The Advance-Titan 4/6/2017

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INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN OSHKOSH VOL. 123, NO. 20

April 6, 2017

WELLS FIRES BACK AT UW SYSTEM SUIT Former chancellor says in court filing he did not violate the state law or W policy when he transferred funds to the WO Foundation to support five building pro ects

by Alex Nemec nemeca14@uwosh.edu Former Chancellor Richard Wells did not violate the state constitution or exceed his authority when he moved money to the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Foundation, his lawyer argued in a ednesday court filing. “Wells did not convert or conspire to convert or misappropriate any funds of the UW-Oshkosh, the UWS or the State of Wisconsin,” the document stated. Wells and former Vice Chancellor Thomas Sonnleitner are accused of illegally transferring more than $ 11 million in funds between the University and the

UWO Foundation. The funds were used to finance five projects, including two biodigesters and the Alumni Welcome and Conference Center. They are also accused of signing comfort letters that bind the University to cover any debt on these projects if the Foundation defaulted, the UWS stated in a Jan. 19 lawsuit. Wells’ lawyer Raymond Dall’Osto said in February that Wells and Sonnleitner have done their best to improve UWO. Wells stated in the document he did not violate the Constitution of the State of Wisconsin. In the document, Wells stated that he had a wide array of powers granted to him as chancellor.

“[The Board of Regents] shall delegate to each chancellor the necessary authority for the administration and operation of the institution within policies and guidelines established by the board,” the document said the state statute reads. Wells said he was acting within the scope of his employment. “Wells’ actions as Chancellor and chief administrative officer of - sh osh...were undertaken with actual authority derived from the Board, the relevant statutes, administrative code provisions, policies, practices and procedures of the [UWS], the doctrine of agency and the common law,” the document stated.

In the document, Wells stated some matters were presented time to time to members of the Board of Regents and the UWS vice president for finance, who also served on the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Foundation board. “The Vice-President of Finance and members of the Board regularly interacted with Wells, and on some occasions, members of the Foundation board were aware of the various projects and initiatives eing collaboratively pursued by UW-Oshkosh and the Foundation,” the document stated. According to the document, ells’ actions “were ratified and tolerated by the Board.”

Wells said in the document he was not aware of any UWS best practices or guidelines for dealing with foundations, and said he wasn’t provided training on doing so. “The UWS did not have in place a clear, concise set of rules, best practices, guidelines and policies for university and affiliated foundation colla oration on projects and initiatives, which were applicable to UW-Oshkosh, nor were such made known to Wells,” the document stated. The document stated while the UWS has provided some guidelines for the UW-Madison Foundation, those guidelines haven’t been laid out for other

Boothe vetoes move of allocable seg fee funds by Alex Nemec nemeca14@uwosh.edu

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Senior Peter Nordel jumps and prepares to spike the ball against UW-Whitewater. Read the article on A6.

Attorney discusses marijuana laws by Collin Goeman goemac32@uwosh.edu arijuana-related law attorney oe Spencer discussed the history and current state of marijuana law on a national and state level as a part of UWO Speaker Series, at Reeve Memorial Union on Thursday. Spencer is the principal attorney at his law office in verett, A, where he works with growers looking for licenses as well as out-of-state criminal cases. Spencer discussed the details of his wor with marijuana law in his lecture as well as the history ehind marijuana becoming illegal in the United States. “Many people don’t know the history of marijuana ecoming illegal and the reasons behind it,” Spencer said. In his presentation, Spencer said the illegali ation of marijuana was heavily due to the fear of counter-culture during President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign. “Nixon knew the youth and African-American people at the time held a powerful part of the vote, so arresting them for drug charges would be an effective way of silencing them,” Spencer said. Spencer said giving these talks is

important because this issue is so important in today’s political climate. “I like speaking at colleges because I have a certain amount of knowledge on this from doing my work for so long, and I have information many people don’t know,” Spencer said. “I think it’s important for everyone to have this information and make their own decisions on the issue.” Spencer said he isn’t trying to sway people in his lectures ut just state the facts. “In this talk, I’m not trying to advocate or convince people what to believe,” Spencer said. “ really just li e to share what I do and let you decide for yourself.” UWO student Hunter Armstrong said the discussion helped him understand the details of how legalizing marijuana would wor if it happened in Wisconsin. “It’s really not something simple that can happen and that for a major law like this to be changed you have to get a majority of your state ehind it.” Armstrong said. Armstrong said this is a su ject he follows closely, so having someone like Spencer come to campus was something he enjoyed seeing. “I’m personally invested in the mat-

ter,” Armstrong said. “I would like to see things li e medical marijuana legalized, so hearing Mr. Spencer speak was very informative for me.” Speaker Series committee member Luke Johnson said he was extremely excited to have Spencer speak on campus. “We thought that Moe would be a good fit here in sh osh ecause it’s a controversial issue, and it’s something that would provoke a lot of conversation on campus.” Johnson said. Johnson said a su ject li e this one is important for students to understand due to its role in the political world today. “Whether you stand on the side of legalization or not, I feel that a lot of sh osh students would enefit from that type of conversation,” Johnson said. “Seeing that it’s such a big topic in both the United States and around the world right now.” Spencer said he began speaking at universities almost by chance, but now it’s an important part of what he does. “ just started spea ing at panels efore I was asked to come speak at a school,” Spencer said. “Now I speak at schools all over the country, and I love sharing my work.”

UWS schools. “There appear to have been no formal, detailed state-wide guidelines for UWS chancellors in the time period when Wells served as chancellor,” Wells said in the document. According to the document, the comfort letters were not guarantees, as alleged in the board’s complaint and are not legally enforceable against the state of Wisconsin. “A comfort instrument is normally given by a “third party” to assure a party to a transaction regarding some element of value or credit,” the document said, stating case law. “They are generally viewed as not creating any legally enforceable obligations.”

Oshkosh Student Association President Austyn Boothe vetoed a resolution, passed by OSA Senate and Assembly, to reclassify some allocable seg fees to non-allocable fees, on Wednesday. Boothe said she and Chair of Allocations Michael Riley met over the weekend and agreed the resolution would increase the amount of students that would opt out of paying allocable fees if given the option, ultimately determining her decision to veto the resolution. “I am not in favor of this resolution primarily because students’ voices are not required to be listened to as they are now, if these services are moved over to non-allocable,” Boothe said. The OSA Senate and Assembly passed the resolution to move some of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh’s allocable segregated fees to being non-allocable on March 27 and 28 , in response to Walker’s idea in his budget to make allocable seg fees optional. Riley said allocable segregated fees can be used by students, while non-allocable segregated fees are bigger projects. “ on-alloca le seg fees are just for igger projects, li e the ec lex would’ve een financed y non-allocable,” Riley said. “Then allocable is the money that is spent on students directly. If you have a club and want to go compete at something then you can utilize those funds.” Boothe said she was con icted on whether or not she wanted to sign the resolution because of two reservations she had, including funding getting cut from OSA services, since a lot of those services are being moved over. “In the future, if student body presidents become extremely critical of the University or extremely critical of administrators or the chancellor themselves, they might fear their funding getting cut,” Boothe said. “So, student legal service has become a reference for OSA presidents… about what the University is doing; fears that that advice could be removed if it becomes used to be critical of the University.” Riley said he thinks a divide would form on campus between students who saw the opportunities clubs bring and opted in to allocable fees and those students who came to college solely for academics. “ t would e difficult to have an inclusive campus if people who are not paying their fees would not be able to take advantage of all the things campus has to offer,” Riley said. Jean Kwaterski, advisor of the Segregated Fees Committee, said the campus would change if the segregated fees that go toward groups went away and would depend on how it’s implemented. “I’m hoping that the University has the ability to decide how it is implemented, and that the G overnor or Legislature doesn’t tell us how to do it,” Kwaterski said. “I’m hoping that there can be a deadline date by which students will need to opt out, so we can determine how much money is available for the year.” Boothe said she was worried about unstable funding if the services being

