University of Wisconsin Platteville - Pioneer Yearbook (Platteville, WI)

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Commuters truck on Out of approximately forty-five hun- dred enrollees at the University of Wis- consin-Platteville, an estimated thirty. per cent commute to and from classes daily. From as close as Hickory and Pine Streets and as far as Galena, Illi- nois, and Richland Center, a substan- tial amount of students choose to tol- erate a few inconveniences to remain in familiar surroundings. The reasons people choose to com- mute are as diverse and multifaceted as the students themselves. The fact that UW-Platteville is a relatively rural university may well be the reason that many students from larger cities come to Platteville. To those people who want an escape from the everlasting cement and glass surroundings of the campus, the commuter is unparallelled in qualifications as an expert guide to the local nature spots and famed back- roads. On campus, the commuter is charac- terized by their association with the Student Center. The Student Center- cdmmuter relationship is one of ulti- mate reciprocity; such that there is the assumption that one would surely die without the other. Surely no one is bet- ter acquainted with the blue billiard ta- ble surface and the thunder from the bowling alley than the commuter. The padded bar railing in the Rendezvous Room and mediocre, yet effectively awakening coffee from the Beefeater are also very familiar. Luckily for everyone such a fine facility 22 FEATURES for recreation as well as daytime'hous- ing is available for the commuters. Numerous inconveniences are inher- ent to the commuters by virtue of their reliance on vehicles to travel from school. Commuters silently smirk at the current parking dilemma facing Platteville residents. Quite transitory in comparison, the commuter faces the challenge of finding any parking place at all as a daily routine. If one wants to make it to his or her nine o'clock class on time, they must allot a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes to look for a parking place, Finding a parking space for a ten olclock class is virtually impossible. Hence, you may hear not only dorm- dwellers, but commuters as well, com- plaining about the long walk from Brockert to Old Main. Over the years, quite a few of the com- muters have conceded to inconven- iences and moved to Platteville. How- ever, there remain the hard cores who choose to keep on driving. These peo- ple may not always necessarily be driv- ing from their parental abode, but from alternate housing. The availability of such housing is relatively scarce. This in turn, tends to make area landlords more selective of their prospective tenants. Being married literally assures immediate occupancy, while the use of drugs tmarijuanal and excessive drink- ing, or even, heaven forbid, sex, will not be tolerated in most cases. Despite these idiosyncracies, those who do ob- tain out-of-town housing are able to en- joy the tranquil environment of these communities. Or commuters can enjoy the hum-drum of the smaller community rather than the hub-bub of the larger. The profile of the average commuter can be explained in a couple of ways. First, the involvement of a commut- er in any extra-curricular activities is double demanding, not only due to the previously stated inconven- iences, but the lack of proximity in general, Second. despite precon- ceived assumptions, Platteville is not the mecca of social activity. With the proper frame of mind tpossibly including chemical and alcoholic ad- ditivesy and a few friends, entertain- ment can be achieved in any sur- rounding area town. Early mornings. dense fog, slippery roads, and slow moving trucks - through it all, we applaude those dauntless defenders of the home front a the commuters. by Frank Bryne

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With each gain some loss is expected. The University of Wisconsin-Platteville had anticipated that Rountree Hall would be eliminated from their proper- ty holdings as of August 7, 1974. In 1974 the Board of Regents formally authorized that the plot of property on which Rountree stands would be deed- ed to the city of Platteville upon com- pletion of the new science building tBoebel HalD and additional remodel- ing of campus buildings. The agree- ment required the city to maintain the building and have it placed on the Na- tional Historic Register. As of January 17, 1975, the building was recognized on the Register. This protected it and its grounds from de- molition by federally funded or assisted projects, such as road construction. The building also became eligible for matching federal grants for restora- tion. No state protection or funding was provided. All that was required of th city was maintenance of the build- mg. Concerns arose over the cost of run- ning Rountree. Fuel costs alone ran ap- proximately 3,000 dollars a month. The city was hesitant to accept the proposal for the same reason the Uni- versity was requested to give the build- ing away - low fuel efficiency. Other groups were contacted, but no one wanted Rountree because of the high maintenance overhead. The Wis- consin State Historical Society ex- pressed interest, but no funds for run- ning the building were available. In the end, the city accepted the pro- posal as originally drafted. Why were they willing to accept the tax burden? Public sentiment was the deciding fac- tor. The building, which dates back to 1853. holds a great deal of memories for the people of Platteville. Rountree Hall was the oldest building on campus before it was turned over to the city. Originally built as the Platte- ville Academy, it became the Platteville Normal School in 1866. The Mining School occupied the building from 1907 until their move to Ottensman Hall. Since then it has housed art, ge- ography, and history classrooms, along with offices. ' Currently, Rountree is headquarters for several city offices, the elderly drop-in center, and Congressman Al Baldus. Suggestions for future plans in- clude a museum or more city offices. Both ideas are tentative. The future of Rountree depends upon many factors - the community, state, and federal governments, and available funding. For the time, at least, the uni- versity's loss has become the city's historical gain. by Susan Polebitski FEATURES 21

