Monday, April 28, 2014

The Gathering

UWM offers many different opportunities to get involved. One of my favorite ways to stay involved is serving breakfast at The Gathering on Fridays with the Center for Community- Based Learning, Leadership, and Research(CCBLLR). The Gathering is a Milwaukee based meal organization that serves the low income and homeless population of Milwaukee. On Friday mornings, CCBLLR provides transportation to The Gathering for students who want to volunteer and have signed up ahead of time. At The Gathering, volunteers prepare and serve food. During this experience volunteers are able to interact with the low income and homeless population, this is a different experience for most students who go.

The Gathering is a very rewarding and fun experience that allows students to interact and meet other students as well as interact with the greater Milwaukee community.

Monday, April 21, 2014

Get Involved with CCBLLR!!!



CCBLLR! The Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership and Research, is UW-Milwaukee's on-campus Volunteer Center. The CCBLLR is a center in which students go to get involved in the community, through Volunteer work, Internships and Service Learning. The center works with tons of different non-profit organizations, elementary schools, nursing homes,and other places around the great city of Milwaukee! The center has a diverse variety of Volunteer opportunities, from one-day programs, to two-year commitments. Thousands of students have used this center, for Service Learning, Internships, or just to get involved, on campus.


The Center puts on tons of BIG Volunteer events throughout the school year! RAK-a-thon, is a campus-wide Random Act of Kindness event, in which hundreds of students, go out into the community to do city cleanups or to "winterize" the home of an elderly person. The Center also does MLK day, in which nearly one thousand students from different universities and Milwaukee residents partner up with City Year, and decorate the walls and halls of Public schools in the Milwaukee area, with murals and inspirational quotes.

UWM's Center for Community-Based Learning, Leadership and Research is a great place to get involved, on campus. Getting involved, is very simple! Just stop by the CCBLLR office, located on the lower (Kenwood Blvd) level of the Student Union.


For more info, visit the CCBLLR website: https://www4.uwm.edu/community/

Milwaukee Fun!



The Milwaukee Public Museum is a Milwaukee Landmark! The museum is showcases its own, permanent human and natural history exhibits. It also hosts different exhibits from around the world, like Body Worlds,  an exhibit that displays the human body, from a scientific perspective. It also has an IMAX Theater, Rain Forest Exhibits and a Gift Shop, where you can purchase tons of  MPM souvenirs.

The Milwaukee Public Museum, is located downtown and is only a bus ride away from campus! The Museum also offers FREE general admission, to Milwaukee County Residents, on the first Thursday, of every month!

Wanna know more?

Here is the Link to the Milwaukee Public Museum's Website: http://www.mpm.edu/

The Milwaukee Public Museum

The city of Milwaukee provides a wide array of things for people to do. One of the many exciting things in Milwaukee is the Milwaukee Public Museum.


The MPM is filled with tons of interesting, hands-on exhibits. Some of the highlights include The Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit, which is a replica of what the city looked like during the 1800s, as well as replicas of typical cultural homes during that time. Another cool exhibit is the Butterfly Garden, featuring over 1,000 different species of butterflies. Currently the MPM is featuring the world famous Body Worlds Exhibit, showcasing the human body through different stages of life. 

The Milwaukee Public Museum is located on Wells St in downtown, which is only a quick bus ride away! You can take the 30 right in front of Sandburg and it drops off a block away from the museum. General admission tickets are $15, and the first Thursday of every month is free to Milwaukee county residents!

Superheroes go to Shedd

From fish to frogs and penguins to seals, the Superhero LLC saw it all at the Shedd Aquarium on April 12.  Two students and RA Danielle attended the aquatic show and informational session about sharks. They also visited the jellies and stingrays. Later in the afternoon the LLC shopped on Michigan Avenue and visited Millennium Park.  It was one of the warmest days of 2014, reaching about 72 degrees before the nighttime thunderstorm.

















Sunday, April 20, 2014

Journalism LLC--MAY

The JAMS LLC had an awesome year. First semester they went on field trips with with Jessica McBride and had a class in the UWM Resident halls. This semester, they are all well adapted to college life and are enjoying living in the LLC. They've grown connections and made friendships all just by living in the same area. I have watched them grow as individuals since day 1.

