Clubs and Orgs Archives - �鶹ӰԺ University

Brooklyn Schara takes her passion for leadership to new role as president of LUCC

Communications — Thu, 15 May 2025 15:28:11 +0000

After spending a year as vice president, �鶹ӰԺ University sophomore Brooklyn “Brook” Schara has stepped into her new role as president of the �鶹ӰԺ University Community Council (LUCC).��

As the student branch of �鶹ӰԺ’s shared governance, LUCC recognizes and funds student organizations, acts as a forum for student voices, and plays a part in non-curricular legislation on campus.��

“In a lot of ways, it’s the natural continuation,” Schara said. “I wanted to see all those things we were talking about and steering come full circle, and see those projects completed.”

Schara, from North Freedom, Wisconsin, is an international relations and Spanish double major. She brings with her experience as president of the First Generation Student Association and Lambda Sigma, vice president of external affairs in Kappa Kappa Gamma, and a member of SAASHA, the Honor Council, and Panhellenic Council.��

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That is a lot of leadership and student involvement in just her second year.

“The reason it works for me is because they’re all passion points,” Schara said. “You’re not just supposed to be busy, you are supposed to be busy and loving the life you’re leading.”

Schara is excited to work for the student body, working efficiently to get �鶹ӰԺ students what they need when they need it, whatever that may be.��

“It’s always been a little bit hard for me to say what my plan is, because it’s going to depend on what we need,” she said. “Right now, a lot of it is unpacking the ‘�鶹ӰԺ busy.’ That’s something LUCC has been working on since I got here.”

Along with responding to student interests, Schara is going to continue work that’s already been started in streamlining LUCC’s bylaws and legislation.��

“In my last term as vice president, we looked at the organizational finance legislation and tidied it up—made it make a bit more sense,” she explained. “We’re also looking through and making sure our bylaws make sense with what we’ve already said, as well as finance, which is not a small job. You’re doing budget funding and emergency requests for 112 student orgs.”

Schara hopes to study abroad in London as part of her international relations major, and her plan after �鶹ӰԺ is to attend law school to work in international labor law.

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Greek connections: Fraternity, sorority life at �鶹ӰԺ celebrated for its lifelong bonds

Communications — Thu, 08 May 2025 19:33:14 +0000

�鶹ӰԺ University junior Allie Obringer Illera found something wonderfully unexpected when she looked into joining a sorority after arriving on campus from San Jose, California, three years ago.��

She was initially wary, as she had heard the well-documented tales of fraternity and sorority recruitment blitzes at other campuses. What she found at �鶹ӰԺ was something altogether different. By Winter Term of her first year, Obringer Illera, an English/literature and philosophy double major, had joined Kappa Alpha Theta, one of five active sororities at �鶹ӰԺ.

“Sorority life at �鶹ӰԺ is made up of Lawrentians—the obsessive nerds, passionate student-athletes, and kind, funny people,” she said. “We aren’t in sororities because it’s the only way to have a social life or because it puts us in high esteem on campus—it really doesn’t—or because we’re ‘legacies.’ Most of my sorority sisters, including me, are the first in their families to be in a sorority. We chose it, wholeheartedly, after seeing the community as it exists at �鶹ӰԺ.”

That sentiment rings true across campus as marks 165 years at �鶹ӰԺ. The five sororities—Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Beta Psi Nu, and Sigma Alpha Iota—and three fraternities—Beta Theta Pi, Delta Tau Delta, and Sigma Phi Epsilon—will celebrate that history during Greek Week, set for May 11-18. The week includes games, a lip sync contest, animal yoga, and community outreach.

Greek Week 2025 begins May 11. (Photo by Juan Marin ’20)

For alumni who built strong bonds through their fraternity or sorority experiences, that history is filled with fond memories and enduring relationships.

Jeffrey Riester ’70 said he was 17 and “very unworldly” when he arrived on campus in the mid-1960s. �鶹ӰԺ provided a home that helped him grow academically and in a supportive environment, and he credits his brothers at Beta Theta Pi for being a big part of that.

“Part way through freshman year a bunch of us from Plantz Hall began to gravitate toward the Beta house,” Riester said. “We recognized the upperclassmen there as guys we admired and could imagine as our ‘big brothers.’ They were active, fun-loving, and successful Lawrentians.”