moved to non-allocable were moved, which could lead to all of those services not being offered at all. Junior G reta Hammond said she thinks the opt-out option being offered in G ov. Scott Walker’s budget is a good idea because she doesn’t think students should have to pay those fees, but wouldn’t opt out herself. “ just thin that those groups are important to the campus community,” Hammond said. Student groups are necessary on campus in order to have a campus community that’s connected, Boothe said. “[Student groups] can make students more successful throughout college,” Boothe said. “There is a fear that if there is less funding for that we are going to have less successful students. n college you learn just as much outside of the classroom as you do in the classroom.” The 160 student organizations on campus are crucial to the college experience, Riley said. “Personally, I still wouldn’t probably be here if it weren’t for organizations and clubs where I got to meet people with similar interests and goals and pursuits,” Riley said. Boothe said if Walker’s budget does pass and allocable fees become optional and students do not pay them, then those students wouldn’t be able to use those services funded by allocable fees, which could cause an issue for the campus to figure out who is allowed to use the services. “That’s a huge administrative issue on this campus,” Boothe said. “Does that mean IDs have to be scanned to go into a club meeting? Does that mean if you want to go to Bye G osh Fest, which is an allocable fee, do they have to have a list of who can and can’t get in? So that’s probably going to e a financial urden on the University.” Boothe said another fear she had with opting in or out of segregated fees has to deal with the Supreme Court case Board of Regents of the University Wisconsin System vs. Southworth. This case states that if there are mandatory fees at a University, they must remain viewpoint neutral. The key words in Southworth are “mandatory fee.” If there is an opt out, it’s no longer mandatory, and people don’t have to be viewpoint neutral, Boothe said. “A lot of students absolutely love Bye G osh Fest so maybe if we have such little funding and everybody wants Bye G osh Fest, we use all of our funding for Bye G osh Fest and nobody else gets anything,” Boothe said. “Or [maybe] people with different ideologies may sway funding there.” Kwaterski said the University would need to determine a way to exclude students who do not pay the fee from using the allocable fee funded services. “If a student doesn’t pay the allocable fee, they shouldn’t be allowed to sign up for an intramurals team or be part of a segregated-fee-funded student organization,” Kwaterski said. “Overall, though, if students choose to opt out of the allocable portion of the fee, there will be less money available to fund OSA, intramurals, the G reen Fund and student organizations.”


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April 6, 2017

Food pantry serves campus community by Kierra Carr

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Cheryl Brown Henderson discusses how, instead of celebrating civil rights movement anniversaries, Americans are still fighting for civil rights. Henderson’s presentation on Tuesday explained the unexpected consequences that came from Brown v. Board of Education.

Brown v. Board of Education case still relevant in today’s education system

by Laura Dickinson dickil83@uwosh.edu Cheryl Brown Henderson, daughter of Oliver Brown, one of the 12 parents who filed suit in Brown v. Board of Education, came to UW Oshkosh on Tuesday to discuss the case and how it still affects all of us today. Henderson discussed how many of the civil rights movements of the 19 50s and 60s have approached significant anniversaries, but instead of celebrating the anniversaries, Americans are still fighting for those civil rights. “2014 looked exactly like 19 64 ; people were out in the streets,” Henderson said. “2014 was the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board. It was the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. It was the 20th anniversary of the South African Constitution that members of this country helped draft.” Henderson said the Brown v. Board of Education case had a greater impact on society than just the public school systems. “Brown v. Board wasn’t simply about children and education, it was the beginning for the legal framework to end racial segregation,” Henderson said. “If education has to be equal, why wasn’t it equal at food counters, work places, etc.”

Henderson said the Brown v. Board of Education case is a reminder that even in today’s society, not all of our problems are solved. “Brown v. Board of Education reminds me that democracy is imperfect and is very, very messy,” Henderson said. “It requires the civil disobedience, which is the engine that drives democracy’s machine. It doesn’t work if we don’t go out and add our voices.” Henderson said Brown v. Board of Education is often looked at as a solved case, but the aftermath is really never taught in schools. “You can’t change the fact that some of this happened,” Henderson said. “Many of these things are unpleasant, hard to remember, but it is important because as people say, if you don’t know your history, you are destined to repeat it.” UWO education professor Steven Brown said Brown v. Board of Education is a case taught at UWO for education majors to learn about education then and education today. “When I teach school law, we talk about Brown v. Board of Education,” Brown said. “I make sure my students know not only that case but other cases as well.” Henderson said over the years the

story of Brown v. Board of Education has become fictionalized. “My father never met Thurgood Marshall,” Henderson said. “His involvement was as a parent. He was the first man to sign on to the case, and his name was on the case merely on principle that he was the only man signed on.” UWO Black Student Union President Kevin Cathey said when planning this event, he was hoping for all students to learn about this important court decision. “I guess my question is who do you find yourself gets more out of this lesson, African-American students who know this history a little more or non-minority college students?” Cathey asked. Henderson said she believes if American history was taught differently, Americans could benefit from it. “There needs to be some clear recognition that we all came from somewhere else, there is no place called white on the face of this Earth, so it would help people to know where they came from and what their ancestors experienced,” Henderson said. “We need a multi-cultural education for all because we are providing our white students with a huge disservice by creating a false sense of historical superiority, when there is absolutely none.”

Since January, the UW Oshkosh Division of Academic Support of Inclusive Excellence and the Oshkosh Area Food Pantry have been helping UWO students by delivering food to those who need assistance. “We deliver food to 20 people on the second Friday of each month,” Director of LG BTQ Resource Center Liz Cannon said. Cannon said the program is designed to help students with food needs who do not have a convenient way to get to the Oshkosh Area Food Pantry on Jackson Street. Nyreesha Williams-Torrence, a 2017 alumna and an intern when the pantry was created, said most students don’t know there are resources they have access to as members of the Oshkosh community, and she and Cannon wanted to change that. Junior Natalie Osieczanek said there should be a system to ensure the food is going to students who are really in need of it. “I think the application should ask about their income and finances,” siec ane said. “This way, the people who don’t need it won’t want to take the time to fill it out.” Osieczanek said she thinks this way will be fair and vet out the students who are just using the pantry when they already have meal plans and enough access to food. Cannon said students must be registered in order to apply for the Food Pantry services, and they ta e the first students who apply in a given month. Freshman Harrison Collar said he thinks this is a great program for students who are in need, and he is excited the campus has established a system to help people for no fee. “I was happy to hear about this program,” Collar said. “I’m not in need of food, but I know there are others on the campus that are.” Collar said he hopes people are being honest and are in actual need of food because it would be terrible if a student wasn’t in need took away from

carrk01@uwosh.edu another student. Cannon said they ask students to sign up each month to participate by the Friday before the delivery date, although it doesn’t necessarily mean they help the same students every month. “ he food pantry’s first delivery was this year on Jan. 12,” Cannon said “The most recent delivery was on March 9 .” Cannon said since the food pantry just started offering this service, most students do not know about it and the pantry has yet to fill the students. Cannon said students who would like to participate have been informed via email from the division announcing the service and have been asked to email the LG BTQ Resource Center. “After that, they are then sent an application form where they can select the food they would like in their box,” Cannon said. Cannon said on the Friday of delivery, the food pantry fills the boxes with the supplies they have at their pantry and delivers them to the Campus Center for Equity and Diversity. “The boxes are marked with the student’s ID number,” Cannon said. “Students can then come to the Campus Center for Equity and Diversity to pick up their box.” According to Cannon, students can pick up their box between 1 and 4 p.m. by showing their student ID. Cannon said they have recently created an online form on the division’s website so they can eliminate the extra email to the LG BTQ Resource Center. “Sometimes students feel ashamed to ask for help,” Williams-Torrence said. “That shame can keep people from talking about it.” Williams-Torrence said food insecurity in the student demographic isn’t really something that’s discussed a lot, and regardless of how we joke about being broke college students, actually being in a position where you don’t have enough food is different and the food pantry is trying to help solve that.

Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services Candidates John Fitzpatrick

James Fletcher

Current job: Assistant City Manager / Director of Administrative Services for the city of Oshkosh

Most recent job: Vice President for Finance and Administration

Former obs Administrative O cer Business Manager, Human Resource Manager, Acting City Manager

Former jobs: Vice Chancellor of Administration, Vice President and Chief Financial and Operating O cer, Financial Services Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration

Education: Masters in Public Administration from UWO, Bachelor of cience in Business Administration from UW-Platteville

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Alyssa Grove - Campus Connections Editor

April 6, 2017

Annual drag show promotes self-expression by Lauren Freund

freunl37@uwosh.edu A variety of both student and professional drag show performers entertained an audience at UW Oshkosh’s 17th annual Drag Show on Saturday in the Reeve Memorial Union Ballroom. For some this was their first time performing in drag, while there were others who have performed for several years. The night was hosted by returning drag queen Vivian Storm who got their start in drag at UWO seven years ago. “I got my start here at UW Oshkosh at the Underground,” Storm said. “There’s so much love in the audience, so much willingness to participate, there’s so much joy at UW Oshkosh. I really have an amazing time.” Storm said they are proud of all the student performers for how much they dedicate to their performances as well as UW Oshkosh for being so encouraging and accepting by hosting this event. Storm also said anyone who is considering going into drag shows should go with something that feels right to them and should pick something that they love. “Find your passion in it,” Storm said. “Pick songs that you feel and that you live and that you love. Connection with people

in the audience is so important, you’re not ing,” Shelley said. “It’s really freeing, and just doing it for you, they come to see an it makes you feel like a completely differentertainer.” ent person. It’s just a whole different enerThis was freshman Alexandria Triden- gy from anything else you could ever feel.” to’s first performance as Andrew Genius Junior Misha Pauly said she enjoyed but she said she has been seeing performances from wanting to pursue drag all the people, especially There’s so much love performance for several in the audience, so much the ones who are performyears. ing for the first time. willingness to participate, “I have been wanting to there’s so much joy at UW “For a lot of people this do drag since I was 17,” Oshkosh. was their first chance to reTridento said. “I went to ally experiment with how my first pride parade and — Vivian Storm they feel about doing enI looked at my sister and Host tertainment, performance, said ‘I want to do that,’ and drag, any of that kind of tonight my sister watched stuff,” Pauly said. “So I me do it.” think that’s the most excitTridento enjoys the high and positive en- ing part for me is when people really get ergy the performers bring, which spreads to learn more about themselves when they to the audience as well, making for an en- entertain.” joyable night. Junior Lynn Schultz said she enjoyed “It’s not like ‘oh, I messed up’ and ev- the entire show but seeing one her friends eryone critiques you on it,” Tridento said. perform and the different kind of entertain“It’s everyone still had a good time, and ment provided at the drag show is what she you have a good time [because] everyone’s enjoyed most. having a good time.” “I got to see one of my best friends do a Junior Danielle Shelley, performing as great burlesque routine and I’m so proud Svetlana, is also new to drag, having only of her,” she said. “It’s beautiful, and it’s a been doing it for a month, but she said she type of entertainment you don’t get to see still enjoys the energy she gets from per- very often unless you go looking for it. So forming. it’s great that we get to showcase that on “I like the energy that comes from danc- campus.”

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Vivian Storm hosts the 17th annual UWO Drag Show.

Free School brings social justice, environmental classes to UWO by Aaron Tomski tomska69@uwosh.edu

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Shayla Menter (left, First Witch), Matthew Beecher (middle, Sorcerer) and Maggie Grewal (Second Witch) perform a dark and powerful scene in the UW Oshkosh opera performance of “Dido & Aeneas” on Sunday afternoon in the Music Hall.

UWO opera puts on a love story by Alyssa Grove

grovea09@uwosh.edu The UW Oshkosh Opera Theatre put on a production of “Dido & Aeneas” over this past weekend, which showcased a variety of student talent. The show, which was conducted by Dr. Eric Barnum and directed by professor Nathan Krueger, tells the love story of Dido, a widowed queen, and Aeneas, a Trojan prince. “Dido & Aeneas” featured both a full cast and an entire background chorus consisting of 33 members who sang more than the main cast. Performers were accompanied by the music of a faculty string quartet. According to Krueger, theatre allows for students to learn to feel comfortable on stage while developing their own acting and singing techniques. “My favorite part is working with the students, introducing them to the art form and seeing them grow through the process,” Krueger said. “I think it can be daunting to students at first.” Krueger said many of those who took part in “Dido & Aeneas” had experience performing in musical theater productions and are studying classical techniques. This experience allowed for the performers to adapt to the process quickly. “I try to encourage the students to bring their own ideas to their characters and work with them as a group to bring the music to life,” Krueger said. “Each student comes to the process with a different amount of experience, but we have a talented group this semester, and they really worked hard to make this their own.” Fifth year vocal and general music education student Ryan Lindley played the role of Aeneas after he was asked by his voice professor to take on the character. “The whole process of learning the opera, putting it together with your peers and then finally staging it is a blast,” Lindley said. “[When I was

asked to play the role,] I happily said yes.” Lindley said his favorite aspect of being a part of the opera is making great music with his peers for the audience to enjoy. “Something that is new this year is that there is a faculty string quartet that accompanies us,” Lindley said. “Typically we only have a piano accompanying us, and this year we have the string quartet and a harpsichord.” Third year music and theatre vocal performance and theatre performance major Matthew Beecher played the role of the sorcerer and said he was excited to show the campus the first English opera from the baroque era. Beecher said his fascination with the genre of opera continued to grow after taking part in various productions on campus. “My favorite part of being involved with this piece is the role I get to perform,” Beecher said. “One of my favorite aspects of performing is role research, creating backstories that are subtly hinted and suggested at through performance and delivery. This character is no exception, and it is always fun to get to play the bad guy.” Junior vocal performance major Gail Goodacre played the role of Belinda, and said she got involved with the UWO theatre after having a passion for operas for many years. “I want to pursue that type of music in the future,” Goodacre said. “So when I learned that I could be a part of one I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.” Goodacre said she is sad that people do not appreciate opera music the same way they did before. “The popularity of this style of music is decreasing even though so much of it is truly extraordinary,” Goodacre said. “I think it is so important for everyone to at least have some exposure to it.” Goodacre said through her experience with the UWO theatre she has developed a great support system and that the cast became incredibly close.

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Gabrielle Hass (as Dido) sings in UWO’s opera performance on Saturday.

“This year seems like our biggest cast and creative crew yet,” Beecher said. “It is truly electric and the energy is always high.” Lindley said working with other members of the opera is always a fun time and there’s never a dull moment; but also the support system they have built is very apparent. “We are never demeaning to each other, though we do hold each other accountable,” Lindley said. “If someone is messing up or just not getting the vocals or movements down, we help them. We’re a fabulous community.”

The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Student Environmental Action Coalition hosted a Free School event to create awareness and inform the community and campus about the environment and social justice classes on Saturday at Sage Hall. Kailey Wood, UWO 2016 alumna, said Free School is an opportunity for UWO students to be welcomed to a free day of learning. “Education is a very important aspect in someone’s life and it is a unique opportunity for people to come in to learn different trades,” Wood said. UWO student Sossina Chirhart said SEAC focused on bringing the community together to teach about environmental law and policy and social justice classes. “Members of the community come and teach the classes,” Chirhart said. “It is found on goodwill. You should want to give back to your community because we want to build the community and help strengthen together.” Wood said SEAC chose classes based on what the club is passionate about, including progressive ideas. “Last year I taught a class on empowering women in Africa, and this year I gave a presentation on the refugee crisis in America,” Wood said. Chirhart said this is Free School’s second year holding the event, and this year was even more successful, with about 150 people attending. “To me it speaks its importance with the volume of people, but also people around the community,” Chirhart said. Chirhart said the event brought in local business owners to teach classes on their expertise, and even local council women attended the event. “I think something like that where it brings your local community people from all different backgrounds all together is a good way to immerse ourselves,” Chirhart said. Chirhart said this event is important because it puts a huge emphasis on the community coming together and

