Get It Dunn Run 2013 – May 18

For those who enjoy staying active in the summer, the Get It Dunn Run 5K and half marathon will be taking place on May 18. According to getitdunnrun.com, this is the 2nd annual event presented by Mind over Matter (M.O.M.) thanks to the huge success from last year’s event. All participants of the half marathon will receive a custom finisher medal as an added bonus.

This year, M.O.M. has also announced a new Campership outreach effort that will be an addition to the National Education Scholarship, Kathleen Fisher Memorial Scholarship and M.O.M. Care Packages that are given to families facing a cancer diagnosis.

The Get It Dunn Run began as an effort to build M.O.M. and to give back more to the community, such as offering regular “life scholarships” to people and organizations in need.

Registration closes May 16.

SummerDaze – June 14-15

This summer you can also attend Menomonie’s SummerDaze event. This year’s theme is rock ‘n’ roll, and a variety of events will take place over a two-day period at Wilson Park and in downtown Menomonie.

SummerDaze will feature a Medallion Hunt and the Nature Valley Grand Prix Bike Race. Events and activities are available for everyone–a children’s arcade, food and beer garden, family games and entertainment and an arts and crafts fair. There will also be Wiener Dog races. Anyone would be overwhelmed by the cuteness of that event!

If you would like updates about the event, follow SummerDaze on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/SummerDaze

Dunn County Fair – July 24-28

Release your inner child at the Dunn County Fair. Equipped with entertainment, vendors and carnivals galore, the Dunn County Fair is the place to be this July. The free stage will include performances by Wisconsin-based musical acts as well as a karaoke competition dubbed Menomonie Idol. In the grandstand, horse tractor and truck pulls share the dirt with the Red Cedar car races and the Menomonie Lion’s Club Demolition Derby.

The fair consists of thrilling carnival rides. There is an unlimited ride pass that can be bought in advance for $35 or $50 at the ticket booth during the fair. This allows you to ride unlimited during all open times. The rides begin July 24 at 5 p.m.

If your finals aren’t as overwhelming as you had expected and are finding yourself with more free time, there are plenty of concerts coming up in Menomonie.

On Saturday, May 4, Rachel Hanson will be performing at the Acoustic Café on 102 Main St.  She is a singer and songwriter from Stevens Point, Wis., with a unique sound and stage presence that is sure to amaze.  She will be performing from 7-10 p.m..

On the same night, you can head on over to Fuzzy’s Bar and Grill.  At 9:30 p.m., a group called Sunset Strip will be performing ‘80s rock.  Anyone who’s a fan of Bon Jovi or any other classic rock band from the “good ol’ days” is sure to enjoy their performance. You can find Fuzzy’s at N5729 410^th St.

Later that night at 10 p.m., the Left Wing Bourbon Blues band will be playing at the Waterfront Bar and Grill.  Anyone who enjoys great food, an amazing view and classic blues should stop by.

On Thursday May 9, Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts will be playing host to The Menomonie Singers. This group has a Western Choral style and has been together since 1989. Tickets will cost $10.

If you can’t make it to any of these performances, you can catch live music by the local band North of Dixie.  This group is comprised of five members: Johnny Lynch (guitar), Shelly Miller (five-string banjo and guitar), John Utphall (swing-era jazz violin), Bob Boone (mandolin), and Jeff Heath (bass).  They have a great mix of bluegrass music from groups including The Dillards, The Mavericks, Doyle Lawson and Stephane Grappelli.  They will be playing from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Raw Deal on Saturday, May 10.  All these performances will be fantastic, so don’t miss out on the fun.

Thanks to The Rock and Mark Wahlberg, Michael Bay’s first film after his “Transformers” series is a disaster. The film “Pain and Gain” is a story of three body builders kidnapping and torturing a wealthy businessman. What about that just doesn’t scream entertainment?

Mark Wahlberg plays Daniel Lugo, a stripper-friendly gym trainer, looking for an easy road to riches. But working for his success isn’t part of Lugo’s plan, so he tries a different route.

Lugo, along with other trainers and bodybuilders Adrian Doorbell (Anthony Mackie) and Paul Doyle (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) decide to kidnap Victor Kershaw, played by Tony Shalhoub, who brags to Lugo about all the money he is making. What better thing to do to a rich man than torture him until he gives in and signs over all his property and finances?

What’s a macho man comedy if it doesn’t degrade women in the process? When the men were not making absurd comments toward or about women, the camera made sure to leave the action to focus on half-naked and sometimes fully naked girls.

Without research, it is hard to believe that this was actually based off of a true story, which is known to be weirder than the movie itself. But after two hours and nine minutes, the eyesore turned to black and the headache went away. The movie is so bad that it was almost reassuring to know that Bay is working on another “Transformers” film–almost.

