University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
EN-3: Student Life

Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) & Community Gardens
SEAC is dedicated to working towards social and environmental justice through passive and active education to the campus and community. We believe that everyone acting locally will have a positive sustainable impact in a global perspective. Small Steps, no footprints. UWO Community Gardens also operates within SEAC as an opportunity for students to gain knowledge in gardening, pollinators, food security, and/or a more sustainable lifestyle. You don't have to be a master gardener-most of us are novices. We are learning together and helping each other out.

Wildlife Conservation Club
The Wildlife Conservation Club aims to educate its members on Wisconsin's native wildlife by collaborating with organizations like Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources, to implement hands-on experiences to those interested in wildlife management.

Sustainable Beekeeping Club
This club will be partnered with the new Sustainable Beekeeping project which will install two honey bee hives on campus. This beekeeping club is to generate student interest in beekeeping, learning beekeeping skills by helping to maintain the hives, and understanding the roles and values of pollinators in the ecosystem. In accordance with the campus sustainability initiative, natural (i.e. organic) beekeeping methods will be used, so students will become familiar with the benefits and challenges of natural beekeeping methods. By developing a passion for beekeeping and understanding the pollinator crisis, this club and project will spark sustainable growth in the community. This will be beneficial to our campus sustainability mission as the bees pollinate the plants on campus and surrounding areas. The knowledge gained will also help raise awareness of sustainable ecosystems.

Environmental Club
To educate and work with fellow students, staff, and community members on finding ways to address environmental issues.

Multicultural Club/Fair Trade
The Multicultural Club is devoted to providing students the opportunity to become aware of diversity issues at UW-Fond du Lac and inviting the student body, faculty, and community to be involved in activities to promote inclusivity by breaking down of barriers that separate cultures. Includes promoting Fair Trade products and events.

The UWO Community Gardens includes an area set aside for individual student garden plots. One of the main rules is no chemical use. The Community Gardens Club, through the Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) organizes the student gardeners to distributes plots, maintain the site and report issues to Facilities Management (e.g. pest control). The university provides materials for mulching to control weeds. The gardens are 100% maintained and operated by the involved student organizations.


UWO Community Gardens has grown in size and engagement since its creation in 2006 by a group of students. The Community Gardens plots are open to students, staff, and faculty with CSA (Community-supported agriculture) models to grow-your-own or individuals can buy-in for a plot while the gardens manager will grow and harvest. Learn more about UWO Community Gardens efforts and news: https://uwosh.edu/today/search-results/?q=community%20gardens

Each Semester has a week-long event week: the Earth Charter Community Summit in October, Earth Week, and Social Justice Week in April. Starting in Spring 2020 we have extended Earth Charter Community Summit and Earth "Week" into month-long events. This has included speakers such as Malia Hulleman, Vandana Shiva, J. Drew Lanham, Dina Gilio-Whitaker, Ka Oskar Ly, and co-sponsorship with Dolores Huerta.

In June 2019, UWO was the host site for the international conference (ISSRM)
https://uwosh.edu/today/74757/international-conference-on-environment-and-sustainability-starts-sunday-at-uw-oshkosh/

March 2021: "Confluence" in Allen Priebe Gallery. Kate MacDowell’s ceramics pieces relate to our romantic ideal of the natural world and how it conflicts with our contemporary impact on the environment. Her works are responses to environmental stressors including climate change, toxic pollution, and gm crops. They also borrow from myth, art history, figures of speech and other cultural touchstones.
In Kathryn Hunter’s work multiple materials are utilized, to explore the subject through symbolism and visual narration. Red wool may touch emotion; a stitch may connect to nostalgia or illustrate a symbol; relief printing may present a pattern; paper cutting may offer a silhouette or shadow. Animals are characters, like those in the folktale tradition, reflecting on false prophecy, violence and pacification, truth and deception, cultural and wealth idolization, and the erosion of our surroundings. This work is an observation of America’s freedom while pondering the destructive nature of its people and their reactions to each other, physically and metaphorically.

April 2021: "Battlefields of Memory" by Cia Siab Wisconsin
The exhibit, part of UWO’s Asian Heritage Month activities, opens as the Asian American and Pacific Islander population has faced rising incidents of anti-Asian racism in the U.S.

UWO assistant professor and Hmong Studies director Mai See Thao led creation of the exhibit, which is a partnership with Cia Siab Inc., Wisconsin Historical Society and Hmong community organizations throughout Wisconsin. "Visitors to the exhibit, located in the Annex Gallery (Room N204) of the Arts and Communications Center at 1001 Elmwood Ave., will encounter a bedroom that invites them into the private and intimate spaces of memory. They will encounter artifacts that testify to the consequences of America’s Secret War in Laos, a covert military intervention from 1964 to 1973. And lastly, visitors will interact with objects that speak to human resilience." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCKylN9hl2o

The Xpeditions (Outdoor Adventure) office, of the Student Recreation and Wellness Center, organizes outdoor recreation opportunities for students. They provide training and equipment. Trips vary by season and include biking, hiking, camping, kayaking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Activities in natural areas follow Leave No Trace Principles.

