Blog
Welcome the New WUD Officers and Directors
We are pleased to announce that the Union Council has chosen the new Wisconsin Union Officers and Wisconsin Union Directorate committee directors. These student leaders will serve during the 2016-17 academic year. We are very excited to have them on board and look forward to working with them to accomplish their goals for the Wisconsin Union. Wisconsin Union Officers: Deshawn McKinney: Wisconsin Union President Deshawn is a junior majoring in English with an emphasis in creative writing. He is also pursuing a certificate in African American...
read moreStoryteller Series: An Evolution of the Union’s Winter Carnival
“The Union is the place to be.” – Ted Crabb, Union Director 1968-2001. It is as simple as that. For more than 90 years, the Union has been a cornerstone of the University of Wisconsin, Madison. It has served as not only a living room but a rec room, a family room, a study hall, a café, and most of all, a way for students to connect and grow as a community. The Union’s winter activities, and recently the Winter Carnival, are the first topic in what will be a series of discussions between former Union Director Ted Crabb, and current...
read moreWisconsin Union Student Showcase: Distinguished Lecture Series
At the Wisconsin Union, there are so many ways for students to excel in leadership positions. One opportunity is the Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS), a Wisconsin Union Directorate committee. The committee’s 25 student members devise the annual speaker schedule for the Distinguished Lecture Series and plan the Wisconsin Festival of Ideas, an annual event that showcases professor and student research. We caught up with a few of this committee’s leaders to learn more about their roles and their commitment to the Wisconsin Union. ...
read morePhotographer Sally Mann to Speak at the Wisconsin Union
Mark your calendars for March 29 when photographer Sally Mann will be speaking at the Memorial Union. Sally is known for her black and white photography, some of which can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art and the Whitney Museum in New York City. Sally will be visiting campus to speak about her work and to engage students, Wisconsin Union members and the community in a captivating conversation about art. The Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS), a Wisconsin Union student led committee,...
read moreWinter Carnival Continues its Icy Tradition
Every year, Lake Mendota becomes an icy platform for fishing, hockey and more, with droves of students embracing the fun that winter brings to Madison. One weekend in particular sparks an icy passion among Madisonians: the Hoofers annual Winter Carnival. This year brought a trove of activities to the lake, starting off with a snowshoe hike from the Union to a bonfire part at Picnic Point. Participants skied and hiked across Mendota to the iconic landmark, where they were greeted with a cozy fire, hot chocolate and s’mores, and fellow...
read moreWelcome, Susan Dibbell
Meet Susan Dibbell ‘84, the new Deputy Director of the Wisconsin Union. Susan has been working at the Union for 28 years and was active on Wisconsin Union Directorate as a UW-Madison student. During her time at the Union, Susan has worked on a variety of projects including activating Union South as a social space by adding more recreational and educational programs and creating the Morgridge Center for Public Service. Susan began her new position on January 1 and is looking forward to taking on new projects this year. She works in tandem with...
read moreWisconsin Union Employees Talk About Post-Grad Plans
The Wisconsin Union holds many memories for UW-Madison students. As December graduation season arrives, graduates begin to think back on their favorite memories at the university and at the Union. We caught up with a few UW-Madison seniors and Union employees to see what their plans are after the big day, and what their favorite memory is of working at the Wisconsin Union. Alyssa Alheid Works in: Marketing Major: Graphic Design and Communication Arts. What are your plans for after graduation? I’m currently in the process of trying to get a...
read moreUnion Employee Creates a Working Lightboard in his Free Time
Programming the lights and sound for a show is no easy task, but for UW Senior Duncan Adams (Class of 2016) it’s all part of the fun. As a student supervisor of the Sound and Lighting Technicians (SLT) of the Union, Adams makes sure the lighting and sound for Union shows run smoothly, all while working alongside his team of fellow students. Together, they ensure that the technical aspects of shows at Varsity Hall, The Sett, and practically every Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) show run according to plan. When WUD, the student programming...
read moreHoofer Resale Returns for 52nd Year
The 52nd annual Hoofer Ski and Snowboard (SnS) Resale is coming up on the first weekend of December, where over 6,000 ski and snowboard items will be displayed in Union South’s Varsity Hall. This two-day event is the largest of its kind in the Midwest, attracting hundreds of shoppers from all around who are looking for gear for the season. Organizing this major event falls on a five-student subcommittee within Hoofer SnS. Mitch Beres, a UW-Madison senior and the resale director, said that planning begins in the summer – about five...
read moreTudor Dinners Reimagined for Union South
Ringing in every holiday season, the Wisconsin Union celebrates the story of a wild boar, an English scholar and an English student during the Tudor Holiday Dinner and Concert series. As the Memorial Union Reinvestment continues forward, the 82nd Tudor Dinners are being reimagined for Union South’s large spaces. On December 10, 12 and 13th at 5:45 p.m., Tudor Dinners will start with Hor D’oeuvres in Varsity Hall. As guests mingle and pour drinks from the Wassail bowl, bells sound and guests move inside during the Grand Processional to...
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