David Gordon, the founding editor and board chairman of the Chippewa Valley Post, passed away on Sunday, June 11. The following memorial was written by Michael Dorsher, a CV Post board member and UW-Eau Claire colleague of Gordon. Midway through his first semester at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the assistant professor was no longer […]
Transgender health concerns at UW-Stout addressed and apparently resolved
Student concerns about a possible gap in transgender health care at UW-Stout have apparently been satisfied.
With the university’s decision to switch from its own Student Health Services (SHS) to health care provider Prevea Health, concerns about the availability of transgender health care for new patients during the transition were resolved after discussions between UW-Stout’s student government and university officials.
This was confirmed to the CVPost by Cody Gentz, president-elect of the Stout Student Association (SSA).
To read more on this topic, please click on the headline.
Efforts to aid Afghan resettlement here draw broad interfaith support
By David Gordon, associate editor
Current efforts to help resettle Afghan refugees in the Chippewa Valley have brought together volunteers from a wide range of religious backgrounds.
Nowhere is this illustrated more strikingly than in the three-person group that’s helping the new arrivals prepare applications for asylum and wrestling with the complexities of U.S. immigration law in the process.
One of those three, Rev. Dave Anderson, noted in an email to the CVPost that he is a retired Lutheran pastor who is working with Laurie Osberg, a retired public defender and a member of St. James Catholic parish, and with Sahar Taman, a Muslim whose father was a founder of the Altoona Masjid (Mosque) and a long-time leader in the local Muslim community.
Anderson said the trio is part of an umbrella group, Welcoming New Neighbors (WNN), that “grew rapidly from a few concerned residents, including folks from western Wisconsin. Our email list now has over 200 supporters,” he said.
Taman, a recent law school graduate, was the lead attorney at the Ft. McCoy legal clinic, which served Afghan evacuees who were sent there – a population of almost 13,000 at its highest point, she said.
To read more, please click on the headline.
Vue leaving huge EDI legacy at UW-Eau Claire when he retires in January
By Denise Olson, UW-EC IMC Department
When Charles Chou Vue – the first Hmong person to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire – retires from UW-EC next month, he will leave behind a legacy of perseverance, advocacy and support.
Vue, the associate director in the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), has been a longtime leader in university efforts around equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). He will retire on Jan. 14.
“I hope that I leave behind a legacy and a footprint that has opened the door of opportunity to many more students,” Vue said in a letter to OMA students.
To read more, click on the headline,
Concerns about Prevea’s transgender medical care spark much discussion at UW-Stout campus forum Monday
By Ta’Leah Van Sistine, community reporter/editor
Concerns about transgender health care were a major topic Monday afternoon at UW-Stout’s virtual campus forum held to discuss the university’s upcoming partnership with Prevea Health.
UW-Stout announced in September that Prevea will provide health care for its students, replacing the university’s Student Health Services (SHS). The new partnership, scheduled to begin on Jan. 1, 2022, has drawn a range of reactions on campus.
In a recent e-newsletter to students, the university said Monday’s forum would be an opportunity for the campus community to learn about the partnership, understand “what it means to your health and wellness offerings” and ask questions about the change.
To read more on this topic, including some information obtained from UW-Stout by requesting it under the state’s Open Records law, please click on the headline. And please check the CVPost website for a follow-up story on Monday’s forum, now i preparation.
UW-EC, UW-Stout athletes in no rush to market identities under new NCAA policy
College athletes at all levels are finally able to market their identities without forfeiting their eligibility but, so far, no one from either UW-Eau Claire or UW-Stout has taken this step.
In late June, the NCAA – under pressure from several directions – dropped its long-standing opposition to athletes receiving income beyond their scholarships. It said it wouldn’t challenge state laws or executive orders giving athletes the right to arrange endorsement agreements that would pay them for the commercial use of their name, image or likeness (NIL), and it announced an interim policy regarding this opportunity.
Some Division 1 athletes have been quick to take advantage of this opportunity but the athletic directors at UW-EC and UW-Stout – both Division 3 schools – told the CVPost that this has not happened at either school.
To read more on this, please click on the headline.