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Boebel Hall Boebel Hall finished its first full year of academic use in 1978. Four departments moved into the new building: biology, geosci- ences, history, and mathematics. Geology and geography com- bined in the summer of 1977 and became the department of geo- sciences. History, geology, and geography originally held their classes in Rountree. The math and biology departments moved to Boebel from Old Main. These four departments with different needs in facilities and equipment moved into Boebel Hall with ex- pectations and skepticisms. In the fall, rumors concerning feelings of dissatisfaction with the building were heard. One major complaint involved the size and shape of the rooms. Many of the rooms are uniquely shaped, some triangular and others trapezoidal. These shapes make it hard to ar- range the seating so that all the students in a class can see the chalkboards. Most instructors have solved the problem by either confining themselves to the mid- dle of the board or by writing ev- erything on both ends of the board. Many instructors had mixed opinions on the general construction of the building. Comments ranged from awk- ward building design to petty malfunc- tions within their rooms. Several of the building's flaws included the following: windows that leaked wind and rain; magnetic screen locks that didnt hold the screens on windy days; and video screens which are too close for front row students to see. Condensation also caused a severe problem on the third floor ceilings as well as in the walkway between Boebel and Gardner Halls. Many facilities in the building were sub- stitutes and not the original items cho- sen by the various departments. Some of these include table tops, table types, ventilation types, sinks and drains, lack of electrical outlets, and lack of locks on cabinet doors. The majority of these problems are being resolved at a slow pace with everyone hoping that their department will be completed soon. Boebel Hall was actually occupied be- fore it was completed. Many of the in- conveniences experienced by the in- structors were caused by the fact that the building wasn't finished yet. The offices in Gardner connected to Boebel by the second floor walkway seemed to be the most appealing fac- tor for moving into the new building. The math department was extremely pleased with their offices. Other de- partments were not so unified in their feelings. The geosciences were accus- tomed to having their offices next door to their classrooms. Some of the in- structors felt that it was awkward to be so far from their classrooms. A major part of the biology department agreed with the geoscience instructors. Most of the biology teachers have two of- fices, one by their lab and the other in Gardner. They found this inconvenient but feel that it was the only way to solve their problems. The history de- partment offices are in Warner Hall and their major concern was that the stu- dents do not get up to see them as much as they did when they were in Rountree. A private office is an impor- tant part of a college instructor's envi- ronment and it is hard to please every- one. The amount of space designated to each department was mentioned as an issue. History and geosciences were accustomed to very large rooms with plenty of room for students and lab equipment. In Boebel, the geosciences labs are slightly crowded with equip- ment and students. The math depart- ment also had larger rooms in Old Main. In Boebel most rooms are filled beyond comfortable capacity but math classes still continue. The biology de- partment seems to have benefited the most with their allotment of the build- ing. There is space for prep rooms for each lab, lots of storage space, a green house, an animal room, an aquarium room, a working herbarium, environ- mental control rooms, and the elec- tron microscope. In Old Main there was never enough room for many of these departmental improvements. Various improvements in Boebel benefited oth- er departments such as the complex weather instrument cluster in geosci- ences and the display cases through- out the building. Adjusting to the abun- dance of space or the lack of it just takes time. In the spring, after a full semester in the new building, most of the instruc- tors had grown accustomed to their new surroundings. With the drastic change of moving into a new building, the instructor's needed time to make adjustments. As the first year in Boebel Hall comes to a close, the instructors are becoming quite pleased with their new building. by Linda Yonash FEATURES 23