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THE SPECTATOR THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1923
spectatornews.com
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Reflecting on a journey cut short
VOL. 101 NO. 2
Students lose thousands to scams UWEC-PD encourages reporting online scams before too late
Grace Schutte STAFF WRITER A year ago, in March 2020, UW-Eau Claire students were brought back from their study abroad programs early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mary Kate Schneeman, a fourth-year English linguistics student, was one of those individuals. She was in Marburg, Germany and had been there just shy of three months when she was notified. “When I saw that we had ten days to get back home, I sobbed in my bed. I just sobbed,” Schneeman said. She and a friend of hers — who found herself in a similar situation — said goodbye to their professor that day. “Instead of going to class, we walked around the city for our last moments,” Schneeman said. When Stefania Draghicchio, a thirdyear psychology student, got her email, she said she was in a panic. “I called home, not realizing it was 3 a.m. there,” Draghicchio said. She told her parents ‘I’m being sent home,’ and she didn’t know what to do. Draghicchio had been studying in Tuscania, Italy — a place that would soon become one of the epicenters of the world, with COVID-19 cases rising at an alarming rate. “It was really strange knowing I was in one of the hot-spots,” Draghicchio said. “The day after I got home, the country shut down.” COVID-19 hadn’t broken out in the United States by that point, but Jenna Krosch-Bouchard, a study
KAR WEI CHENG / The Spectator A once in a lifetime opportunity was cut short for many students last year because of COVID-19. abroad coordinator at the Center for International Education, was keeping busy. She was one of the staff members who sent emails to alert students of their immediate return. “We watched COVID-19 go around the world,” Krosch-Bouchard said. “We were in the thick of it before a lot of our families and friends had even heard about it.” They understood the unpopularity of their choice to bring the students home early. Besides angry students and parents, this decision also put the CIE itself in a vulnerable position, KroschBouchard said. “Ultimately, though, when it became obvious that this was something bigger than anyone ever anticipated, everybody understood that they needed to come home,” Krosch-Bouchard said.
>> STUDY ABROAD page 2
COVID-19 vaccines: when and where to get one COVID-19 vaccine
MILES PLUEGER / The Spectator Jessica Rusciano, a fourth-year nursing student, draws up a COVID-19 vaccine in Zorn Arena.
Miles Plueger STAFF WRITER The COVID-19 vaccine is becoming available to more people in Wisconsin. UW-Eau Claire is using this opportunity to vaccinate more people on campus. According to the Eau Claire City-County Health Department, Wisconsin is currently in phase 1B. This includes, but is not limited to, education and child care workers and those in congregate living situations.
Lieske Giese, the director health officer of the Eau Claire City-County Health Department, said if you are eligible, to get a vaccine now. “Whatever vaccine type you can get when you are eligible, we want you to get that vaccine,” Giese said. “All of them are seen as 100% effective in decreasing death.” Although more people are eligible, the amount available is still limited and will take time to get people vaccinated that are
currently eligible, Giese said. Eau Claire County is receiving about 4,500 doses every week and members of the Health Department meet with vaccinators on a weekly basis, she said. Vaccination eligibility is set by the state, Giese said, and supply is the number one factor that will shape the timeline, so there is no guarantee for how this process moves along. >> VACCINE page 2
REONNA HUETTNER / The Spectator UW-Eau Claire police continue to see a high number of cases related to students becoming victims to scams online.
Reonna Huettner STAFF WRITER UW-Eau Claire police have noticed an increase in the number of online scams According to the UW-Eau Claire police, online scams can come in numerous forms including emails, online messaging apps, phone calls, social media posts and texting. Two particular scams have taken thousands of dollars away from students dating back to December 2020. Professors asking for research via email Many students received emails about a job position which involved research of some sort. In the email, the sender would claim to be a UW-Eau Claire professor who was not located in the state at the time but needed assistance, Chris Kirchman, lieutenant of UW-Eau Claire police department, said. The task students were asked to complete involved them going to local stores and recording names and quantities of different COVID-19 products. Once completed, they should send the results that they found back to the sender and wait for further correspondence. After it was completed, the sender would reply and give large amounts of praise by using over-the-top sophisticated vocabulary and thank the student for the research they have done, Kirchman said. Students would then be sent an electronic check with the instructions to cash it with mobile banking apps. With the newly deposited money, students would be asked to go to different stores and purchase gift cards of various amounts to different stores, restaurants or plain visa cards. Once bought, students were told to scratch the backs and send pictures to the sender. Kirchman said the student would wait, not hear back from the sender again and soon find that the check they cashed was fraudulent, losing both their own money and the giftcards they purchased. Make money fast The second type of scam happened through social media and messenger apps. The sender would use the identity of someone else to convince students to send money via cash transfer apps, Kirchman said. Apple Pay was one form of the cash transfers apps used. Students were contacted by an account that appeared to be a close friend. The “friend” had messaged the student and told them they knew ways to make money fast. All the student needed to do was send cash amounts using Apple Pay to a specific phone number provided by the “friend” Kirchman said. After sending the money, the “friend” told them they would make more money in return. Students then proceeded to send money to the number and did not get
anything back in return, then reached out to the friend asking to meet up and talk about the money, Kirchman said. The person who stole the identity agreed on a time and place but never showed up. Students who felt something was wrong looked into the situation more and learned they had been scammed, eventually reporting it to the UW-Eau Claire police. Other forms of money apps being used are Bitcoin and Zelle.
How to protect against online scams Melissa Janssen, the program director of Community Relations from Royal Credit Union, said it is not uncommon for people to miss red flags when dealing with fraud. “One common misconception that people have is that if the check is deposited and they can access the money,” Janssen said. “Then, the check must be real.” Janssen said by law, banks and credit unions must make funds available to people quickly even if it is a fake check. In most cases, if the funds from the cashed check get sent to someone through money transfer or gift cards, it is almost impossible to get the money back. Before replying to the sender, Janssen said to check for the following warning signs: • Do you know the person who is sending the message? If yes, did you check the email to make sure it is correct? • Are they asking you to respond quickly or say it is an urgent task? Are they trying to evoke emotions? • What is the person asking you to do and are they promising a large In cases reported to the UW-Eau Claire police, students said they responded to the email because they saw it was @uwec.edu. However, once the email was sent to the police, they saw the email was [professor’s email]@uwec.edu@gmail.com. Kirchman said if the offer is too good to be true, it probably is. Students should check out the situation before making agreements, exchanging money or giving out personal information. “If you are the victim of fraud or a scam, report it to your local law enforcement agency,” Kirchman said. “While these allows for us to know the types of scams that are occurring so we can share that information with the public.” The Learning & Technology Service at UW-Eau Claire wants students to forward and report emails if they think it might be a scam, Kevin Keller, a LTS help desk employee, said.
Read more at spectatornews.com.
NEWS
VACCINE from page 1 THE She said she anticipates the general public in Wisconsin could be SPECTATOR eligible for the vaccine by the end of April or May.
THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1923 EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Ta’Leah Van Sistine Managing Editor Lea Kopke News Editor Lauren Spierings Currents Editor Evelyn Nelson Sports Editor Sam Janssen Op/Ed Editor Grace Olson Multimedia Editor Owyn Peters Chief Copy Editor Ashlie Fanetti Copy Editors Amira Lunderville Chloe Smith Staff Writers Allison Hinrichs Avery Shanahan Emma Steiler Miles Plueger Reonna Huettner Rosa Gómez Sami Geiger Grace Schutte Freelance Writers Caleb Doyle Madeline Fuerstenberg Staff Photographer McKenna Dirks Graphic Designer Bethany Mennecke
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Thursday, March 11
PAGE EDITOR: Lauren Spierings
Giese said the next eligible group to be named is unknown, but could be those with underlying health conditions, such as cancer or obesity. She said the state is set to make this announcement as early as Thursday, March 11. Locations that eligible members of the community are able to get vaccinated at, according to the Health Department, include Sacred Heart Hospital, Prevea, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Mayo Clinic Health System and OakLeaf Clinics. Vaccines are also being sent to local Walmarts, Sam’s Clubs and Walgreens for eligible community members. Grace Crickette, vice chancellor for finance and administration, said this week, first doses of the vaccine have also been sent to Zorn Arena at UW-Eau Claire where faculty, staff and student employees have been able to get vaccinated. “Anyone on the state payroll and with face-to-face contact with students (is eligible),” Crickette said. The university has requested 500 doses of the Moderna vaccine every week, Crickette said. The university does not get to choose the vaccine they want because there is limited quantity, she said. “500 was a ramp-up number the university chose, but we are set up to do more than 1,000 doses per week,” Crickette said.
On Tuesday, March 9, 100 doses were administered and 200 were administered on Wednesday, Crickette said. Crickette said next week the university may start a vaccine clinic in Zorn Arena to further vaccinate those on campus. In April, she said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be setting up a clinic which would help administer shots for the community. The university is doing its best to send out notifications to people who are eligible for the vaccine, Crickette said. Those that receive the email get to choose where they want to get vaccinated, but if campus supply runs out, some are being directed to places like Walgreens. One roadblock, Crickette said, was even if the university has extra doses, they cannot give them out to people who are not eligible. This slows down the process of vaccinating everyone and makes it impossible to predict when most of campus might be vaccinated. For those that want to stay up-to-date on the latest additions to eligibility on vaccines, Giese said she advises going to the Health Department website. Crickette said the university will continue to notify individuals that they can schedule a vaccine appointment, but advises checking online daily. “Monitor the CDC webpage or local public health website and favorite those pages,” Crickette said. Plueger can be reached at pluegemf2903@uwec.edu.
STUDY ABROAD from page 1 Regardless of weighed pros and cons, the decision still left Schneeman, Draghicchio and others scrambling to find flights back to the United States. Besides participating in tourist attractions, such as visiting Berlin and Dresden, Schneeman said she would miss hanging out with friends she had met in her dorm. Most of them were other international students, from as far away as Taiwan to nearby Bosnia. She said she would miss goofing around in the kitchen where they would often share food — it was a way to bond and share their myriad of cultures. It was during this time that one of Schneeman’s friends from India made her one of the sweetest chai teas she had ever tasted. Similarly, Draghicchio said she wished she could have visited Pompeii before leaving but would ultimately miss the weekly local trips organized by her advisor. “Every Friday, we went on trips to see more of the local places with a lot of history. Those were my favorite days, honestly, because we were a pretty small group and bonded right away,” Draghicchio said.
Both Schneeman and Draghicchio said they expressed immense gratitude for their study abroad experiences, though short, and have intentions of returning abroad. The CIE is working hard to ensure there are options for future Blugolds wishing to study abroad, Krosch-Bouchard said. “(CIE) is hopeful to get students going abroad again so that we can find some more stability,” Krosch-Bouchard said, “but it’s been challenging, to say the least.” CIE is currently working with campus leadership to determine how soon students can resume going abroad. Krosch-Bouchard said they are looking into their summer programs. However, much of the decision is reliant on the conditions of the host country. If all is well, there is a possibility students could be studying abroad again as soon as this summer — but students must remain flexible. “We’re looking at fall and are hopeful that with more vaccines being Schutte can be reached at schuttge3524@uwec.edu.
Classes to resume in person in Fall 2021 semester UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout and UW-River Falls are opening classrooms will continue to address situations with the priority of putting health and safety first as they come. Although the universities are committed to
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REONNA HUETTNER / The Spectator
Reonna Huettner STAFF WRITER Announcements to move to in-person classes this fall On Feb. 18, the UW-System president, Tommy Thompson, sent out an immediate release statement in regards to the maximization of in-person instruction for the upcoming fall semester. Shortly after, a joint released statement of the western UW-Colleges was sent out to students with the three chancellor’s statements. The western UW-Colleges
include: UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stout and UWRiver Falls, where all the schools are making the commitment to reopen classrooms for inperson instruction. “The opportunity to engage with their fellow students and our amazing faculty and staff is such a critical part of the Blugold experience,” James C. Schmidt, chancellor for UW-Eau Claire, said. “And our community benefits as well as we bring back our students for the fall semester.” The statement also acknowledged the university will have several factors to consider regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, but
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Car part stolen, police check in on multiple citizens Reonna Huettner STAFF WRITER Catalytic converter stolen from student vehicle An officer was contacted and told to report to Sutherland Hall to meet a victim in regards to a theft case involving a student vehicle.
in a center row of the Bridgman Lot since approximately 4 p.m. on Feb. 28.
opinions as to what UW-Eau Claire should do. Blugolds give opinions on the in-person instruction debate. Students who think classes should be reopened next semester based their opinions on the rate of vaccinations, the usage of masks and the continuation of safety protocols which will create and maintain a safe space for students to return to campus. Izzy Pogorzelki, a second-year Spanish education student, is one of the students who wants in-person instruction next fall. “Enough people will be vaccinated by then so that we will be safe,” Pogorzeki said. “I do think that mask should still be worn to some extent.” Pogorzeki also said that she was excited to be back in person because the amount of tuition being charged to attend UW-Eau Claire would accurately reflect the education being received. A second student, Jonathan Goodwin, a second-year computer science student, echoed part of Pogorzeki’s response by agreeing that campus should open up for inperson instruction based on vaccination rates and tuition prices. “I’m glad I will be able to attend and get the education I’m paying for,” Goodwin said. “I personally applaud the administration’s decision and can’t wait to return to campus.” Another group of students reportedly felt the opposite and said the university should remain online for the fall. Read more at spectatornews.com.
Nothing at that time was missing or damaged while the car was parked in the lot, but when going back to the car at sometime around 2 p.m. on March 1, the student said their vehicle made loud noises and would not start. What was thought to be a missing muffler turned out to be a missing catalytic converter that was cut off from the vehicle. After getting the vehicle looked at by an automotive technician, the estimated total for the missing part was approximately $2,526.41. The victim said there was insurance on the vehicle under their father’s name. No one was given consent to remove anything from the vehicle at that time and there were no possible subjects regarding the theft. The officer made a report of the stolen part. The officer also gave the victim a UW-Eau Claire Victim Information form to fill out and also asked that they would send an email with a copy of the estimates for the part replacement. Intoxicated male in Haas Haas Fine Arts Center had an unexpected guest arrive at the building On the second floor in the music wing, an intoxicated man was found within the building.
her and asked for a ride to Menomonie, Wis. and asked for food. Read more at spectatornews.com.