Riester remembers bonding over watching the Packers on TV on Sunday afternoons and washing pots and pans—his assigned chore—in the big kitchen at the E. John Street house.

“Over time, I became a ‘big brother,’ too,” he said.��

Riester went on to be a successful attorney and community leader in the Fox Cities and served on �鶹ӰԺ’s Board of Trustees. The relationships built in that fraternity house carry on today.��

“Even as we have scattered afar, and almost 60 years later, the Betas are some of my closest allies in life,” he said.

165 years and counting

Greek-lettered organizations at �鶹ӰԺ began in 1859 with the founding of the Wisconsin Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta. Since that historic moment, 38 chapters, both national and local, have contributed to the vibrancy of the �鶹ӰԺ community. There have been highs and lows along the way. Involvement in fraternities and sororities at �鶹ӰԺ has grown and then waned at multiple times through the years. Chapters have come and gone. National controversies surrounding fraternities and sororities have impacted participation.��

The five-year period between 1924 and 1929 saw the most chapters on campus, maxing out at 18, according to Dakota McKee, director of Student Engagement, Activities, and Leadership (SEAL), which works with �鶹ӰԺ’s fraternity and sorority chapters.

It was in 1925 that Henry Wriston arrived as Lawence’s new president, bringing with him a commitment to fraternities. He set in motion efforts to build five fraternity houses on campus. It took more than a decade and a half to come to fruition, but in 1941—four years after Wriston left to assume the presidency of Brown University—chapters of five national fraternities moved into newly built fraternity houses that make up the part of campus now known as The Quad.

Still thriving

Five sororities and three fraternities are currently active at �鶹ӰԺ. (Photo by Juan Marin ’20)

Numbers at �鶹ӰԺ are far lower now than they once were, but they have been trending upwards in recent years. Membership was at 143 entering Spring Term 2025, up from 113 a year ago and 94 two years ago, McKee said.

Through the years, McKee said, Fraternity and Sorority Life has been a cornerstone of student engagement at �鶹ӰԺ. The chapters on campus have fostered personal growth and lifelong connections, often focused on philanthropic work.

“While the faces and structures of these organizations have evolved to reflect the times, the core values of leadership, scholarship, service, and brotherhood and sisterhood remain steadfast,” McKee said.

The current Greek-letter organizations include three Interfraternity chapters (Beta Theta Pi, Delta Tau Delta, and Sigma Phi Epsilon), three Panhellenic chapters (Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Kappa Kappa Gamma), one multicultural chapter (Beta Psi Nu), and one music chapter (Sigma Alpha Iota).

Throughout Greek Week, chapters will host a variety of events highlighting their philanthropic efforts and social initiatives. The efforts will speak to the value the organizations bring to campus and the wider community.

“Every club meets with a shared purpose, and usually it’s a shared hobby,” Obringer Illera said.��

Connor Myatt, a junior from Royal Oak, Michigan, studying business analytics, joined Sigma Phi Epsilon because he was drawn to its approach to leadership, scholarship, and service.

“I wanted to be part of a group that emphasized values-based leadership and personal development,” he said.

Fanta Jatta is a senior from Madison, Wisconsin, studying neuroscience with a pre-med track. She is a leader within Beta Psi Nu.

“Greek Life has given me a strong sense of belonging and helped me grow as a leader,” she said.��

Bailey Griffis, a junior from Frankfort, Illinois, is double majoring in government and business and entrepreneurship, plays on the women’s basketball team, and is a leader of Delta Gamma.

“As a first-year student, I had difficulty navigating a new environment and finding an atmosphere that would allow me to grow separate from the athletic community,” she said. “When I met the women of Delta Gamma, I knew that the environment that the chapter created would be one that supported me no matter what challenges I faced throughout my collegiate experience.”

Minnie Keene, a junior from Brooklyn, New York, is a dual degree student studying flute performance and psychology. She hadn’t expected to join a sorority but is now president of the Zeta Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

“Joining Kappa was the best decision I have made at college,” Keene said. “By joining Kappa, I have met so many beautiful personalities. We have student athletes, STEM majors, humanities disciplines, as well as other Conservatory students. Not only have I met my best friends and found an incredible community of supportive women, I also have gained so much leadership experience.”