There is also a collaboration with the Women's Center called "Women Adventure Outdoors" which hosts a variety of different of different activities such as: bicycling, kayaking, rock climbing, and trips to state parks.

https://uwosh.edu/recreation/programs/outdoor-adventure-center/

As part of the University Studies Program and First Year Experience, students choose a Quest 1 courses from a variety of disciplines (Communications, Engineering Tech, English, Environmental Studies, Geology, Global Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Physics, Social Justice. Class enrollment is capped at 25 students. Those same 25 students are also enrolled in a Writing or Communications course paired with their other course that also focuses on Sustainability, and the writing is often centered on the discipline or themes in the paired course, so that students have continuity of content while they develop their writing and communication skills. In Fall 2021, there were 16 sections of Quest 1 Paired Sustainability courses, meaning 400 students were enrolled in sustainability-focused paired courses in their first semester at UWO.
https://uwosh.edu/usp/courses-quest-i/

The community advisers in every residence hall are trained in sustainability to offer advice and training to students living practices. Programs are created each semester to focus on conservation of resources.

Free School is a program that runs annually which includes classes taught by those in the community and campus for community members of all ages to access education for free. Previous classes have included seed planting/gardening, annual versus perennial gardening, sustainable household swaps, sustainable menstrual hygiene, advocating for climate action, and more.
https://sites.google.com/uwosh.edu/uwoshkoshfreeschool/home

The Sustainability office offers intern positions focused on different aspects of sustainability on campus. Intern positions are also available at the Environmental Research and and Innovation Center (ERIC) and with the Biogas program. Students are able to gain experience working both in and out of the lab doing water quality testing, biogas potential, and custom research.

SIRT Food Justice and Community Gardens Intern
This position is associated with the Community Gardens Project of the Sustainability Institute for Regional Transformations, and is part of a larger effort to increase food security and access in the Oshkosh area. This student will be responsible for 1) conducting research on models for community gardens and community supported agriculture (CSA) programs in the region and beyond, including projects based in traditional Indigenous knowledge and other culturally-based practices, and summarizing this research and presenting it to leadership; 2) researching possible grants to support this project, and helping to develop applications; 3) developing connections with local and regional organizations who could collaborate on this project; 4) developing an outreach and advertising plan for the project; and 5) supporting logistical work on the garden (buying plants and seeds, planting and light maintenance in the garden as weather permits, overseeing CSA program as it develops).

Sustainability Institute Research and Operations Intern
Responsibilities will include assisting with grant applications (gathering data and other required information, doing background research, searching for grant opportunities), helping develop outreach and teaching materials based on biogas projects and other aspects of campus sustainability, and assisting operations of the Biogas Program.

SIRT Social Media Intern
The Sustainability Media intern will work with the SIRT Director to develop various types of media for SIRT including social media and web presence. The Sustainability Media intern should have a background or interest in sustainability as well as marketing; social media; communications; public relations; and/or journalism. The intern will be expected to work well individually and use their creativity to develop social media and web marketing materials that educate and engage primarily students on campus. Responsibilities include:
1) Managing and developing content for SIRT social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). This will include metrics such as engagement.
2) Assist with SIRT university website edits
3) Develop educational, promotional and marketing materials aimed at students regarding sustainability initiatives on campus
4) Assist with other types of promotion or related tasks as deemed necessary by the SIRT Director

Campus Sustainability Office: Social Media intern
The Sustainability Media intern will work with the Campus Sustainability Officer to develop various types of media for the Campus Sustainability Office including social media and web presence. The Sustainability Media intern should have a background or interest in sustainability as well as marketing; social media; communications; public relations; and/or journalism. The intern will be expected to work well individually and use their creativity to develop social media and web marketing materials that educate and engage primarily students on campus. Responsibilities include:
1) Developing content for the Campus Sustainability Campus Vision screen in the Sage Hall lobby (experience or familiarity with Canva is preferred)
2) Managing and developing content for Campus Sustainability social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). This will include metrics such as engagement.
3) Assist with Campus Sustainability Office university website edits
4) Develop educational, promotional and marketing materials aimed at students regarding sustainability initiatives on campus
5) Assist with other types of promotion or related tasks as deemed necessary by the Campus Sustainability Officer

Sustainability Event Support Intern
The Sustainability Institute for Regional Transformations is hiring a student to help with events. Duties include:
Generating and distributing publicity materials for virtual events, ensuring events are listed in university calendars, targeted outreach such as class visits and other promotions, and event data collection, compiling, and tracking

Alternative Break options are regularly available to various destinations.

Alternative Breaks, a program of Reeve Union Student Involvement, sends teams of 9 college students to engage in community-based service projects during winter or spring break, providing opportunities for students to learn about the problems faced by members of communities with whom they may otherwise have had little or no direct contact. This immersion in diverse environments enables students to experience, discuss, and understand social issues in a significant way, ultimately, moving students towards action to make a positive impact.

Places trips have occurred have included Honduras, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, Arches National Park, North Carolina, New York, New Orleans, St. Louis

Previous trip information and blogs: https://uwosh.edu/altbreak/