NEWS
NEWS EDITOR: Lauren Spierings
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Thursday, March 11
Introduced legislation would bar transgender women from sports Republican backed bill would prevent transgender women from competing with girls teams from kindergarten through college
Vaccination and relief funds begin locally and nationally Lauren Spierings NEWS EDITOR Several locations around Eau Claire are now able to offer vaccines to those eligible, both to those with local health care providers and those without. While Eau Claire does not have a mass vaccination clinic,
SUBMITTED Introduced legislation aims to prohibit trangender women from competing with other women in sports.
Rosa Gómez STAFF WRITER A bill proposed by Wisconsin Republican lawmakers would ban transgender women from competing in girl’s and women’s sports teams, from kindergarten through the collegiate level. The bill is sponsored by Republican Representative Barbara Dittrich from the 38th assembly district. Applicable to both private and public Wisconsin schools, the bill would only allow student athletes to join a sports team that corresponds with their biological sex given at birth, unless the sport or team is categorized as co-ed. During a press conference, Dittrich said this legislation would protect female athletes from competing against individuals who may have a physical advantage, resulting in potentially losing advancement and leadership opportunities. In a tweet posted by Democratic Governor Tony Evers, he publicly supported transgender youth, but did not explicitly make reference to the proposed legislation. “My message to Wisconsin transgender kids and students today is simple: I see you. You are welcome, you are wanted and you belong,” Evers said in a tweet on March 2. Madison Engel, a second-year neuroscience student and a member of the UW- Eau Claire swim team, said transgender women should be able to compete with a group of people who they identify with.
Engel said that while she understands the concerns that some people may have, she wants communities to be more forwardthinking in order for people to be able to express who they want to be and not feel constricted. Chloe Hendrickson, a secondyear kinesiology student and fellow swim teammate, echoed this same belief and said sports and being a student athlete is a huge part of shaping people into who they are. Hendrickson said she felt it is not only unfair to transgender women, but also that if this legislation was passed, it would bring down the overall morale of teammate relationships. Kallie Friede, the associate student services coordinator for the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center at UW-Eau Claire, paralleled Hendrickson’s belief. “K-12 can be hard for so many reasons, and for me, sports were an outlet and taught me leadership skills, teamwork skills and a myriad of other lessons that I still use dayto-day,” Friede said. “To think that other young people wouldn’t have this opportunity is deeply maddening because nobody should be denied an opportunity because of who they are.” Dittrich, during the press in muscle mass, bone density, testosterone levels and other gender and transgender women are some of the contributing factors that aided in her support of the bill.
Land acknowledgement and nonbinary gender language in constitution pass but bill for altering the constitiution fails Avery Shanahan STAFF WRITER This week, the senate voted to implement new language and land acknowledgement in the constitution, but voted against changing the constitution in its entirety. The meeting began at 6:09 p.m. with a presentation from the University Planning Committee Strategic Plan. MJ Brukardt, executive director of marketing and planning, discussed the university’s strategic plan for 2025. Brukardt said they received feedback from the student senate as well as the student body on including more EDI and sustainability initiatives to the 2025 strategic plan. “Our new plan calls for distinction around health and our true goal which is interdisciplinary connections across colleges in support of human health and well being.” The presentation was then followed by the open forum section of the agenda, which included two speakers this week. Nikolaus Spittlemeister offered clarification on the bill 64-B-9 which was introduced at last week’s meeting.
According to the WIAA rulebook, concerns regarding testosterone levels and other medical procedures are addressed for transgender individuals. As it pertains to this legislation, transgender women have to prove they have undergone testosterone suppression therapy for at least 12 months prior if they wish to compete with a women’s team. Most individuals do not begin hormone therapy until around 16 years old, according to Mayo Clinic. Both Engel and Hendrickson said that this regulation, in combination with what the bill is proposing, puts transgender women at a disadvantge. “There is never a chance for a transgender woman to even compete,” Engel said. Both Engel and Hendrickson said that transgender women would not be able to compete until college and it is unlikely they would be allowed to join a team with people who already have had a lifetime of competitive experience. Hendrickson said if they did join the team, having to get used to what competitions are like in combination with all the changes that occur during the first year of college would be extremely challenging. Additionally, both Hendrickson and Engel said they felt that kindergarten was too young to even consider any sort of legislation regarding athletics. Read more at spectatornews.com.
The bill proposes several new amendments and changes to the current student senate constitution. Spittlemeister said the bill represents a student petition and shared what the proposed amendments will be when the bill is reintroduced later in the meeting. The next open forum speaker was Jeremy Gragert, a city council representative from district three. Gragert discussed upcoming plans that the city council is working on, including renewable energy strategies. Gragert also said he wanted more student involvement and identification of students who want to work with the city council. “One of the ideas I have to help students get more involved in the community and help governance in the city is to open up more seats on our commissions and committees for students,” Gragert said. Following open forum, the student body president, vice president, chief of staff and all of the current commission directors each gave reports. These reports include updates on upcoming events as well as updates of current affairs happening within each commission. The body then moved to the unfinished business portion of the agenda. Three of the bills introduced last week were reintroduced and voted on during this time. Both bills 64-B-7 and 64-B-8 were voted on and passed with an overwhelming majority. Bill 64-B-7 proposing adding the emergency clause, gender nonbinary language and the land acknowledgement into the student senate constitution. This bill passed with a vote of 27-0-2. Bill 64-B-8 proposed allocating unused travel expenses, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, into the music department’s permanent property fund. This allocation would allow for the department to purchase more instruments for students. This bill passed with a vote of 28-0-2. The senate then moved to new business where one resolution and one bill were proposed. Read more at spectatornews.com.
Among the locations available, there are several locations through local health care providers, such as: • HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital/Prevea • Marshfield Clinic Health System • Mayo Clinic Health System • Several OakLeaf Clinic locations Additionally, vaccinations are available to those whose health care providers are not local or for those who do not have a health care provider. All vaccine locations are available to contact on the Eau Claire County Response Homepage. Vaccine locations for those who do not wish to go through local health care providers include: • Eau Claire City-County Health Department • Hastings Way locations • Walmart • Sam’s Club According to WEAU, Target will soon also become a location where vaccines are available, thanks to its partnership with CVS. Certain students at UW-Eau Claire also received an email from Blugold Central at 1:20 p.m. today regarding the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, formerly known as the CARES Act. Based on their FAFSAs for the 2020-2021 year, some students may receive grants. In national news, the House just passed a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill which President Joe Biden hopes to sign on Friday, according to CNBC. The bill passed the House without a Republican vote by a margin of 220-211. This stimulus check would be the third since the start of the pandemic. The first gave $1,200 while the second round of stimulus checks offered up to $600, according to USA Today. As of 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday, there is one new positive case of COVID-19 among on-campus students tested at
According to the UW-Eau Claire COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 26,956 tests given since Jan. 23, with 44 tests being positive for COVID-19. As of 9 a.m. today, there are no students in quarantine or in isolation on campus currently. The Barron County data has no new positive cases of COVID-19. However, there have been 16 total weekly tests As of 1:45 p.m. on March 8, the information from the Eau Claire City-County Health Department said there are 5 new student-connected positive cases of COVID-19 as well as three new staff-connected cases. Since September of 2020, the total number of studentconnected cases of COVID-19 now rests at 1,082 cases,
cases, which is an increase of three cases since last week. Read more at spectatornews.com.