Alumni stay connected

Flashback to 1977: Phi Taus (from left) Joe McLean ’78, John Jolly ’77, John Kwasny ’79, and Dean Kwasny ’77 take part in an annual chapter retreat. (Photo courtesy of Bill Edminster ’77)

�鶹ӰԺ alumni who took part in fraternities and sororities during their time as students say the relationships they built have stayed with them, as have the lessons in philanthropy.

Sarah Schott ’97 joined Kappa Alpha Theta her first year on campus, along with a couple of her soccer teammates. While it wasn’t her primary focus as a student, it added to her �鶹ӰԺ experience in positive ways, she said.

“Probably the best thing it did for me was give me the opportunity to really deepen those relationships with friends I already knew and then expand to a broader range of women who were having lots of different experiences across campus,” said Schott, now a member of �鶹ӰԺ’s Board of Trustees.��

Riester called his fraternity experience life changing.��

“If I could choose one word to describe what being a Beta meant for me, it would be ‘growth,’” he said. “Without it, I would not have left �鶹ӰԺ carrying so many gifts.”

Jeffrey Fox ’72, who was awarded �鶹ӰԺ’s 2022 Gertrude Breithaupt Jupp M-D’18 Outstanding Service Alumni Award, recalls fraternities and sororities being the “social lifeblood” during his time on campus. He joined Delta Tau Delta part way through his first year.

“I remained a member all four years, living in the house for two of those years,” he said. “Each house seemed to have its own personality and differing operating methods. I felt at home with the Delts.”

The bonds, Fox said, have endured: “My circle of closest friends began with the fraternity, but in the true LU tradition, that circle has expanded well beyond that group over time.”

R. William (Bill) Edminster ’77, a member of Phi Kappa Tau, said he lost touch with the chapter until reconnecting at a 2010 reunion.

“I felt like I’d come home,” he said.

He went on to become an alumni advisor and has developed relationships with Phi Tau alums from across the generations. He now actively connects those alumni at �鶹ӰԺ’s Reunion weekends.

Janet (Aronberg) Hersh ’78 joined Delta Gamma her first year on campus. She points to the sorority experience as helping to harness her leadership skills and development of a lifelong commitment to philanthropy.

“The Delta Gamma Foundation’s Service for Sight led us to learn about vision impairment and opportunities to help raise money for and do service projects to benefit the visually impaired,” she said. “And my favorite annual DG event was the Apple Polisher’s Dinner—we hosted our favorite faculty member and honored their importance to us as students.”

Jerry Kerkman ’79 joined Delta Tau Delta his freshman year. He said he quickly learned the Delts and the fraternity system at �鶹ӰԺ were much more than a good time.��

“I came from rural Wisconsin and was raised in a lower middle-income family and the first one on either side of the family to attend college,” Kerkman said. “The fraternity experience developed my leadership and people skills.”

He was eventually voted president of the chapter and went on to be a chapter consultant for the national fraternity. While in law school in Madison, Kerkman served as resident advisor for the local Delt chapter. He said he has continued to feel the Delt influence throughout his life, from success as an attorney to a commitment to give back to his community. He became a board member of the Delt National Educational Foundation and received the Distinguished Service Chapter citation.