One of my favorite moments was when my residents came up to me and told me how many friends they had made and how the field trips made them feel empowered.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Business Panthers and MKE

As members of the community at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, we are always looking for fun things to do in the city. Well lucky for us, Milwaukee is full of fun, fascinating, and exciting things for everyone to do. Have you ever felt fascinated by the sky? Well, in Milwaukee, outer space is just seconds away by going in the virtual reality chamber at Discovery World, featuring interactive exhibits that fuse innovation, science and education. You are able to see different galaxy, meteors, the asteroid belt, and much more! There is never a dull moment at Discovery World.

UWM prides itself on our nationally ranked business school! Earlier this year, a group of scholars at the Lubar School of Business checked out how cool one of the premier motorcycle companies truly is right here in Milwaukee. In the heart of Milwaukee, you can find the Harley Davidson show room, where students of all ages can have a blast viewing more than 350 motorcycles, using touch screen technology to hear the signature sound of Harley-Davidson engines, learning about early daredevil motorcycle racers, and viewing exotic customized bikes and a video collage of motorcycles through Hollywood movies.
As you can tell, the weather in Milwaukee is slowly but surely getting better! To celebrate this wonderful time in Milwaukee, a fun thing to do is grab a bicycle and go for a ride alongside the beautiful Bradford Beach! Although it may be too cold to swim, the sand is definitely warm enough to just relax and spend some time with friends!


There is so much to do in Milwaukee so on behalf of RA Nishant, RA Colleen, RA Patrick, and RA Kyle, explore, have fun, and be safe!

Friday, April 18, 2014

The Adventures of Mentor Chaz and the Arch LLC

Being involved with the Arch LLC as a mentor, I hear about the activities that they are doing. From exploring Milwaukee because of the warming temperature to their encouragement towards another member of the LLC as he played a gig with his band. They genuinely are always telling me stories or asking for me to be included in their adventures or even some good spots around Milwaukee to see. Obvious answers would be the Art Museum, Public Museum, Downtown Strip, Bayshore Mall, and Bradford Beach. But what most don’t know are the running trail leading around Milwaukee, the hidden restaurants that not many people know about, or the spectacular lighthouse with a balcony behind it that looks over the lake. This is a few of many opportunities that I have informed them about.
Fun at the Lake

Milwaukee Adventures



LLC members supporting Resident Kalin at his band concert

Another exciting piece is our trip to Chicago that we attended on April 12, 2014. You would think that after spending a whole semester with them that I would know a lot of about them but after spending the day with them I really got to know them a lot better. From Will’s experience of living in Chicago, to Minh’s adventures in China Town, and the other half of the LLC whom I have never seen. The trip was packed with exciting buildings and structures that gave the residents a new outlook on designing. They definitely enjoyed when we reached the tip top of the 96th floor of a building that overlooked the water. The view was spectacular! All in all, it was a great day and a great semester!
Chicago fun




To highlight one of the Milwaukee locations that is free and available for anyone, I would like to point out the Oak Leaf Trail.  This trail was voted the Best Urban Bike Trail in the Best of Milwaukee 2012 & 2013 surveys.  The trial is 114 miles long, looping through all the major parkways and parks in the Milwaukee system.  Conveniently, the trail can be accessed right next to UWM’s Kenilworth Square Apartments.

Get out and enjoy Milwaukee!  
Best wishes, 
Chaz

ASL-LLC Chicago Trip


This month the ASL-LLC had two events, the biggest was joining the other LLCs in a trip to Chicago this past Saturday April 12. We boarded the bus at 7:00 am and headed out for the windy city. We were dropped off at Millennium Park and of course had to have pictures taken in front of the Bean, then we split off into groups to independently explore the city. 

