UW-Stevens Point students win awards at state conference

A delegation from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point received several awards at the Wisconsin United Residence Hall Association (WURHA) conference in Milwaukee recently.

Aaron Koepke, Eldorado, a UWSP student leader, was named president of WURHA, the representative body for students living in campus housing at 20 member universities around the state. Koepke is a junior at UWSP.

Joseph Totman, Knutzen Residence Hall director, was named WUHRA Adviser of the Year. He advises three student organizations, Promoting Awareness with Students (PAWS), a group that promotes sensible use of alcohol; Environmentally Aware Residents Thinking Holistically (EARTH), a group concerned with fostering community involvement, self-education and recreation in the residence hall; and the Tau Kappa Epsilon social fraternity.

Totman was assisted in his run for adviser of the year by students Melissa Hicks, a junior from Chilton; Casey Davis, a sophomore from Onalaska; and Mike Roltgen, a junior from Baraboo.

The delegation also won the award for best display for a large school. Each group attending the conference made a display to represent its school. Three delegates who worked on the project were Matthew Stefan, a sophomore from Chicago, Ill.; April Breunig, a sophomore from Prairie Du Sac, and Pam Jenkins, a sophomore from Pardeeville.

Two programs put on by UWSP delegates were named among the top 10, including one on flirting entitled "What Happens When Wonderwoman Flirts With Superman," performed by Residence Hall Association (RHA) adviser, Julie Zsido and former officer for RHA Dan Weber, who attended the conference as an honored guest.

Another top program that focused on enthusiasm for leadership, entitled "Fire Up!" was performed by Stephanie VanPay, RHA special events chair, and Judy Birschbach, RHA social and contemporary issues chair. VanPay is a junior from Green Bay and Birschbach is a junior from Campbellsport.

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