“I still receive more than I give,” he said.��

Timeline: Fraternities and Sororities at �鶹ӰԺ

1859: Phi Delta Theta chapter officially recognized as part of the �鶹ӰԺ community.
1861: Phi Delta Theta’s presence on campus comes to an end as the Civil War begins.
1897: Sophomore Robert Boyd, son of an original member of the Phi Delta Theta chapter, begins work to restore the old chapter. It would be active from 1899 to 2010, first as Theta Phi and then again as Phi Delta Theta.
1902: Beta Theta Pi fraternity (started as Beta Sigma Phi) welcomed to �鶹ӰԺ. Still active today.
1903: Delta Tau Delta fraternity (started as Delta Iota) welcomed to �鶹ӰԺ. Still active today.
1903: �鶹ӰԺ welcomes its first three sororities. Delta Gamma (started as Theta Gamma Delta) and Kappa Alpha Theta (started as Kappa Upsilon) are both still active today. Alpha Chi Omega (formerly Alpha Gamma Phi) disbanded in 1980.
1904: Zeta Alpha Phi sorority (formerly Zeta Omega Phi and Alpha Delta Pi) welcomed. Chapter closes in 1973.
1909: Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity (started as Sigma Tau Nu) welcomed to �鶹ӰԺ. Still active today.
1912: Mu Phi Epsilon sorority welcomed. Chapter closed in 1937.
1914: Phi Mu sorority welcomed. Chapter closed in 1935.
1916: Phi Kappa Alpha fraternity welcomed. Chapter closed in 1929.
1916: Kappa Delta sorority (started as Delta Delta Sigma) welcomed. Chapter closed in 1968.
1917: Sigma Alpha Iota sorority welcomed. Still active today.
1919: Phi Kappa Tau fraternity (started as Tau Alpha Sigma) welcomed. Chapter closed in 2019. Also, Beta Phi Alpha sorority (started as Epsilon Alpha Phi) is welcomed. Chapter closed in 1933.
1921: Delta Sigma Tau fraternity and Zeta Omega/Zeta Tau Alpha sorority welcomed. Both chapters closed in 1939.
1924: Psi Chi Omega fraternity welcomed. Chapter closed in 1935.
1938: Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity welcomed. Chapter closed in 2022.
1939: Pi Beta Phi sorority (started as Pi Phi Gamma) welcomed. Chapter closed in 1983.
1941: Five fraternities move into five newly built fraternity houses, marking the first time the fraternities are housed on campus.��
1958: Phi Gamma Delta fraternity welcomed. Chapter closed in 2009.
1969: Gamma Psi sorority welcomed. Chapter closed in 1971.
1981: Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority welcomed. Still active today.
2009: Beta Psi Nu sorority welcomed. Still active today.
2025: Three fraternities and five sororities remain active on campus.

Timeline information courtesy of Office of Student Engagement, Activities, and Leadership (SEAL) and �鶹ӰԺ Archives.

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�鶹ӰԺ students’ commitment to Model UN provides important global insights, experience

Communications — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 22:56:42 +0000

�鶹ӰԺ University’s Model United Nations team has come roaring back to life in recent years after losing steam during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Led by President Bruna Velez, a senior international relations major from New York City, and Vice President Jack Stuart, a senior international relations and computer science double major from Milwaukee, the team joined schools from 50 states and six continents at the National Model UN Conference in Washington, D.C, in the fall.��

The LU team, with 10 students, represented the Kingdom of Morocco and had a formal briefing with their ambassador at the Moroccan Embassy. At the conference, they received multiple awards and were recognized for outstanding performance—Stuart and Adrian Stancil-Martin, a first-year student from New York City, won the Position Paper Award. �鶹ӰԺ’s team won Honorable Delegation.

The Model UN team poses for a photo in Washington, D.C.

“It felt grounding,” Velez said. “One of the delegates we talked to was involved in Model UN when she was in high school. If this is a career path you want to go down, it is beneficial in honing the path to success.”

The team also was able to explore DC with fellow committee members. They explored the National Mall and saw the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court and visited the nearby museums like the Natural History Museum.

“That’s not an experience most people get to have,” Stuart said.��

Stuart helped restart the Model UN club along with Paola Saldana Galvan ’24 and Grace Smith ’23 a few years ago. Velez and others joined with enthusiasm.

“We live in a globalized community and a globalized world,” Velez said. “We are globalized citizens. We should get involved and get to know each other.”

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Examine pressing issues of international security, challenges of political economies, and the influence of international institutions.

Model UN simulations engage hundreds of thousands of students each year, helping them to learn more about the principles of the United Nations and how it functions. Students role-play as delegates from different countries, working together to solve global issues.��The Model UN website notes that many leaders in law, government, business, and the arts, including at the UN itself, participated in Model UN as students.

While coursework at �鶹ӰԺ has helped Stuart understand international relations, he knows that his knowledge and connections would not be where they are today without his involvement in Model UN.��

“Learning how the full structure works gives me an understanding of how international relations works and lets me practice it in a way coursework can’t,” he said.��

Stuart said that much of the information gained while at conferences and trainings is both historical and localized, making all he learns relevant to his future pursuits.

