated and ultimately voted down in an 18 to 9 vote, would have changed the money spent to $13,000. Christian Paese, the first to voice an objection to the bill, argued against student money being spent for the program and thought that the purchase of two instead of four ZAP monitors would have been a good trial run. “I think this is introducing another headache for students,” Paese said. The plan to register bikes was going to be centered around the ZAP program, but now the parking and transportation office will have to come up with a new plan, Kramer said. Matthew Riedel, who voted for the bill, said he thought it would have been a benefit to the campus. “More broadly, I think the concerns from some of the people who voted against it were more along philosophical ideals about how money should be spent on sustainability and the promotion of sustainability,” Riedel said. This is the second time the bill was brought before the Senate and rejected. The first time, there were different SOS directors, student body presidents and many different senators. Voting Just like in prior election years, the Student Senate is concentrating on pushing stu-
dents to be involved in local politics. The Get Out The Vote efforts include tabling in campus buildings, posters, literature and information through social media. The efforts are being coordinated by the intergovernmental affairs commission, which said in a press release that this year has been especially challenging with the changes concerning elections. Non-resident students and anyone else without a Wisconsin photo ID would have been unable to vote unless they found an alternative, like the IDs the university began offering shortly after that ruling. It then flipflopped again when the Supreme Court blocked the earlier ruling. Intergovernmental Affairs Director Rebecca Jewell said they have had to be flexible with their planning around the election. “With information constantly changing, it’s important we aren’t overwhelming students or providing conflicting information,” Jewell said. “But we’ve been working hard to find new and exciting ways to engage our student body.”
Olson can be reached at olsongp@uwec.edu or @GlenPOlson.
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SPORTS EDITOR: Ellis Williams
Brothers Ryan and Nathaniel Behnke are both set to compete for the wrestling team this winter
ANNA MATEFFY / The Spectator
DIFFERENT PATHS, SAME GOAL: Fraternal twins Nathaniel and Ryan Behnke came to UW-Eau Claire after successful high school careers. The two have since found themselves in different places. Ryan Behnke has battled injuries the past two years that have kept him off the mat. His brother is in position to capture his 100th win this year.
SPORTS EDITOR
When brothers Ryan and Nathaniel Behnke’s senior wrestling seasons at Bruce High School ended in identical fashion – with fourth place finishes in
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Thursday, Oct. 30
Wrestling through adversity
Ellis Williams
SPORTS
their respective weight classes – the two were unaware of how completely different their collegiate careers would start. The following year, the Behnke’s enrolled at UW-Eau Claire and joined the wrestling team. One of the brothers was ready to start his Blugold ten-
ure, but the other was not physically healthy enough to take the mat. This marked the two contrasting paths the twin brothers were headed down. Ryan Behnke, the older brother by four minutes, tore his labrum at the state tournament. As if one surgery wasn’t enough, he also had his meniscus repaired that summer. Nathaniel Behnke went on to wrestle without his brother for the for the first time in his athletic career as Ryan Behnke took a medical redshirt for the 2012-13 season, meaning he would not lose a year of eligibility. Unable to physically push Nathaniel Behnke in practice, big brother aided his younger sibling from the sidelines when he could, and as a freshman, Nathaniel Behnke claimed All-American honors. Then five weeks into the 2013-14 season, the injury bug bit Ryan Behnke again as he tore the same meniscus he did in high school. After three surgeries in two years, he has had plenty of reasons to walk away from competition, and despite people close to him telling him to give it up, the small-town Wisconsin kid just won’t quit. “I cannot imagine myself not competing, because I’ve done it my whole
Volleyball forks Blue Devils UW-Eau Claire looks to use conference matches to secure tournament bid Austin Mai STAFF WRITER
The UW- Eau Claire volleyball team hosted conference rival UW-Stout Wednesday night for a match with playoff implications. With an all-time record of 69-29, Eau Claire won its 19th-straight match against the Blue Devils, a 3-0 score, in front of nearly 900 people at Zorn Arena. In the first set, Eau Claire took an early lead by going up 1-5 before Stout evened the score. Both teams went back and forth until a few bad sets left the Blugolds down 19-13. After the Blue Devils struggled to get the ball over the net with five attack errors, the Blugolds rallied to take the first set 20-25. Head coach Kim Wudi said her team played in-system, executing the team’s scheme efficiently, and when the team is in-system, scoring opportunities present themselves. “We passed extremely well today and we played great defense,” Wudi said. “I think we only had one receiving error, which is a season low for us.” The second set went back and forth until the Blugolds led 8-13. Stout scored the next three points before Eau Claire raised the score to 14-21. Stout came back and
scored a few points before a bad serve coasted them as the Blugolds took the second 25-19. Up two sets in the match, Eau Claire began the third set by scoring four unanswered points. Both teams scored against each other until the score was 11-15. Attack errors again hurt the Blue Devils and led to a 13-20 Blugold lead. Stout rallied and brought the score within three before Eau Claire sealed the 20-25 victory. Wudi said Stout has the ability to do well even when it’s out of system. “They can be out of system a lot, and a lot of times