If there is anything good to take away from this film, the soundtrack earns a 5/5. The greatest soundtrack moment was a “Gangsta’s Paradise” scene that puts a smile on your face and gets your head nodding. Not to mention Rebel Wilson, who played the girlfriend of Adrian and did a fabulous job.

Despite the efforts of Wilson and Coolio, it is going to be tough to take on “Pain and Gain” for the title of worst films of the year. It makes you want to go into another theater on your way out so you can try and get your money’s worth before you leave. This movie ends up at a clean 1 out of 5.

Remember the last time you went to a movie night in Applied Arts or a free concert on a Thursday night? Have you ever thought about all the work that goes into planning those events every week?

The group that produces these events is Blue Devil Productions, which is made up entirely of University of Wisconsin–Stout students.

BDP is UW – Stout’s main source of entertainment for music, comedies and films. This also includes planning almost everything for big campus events such as homecoming.

Even though they seem to have their hands in everything entertainment related at UW–Stout, they haven’t been around for all that long. BDP is celebrating their 10-year anniversary this week from Thursday, May 2 to Saturday, May 4.

They’ve got plenty of events to kick off the celebration, including a concert by Hyland with Windsor Drive on Thursday at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Student Center, Miles of Masking Tape 2 in Ballrooms B and C on Friday in the MSC on Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the BDP Birthday Celebration Reception on Saturday, which is only open to BDP members and alumni.

Blue Devil Productions currently has 10 members on the board of directors, all of which are paid positions based on yearly terms that run January through December. Many people get involved with BDP by attending the open meetings and helping with events by scanning tickets or taking pictures.

The current executive producer at BDP is Alissa Miller, a student in the Retail Merchandising and Management program at UW–Stout. She has been working with BDP for three years and thinks it is a great job.

“Working for BDP is the BEST job on campus,” says Miller. “I manage the other nine directors in BDP, lead our weekly club meetings, check out new songs from cool artists from Minneapolis, set up for the Thursday Night Out show, listen to the awesome live music, update the BDP budget and attend a BDP movie on Friday night.”

This may seem like a lot of work, but the executive producer position has more responsibility than a typical BDP position. Even being an unpaid member of BDP can be a good experience for someone who may want to be on the board of directors one day.

“I have gained great professional development experience,” said Miller. “I work with a lot of professional staff in the Involvement Center and other departments on campus. I have been able to fine-tune my communication, leadership and management skills.”

Right now is the perfect time to learn about BDP. The Miles of Masking Tape 2 display is a great way to see all of the past events that they have put on. BDP alumni will be leading panel discussions on Friday to sharetheir professional experiences with the UW–Stout campus. The first panel will be at 3 p.m. and will focus on Business, Industry and Academia, and the second will be at 4:20 p.m. and focus on Art and Design.

Even though 10 years have passed, Miller thinks BDP has remained the same since the beginning.

“At the heart of every BDP board is the same thing; we strive to offer the students and community with events to enhance their experience at UW–Stout,” said Miller.

So, if you would like to have any say in the events that go on here at UW–Stout, try attending some of these 10-year anniversary events and get involved.

“Stop by our office in the Involvement Center in the MSC, come to our meetings or come to a show. Talk to us,” said Miller. “We would love to hear who you think is the next big act or about an awesome show you would like us to bring.”

On May 8, some of the University of Wisconsin–Stout’s most talented students will showcase video games that they have made from scratch.

Every semester, UW–Stout’s Game Design and Development program hosts a free event where the public can play these games in the Great Hall of the Memorial Student Center.

There are a total of 23 playable games at the event. This year, twelve games were created by freshmen, four by juniors, five by students as independent projects and two as full 3D games created by seniors.

Some titles include “Bear-Minimum,” “Shield Run,” “Boulder Dash,” “Helium Havoc” and “Flash Frozen.”

“Helium Havoc” is a first-person shooter game where the player controls an 11-year-old boy who must destroy waves of evil balloons sent forth by the wicked robot clown Mr. Boohoo. Players are able to choose from several unlockable weapons such as a slingshot or a Ferf Gun.

“Flash Frozen” is a survival horror game that takes place in an abandoned snowy setting. After a shipwreck, the character is the only survivor in a freezing sub-zero environment. Armed with only a lighter, players must focus on surviving the eerie cold by maintaining their body heat. Be on your toes though: you’re not alone.

Both “Helium Havoc” and “Flash Frozen” were created by the senior capstone course. The two groups spent the entire school year working on their games.

Some of the games were created using Gamemaker: Studio, which is a software that allows its users to create video games using basic programming methods.