THIS WEEK IN PHOTOS PAGE EDITOR: Ashlie Fanetti
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Thursday, March 11
The Cabin continues virtual live performances
SUBMITTED In February, the band Good Morning Bedlam performed at The Cabin. Performances are at 6 p.m. on Fridays or Saturdays at uwec.ly/live.
SUBMITTED Samuel Stein is not only the co-chair of the concerts committee but also a performer at The Cabin.
The Eau Claire area partners with “Be Active Wisconsin Community Challenge”
TA’LEAH VAN SISTINE / The Spectator The weather is warming up and Blugolds are heading outside. Many students choose to take in the fresh air on the campus mall when the weather in Eau Claire gets nicer.
SPORTS SPORTS EDITOR: Sam Janssen
Thursday, March 11
Blugolds end the season with 8-2 record after Warhawks loss “We’ve played some really, really good basketball this year under
Tonja Englund Head Coach year forward, expressed their gratitude to have had a season at all. The team started practicing in October not knowing if they would be allowed to play It wasn’t until two months later, in December, when the WIAC announced it would allow competition with shortened seasons for conference teams.
SUBMITTED / The Spectator head coach, said. The Blugolds didn’t let up in the third and fourth quarters, maintaining their lead,
Emma Steiler STAFF WRITER The UW-Eau Claire women’s basketball team competed in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship last week.
stretches defenses out and is a post player who can hit a deep three.
the Blugolds would have to play catch up in the next quarter. UW-Eau Claire was unable to take the lead in the second quarter, going into halftime
Englund said she’s had great teams and this is one of them, choking up as she described what the team has meant to her this year. She said they are a special group and it is hard for the season to come to an end because they have been together through such uncertain times. “Behind the scenes, we’ve been a family, we’ve helped each other through tough times and the two hours we’ve been together every day for practices and for games have been a
The Blugolds were unable to make a comeback in the second half, and UW-
Englund said the next season can’t get here soon enough.
The loss ended the team’s season, but after the game, Englund and Katie Essen, a fourth-
Steiler can be reached at steilere7510@uwec. edu.
Whitewater “It’s great that we have so many players that can rise to the occasion and that we’re really
Claire faced the UW-Whitewater Warhawks
UW-Platteville UW-Platteville Pioneers in the WIAC
Jessie Ruden, a second-year point guard, were
Going into the second quarter, the teams
each and scoring nearly half of the game’s total points combined. “When you get a stat sheet as a coach and you see that a freshman and a sophomore have led you in a WIAC tournament game,
managed to take the lead into halftime by scoring 24 points in the quarter, double what Platteville scored. “It seems like the second quarter is our quarter a lot of times. We really kick it in
Englund spoke highly of Ganski’s abilities
Englund echoed Essen’s sentiment. “We’ve played some really, really good basketball this year under really tough
Swim and dive teams break six records
Women’s hockey takes Blugolds beat UWRF on Wednesday, lose
Miles Plueger STAFF WRITER Sports competition is returning at UW-Eau Claire after being shut down for almost a year. The UW-Eau Claire women’s hockey team is now
bench, said Erik Strand, UW-Eau Claire’s head coach. Strand said the Blugolds gained a lead in Wednesday’s game that was hard for the Falcons to come back from. Despite a tough game on Friday, he said the Blugolds did not quit. The Blugolds played their first game against the
SUBMITTED / The Spectator
The Falcons scored first in the first period and were not followed up until the middle of the second defenseman, scored for the Blugolds.
Sam Janssen SPORTS EDITOR The UW-Eau Claire men’s and women’s swim and dive teams broke six
set a school record and is currently the Bylander was also part of the
Jorgenson said the team did a great
which established a pool record, the
positive throughout the season, and was able to bond even further once they were able to start travelling to meets together. “It’s been pretty energetic,
The Blugolds travelled to UWof the season at the UW-Stevens Point Anne Ryder, UW-Eau Claire’s head coach, said the team was extra motivated all championship meets were cancelled this season. The men’s team set pool records
medley relay. Jessica Wilson,
a
fourth-year
yard backstroke for the women’s team. swimmer, was responsible for three of the individual men’s records and was as well.
swimmer, received All-American consideration scores on three meters for the men’s team. Kabe and Kocher, along with Ben received All-American consideration scores on the one meter as well. Sarah Dahlk, a third-year swimmer, received All-American consideration scores on one meter for the women’s team. Ryder said the team’s mentality they maintained throughout the season allowed them to end their season with this great performance as a team. “It was the intensity and the energy that the team brought this whole season Riley Jorgenson, a fourth-year swimmer and the captain of the swim and dive team, said the team has been able to keep up the intensity in practices all season despite restrictions due to
Jorgenson said. The team began practicing at the end of September, but was not able February. Ryder reiterated Jorgenson’s point about the team being able to stay
brought the game to a tie.
In the first minute of the third period, the Blugolds took the lead with a goal from Emma Peterson, a fourth-
by the Blugolds. On Friday, the Blugolds hosted the Falcons and lost and were left unanswered by the Blugolds.
long season, saying it was “full-steam start competing again. “The team in the beginning kind of got on board with what we were trying Ryder said she was proud to see the team end their unusual season on such a high note.
“I truly thought there was a chance of coming back,
the second period, and picked up another off a power play at the end of the third period.
shots on goal. Read more at spectatornews.com Janssen can be reached at janssesd6907@ uwec.edu.