life,” Ryan Behnke said.” It just feels like something I have to do.” Nathaniel Behnke made his second consecutive trip to nationals, and his brother said witnessing his brother’s success has helped fuel him through his recovery. Also aiding him was the fact Ryan Behnke was not alone on the injury list last year. Senior Mat Rieckhoff had to sit out his last season due to an LCL tear and a lingering hamstring tear. Rieckhoff, a captain this season, said he could relate to the frustrations Ryan Behnke was going through, and it was nice having a teammate on the road to recovery with him. With the wrestling season set to begin this weekend, the Behnke’s and Rieckhoff are ready to compete. The Blugolds have been training since the start of the semester, and Rieckhoff said having the Behnke’s both competing in practice adds a special element to their team. “Once things start to get serious … Sometimes, like brothers do, they will get frustrated and get after each other a little bit,” said Rieckhoff. “It just adds to the family dynamic our team has because they share that friendship and brotherly bond.” Nathaniel Behnke said his brother is a source of motivation for him as he prepares for his junior season. The two time all-conference wrestler has 82 career wins and said he hopes to reach 100 by Christmas. Ryan Behnke, who hasn’t even wrestled 20 matches for the Blugolds, said his focus is on staying healthy, then securing a starting spot and hopefully earning a trip to nationals. The road to 100 is on the mind of
they play well under the chaos,” Wudi said. “When you have a team that’s fighting hard and young like Stout is, they hustle a lot and sometimes they have junk plays that just drop over. I felt we were really prepared for that today and we finished well.” Senior Alexis Wong said the team won simply because they executed the game plan. “Our game plan was to be aggressive at the net on both offense and defense,” Wong said. “We spread out the ball really well and attacked from all over the net.” Wong said the defense played great, and by utilizing the middle blockers well, the defenders could get in good positions. Eau Claire’s defense put the pressure on Stout in the third set, resulting in 12 errors and a .000 hitting percentage with only 12 kills for the Blue Devils in
Nathaniel Behnke, but as an upperclassman he said he has stepped into a leadership role this year. Because of that he is eager help his team by guiding the underclassmen and supporting his teammates. Since the third grade, the Behnke brothers have been encouraging each other on and off the mat, and the little brother said that will continue this year. “I try my best to help him out and keep him going,” Nathaniel Behnke said. “I want to get him to do his best.” One man who has gotten the best out of the Behnke brothers is Blugold assistant coach Jeffery Peery. Peery has been coaching the two brothers since third grade and was their head coach at Bruce. He said they were the hardest working kids he has ever had come through his wrestling program, and he credits the brothers’ family background and their competitive spirits for the wrestlers they’ve become. “Once they step off the wrestling mat for the last time and they become successful members of society, … then I can look back and say my job as a coach is complete,” Peery said. The long time coach of the Behnke’s said he has experienced the highs and lows of both of their careers. From watching them wrestling at state tournaments to helping Ryan Behnke decide to continue his wrestling career. Through all the adversity his wrestlers have faced, he said if the Blugolds take the words of the coaching staff to heart, then this season could be an exciting one.
Williams can be reached at Williaml@ uwec.edu or @BookofEllis.
the third set. Wong said the team needs to approach the upcoming matches the same way they approached Stout, taking each set point by point until they have executed the game plan. Now 16-15, the Blugolds are 3-3 in conference play, which currently ranks them sixth in the WIAC, placing them in the playoff picture. The team will face No. 25 UW-Whitewater (23-7, 5-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at McPhee Physical Education Center for faculty & staff appreciation night before returning at 2 p.m. Saturday at McPhee Physical Education Center for senior day/youth day against UW- Oshkosh.
Mai can be reached at Maiat@uwec.edu or @ Austinisfresh.
SPORTS SPORTS EDITOR: Ellis Williams JAKE STEEN / The Spectator
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Thursday, Oct. 30
Soccer narrowly chops Stout
THE AX IS BACK: The Blugold women’s soccer team defeated UW-Stout 1-0 Wednesday night at Bollinger Field. The win pulls Eau Claire’s record to 4-3 in conference and 6-9-2 overall.
Blugolds team move above .500 in conference play with win Wednesday Jake Steen
STAFF WRITER A win over a conference opponent is always a big deal. But when there’s a trophy involved, it means that much more. Kicking off a new tradition, the UW-Eau Claire and UWStout women’s soccer teams played the first annual “Battle of the Blues,” where the winning team earns a trophy in the form of
Paul Bunyan’s Ax. The ax is then displayed on campus the following year for the conquering team to show off. The Blugolds became the first in the rivalry to hoist Paul Bunyan’s Ax on Wednesday, earning a narrow 1-0 victory over the Blue Devils at Bollinger Field for their final home game of the season. Junior Caroline Henderson scored the lone goal of the game in the 34th minute with the assist from senior Teighlor Tvedt.
The score would hold through the entire second half despite some good looks from Stout. Henderson said she was excited to be on the winning side of the rivalry. “It feels great to be the first to win the ax,” she said. “They got us last year and it was another nail-biter, but I’m glad we got them this time.” In what might have been her final game at Bollinger Field as a Blugold, Tvedt was glad she could be a part of this new tradition before she leaves. “Definitely feels good to be the first; I feel like it’s legendary now,” Tvedt said. “We went down in history.” Head coach Sean Yengo said adding the trophy was something the coaches decided on in the offseason to put a little spice into the game. “It’s nice to have something to play for instead of just a win or a loss,” Yengo said. “We love it.” Earning their fourth conference win, the Blugolds have a chance to secure third place in the conference with just one game remaining in their regular season schedule. UW-Stout outshot the Blugolds 16-12 including 11-4 in the second half. “We were never able to settle down and had some uncharacteristic turnovers,” Yengo said. “It’s something we definitely have to clean up as we head into the conference tourney.” Nevertheless, the Blugolds have won back-to-back games, something they haven’t done since early September. At 6-9-2 overall and 4-3 in the WIAC, the team prepares to head to UW-River Falls to take on the Falcons Saturday for its final game before the conference tournament. “If we can win at River Falls, we’ll be third in conference,” Tvedt said. “It’s definitely the right time to get the momentum rolling.” Tvedt said she is excited about the potential to play one more time at Bollinger Field. Steen can be reached at Steenje@uwec.edu or @_jakesteen_.
