down after the 2012-2013 academic year.

Photos: Denise Caskey

Denise Caskey

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“They know you on a first name basis at UDSS. This provides a comforting and welcoming atmosphere,” student Will Kimbrough said.

He found out about UDSS and the services they offer in high school. By using UDSS for all of his classes he succeeds, despite being dyslexic and having generalized anxiety. He uses services like extended test taking time and audiobooks, he said.

Kimbrough noticed positive results because there are no distractions while taking tests.

“I take my tests alone and with double time. There’s no stress and I can bring in snacks, which is nice because I can munch while I test,” he said. “UDSS is also flexible. They work well with students who have busy schedules like me.”

Although not a part of UDSS, some students are also tutored through Student Success Services. “If you’re wondering if you qualify for services, go in and check because it is awesome!” Kimbrough said.

Any student who has a documented disability is eligible for assistance through UDSS. Different types of disabilities include physical, cognitive, sensory or psychological disabilities. UDSS also caters to people who have temporary disabilities, such as broken arms and hands.

“There is an increase in students with mental health disabilities coming to UDSS,” Chris Primus, the director of the University Disability Support Services, said. “Real time transcribing is one of the newest additions to UDSS. This helps students who have problems hearing lectures.”

About 400 students use the services. Out of all the services, the test-taking
accommodation is the most popular, with around 1000 exams given each semester.

“We are improving on creating a more welcoming environment and trying to rid that negative stigma that is attached to having a disability,” Primus said. “Making it available to students who are too afraid is one of our goals.”

Former students have told Primus they could not have completed college without UDSS and that the services have helped minimize the impact of their disabilities, he said.

The staff at the center strives to give each and every student an equal opportunity at succeeding at the collegiate level.

Nick Robinson

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Photo: Denise Caskey

Of the 100 crops that provide 90 percent of the world’s food, over 70 are pollinated by bees, according to a recent U.N. report.

“Bees are the primary pollinators for most flowering plants,” Olivia Nater, a UW student studying bees for her master’s thesis, said.

“I find bees fascinating,” Nater said. “They are incredibly important to the wellbeing of humans and the ecosystem.”

Nater is interested in the effects of climate change on native bee species such as bumblebees, sweat bees and mason bees. “The climate in Wyoming is changing,” she said. “The average temperatures have increased by 1.3 degrees centigrade since the 1970s.”

“Through my master’s work, I am hoping to find out whether climate warming is shifting the abundance over time of bees and plant hosts,” Nater said. “And whether this may be leading to plant-pollinator mismatch, whereby bees suffer from reduced resources and plants have reduced pollination and reproductive success.”

Her research involves catching and counting the number of bees in a specific location. “We have three field sites within 25 miles of Laramie. The sites have remained virtually untouched since the last bee counts in the 1970s,” Nater said.

“We use two different methods for catching the bees: insect nets and bee cups,” Nater said.  Bee cups are basically cups painted in colors that attract bees filled with a little water and dish soap, which reduces the surface tension of the water, she said.

“We take weekly samples through the growing season from May to late September.” she said. Last year, there were two peaks in the blooming cycle of plants. One was in late September. She did not expect the same thing this year because the area has not had the amount of moisture as last year, Nater said.

The areas were Nater catches honey bees is divided into quadrants. As part of her data collection, Nater must count every flower in each quadrant. “Sometimes it can take hours to count all of them,” she said.

By comparing these two sets of data the number of bees compared to the number of flowers Nater should be able to answer her research question. She has been researching bees for the last two years and plans to devote one more year to analyze and finalize
her results.

Her research is funded through the University of Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station. Dr. Scott Shaw and Dr. Carlos Martinez del Rio co-authored the grant proposal, Nater said.

“Dr. Shaw is the curator of the UW insect museum, which will receive all the bees we catch during the course of this study,” she said.

For additional photos of Neter’s samples and bees in Laramie visit “Counting bees” in the Gallery page.

Denise Caskey

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Photo: Denise Caskey
Artist Victoria Denecke poses with some of her artwork, which aims to reveal the harsh realities of life as a circus animal.

All art has a purpose. Art decorates people’s lives. Art can start conversations and create controversy. Art also can inspire people to act.

Victoria Denecke is a student artist whose work does just that. Denecke’s work will be exhibited from Sept. 4 to Sept. 15 at the University of Wyoming Visual Arts Center. She is a self-described super senior from Worland majoring in art.

“I’ve been drawing since I was little,” she said. “I have always loved art and I enjoy drawing from life and creating lifelike images.”

Her main focus is printmaking. “I’ve always been a drawer,” Denecke said. “But after I took my first printmaking class, I never looked back.”

Denecke’s exhibit questions the notion that the circus is the “Greatest Show on Earth.” She pushes people to look at the reality behind the glamour and lights.

A quick glance at Denecke’s art might warm the heart of circus lovers. Prints of animals commonly seen under the big top might cause people to reminisce about the excitement surrounding the day the circus came to town.

