Parkside

College of Natural and Health Sciences and College of Nursing students provide ‘Hand Up’ at ‘Stand Down’

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“Stand down” is a military term which refers to the occasion where combat troops in need of respite are encouraged to go off duty, and end their state of readiness and alert. In times of war, exhausted combat units requiring time to rest and recover are removed from the battlefields to a place of relative security and safety and allowed to “stand down”. The time to “stand down” affords battle-weary soldiers the opportunity to renew their spirit, health and overall sense of well-being.

“Stand Down” is, also, a term used to describe a national community-based effort designed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to help the nation’s 75,000+ homeless veterans “combat” life on the streets. The philosophy undergirding this “Stand Down” is a “hand up” not a “hand out”. During the “Stand Down” homeless veterans and veterans at-risk of homelessness are provided access to an array of resources to help them address their individual problems and rebuild their lives. The “Stand Down” offers veterans in need a daylong respite from the streets and a real opportunity to put their lives back together and provides veterans in need access to long-term solutions by building community and access to inter-organizational relationships to help fight homelessness. Any veteran who attends the “Stand Down” can obtain assistance with emergency housing, employment, clothing, haircuts, showers, hygiene products, medical/dental/optical exams, and job placement assistance.

On Saturday Feb. 22 UWP College of Natural and Health Sciences and College of Nursing volunteered alongside providers from the Veterans Administration, the Health Department, Prevent Blindness of Wisconsin and representatives of more than 75 other health care and social service organizations. The students were astounded by the numbers of local veterans that are homeless or at-risk of homelessness. Data suggest that one of every four homeless persons in our community is a veteran. Fifty five hundred local veterans are suspected to be “at risk” because they are living below the poverty line, spending more than half of their incomes on housing, or living with another family. 

“The sacrifice these men and women took leaving family, friends, and familiar surroundings to protect us in foreign lands took courage. The fact that they come back home from war or from another military duty, challenged by mental illness, alcohol and/or substance abuse should move every one of us.” UW Parkside Senior Amy Ganshert said, “None of us really understand the challenges of this group of men and women who have given so much to our country. Grasping the enormous sacrifice these men and women took leaving family, friends, and familiar surroundings to protect us in foreign lands took courage. The fact that they come back home with issues due to their service that result in their being homeless or at risk of being homeless should move everyone. If any veteran is in need – that is far too many!”

Veteran Army Combat Welder Claude Foster has been to six Stand Downs, “a lot of veterans need to come. They don’t think they have the problem – but it’s not just the world”. He feels that the Stand Down is good for the community and makes a real difference. The motto of the Stand Down is: “A hand up, not a hand out” and Mr. Foster is very glad for the Stand Downs because he has learned more about his health and where he should seek help.

For many of the students volunteering that day it was an awe-inspiring experience. “To support the people who have supported us and allow us to live our lives is humbling. We are a small part, helping with vision screening but it is our way of giving back” said Jennifer Blum. Others noted, “Volunteering at the Stand Down was an awesome experience”. “There should not be a single homeless veteran in America”. Supporting the men and women who have supported us and allow us to live our lives is humbling”.

“Events like these teach us things that can’t be taught in school and will help us become the type of citizens and professionals we should be”. While some of the students attending the Stand Down noted that it was their first encounter, all noted that it would definitely not be their last.

The National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) is a national network of community-based service providers and local, state and federal agencies that provide emergency and supportive housing, food, health services, job training and placement assistance, legal aid and case management support for homeless veterans. For more information on the date and location of upcoming Stand Downs – visit the NCHV web site at http://nchv.org/index.php/about/about/who_is_nchv/.

Guest Article by Kathryn Rotsch

UWP College of Natural and Health Sciences and College of Nursing students Kathryn Rotsch, Jennifer Blum, Brian Chieves, Amy Ganshert, Ashley Juntenen, Cassandra Stinefast, and Sarah Pahlke making a tremendous difference!

The Night Before Finals

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‘Twas the night before finals, and in the library
Many students were crying, their faces quite scary

The books were all opened, highlighted with care
In hopes that the answers they needed were there

The students were crashing, stress all in their head
Trying to remember just what their profs said

The Parkside Health Center was busy you see
With kids claiming fevers of one hundred and three

When suddenly out on the roof it appeared
It wasn’t the geese, but a fat guy with reindeer

“To the window!” I cried, but not to the wall
I wanted to see Santa, I was tired of fall

The moon was as high as the price at Brickstone
With its light I could tell Santa wasn’t alone

I rubbed my eyes, because I must be tired
Our cops had denied him, ranger card required

“Do you know who I am?!” shouted Santa with fury
He had presents to give out, he was in quite a hurry

“There’s cheat sheets for Johnny and lab notes for Noel
And here, prayers for Jack, his GPA’s shot to hell”

With a swift kick Rudolph sent the cops off the roof
They landed in snow with a nice, gentle poof

No one else in the library noticed a thing
All their eyes were now puffy from all the crying

“But Santa’s outside!” I tried rousing a senior
“MY THESIS IS DUE” I heard 20 times meaner

Frustrated I left the library to see
Santa now in the hall, atop the zamboni

On top of his back was a duffle so big
It had all of the cheat sheets, from bio to trig

“To the library, Santa!” I called out with glee
He told me to be patient, to just wait and see

I smelled something strange then, not cookies or milk
Something was burning, was it Santa’s red silk?