Young tennis player steps up Women’s tennis takes third at WIAC championships Trent Tetzlaff COPY EDITOR
Freshman Sarah Henderson became the first Blugold since Katie Gillman in 2012 to take home a conference championship in singles play to help lead the UWEau Claire tennis to a third -place finish last weekend at the WIAC Championship, hosted in Madison. The top-seeded Henderson, who competed at the No. 6 singles spot, won the championship, defeating Rachael Wabers of UW- La Crosse 7-5, 6-3. Henderson said she can credit her individual success and the team’s success to the work ethic they have carried throughout the year. “With the hard work in practices and with my teammates pushing me, I was always able to give 110
percent,” she said. “Our team always strives to be great by conditioning with extra effort and always pushing each other to get better.” Gillman said he has nothing but great things to say about all of his athletes and their attitudes this season, but Henderson has really stood out. “Sarah is a young player, which means she still has a lot to learn, but her attitude is what really has impressed me,” he said. “She seems to never get rattled and her mental makeup seems to make her stronger than most freshman.” Henderson said she doesn’t like to get ahead of herself, but when it comes to improving herself for the spring and next fall season, she can become more decisive with her shot selection and work on having an even steadier forehand. Outside of Henderson, the rest of the sin-
gles performers showed strongly as well. Senior Maddie Rossebo advanced to the final match of No. 4 singles, where she came in second, and senior Maddie Johnson took third place at No. 1 singles, which marks her fourth year of placing at the championships. In doubles, all three Blugold duos finished third in their seedings. Each pair of Blugolds won their third place match by similar 8-3 scores as well. During the ceremony after the tournament, Johnson was named the Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete. Johnson is the 10th Blugold to earn such high honors and the second in the last three years.
To read more about tennis, go to spectatornews.com.
SPORTS EDITOR: Ellis Williams
A stout task
Blugolds look to put a full game together to knock off conference rival Nick Erickson EDITOR IN CHIEF
On Sept. 29, 2012, then-sophomore Jake Safstrom and the rest of the UW-Eau Claire football team were trying to hold off UW-Stout to reclaim the I-94 trophy from their conference rival. Late in the fourth quarter, however, Safstrom tore his ACL, was carried off on a stretcher and missed the rest of the game, one in which the Blugolds won 21-13. Despite the victory, Safstrom wasn’t able to get the full experience of defeating the Blue Devils. “I had to come off, and I was already at the stadium and heard this big roar, so I had my Mom go check,” he said. “We won, but the big thing is running out and getting the trophy, and I wasn’t able to do that. So I really, really want it this year.” He will get that opportunity Saturday as the Blugolds search for their first win of the year against Stout with a 1 p.m. kickoff at Carson Park. Stout is no ordinary opponent for Eau Claire. The GLASER two schools are separated
SPORTS 9
Thursday, Oct. 30
by just 30 miles, and as Blugold head coach Todd Glaser, who donned the gold pants and navy blue jersey here from 1987 to 1990, said, there is a little more spark in the air when the Blue Devils and Eau Claire share the same field. “It’s a rivalry I’ve been involved with since my freshman year in 1987,” Glaser said. “I was clued in pretty quick as a young player what this meant to everybody, and it is because of the proximity. It’s a fun game, it’s always a close game and it always comes down to execution.” Despite losing 20-10 last weekend to UW-River Falls, the Blugolds got some execution, at least on the offensive side of the football. They’ll look to continue it Saturday.
five-yard touchdown strike to Riley Gebelein. However, they failed to score on the goal line late in the second quarter, and the defense gave up a few big second half plays, which Glaser said made the difference in the game. Safstrom, a defensive lineman, said it gave the defense a little spark to see the offense be able to break the struggle and score right away. “It definitely takes a little bit of pressure off the defense,” he said. “Once you see your offense going out there, you can play within the scheme, and it just takes that weight off the defense, and it’s a lot more fun.” Saturday the Blugolds will look to put together a complete team game to garner victory number one of the season. Both teams are evenly matched in almost every statistical category, but Stout will bring more of a physical presence. Safstrom said defensively ,they have been working on tightening up the line and playing within the tackles to stuff the run game. After a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Hank Kujak, the Blue Devils have fluctuated players at signal caller, making their ground game their focal point.
“ It’s a rivalry I’ve been involved in since my freshman year in 1987. I was clued in pretty quick as a young player what this meant to everybody. ” Head coach
Offensively, Glaser said the Blugolds can look for a variety of zone reads as well as man-to-man coverages to try and get to Newman. “They’ll give you a lot of different looks, which can be hard to figure out, but we’ll need to be able to run the ball and take our big shots when we
Amanda Baker Junior Diver Baker competed against UW- Stevens Point and Division II St. Cloud State (Minn.) last weekend. She won the one-meter dive with 247.30 points and the three-meter dive with 259.60 points.
SAFSTROM Erickson can be reached at ericksna@uwec.edu or @NickErickson8.
UW-Eau Claire vs. UW-Stout Things to watch: –It could be a defensive battle as both teams are last in the WIAC in scoring offenses. –The Blugolds are third in the league in red-zone defense while the Blue Devils are fourth.
TODD GLASER For the first time all season, Eau Claire scored in the first quarter, and it came courtesy of an almost flawlessly executed first drive from junior quarterback Joel Newman. Newman was 4-for-4 on that drive passing, including a 34-yard post to Brody Diggins and a
need to,” Glaser said. If Eau Claire stops the run and can figure out the reads from the Stout defense, Safstrom could very well be running over to the Blue Devils sideline to finally grasp the trophy that has eluded him for so long.
–Both teams are starting quarterbacks who weren’t starters on Opening Day.
Get to know Baker: Comfort Food: Puppy chow Favorite Movie: “Stick it or Burlesque” Hobbies: Painting, knitting and playing video games (Metroid and Donkey Kong with the DK Bongos)
CURRENTS CURRENTS EDITOR: Katy Macek
Thursday, Oct. 30
Appreciating the finer things in life
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Local bands perform at Volume One gallery to support university’s literary magazine
Katy Macek
CURRENTS EDITOR Students and several community members filled the Volume One gallery at The Local Store in Eau Claire on Friday evening for NOTA’s music appreciation concert. Water Street Ramblers, Love Taxi and Hannah Hebl all performed at the event, and the small crowd was able to take home free copies of NOTA, UW-Eau Claire’s art and literary magazine publication, as well as stickers, bookmarks
and buttons. Audience members could purchase T-shirts for $10. Christian Sather, a senior graphic design major, has been on the NOTA staff for four semesters and said they don’t often have events showcasing the music section of their magazine, which features art, literature and music. “This semester we’ve had more music submissions than we’ve ever had,” he said. “It is a huge part of our book, and as we grow as an organization it’s important that all the areas of it grow at the same time.”