CURRENTS CURRENTS EDITOR: Evelyn Nelson
Thursday, March 11
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SUBMITTED Vaj shares what she has learned after 20 years of experience in building movements dedicated to solidarity in social justice through gender justice inquiry. She spoke to UW-Eau Cliaire students on March 6 in a “Racing Toward Justice” forum series. On Monday, March 6, the Martin Mogensen Education Lecture Series was continued through a presentation by Kabzuag Vaj. Her keynote forum, “Organizing for Racial and Gender Justice in an era of Trumpism through a Hmong Feminist Lens,” shared the lessons she has learned in her 20 years of involvement in social justice movements. Vaj began the forum by telling viewers about her background as a female-identifying Hmong immigrant in America. Born at the end of the Vietnam War in Laos, Vaj
Hmong woman steps up to the challenge Kabzuag Vaj discusses racial and gender injustices through a Hmong feminist lens Grace Schutte STAFF WRITER
result of the Vietnam War, “Laos had become one of the most heavily bombed nations in the world,” Vaj said. Due to the constant barrage, Vaj’s mother was was born. Her father had been airlifted to a refugee camp in Thailand after the war. Vaj, however, alongside her mother and siblings, had to walk to the camp. A few years later, they were resettled to the south side of Madison, Wis. in the United States. “My journey into this world was pretty rocky. But, as you can all see, the beginning of your life doesn’t always necessarily mean that’s the way that it’s going to be,” Vaj said. She then introduced the concept of “justice lenses.” Vaj said, “That means in every aspect of my life, I look at it from a woman’s perspective, from a little girl’s perspective.” Growing up in a Hmong household, where there are many gender-specific roles, Vaj had many opportunities to apply this lens. Vaj remembered, though not knowing the proper terminology then, feeling injustice when she was very young — specifically, at family gatherings. “Hmong families would always have these celebrations where the women would cook all day and set the table. Often during those days, the men would eat first, and the women and children would eat second,” Vaj said. One day, she said to herself that she was tired of eating after the men and her brothers: what would happen if she ate before them? That is what she did. Seeking justice, though she didn’t realize it at the time, Vaj took her plate of food and ate it silently in
Spring Career fair held virtually Annual ARCC event held online due to COVID-19, still hosts over 100 employers for students Amira Lunderville COPY EDITOR The annual spring career fair at UW-Eau Claire gathered once again to bring employers and students together for internships and potential career paths. Melody Manteufel, outreach counselor in the Advising, Retention and Career Center and event coordinator, said the UWEau Claire Career Services team hosts the career fairs and partners with multiple departments across campus to promote the event. The career fairs connect UW-Eau Claire’s students who wish to recruit Blugolds for internships and full-time positions that require or prefer a bachelor’s degree, Manteufel said. “Students learn directly from organizations who may be hiring right away or in the future,” Manteufel said. “Employers attend because they are
familiar with the skillsets UWEC graduates gain in the classroom like critical thinking, communication and teamwork.” Hundreds of students attend the career fair each semester to meet employers from all industries and sizes with ties to Wisconsin and the Midwest, she said. About 110 employers registered for the event this spring semester. In preparation for the event, Manteufel said the ARCC has shared materials over email and social media, including a new series of short, two-minute videos on career preparation and follow-up. “The ARCC has met with students one-on-one, presented to classes and student organizations, held a mock career fair where students could practice joining a virtual fair and get any questions they may have answered and shared information with employers about connecting with Blugolds,” Manteufel said.
Students also had to do their own work in preparation for the event, she said. “Students had to be sure their Handshake accounts were current with updated updated resume,” Manteufel said. “Students could register and sign-up for sessions quickly and easily through Handshake and there were still open spots at the start of the event.” Staci Heidke, associate director of Career Services, said students had to research employers, do a self-assessment to see what job or internship they would want post-graduation and assess their own strengths and weaknesses to be able to market themselves to employers. “Life after graduation is really important to think about and the career fair provides opportunities to potentially launch students’ careers,” Heidke said. Read more at spectatornews.com
the kitchen before the rest. “I was eating for myself; I was eating for my mom; I was eating for my sister; I was eating for my aunties,” Vaj said. Vaj was able to identify the misogynistic aspects of her culture and challenge them; however, the act of acknowledgment is not as simple as it seems. Claudia Lecher, a second-year business student, attended the event for a women’s, gender and sexuality studies course she is taking this semester. Lecher said she was certain she had dealt with gender discrimination within her lifetime, but was reminded of the expansive discrimination that occurs amongst women who identify as a person of color. “I feel like growing up, that was something people got very much used to and just went along with,” Lecher said. “There was never anything super drastic — more like little things that most women probably live with on a day-to-day.” These microaggressions that can easily get swept under the rug are what Vaj seeks to challenge with her activism, Lecher said. Since that day in her childhood kitchen, Vaj has continued her search for justice by starting several organizations including Freedom Inc. Freedom Inc. is a Black and Southeast Asian organization dedicated toward “achieving social justice through coupling direct services with leadership development and community organizing,” according to the Freedom, Inc website. Vaj is also the co-founder of Building Our Future, a campaign working to change traditional customs that contribute to gender-based violence within the Hmong community — while also building necessary leadership skills in women and young girls. Additionally, Vaj is the co-owner and co-founder of Red Green Rivers, “a social enterprise that works with artisan makers, most of whom are women and girls, from the Mekong Region in Southeast Asia.” “The history of Hmong people and their struggles helped me to understand and empathize with oppressed people,” Vaj said.
Read more at spectatornews.om
‘Be Active Wisconsin’
Eau Claire community partners with state-wide outdoor challenge
TA’LEAH VAN SISTINE / The Spectator Students sit next to the rocks on the campus mall during 50 degree weather.
Sami Geiger STAFF WRITER As the weather warms up in Eau Claire, Blugolds are once again congregating outside and exploring options to be active. Students aren’t the only ones who are eager to get outside, as the city of Eau Claire is taking part in the Be Active Wisconsin Community Challenge throughout the entirety of March.
The Be Active Wisconsin Community Challenge encourages all community members to participate virtually to promote an active lifestyle and connect with the outdoors by using local parks and trail systems, according to Engage Wisconsin. To participate in the challenge — and have your record counted amongst others in the competition — a registration fee of ten dollars is required. All ages are welcome to participate, even
without registering for the month-long active event. The deadline to sign up is March 14. All proceeds generated from this challenge will go to help support the Eau Claire parks, recreation and forestry youth scholarship fund, according to local news reports. Information on the results will be sent to all participating members in the community. Read more at spectatornews.com
CURRENTS PAGE EDITOR: Evelyn Nelson
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Thursday, March 11
Live music lives on
SUBMITTED Performances are at 6 p.m. on Fridays or Saturdays at uwec. ly/live. The goal of each virtual performance is to bring people together and give artists an outlet to showcase their
UAC hosts live performances through virtual setting
Amira Lundervillle COPY EDITOR Fridays and Saturdays at The Cabin are filled with music once again as the University Activities Commission continues to hold live concerts virtually. Joann Martin, coordinator of student activities and UAC advisor, said the UAC is one part of the Student Senate on campus and serves as the campus-wide events programming board at UW-Eau Claire. Part of the segregated student fees go to UAC so students can attend UAC events at no charge or reduced cost. UAC programmers select, promote and produce a wide variety of cultural, educational and entertainment programs for the university community, Martin said. “There are five different committees who put on events: concerts, festivals, films, late night and public relations,” Martin said. Samuel Stein, co-chair for UAC and third-year music composition and applied mathematics student, said the goals of these virtual performances are to bring people together and to give artists an outlet — since most musicians had to go on hiatus during the pandemic. “We want to maintain a sense of campus community and entertainment throughout this difficult and unprecedented time,” Stein said. Due to COVID-19, the UAC has had to find another way for artists to perform live at The Cabin on campus, Martin said. “It never seemed like an option to put Cabin shows on hold,” Martin said. “Last spring semester, we asked artists
to perform virtually on Facebook Live from their homes because we had very little time to pivot.” Prior to the pandemic, The Cabin had been hosting shows each semester for a little over 50 years, Martin said. There were different performers on Friday and Saturday nights. This year, UAC has been keeping performers limited to local artists or student groups. “In a usual semester, our net is cast wider to have more regional and national artists,” Martin said. “We also typically had two to three open mic nights each semester.” Not only has the pandemic affected people’s ability to watch in person or the number of artists who can play at once, but the sets are also earlier and shorter than they would normally be, Martin said. Stein said COVID-19 has created a lot of obstacles for UAC to jump through in regards to planning events. “I had big dreams of making The Cabin a hub for students and local musicians,” Stein said. “The pandemic created the obvious difficulty of continuing these events in an online format.” Stein started in the fall semester with almost no answers in terms of where they could stream from and other important facts, he said. They had to come up with a new concept to what it had been in the past since it was outside the norm for booking live music. “It was a waiting game,” Stein said. “We had to come up with new ideas and wait for answers to see if it was actually a possibility considering the pandemic.” Stein is also a musician and has performed during these events. Although nothing can compare to live performance, it was a necessary switch and he’s grateful
to be able to play at all, he said. “For musicians like me, this is what we live for and nothing can live up to it,” Stein said. Nick Anderson, a UW-Eau Claire alumnus and current performer at The Cabin, said UAC virtual events have been great to perform in. “We have an absolute blast playing at UAC virtual events,” Anderson said. “It’s great with the multiple camera angles and great sound. Anderson is in a band — Nick Anderson and The Skinny Lovers — that performs about once a year on campus, he said. About 80% of their income is lost since the loss of live performances. “We really miss playing for people in person,” Anderson said. The band just released a new album which can be bought on its website. Both Martin and Stein agreed that eventually the goal is to have the performances be completely in person again. “There have been ideas about easing back into in-person with outdoor shows once everything is safer,” Stein said. Although there is hope with the vaccine, it is still too risky to start drawing any type of crowd, he said. For now, everything is played by ear to ensure the safety of everyone involved. The Cabin streaming information is on the UWEC master calendar, the UAC webpage, Blugold Connect, the UAC Facebook page and Instagram. Lunderville can be reached at lunderar0406@uwec.edu.
