UW-Platteville has given more than $200,000 to their students to invest in the stock market.

The UW-P Pioneer Investment Club will be hosting an information session from 4:30 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24 in order to recruit new club members for the 2010-11 school year. The session will be held in room 115 of Ullsvik Hall.

Deb Hoppenjan, accountant for the UW-P Foundation, said the Investment Club collaboratively manages an investment portfolio of nearly $230,000, funds that were entrusted to them by the UW-P Foundation in 2001. The portfolio is managed entirely by the club members who investigate and research potential stocks for purchase throughout the academic year.

“We are a pretty unique club in this regard because UW-P is one of the very few UW [System] schools to put aside funds specifically for student investment,” said Ezra Deutsch, senior business administration and finance major and recruitment manager for the club. “The club provides us with an opportunity to get hands-on experience managing real money and not a lot of undergraduate students can say that.”

Club members will be present at the session to answer questions and provide information about the club’s schedule, investment processes and opportunities for social and professional networking. Club members will also provide interested students with information about club events, including their upcoming trip to the Redefining Investment Strategy Education student investment forum at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio.

Brock Waterman, a senior business administration and finance major and member of the club, encourages students from all areas of study to attend the session and learn more about the many opportunities for fiscal learning that the Investment Club offers.

“Through the club, students can expand their financial and business knowledge and develop useful and important investing skills,” Waterman said. “For example, we learn investment strategies that are applicable to many real-life investment situations, such as opening an IRA or 401(k) or dealing with other personal finances.”

Although the club curriculum is primarily centered on financial learning, members agree that the social aspects of the club are just as educational and rewarding.

“The meeting structure includes informal discussion times after stock presentations in order to casually discuss the information, making the club a good environment to learn from others’ interests,” said Drew DiVall, senior business finance and accounting major and current president of the Pioneer Investment Club. “Investment strategy is all about individuality, so the meetings allow members to be introduced to new techniques and concepts nearly every week. The club also regularly hosts social events to allow members to learn a bit more about their peers and to help create a tightly-knit group.”