Photograph by Amy Bell Kwallek
The National Vietnam Moving Wall, a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., stopped in Platteville for five days in July.

A lot happened while the majority of UW-Platteville students were away over summer break, including the deaths of two long-time campus leaders and heavy damage to campus from storms. Here is a small snippet of what you may have missed:

• The National Vietnam Moving Wall, a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., stopped in Platteville for five days in July. As many as 200 people an hour moved through the memorial at various times, said Vietnam veteran Roger Reed, a custodial lead for the Physical Plant who helped bring the wall to the city. “I’m not sure exactly how many [people] we could get in that area, but it was full,” he said.

• On Aug. 1, soccer coach Enzo Fuschino suffered a heart attack after playing in a game during a soccer tournament.

• The 47-year-old bleachers in the Williams Fieldhouse were replaced at a cost of $574,000, bringing 11 rows of backed seats and more leg room to Bo Ryan Court. “Those bleachers were the original bleachers in the Williams Fieldhouse,” Paul Erickson, Sports Information director, said. “It was definitely time.”

• Strong winds and large hail rocked Platteville on July 24, breaking windows on Main Street and damaging property across Grant County. Workers are still assessing campus damage, including flooding in the Art Building, Karrmann Library, and Southwest, Melcher and Gardner Halls and hail damage to buildings and equipment, said Pete Davis, interim director of Facilities Management.

• The Office of Information Technology installed 338 new systems this summer around campus, said Mike Sherer, interim OIT director. Also, a new antivirus program free for UW-P students was acquired. There were also 29 reported cases of UW-P members falling for phishing attempts, most of whom were faculty and staff, Sherer said.

• Former UW-P Police Chief Laurel Skrede and former Superintendent Michael Udelhofen died in a motorcycle accident Aug. 23.

• About 50 campers stayed on campus over the summer with Wellspring, a fitness and weight-loss camp program, said Kelly Jo Hadfield, of Conference Services and Event Planning. Participants lived in the resident halls and were given a strict exercise and eating regimen, provided by Dining Services, to follow during their stay. One camper lost 50 pounds over the summer, said Karen Bast, DS administrator.

• The sides of the Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium got a fresh coat of orange and blue paint.

• A slew of people switched positions to fill the gap left in the wake of former Chancellor David Markee’s retirement: Former Provost Carol Sue Butts is now the interim chancellor; former Dean of the School of Business, Industry, Life Science and Agriculture Duane Ford took over as interim provost; and business Professor Susan Hansen was appointed interim dean of BILSA.