Getting Back to Eco-U

The University of Wisconsin – Green Bay’s campus sits isolated from the city it calls home – surrounded by a vast network of trees that make up the campus’ arboretum.  This setting is no accident, as from the very beginning, UWGB has strived to be “green” in more ways than one.

Since it opened its doors in 1965, the university has held the nickname “Eco U” because of its efforts towards environmental friendliness, according to the university’s sustainability website.

And while UWGB continues to receive national recognition for its efforts, it is failing to effectively communicate and engage with its students who aren’t already inclined to participate in sustainable practices. 

One of the major sustainability focuses for the university is recycling.  The abundance of well-advertised recycling bins, with complete descriptions of what should and shouldn’t be recycled, has made it convenient for students to recycle no matter where they are on campus.  But the Student Government Association’s Environmental Affairs Committee chair, Anthony Sirianni, JR’s recalls a classroom demonstration that suggests the university’s sustainability mission might not be getting through to its students.

“Georjeanna Wilson, a statistics professor, instead of using raw numbers, she went out in the hallway and grabbed a recycling bin and dumped it on the table and they counted what was supposed to be in there and what was not supposed to be in there… They realized that there was a large percentage of stuff that shouldn’t have been in there and when looking in the garbage can, there was a lot of stuff that could have been recycled,” said Sirianni.

It would be difficult to determine every UWGB student’s practices in sustainability and their reasoning behind their practices (or lack thereof), but SGA President Vanya Koepke believes it comes down to lack of education on what is and isn’t considered environmentally-friendly living.

“If students are not aware of what sustainability is, they may be thinking recycling but it’s so much more than that – measuring how much time you take in the shower, turning the lights off when they leave, composting - once students are educated…that’s when they can understand better what sustainability is, otherwise it may just be a word to them,” said Koepke.

Educating students on how and why to practice sustainable living is an important first step towards linking UWGB’s students with its “Eco U” mission.  The next step needs to be increasing students awareness of activities and projects in order to increase participation.

"It’s hard for me to speak since I’m around people with the same ideas as me… but for example, when we surveyed students on the Eco U part, overwhelming the freshman course, they didn’t know over half the questions we asked them, which were basically are you aware of the environmental organizations on campus… of all the things we do on campus to be sustainable.  They weren’t aware of half of it,” said Sirianni.

For the students’ part, this lack of awareness may have something to do with finding this information easily online.  In the age of the Internet, if information can’t be found quickly, it probably won’t be found at all.  The various organizations and sustainability websites are not linked, not easily found, and often have outdated or missing information.

For example, if a student was interested in seeing the minutes from the last Environmental Affairs meeting, looking on the EA’s page on the UWGB SGA website wouldn’t help them, the most recent minutes are from 2012.  Their Facebook page is no better, with the most recent minutes post from 2011 – and that link doesn’t even work.

If UWGB wants to continue its goal of sustainability, it needs to do a better job of getting its students to have the same goal.  Whether its lack of education or lack of communication, UWGB students just aren’t on the same page of environmental friendliness as their university is.

Too long? Other plans that day? Just don't want to? What are the reasons students choose NOT to attend the commencement ceremony

It’s a moment that most college students dream about; putting the final touches to their last paper, finishing up the last part of their final presentation, and answering the last couple questions on their final exam. Then, once all the stress from school work is gone, it’s time to walk across that stage, shake your chancellor’s hand, and get your diploma. You did it. You have graduated college. All of the hard work that you have put in the last four, five, maybe six plus, years has finally came to fruition. For some students, that journey does not end by walking across the stage to receive their diploma. Why?

To find out why such students choose to not attend the pinnacle of most college student’s careers, I talked to Jan Snyder, University Services Program Associate and the Chairperson of the University Staff Committee. She said that as of April 30, 930 students applied for graduation at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB). Out of those 930 students, only 707 of them signed up to participate in commencement ceremony. Due to confidentiality reasons, the names of the students who are not attending were not able to be shown.

Justin Grones, UWGB graduation class of 2014, chose not to attend the commencement ceremony last year, and he says now that it is something that he truly regrets. “I didn't walk because I knew I was going to the law enforcement academy, and knew I'd be walking at that graduation. I kind of treated my time at UWGB as a "stepping stone" and didn't make it as big of a deal as I should have. When I was at my wife's graduation in December it totally made me regret not walking.”