Sather heard of NOTA early on in college and said he wanted to become a part of it at the beginning of his graphic design career. Bryce Kunkel, senior, said he joined the NOTA staff this semester but first discovered the magazine more than four years ago while at a hookah lounge in Eau Claire. “I was impressed by the quality of the publication and the quality of the work in there,” he said. As for Friday’s event, Kunkel said he hoped everyone who came had a good time listening to the local bands. “I hope NOTA’s presented in a good light, people take home merchandise and spread the word,” he said. Gabe Larson, Eau Claire alumna and member of Water Street Ramblers, said this particular group is also part of another band, Reverii, which has most of the same members. “What you saw tonight, I suppose you could call it a side project,” he said. “It’s more like this little kid that we have come over and play sometimes.” Even though Reverii is their main focus, Larson said their friends are still familiar with Water Street Ramblers, and that’s why they were asked to play at the NOTA appreciation concert. Reverii also performed for NOTA’s book release show last spring.
PHOTOS BY KATY MACEK/ The Spectator
BOUND BY WRITING: Most of the NOTA staff members attended the music appreciation concert to sell T-shirts, charge admission and enjoy the atmosphere of the event.
that plays low-key music. “Ramblers is just like ... I’m wearing long johns right now,” he said, referencing his clothing choice
“[Music] is a huge part of our book, and as we grow as an organization it’s important that all areas of it grow at the same time.” CHRISTIAN SATHER NOTA staff member
RAMBLE ON: Water Street Ramblers played bluegrass indie tunes and entertained the audience with jokes. The instruments consisted of two guitars, a banjo and a washboard. When asked about the washboard, guitarist Gabe Larson said they wanted a percussion instrument, and a friend picked it up at a garage sale. “So we tied some twine around his neck, gave him a spoon and that’s how that happened,” he said.
Water Street Ramblers formed around two years ago, Larson said, when the group of friends came together and realized they all enjoyed making music. They took to Water Street, hence the name, and played bluegrass tunes for passersby. “In a way that’s the story of how Reverii started because we all kind of realized that we loved doing music together,” he said. “Except then we just completely abandoned the bluegrass genre and went for something else.” In comparison to Reverii, Larson said Water Street Ramblers is a more chill, relaxing performance
for the concert. April Westrum, a junior in the audience, said she heard of the concert through her roommate, who is a staff member for the publication. Westrum said she couldn’t find anything she really disliked about the evening and said it was a fun way to spend a Friday night. “I liked [Water Street Ramblers] the most because I like singing a lot more, but the instruments [in Love Taxi] are beautiful,” she said. Sydney Flottum, junior, has been on staff at NOTA for over three years and said she enjoyed this event particularly because it
is off campus, which she believes makes it more accessible for the community and allows students to step out of their usual environment. Flottum said she joined NOTA because she liked the non-threatening environment for writers to publish their work, and she enjoys working with B.J. Hollars, the faculty adviser for NOTA. Second semester NOTA staff member Ana Von Huben, senior, said she hopes students come to more events because most of them are free opportunities to experience their peers’ creativity in a relaxing environment. Huben said the appreciation concert as well as NOTA itself is another good outlet to get local bands noticed in the community. “It’s creative people getting a chance to be as creative as they can,” she said. “To kind of have free range to produce some really amazing things and then give it away to students for free.” Tyler Henderson, Multimedia Editor of The Spectator, is a member of Love Taxi. Macek can be reached at macekkn@ uwec.edu or @KatherineMacek.
Music for the monsters
CURRENTS EDITOR: Katy Macek
CURRENTS 11
Thursday, Oct. 30 to the music development of her students. “I thought it was the absolute best thing ever,” Soules said. “I love seeing the kids all in those costumes and it doesn’t feel competitive in that way.” While Soules believes competition is good for high school bands, she said
the best thing the bash does is provide students a place to play with no pressure. “You could have all of those same jazz bands at (UW-Eau Claire) jazz fest and there’s some kind of tension in the air,” Soules said. “… Everyone there wants to be one of the better
bands, where at the Monster Bash you’re looking at silly costumes, you realize that people are using equipment that’s not theirs in a room that’s not normal. It was just not a critical Mai can be reached at maiat@uwec. edu or @austinisfresh.
Area high school jazz bands perform at Halloween-costumed concert Austin Mai STAFF WRITER
Creatures and characters roamed the halls of Eau Claire Memorial High School as sounds of brass and drums filled the high school’s secondary gymnasium Friday evening. Different from most high school jazz concerts, the 19th annual Big Band Monster Bash allowed students to ditch their formal jazz attire and wear Halloween costumes instead. The Eau Claire Children’s Theatre sponsored the event, which featured jazz bands from high schools including Memorial, Eau Claire North, Elk Mound, Altoona and Chippewa Falls. Most schools had one band, while North had two and Memorial had four perform before ending with a costume contest. With bands placed on the east and west walls of the gym, many of the 140 chairs and four sets of bleachers were left alone as nearly 300 people took to the gymnasium’s dance floor. Lynnette Kobza, an Eau Claire resident and parent of one of the performers, said she knew the bash was coming up but didn’t know her son needed a costume. “He only mentioned it to me this afternoon, but we figured it out,” Kobza said. “It’s fun to see all the kids dressed up, and it’s great they got all of the high schools involved.” Each band consisted of 16 to 26 players with some groups showing traditional setups of five saxophones, four trombones, four trumpets and a four-piece rhythm section of drums, bass, guitar and piano. Other groups had tubas, clarinets, flutes, bass clarinets and auxiliary percussionists playing bongos, congas and bells. Arrangements including swing tunes by Duke Ellington as well as neo funk and samba charts fueled three hours of socializing and dancing for not only the high school students but their families as well. Emmet Quint, a senior bass player from Eau Claire Memorial said the bash is fun and unique because of its relaxed environment. “The title of bash puts it well, it’s fun,” Quint said. “I mean look at me! Look at my section!” Memorial’s Jazz I rhythm section dressed as The Addams Family with
Quint as Uncle Fester. “Later during the school year, we’ll be competing against some of these schools,” Quint said. “And it’s nice to be able to enjoy each other’s company without the competitive aspect.” After playing at the last four bashes with bands from North and Memorial, Quint said it was interesting to play in the school’s gymnasium. “We were originally supposed to play in the Eau Claire Masonic Building,” Quint said. “But I think the gym does a good job. The acoustics aren’t ideal, but it makes for one hell of a dance floor.”