My group stopped at Starbucks on Michigan Ave, because let’s be honest we all needed a little pick me up after getting on a bus at 7 am and RA Leah needed her collectible mug. Then one of the LLC members knew a great place to eat so he led me and 2 others to a restaurant called “Yolk”.  When we arrived I saw the line forming outside the door and I thought it had to be worth it if that many people were here at 10 am. We waited around 20 minutes to eat in but that wasn’t bad, the temp in Chicago was in the 70’s so it was a beautiful day to sit outside and enjoy not seeing any snow in sight.  When the four of us got inside and sat down we got our menus and orders almost right away. I got the Pulled pork with BBQ sauce topped with coleslaw and Graham the LLC member that lead us there got an Eggs Benedict with cantaloupe and grapes on the side and a Nutella crape, as for the other two well I forgot what they had. We all were starving so we scarfed down our food, paid and we were on our way to go shopping. Jessica and I wanted to be the classic tourist and get a shirt that said “Chicago” so we stopped at a small shop while we headed back. The shop was called “Bye Bye Chicago” kind of ironic since it was the start of our day in Chicago. I bought a glass and T-shirt combo for twenty-three dollars and Jessica saw they had collectible spoons so she bought one for her mom. We stopped at a few more shops on the way back, most of them being shops I had no interest in so I don’t remember the names.

At 1:15 we all assembled back at the Bean to start on our way to see the Broadway in Chicago play “Peter and The Star Catcher” at the Bank of America Theatre. For some of the LLC Member this was the first time they were going to see an interpreted play so they were excited. We got out tickets and went to our seats and got ready for the play to start. The interpreters filled the Deaf students and staff that came to the play in about the character’s name signs, and explaining a few things that they might need to know that would better help them understand the play. The play is a prequel to Peter Pan, which means it’s the story of Peter Pan before he was Peter Pan. I didn’t watch as much of the play as I should have, I was more focused on the interpreters and how their use of Classifiers and how they role shifted to become the characters in order to give the Deaf students could follow the play. The best part was when the actor out of the corner of his eye say the interpreter sign “oh my god” the actor kept saying and saying it, sometimes fast and others long and drawn out so see the interpreter sign.

After we had the opportunity to chat with the interpreters about their prep work for this play and get to know their story. The interpreters were a team that flew all the way from St. Louis to interpret, they have a contract with the company that they come out at least once a month to interpret (more if needed), and the company pays for the flight, the hotel for them to stay in and obviously for the show. The interpreters got the full script two weeks ahead of time to practice. When asked what advice they had for future interpreters their response was “socialize, when you think you have done enough socialize some more”. They also added on that when you socialize you are making your face familiar to the Deaf consumer and a familiar face helps when you are first starting out interpreting.

After the play we had two more hours free. As a group we tried to head to get some of the world famous Chicago pizza, but the restaurant we went to had a two hour wait for 26 people and a 45 minute wait for just five people. So we split up for the last two hours and did what we wanted to do with our remaining time in Chicago.  Then at seven we boarded the bus to go back to UWM.


Milwaukee Zoo


Exploring the Milwaukee Zoo is a great Milwaukee activity!!!

The Milwaukee County Zoo is home to more than 2,000 animals representing 330 species. While it’s always exciting to explore, it’s hard to know exactly where to begin. Check out this link for more information about the zoo! http://www.milwaukeezoo.org/

Not only is this activity fun and exciting but also extremely relaxing and educational. It is a great weekend activity with family or friends and what's even better is there is always something new to see! 

ZOO HOURS

  • January & February / November & December 2014
  • Monday-Friday: 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
  • Saturday and Sunday: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • March 1 through May 23, 2014
  • Daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • May 24 through September 1, 2014
  • Daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • September 2 through October 31, 2014
  • Daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

ZOO FEES

  • January 1 through March 31 & November 1 through December 31, 2014
  • Adult: $11.75
  • Child (age 3 to 12): $8.75
  • Child (2 and under): Free
  • Senior Citizen (age 60 and over): $10.25
  • April 1 through October 31, 2014
  • Adult: $14.25
  • Child (age 3 to 12): $11.25
  • Child (2 and under): Free
  • Senior Citizen (age 60 and over): $13.25

BUT WAIT! IT GETS BETTER...FREE ZOO DAY (2014)!

  • January 4
  • February 1
  • March 1
  • April 5
  • November 1
  • December 6
    Enjoy your visit!

    Discover Discovery World!

    With your Student ID, you can get in Discovery World for $9.95! This institute is one of the coolest places to enjoy an afternoon. While visiting, take the time to see the largest suspended ship in the world, explore tunnels of fish tanks, and pet sharks and stingrays! The whole place is full of exploration and fun.

    See the location on this map.