Brent Haack, a member of the UWGB graduating class of 2016, says that he also plans not to attend the commencement ceremony next spring either. “I run my own landscaping and lawn care business, and early springtime like that is when I am the busiest. I cannot afford to miss out on a day of work to sit through a boring, three hour long ceremony. I’m proud of my accomplishment, but to me it just doesn’t seem worth it,” said Haack.

Snyder says the reasons from students for not coming to the commencement ceremony varies from student to student. She said the more common reasons include online students who don’t live in the Green Bay area aren’t always willing to make the trip for a long ceremony like that, students making other prior commitments such as weddings, vacations, etc. and some students are uncomfortable going on stage in front of a large audience. The reasons go on from those, but each student has their own special reason why they choose to not walk across that stage during the commencement ceremony.

On the other side of the coin, there are many students who do walk across the stage at commencement and are very passionate about their decision. Most students do it because they want to show off all their hard word they put in over the past four to five years. Micaella Schneider, UWGB class of 2015 graduate said “I am walking for the ceremony because only 1% of the world's population get a college degree and I am honored to have earned that.” Kaitlyn Bouvette, another member of the UWGB class of 2015 added to that saying “I'm walking because I earned it and the people in my life want to see what I've accomplished.” For other students, it’s a matter of life or death. “I worked my a** off for 4 years so I wouldn't miss walking across the stage. And my mom would kill me if I didn't,” says Laura Maslanka, another member of the UWGB class of 2015.

All kidding aside, it is a proud moment for every student in the Kress Events Center on that Saturday afternoon. Having their families there, taking pictures, spending some time together with each other after the ceremony, it’s a great time for everyone in your family. It only seems fair that for the many hours upon hours of work you have put into each one of your projects or papers, that you would have to spend just a few more hours waiting to get your diploma.

You Know You Live on UWGB Campus When...

Living on campus at UW-Green Bay is great. You live conveniently close to all your classes, minutes away from your friends and you don't have to worry about paying bills each month. Here are a few tell-tale signs that confirm that you've gotten the UWGB on campus living experience.

The sound of the fire alarm doesn't phase you. 
 You know you live on campus when you get used to hearing the sound of the fire alarm frequently. Someone always seems to be setting the fire alarm off. From burning cookies to taking too hot of a shower, you can guarantee that you'll experience a minimum of five fire alarms each semester. The best part is that the fire alarm seems to know what you're doing and goes off at the most inconvenient of times. Just got out of the shower? Must be a perfect time for the alarm to go off. In the middle of a good night's sleep? That's okay, it's time to blare the fire alarm! Nothing says "so college" like standing out in the freezing cold in your pajamas waiting for public safety to arrive to shut the horrible noise off. After awhile you don't even jump at the sound, you just diligently grab your coat, march outside and take a snapchat video of the fiasco so everyone knows the pain you're currently suffering.

Seeing wildlife is 100% normal to you.
You know you live on campus at UWGB when seeing a turkey cross your path is as normal as if a regular student were to walk in front of you. A normal campus is cluttered with cars, bikes and beer cans but Green Bay promises sights of nature and it's many creatures. The geese are almost more popular than the students here as half the yaks on the Yik-Yak app are about them and their whereabouts. In the warmer months you and your roommates may even joke about catching the woodchucks that roam campus. You can tell what you're getting into the minute you drive up when you see the fake deer posted at the entrance. One student even speculates that UWGB takes the unspent dinning money to buy new scarves for the deer.

You understand the struggle of getting a low priority number during re-contracting

Re-contracting, sometimes known to students as the housing hunger games is one of the most stressful times of the year. Everyone is on the pursuit of a low housing number to ensure that they can get into a nice apartment for the following school year. The day housing priority numbers are sent out you are already one edge as you anxiously await for an email to arrive. If you get a high priority number then you feel on top of the world. But if you get a low priority number then suddenly everything comes crashing down on you. First you have a false sense of security. You think to yourself "things will be okay, we can still get the housing we want" and spend the time leading up to room selection day telling yourself that. Once room selection day does roll around you get more nervous with every passing second. As you walk up to the boards to see what buildings still have openings, your heart just about stops. Chances are slim but you might actually pull it off and get the room you want. Sometimes you get lucky in the end and get the housing you desire but other times you'll find yourself upset because it's going to be another year sent living in the traditional apartments or a dorm. You can always tell people's luck by what they tweet at housing after room selection.