If you are officially bored of playing “Call of Duty” and are looking for something new that your fellow students have put their blood sweat and tears into, stop by the Great Hall of the MSC at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8.

John Bensend, president of the Veterans Club, wanted to raise money for the organization and give back to the veteran community. The Wounded Warrior Project is a program designed to assist veterans who were injured while they were in the service. The event raised over $1,000 for the two organizations.

“For being our first time, it seemed to be successful,” said Bensend. “We would like to make this an annual event.”

The challenge consisted of multiple physical competitions, including a log carry, a buddy carry, an ammo can carry and a 5k run. Each participant had a partner and while they competed alone in push-up and sit-up contests, they had their partner’s help during the other events. The partners even had to finish the 5k at the same time.

“I think these events relate to what every day in the military is like,” said Bensend. “Physical conditioning is a huge component of their job.”

Officer Lisa Pederson was one of the participants in the event.

“It just looked like it would be a challenge and it was for a great cause,” said Pederson. “My sister and I decided that it would be a lot of fun. It tested a lot of our strength.”

Pederson said that the hardest part of the challenge was the log carry, in which the weights of the logs ranged from 70 to 300 pounds. Pederson and her sister ended up carrying a 100-pound log.

“It wasn’t something that we were prepared for, but it was the most fun,” said Pederson. “It was a great charity and a great event. We’re glad that we did it. We already discussed doing it again next year.”

The Veterans Club supports veterans who come to the university after doing four or five years of military work. The club provides social networking and events to help them re-integrate into civilian life and a college environment.

For the students enrolled in Professor Joseph Velasquez’s printmaking class, the inevitable pressure formed by the end of the semester deadlines is rapidly building. While others face pressure during finals, these students are using that pressure as a creative outlet for their final projects. Velasquez’s final for his students is a collaborative printmaking demonstration for the University of Wisconsin–Stout community: a showcase of the art of large-scale woodblock printmaking, which is appropriately titled “Under Pressure.” This hybrid final/event will be held on May 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Lot 29 across from Applied Arts.

One of the main objectives of this event is to allow the printmaking students to have a chance to explore their creativity outside the limitations of a studio setting.

Maureen Mitton, director of the Applied Arts building, is very excited by this unique exhibition which is not only for the students but for the community as well.

“The project is aimed to get students, faculty, artists and the community to come together in a cooperative event in the spirit of community and collaboration,” said Mitton.

Prior to this event, the students and contributing artists have created their own original designs and have then proceeded to carve them into large wooden block surfaces. Students carve out the areas that are to be white, and then apply ink to the block so the design can be printed upon either a fabric or paper.

For this event, students and artists from the Menomonie area will be printing giant relief prints (4’ x 4’ to 4’x 8’) using a pavement-sized roller as a printing press. In order for the entertainment to remain safe those participating and viewing the demonstration, the printmaking area will be quartered off and only Velasquez and three selected helpers will be allowed in the designated printing zone.

“By taking the process out and in to the public for everyone to engage, children and families attending this event will be able to participate in small, hands-on activities such as t-shirt printing and small collaborations with mentoring artists,” Mitton added.

For more information on this printmaking extravaganza contact Maureen Mitton, at 715-232-1097 and Professor Joseph Velasquez at 715-232-1097.

On Tuesday, April 23, the Stout Student Association held a vote in regards to a controversial tuition freeze that is currently being discussed by state legislators. In a unanimous decision, the student senate disapproved of the freeze for the approaching biennium (2013-2015). The senate then proceeded to draft a formal resolution highlighting their concerns that will eventually land on the desks of the Board of Regents, who will in turn bring the students’ opinion to state legislators.

“We want to connect students with the fact that education is going to cost money, whether you have a tuition freeze or not,” said SSA President Elect Juliana Lucchesi.

A tuition freeze would ensure that tuition will not rise for the following two years. Without a freeze, tuition would increase an average of $200 dollars per semester. However, there are implications that come with the possibility of a freeze were addressed during a budget discussion hosted by Chancellor Charles Sorensen. The state of Wisconsin is already debating furthering cuts for the entire UW System that would likely trim an extra $181 million across the board for the universities.

“A tuition freeze, although it looks good on the surface, would mean a big drop in the quality of education you get,” explains Lucchesi. “There’d be a drop in academic staff, academic programs and student services that aren’t directly paid for in segregated fees. We’ve already had quite a few failed searches for academic staff due to the amount of money we offer them.”

The University of Wisconsin–Stout has seen a diminishing academic staff in the past several years. Faculty has not received a pay increase since the year 2007 and is paid 18 percent less than the national average, according to SSA research. A tuition freeze would ensure that staff would not receive a raise for another two years. Candidates for academic positions that would improve class selections have refused job offerings because of the issue.