    The easiest way to get there would be to take the Green Line Bus Route down to E Michigan Street and then walk East until you get to the edge of the lake where Discovery World is!

    Delta Omicron

    For those music students looking for a leadership opportunity, Delta Omicron may be just what you need. The purpose of the fraternity is to establish a connection with other professional musicians across the country. It was founded in 1909 at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music by three students pursuing their undergrad.

    There are many opportunities for those within the fraternity such as attending conferences and earning scholarships.

    If you are interested in joining the music fraternity, please consult with Professor Burmeister for details on how to join.


    Do you have a sweet tooth?

    https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyJeEgQW7Rc6X56XwQAYxlfk-uRsrOiu8VMUAofW3ujY94YosScgeQD9a_VNINh32WKIOOG0DPlVY5QLHUbqQmXwWx0TsMjd8GxxGJfW6CCPNHOPSkp8b7J-DR08yeEA-yC0pG9h4Fnrf7/s1600/389222_273602449404335_824165293_n.jpgThis month I wanted to highlight a personal favorite that I was introduced to during my first year at UW-Milwaukee. Yo Factory aka Fro Yo is a amazing little place down on N. Farwell ave. not to far from Kenilworth apartments.  I found it to be a great place to go to and get away from campus for a bit and to enjoy some frozen yogurt that taste a lot like ice cream. Not only is it great, but its also a healthier treat for all of you sweet toothed residents The building contains tons of interesting facts and images of the Milwaukee area's artist.

    Being apart of the Pre-Professional LLC I encourage my residents as well as others to check the place out because of the high energy and performance from the staff at this establishment.  This place has the best costumer service in the Milwaukee area always catering to the needs of the customers.

    So how does the place work? First, you start with adding a flavor of frozen yogurt of your choice to a bowl. Next you make your way around a toppings bar of maybe 20 items from fruits to candy treats. Finally, your total is based off the weight of your bowl. At .45 cents an oz its quite the steal.

    Their hours are, Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and they are located at 2203 N. Farwell Ave. The easiest way to get there in my opinion would be to take the shuttle to Kenilworth and from there walk to Fro Yo just down the street. This is also a prime area to soak in the Milwaukee culture and diversity because of the wide variety of people you encounter. It is also located in the middle of a lot of very cool places that you can explore after a stop at Yo Factory.

    Brew City Swing Night

    April 18th 
    7:00pm - 10:00pm
    Lessons at 6:30
    Zelaxo Room 230
    Admission $10

    This night will be filled with swing dancing, live music and great fun. All of the proceeds to go the Peck School of the Arts Scholarship Fund for next academic year. This great event builds community. All of the posters were designed by our very own Art and Design LLC students this year. These posters will be hung up around campus and for the event specifically for people to see. 


    Wednesday, April 16, 2014

    Film For Everyone!

    Here at UW-Milwaukee there is an amazing film environment. There are two theatres within walking distance of campus and there are two right on campus! Inside Sandburg Residence Hall, there is a small theatre known as Flicks Theatre, which shows many blockbuster movies before they are released to the public. This theatre is free to all residence and their guests.

    The Oriental Theater (7 Blocks from the Film LLC)

    But one of the biggest gems of UW-Milwaukee is the Union Theatre. The Union Theatre hosts a great variety of films from big blockbuster releases like The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Dark Knight Rises, to smaller, independent foreign films like Big Bad Wolves, which comes all the way from Israel!  Next week there will be two screening days for Spike Jonze's latest Oscar winning  film, Her.This is free for UW-Milwaukee students and many of the residence have gone to the Union Theatre and will continue to go in the future. Not only that, but each semester there is a big screening in the Union Theatre for the Student Film and Video Festival which showcases student work chosen from experienced judges in the industry.

    Union Theatre

    Speaking of screenings, we just had the screening for films residence created as part of this years 24 Hour Film Festival. Here is a video we created as a preview for the screening!



    Check out the Film LLC Facebook page for more behind the scene pictures and information!
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/UWM-Film-LLC/185461981493365 

    Check out the Union Theatre's webpage for more info!
    http://www.aux.uwm.edu/union/union_theatre/

    Monday, April 14, 2014

    Kappa Tau

    So for this blog post, its to highlight any student organization here at UWM. For me, I felt like a had a lot to choose from, not only is there a great variety here at UWM but also because I am a member of many organizations!


