Winter Welcome Events!

Hello panthers!

I hope you all had a wonderful winter break filled with Netflix binge watching and catching up with old friends, but winter break is coming to a close. Make sure you pack your backpack, check your schedule, and stock up on coffee because on January 26th your semester starts!

During your first week back (Jan. 26 - Feb. 1) we will have Winter Welcome Week! Make sure you visit the Winter Welcome Calendar to see all the free activities that will be available to our UWM students.  Here are a few of my personal favorite events going on next week!

Free Fun in the Union Recreation Center (Jan. 26th - Feb 1)

Looking for something fun to do without having to bare the freezing temperatures of Wisconsin? Come to the Union Recreation Center located in the Union for FREE bowling, billiards, ping pong, and video games. This is a great way to get to know your suite mates if you are joining us for your first semester at UWM or a great way to reconnect with your friends you haven't seen in a month!

Beyond the Wall Poster Sale (January 26- January 30th)

Start off the semester with a little redecorating by stopping at the Union Concourse to look at the amazing selection of posters of movies, musicians, celebrities, and much more! My personal favorites are posters of any movies directed by the talented Quentin Tarantino and inspirational Andy Warhol quotes.

 Panthers Men's Basketball Winterfest (January 29th 7pm)

Head down to support the Panthers Mens Basketball team against UIC at the UWM panther area! Doors open at 6pm, but shuttles to the arena will be available from Cambridge, Riverview, and Sandburg beginning at 5:30pm! Make sure to have your UWM student ID with you so you can get in for free and support our panthers from the student section. Keep an eye out for pounce and maybe you will get a picture with our mascot like I did with my wonderful sorority Alpha Omicron Pi. 

SHAC Snowball 2015

Enjoy our 2nd annual Snowball dance held at Kenilworth Art Building on the 6th floor brought to you by SHAC! Dance the night away with the DJ, visit the photo booth, and try out your luck at one of the casino tables. Also download Events at UWM app for free to be kept up to date with upcoming SHAC events.

Whichever events you decide to attend during Winter Welcome share your experience on twitter with us using #winterwelcome and #pantherpride. 

See you soon panthers!

-Valerie

My Experience at UWM!

Way back in 2012 while I was sitting in my yearbook class at Menomonee Falls High School, I would see all of my fellow seniors stressing out about what colleges to apply for. I wasn't one of these frantic students because I knew that the only school I wanted to go to was UW-Milwaukee. My older brother previously went to UWM and when I toured the campus I fell in love. To know that UWM has an amazing journalism program was icing on the cake.

My freshman year I decided to live at home to save money and being from milwaukee it wasn't that far of a drive compared to a lot of others. I was taking about 17 credits, working 40 hours a week at Ernie Von Scheldorn car dealership, and dealing with the stress of commuting. This was just way too much on my plate and I made the decision that I was going to live on campus to alleviate this stress.

My sophomore year I lived on the 2nd floor of East Tower. It was so convenient that I was only 10 minutes away from class instead of having to wake up two hours earlier due to commuting. Not only did university housing give me the chance to actually make new connections with people I was going to class with, but with my roommate and suitemates as well. I started to take yoga at the Klotsche Center, made new friends watching the packers games down at the Gasthaus, and even played some intramural floor hockey! I wish I could go back to my freshman year and live on campus because it was the best decision I ever made. Yes staying at home does save you money, but when it all came down to it living at home did cost me lack of sleep, stress of commuting, and my sanity.

This year I will be living on the 15th floor of North Tower. I choose north tower because I liked the house lounge set up and the amazing view of the lake. Yes east tower does have a kitchen in every suite, but since I can't cook to save my life, the microwave will be more than enough. If you have any questions about housing or UWM in general I will be here to help!

Hope you have a wonderful University Housing experience like I have!

-Valerie

See You at the Cell!

With Milwaukee being Wisconsin's largest city, we need to have plenty of large venues for our various events.  One of those venues is the US Cellular Arena. The Cell is home to many star-studded concerts, UWM graduation, and Panthers basketball.  

I definitely recommend going to at least one basketball game this season.  Here's why:  Our basketball team took home the title of Horizon League champs most recently in the 2010-2011 season.  Panther Basketball games are quite the show.  As a Division 1 school, we have an extremely competitive athletic program.  If you can't get into the action as a player, you can always root for the black and gold.


UWM Panther Athletic teams up with many different organizations and businesses around Milwaukee.  That means cool giveaways to game attendees.  Thanks Panther sponsors!  So, get to those basketball games!  The US Cellular Arena is located downtown, but no worries.  Shuttles leave the res halls 90 minutes before each game and run a constant loop throughout the game. 

My favorite Panther Basketball memory was the Butler vs. Milwaukee game.  The team played well and I got a free t-shirt and baseball hat.  It was also the Military Appreciation game.  The athletic department hosted a few different ceremonies and events throughout the game.  The Panthers also asked University Housing to participate in the game by playing tug-o-war on the court!  Cambridge and RiverView battled Sandburg residents.  I was on the Cambridge/RiverView team, and unfortunately, Sandburg won.  :(  Oh, well.  Perhaps, this next year, Cambridge and RiverView can claim the title of tug-o-war champs!

At UWM, we don't just boast about our basketball team.  Our swimming and diving, women's soccer, men and women's track and field, and volleyball teams are all Horizon League champs.  Be sure to stop by Klotsche to see one of our teams compete.  Go Panthers!

NOTE:  On June 26, 2012, UWM Panther Athletics announced that the Panthers Men's Basketball team will no longer be playing in the US Cellular Arena.  They will be relocating to the Klotsche Center.  Read more about it here.