                                              Tweet from student during re-contracting last year

You find yourself wondering why there aren't tunnels from housing to the academic buildings.

It’s no secret that all UWGB students are extremely thankful for our tunnels. They make winter much more bearable. But you know you live on campus when you always ask yourself why the contractors did not add a few tunnels leading from housing to the union. UWGB, you spoil us with these tunnels and we can’t help ourselves from dreaming for more. GB students take any chance they can get to brag to their friends about these tunnels as well. When your friend from Madison is complaining to you about having to walk across campus on a crazy day, you don't waste a second reminding them about how great it is to have tunnels.  

You never have experienced communal bathrooms. 

Another one of the many UWGB perks is the private bathrooms. Even as a freshman, Green Bay students never have to experience sharing a bathroom with a whole floor of people. Most college kids have to deal with out of order stall, chunks of random people's hair clogging drains and drunk people passed out in the bathroom. Students at Green Bay only have to worry about sharing a bathroom with 1-3 other people. Ask anyone what one of their favorite perks of going to UWGB is and there's a great chance they'll say the private bathrooms. It's truly living the good life.


These "You Know You Live On Campus" points were gained from asking students some of the things that come to mind when thinking about living on campus. Do you have other things that come to mind when thinking of this topic? We'd love to hear, please leave us a response in the comments!

Spring Break Horror Stories

Thanks to movies and the media, spring break has become one of the biggest events that most college students look forward to. Regardless if you're headed to Panama City Beach or all the way to Cancun, you're guaranteed to return with some crazy stories. College students from schools around Wisconsin have shared their spring break stories with us!
*Names removed to protect the innocent

Fake ID or entire fake identity? Location: Panama City Beach
"The first day there we went to the beach and of course we brought beer and fireball. So my roommate Danny and I both had to go to the bathroom so we went to the port-o-potty. We had beer in our hands so on the way there I finished mine and threw it away and Danny didn't finish his. We walked right by two cops and they stopped Danny and asked for his ID. He was in his swim suit so he didn't have an ID on him. So the cop asked his name and address, etc, and radioed it in. Danny gave all of his brothers information (who was 22) and the cop just let him go."
-N.M, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Fanny Pack Fiasco Location: Panama City Beach
"It was on my second day in Panama City. One of my friends had been so excited about finding a fanny pack to wear because it was the trend for everyone who was there. We had spent the whole day on the beach drinking and my friend who was all excited about his fanny pack ended up running into the ocean with it on, his phone was in there. He ended up having to call his mom from someone else's phone to tell her what happened and had to go buy another phone while we were in Florida. The fanny pack hype pretty much died after that."
     -G.T., University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Beach Beads
Location: Panama City Beach
"The beach was packed with probably thousands of people and it was like Mardi Gras, everyone had beads. So of course girls would flash their boobs and get beads in return. It just so happened that a girl we knew from high school was there and she flashed her boobs like 20 times to get beads. She was really hammered and her friend (who was a girl) ripped off her top and she couldn't find it for like 5 minutes."
-E.S., University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Tattoo Trouble

Location: Myrtle Beach
"I was at a club and a random guy that was super cute came up to me and the first thing he said was "hey, wanna see my tattoo?" So I said sure and he pulled down his pants and had a rubber duck tattooed on his butt-cheek and then proceed to tell me he lost a bet."
-B.E., University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Pant less and Confused Location: Cancun, Mexico
"So there was this dude we met the day before. He went out to the clubs and ended up leaving by himself. He does not remember a single thing from the night. But he woke up in an alley without his pants. He got mugged and his money and passport was stolen."
-B.G., University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Hot Tub Mishap
Location: Panama City Beach 
"Our hotel had a huge hot tub, like the size of a pool. There were probably 20 people in it at the time, most of them were foreign. Some kid was super hammered and was swimming under the water from one side of the pool to the other. He swam right up next to Emmett and came up from the water and didn't look too good. He threw up all in the hot tub and then passed out in the water. He was like knocked out under the water and his friend had to jump in and save him.That pretty much cleared out the hot tub."
-N.M, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Unwanted Visitor Location: Miami, FL

