Hillebrand started playing volleyball in 7th grade. She progressed into high school, and that is where she encountered her biggest challenge – herself.

“When I first started playing my freshman year of high school, I was not particularly good at all, and I was kind of uncoordinated,” Hillebrand confessed. “But I didn’t let the game get me down. I loved the game so much that I kept on playing.”

In order for Hillebrand to work on her skills and improve, she says she joined club teams and worked out.

Through Hillebrand’s determination, she fell in love with the game.

“A few things that I love are being able to play with the girls on the team and being able to be around them all season long.

“Along with the camaraderie that Hillebrand experiences, she also spoke about her love for the kill.

“Being able to get a really nice straight down kill against the other team tends to bring a lot of momentum toward our team and pumps everyone up,” Hillebrand said.

The kill that Hillebrand speaks of has earned her the record of third-most in UW-P history with 476. She also led the WIAC during the regular season in kills, according to the UW-P Web site.  She has also recently been awarded NCAA Division III all-American honorable mention by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Although volleyball takes up a lot of time, Hillebrand is working on a business degree with an emphasis in finance. She’s not sure where a degree in finance will take her, but she knows that volleyball has given her the right keys for success.

“During the season you learn leadership skills and time management skills that will eventually be used in the work place,” Hillebrand said.

Todd Carothers

Carothers is an Eau Claire native and currently lives in Sun Prairie, which is outside of Madison. He attended UW-Eau Claire and double majored in accounting and management information systems. He furthered his education at UW-Madison where he received his Masters of Business Administration.
Carothers has two boys, 10 and 8, who are full of life, and a wife who is a high school teacher in Sun Prairie.

Carothers was a public accountant for 10 years at Deloitte Touche. His decade of experience gave him a, “better understanding of how to sell the business, serve the business and manage the business.” He then made a move to Meriter Hospital where he taught and trained new employees.

“That is where I developed my love for teaching,” Carothers said. “I developed a passion to see my team members succeed when they thought they couldn’t.”

It was Meriter Hospital where he realized the need for creativity in the work place. “True creativity is a free flow of ideas.”

When it comes to passions and hobbies, Carothers has a few. Besides his passion for accounting, he also spends time volunteering for parks and recreation, has written lyrics for close to 30 songs and is an executive board member of the Wisconsin Literacy Program, which helps individuals who struggle with reading and writing. Two things on the professor’s bucket list would be to perform a five-minute comedy skit, although he is a natural introvert, and “I want my children to have success and be happy however they define it,” Carothers said.

Professor Carothers is happy to be at UW- Platteville. He finds joy in being able to collaborate with his students.

“In business you concentrate on the numbers and facts,” Crothers said. “Here I am able to concentrate on the people.”

When asked what message he would like to send to students,  he replied: “College is a time when you find out who you are.”

Photograph by Anthony Bauer
Freshman Morrow Hall residents Jacob Meer, left, and Bryan Minan, back, host friends freshman Mary Sowinski, right, and sophomore Jordan Speicher in their expanded housing lounge room.

UW-Platteville’s housing capacity is 2,702 students, with room from an additional 175 students in their expanded housing lounges. When the academic semester started, 82 incoming freshman were assigned to the expanded housing. Due to the number of students who have dropped out or never showed up, that number is down to 51. Those 51 students receive an 11 percent reduction on their housing expense due to the unconventional living arrangements.

Rhonda Viney, director of student housing, said the lounges are furnished with all the amenities of the typical dorm room, housing four roommates and extra space. Viney says she stands by the idea that expanded housing works, partially because there are less students in the housing office begging to switch roommates than those in traditional double-occupancy room. Viney said the only people who usually have an issue with the expanded housing are the students’ parents.

UW-P has had expanded housing in 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2009. The expanded housing is a result of many applicants and those who turn in their housing later rather than sooner. Students are notified in the summer that they are living in expanded housing in the summer with no exact lounge assignment. Resident assistants are prepared during the summer on how to handle having a live-in lounge on their wing. At the end of first semester, those students living in the expanded housing will be placed in permanent residence hall rooms that have opened up.

“[Expanded housing] is determined every year by the number of students who apply. We do not know if we will allow sophomores to move off campus next year, it all depends on the numbers,” said Viney. There will be no new residence halls built on campus in the immediate future, but Platteville’s housing sector will be able to absorb those students who want to move off campus,” Viney said. “Landlords in Platteville have actually had to step up and improve the housing they offer because students don’t want to live in dirty conditions.”

The last mandatory budget workshop was Sept. 17 and Thursday, Sept. 24 is the last opportunity to get help with a budget from SUFAC.  The help session will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the University North room of the Pioneer Student Center.

Budgets are due to the SUFAC at the PSC Information Center by 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25. After bugets are turned in, hearings will be held Friday, Oct. 2 to Sunday, Oct. 4 in the University North room of the PSC.

SUFAC is preparing to allocate aproximently $630,000, $98 from each student, this year to the clubs and organizations on campus that apply for assistance.

SUFAC president Jared Keehn said the organization is working with Student Senate to help promote sustainability on campus. Instead of requiring paper copies of budget requests, SUFAC is requiring organizations to submit them digitally on a CD or jump drive, while contingency and reserve requests will will now be submitted via UW-P Link.* They are also promoting the use of laptops at their meetings and cutting down on paper used for notes and printed agendas.  Keehn said SUFAC previously used two or more 5-inch binders to hold all of the requests submitted by paper in previous years.

AMENDED SEPT. 28, 2009.

*The article originally stated that budgets were to be submitted to SUFAC via UWP-Link. Budgets were actually required to be submitted via other digital formats, such as a CD or jump drive.

The National Suicide Prevention Week campaign grew out of the World Suicide Prevention event held on Sept. 10. With National Depression Screening Day on Oct. 8 fast approaching, Counseling Services is working to spread the word about how suicide and depression go hand-in-hand.  Counseling Services is working to reach students with announcements via UW-P’s Intercom and campus presentations.

Some of those signs of potential suicide are: giving away prized possessions, signs of depression, engaging in risky or self-destructive behavior, a specific plan of how suicide would be carried out, and previous suicide attempts.  If you or a friend exhibits such behaviors, it would be in the best interest of that individual to contact help immediately. Deirdre Dalsing, a UW-P counselor, said that students who are concerned about themselves or others can contact Dean of Students Rich Egley at concerns@uwplatt.edu.

Dalsing said that suicide has been listed as the third-leading cause of death among 15-24 year olds and the second-highest cause of death among college students. Students can be depressed due to the stress from heavy course loads, personal relationships and a busy work schedule. Amberae Rusch, junior criminal justice major, said. “[The stress of school and life] gets to be a lot. You just have to put the books aside for awhile and take some time for yourself, it’s the only way to accomplish everything and stay sane.”

Whether it is dealing with the stress of school or addressing suicidal thoughts, Counseling Services wants UW-P students to know they are a resource for students. Dalsing, along with the rest of the Counseling Services staff, is working to reduce the stigma associated with seeking help.