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R acquet The University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
IN THIS ISSUE: T h u r s d ay, S e p t e m b e r 24 , 2015
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S i n g l e Co p i e s Fr e e
Campus Police Battle Theft with Bait Bikes By Alex Johnson
and the other says, ‘Is this a bait bike?’ “ Campus police encourages students to register their bicycles with the campus police department in case of theft. Should a registered bike be stolen, or have a key misplaced, campus police can confirm ownership of the bike and aid in any situation. Campus police and Schuster are very excited about the program. “The department will hang onto this program as long as we see results. If we catch a thief, that’s a win. If the number of bike thefts go down, that’s a win, and if students\ and faculty feel more comfortable having their bikes on campus, that’s a win too,” he said.
With a surge of bicycle thefts around UW-La Crosse in the past year, Campus Police have decided to take action. Calling out thieves and hoping to prevent anymore stolen bicycles, Detective Christopher Schuster, Officer Adrian Meyer and the entire campus police department have developed the Bait Bike Program. Originating at UW- Madison, the Bait Bike program places a GPS monitoring unit onto a registered bike. With this system, police officers can track where the bike is and how the bike got there. “Last year we had 42 bike thefts over the course of the year, and this has become one of our biggest recurring problems here on campus” said Schuster. Although the Bait Bike program was developed to deter theft and catch thieves in the act, the program also involves several outlets for the community.
“Last year we had 42 bike thefts over the course of the year, and this has become one of our biggest recurring probblems here on campus” Christopher Schuster Detective “From the education side of things, we like to do pieces with the media to let people know the bikes are out there. This is not only to let students know the program exists but
“This has been a great way to help not only campus police build a working relationship with local businesses, but also the university as a whole.” also in hopes of notifying the perpetrator these bikes are on campus. We hope with efforts like yours and other media resources, this will bring the level of bike thefts down,” Schuster explained. The Bait Bike program received funding from grants in addition to financial help from a local business, helping to promote community ties. “We are able to fund this program with grant money from the state of Wisconsin. But, we also received some donations and help from a local business,” stated Schuster. “This has been a great way to help not only
campus police build a working relationship with local businesses, but also the university as a whole.” In order to take an active role in theft prevention, students can pick up Bait Bike stickers and advertising around campus, showing the program at work. “We have signage posted on campus advising of the bait bike program. The sign shows a picture of several bikes and asks the question, ‘Can you tell which one of the bicycles is a bait bike?’ We also have stickers students can place on their bike frames. One of the stickers says, ‘This could be a bait bike,’
Christopher Schuster Detective
As for the total number of Bait Bikes being placed on campus, Schuster said the department wants to keep the number a mystery “in an attempt to keep some secrecy” about the project.
Study Abroad Fair opens world of discovery By Stephanie Koss Senior Reporter
On Wed. Sept. 16, UW-La Crosse hosted a Study Abroad Fair in Valhalla from 10 AM to 2 PM. The purpose of this fair was to educate students about the various opportunities that UW-L has available for students wishing to further their education in another country. Many different students who have studied abroad during their college career were at the fair sharing their experiences to prospective study abroad students. Among these students was junior Emma Lamke, who studied abroad in the 2015 spring semester in Florence, Italy. “I think studying abroad just makes you an all-around more socially aware individual. It opens your mind to so many different perspectives and so many different cultures than you ever thought were possible to be out there,” Lamke said of her experience. In addition to different cultures and perspectives, Lamke also listed some other benefits of studying abroad. “We all are in small-town Wisconsin,” she explained, “living our own lives, and it’s just amazing the types of people you can meet
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and the different experiences that you get to have. It’s incredible.” Lamke had the opportunity to not only experience just Italy, but she was able to travel around Europe to many other places, as well, including France, Spain, Greece, Austria and Croatia. As Lamke stated, there are certainly many benefits to studying abroad. Whether you may choose to go for a full semester, a full year, a five-week summer program, or for the J-term, they each have their own benefits and will provide the student with lessons that will last a lifetime. Kabee Vue, a UW-L Study Abroad Coordinator and National Student
“We are all in small-town Wisconsin living our own lives, and it’s just amazing the types of people you can meet and the different experiences that you get to have. It’s incredible. Emma Lanke UW-L Junior Exchange Coordinator, agreed that there are immeasurable benefits to studying abroad,
in whatever type of exchange program the student may choose to do.
“I think studying abroad just makes you an all-around more socially aware individual. It opens your mind to so many different cultures than you ever thought possible to be out there.” Emma Lanke UW-L Junior “One of the main benefits I see, especially for our language students here at UW-L, is that direct immersion into the language helps the students to really learn the language. It teaches them differences between what they learn back here in the US and between how the language is actually used in the country. I believe there is truly no other way to learn a language fully than by being immersed in the language itself,” said Vue. Vue also mentioned that study abroad is not just for foreign language students. “Although there are certainly many benefits for our foreign language students,”
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she said, “students from other areas can study abroad as well, and this is beneficial for them because it allows them to see other countries perspectives on the academic material they are learning here in the US,” said Vue. Vue’s advice for anyone considering studying abroad is to start early with the planning process was to “allow yourself lots of time and patience to research all of your options so you can get the best program possible for your needs.” Considering studying abroad sometime in your undergraduate career? For more information, contact the Office of
“This is beneficial for [students] because it allows them to see other countries perspectives on the academic material they are learning here in the U.S.” Kaybee Vue UW-L Study Abroad Coordinator International Education & Engagement at international@uwlax.edu or visit them in 1209 Centennial. Index
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