‘Being vocal about a topic that is silenced too often.’ UWEC Student Advocates for Sexual Assault Survivors begin spring semester with advocacy and action Samantha Geiger
SUBMITTED Student Advocates for Sexual Assault Surviors meetings are held on a bi-weekly cycle from 5 to 6 p.m.
STAFF WRITER The UW-Eau Claire Student Advocates for Sexual Assault Survivors is an organization here on campus that is committed to advocating and educating about sexual assault, consent and the rights of survivors. more than that, as they also support the rights of women, Ashley Seidl, fourthyear elementary education and special education student, said. “As an organization, we are not trained therapy,” Seidl said. “However, we can develop a support system for students and survivors.” This spring semester, the UWECSASAS returns with a whole new board. Yoshi Gaitan, second-year English critical studies student, is president, Grace Dombrow, second-year psychology social media director. Meetings are held every two weeks from 5 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays via Zoom. The organization’s social media sites —
continue until the end of the spring 2021 semester. Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat — are available for people to message with questions or concerns for the committee. Each meeting typically runs for an hour long, but typically ends up adjourning early, according to the UWECSASAS meeting agendas. “For me, SASAS has been an inclusive environment where I can come together with individuals of all our campus about the realities of sexual assault,” Seidl said. Last week’s meeting via Zoom began with upbeat music to welcome everyone into the Zoom call. Gaitan spoke about events that had happened this past year to celebrate Women’s History Month. She discussed powerful women who have made an impact in the female community, such as Kamala Harris being the 49th and current vice president of the United States. To add to the women empowerment the group had going on, they watched a
short ten-minute video called “The First American-Born Chinese Woman Doctor.” Margaret Chung graduated from the University of Southern California Medical American-born Chinese female doctor. The video went through her struggles in hospitals and how she made it out the other end successfully. The group also discussed opportunities for fundraising, like plant and bake sales. They made plans on having a movie night in the Woodland Theatre in Davies, and there are more details to come on that. They moved onto playing a round of Kahoot, and the questions in the Kahoot were all questions regarding women’s history, including years and names of important life-changing movements for women. Dombrow said each member of the group provides a new source of resilience and empowerment for those who decide “UWEC-SASAS has provided me
with the information, resources and sexual assault survivors,” Dombrow said. “To me, UWEC-SASAS means being vocal about a topic that is silenced too often.” Gaitan then brought attention to the email sent out by the Dean of Students in the past two weeks regarding a fourth degree sexual assault case on the UWEau Claire campus. She informed the group that if anyone needed support and love during this time, that they should not hesitate to reach out to her or other resources on campus. Gaitan closed out the meeting by naming resources on campus for extra support, which were the Center for Awareness of Sexual Assault, Its on Us, Student Advocates for Sexual Assault and counseling services.
Geiger can be reached at geigersa6816@ uwec.edu.
OPINION/EDITORIAL
OP/ED EDITOR: Grace Olson
Thursday, March 11
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OCD is more than color coding Grace Olson OP/ED EDITOR Obsessive compulsive disorder is a disorder pretty commonly talked about on social media, but it’s often or color coding their schedule. OCD is much more than that and can create a great deal of suffering for those with the disorder. OCD often creates a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead the individual to have repetitive behaviors (compulsions), according to Mayo Clinic. The individual can try to ignore the obsessions but that often increases their distress and anxiety. Ultimately, the individual feels they need to perform compulsive acts to try to ease their stress, and despite their efforts to ignore or get rid of bothersome urges, they keep coming back. • Some symptoms of obsession can include: • Fear of contamination or dirt • Difficulty tolerating uncertainty • Needs things done orderly and symmetrically • Aggressive thoughts about losing control and harming themselves or others • Unwanted thoughts including aggression, sexual or religious subjects Some examples and symptoms of compulsions include: • Hand-washing until skin becomes raw • Checking doors repeatedly to make sure they’re locked • Checking stove repeatedly to make sure it’s off • Counting in certain patterns • Silently repeating a prayer, word or phrase • Arranging food, containers and other objects to face the same way The International OCD Foundation has an informative For those struggling with contamination fears, the foundation suggests the individual should set a basic
safety plan based on the recommendations of trusted These plans can include the disinfection of surfaces once a day. It is important to focus on surfaces that get touched the most and think about whether the surface really needs to be cleaned. For example, if no one has been over all day and the individual stayed home, it’s probably not necessary to disinfect the front doorknob. For those who have perfectionism symptoms, it’s important to remember no one can protect themselves from COVID-19 perfectly.
Celebrating cerebral palsy awareness palsy and recognition for those who don’t
people with OCD or other disorders when they set up public health guidelines. So it might be a good idea to talk to a trusted friend, family member or a therapist to see how these guidelines can fit into their life. OCD is probably one of the most common disorders I see people claim they have, other than depression or anxiety. While I believe it’s important to have an open dialogue about mental health and it’s perfectly normal to wonder if you have a certain disorder, it’s not okay to claim you have
Read more at spectatornews.com.
J.K. Rowling’s transphobic controversy A summary of the author’s tweets and the harm they could’ve caused
SUBMITTED Rowling invalidates the lives of transgender individuals through her tweets. SUBMITTED Green is the color for Cerebral Palsy Awareness. Go green for Cerebal Palsy.
