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10/12/2022

UW-Parkside receives $1.2 million in federal funding for

Educational Opportunity Center

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside has been awarded a $1.2 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish an Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) aimed at helping more adults in the region to complete four-year college degrees. 

The EOC project will be launched this fall and will be funded over five years through the TRIO Program, a federally funded grant program that provides services to individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Educational Opportunity Center will be housed at the UW-Parkside Center for Adult and Returning Students (CARS), which will oversee the program.  

ASAP 2025: Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

By Rob Ducoffe

Provost and Vice Chancellor

Academic and Student Affairs

Dear Colleagues,

This last note in the series concerns the fifth goal in the Academic and Student Affairs Plan 2025(ASAP 25) to become a more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive campus. Racially, most of our children are now non-White and, in a little over 20 years, Whites will no longer make up the majority of the U.S. population. As emphasized in ASAP 25, those historically underserved by higher education continue to make up a larger part of Southeastern Wisconsin as well so we must 

“…serve more students of color and help them graduate at significantly higher rates. As we continue to do this, we will ensure that the transformative effects of a higher education touch more and more lives in our region and beyond.” (p. 5)

How can we do otherwise? A “more perfect union”, in the words of our constitution, will achieve greater justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. Our role is to help students develop the knowledge and skills to engage in this preeminent civic project; to lead happy, meaningful lives and to contribute to making a better world. 

Hispanic Heritage Month

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside recognizes and honors the cultural diversity that our students and community bring to our campus. Hispanic Heritage Month is nationally recognized from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15 and aligns with independence days of many Latin American countries. We honor and recognize the history, culture, and achievements of Hispanic/Latin Americans. Hispanic Heritage Month provides the opportunity to come together and celebrate our cultural intricacies via the arts, social connections, music, cultural awareness and various sessions that we offer. Join in and be sure to stay connected through Facebook and Instagram to be in the know or visit the Hispanic Heritage Month website for the full listing of activities and events.

UW-Parkside Celebrates Homecoming Week Oct. 24-29

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is excited to host Homecoming 2022: Always a Ranger. This week of celebration will be held Oct. 24 through Oct. 29 and marks the first homecoming UW-Parkside has recognized in recent years. UW-Parkside cordially invites students and alumni to come and show their Ranger Pride. 

Student Loans Forgiven Under PSLF

In Oct. 2021, the Department of Education (ED) announced temporary changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program rules to help more borrowers benefit from the program while ED works to rewrite the rules to make it more effective. The PSLF program, established in 2007, forgives the remaining balance on a qualifying borrower’s eligible loans after they have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full time for a qualifying employer.

The temporary waiver eases some requirements so that eligible borrowers can have any prior period of repayment qualify, regardless of loan program, repayment plan, or whether the payment was made in full or on time. The current deadline to apply is Oct. 31.

Read more here.

Resources:

A Morning with Deanna Singh: Steps to Becoming an Inclusive Workplace

Join author Deanna Singh on Oct. 27 from 8:30 to 11: 30 a.m.in a facilitated conversation with leaders from the local nonprofit community about the content of her book Actions Speak Louder and the application of recommended steps to becoming an inclusive workplace. Take this opportunity to engage with Deanna Singh as she delves deeper into challenging issues and relevant opportunities and shares her learning from organizations across the country that are on their own journeys toward inclusion.

OMSA Celebrates 40 Years

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) will begin their yearlong 40th anniversary celebration with a kick-off event on Oct. 27 in the Callahan Family Student Success and Learning Commons from 5 to 7 p.m.

Check-in begins at 4:30 pm followed immediately by a networking session and tours of the Callahan Family Student Success and Learning Commons from 5 to 6 p.m. The formal program begins at 6 p.m. and will be emceed by Luis Benevoglienti, Associate Director of Multicultural Initiatives.

PEAG Shelter Supply Drive from Oct. 3 to Nov. 14

The Parkside Employee Alumni Group (PEAG) is collecting donations for HALO and the Shalom Center for this upcoming holiday season from Oct. 3 to Nov. 14. Items being collected include: hygiene products, feminine hygiene products, non-perishable food items, diapers and pull ups (sizes 4, 5, and 6), laundry soap, ziplock bags, Clorox wipes, and shower shoes. Look for drop-off bins at various locations around campus! 

UW-Parkside Police Department Self-Defense Classes

The UWP Police Department is now offering self-defense classes. The purpose of the UWP PD Self-Defense Program is to provide the UWP Campus Community (Faculty, Staff, and Students) with the EDUCATION of situational awareness and basic self-defense techniques in an active and supportive environment.