learning together so we can function as a community should. UWO student Caitlyn Uhlenbrauck said she attended a class called “container gardening” and learned about different types of seeds and how to grow plants. “I learned a lot, and I think from this class it taught us that there are other ways instead of buying from stores, you can buy local,” Uhlenbrauck said. Uhlenbrauck said it is important to bring attention to the environment. “I think that there needs to be a big push for awareness of the environment, especially now, because kids don’t really get taught that growing up,” Uhlenbrauck said. “Just being aware of how much waste we have and [incorporating] more sustainable practices.” Uhlenbrauck said she was able to learn a lot through the Free School event. “It is a good way to interact with the community, [and] is a really cool event to bring people together of all different ages,” Uhlenbrauck said. UWO student Casimir Curney said anyone who wants to learn anything can and should. “If you want to know something you go out and get it, [and] it becomes a passion of yours and you can do whatever you like with it,” Curney said. Chirhart said the event emphasizes community and available education. “I believe that education should be accessible to everyone and because of the social circumstances, and the system we live, education is not [always] accessible,” Chirhart said. “That’s what I always tell people ‘don’t you think everyone should be able to learn? Don’t you think we should all get an education?’” Wood said everyone should have an opportunity at an education despite the growing cost, especially at a university level. Chirhart said Free School encourages the community and campus to work together. “If a community that works together and learns together, [it] is a community that will function together,” Chirhart said. “And I really believe that.”


CAMPUS CONNECTIONS

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Advance-Titan

Alyssa Grove - Campus Connections Editor

April 6, 2017

Bert and Bert practice efficiency, class

Cartoon by Lee Marshall

Across 1 Cartoonist Addams 5 Sour substances 10 Parroted 14 _poly 15 French painter of café scenes 16 Smallest American coin 17 Mil. no-show 18 “ Fear of Flying” author Jong 19 H err’s home 20 Pilfered G erman fruit bread? 23 Up until now 24 Timeline start 27 Play at the highest volume, as a radio 31 Bravery award 32 Evidence of Russia’s currency collapse? 37 Sch. in Charlottesville 38 Words said with a nod 39 J eweled headpiece 40 S tadium ticket designation 41 H arbor puller 42 “ Mister Ed” dot? 4 B ow and _ 46 C otton thread 47 Tortoni’s cousin

50 Pentathlon blades 54 F inal course in the Sahara? 58 B -movie safecracker 60 Cheering noisily 61 “Yes _? ”: ultimatum words 62 Length times width 63 Infamous skater Harding 64 H all of Fame catcher Carlton 65 Marries 66 After-lunch sandwiches 67 Lavish bash Down 1 Rude and crude 2 G enre for do-it-yourselfers 3 Distant and cool 4 O ne of two in seven 5 Chorus from the pews 6 Some “Wheel” prizes 7 “What’s _ f or me?” 8 F ake drake, say 9 O pposite of fresh 10 Stick ( to) 11 Keyboard work for two 12 Rhea’s Aussie relative 13 Hôt el _ I nvalides:

Paris landmark 21 Author _ S tanley G ardner 22 Like a weak excuse 25 Part of USNA 26 Make more than merry 28 I ntro-to-painting course 29 E xec’s three-piece 30 Little League precursor 32 Hayworth and Rudner 33 Seize illegally 34 G ave reluctantly 35 Matzo _: Jewish egg dish 36 Back muscles, in the gym 40 M easures by pacing ance oor units 43 S ights in la Mé diterrané e 45 P ricey watches 48 “ G ee, cool! ” ista e in the field 51 Creepy 52 Dadaist Max end to the ames 55 Musical quality 56 Belafonte classic 57 G aslight and Big Band 58 D eviate from a course 59 B efore, in odes


OPINION Advance-Titan

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Nicole Horner - Opinion Editor

April 6, 2017

OSA election reflects national politics

by Hailey Lawrence lawreh56@uwosh.edu Hailey Lawrence is a sophomore journalism and international studies major. Her views do not necessarily represent those of the Advance-Titan. Politics. We love to hate it and hate to love it. People like to spice up any conversation with a dash of “I hate Hillary Clinton” here and a sprinkle of “Donald Trump is trash” there. Let’s just admit it: the 2016 Election was like that juicy soap opera that you know is horrible to watch yet is so bad that it’s good. What’s particularly special about this election was that it was laced with scandals and mystery around every corner. “This is how politics works,” people would say. While we just witnessed one of the most controversial elections in history, this is echoed in the most recent situations with the OSA elections. While the news writers of the Advance-Titan can tell you what happened with the election, I can tell you what happened within the election. I’d like to start off by saying I went into this election thinking it was going to be like high school student government, since I was a part of that. The candidates ran campaigns with posters and cheesy slogans, and the students usually voted for whoever they liked the most. That’s politics. Yet here I was, a journalism and international studies major, running for VP of OSA. I guess the one thing I can say Donald Trump and I have in common is we were not ualified for this whatsoever only knew politics from my CNN app, my scrolls through VICE’s website, clicks on Fox News and whatever Facebook had to spit out at me. But I still believed in myself enough to think I could possibly help the student population. Since taking my national security class this previous fall, one thing I remember from reading all 32 pages of the U.S. National Security Strategy is that young people are the future, so it’s up to us now to start in uencing the next generations. I wanted to advocate that through this election. Instead, it was basically every candidate repeating the same mantra of whatever the students wanted to hear just to get their vote. That’s politics. When I came back from spring break, all the candidates had to go to a meeting to discuss allegations and whatnot. I didn’t attend because I had class. Unfortunately, college algebra made me miss the juicy results of this election.

First, it was finding out Aaron and lost. I felt very indifferent about it. Aaron would go back to working as Winnebago County Board Supervisor and I would continue being Hailey Lawrence, regular college student. Second, it was seeing the other slates express their concern about the results. To say I was confused is an understatement. I saw my friend and fellow candidate, Bryan Carter, share a post from his campaign stating how the penalties did not add up correctly. After reading the whole post, it became evident to me that there was a lot wrong with this election. This is where that college algebra class comes in. In a campus of roughly 14 ,000 students, 768 people voted. That’s 0.05 percent of the whole campus population. he final results of the election are as follows: Colligan/ Carter got 29 4 votes, Berge/ Schadrie got 18 8 , Wojciechowski/ Lawrence got 14 4 and Obieze/ Veith got 139 . Each candidate would respectfully get a certain percentage of their votes deducted for certain violations, such as campaigning after the election ( fancy talk for leaving your posters up after the election is done) and other violations. Colligan/ Carter would get 26 percent of their vote deducted, Wojciechowski/ Lawrence would get 15 percent of their vote deducted, Obieze/ Veith would get 21 percent of their vote deducted and Berge/ Schadrie would get 20 percent of their vote deducted. You would think that you would take the final vote totals and do some multiplication and su traction and get your final vote totals. Instead, the math, no matter how many times and how many math magicians I asked to assist me, did not add up. How Obieze/ Veith got a negative amount of vote totals, I have no idea. It is like 22 voters just disappeared without a trace. The missing 22 voters is one of Carter’s arguments with advocating against this final count. His claim is he is “against the impromptu and unprecedented interpretation of the OSA penalty system by the election commission.” Carter also won the popular vote by over a hundred, which is also in his argument. Carter holds a strong case, and I think, along with his interests, he is also thinking of his other opponents. He informed me that he spoke about this whole fiasco on uesday to the SA Senate to not approve the final results of the election. Carter has a strong following and an even stronger voice, the true embodiment of a politician. But in the end, it is in the hands of the Senate to approve of this. On Monday, Carter spoke in front of the Student Assembly and informed me his efforts to change the results of the election had come to an end. As for Maria Berge and her campaign, I support her becoming president. She has the experience and the leadership qualities to represent the entire student body. I couldn’t imagine what it’s like to be in this situation where you won but others are arguing that victory. hile the others are fighting this, Berge remains silent, as her campaign Facebook page doesn’t mention anything in regards to it. With Carter giving up on his efforts to change the results of the election, Berge officially has the peace of mind nowing she truly and fully won the election. Upon reading back on emails I’ve received in regards to the results of the elec-