"Big expectations were had when it came to the hotel that was booked. We were all under the impression that we were staying at the Bentley in South Beach but little did we know one of our travel partners, Dave, was a cheap ass. With out telling us he booked us a room at the Days Inn in North Beach. Not that bad of an area, still on the beach but the hotel was shady. When we pulled up to the hotel a woman came up to the car to greet us. At first we thought it was a employee of the hotel. This was not the case. It was actually a prostitute. She came up to the car asking how long we were in town and if we wanted a good time. 

Mark, being not so street smart, said of course, we are we are down here on spring break we are just looking for girls and to party. Everyone shot Mark evil looks and as we unpacked we tried to tell him this lady was a prostitute as she hovered around us. 

The prostitute actually followed us into the hotel. We asked her to leave as we were not interested in her services but she waited in the lobby. 

Once we got our room key, Mark yelled out what room we were staying in. Not a good idea. Of course our newly made friend heard this and tried to follow us up. We had to tell the hotel she was not with us and eventually she was kicked out.

The room was shady and looked like the guy from the bates motel would murder us there during the stay. In order to help us deal with this possibility bottles were popped and the booze never stopped flowing the rest of the trip."
     -Z.B., University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

Current Drug Trends at UWGB

In the land of Hollywood movies, college is the time in a young adults life for excessive partying with the copious consumption of alcohol and the constant pursuit of the opposite sex – maybe a little bit of studying here or there, if there is time.

          
And while life sometimes imitates art, recent studies have shown the decline of alcohol consumption amongst college age students.

           
According to the 2013 National Survey on drug use and health released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the consumption of alcohol in the past 30 days leading up to the survey by 18-20 year olds has been on the decline every year since 2009.

          
In Wisconsin, the trend in alcohol consumption amongst college age students may be on the same track as the national rate. Based on the Annual Security and Fire Safety report for each of the University of Wisconsin system college campuses, five campuses, including UW-Green Bay have seen declines in alcohol related arrests and disciplinary actions since 2011.

            
Mark Olkowski, who is in his fourteenth year as Assistant Dean of Students, deals with the disciplinary action for students who get themselves into trouble on campus. Olkowski recognizes the downward trend in alcohol use among UWGB students, but also notes “if you compare us with other UW’s, our students don’t drink a lot, we’re a fairly well behaved campus, we’re definitely not a party school.”

            
The decline in alcohol use could be contributed to a number of causes. In recent years, there have been a number of national anti-binge drinking campaigns, like the “parents, you’re not done yet” campaign launched by the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility. The PYNDY campaign is an online resource for parents of college age children to help talk about drinking responsibly.

            
Olkowski said his department is interested in why drinking has gone down on campus. One theory he suggests is the numbers might not accurately reflect the amount of drinking on campus and may have more to do with recent changes in campus housing rules.

           
“Housing has changed one of their policies with regards to noise violations, which usually- knocking on that loud door leads to the alcohol violations, if it’s not a quiet hour violation, are we missing something?” said Olkowski.

            
The decrease in drinking is seen as a positive trend by Olkowski. A negative trend? The rise in marijuana use on campus.

            
“Marijuana is up. I wouldn’t call it drastically but…it’s trending up. It has for at least three years…and as I talk to students, it seems like it’s becoming more accepted among the student population. I’m not surprised that’s a national trend,” said Olkowski.

            
A 2013 Galllup poll confirms this trend, finding for the first time the majority of Americans, 58 percent, support legalization of marijuana. The growing support follows the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana in two states; Washington and Colorado in 2012, and according to NORML, a marijuana law reform advocacy group, the 23 states where medical marijuana use is legal.

           
Another area for concern with student drug use, according to Olkowski, is the sale and illegal use of prescription stimulants, like Adderall, prescribed to students diagnosed with ADHD.