“It’s nice to be able to enjoy each other’s company without the competitive aspect.”
Phone: 715-835-6001 Address: 2329 East Clairemont Avenue Eau Claire, WI
EMMET QUINT
Community member
Quint said despite his appreciation for formal concerts, events like this remind students to have fun with the music. “For our official concerts we play some avant-garde music,” Quint said. “It’s pretty modern stuff that is challenging to perform and isn’t very easy to dance to. When a band can lay out some fun big band charts, there’s virtually no pressure and it makes the informal events more enjoyable.” Theresa Soules, Eau Claire North instrumental music teacher said after first being hired, she was skeptical of how useful the bash was. “Last year going into it, it was really stressful, just first year here and everything,” Soules said. “I was not looking forward to it, didn’t know what it was, didn’t know how beneficial it’d be for the kids and didn’t know how fun it’d be.” After her first time at the bash, Soules said the event is invaluable
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CURRENTS CURRENTS EDITOR: Katy Macek
Thursday, Oct. 30
A slice of life from around the world International Folk Fair will bring color and diversity to Davies Student Center this weekend Jessie Tremmel OP/ED EDITOR
This weekend, UW-Eau Claire students and community members have the opportunity to attend an event that is compared to a “3,000 people wedding where no one gets married,” by Maria Carvalho, the Center for International Education adviser. International Folk Fair, the most attended cultural event on campus, will return from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday in Davies Center. Eau Claire has hosted the event for more than 35 years but new this year is the addition of an event theme. Zhen Wei Yap, the lead intern for International Folk Fair, said the intern team chose fabrics, the theme for this year, as a way to help draw people into the event. “Fabrics symbolize individuals with different backgrounds and heritage, but still, we are all part of Eau Claire,” Yap said. “We identify with different things: colors, patterns and textures. Although they highlight our individualism, we work to meld the fabrics together to represent the beautiful, diverse home that we call Eau Claire.” One goal of the intern team this year is to draw students to the event. Yap said while community attendance in past years has been good, the on-campus awareness and attendance of the event was low. Another new aspect of the event is the involve-
ment of Visit Eau Claire. The Visit Eau Claire Fun Patrol will be at International Folk Fair, bringing along a photo booth and more opportunities to learn about the area. Yap said many groups come to Eau Claire from other areas, and the event is a way to educate attendees about the commitment Eau Claire has made to diversity. While at the event, people can snap some photos and tag them using #WeAreEauClaire on Twitter for the chance to win a prize. Yap said there will be a strong social media presence with a scavenger hunt and online trivia linked to a hashtag. Ashley Duffy, the president of the Native American Student Association, said the student group has had a room at International Folk Fair for over 10 years. Since the Native American Student Association didn’t know about the fabrics theme, they will be focusing on the pow wow. The Native American Student Association booth will feature posters depicting the dance styles, the history and the etiquette of the pow wow, and will also be selling Indian tacos as a fundraiser. “We are able to educate people as well as break stereotypes, and fundraise for our upcoming events in November for Native American Heritage Month,” Duffy said. Tremmel can be reached at tremmejr@uwec.edu or @jessietremmel.
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Student Shout Outs What is your Halloween costume this year? “Nerdy candy Nerds.” Colleen Leary Sophomore Elementary education/special education
“A doctor.” Jacob Yaeger Junior Healthcare administration
KATY MACEK / Submitted
NATIVE TONGUE: International student Sindhya Kirshan teaches visitors how to write in Urdu, the Hindustani language of her native country Pakistan, at the 2012 International Folk Fair in Davies Student Center.
Producing a patience-testing product
“Wonder Woman.” Heather Caron Sophomore Business finance
The 10th annual 48-Hour Film Project features nine complete films, 15 total
Nick Erickson EDITOR IN CHIEF
In recent years, the city of Eau Claire has carved out its own niche by becoming one of the more artsy towns in Wisconsin. Every October for the past 10 years, people within the community have had an opportunity to be hands-on with it through the 48-Hour Film Project at UW-Eau Claire. This year is no different, as Friday night 15 short films will be on display at the Woodland Theater in Davies Center as part of the UAC Film Committee’s 20142015 movie series. The event is free to the public with festivities set to kickoff at 7 p.m. The event is a testament to patience as it is exactly as its title entails, a 48-hour project. Although organizers make the theme pub-
lic about six months in advance, prompts and dialogue, which every group must put in their respective films, weren’t given out until Friday at 9 p.m., and all participants had until that time on Sunday to make a complete project. Mike Gehrke, a senior who participated in the 2013 festival, said the key to success is preparation. “It’s really not bad if you plan ahead,” he said. “The more pre-production stuff you do, the better.” Robert Mattison, a senior technical supervisor at Learning and Technology Services who started the event 10 years ago when he was back at Community Television, said although only nine groups got a completely finished project to him, he will still show snippets of all 15. “We’re into this for the sharing of it,” he said. Every year is a different theme, and with Halloween Friday night, this year’s was about Heroes and Villains. Mattison said people can expect several of the films to have superhero themes to
“Bringing it [to campus] was a great step because it brought a whole bunch of new people to it.” ROBERT MATTISON
Technical supervisor, Learning and Technology Services
them, although there are a variety of topics. All in all, he said he has seen the popularity of the event grow, particularly in the last three years when he moved it to on-campus. It used to include mostly all community members, but after a little dry spell in terms of turnout, he said opening it up to a student audience picked it right back up.
“Bringing it here was a great step because it brought a whole bunch of new people into it. And the community people still do it, but now we have people on campus that do it, so we have more participants than we ever have,” he said. Following the presentations of all the films, a small awards ceremony takes place, which makes the film festival unique compared to all other films the UAC Committee puts on throughout the school year. Audience members will also be able to learn a little bit about each film at the conclusion of the nine completed ones and highlights of the six other attempts. Other film contests take place in the spring and summer months in Eau Claire, but this one is the most pressed for time as Mattison said the other two get about a month to complete the project.