tion, it is said “the number of votes after a percentage of the total vote ( 768 ) for allegations is removed.” It was said in print how they were going to deduct the percentage. Maybe there was a miscommunication, or maybe the math really did not add up. Maybe there was so much hostility that one slate won the popular vote but did not win the whole election. Maybe the fault is in the OSA bylaws. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, which is something I think people fail to realize. thin there is a lot that needs to e fixed in all areas of any political spectrum. I think everyone-- Democrat, Republican, Independent and so on-- can agree politics is a messy game and everyone somehow thinks they can fix it y themselves. ruth is, nothing is ever truly perfect, but instead it is a collaborative effort to make things better. I think that is the real gist of what politics actually is. If you have been analyzing this as much as have, this election definitely is a re ection of the recent United States presidential election. You have an opponent who won the popular vote ut didn’t win the election you had the electoral college ( the Commission ommittee determine the final verdict of the election and then you have a whole body of people argue against the presidency with social media hashtags and whatnot. While we don’t have anything as extreme as # NotMyPresident, we have Carter’s hashtag, which is # DoTheMath. In the end, we all have to agree on one thing: this is politics. The fact of the matter is, as I mentioned before, politics is messy. I learned a lot as a person with no political experience besides making campaign poster in high school. If anything, I learned skills that would help me improve as a journalist. I got the dirt, and I was able to reinterpret it through multiple different opinions and perspectives. Additionally, I have a newfound respect for those who are in OSA, as they go through a lot to represent our campus community in many unknown ways. ith that, my final thoughts on the results of this election aren’t re ective of the numbers but with the system itself. OSA prepares young politicians like Wojciechowski, Colligan and Carter for the raw tension of actual elections. It’ll reveal to you the unseen efforts the OSA does for average students like you and me. It also shows that outside student political involvement is lacking with less than 10 percent of the student population actually voting. It shows the lack of political awareness and involvement in most young adults. This generation can educate themselves on policies and political agendas so they can e aware SA can e a simple start to that awareness. For now, I congratulate Maria Berge on her victory, Bryan Carter for running a great campaign and revealing the faulty interpretation of the voting bylaws, Aaron Wojciechowski for being a great mentor for my political knowledge and for continuing his position as the youngest elected official in Wisconsin and G oodwill Obieze for also running a great campaign. While this was a fun ride, I will happily return to eing a journalist. can definitely confirm through this experience that the future of the campus community, both elected officials and active students, will e in good hands.

Votes were stolen from UWO students in OSA election

by Brandon Colligan collib56@uwosh.edu Brandon Colligan is a sophomore interactive web management major. His views do not necessarily represent those of the Advance-Titan. Prior to the most recent student election on campus, UW Oshkosh was on par to get students excited about voting for their leaders and creating a successful model to engage students in the democratic process. This all changed when the con-

SUBMIT A LETTER TO THE EDITOR: All letters must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Tuesdays. Readers can submit letters via email, mail or in person. Email letters to our University account, atitan@uwosh. edu. This is the preferred

clusive finding of the election commission reported it had deducted nearly 70 percent of total votes cast by students in the election. Not only does this ruling raise eyebrows about the ability of students to choose their own leaders, but it also raises concern that the ruling broke precedent with previous commissions in how they determined how they deduct votes. This change ultimately led to a drastically different outcome than would have been determined by previous commissions or that was decided by the student vote during the election. The ruling during this election quite simply reduced a student’s vote to one-third of a vote and tipped the outcome of the election in the process. The interpretation of how the commission calculated penalties dramatically increased the total amount of votes being deducted. The Colligan & Carter campaign ( even if it had in-

method. Deliver letters in person to the A-T office in Reeve Union, room 19. Mail letters to: The Advance-Titan, Reeve Union Room 19, 800 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh, WI 54901

curred all penalties ruled by the commission) would have still won the election by a large margin under the interpretation used by past electoral commissions. Not only was the democratic process undermined by having no consideration for the popular vote, but this new interpretation of the penalty system promoted more penalties and discouraged voting since the student vote was all but irrelevant. Students at UWO should be proud that they turned out in record numbers in this election. owever, they should find it concerning that their turnout was not rewarded or considered by the commission in their interpretation of the election penalty system. The Colligan & Carter campaign won the popular vote by over 100 votes, a 36 percent margin over the Berge & Schadrie campaign, which received the second most votes in the election. Yet the second place winner, by the popular

vote and as interpreted by past commissions, will be in control of the presidency that is supposed to represent the democratic choice of students. This is a slap in the face to the democratic process and the legitimacy of elections as a whole. Ideally, the sitting election commission and members of our student senate should be keen in addressing these matters. Failing to do so would not only set precedent that a publicly funded institution has little concern for the will of the student body in deciding its leaders, but would also state that the misinterpretation of a few people in positions of power have more say than the average citizen or student. Anything less than a reexamination of this election’s final outcome by the election commission and by our student government would be a complete rejection of the students of this University and the democratic process as a whole.

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Cartoon by Constance Bougie

Fees put events at risk Oshkosh is commonly known as Wisconsin’s Event City, hosting popular events such as Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture, Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market, Pub Crawl, Sawdust Days, Battle on the Bago Fishing Derby, Festival Foods Turkey Trot, Irish Fest, Rock USA and Country USA. Oshkosh’s events are a great source of entertainment for community members of all ages as well as visitors from other areas of Wisconsin and the United States. These events are especially eneficial to sh osh students who want to fill their free time. All of these events already have some fees to pay for services, such as police presence, barricades, “no parking” signs and “tow away zone” signs, just to continue running. The Oshkosh Common Council has been trying to pass a new ordinance that was presented on March 14 regarding special event fees, which would add additional costs to those already in place. The council should refrain from passing the ordinance in order to protect these events. According to councilman Ben Stepanek, the primary intention of the ordinance is to cover overtime pay for the police who protect these events. “The fees charge for things the taxpayers had been providing to these events free of charge for quite some time,” Stepanek said. “I think the goal of the council is balance. Making sure our event organizers can put on an affordable event while also [protecting] taxpayers.” If the ordinance gets approved, it could have a negative impact on local organizations as the price to put on events goes up. sh osh events are eneficial to the community in many different ways. In addition to providing entertainment for individuals who attend, these events can bring in quite a bit of income for the city. Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market Inc. Executive Directors Karlene and Dennis Leatherman said it is unfair for the council to press these additional fees onto special events. “The seldom mentioned purpose for these increases was so that the city could hire an additional three police officers that the council had failed to include in their budgeting,” they said in a joint email. The Leathermans said a working group is projected to form in order to address ways to handle the situation better. This group will include individuals from city staff, special events and the general Oshkosh community.

It is important for the city council and event organizers to come together and find a way to prevent any harm to city events. Many of these events, like the Farmers Market and Irish Fest, help the community by bringing revenue to both the community and local businesses. If the ordinance passes, it could affect not only the events but also the city as a whole. EAA Director of Communications Dick Knapinski said additional fees could greatly increase the cost of EAA. “Right now, the annual fees we pay to the City of Oshkosh for services total significantly more than $ 100,000 per year,” Knapinski said. “If the original proposal had passed, those fees could have increased by more than 33 percent per year.” If fees cause event costs to go up, event organizers could start charging higher attendence rates. This could turn participants away from events. There needs to be a better way to handle this situation. According to Knapinski, an increase in fees would do irreparable harm to events of all sizes. Many Oshkosh events, EAA included, were opposed to the proposal when it was brought to the common council. “We have no argument with reimbursing the city for the direct charges it incurs for services during those events,” Knapinski said. “However, event organizers jointly oppose the use of special event fees to fund additional city programs, cover budget shortfalls or create a revenue and profit stream for the city. e loo forward to finding a fair and equitable way to solve the dilemma.” The Leathermans said the fee for the Farmers Market would increase by about 55 percent if the ordinance were to pass. “The market makes no profits,” they said. “It does not matter if there are 50 or 50,000 attendees. There is no admission. The only income is through vendor fees ( which we will not raise) , sponsorships and donations.” These events should not be put in jeopardy by event fees. It is understandable that the city wants to make sure it has enough resources to provide services to special events and that these services get covered, but if putting more fees on events puts the existence of the events at risk, then the ordinance should be reconsidered. These events should not disappear just because additional fees are added that cannot be paid by event organizers. Events are what make Oshkosh unique, and both community members and UWO students do not want to see these events disappear.

position and city will be published along with the article). The Advance-Titan does not publish poetry, anonymous or open letters, and letters printed elsewhere. Each writer is generally limited to one published letter to the editor per month.

