Sperry’s act incorporated comedy with illusion that captivated the audience.

“My favorite was how he combined the humor aspect into every part of the performance. The music always went with the jokes and he had the audience involved the entire time,” Becky Olsen, sophomore social science and education major, said.

On several occasions, Sperry pulled up members of the audience and had them participating in his tricks. One of Sperry’s tricks involved swallowing several razor blades on a string. One minute later he pulled the string out of his mounth with all the razor blades attached.

“[Sperry’s] attitude was always up beat and he had me on the edge of the my seat just wondering what was going to happen next,” John Nithbor,  sophomore criminal justice major and Tau Kappa Epsilon member, said

“This was one of the first times the Greek Council invited a comedian to participant in Greek Week. I had a blast and will definitely look into doing it again next year or maybe for another event,” Ariel Helt, agribusiness major and vice president of the Women’s Greek Council, said.

For more information on Sperry, visit his Web site at dansperry.com.

Matt Randall, left sophomore manufacturing technology management, and Zach Lewis, junior mechanical engineer played in the kickball tournament during Greek Week that took place on April 23 at the soccer practice field.

“Greek Week is not limited to getting the Greek Community together for games and a bit fun, but to invite students to get involved and discover what being Greek is all about,” Ariel Helt, senior agribusiness major, vice president of Women’s Greek Council and an executive board member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority, said.

Women’s Greek Council and the Interfraternity Council were responsible for hosting the events. Planning started over three months ago, which included weekly meetings. There were about a dozen volunteers that planned, made up the rules and figured out prizes for all the events.

The variety of games and events, according to the UW-Platteville Web site, included boat races at the university pool, a kickball tournament and an illusionist-comedian.

Each of the games were worth a certain amount of points. The points are tallied much like that of Homecoming. There are also “Spirit Points” awarded for how many members attend the events. The week concluded Friday evening with the Sigma Phi Epsilon’s Burning Heart Ceremony at dusk at the “M” mound.

“I love Greek Week; it allows the Greek Organizations to compete in friendly rivalry games. We always have fun and look forward to it each year,” Adam Hendryx, social science major, member of the Farmhouse and former vice president of IFC, said.

There will also be a Greek Banquet on April 30 where awards will be given out for leadership, volunteering and more.

The scholarship will be awarded for the first time this spring and to one student who has fought against discrimination on campus.

The Vineys said they believed student involvement increases the quality of the college experience. By having this scholarship in place, they hoped it would encourage students to be in more activities around campus.

“Rhonda and I both were given opportunities because of our degree from UW-Platteville. We wanted to give back to the institution that has prepared us so well,” Mick Viney said. “We also wanted to give the scholarship to a student that is passionate and who has took a stand against sexism, racism, homophobia and ableism.”

Rhonda added that these topics are not easy to deal with and the experience a student has with them can help shape their future. They can be more successful and better citizens because they have dealt with the different cultures, Rhonda Viney said.

Both Mick and Rhonda are UW-P alumni, having received their bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Platteville. Rhonda is involved in many clubs and organizations along with being on the Homecoming Committee. She began her career at the university with Student Housing as an undergraduate resident assistant, working her way up to director.

Mick Viney enjoys being involved on campus. He can be found doing intramural sports, playing trumpet with the concert band and participating in different organizations.

Holly Kaiser, from the Foundation office, helped the Vineys set up the scholarship for continuing students.

“The scholarship is an incentive for students who not only are involved on campus but are advocates to stopping issues like sexism and racism,” Kaiser said.

The Student Involvement Scholarship is available for students who are sophomore status and above, who have demonstrated a commitment and involvement in addressing sexism, racism, homophobia or ableism, and for students that need financial aid. A three-person committee will award the scholarship.

This is the second scholarship the Vineys have set up for a UW-P student. The first was awarded to an incoming freshman from Milton.

The sportsmen’s club gets together once or twice a week to shoot clay birds 20 minutes southwest of campus. The club fees are $40 not including the clay pigeons, which run $2.75 a round and come in a pack of 25. They commonly shoot two different rounds each visit to the range.

“We started the UW-P Sportsmen Club because this is a smaller school in a rural area, and we believe that other students would be as interested in clay shooting as we are,” Casey Hauer, senior industrial engineering major and member of the club and one of the masterminds behind getting the club started, said.

Brent Shipman, senior building construction management major and another student responsible for helping to start the club, shares the same passion for the sport.

“We go shoot clay birds because its fun, and once you have all the materials its not too costly, which is especially important for college students” Shipman said.
The club is sending a five-member team down to San Antonio, TX to the Association of College Unions International Clay Target Championship to compete over spring break.

According to the ACUI official Web site, there are about 300 students participating from 40 different colleges around the United States. The club has raised more than $450 for the event to use towards gas, registration and hotel stay.

The club is always looking and welcoming new members. If you are interested in membership or just to see what its all about you can contact Hauer at hauerc@uwplatt.edu or Shipman at shipmanb@uwplatt.edu.