Ashlie Fanetti CHIEF COPY EDITOR When you think about the month of March, what comes to mind? Most people think of spring, basketball or St. Patrick’s Day. On top of all that, March is also Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, with National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day on March 25. According to the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, the awareness month was Reaching for the Stars in 2006 after they day for cerebral palsy like there is for practically every other disorder and disease. The goal of the awareness month and day is “to bring attention to the fact there was little to no research for cerebral palsy, despite it being the most common motor disability in children.” One out of every 323 children in the United States is diagnosed with one of the four main types of cerebral palsy according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The four main types are spastic, dyskinetic, ataxic and mixed based on how the body is impacted by cerebral palsy, but the main symptoms are similar across the board. According to Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, cerebral palsy a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. These disorders are caused by brain injury or atypical development at or shortly after birth.
Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month because there are so many people in the world, the Eau Claire area included, who have this disorder and not many people outside of that know much about it in my experience. A personal story I was one out of 323. When I was just a few months old, I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. For me, my disability affects my lower extremities. The muscles in my legs are tight which makes it hard for me to walk, stand and balance independently. I use crutches and a wheelchair to move. To an able-bodied person, this may sound terrible, but my case of cerebral palsy is actually quite mild compared to what it could be. When I was first diagnosed, my parents were told there was a chance that I wouldn’t be able to talk or take care of myself and could have cognitive issues. I am happy to report that is not the case and I’m a thriving collegiate woman 20 years later. I count my blessings every day because I know it could be much worse. Many disabled people like to say their disability is part of them, but it doesn’t define them. I would agree, however, I’d be lying if I said my cerebral palsy didn’t shape me into the person I am today. It really did. I would not have experienced what I have experienced in life thus far, and I wouldn’t see the world the way I do if it weren’t for my disability. Read more at spectatornews.com.
Chloe Smith COPY EDITOR J.K. Rowling, author of the bestselling Harry Potter franchise, struck again in June 2020 inciting more controversy. This time, however, some fans of her work have completely disowned the author. Rowling has been under years for a lack of diversity and a lack of LGBTQ identities within her writing. When these issues made their way to Rowling, the author altered the narratives of her characters to say that they were in fact people of color — such as with her character Hermione — or they actually weren’t heterosexual — as with her character Dumbledore. While Rowling’s comments about these characters relating to their ethnicity or sexuality allow for readers to form their own interpretations of these characters, the characters were still portrayed as white and straight in all of the movies. This makes the openness of the characters’ identities harder to believe. Her most recent controversy, however, has pushed the author’s credibility and likability over the edge and has
prompted many fans to disown the author. It all started when Rowling liked a tweet in support of Maya Foresters. Foresters was a tax specialist who lost her job and was brought to court after tweeting about her transphobic opinions. Rowling’s action in liking the tweet brought confusion among fans of her beloved series, and it was originally written off as being an accidental like or a slip of her fingers. It wasn’t long after this event until Rowling voiced her opinions more clearly on Twitter, completely erasing the narrative about her “accidental like.” Rowling responded to a separate tweet which talked about how “people who menstruate” need support during the trying times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rowling’s response to this tweet stated, “People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” This tweet, to me, felt transphobic because it completely erased transgender men and nonbinary people who could also menstruate.
Rowling goes on in a separate tweet to say, “If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased.” Naturally, there was a lot of debate and anger from fans of the Harry Potter series towards Rowling. Most argued these tweets were transphobic and suggested transgender women were not actually women. This opinion, going against Rowling, was the actor who played Harry “Transgender
women
said in a blog post. “Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I.” Rowling’s tweets generated a lot of backlash against the author, prompting her to further her arguments and opinions in a 3,600 word essay called “TERF Wars” with TERF standing for “transgender exclusionary radical feminists.” Read more at spectatornews.com.
OPINION/EDITORIAL The vaccination segregation OP/ED EDITOR: Grace Olson
Thursday, March 11
Allison Hinrichs STAFF WRITER As someone who has an autoimmune disease, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic is a bit different than the average person whose immune system actually works for them. COVID-19 has always felt like a black and white catch it I could die or acquire lifelong side effects. Every decision I have made since last March has always been weighed on whether it is worth the risk or not, be it skipping time with my friends and family or missing incredible opportunities out of fear of contracting this unknown disease that has replaced the “Bogeyman” in my nightmares. The careless individual that I once was has transformed into a paranoid, agoraphobe constantly looking over my shoulder. So, when the vaccine actually started to be distributed in the United States in December 2020, I was ecstatic, but the longer I have waited, and having still not received the vaccine, my excitement dwindled as much as it would for anyone who has experienced disappointment. Don’t get me wrong, I’m lucky enough that I will get the vaccine at all, let alone sooner than the rest of the population. Nonetheless, there is something about the vaccine distribution timeline — the way it has mirrored a new type of hierarchy — placing the value of one individual’s life over another. As unintentional as this categorizing of who deserves the vaccine first is, it never ceases to bother me. One of the sole issues we as a human race continue to encounter is this persistence of placing the value of one group of people over another, whether it skin color, gender, sexual orientation or religion. As the vaccines continue to roll out, people prepare for
the development of a transnational “vaccine passport,” I can’t help wondering what social impacts this could have. legislation on a “digital green pass” by March 17. Vaccine passports would allow those who have been fully vaccinated complete freedom to travel between countries. Those in possession of a passport would be able to bypass state restrictions like 10-day quarantines and testing measures.
SUBMITTED COVID-19 has always felt like a black and white situation for me.
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This passport will act like a VIP pass to skip the line and go wherever one desires. Those who don’t have the VIP pass remain in line, watching as people budge in front of them, leaving them in the dust. If you’re catching my drift, then you will understand why this has provoked controversy, arguing that this is a breach of civil rights. The benefits of this passport could be profound, especially in tourist countries like Greece that depend on the travel economy to stay afloat, but the possibility of this passport distinguishing the rights between those vaccinated and those who are not terrifies me to my core. There would be a clear separation between those with a passport and those without, and yet again history would be dividing two different classifications freedom and those who don’t. Now I don’t know if completely abolishing the idea of a “vaccination passport” is the right answer. I mean what do I know? I am just a girl from the Midwest doing my best to translate all the big things happening in the world right now into something my neurodivergent brain can actually understand. But what I do know is that human history has been a chronicle of separating and devaluing one group of people against another and has caused nothing but pain and discrimination. I don’t see how this new “vaccination segregation” will be any different. Hinrichs can be reached HINRICHA0521@uwec.edu
For those who are not yet allowed to be vaccinated, or countries that will not receive the vaccine for a while, they will not have these same liberties, and will not be allowed to travel, go to the gym or go out to eat in certain places.