Erickson can be reached at ericksna@ uwec.edu or @NickErickson8.
“Superman.” Jon Kind Senior Political Science
“Fantastic Mr. Fox.” Jake Lindgren (right) Senior Theater
“Fantastic Mr. Fox’s son Ash.” Sean Porten Senior Theater
OPINION / EDITORIAL
OP/ED EDITOR: Jessie Tremmel
If that success doesn’t prove my next point, I don’t know what does. Cats are an effective form of therapy. I’m the proud owner of two cats, Dempsey and Myla. At the end of a long day, I open the door to my house to see them looking up at me, as if they have been waiting for me
Pets in college? Yes vs. no No I just want to start this out with: I am absolutely pro pets. I am so pro pets it’s not even funny. I think having a pet is essential to the childhood experience – I could not imagine growing BORNHOLTZ up without my dogs. But you know what I’m not? Pro pets in college. You know what’s great about my dogs? They have my mother, a stayat-home mom, to take care of them all day. When they were puppies, we had enough money to neuter them, take them to the vet whenever they needed and buy them all the supplies necessary for their health and happiness. But most importantly, we were committed to them. We bought those dogs knowing they would be a part of our family from start to finish, which you cannot say about most pets college students own. I have watched so many people pick up a dog, cat or reptile at the pet store on a whim, thinking “Oh, this is going to be great. I’m going to have this living being that everyone is going to think is so cute, cool or whatever and it’s going to be just fine when I leave it at home all day when I go to work and school and extracurriculars! An animal loves you no matter what!” That is true. Your college pet may love you no matter what, but the quality of life for college pets is usually pretty crappy when they spend most of the day at home alone. And it will be pretty crappy for the owner when the pet inevitably gets
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some illness, or requires some sort of shot, and it costs them hundreds of dollars out of pocket that they simply can’t afford on a student budget. And that’s when these poor animals end up back at the shelter because college students tend to treat pets like they are expendable. When the going gets tough, a lot of the time the pets get going. I can name three people off the top of my head who either got rid of, are in the process of getting rid of or want to get rid of their college pets. How is that fair to the animal that you brought into your life just to have something to call your own? I just don’t think it’s fair to make something love you, only to give it a subpar quality of life. By all means, get a pet someday. Just make sure that day you have enough time, money and energy to care for that living being you’re bringing into your world. — Kristina Bornholtz, News Editor
Yes
HENDERSON
I’m willing to bet most people have no idea Minnesota hosts an Internet Cat Video Festival. And I’m sure even fewer know that more than 10,000 people attended the first one in Minneapo-
lis back in 2012. Three fests later, the event that started with the Walker Art Center has grown by leaps and bounds, becoming a touring event around the nation, which Animal Planet sponsors.
to come home. And I am instantly happier. I know this may put me in the crazy cat owner category, but having two cats in college is actually a fantastic choice. I only pay for food once every couple of weeks, and the same goes for cat litter. No more expenses. If those expenses mean I get
a couple of laughs a day from their antics, I think that’s worth it. The argument for dogs? Not so sure about them. But cats have been a low-price de-stressor, and I don’t know about you, but I certainly need that at the end of the day. — Tyler Henderson, Multimedia Editor
OPINION / EDITORIAL OP/ED EDITOR: Jessie Tremmel
Thursday, Oct. 30
G a l ’s G ui d e
We are four college-aged women who all don specs on our faces while working long hours at The Spectator. For now we are journalism students, but we have plans of conquering the world. However, before we do we have a few things to learn. This week: navigating online dating.
Anna Mateffy PHOTO EDITOR
I am an old-fashioned girl. I like flowers, chocolates and silly romantic gestures. There’s something about a handwritten note waiting for me on my desk when I get home that makes my heart flutter. That being said, I am old fashioned when it comes to meeting people, too. I have never accepted a friend request from a stranger on Facebook and feel a bit odd when people I don’t know follow me on Twitter. I have never used a dating app, nor do I plan to, but that doesn’t mean I don’t approve of them for other people. If that’s how you meet someone that makes those stupid butterflies appear in your stomach, go for it. But personally, I like to shake a guy’s hand, to swing dance with him, to accidentally spill my coffee on his favorite sweater before I decide dating, or even talking regularly with him is a good plan for me. There may be a time in my life when I am no longer surrounded by people my age and the dating pool is much smaller, when I might give a dating app a try, but as of right now, I’m going to continue my life as is. If I find my final swing dancing partner along the way, great!
Jessie Tremmel OP/ED EDITOR
Oh, Tinder. It was supposed to be a joke. I was leaving the country for a month and thought it would be funny to have downloaded while abroad. And it was! My roommates and I spent dead hours laying in our sweaty room in Nice, France, flipping through profiles we didn’t understand, relying on Google Translate to communicate. But before I left the states, I met Tinder Tim. “Hey Jesse” was the first message Tinder Tim sent me. Yep, he spelled my name wrong. Turns out his phone autocorrected to match with one of his contacts, but still. After a night of life discussions on Facebook Messenger, I ignored him. I was leaving for a month
and didn’t see the point. A week into my trip, I got a message. Just, “Hey.” I spent the next three weeks chatting with Tinder Tim, calling him walking home from the beach late at night and Skyping. I guess you could say my Tinder relationship defied the stereotypical purpose of the app. I spent the month of July talking to Tinder Tim before I actually met him. Now Tinder Tim has lost the Tinder prefix, and friends and family know him only as Tim. He has helped me cross off two goals on my bucket list: take a roadtrip and go camping. It is still a bit weird when friends ask us how we met. Some people are surprised, some think it is weird that we met online. I think we are past the point of caring. I like the guy, okay? Isn’t that enough?