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by the Advance-Titan Staff atitan@uwosh.edu


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SPORTS Advance-Titan

Morgan Van Lanen - Sports Editor Mike Johrendt - Assistant Sports Editor

April 6, 2017

UWO men’s volleyball creates a dynasty by Jordan Fremstad fremsj17@uwosh.edu

Herb Brooks, the head coach of the famous United States Olympic hockey team, “The Miracle on Ice,” said, “You can’t be common; the common man goes nowhere. You have to be uncommon.” The UW Oshkosh men’s club volleyball team is far from any common organization at UWO. In 2006, the program won the National Collegiate Volleyball Federation National Championship. The following year the same thing happened. The story does not stop there. A few years passed before the crown was reclaimed in 2011. From 2014 -16, the Titans brought three-consecutive national titles home to Oshkosh. “As a player, I will remember winning my first national championship and the guys that were part of that team and the program,” senior Sammy Pedersen said. “It was, without a doubt, the most fun that I have ever had playing volleyball.” To put the success of UWO Division I volleyball into perspective, the team has earned six titles since 2005. It is currently tied with the University of California-Berkley for the most titles in NCVF history. Since 2005, UW Oshkosh club volleyball has more championships than Alabama Football and North Dakota State Football and is tied with UConn Women’s Basketball. The Associated Press has frequently considered these programs dynasties. It’s time to consider UWO men’s volleyball a dynasty, too. Achievements can be forgotten if the sport is not in high demand. However, it can still have a direct and meaningful impact on someone’s life. For senior Joe Kuchler, making the D-I team this year has been a dream come true. “I remember watching each of [UWO’s] past three national title games from the stands,” Kuchler said. “It was something that I wanted and set myself to a standard so I could be a part of this my senior year. After years of work in the gym, reps on the court and developing relationships with players and the coaches, I got

to where I wanted to be.” The NCVF is a non-profit corporation with collegiate volleyball commissioners and representatives from the United States. The primary purpose of the organization is to promote health, education and leadership for male and female collegiate club volleyball student athletes, according to ncvfvolleyball.org. Players can compete for up to six consecutive seasons if they are enrolled in at least nine credits per semester in either an undergraduate or graduate program. Athletes who play in the NCAA can participate in up to four seasons. UW Oshkosh offers three men’s volleyball teams ( Divisions I, II, III) who all compete in regular seasons just like athletes who play soccer or football at UWO. However, these Titans are members of the Midwest 10 and the Wisconsin Volleyball conference, not the NCAA. In addition to the program’s six national titles, UWO has won 13 MCT conference titles since 2003, 11 WCV regular season crowns and seven tournament championships. D-I team head coach Brian Schaefer, who also coaches women’s volleyball at UWO, has led this program since 2000 and has brought the Titans to a stellar 776 wins, a .8 26 winning percentage. Schaefer has mentored 4 7 players to 71 collegiate club All-American awards and 132 to All-WVC honors. The Titans have not finished below third in the country in nine of the last 11 years. “Lumpy [Coach Schaefer] has made a huge impact on my life,” Kuchler said. “He’s the dad, friend and coach of 35-plus guys every year. Specifically, for me, he helped me develop my work ethic in college.” Pedersen said Schaefer assists students beyond the court. He said he helps kids with life. “He is here for every one of his players and would do anything for any of them,” Pedersen said. “He helps people with more than just volleyball, he also helps with jobs, coaching, and school.” Senior Michael Wamboldt is in his final season with the Titans. He talked about the powerful memories that are

ALICIA KAHL/ADVANCE-TITAN

Senior setter, No. 14 Travis Hudson sets the ball to No. 10 Peter Nordel during his last home-court game on Tuesday. going to stick with him for- chemistry problems early this ing out and bonding with each University, No. 9 Iowa State, season and Pedersen said the other. This team is lots of fun No. 12 Ohio State University, ever. “The biggest moment I team had to find a way to close and has lots of goofy people. I Michigan State University, think that all of us being able No. 21 University of Miami, will remember forever was the gap. “I think that one of the big- to joke around with each other No. 4 Marquette University the semifinal match against Virginia Tech,” Wamboldt said. gest opportunities that we have has been a key for us growing and UW-Whitewater. The squad ultimately fin“They absolutely destroyed us grown as a group is when we close and building our chemished the five-game stretch 5-2 in the first game of the match, were in Las Vegas for a tour- istry.” UWO pushed towards the snapping a 14 -match winning and we regrouped ourselves nament over spring break,” and pulled out the win in three Pedersen said. “We all got to end of the regular season with streak. play in a tournament and then seven matches against talented games.” VOLLEYBALL, PAGE A8 UWO struggled with team spend the rest of break hang- programs, including Dayton

Q&A about the national championship with gymnasts Baylee Tkaczuk and Jessica Bernardo The UW Oshkosh gymnastics team competed in the 2017 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championship on Friday and Saturday in Menomonie. Freshman Baylee Tkaczuk took first place on the uneven bars, freshman Jessica Bernardo placed second in the allaround competition, sophomore Dana LoCascio achieved fifth on the balance beam and sophomore Bailey Finin finished 15th in the floor excercise. Tkaczuk, Bernardo and LoCascio were all named All-Americans.

Question: How did you prepare for the national championship, having no prior experience?

Jessica Bernado

Answer: Preparing for a championship meet is not that much different from the regular season. Mainly you work on details in the skills and routines and perfecting them. Overall, it is still a competition and you work just as hard and practice the same amount as in regular season. The goal is to be able to go out there and show everyone what you’ve been working so hard to accomplish!

Q: What was it like taking first place on the uneven bars this weekend at the national championship?

Baylee Tkaczuk

A: At the beginning of the season, our bar coach had us write down our goals as a team and individually for the season and my goal on bars was to be an All-American. I knew this goal was appropriate for myself, but I did not think I would be a national champion. It is still so surreal and I am so grateful for the opportunity.

Q: What is something you are going to take away from this year into your sophomore year?

Q: How did it feel to take second place in the all around and be named an All-American?

A: I learned a lot this year! I learned that hard work will definitely pay off in the end. I also learned a new team dynamic this year because gymnastics switches in college to be more team oriented. It’s a really cool environment to come into!

A: Being an All-American is so rewarding! It was one of my goals coming into this year and it was great to be able to achieve it. It was also such an amazing thing to experience with some of my teammates!

Q: What are you looking forward to for next year after having such a successful freshman year? A: After getting this year under my belt, I feel I will be able to help the team more next year with my routines and leadership. I also know how things worked this year, so I am able to help contribute even more next year.

Q: How would you sum up your first year on the gymnastics team and what you all accomplished? A: Overall, I think my freshman season went

really well. I really surprised myself. I improved a lot in my consistency on events and was able to take on some challenges as being an anchor spot on two events while competing in the all around. Although not every meet was perfect, I felt like I helped the team in many aspects and learned a lot more about college gymnastics.


SPORTS

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Advance-Titan

Titans baseball earns eighth win by Nate Proell proeln91@uwosh.edu

The UW Oshkosh baseball team has won one of its last four games to bring its record to 8 -7 with one non-conference game remaining before they begin Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Over the last weekend, the Titans played a pair of doubleheaders where they went 1-3.

