Each week The Spectator will showcase organizations, departments, majors or other aspects of UW-Eau Claire as a part of the centennial celebrations event known as “100 Reasons to Celebrate.”

All photos courtesy of Special Collections and Archives, W.D. McIntyre Library, UW-Eau Claire.

#74 – The Spectator

The Spectator is UW-Eau Claire’s student-run newspaper founded in 1932 as a weekly tabloid. Today, the newspaper publishes biweekly throughout the school year and is free on campus. The staff consists solely of students. While many are pursuing degrees in journalism, any discipline is encouraged to apply.

Positions at The Spectator range from the Editor in Chief to staff writers. Each semester the editor in chief hires new students to the positions, offering students the ability to take on different roles and responsibilities in publishing a newspaper. This also allows students to refine their skills in areas of which they may not have been previously knowledgeable.

Currently, The Spectator is looking forward to a redesign which will be released later this week. The staff has invited all students and faculty members to join them this Friday, March 31, to reveal the new design and enjoy free coffee.

Any student interested in more information about The Spectator can stop by the office, located in room 104 of Hibbard Hall.

#75 – English

Eau Claire offers a variety of majors and minors to students interested in English. These include creative writing, critical studies in literatures, cultures and film, linguistics, rhetorics of science, technology and culture, English teaching/education and multimedia communication.

Through these majors, 46 percent of Eau Claire students participate in research, 57 percent partake in an internship or apprenticeship and 38 percent experience cultural immersion, according to the Eau Claire website.

Students interested in English can also get involved in several different clubs and organizations offered by the English department. The first is English Ambassadors, an organization in which students mentor current or potential English students to inform them of professional opportunities and assist them in their academics and social life. The English Festival is another student group plays which organizes events for anyone in the English community. These include authors readings, alumni panels, scholarly presentations and much more.

None of the Above (NOTA) and Sigma Tau Delta are two more clubs offered by the English Department. NOTA is a literary magazine that is entirely student-run and publishes a biannual collection of the top student submissions in the categories of art, poetry and prose. Sigma Tau Delta is an international English honor society.

For more information, students can visit the English Department’s office located in room 4102 of Centennial Hall.

#76 – Languages

The Department of Languages at Eau Claire offers courses in 11 different languages taught by faculty from nine countries, according to the department website. The department also has majors and minors in French, Spanish, German, Japanese, ancient studies and teaching English as a foreign language.

Students looking for a place to practice their language skills can visit the language lab and Roma Hoff Instructional Resource Center, both of which are located in Centennial Hall. These centers are filled with sound and video programs, foreign films and computer software.

If students are looking for more ways to get involved, the language department also offers a variety of different clubs and organizations. These include Delta Phi Alpha, the French Club, the German Club, Sigma Delta Pi and the Spanish Club.

Students who major in a language can look forward to a diverse array of career options, including museum curators and travel writers, among others. Students interested in these careers or the language department can find more information online or in the department’s office located in room 4508, Centennial Hall.

#77 – University Staff Council

According to the Eau Claire website, the University Staff Council is a group of staff members who work with the Chancellor to establish policies that affect university staff. They also work with Human Resources to conduct reviews of all university staff personnel policies and to develop a university staff handbook. Their meetings are the third Tuesday of every month in Centennial Room 320 in Davies Center.

The University Staff has several committees and council committees to ensure that all UW System policies and procedures are being properly adhered to. The committees also develop and maintain new policies, oversee the Employee Appreciation Program awards, make funding decisions, plan professional development activities and more. Any Eau Claire staff member is eligible to take part in these committees.

Any staff member looking to get involved can email [email protected] for more information or access their website online.

#78 – Women’s Studies

The Eau Claire Women’s Studies department states on its webpage that while other offices and programs advocate for gender justice and equity on campus, the Women’s Studies department serves as an identifiable center for interdisciplinary research, collaboration and services.

The department offers a major, a minor and two certificates — one in Women’s Studies and one in LGBTQ Studies. Students who participate in these programs can look forward to classes such as gender, race and class theory, feminist theory, women and violence and transnationalism.

Students who study women’s studies can look forward to careers in areas such as social work, community advocacy and governmental and non-profit agencies. Some examples of recent Alumni positions include the Eau Claire Country District Attorney’s office, a Peace Corps volunteer and an organizing fellow at Planned Parenthood.

Any student looking for more information can stop by the Women’s Studies Department office located in Hibbard Humanities Hall, room 384.