Courtney Kueppers MANAGING EDITOR
Last week when an email popped up in my inbox, and the inbox of every other student on campus, promoting a new dating app, my boyfriend, Johnny, and I laughed and decided to both download it. A disclaimer for my experience with said applications: Johnny and I have been dating for the entirety of my college career, so I have never hopped on the bandwagon alongside my single peers. The app, “Smileback,” promoted sending anonymous ‘smiles’ to people in your area. If they send one back, a free drink was included. Johnny and I both created accounts for the rather creepy app, which required logging in with Facebook, found each other and sent smiles in the other’s direction. Only then did a message pop up, “We only have drink certificates in New York City, but we are working on bringing coupons to more cities near you.” Sure you are, I thought. We laughed and both deleted the app. However, it left me feeling creeped out. My short-lived profile featured more than 100 pictures from my Facebook, pictures with my family and dear
friends, pictures I share under strict privacy settings with a short list of virtual friends. Call me old school, but before even grabbing a drink with someone it seems excessive to offer such an expansive view into your life via a dating app. I may be the wet blanket in the world where my peers are meeting their potential soul mates on Smileback and Tinder, but I vote “no” to dating applications and yes to real world dating. Whatever happened to sending a real smile in someone’s direction?
Kristina Bornholtz NEWS EDITOR
While I have never personally forayed into online dating, a good number of my friends have. It always starts out the same. Our conversation usually goes along the lines of their excitement to announce they are seeing a new guy and me asking where they met. Recently, the answer has frequently been the dating app, Tinder. “He’s great,” they would say. “Look at his profile.” Tinder became popular when I was studying abroad last fall, or at least among my friends. I was absent for the days when my friends first started “swiping” through profiles, matching with guys within a 60 mile radius. When I came back, many of them were dating someone they had met on the app. It was all new, exciting, and socially acceptable. It seemed that no one was ashamed to be on Tinder, which I found to be refreshing. Who says you need to be embarrassed about meeting someone online? Unfortunately, most of these guys ended up being not exactly who they made their profiles out to be. As things developed, the men my friends thought were sweet, funny and even possibly their soulmates began to show their true colors. One was obsessed with the thought of marrying my friend, though they had been together for only two short months. Another was hiding the fact that he was still sending explicit messages to his ex-girlfriend. In the end, it turned out these men that my friends were dating were not the well-rounded, easy-going and caring guys they made themselves out to be online. There’s a saying that goes, “On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog.” I think the same can be said for the people messaging you on dating apps. It might go, “On the Internet, no one knows you’re a scumbag.” While I do think it’s totally possible to find someone out there on the Web who is a good person, it seems like you have to “swipe left” a whole lot of times to finally get there. I have other friends who are in happy Tinder relationships (so far so good!), but I have to wonder – is the risk really worth the reward?
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OPINION / EDITORIAL Learning to live after loss OP/ED EDITOR: Jessie Tremmel
Thursday, Oct. 30
SUBMITTED
ON PORTAGE LAKE: Courtney Kueppers, managing editor of The Spectator, and her grandmother, Irene, at their family lake home in northern Minnesota last summer.
Courtney Kueppers MANAGING EDITOR
I was on the fourth floor of McIntyre Library that night. I needed the quiet because I was swamped trying to finish an English 110 assignment. At the time I thought my week was a living hell, overrun with assignments; in retrospect I can’t help but laugh at 18-year-old me, thinking I was so busy, but there I was. My phone buzzed twice resulting in two missed calls from mom. Your mom calling to check in on you is not an unusual occurrence for most first semester freshman, and I was no exception, so I ignored it. Certainly my project was more important than anything mom needed at that given moment. I sent her a text, “In the library, what’s up?” When she didn’t respond with her usual, “Just calling to chat” message my heart sank, the weird telepathic connection my mother and I are certain we have kicked in and I knew something was wrong. Overrun by my own paranoia, I put my study materials neatly into my blue backpack and headed for the stairs to call her back. As the phone rang I descended from the fourth floor to the lobby. You know that place in the library at the foot of the stairs? Where you can look out through the emergency doors to the main entrance and the stairs to the basement are on your left as you do? That’s where I was on Dec. 4, 2012, when my mom uttered the horrifying words “stage four cancer” through the phone. My hands started to shake and my eyes became wet with tears immediately. Very few bad things had ever happened
to my quintessential little family. We try our best to be good people: we love each other, we eat healthy, we volunteer, we vote, we are educated, we work hard. That all lacked significance that night, as a sharp pang of reality affirmed the fact that we were not invincible and cancer does not discriminate. My paternal grandmother had stage four cancer in her colon. The rest of the night was a blur. Mom said something about staying positive, starting chemo, blah, blah, blah, the words all melded together as my mind began to race. I remember walking out of the library, greeted by the sting of a cold night in early December. I walked through the campus mall, which was at that point still stricken with fences and dirt piles. I made my way to the front of Schofield Hall and sat on the front steps, where I retrieved my phone from my pocket and called my best friends. My hands shook from the cold but also from fear: fear of the unknown, fear of what the future held. I wept. I cried a lot that night and in the 22 months since that night. After rounds of chemo, radiation, more chemo, more radiation, increased doses of chemo and many hours of reflection, laughing and love, my grandma died, two weeks ago today. I remember the first time I saw her after she was diagnosed. I remember thinking: she looks just like my grandma always has, only now she has cancer. I remember thinking: this isn’t so bad, we can handle this. Some people get plopped into fami-
lies in this world where they have little to no relationship with their parent’s parents, others get grandparents who they visit on Christmas and Easter but otherwise feel rather neutral about and others yet are gifted with grandparents who influence them, inspire them and ultimately shape them into the person they become. I am a proud member of the third group. My grandma Irene was the type of person who others felt fortunate to meet. So for those of us who were her kin, well, we were certainly born under a lucky star. She was infectious. Everyone who knew her has a story of how she made their world a better one. This became increasingly obvious last week when I stood in an all black suit, in a room which was packed wall to wall with people, all there to celebrate her life. Folks I mainly recognized from photos on my grandparent’s fridge approached me, all saying things like, “Courtney, your grandmother was so proud of you, this one time we…” She was a shining star in a world full of mediocrity. Like my mother said to a full church, during quite possibly the most beautiful eulogy ever given, “cancer didn’t win, she simply decided she had better places to go.” There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. In the late ‘90s my grandparents traded the home they raised their three sons in for a townhouse and a lake home in northern Minnesota. That cabin has been the cornerstone of our family bonding in the decade and a half since. It has been home to countless laughs, games of dice around the kitchen table and stories of days gone by told ‘round the campfire. Last July, when it was obvious grandma’s days were dwindling, I sat with her on the porch of that cabin and held her hand. We looked out on the water and she said to me, “We’ve had a lot of good times, haven’t we, Court?” We most certainly have. Those good times are what we have now. It is those moments of joy that I will cling to from now until forever as I remember my grandmother. She is the first person I have really loved to die. In the last two weeks I have learned the grieving process is not something you can prepare for and it’s not something that happens overnight. No, when you lose a truly good one, it takes a long time to find the “new normal” as my dad keeps calling it. Life without my grandma is not something I am enthused by, it’s not something I am interested in, but it’s here and it’s happening. Sometimes, I laugh, sometimes, everything feels completely fine and sometimes, I am walking to campus and all of a sudden I am overrun by sadness, but I am figuring it out. Ultimately, I find great comfort in the fact that, for 20 years, I got to be the granddaughter of a truly beautiful person. Kueppers is a junior journalism and political science major and the Managing Editor of The Spectator. She can be reached at kueppecm@uwec.edu or @ cmkueppers.