First doubleheader On Saturday in Duluth, Minn. they lost both games in their first matchup against The College of St. Scholastica by scores of 4 -5 and 3-4 . On Sunday, Oshkosh managed to split its pair of games against the St. Mary’s University Cardinals, losing its first matchup 1-4 and winning the second game 8 -3. Titans head coach Kevin Tomasiewicz said the difference between Saturday and Sunday was hitting. “Offensively, we did not hit very well against St. Scholastica, but we still had chances to win,” Tomasiewicz said. “[It’s disappointing to lose both those games, but we had some good things from a pitching side of it.” Tomasiewicz said Sunday was a much better all-around performance from the team. “Sunday, we played fairly well in both games,” Tomasiewicz said. “Offensively, I thought we hit very well. We played a seven-inning game and ran out of time in the first game, and then the second game the bats came alive, we got into their bullpen and ended up playing to our capabilities in the second game.”

Eighth season win In the Titans’ one win over their weekend trip to Minnesota, they managed to outhit St. Mary’s 15-7. In their victory, the Titans had a 1-0 lead over St. Mary’s through the bottom of the

fourth due to a double from junior centerfielder Taylor G rimm that scored junior first baseman Andy Brahier. UWO junior starting pitcher Jesse Sustachek did not allow a hit until the bottom of the fourth when the Cardinals’ senior outfielder Ben Buerkle hit a two-run homer off Brahier that gave St. Mary’s the 2-1 lead. The Titans retook their lead in the top of the seventh inning where three hits led to three runs after a single from senior outfielder Johnny Eagan scored sophomore infielder Z ack Radde. An error from the Cardinals at third base scored senior infielder Tyler Kozlowski and a single from Brahier scored Eagan to put the Titans up 4 -2. The Cardinals went scoreless in the bottom of the seventh and at the top of the eighth, the Titans extended their lead to 8 -2. With the bases loaded and one out, Titans’ sophomore outfielder Sam Schwenn singled and scored G rimm. Kozlowski got out with a sac-fly, but scored Radde. Eagan was next to bat and hit a single that advanced Schwenn to second who then managed to make it to third off an error by the Cardinals infield that also put Eagan on second. Next to bat for the Titans was junior outfielder Logan Reckert who hit a single that brought in both Schwenn and Eagan. The Cardinals scored one more run in the bottom of the eighth, but it was not nearly enough to pass the Titans as the game came to an end with the Titans on top 8 -3. Tomasiewicz said with conference play beginning this weekend, the team has to carry their momentum from their victory against the Cardinals. “When we got on the bus to come home I told them that I was proud of the way they came back the last game and I expect that type of attitude as we go forth starting the conference on Saturday,” Tomasiewicz said.

Morgan Van Lanen - Sports Editor Mike Johrendt - Assistant Sports Editor

April 6, 2017

COURTESY OF JENNIFER ZUBERBIER

Sophomore pitcher Jacob Pohlman attempts a pick-off move towards first baseman Brahier during the spring break trip. Eagan and a sacrifice bunt from Kozlowski said going into Extra innings loss sophomore outfielder Dylan WIAC play is no easy task, but, Another notable game over Ott scored Kozlowski to tie the when the team plays to their full potential, they can beat the weekend for the Titans game 4 -4 . After a quick three outs for anyone. was on Saturday against St. “We know if we play our Scholastica in game one that the Titans in the bottom of the 2016 Record: ninth, the game went into an game we can beat anyone in went 10 innings and resulted in extra inning where the Titans this conference,” Kozlowski (through 15 games) a 4 -5 loss. The Titans had a 1-0 lead did not score or get a hit while said. “We have yet to put every6-9 (2-1 conf.) through four innings after a St. Scholastica managed to thing together, so there is still a sacrifice-fly from Eagan scored bring in one run to end the lot of room for improvement. We need to start to get on a roll junior shortstop Jack Paulson game 4 -5. Sustachek said the close this weekend against Point and in the top of the first inning. 2017 Record: In the top of the fifth losses over the weekend are continue to build off it in the games the team needs to find weeks to come.” Oshkosh scored one run off a (through 15 games) double from G rimm that scored ways to win, much like they Looking Ahead Brahier, but St. Scholastica did in their victory against the 8-7 (0-0 conf.) Cardinals. managed to score four runs in “We need to learn how to The Titans have one the bottom of the fifth to take win those close games against more nonconference game a 2-4 lead. Both teams went scoreless good teams,” Sustachek said. against Concordia University 2017 home opener: the following three innings “In the last game, it seemed Wisconsin on Thursday April 4/13 vs. until the top of the ninth where like we were playing like our- 6 in Mequon before they begin the Titans scored the two runs selves again. It was a good way WIAC play on Saturday and to end the trip, and hopefully, Sunday against the UW-Stevens UW-La Crosse they needed to tie the game. we can keep it going into conPoint Pointers in a four game A single from Brahier scored ference play.” series beginning on April 8 -9 .

Season Comparisons

Building a campus brand: the League of Titans by Mike Johrendt johrem64@uwosh.edu

As a former University of Wisconsin Oshkosh football coach, Steven Leib knows first-hand the ins and outs of being a student athlete at the Division III level. Not having an umbrella over the entirety of the athletics department made it difficult to draw funds into the various programs. The status of athletic fundraising was altered two years ago with the creation of the League of Titans, and Leib said the background of his coaching career provided him insight into what it takes to make it at that level. “I am an Oshkosh alum, having coached football here for 12 years and just retired, so I have been involved in UW Oshkosh athletics since I have been in grade school,” Leib said. “The booster club is kind of inclusive, or at least was all inclusive, with all sports. So, you kind of had to pick which G od you were going to pray to. What we did, was we kind of filtered in the UW Oshkosh lettermen’s club and kind of filled that in with the alumni association, and the booster club kind of molded into the same thing.” In Divisions I, II and III, many universities receive outside funding to support their expenses, specifically their athletics departments. UWO is no different, with the League of Titans serving as the booster club associated with the institution. The League of Titans is a newly established funding organization that, through the help of participating donors, helps provide athletic teams with necessary funding.

According to its website, the purpose of the League of Titans is to “offer our members the privilege of helping talented UWO student-athletes receive a top-tier education while pursuing their goals both on and off the competition field.”

Club History The LOT has been around for two years, behind the proverbial curve that Oshkosh’s fellow Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference competitors have set for booster club involvement. UW-Whitewater has had a form of a booster club included in its athletics department funding for 4 4 consecutive years. Not all booster clubs are that old, though, as UW-Eau Claire’s Blugold Booster Club has only existed since 2014 . All seven men’s and ten women’s university-sanctioned sports are supported through funds raised by the League, and donors have the ability to designate which specific sports they would like to have their funds support. If there is not a designation area, the money goes toward funding the overall athletics department for different projects. Even though it began in 2015, LOT board member and UW Oshkosh Chief Communications Officer Jamie Ceman said the club has had an uptick in popularity in its brief existence. “This is only the second year of League of Titans, so it’s really just getting off the ground,” Ceman said. “From last year to this year, we have seen steady fundraising but increased attendance at events.” Sports such as wrestling

and gymnastics only exist on the club level through UWO, meaning their status is not the same as sports such as baseball, basketball and football. However, LOT board member Steven Leib said these sports still receive funding despite being labeled differently. “What is nice about it is that a lot of the funds that we generate through our activities, pregame or halftime socials are given to everybody,” Leib said. “The gymnastics program, which is a club sport, or wrestling, which is a club sport, they need something and sometimes all they need is permission for funds. And, if they have funds, [UWO athletic director] Darryl [Sims] provides them a percent of what they need.” According to the League of Titans membership document provided by UWO, the amount raised in the first full donation period of the LOT was $ 6,050 from 18 members. In 2016-17 alone, there have been 70 members that have donated to the athletic department through the League, an increase of 52 noted participants. Forty-one donations have football-only distinctions to their names, with 11 to baseball and six to the athletic department with no specific sport designation. The remaining 12 donations were mixed between men’s and women’s basketball, softball, track and field, women’s golf, wrestling, women’s tennis and volleyball.

