The conference includes educational sessions on topics including promotion, publicity and running a successful meeting, David Nevins, Pioneer Involvement Center leadership development coordinator, said. The conference also showcases top entertainers on multiple main stages.

In January, NACA holds a selection process where over 600 performers apply to be included in the main stage performances, Nevins said. Only about 40 acts get picked and each performer gets 15 minutes on stage to show what he or she have to offer and book as many jobs as possible.

“You don’t get a good visual or the right experience when you watch clips of performers online,” Karl Constant, CPR graduate assistant, said. “Plus there is no editing when you see it live.”

“We get to see groups that are up-and-coming,” Nevins said. “We found Emerson Drive at this conference four years ago.”

Acts include comedians, musicians and lecturers, Nevins said.

“This is a special opportunity for our students that attend to see a wide variety of entertainers, from rap to hip-hop to spoken word performers,” Nevins said.

The budget for entertainers typically depends on the type of act CPR is trying to get, Hanah Diebold, CPR event manager, said. “We try not to go too much above $2,000 for comedians.”

Music groups can range from $800 to $15,000. It all depends on name recognition and what the act includes, Diebold said.

“The budget can really differ from act to act,” Diebold said. “We do try to get inexpensive, but quality acts.”

The conference helps to set up block booking, Nevins said. UW-P CPR works with schools within a five hour radius of Platteville to try and get each performer booked for up to five days in a row. The more bookings in a row means the price goes down for the entertainer to come to UW-P.

The rates are already lowered because CPR attends the conference, versus if CPR would go through the entertainer’s agency, Nevins said. The money saved on entertainers helps to cover the cost of attending the conference.

“When looking for performers to bring to campus, I think about if they are right for our campus. How can we promote them? Will people show up for the event?” Constant said.

“We are definitely looking for comedians. We want to continue our ‘Standup Saturday’ program,” Diebold said. “We are also looking for a band/performers for orientation and Family Weekend.”

There are mini-sessions planned for April. The exact dates have not been set, Nevins said.

For attending the conference, CPR has access to a Web site called sonicbids.com, where thousands of performers are listed and you can listen to their material, Nevins said. For the mini-sessions, CPR plans on having computers set up in stations, so you can listen to the list of performers CPR wants to bring to campus.

The Academic Affairs Council first recommended that a General Education Task Force be formed to review general education in October 2007, Shane Drefcinski, General Education Task Force chair, said.

“Having gone through general education classes, there were things I saw to be shortcomings,” Andy Rankin, senior computer science major and Segregated University Fee Allocation Commission representative for the General Education Task Force, said. “I do feel it’s a good idea to at least critique what we currently have.”

It has been about 20 years since the last review took place, Drefcinski said. There was also a recommendation made by the 2006 Higher Learning Commission Accreditation team to try and tie general education classes to specific degrees and help students to understand the importance of them.

“Many students do not value the general education program,” Drefcinski said. “The current ‘cafeteria’ approach to general education lacks coherence and integrity.”

The committee is looking at the concept of general education and the purpose of it, Carol Sue Butts, provost and vice chancellor, said. The committee is not getting into any classes or the outcomes yet.

“It’s a very big project and this will continue on through next year,” Butts said.

The goal is to get the purpose and goals of general education established before the academic year is over, Butts said. Next to be looked at will be the student learning outcomes.

“Many people don’t know the mission of general education classes,” Rankin said. “Before changes are made we have to have a statement everyone can stand behind.”

Students often complain that they don’t see the point of many of the general education requirements, Drefcinski said. There seems to be a disconnect between the students’ interests and goals and the goals of the UW-Platteville general education curriculum.

“A lot of students don’t understand why we have to take the specific courses we have to take,” Rankin said. “I would like to see a change, but it’s probably going to happen in small steps. There are going to be hardships with anything we come up with.”

A problem with some general education classes is some professors don’t want to be teaching them, Rankin said. If a student can tell that the professor doesn’t want to be there, it’s hard for the students to want to be there either.

“In the end, we may be rewriting how general education classes work, but we don’t know that for sure right now,” Rankin said. “If people don’t get involved, nothing will change.”

The committee members were appointed by the Faculty Senate, Rankin said.

Any General Education Task Force proposal must be approved by the University Undergraduate Curriculum Commission and the Faculty Senate, Drefcinski said.

David Dregne and Devine Nzegwu came through on last week’s Student Senate presidential ticket, winning with 367 votes.

Voting began at midnight, April 15 and ended at 6 p.m., April 16, Kenny Brotheridge, Student Senate vice president, said. Any student with a UW-Platteville e-mail account was able to vote.

All the voting was done on the UW-Platteville Web site using a student username and password, Brotheridge said. Students were able to only vote for their college.

“I was not aware of any students not being able to vote,” Brotheridge said. “Last year there were a few incidents of students having trouble voting, but nothing this year.”

