ADP University of WisconsinRiver Falls: Year Three

1
ADP _at_ University of Wisconsin-River Falls Year
Three
The mission of R.I.S.E. Up Wisconsin! The Ride to
Inspire Student Engagement," was to motivate high
school and college students to lead their friends
in creating sustainable solutions to issues
within their own communities through
service-learning and civic engagement. Coordinated
by AmeriCorpsVISTA members, R.I.S.E. Up
Wisconsin! featured a bus tour that made stops
throughout the UW System. The UW-River Falls
program featured Mila Holcombe, a former Special
Olympics athlete and current AmeriCorps member
with Special Olympics of Janesville, who spoke on
the importance of service in her life.
About 145 UWRF students from the College of
Education and Professional Studies conduct
tutoring sessions one per week with K-12 students
in the St. Paul school district to fulfill a
mandatory 25-hour multicultural field
experience. Cultural diversity has become one of
the premier focal points and mission of the UWRF
campus, and the Falcon Tutor program provides a
perfect setting for UWRF students, many of whom
come from rural or suburban backgrounds, to
familiarize themselves with children of different
races and socioeconomic situations.
                   

• Structure and Funding
• Distribution reserved for students in
  participating classes remaining papers can be
  picked up by anyone after 230 pm. (honor system)
• Papers available at 5 locations on campus
• Funded by course fee and Textbook Services

• Library Display on the Constitution throughout
  September
• Movie Screenings
• The films A More Perfect Union, Our
  Constitution, and
• We the People were shown on the campus
  cable
• station.
• Distribution of Pocket Constitutions
• Tables were set up at lunch in the student center
  to distribute copies of the U.S. Constitution.

• In April, UWRF played host to the first ever
  American Democracy Project North Central Regional
  Conference.  The conference, which focused on the
  crossroads of sustainability and civic
  engagement, attracted approximately 100
  participants and 30 presenters representing
  institutions and community organizations from
  seven states.
• Featured speakers included
• Don Betz - Chancellor, University of
  Wisconsin-River Falls
• Anne Colby - Senior Scholar, Carnegie Foundation
  for the Advancement of Teaching
• John Cronin - Director, Pace Academy for the
  Environment at Pace University
• George Mehaffy - Vice President for Academic
  Leadership and Change, American Association of
  State Colleges and Universities.
• Additional conference events included a
  photography display, a theatrical production and
  awards for the most sustainable and innovative
  programs.
• The conference was cosponsored by the University
  of Wisconsin-River Falls, Wisconsin Campus
  Compact, Learn and Serve America, and The New
  York Times

• Topics included
• Farmland Preservation
• Twice Promised Land 100 Years War, Israel and
  Palestine into the 21st Century
• Race How is This Big Story Not Being Covered
• International Implications of Global Warming
• Is America Ready to Elect a Woman or
  African-American Man President?

• In conjunction with AASCU and the Young Voters
  Strategies Electoral Voices Voter Registration
  Field Experiment funded by the Pew Charitable
  Trusts, UWRF created River Falls Votes, a
  nonpartisan voter registration and education
  committee. Made up of faculty, staff and
  students, it provided several services to
  students
• Information on how to register to vote both for
  Wisconsin and Minnesota residents.
• Nonpartisan information on the campaign issues
  and election contests.
• Worked with the city of River Falls for efficient
  registration and voting processes to shorten the
  wait as students and local residents cued up at
  the campus polling place on November 7.

Falcon Fellows
The Falcon Fellows Program is funded by the
Midwest Campus Compact Citizen-Scholars
Fellowship program. Students involved in the
program receive an education award in return for
community service. The program seeks to foster a
deep appreciation and understanding of democratic
values and citizenship among participants. Studen
ts who receive the scholarships work on projects
such as tutoring elementary, middle school and
high school students, building Habitat for
Humanity homes, working with Boys' and Girls'
clubs and Big Brothers/Big Sisters, working at
humane societies, or volunteering at healthcare
organizations among other activities.