The story of ‘No Rules’ continues with Sharon’s journey of becoming a hippie Chloe Smith COPY EDITOR
Recent survey shows UWEC was second choice of over 75% enrolled Caleb Doyle FREELANCE WRITER (Disclaimer: This article is satire and is not
I had just begun reading “No Rules,” a coming-of-age memoir following Sharon Dukett in 1970s hippie culture. The book began with Sharon’s decision to run away from home to California with her sister. It was in California where Sharon started to realize that the life she desired full of freedom and whimsy with the hippies did not live up to the hype. After being abandoned by two men she had romantic relationships with, Sharon accepted an invitation to travel to Boston, Mass. to live with her ex-boyfriend. However, her life in Boston did not last very long because she remembered why her relationship with her ex ended in the abusive behavior. To escape this situation, Sharon met
hippie life she dreamed of. But once she made it across the border, her dream was quickly shattered. Sharon ended up spending her time in Canada alone which was something new, scary and lonely for her. So, through a conversation with her parents, Sharon made the decision to go back home to Connecticut A few months later, after Sharon completed her junior year, she and her friend Lynn got tickets to a concert in Chicago and started to hitchhike in that direction. In Chicago, the girls ran into a friend of named Rob, along with his friend Frank. The four of them went to the concert together and made plans to take the boys’ bikes on a joy ride the next day before the girls needed to leave. It was on this joyride when Frank and Lynn rode their bike too fast around a sharp turn which caused them to spin out. This hit a street sign and broke her femur. The trauma of this event made Sharon
shy away from her desire to hitchhike around Canada. So instead, she made the decision to
Knox’s survey got the attention of the the views of The Spectator or UW-Eau Claire.) led to admissions counselor Jodi Parker
“It was in California where Sharon started to realize that the life she desired full of fredom and whimsy with the hippies did not live up to the hype.” CHLOE SMITH Copy Editor
She ended up living at a youth hostel for a while where she met a girl named Cindy. Cindy reintroduced Sharon to Christianity and got Sharon to think about her faith. This experience alongside Sharon’s memories of Lynn’s accident convinced her to accept Christianity. While in Massachusetts, Sharon also found herself in a new romantic relationship with a man named Ernie. This relationship and Sharon’s newfound faith helped her heal from the trauma of the accident and helped her feel more comfortable making the trip around Canada with Ernie by her side. Hopefully, the story will pick-up its pace even more next week as I read about Sharon’s life in a commune. Smith can be reached at smithcj6626@ uwec.edu.
Last weekend, a survey was published by the UW-Eau Claire psychology department in which they asked questions relating to school choice to a variety of Blugolds. Fourth-year psychology student Laura Knox created the survey after becoming curious of how many people had similar college application processes to hers when “I, like many Minnesotans here at UWEC, applied to get into the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities,” Knox said, “And I frequently saw people on campus wearing U of M merch, and I wondered exactly how many people were going to UWEC because they didn’t get accepted to U of M.” Knox explained that the more she thought about it, she realized that many Wisconsinites going to UW-Eau Claire also wear UW-Madison apparel. students were attending UW-Eau Claire because they couldn’t make it into a better school,” Knox said, “but I was surprised when I found out that over 75% of Blugolds never had intentions of being Blugolds.” Within her sample size, Knox surveyed students from Wisconsin, Minnesota and out of state. Her results remained consistent across each class of students. “Most students listed Madison or Twin others even listed Duluth and La Crosse,” Knox said. “It seems like no one wanted to come here if they could avoid it.” Knox said that after publishing her findings this past weekend, she wanted to explore other schools in the UW system to see if they have similarities with UW-Eau Claire. the universities in Green Bay and La Crosse, but I am really interested in UW-Stout,” Knox said. “Where on the list of choices was UW-Stout for those students, third? Fourth?
Knox’s survey showed. “Most students touring UWEC are doing so to have a back-up,” Parker said. “It is very seldom that we see a student genuinely interested in the school over others in the surrounding states.” “Most students touring UWEC are doing so to have a back-up,” Parker said. “It is very seldom that we see a student genuinely interested in the school over others in the surrounding states.” Parker said that many students have cannot get into schools like Madison due to their grade point average or ACT score, and applying would be a waste of time. in this case? Some would argue no,” Parker said. “Regardless, most incoming freshmen wish they were attending another school, which is why we have to sell everyone on how beautiful our campus is instead of its academics.” Parker acknowledged that many people become happy with UW-Eau Claire after attending it, but she does not think that anyone “falls in love” with the campus. “Anyone who wanted to go to UWMadison, but two years later falls in love with Eau Claire is kidding themselves,” Parker said. “People become content with going to a mediocre school, and then try to make themselves feel better about it.” Parker said that the best course of action for these students is to transfer to the school they really wanted and stop kidding with themselves. Doyle can be reached at doylecb9058@ uwec.edu.
PUZZLES PAGE EDITOR: Lea Kopke
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Thursday, March 11
March memories and milestones
ACROSS
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2) International Women’s Day
1) Spot for music and coffee lovers alike
5) Scam medium
3) See 8-ACROSS
7) Type of fruit and podcast name
4) March 11 marks one year since it began in
8) March honors two things (with 3-DOWN)
the United States 6) Blugold swimming faced them this week
Caleb Doyle FREELANCE WRITER (Disclaimer: This article is satire and is not meant to be taken seriously. It does not reflect the views of The Spectator or UWEau Claire.) Outrage filled the entire UW-Eau Claire student body this past weekend after the administration finally announced its plan for dealing with the most recent racist incident. Last Saturday, in an email sent to the entire student body, administrative assistant Katy Fraun outlined the administration’s new plans in dealing with racism on campus. “The UW-Eau Claire administration has studied these racist incidents closely,
“I would rather hate myself every day going to UW-Green Bay than attend a racist institution” BRIAN PARKER Third-year English student and seen a very interesting trend,” Fraun said. “These incidents were mostly done by students in, or previously a part of, our athletics department.” Fraun outlined why this was a big issue for the administration. “Athletics bring in a lot of revenue
VanDenwell explained that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff will have difficulty finding new jobs. “The university may very well get away with this,” VanDenwell said. “I predict admissions will most likely remain the same. We may even have a heightened interest in the athletics department from counties like Baraboo County.” Third-year English student Brian Parker is one of the students dropping immediately if the administration does not cancel their decision. “It’s appalling, everyone is beyond surprised, beyond flabbergasted,” Parker said. “I would rather hate myself every day going to UW-Green Bay than attend a racist institution.” Many staff members have already threatened letters of resignation if nothing changes, many announcing they would rather be unemployed than work for a racist school. The threats of resignation and dropping out or transferring are giving the administration until the end of the week to change their mind. More updates to follow.
Doyle can be reached at doylecb9058@ uwec.edu.
Crossword Answer Key: 1) THECABIN, 2) EIGHTH, 3) CPAWARENESS, 4) PANDEMIC, 5) EMAIL, 6) POINTERS, 7) BANANAS, 8) WOMENSHISTORY
All current and previous Blugold athletes granted “diplomatic immunity” from racist incidents
for the school, so it is important that we do not go separating the players of our great D3 teams after a couple players slip up,” Fraun said. “We know our Blugold athletes work harder than the other students, so it is important that we keep them in school.” To negate these issues, the administration has decided to grant all previous and current Blugold athletes “diplomatic immunity” from racist incidents. “These last two snapchat incidents have given us such a large headache,” Fraun said. “So by keeping both current and previous Blugold athletes protected from punishment, we can focus our efforts on other students more deserving of punishment.” These new rules are effective immediately. A student only needs to spend one season on an athletics team to receive immunity. Students and staff were appalled by the email Fraun sent, and are threatening to transfer or not return after this semester. Admissions counselor Judy VanDenwell is unsure of UW-Eau Claire’s future. “Many students are threatening leaving or transferring, but where will they go, UW-Stout? Fat chance,” VanDenwell said.