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STUDENT LIFE
STUDENT LIFE EDITOR: Rachel Streich
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Thursday, Oct. 30
Helping friends find home from across the globe
Peer guide welcomes international students; forms lasting bonds out, not just for practical things but for social things,” Meyer said. Jade Sax, a student from England studying finance, also met Jancik outside of her When Marlieke Meyer began the semesspecific group during orientation and started ter with international student orientation in spending more time with Jancik and her peer Centennial Hall, she saw an unfamiliar group guide as she got into the rhythm of classes of new students from all over the world. But and campus life. She said forming these bonds there was one face she recognized. has made it easier to get to know others and Her peer guide, who previously introadapt to Eau Claire as the semester goes on. duced herself via video, helped her forget her “It’s easier to make friends here than it is jet-lagged state of grogginess after traveling even at home,” she said. from the Netherlands with activities and adSax said building relationships with ventures around Eau Claire. Americans after the first week has enhanced Meyer also met friends who she said have her experience at the university, in addition continued to make UW-Eau Claire a comfortto meeting other international students. able environment at this point in the semesIn her first semester as a peer guide, ter. Jancik has also been able to have new expe“It’s a great way to meet other people and riences with those in her group, such as a reget to know each other and see what the camcent dinner together. While most other peer pus and the city is like,” she said. guides had studied abroad or were internaPeer guides are students who help a tional students themselves, Jancik said she group of around six to 10 international stuwas somewhat of an anomaly because she had dents navigate many aspects of campus found out simply through a friend’s suggesduring their orientation week, from registertion. ing for classes to finding academic buildings. Ever since becoming close friends with Yet for peer guides like Katie Jancik, a jua student in her dorm from South Korea her nior kinesiology major, the experience doesn’t freshman year, she has personally gotten to end there. Jancik has continued to build relaknow several international students. This tionships with students she met and has supyear she wanted to work with students and make more connections on the same level as them. “I didn’t want to be a leadership role, but I wanted to be more their friend,” she said. At a certain point, Jancik said the formality of the peer guide relationship fades and both people can learn from each other. Sarah Vowels, community outreach coordinator at the Center for International Education, was a peer guide during her sophomore year at Eau Claire and said she had an invaluable experience and learned more about the CIE, ultimately leading her to her current position on campus. She said getting to know international students and helping students allows peer guides to gain skills in areas such as intercultural communication during training for orientation and beyond. Jancik said she has gained cultural awareness through her continuing friendships and a deeper understanding of others’ backgrounds and views. “I love learning about different cultures,” she said, “and I feel like my interpersonal NEW TO THE CITY: During international student orientation, new students from around the world explored Eau skills have improved a bit, being more underClaire with their peer guides. Over 100 new students arrived on campus this fall and have continued to adjust standing of different sides of things.” to life on campus. She said being a peer guide has given her
Rachel Streich CHIEF COPY EDITOR
ported them throughout the semester. As an upperclassman, Jancik said she recognizes how difficult it could be for some international students to make important social connections when they’re not freshmen. “A lot of them … are coming into a new university and a new environment not knowing a single soul, and most juniors and seniors have their friend groups established,” she said. That’s why Jancik told her group of eight students, “If you ever need me for anything, I’m here.” From being a study buddy to a fountain of advice, Jancik has been willing to help. Meyer and Jancik live in the same dorm and bonded after meeting at orientation. Meyer said Jancik gives her rides around town, which she said has been helpful, and she is not used to being in an environment where so many people have cars as their main means of transportation. Meyer said Jancik has also been a help for the little things, such as knowing what to do with a check, which she doesn’t encounter in the Netherlands. She said it has been beneficial to know someone she can go to right where she lives, as opposed to just her international student adviser. “It’s good to have your connections set
SUBMITTED PHOTOS
PALS FROM THE START : Katie Jancik and Marlieke Meyer met each other during international student orientation and have become friends over the semester.
even more of a global perspective. “I know people from all over the world and I value the experiences that I’ve had with them, the memories, definitely the food,” she said. In the future, Jancik said she hopes to be a peer guide for her remaining semesters at Eau Claire, and the ongoing opportunity is one she won’t soon forget. Vowels said new international students also remember their peer guides years after meeting them, even if their bond was not as close. “Everyone still knows exactly who their peer guide was because it was their source of information and help,” she said. Although the length of the peer guide experience is only two weeks at the end of the summer, which give the student service learning hours and a stipend, students like Jancik go beyond the one-time commitment and training. “It’s something we can’t really train peer guides on,” Vowels said. “Friendship isn’t really something we can teach someone about, but it happens anyway.”
Streich can be reached at streicrn@uwec.edu or @ RachelStreich17.