“We’re losing people,” said Sorensen during the budget discussion. “It will take painful decisions in the future.”

One positive aspect of a tuition freeze is that it would allow predictable financial planning for the next several years. Negatives researched by the SSA indicate that a freeze does not take into account the possibility of inflation and that the change technically does not guarantee students will save money. A higher cost would need to be implemented at some point in another area to make up for the zero percent increases.

When asked if SSA would receive backlash from students believing that staff concerns are being prioritized over student needs, Lucchesi offered her own stance and further explanation.

“I could see people saying that,” said Lucchesi. “But if you honestly look at the portrait being painted of UW–Stout and look at our financial records, you are able to see that UW–Stout is very fiscally responsible.”

Faculty that attended the budget discussion suggested that if students have any concerns over the tuition freeze, they should make their voice heard by contacting state representatives such as Sheila Harsdorf or Dean Knutson.

“If students explained they didn’t mind a slight tuition increase, there should be no reason legislators would be up-in-arms over it either,” suggested one faculty member.

Sorensen and other administrative staff stated they are unsure when a final decision regarding the tuition freeze will be made.

Recently, the Wisconsin Game Developer’s Summit was held at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee for students and game developers all over the Midwest. The summit allowed participants to share their passion of game development through presentations and workshops centered around design, production, art, programming, career and discussion roundtables.

Ian Pommer, a Game Design and Development major, attended the summit as a volunteer.

“This meant that for the most part, I helped people find their way to the presentation they wanted to go to for a certain slot,” said Pommer. “I was also supposed to keep an eye out for people trying to get in for free or steal hardware at the game expo.”

Volunteering had its perks too, says Pommer. “Volunteering also got me in for free, and I received a cool T-shirt, as well as some extra opportunities for networking.”

Pommer also had the added perk of getting to listen to some of the presentations.

“The speakers were titans—legends even—of the industry like Tom Hall, one of the creators of classic games like ‘Wolfenstein 3D’ and ‘Doom’ and a founder of the first company to use true 3D graphics in computer games.”

Pommer explained that there were not just famous game developers giving the talks. Others included “smaller company representatives and teachers from schools around the area including some professors from UW–Stout: Jean Hafner, Diane Christie, Dave Beck, Dennis Schmidt and Andrew Williams.”

Overall, it was an experience that any gamer would want to take part in.

“It was both an inspiring and sobering experience,” said Pommer. “It is a competitive field, and if you don’t know what you want to do in it, the consensus seems to be you won’t have any luck.”

With so many career options within the game design field, Pomer is still considering what he would like to do with his future in the industry.

“I think there is potential to use motion capture gaming for physical therapy in the future, and I would love to see that happen as well as potentially be a part of it.”

The summit at UW–Milwaukee showed just how much game design and development has to offer since gaming is growing into something more than entertainment. The possibilities are endless.

Brains, beauty and brawn: these are the three words that come to mind when describing the male student body at the University of Wisconsin–Stout. The Delta Zeta Sorority, the Zeta Beta Chapter at UW–Stout, took it one step further to find the one male on campus who was better than the rest—the one man who deserved the title of the brainiest, brawniest and most beautiful.

On Tuesday, April 23, several male students competed for the title of Stoutman 2013. The event was free to all students and took place in the Great Hall of the Memorial Student Center. All proceeds from the raffles were donated to benefit muscular dystrophy. The contestants participated in four categories: talent, swimsuit, formal wear and interviewing skills.

This student activity used humor and good-natured fun to give everyone involved a break from upcoming exams and the stress of graduation. With the recent success of “Magic Mike,” the women in the audience busily compared each competitor to the far more superior Channing Tatum during the swimsuit competition. (Sorry guys).

“This is a man-pageant where guys compete to win the ‘Stoutman’ title,” said Jordan Melendez, a Delta Zeta member.

The event is typically held during alcohol awareness week. However, this year the sorority wanted to raise money for Prayers for Connor.

“A Delta Zeta alumni found out this past January that a high school friend’s son, Connor, has spinal muscular dystrophy type 1,” says Melendez. “This is a type of muscular dystrophy that’s genetic, and it is the number one genetic killer in infants. Any child who’s diagnosed with this disease doesn’t typically live past two years old. Medical bills and travel expenses are terrible, and we wanted to help them out and help Connor fight.”

“The event was all in good fun,” said Anna Thingvold. “I enjoyed seeing some of my friends compete, and it was pretty funny to watch the contestants ham it up during the formal wear and interview part of the competition.”