           
“I would say it’s prevalent [illegal prescription drug use]. I would say it’s happening here… there is concern of students actively selling their prescriptions,” said Olkowski.

            
According to the “Get the Facts” Campaign by the National Council on Patient Information and Education, college students are using prescription stimulants illegally in order to study and focus, stating that “one in four people aged 18 to 20 report using these medications non-medically at least once in their lives.”

            
The use of these stimulants is worrisome because of the addicting nature of the drugs, as well as possible negative medical reactions to a first time user.

            
A student using drugs and alcohol during their time in college is nothing new. For UWGB students, their consumption rates are on par with that of the national rates, which is both good and bad. While student drinking is going down, marijuana and illegal prescription pill use is on the rise. Only time will tell if these trends will continue or if they are just that – trends. 

College Students Stray From Traditional Religious Practices

Whether it be a sports team, musician, or a hobby, it is human nature to attempt to connect with others over shared passions.

Throughout history, religious groups have been prominent in society as a way for  people to connect with each other and express themselves.

At the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, there has been a trend of students straying from traditional religion but continuing to search for spiritual development.

This trend can be seen on college campuses across the nation.

According to Hung Nguyen, Mauthe Center Executive Director, “At the end of the day, a majority of students here want to know how to explore their spiritual life but they just don’t care for organized religion.”

Hung says the Muathe Center serves UWGB students as a nonjudgmental place to come and explore faith and spirituality. It is a safe place for students to ask who they are, what they stand for, and what is it that they want to contribute to the world. In this process they learn about their beliefs, how to have a constructive conversation with not only themselves but also with people around them and with their god.

“There is a huge, huge distrust in organized religion among students. But like most things in life, religion has a potential for good and a potential for bad.” Nguyen said.

Although it is located on UWGB’s campus, The Mauthe Center is its own entity that does not belong to the University, nor does it take public funding.

During his 5 years at the Muathe Center on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Hung has noticed that students are turned off my organized religion, but are actively searching for a connection to faith.

College students put religion lower on their priority list. “Religion is not a big priority to young people.” Nguyen said. He has seen a trend of students being more interested in exploring and learning about new religions, as opposed to actually practicing their own.

“They find inspirations in celebrity, but not their local priest or rabbi, for example.” Nguyen said.

The Mauthe Center is not a church, although it does host different religious and spiritual ceremonies. The Mauthe Center offers a variety of services on a consistent weekly schedule. These services include: Buddhist mediations, Quakers of Friends, Catholic Mass and other denomination’s services.

The numerical data collected by the Mauthe Center indicates that the Catholic Mass on Sunday nights are the most consistently attended. These numbers reflect on the greater Green Bay community; according to City-Data.com, 71.3% of Brown County residents identify as Catholic.

On average, the Muathe Center serves 1,240 students per academic year.

“We’re not about converting people to any kind of religion. We’re about having a safe, nonjudgemental  place for all of God’s children. Not just a selected few or a certain brand.” Nguyen said.

Student Organizations affiliated with specific religions at UWGB utilize the Mauthe Center’s facilities, but do not directly represent the Mauthe Center.

“His Christian Fellowship” is a religious student organization through UWGB that spreads the Word of God to college students.

“We simply offer a kind hand and the opportunity to hear and learn God’s Word and about Jesus Christ. This is also an opportunity to meet other Christians are other people in general and have fellowship with one another,” the organization’s president, Laura Bitter, said.

The Intertribal Student Council (ISC) is a student organization at UWGB that represents the Native American students on campus. Elizabeth Peterson, member of ISC, feels that it is good to expand your horizons and experience different types of religions and cultures.

“There is not one specific Native American spirituality or religion. Some of the students are more involved in traditional teachings of their particular tribes, and others are more involved with any variety of denominations. Some ISC affiliated members are Catholic, some are Lutheran, some are Mormon, some are Methodist – the list could go on.” Peterson said.

Hung believes that most students still pray, whether it’s taking time out of their day to enjoy nature or having quiet time. They have internal conversations about the tough moral choices in life. Students express their spirituality by doing projects, activities, and being involved in organizations to show how they are involved within their community.  “Their willingness and desire to demonstrate that they are good people and want to make an impact on the world, I think that is how they express their values and their spirituality.”