“You also get to develop communication and public speaking skills,” he said. “It’s an exciting thing that I really love.”

Both Velez and Stuart said they plan to use what they have gained through Model UN in their future career pursuits.��Velez, who plans to go into international law, has focused her attention on consulting for humanitarian organizations and working with federal agencies.��

“Model UN allows you to get immersed in the culture, and learn how a lot of it is bureaucracy,” she said.��

In her time at �鶹ӰԺ, Velez has learned how to network, organize funding, refine research, and lead a team to victory.��

Velez and Stuart believe that �鶹ӰԺ’s Model UN team draws its strength from its independent nature—it is student led—and the close-knit community of its members. Due to �鶹ӰԺ’s trimester calendar and the club drawing students from various majors, Model UN at �鶹ӰԺ runs on a much different schedule than at many schools.��

“We arrange our travel, learn how to research, train our fellow students, and figure out all the nitty gritty details to make conferences happen,” Stuart said. “As a relatively small school, we really are the ones who are pushing this forward in a way that’s unique.”

Velez is excited to see the club evolve now that it’s regained its traction.

“We are very proud of how much the club has grown,” she said. “It’s a resource for all kinds of students of all different majors and interests. It’s all about being global.”

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Trivia is in the air: Steeped in tradition, �鶹ӰԺ’s student-run contest rolls into its 60th year

Communications — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 20:49:57 +0000

The Great Midwest Trivia Contest, one of �鶹ӰԺ University’s most endearing and enduring traditions, returns during the final weekend of January.

The student-run contest is marking its 60th edition, led by trivia head master �鶹ӰԺ Schreiner, a senior music education and music performance (tuba) major from Rib Lake, Wisconsin, and his team of trivia masters (TMs). They will guide the adrenaline-fueled trivia blitz Jan. 24-26—a 50-hour scavenger hunt of obscure information that has been a thing on campus every year since 1966.��Open to teams on and off campus, it will again begin at 37 seconds past 10 p.m. Friday, the oddly specific starting time being among the contest’s many traditions.

“I had a new professor tell me last year that he knew nothing about the trivia contest here, but there came a point early in Winter Term where trivia was just in the air,” Schreiner said. “It’s become such an intergenerational unifier for Lawrentians. One of the easiest ways to start up a conversation with a Lawrentian who’s graduated since 1966 is to swap trivia stories, and I’m really happy to have a hand in continuing this tradition.”

Trivia weekend annually draws between 500 and 800 players spread across roughly 80 off-campus teams and another 15 or so on-campus teams. Teams will need to register at 8 p.m. on the first night of the contest.��.

As is tradition, the asking of last year’s Super Garuda—the final question of the previous year’s contest—will open the trivia marathon, with this year’s Super Garuda then closing the contest 50 hours later at midnight Sunday. In all, there will be more than 300 questions.

Head master �鶹ӰԺ Schreiner is joined by his team of trivia masters, all �鶹ӰԺ students..

The contest in recent years has moved to Twitch as technology has retooled the weekend. While the students who run the show have held tight to many traditions, each new team of trivia masters has moved the contest forward. This year, that includes adding some visual elements on Twitch—most notably, photo questions that will pair an image displayed on the Twitch stream with a question.

“The hope is to have a greater variety of questions that allow the TMs to use even more unique paths to and through obscure internet wackiness while mixing things up for players,” Schreiner said

Like many of the trivia head masters who came before him, Schreiner was drawn into the world of trivia masters by previous TMs. The bonds forged between students, alumni, and longtime community players are embraced and nurtured by every new group of trivia masters.��

“Some of the things I find myself thinking about most commonly in the trivia off-season are the hilarious team names, the super creative action question submissions, and the genuine kindness of the trivia community,” Schreiner said. “I feel like our contest is deeply infused with community, support, empathy, and understanding that isn’t so evident in a lot of other places. Seeing teams reaching out to support the TMs themselves and not just the contest as an event is so beautiful. There is just such a personal nature to it. It’s incredible what can spring up out of a desire for communal fun and silliness.”