However, upon closer inspection, those memories take on a more sinister note. The eyes of those beloved animals reveal a soul tortured by the harsh cruelty of being held captive.

Photo: Denise Caskey

“I would describe what I’m doing now as kind of protest art,” Denecke said. “I really want my art to get people’s attention and raise awareness.”

“What inspires me changes from day to day,” Denecke said. “It usually comes from whatever happens in real life to my general interests.”

Between a part time job and other classes, Denecke hardly has time to breathe let alone create. Like most artists, she is dedicated to her work.

“The visual arts center is open basically 24 hours a day for students who want to work,” Denecke said. Her regimen for finding time to create includes a lot of coffee and late nights.

UW has a new visual arts facility and offers exploration in all areas of art.

“Being here has really helped me develop my art and who I am,” Denecke said. “This is my first individual show. I’ve done other group shows, but this is the first show where it’s just my work being displayed.”

Even non-art majors interested in getting their hands dirty can take an introductory class and learn a new skill or find a new passion, Denecke said.

Photo: Denise Caskey

Within three rings under a big top carried in on the backs of the great beasts of Earth, a temporary escape from reality awaits the people in the stands. The cost of that escape may be greater than they know.

Denise Caskey

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For a small portion of the population, Pagan is simply an umbrella term similar to Christianity used to describe a group of religions based on love for the Earth and devotion to both the God and Goddess.

“It is easier to say that one is ‘Pagan’ than it is to say that a person is a ‘Druidic reconstructionist’,” Bronwyn Thompson said. Pagan does seem to roll off the tongue easier and there are not as many syllables for people to trip over.

Laramie Pagan Pride Day is planned for Saturday at Washakie Park. The event kicks off at 9 a.m. with the opening ritual and offers activities such as a workshop in divination, discussion groups about issues affecting Pagans, and an auction. It is a free community- and family-oriented event designed to promote the understanding of people and religions through education.

LPPD is not just for the Pagan community. Curious non-Pagans also are welcome to attend.

People attending LPPD are asked to bring donations for a selected local organization. “Last year we gathered food donations for Interfaith Good Samaritan,” Thompson said. “This year, Laramie Pagan Pride has decided to collect school supplies for the Laramie Montessori School.”

“This is for the community,” Thompson said, “To allow them to know we are here and that we are just like them.”

In Wyoming, the sparse population means that Pagans can feel isolated, so LPPD is a way for other Pagans to get to know each other. “Religion and spirituality are more fulfilling when we have someone to share it with,” Thompson said. “We feel happier when we have someone who believes like we do and understands that part of us.”

The small population in the state has its advantages for Pagans as well.

“We are closer to the natural world here, which is much more in tune with the teaching of most Pagan religions and philosophies,” Thompson said. “The Earth is much happier here because there are fewer people.”

Planning the LPPD events is a full-time duty. “We start the planning phase the week after the event and plan continuously throughout the year,” Thompson said.

LPPD suffers from the same planning issues of any community event: time, money and help. There is never enough of any of the resources. “Last year we spent entirely too much money, had too little help for what we planned and things just went wrong in some areas,” Thompson said.

“This year we learned from our mistakes and revamped our entire plan. We think this year’s schedule of events will suit our community and resources better.”

Denise Caskey

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Illustration: Chelsi Semler
Simply select where you are dining, choose which items you ate and see the nutritional content of your meal. YourNutrition also can be used to look at a meal beforehand. You can pose the question: “Do I really want this penne pasta with alfredo?”

Tucked away under the Residence Life and Dining Services tab of the University of Wyoming website is a new and little-known tool called YourNutrition.

The program was implemented in Fall of 2011 as a way to help students make smart dining choices.

“We feel it’s important for diners to know the nutrient content of our foods in order to make healthy decisions,” Amy Bey, Nutrition Information Specialist for Residence Life and Dining Services, said.

Students who have special dietary needs, such as food allergies, can visit the site and view selections that meet their needs.

YourNutrition is designed to help students plan a balanced diet using what is available at Washakie Center and offers other useful information, including nutrition information on food items available at the Wyoming Union.

Unfortunately, Panda Express is not listed on the YourNutrition tool, so students have to look elsewhere for the nutrition information for items on its menu.

“YourNutrition allows for planning meals on campus daily or weekly. This gives you the freedom to choose any of the foods on our menu and balance out the less healthy options with the healthier ones,” Bey said.

Using YourNutrition could make it easier for students to avoid the typical weight gain known as the “Freshman 15.”

“Diners following eating plans to add or subtract nutrients from their diets also find the website handy,” Bey said.

Navigating the site is easy. Students simply choose where they wish to eat, pick what they want and add the items.

YourNutrition automatically calculates how many calories, fat grams, carbohydrates, fiber and other nutrition information meal contains.

“We hope our diners use the site to compare the nutrient content of our menu selections and build balanced meals,” Bey said.