    However, I felt I wanted to highlight a very important student organization that has not only directly changed my life for the better, but also that gives directly back to the Milwaukee community and beyond. 






    I am a proud member of the Kappa Tau Sorority here at UWM. This social greek organization focuses on 6 elements: Scholarship, Teamwork, Leadership, Character, Service, and Sisterhood. Kappa Tau gives opportunity for women to empower themselves, give them leadership skills that can be used later on in life, provides service activities, and also is an amazing support system.


    Kappa Tau takes great pride in its active participation for fundraising for JDRF (The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) in memory of our sister Emily Weldon Culver. The chapter walks every Fall semester and constantly fund raises 
    throughout the school year!



    The Greek community at UWM is quite small, however it is continually growing. There are currently three social sororities on campus: Kappa Tau, Gamma Phi Beta, and Phi Sigma Sigma Rho. We also are welcoming Alpha Omicron Pi to our campus in the fall semester. 



    Greek life is amazing, and if anyone has any interests they should definitely join! You not only get great leadership skills and  service activities, but you also get 50 plus sisters who are there through thick and thin!

    Go Greek or Go Home!

    Wednesday, April 9, 2014

    Next Stop the Windy City

    Community Leadership is heading to the Windy City, Chicago for the day.

    From this trip we hope to end this academic school  year with a bang!



    Our first stop will be to the Museum of Science and Industry. We hope to explore all of the great leaders behind the inventions.



    We also want to learn about all of the new things we never knew about.



    When our brains become all tried of the fresh new knowledge,  it will be the perfect time for nothing but fun. As a matter of fact, we will take Community Leadership LLC to new heights.


    Our next stop will be the Willis Sears Tower SkyDeck

    Do you have the Chicago Boogie Fever?



    Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your break. I'm glad to be back and I hope you all are too because that means we are headed to Chicago


    After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 the city was rebuilt as a port city ruled by many famous mobsters such a Al Capone, John Dillinger, James Belcastro, and so many more.We will be going on a bus tour to see famous spots where these mobsters once roamed and get to hear stories about these criminals as well.



    I have also planned for us to visit the Shedd Aquarium. There we will be able to see 1,500 different species of aquatic animals. We may even get to see Nemo!




    Anyways, I hope you are all excited about the trip to the Windy City. So in honor of #flashbackfriday here is a song that I think fits this trip really well.

    Panel of Allied Health Professionals


    Panel of Allied Health Professionals (Milwaukee FUN!)
    Panel: RN-BSN (3), Radiologic Technology (2), Occupational Therapy (1), and Physical Therapy (2)
    For our allied health professions event, RA Jonathan Rooney and RA Haley Correll from the Health professions LLC teamed up with College of Nursing representative, Robin Jens, and College of Health Sciences advisor, Joel Spiess to create the healthcare panel. Robin Jens was able to contact and invite three UWM alumni registered nurses  to speak at the event in the specialities of: community nursing, cardiology, and neonatal nursing. Joel Spiess contacted current UWM students from both graduate and clinical programs within the College of Health sciences; the graduate students were two physical therapists and one occupational therapist while the clinical students included two students in the radiologic technology program. After giving a brief "day-in-the-life" run-through and introductions, the presenters split up into groups with residents of the Health Professions LLC according to career areas of interest. This was an excellent local event that gave residents of the Health Professions LLC something to aspire to as well as a medium to voice their questions.

    Sunday, April 6, 2014

    Comet Cafe

    Comet specializes in from-scratch comfort food. They use fresh, seasonal ingredients that are characteristic of the Midwest and purchased from as many local businesses and purveyors as possible. Come visit them for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, drinks, home made desserts and bacon! They also have lots of vegan and vegetarian menu options for those who only love bacon in spirit.

    Check them out at 1947 N. Farwell














    Thursday, April 3, 2014

    I AM UWM

    Check out the IAMUWM videos featuring members of the Architecture, Honors House, and Business Panthers LLCs! Hear their stories and their experiences as students at UWM and members of their respective LLCs!!!

    Dayton Hamann-Architecture

    Maia Stack-Honors House: 

    Sammy Langereis-Business Panthers

    Go Panthers!!!