Players from generations past have embraced the changes through the years, including the move from a radio station format to streaming via Twitch, first introduced in the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re really on the cutting edge of what a trivia contest can look like,” Schreiner said. “The TMs are always on the lookout for new ways to innovate, and our trivia community is so supportive in giving us space to try out everything we could imagine. Being part of a living tradition that is constantly growing and morphing like this is really an honor, and I’m excited to see what future TMs and HMs do with it after my time as head master.”

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Isabel Dorn embraces student leadership role as she takes over as president of LUCC

Communications — Mon, 06 May 2024 13:45:18 +0000

�鶹ӰԺ University junior Isabel Dorn, active in student leadership since arriving on campus three years ago, is enjoying new interactions and responsibilities as she begins work as the newly elected president of the �鶹ӰԺ University Community Council (LUCC).

“I want LUCC to be a source of support for students and a forum for hands-on problem-solving,” Dorn said.

LUCC is the student branch of �鶹ӰԺ’s shared governance. It recognizes and funds student organizations and events, works with faculty and campus administration on internal noncurricular legislation, and provides a student voice on campus issues.

Dorn, of New London, Wisconsin, is pursuing majors in English (creative writing), Russian studies, and government. She has been involved in student leadership since her first year, when she served on LUCC’s Sustainability and Student Welfare committees. She developed a passion for advocacy, and she’s excited to have taken that into her position as president.

“Being president isn’t just a ceremonial duty; you have to gather student feedback, synthesize these ideas into a practical plan, and collaborate to find the resources needed to implement these reforms,” Dorn said. “I’ve seen LUCC do a lot of good during my time at �鶹ӰԺ, and I am ready to dive into this position and maximize its potential for effecting positive change.”

Learn more about LUCC

She is working to update LUCC policy to keep it efficient, consistent, and equitable. She wants to better connect LUCC with the student body; she is revising student committees to bring in more members and better address student needs. And she is working to connect LUCC with Conservatory students, athletes, and Greek life.

“Bringing these groups together is crucial to building a cohesive �鶹ӰԺ community and fostering collaborative solutions, especially on such a small campus,” Dorn said.

Her work outside of LUCC has been largely in diversity, equity, and inclusion advocacy. She has served on the executive board of the Pan-Asian Organization for three years, and she works in the Diversity and Intercultural Center (D&IC). Equity and inclusion have always been crucial to Dorn, and she’s taking that commitment with her into the LUCC leadership position.

“Holding the LUCC presidency as a woman of color is a rare honor that I do not take lightly,” she said. “I hope my presidency encourages other people from marginalized backgrounds to pursue leadership positions, both at �鶹ӰԺ and beyond college. Furthermore, I want to use this position to empower people of color through action, not just representation.”

After graduating from �鶹ӰԺ, Dorn plans to continue into law school with the intent of becoming a public interest lawyer so she can continue working in the advocacy space she is so passionate about.

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Photo gallery: Cultural Expressions showcases talents in music, poetry, fashion, and more

Communications — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 22:00:07 +0000

The annual Cultural Expressions celebration, presented by Black Student Union (BSU), closed out Black History Month with high energy as �鶹ӰԺ University students showcased talents in song, dance, poetry, fashion, and more.��Held in Warch Campus Center, it once again drew a large and enthusiastic audience.��

Explore �鶹ӰԺ Traditions

With over 175 years of history, �鶹ӰԺ is steeped in traditions that date back to our founding.

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Esports gaming lounge available to students in lower level of Memorial Hall

Communications — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 20:50:50 +0000

�鶹ӰԺ University has opened a new ESports gaming lounge in the lower level of Memorial Hall.

Available to students who want to gather for gaming, the lounge is open daily from 4 to 10 p.m. (Hours are subject to change).

Nintendo Switch and PC games are available to play, including League of Legends (Riot Games), Valorant (Riot Games), Rocket League (Epic Games), and Counter Strike (Steam). Other titles will be added.

Students can drop in during open hours to play games in the lounge.

Esports provides an opportunity to enjoy video gaming in a highly organized, competitive environment. The games can range from MOBAs (Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas), to single-player games, to survival battle royales, to virtual sports.

The lounge is overseen by Student Life. Best practices and wellness considerations are posted in the lounge.

