FALCON DAILY Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." --Nelson Mandela Students line up for textbooks; classes begin today [cid:EE11EEAD-84B2-415A-AAC1-3862AB865AA1] Students prepared for the first day of fall semester classes today by picking up their books at Textbook Services in Hagestad Hall yesterday. Full-time undergraduates pay a fee included in their tuition for textbook rental. Graduate students do not pay the fee, and in most cases, must purchase their textbooks. Announcements Cascade Avenue plantings/sight lines Campus staff have been working with the City of River Falls in adjusting the plantings at the crosswalks on Cascade Avenue this summer given concerns around sight lines coming from both the east and the west. Some of the taller grasses have initially been cut back or reduced. Further adjustments are being planned at the crosswalks. Remember to use diligence also in crossing, even with the flashers now in place. The City of River Falls has created two short YouTube videos, each about one minute, for additional clarification on Cascade’s design. The videos can be found at http://youtu.be/xMk9AMeuAGE and http://youtu.be/dCcYMuIjuYs. Email questions/comments to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. Falcon Scholars and Honors Program Open House Please join the Falcon Scholars and Honors Program at their Open House on Wednesday, Sept. 10, from noon-3 p.m. in 139 Hagestad Hall. Wander in, grab a light refreshment, and explore the beautiful new FSHP Student, Faculty, and Staff Interaction Space. If you have questions about the Open House, email program assistant [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> or interim director of the Falcon Scholars and Honors Program [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. Year of China event features the Golden Dragon Acrobats The Series on Innovation & Excellence event, "The Golden Dragon Acrobats! UWRF Celebrates the Year of China," will be presented by the Year of China committee and the Wyman Series on Thursday, Sept. 11, in Knowles. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and will feature Year of China booth displays. The Golden Dragon Acrobats will take stage at 7:30 p.m. Stop by the SIE table for complementary lemonade and chopsticks (while supplies last). Please note that a meal will not be offered. The concession stand at Knowles will be open for snack-like food and beverages. Due to the construction going on in the area, walking to Knowles is recommended and encouraged as there will be limited to no parking available in the CM lot. This event is open to the public. Registration is not mandatory but encouraged. You can sign up yourself, along with family and friends, at http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=kaatzzcab&oeidk=a07e9r9vhss1964499d. For more information, call Katie Koets at 3545 or email [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. Funky look to your Falcon Daily? On some computers, Falcon Daily has apparently had a funky look lately with inconsistent fonts and spacing not being what it should. When I compose it on my Mac, all appears to look fine and it comes through my email ok with a couple of exceptions now and again. In an attempt to solve these issues, I'm switching fonts from Helvetica to Arial and reverting back to an older template for the spacing issues. Please let me know ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>) if you are still experiencing a funky looking Falcon Daily today and what type of computer/browser you are viewing it on. Thanks! Upcoming Events Thursday, Sept. 4, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., UC mall, Just Local. Connects student and staff to volunteer opportunities, local businesses, food samples and more. Contact Student Life at 4444. Don't Forget Wednesday, Sept. 3 First day of fall semester classes. * 10 a.m.-1 p.m., UC mall, City Sampler. Stop in to see what the River Falls community has to offer as local businesses and organizations showcase their products and services. Connect with the campus community, including new and returning students, faculty, and staff. * 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Gallery 101, KFA, Art Department Alumni Exhibition. Featured artists include BFA graduates Kari Klicke (’04), Joe Singewald (’03), and Jill Van Sickle (’02). A number of the artists will be present to discuss their work at the opening reception on Tuesday, Sept. 9, from 4-6 p.m. For more information, contact the Art Department at 3266. * 7 p.m., Karges, women's volleyball vs. Carleton College. A composite UWRF sports schedule can be found at http://www.uwrfsports.com/calendar.aspx?vtype=list&preset=current&tab=compositeschedule. Open classified staff positions: * IS Technical Services Professional. Deadline to apply is today, Sept. 3. * IS Network Services Specialist (Infrastructure Services – Cisco Architect). Deadline to apply is Sept. 17. If interested, visit https://jobs.uwrf.edu/postings/search to view details about the positions and the application process. Direct questions to [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. Education News "UW System president says college preparedness is high-priority issue<http://www.haywardwi.com/news/regional/article_24503eaa-2ec0-11e4-b142-001a4bcf887a.html>," Sawyer County Record, August 29. "Two months after tornado, UW-Platteville set to reopen<http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/two-months-after-tornado-uw-platteville-set-to-reopen-b99341287z1-273247581.html>," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 29. "U.S. urged to curtail alarming dropout rates among minority men<http://chronicle.com/article/US-Is-Urged-to-Curtail/148563/>," Chronicle of Higher Education, September 2. "Do Americans expect too much from a college degree?<http://chronicle.com/article/Do-Americans-Expect-Too-Much/148537/>," Chronicle of Higher Education, September 2. To view news about the UW System from around the state, visit System’s clip sheet site<http://www.wisconsin.edu/clipsheet/index.php> to read the stories or to subscribe to the daily briefing. Falcon Daily<http://www.uwrf.edu/UniversityCommunications/FalconDaily.cfm> is an e-newsletter sent to all UW-River Falls faculty, academic and classified staff and off-campus subscribers weekday mornings during the academic year and on Tuesday and Thursday mornings during the summer. 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