Class Dates: 

• Saturday October 1, 8 am - 12 pm SAC L155
• Saturday October 22, 8 am - 12 pm SAC L155
• Saturday November 12, 8 am - 12 pm SAC L155

Paws to You

Paws to You is an employee appreciation program designed to offer gratitude to a fellow coworker. Maybe they helped you complete a task or project and it made a large impact on the outcome. You can show them thanks and appreciation by sending them a Paw they are able to display for all to see in their email signature, and a running total of all Paws will be displayed here on the Paws to You website. So what are you waiting for?

Internship and Career Fair Registration Now Open!

October 20 | 11 am-3 pm | UW-Parkside

Join us on the beautiful UW-Parkside campus to engage with students and promote full-time post-graduation jobs and undergraduate academic internships. Sponsored by UW-Parkside, Carthage College, Gateway Technical College, and Herzing University, this career fair is open to all Kenosha-area college students and recent alumni.

Save Clam Shell Containers for Parkside Community Garden!

Help our community gardeners feed food insecure students and community members by saving your clam shell containers. Bring saved containers to Alex Hobbs in the Student Success and Learning Commons. Thank you!

WELLNESS ACTIVITY: Intro to CrossFit

Oct. 15 | 11 a.m. | 3417 14th Ave

-30 spots available

-Arrive ~10 minutes early to fill out an exercise/health waiver.

-Trainer will take group through a “Foundations” class. This is an introduction to CrossFit and teaches participants correct form for specific exercises, and includes a light workout.

-ALL fitness levels are welcome.

-A code will be shared with participants after event. This code will need to be entered on Well Wisconsin’s site and will count towards your 2023 wellness activity. Code must be entered after 1/1/2023 for 2023 incentive.

Did you say...DODGEBALL?! 

Calling all faculty and staff, you are invited to participate in Dodgeball Madness taking place on October 25^th in the Sport & Activity Center! 

• Cost: $30 per team ($5 per person = 6 people)
• Who: All faculty, staff, students, and some of Parkside Athletics Partners!
• When: Tuesday, October 25 from 6:00PM-10:00PM. This is an official event tied to Homecoming 2022.
• RSVP: Please RSVP online by Friday, October 21. Walk-ups will be allowed but for planning purposes, we appreciate the early RSVP!
• Details:
• Prize to the winning team!
• 3 game guarantee.
• Compete against all different age and talent groups!
• We encourage teams to be co-ed.
• Proceeds: This event will be planned and executed by UW-Parkside's Women's Basketball program. 100% of the proceeds will go towards enhancing their student-athlete experience.
• 
  

If you have questions, please email Jordan Fierst (fierst@uwp.edu). We hope to see you all out there! Ready....DODGEBALL!

Sincerely, 

Your Wellness Committee  

2022 Winter Holiday Office Hours

Thanksgiving Holiday

On Friday, November 25, the day after Thanksgiving, university offices will be closed to the public. Employees may choose to take a vacation day, work from home (if the job is conducive and with approval from the supervisor), or come into the office and work as normal.

Christmas Holiday



Beginning December 27 through December 30, 2022 university offices will be closed to the public. Employees may choose to take vacation time, work from home (if the job is conducive and with approval from the supervisor), or come into the office and work as normal. 

There are some exceptions to this notice for areas that support 24-hour, 7 days-a-week operations such as the police department, heating plant, housing services, and other essential student-facing departments. Other less-than-essential student-facing departments should make sure students are able to reach someone in the department, if needed, via call forwarding or email.

Because Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve fall on Saturdays this year, eligible employees will receive floating holidays for both days. Christmas Day and New Year’s Day both fall on Sundays, and therefore the holidays are observed on Monday, December 26, and Monday, January 2, respectively. 

Below is an outline of how the floating holiday may be used: 

• An eligible employee may use floating legal holiday hours prior to the date on which the holiday occurs. 
• Floating legal holidays (for eligible employees) must be used by the end of the year in which it was granted.
• University staff must use the hours on or before December 31 of the calendar year granted.
• Academic, and Limited staff must use it on or before June 30 of the fiscal year granted.
• If the hours are not used by the end of the designated year, the hours are lost and cannot be carried into the following year (calendar or fiscal).

The full policy may be found here.

If you have any questions, please contact Human Resources at 262-595-2204 or Aaron at shanahaa@uwp.edu.