Community Reach The increase in popularity and support stems from many different areas, but LOT board member Rob Kleman said the

community outreach policies have changed since the implementation of the club, paving the way for condensed community assistance. “There is no question that it has increased and that the awareness is building,” Kleman said. “When you have something like this, it is going to take time. One of the benefits of the League of Titans is sometimes you may have five different sporting [events], so part of the problem is that you do not want seven different calls to a business for support. This is designed to help eliminate that and approach businesses on a more coordinated basis throughout the entire athletic department.” Being able to condense the reach into the Oshkosh community has helped the club in many ways that were not necessarily seen as possible before its creation. Kleman said regardless of the LOT’s focus for the athletic department, individual sports that have their own clubs are not limited in their fundraising outreach. “It is more of a coordinated effort to support UW Oshkosh athletics,” Kleman said. “This is designed to be an overarching coordinating entity for all of the athletics. Even though the League of Titans was formed, it does not prohibit any of the individual programs from going out and creating additional fundraising activities.” Not all sports on campus do have individual booster clubs. Football has the Titan Touchdown club, which was created due to the efforts of current UWO head football coach Pat Cerroni and current

LOT board member Steven Leib. Fundraising opportunities occur during nine months of the year, only not conducting events during the summer months when school is not in session. Kleman said the events the League of Titans are currently known best for are spirit tents, which help bring prospective donors to athletic events. “[Spirit tents are] the most visible events,” Kleman said. “Ultimately, you will see the League of Titans, board members and hopefully others to try and keep cultivating additional support for corporational support or organizational support in the community and in the area. Whatever that support means, I think ultimately that is what we need to do is grow that base.” All nine members of the WIAC have booster clubs tied into their athletic department funding. Even with UWO being one of the last WIAC schools to establish an overarching booster club, the progress that has been made is shown through the funds raised. Leib said Oshkosh did not create the League of Titans to try and catch up. “More or less, I think we wanted to have a booster club that really took care of all sports, everything that fell underneath our Titan athletic banner,” Leib said. “G enerally, we want to promote athletics, and not just at the university level, but in our community and within our alumni.” Overall coordination of the community outreach is another facet that Kleman said the League of Titans helps address. “I think it was more to coor-

dinate better all the various programs and all the various fundraising opportunities,” Kleman said. “I think also it is important to give these individual programs a vehicle to raise funds. To become a member of the League of Titans, you can just write your check and decide your level of contribution and just be a general supporter. It also gives athletic departments that were not as organized on the fundraising side organization [chances].”

2017 Financial Aspects After the entrance fees, members must donate no less than $ 150 to become a Clash member, $ 300 for the VIP level, $ 500 for the MVP class and $ 1,000 to be a Captain. Currently, there are no members who fall under the Champion ( $ 1,500) or Titan ( $ 3,000) levels. For 2016-17, of the 70 members, 17 donated to the Clash level, 4 4 were VIPs, five were MVPs and two were Captains. In order to raise awareness to bring in prospective members, Leib said the LOT has had to establish a consistent presence in the community, which has led to wondrous results. “We have a nine-month life cycle because it is when school starts and when school ends,” Leib said. “One quarter of our year is already bounced out of there, so I think we are really headed in the right direction. It is about building a brand, and it is a slow, tedious process, but what we want to do is when you are ready to make a big splash, you want to have all of your Ts crossed and Is dotted.”


A8

SPORTS Advance-Titan

Morgan Van Lanen - Sports Editor Mike Johrendt - Assistant Sports Editor

April 6, 2017

Titans beat Sabres in doubleheader at home by Mike Johrendt johrem64@uwosh.edu The UW Oshkosh softball team won both games in its doubleheader against Marian University on Wednesday. After having played their first 18 games on the road, the Titans came home and played their first two home games of the 2017 campaign. In the opening game, UWO won by a score of 5-1. Oshkosh was able to push three of its five runs across the plate in the first two innings, helping the Titans beat the Sabres. Starting on the mound for Oshkosh was senior Sara Brunlieb, who went four innings, and only allowed three hits while striking out three Sabres. This marked the fifth victory of the season for Brunlieb, who did not walk a single batter. Junior pitcher Clare Robbe came in and earned her first save of the season, pitching the final three innings. She faced 12 batters, only allowing an RBI single in the sixth inning. Offensively, the team was led by junior third baseman Erika Berry’s performance at the plate. In the first game, Berry went three-for-three with two runs driven in, including a two-RBI double in the bottom of the second inning. Stemming from the Florida trip, head coach Scott Beyer said the team needed to improve upon the small things in order to remain solid throughout the year, and so far the team

has made substantial gains in these areas. “We are very young defensively, and some things in high school they don’t do that we do in college, so the game moves faster,” Beyer said. “The little things on offense, getting bunts down and running bases right, the little things first. We got better.” In the contest UWO had one sacrifice fly in the contest by freshman infielder Natalie Dudek, testament to the improvements Beyer had talked about. Of the seventeen team members, nine Titans are currently either freshmen or sophomores. Robbe said the team’s success is paramount to the leadership of the upperclassmen, and there is even a nickname for this youth movement. “We have the team slogan this year that is ‘YOTTO’ meaning, ‘Year of the Take Over,’” Robbe said. “The role of the upperclassmen is mainly to keep the work ethic and goal to win into our underclassmen. We have some amazingly talented ball players as our underclassmen who push the upperclassmen for their spots on the field which is awesome.” The scoring for Oshkosh occurred in the first, second, third and sixth innings, as four different Titans knocked in runs in the victory. In the second game of the doubleheader, UWO won against the Sabres by a score of 6-3. In the victory, sophomore Bailey Smaney earned her third win of the season

by going six innings while only allowing one earned Sabres run. Oshkosh was led at the plate by sophomore right fielder Emma Fionda, who contributed three hits in four plate appearances while scoring a run and driving in two Titans in the victory. Other contributions came from Berry, sophomore first baseman Kaitlyn Krol, senior left fielder Lauren Torborg and freshman second baseman Amanda McIlhany as they each drove in a run. Along with Berry, Krol and Fionda having at least two hits, sophomore catcher Abby Menting had two hits and earned a walk in the win. The influx of youth on the team makes the roles of upperclassmen that much more important, and assistant coach Lynn Anderson said that the competition between the underclassmen and the veterans is needed to create a solid team. “You always want to have competitiveness on the team amongst positions,” Anderson said. “So when you have a young kid coming in and pushing those upperclassmen to play better and perform better, it is that good competition that is going to make those upperclassmen better. Then they are going to push themselves to make the younger kids better because they want to work hard.” The Titans will host UW-Platteville and UW-Eau Claire for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday April 8 -9 .

ZACHARY TAZALLA/ADVANCE-TITAN

Sophomore Brianna Witter rounds third base and heads home on a double play.

A team known for winning VOLLEYBALL FROM PAGE A6

The Titans are 31-3 with wins against nine opponents in the top 25 in the country. Kuchler said looking beyond the wins and losses, this program has given him a new family. “Every guy in this program becomes a brother when they join,” Kuchler said. “Then, specifically, your individual team becomes closer than brothers. You end up spending so much time with the guys on your team that you learn nearly everything about them and everything going on in their lives.” For Kuchler, Oshkosh has provided him with one of the best nursing schools in the

state. He said he could return to the Titans when he comes back for graduate school. “Nursing wasn’t my original plan in college, but, after my freshman year, I found myself pursuing one the nation’s best undergraduate nursing schools,” Kuchler said. “I also still don’t know if this is truly my last year playing. I plan to come back for graduate school to become a family nurse practitioner.” Wamboldt said the team has the WVC Championships this weekend and then will be competing for the grand prize at the NCVF National Championship in Kansas City, Mo. the following weekend. The senior hopes to add one more championship to his collection. “The memory of winning

three championships with these guys will never be forgotten,” Wamboldt said. “I am hoping to help get these guys one more championship and go out on top one last time.” If UWO takes top honors once again, they will hold the record in club volleyball. The word dynasty would become a part of this program if it is not already. Remember, there is a city of 66,778 people, and there is a school. Inside the many accomplishments of that school, there is a volleyball team. A team that competes against schools many-times larger than it is and blows those schools away. It is a team that gets no headlines in Sports Illustrated and no segment on SportsCenter or even any local coverage. And all this team does is win.


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