The zamboni was not filled with water, but gas!
What was Santa doing?! Frantic I warned the class

“GUYS WE HAVE TO GET OUT SANTA’S TORCHING THE PLACE”
That was met with some death threats and slaps in the face

With a dash, I ran to where Santa was waiting
He held up a flier, like he was debating

“You have a school paper?” He asked with a smile
“I’m the editor” I said, my eyes on the tile

“So was I!” he replied, pocketing the lighter
If possible, I swore that his beard just got whiter

“Schools with newspapers are too special to burn
Study hard for finals, you have much to learn”

He tossed me the cheat bag and vanished like that
Leaving nothing behind but his classic red hat

Back in the library I must have been dreaming
Which would’ve been hard amidst all of the screaming

But I heard jingle bells and felt up on my head
There was santa’s hat, just as white and as red

I ran to the window and saw a reindeer hoof
Santa waved goodbye and launched the sleigh off the roof

And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight
“Man there’s nowhere to park unless you take class at night!”

by Maggie Lawler

Selling meth to pay for college, what Breaking Bad has taught us all

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Like most college students, I weep when I see how much tuition costs. If it gets any higher, we won’t even be able to afford our ramen. So let’s think about the positive messages we’re learning from today’s media. How can you go from broke to rich in a matter of months? Well, Mr. White, after you put some pants on we can go over the fine arts degree you’ll need to pursue. What? No. I’m not talking about Studio Art. I’m thinking bigger than that. Bigger even than Picasso’s blue period. I’m talking about that blue crystal. Grab your lab coats and follow me down the wonderful rabbit hole known as meth cooking.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “I’ve seen Breaking Bad, and it didn’t end up okay for Walter!” And to that I would reply, “ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?” Let’s take a look back at what happened. If you haven’t seen the end of Breaking Bad yet, stop reading. There are spoilers ahead. Walter didn’t die because of meth, you might have missed the part where he had terminal cancer. What any college student wouldn’t kill to be making all of that…what’s the word Pinkman? Cheddar? The entire TV show had me wishing I’d paid better attention in science class. High school is something I’ve tried to tune out for the most part, but all I can really remember from chemistry is my teacher threatening to take my cell phone away and not give it back. And that was back in a time where smart phones were just a dream.

I mean, yeah. There’s definitely some danger involved if you’re going to become a drug lord, but you don’t have to go as deep as Heisenberg (although a clever nickname is required). The key is to get out before you bury yourself in hundred dollar bills, although that’s very tempting. Settle for a swimming pool full of twenties. Fifties and hundreds just make you seem greedy.

I guess what I’m trying to tell you is that college is expensive, but we’ve only just scratched the surface. There’s an entire world out there full of dirty drug money, and it’s waiting for us to go out and find it.

by Maggie Lawler

UW-Parkside’s hand in National Make a Difference Day

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On Saturday Oct. 26, University of Wisconsin Parkside will celebrate 13 years of involvement in National Make a Difference Day. The national day is sponsored by USA Weekend Magazine who started the event over 20 years ago to encourage people lend a hand in their communities. In recent years, there have been close to 3 million participants nationwide on every fourth week of October.
Last year, Parkside had a total of 120 students working alongside other community volunteers. Over 60 agencies have been invited by the school this year to submit specific project requests, and there are currently around 160 students signed up for the event.
Parkside volunteers will meet for breakfast in the student atrium at 7:45AM. After breakfast, t-shirts and directions to assigned project sites will be handed out. Project sites for this year’s mission include the Pringle Nature Center, Racine Zoo, Petrifying Springs, River Bend Nature Center, and the Racine Urban Garden. Many of these projects consist of ground cleanup and construction. Students at sites such as Women and Children’s Horizons in Kenosha will be sorting donations of clothing and household goods for victims of sexual and domestic violence/abuse. The Student Nurses’ Association at Parkside (SNAP) will also be doing blood pressure checks for veterans at Stand Down in Kenosha.
The Student Activities Center offers help for students in recording their volunteer hours from this specific event. Also, every year an award is given to the student club/organization with the highest number of participants. Last year, The Outstanding Participation honor was awarded to the Ladies of Gamma Alpha Omega in first place. The UW-Parkside Track & Field Teams came in second place, and the Parkside Asian Organization was awarded third place.
Each site requires a specific number of students to complete their project, so every hand in this mission makes a huge difference in the community. You can stop in to the Student Activities Center to sign up for the event. For any further questions regarding Make a Difference day contact UW-Parkside Volunteer Programs Coordinator Casey Jones at [email protected].

By Doria DeBartolo

Back and forth: Rangers Volleyball squeak past Northern Michigan

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In a match that saw 17 ties and four lead changes, the UW Parkside volleyball team was able to manage a victory over an evenly matched Northern Michigan squad, clinching the tiebreak set by a score of 19-17.

“That was a fun win for us. We go into every game expecting a battle, but that was our first five set match of the season,” senior Makenzie Fahnestock said. “I think it showcased our work ethic and heart.”

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