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Creative writing major Taylor Hughes finds her balance with writing, academics, athletics

Communications — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 15:25:07 +0000

Taylor Hughes, a �鶹ӰԺ University junior from Wausau, knows a thing or two about balancing a busy schedule.

The English/creative writing major is a two-sport athlete—volleyball and softball—while also working as a student journalist for the student newspaper, The Lawrentian. By the spring of her first year, she was already a top editor for the newspaper. Now she is serving as the sports editor, blending her love of writing, publishing, and sports.

“When you enjoy the work that you are doing, it isn’t really work anymore; it’s an adventure,” Hughes said. “Maybe it’s the storyteller in me, but I love the feeling that I am working toward something important and making a difference to those around me and to myself. I like to think of the things I do as a small domino in a large, wonderful effect, and because of that, I take a lot of pride and enjoyment out of my time and activities at �鶹ӰԺ. The busy is part of the reward.”

Taylor Hughes ’25: “The busy is part of the reward.” (Photo by Danny Damiani)

Hughes said she knew she wanted to pursue creative writing and play sports in college. She was drawn to �鶹ӰԺ’s English major, with a creative writing track, and fell in love with the campus and the Athletics Department on her first visit.

“The only thing I could think was, ‘I have to go here’,” Hughes aid. “The classes, the coaching philosophy, the feeling of home away from home, everything felt right. There were other schools and other tours and other coaches, but I knew I was being called to �鶹ӰԺ.”

Creative writing at �鶹ӰԺ

A collaborative community of storytellers, the program focuses on fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, and playwriting as expressive mediums.

Scholarships and grants helped Hughes make �鶹ӰԺ a reality.

“I knew I wanted to go to school, and eventually I knew that school was �鶹ӰԺ, but affording school was a whole different battle,” she said. “I worked three jobs in high school, often going straight from work to practice, cramming in my schooling at odd hours of the night. I applied to every scholarship I could. I wrote essays and filled out applications. I didn’t want to let finances keep me from turning dreams into reality. The optimist in me likes to think I could have somehow worked my way through education, but the fact is, I wouldn’t be here without the Wisconsin Grant and all the generosity of �鶹ӰԺ alumni. I am making this climb now, but they opened the door.”

Hughes is looking to use her experiences at �鶹ӰԺ as a springboard to a writing career after she graduates.

“I want to be a novelist, writing alongside the next generation of storytellers and dreamers,” she said. “I want to create stories like the ones that helped me see the world under a brightened light. I will always be a student of the craft, and I want to take everything I will learn and spread that passion and technique to others.”

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Photo gallery: Talented student bands deliver fun in the sun at LUaroo 2023

Communications — Wed, 31 May 2023 19:21:09 +0000

LUaroo, �鶹ӰԺ University’s annual student-led music festival, delivered fun in the sun during the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.��

Organized by the Band Booking Committee, the annual festival showcases a bevy of student bands and several bands booked from off campus. Ten bands each day took the stage on Main Hall Green.��

“Playing bluegrass music in a band and having a bunch of college kids mosh to it is just an experience that doesn’t happen a lot at other places,” said junior Tashi Litch, a co-chair of the Band Booking Committee and a member of The Woebegones. “It’s a really special thing.”

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A crowd gathers in front of the stage on Main Hall Green during a performance by The Woebegones. (Photos by Danny Damiani)

Festival-goers dance during a performance of The Klezmommies on Main Hall Green.

Larry’s Triangle performs during LUaroo.��

Avery Riel takes the stage at LUaroo.

Fusion draws a crowd as they perform at LUaroo.

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Amid the frenzy: Organizing LUaroo a learning opportunity for the BBC

Communications — Fri, 19 May 2023 19:34:21 +0000

Crisis has struck. It’s the beginning of May, and there are only three meetings left before LUaroo—and the Saturday night headliner just dropped out. The Band Booking Committee (BBC), though, is ready to adapt. They watch video after video of live performances in search of potential replacements. They reach out to even more artists, determined to find someone just as good as (or even better than) the artist they lost.

Band found. Crisis averted. Welcome to life in the BBC.