According to election results, 787 students logged in to vote for next term’s president and vice president of Student Senate.

“Our term ends halfway through Monday’s meeting, when we will swear in Dave and Devine,” Frank Moullet, Student Senate president, said. “I think David and Devine will do a great job. They both have experience on Student Senate and are very motivated people.

“I really think Kenny and I have accomplished everything we set out to do and more.”

Moullet said this year’s senate was a great group to work with, even though there were some issues.

“I am graduating, so my involvement with Student Senate will be coming to a close,” Brotheridge said.

Diversity and technology are just a few items on the list to look at for next term, Nzegwu, Student Senate vice president elect, said.

Diversity has a negative stigma, Nzegwu said. Working with students and faculty members on how diversity is more than just skin color is one of her goals.

Student Senate will also be working on making Desire2Learn use mandatory with all professors, Nzegwu said.

“Most of my classes don’t use D2L and it’s hard to follow your progress and keep track of your grades when the professors don’t use it,” Nzegwu said.

Using text messages to inform students on canceled classes and other issues is another area that is going to be researched, Nzegwu said.

“We are working with UW-Madison to get information on how [their] entire system works,” Nzegwu said.

“As of right now the students voted for the best candidates for our campus,” Brotheridge said. “I personally feel very comfortable with David and Devine being the new president and vice president and wish them the best.”

“The last thing that I heard is that he is doing well,” Michael Viney, assistant chancellor of student affairs, said.

According to WebMD.com, coronary artery bypass surgery consists of using healthy blood vessels to create detours around narrowed or blocked arteries. Bypass surgery is usually an open-chest procedure.

Administrative officials on campus met and decided who should be responsible for certain duties in the chancellor’s absence, Carol Sue Butts, provost and vice chancellor, said. It was decided that most of the responsibilities will be taken over by the provost.

“When he is well and able to, he will engage in his duties,” Viney said.

Viney said Butts will be representing UW-Platteville at the UW System Board of Regents meeting April 10 and 11 in Madison.

Butts is also not sure when Markee plans on returning.

“It depends on how well he heals,” Butts said.

Viney said Markee and his family requested time and privacy while the chancellor recovers.

“If he’s asking for time and space, I’m willing to do that,” Viney said.

Butts, Daus, Egley and Viney said this week they do not know where Markee is located.

The administration is getting information regarding Markee from his family, Butts said.

Markee is in intensive care and progressing as expected, Rich Egley, dean of students, said. Markee and his family requested that gifts or flowers be sent to Ullsvik Hall.

Viney said he learned of the surgery the day before the procedure during a conversation with the chancellor.

Typically, emergency contraceptives are given out when an assault or an error in the current method of birth control occurs, Vickie Dreessens, Student Health Services administrative director, said. The Plan B, more commonly known as the morning-after pill, is two tablets taken within 72 hours after the incident.

“We do provide it for women,” Dreessens said. “Women come in, tell their story and we discuss with them why you would or wouldn’t use it.”

Plan B is a combination of hormones and has been available at Student Health Services for over 15 years, Dreessens said. Typically it costs approximately $42 over the counter, but at Student Health Services it’s just $10.

“This is not an abortion pill,” Jackie Bodden, Reproductive Health Care Center SW Cap program director and nurse practitioner, said.

Plan B doesn’t affect eggs that have been fertilized. If a woman is already pregnant and they take Plan B, nothing will happen, Bodden said. Plan B decreases the chances of fertilization and ovulation.

In the past, area pharmacies didn’t always keep Plan B in stock, but would order it if needed, Dreessens said. Ordering the pills would take up to 48 hours for it to come in, which defeats the purpose of the pill because it needs to be taken within 72 hours of the incident. By the time it would come in, it would be too late for most women.

“I have taught classes on contraceptives and have always talked about Plan B,” Dreessens said. “Our goal is to inform students about all their choices so they can make up their own minds.”

Many times women that have been raped or sexually assaulted don’t even think to ask about emergency contraceptives, Bodden said. The possibility of being pregnant doesn’t even enter their minds.

“I think the new law is great because it requires you to give information and to dispense Plan B,” Bodden said. “It still gives women the option, but it’s unfortunate that we had to have a law put into place for it to happen.”

Plan B is 90 percent effective within 12 hours of intercourse and the effectiveness gradually decreases over the next five days, Bodden said. At the five day mark the effectiveness is down to about 70 percent. The effectiveness after five days hasn’t been extensively studied yet.

On one occasion in the past, Southwest Health Center has written out a prescription of Plan B, Donna Friedman, Southwest Health Center emergency room supervisor, said.

“Individuals can come in and we wouldn’t be judging or ridiculing them because they asked for it,” Friedman said. “We treat everyone with respect and respect their privacy.”