We’re now less than a week out from LUaroo, one of the biggest �鶹ӰԺ events of the year. On Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend, the campus community will gather on Main Hall Green for a two-day student-run music festival, featuring both student bands and off-campus artists. For the BBC, the student organization responsible for planning LUaroo, this is the culmination of a process that began months ago. The payoff is hopefully a smoothly run, well-received festival.

What is the Band Booking Committee?

Per their mission statement, BBC is “a small group of students with a passion for music and the community music brings.” Most of their time is dedicated to planning LUaroo, a process that starts early in Fall Term.

And, really, planning LUaroo is simple. They just have to follow the steps in their 50-page Google Doc on “how to do everything.”

With so many moving pieces involved in planning the festival, it’s all-hands-on-deck. About 15 committee members gather each week for a planning meeting, where they are divided into smaller teams, each focused on a different aspect of the festival: artistic design, student safety, diversity and inclusion, on-campus bands, groundwork, tech, and social media.

A member of the audience videos the performance of Fusion, a student band, during last year’s LUaroo.��

This year’s committee is led by two co-chairs, senior Avery Riel from Atlanta and junior Tashi Litch from Orcas Island, Washington, who spend about 15 hours a week taking on the more logistical roles and keeping everything on track.

Although BBC separates into their respective roles, the committee is collaborative at heart—both with each other and with the rest of the �鶹ӰԺ community. This year, BBC has been working with to promote student safety, the to encourage diversity in their artists and to create a pamphlet on cultural appropriation at music festivals, and the to fund food trucks for LUaroo.

“We have to rely on each other so heavily,” Riel said. “With it being such a big team, we want to make sure everything is a democratic decision or vote … It requires a lot of communication from every party to make it work.”

The Klezmommies are among the student bands performing at LUaroo: Read about their journey

According to Riel, the committee is learning all the time, building skills that they can use to make the festival better and to take with them into their future careers. Committee members have learned how to delegate to a team, negotiate contracts, and coordinate with a variety of different stakeholders to create a large-scale event.

“The reality is a lot of people want a career in music, but there’s very few people who can just play music and make that a career,” Litch said. “… These types of experiences are something that can really be applied to a lot of different fields, certainly within the music industry but also outside of it. And so just having the chance to have the opportunity to make mistakes but also just learn by doing—that whole experiential learning thing is really valuable.”

A frenzied weekend

Ultimately, the months and months of planning culminates in one weekend: LUaroo. Although BBC tries to schedule time for each member to have a break, they’re all in for some long days, with Saturday set-up starting as early as 8 a.m. and Sunday clean-up going as late as 2 a.m.

And it’s not like they can just lay out in the sun with the rest of the students during the eight hours of performances—they have to be prepared for whatever fires pop up on the day of the event. When an artist is supposed to go on in five and they’re nowhere to be seen, BBC members are the ones running around campus to find them. When the golf cart runs out of gas, someone from BBC needs to drive to the station to fill it up. When an artist shows up with 17 extra people and eats all the food in the Green Room, it’s BBC that has to make a run to Woodman’s to restock for the rest of the artists. (Lesson learned: make sure there’s a hospitality clause in the contract.)

“That was definitely the headline ‘oops’ from last year,” Litch said. “There’s always those moments.”

But for the members of BBC, it’s all worth it: The energy, the celebration, the community it brings, all specific to �鶹ӰԺ.

“Playing bluegrass music in a band and having a bunch of college kids mosh to it is just an experience that doesn’t happen a lot at other places,” said Litch, who plays in the bluegrass band The Woebegones, on the lineup for the third straight year. “It’s a really special thing.”

And this year will be extra special, with a few surprises for returning students. First, students will see more student bands this year, courtesy of feedback BBC received last year to create more space for the talented musicians on campus. And no one will have to take a break from the festival to run to Andrew Commons for dinner: the Student Welfare Committee is providing free food trucks on Saturday, and Bon Appetit will provide outdoor catering on Sunday.

But at the end of the day, it’s still the same old LUaroo—and BBC can’t wait for everyone to see it.

“I sit with it for a year and think about it for a year and then create it,” Riel said. “It’s like a giving back and also a taking of, ‘I made this thing and I feel so proud’ and ‘I get to give this to this community that’s given me so much.’ It feels really special.”

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