As students become more familiar with the nutrient content of the foods available on campus and what to expect in certain foods, they can use that knowledge and apply it to future food choices.

The university purchased the software for the program from an outside company, but the work of adding all the information was the responsibility of the staff at Residence Life and Dining Services.

“We were responsible for the stylistic design decisions as well as configuring our menus and recipes to work with the software,” Bey said.

“We also had to review food labels for all the items that we purchase and input any of the common food allergens they contain.”

Mustering the will power to avoid the dessert section at Washakie Center may still take some work, but planning meals with YourNutrition has made staying healthy on campus a little easier.

Denise Caskey

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Photo: Courtesy of Emily Brumbaugh
Christina Ott, a senior at the University of Wyoming, poses with a birthday cake. Recent efforts to raise money for Ott, who was injured in a car accident this summer, have totaled close to $5,000.

During the opening week of the semester, students banded together to raise funds after a car crash this summer left the community devastated and a University of Wyoming student fighting for her life.

Students put together both a bake sale and a benefit concert for Christina Ott.

Friends of Ott manned a table in the Wyoming Union breezeway last week, selling baked goods in an effort to raise money. By the end of the week, the bake sale had brought in $1460.77, according to Taylor Kath, a friend of Ott’s.

“We really want to thank everyone,” Kath said. “The university has been very supportive.”

Individuals from outside the theater and dance department sent emails offering to bake goods for the bake sale, she said. Others were just asking how they could give a donation. People throughout the community have also been asking what they can do to help, Kath said.

The Theater and Dance Department also hosted a benefit concert at Washakie Park in another effort to raise money for Ott.

Attendees were treated to a variety of choreographed dances, musicians and singers.

They also were informed that Ott had been moved out of the intensive care unit and into an acute care facility, and she is slowing being taken out of the drug induced coma, Lindsay Weatherly who helped plan the event, said.

The benefit drew 150 to 200 people and raised $3280.23.

“This was totally student-driven,” Professor Marsha F. Knight said about the fundraising efforts. “I was just a support for ideas, considerations and prompts. They did it all.”

As a student at UW, Ott is a senior majoring in International Studies and minoring in dance.

“I’ve taken classes with her since my freshman year,” Taylor Kath said. “And she was in my hip-hop club for fun, so she has always been pretty involved in dance. “

Kath got involved in helping raise money for Ott because she felt like she had to do something for a fellow student and friend, she said.

Ott is described as friendly, outgoing, talented and smart. As her condition continues to improve, friends and family post messages filled with hope and encouragement on her Facebook page.

“Everytime [sic] I hear good news about you, I just want to cry,” one friend said.

“She started her dance training late, and set her mind to accomplishment from the start,” Knight said. The strength of her determination has kept the hope of friends and family burning bright.

Donations for Ott are still being accepted. For more information contact Taylor Kath at tkath@uwyo.edu.

Denise Caskey

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Photo: Denise Caskey
Brown-eyed Susans dot the campus, radiating Poke Pride to passers by. Gov. Matt Mead declared August 31 as “College Colors Day” throughout the state of Wyoming.

Gov. Matt Mead has signed an official proclamation declaring August 31^st as College Colors Day in Laramie, but “College Colors Day” will extend far beyond our campus.

Alumni and Cowboy fans from across the state, around the country and even across the globe will be wearing brown and gold in support of the University of Wyoming today. Towns like Torrington will be closing off streets and holding barbecues and community celebrations.

When brown and gold were made UW’s colors, the University was only eight years old. In the spirit of remembrance and respect, on March 26, 1895, eight UW alumni met for the purpose of organizing an Alumni Association.

It was a way to stay connected, to keep in touch and to express their loyalty and pride to the school that gave them so much.

Two weeks later, a formal
charter was granted and the University of Wyoming Alumni Association was established with a primary mission to “Promote the University interests and affiliation of its graduates.”

That summer, one of the first activities ever hosted by the new UWAA was an alumni banquet.

Money was not available for decorations, so two banquet organizers, Dick Abrams and Rebecca Johnson, traveled out
to Laramie Springs to look for native flowers. They came back with Brown-Eyed Susans and used them throughout the room and on the tables.

The Alumni were so impressed with the color and beauty of the flowers that they decided to select these colors as the university’s official colors.

Now, when we wear brown and gold in Wyoming, it takes on a life and a meaning all its own. When we put on these colors, no matter what our role or our relationship to the University, we are all Cowboys and we all share a piece of some-thing enduring and vital that unites us as one in a way that no other color combination can.

Melinda Caskey

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The Pokes’ Spokes Bike Library is a bicycle rental program that was started by the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming in 2005. Former ASUW senators Beth Ross and Dwayne Meadows authored Senate Bill 2115 after they realized that a number of students did not have transportation for getting around town.

“A bicycle could expand the choices of basic life needs that are extremely limited by foot travel in Laramie,” according to the legislation. It would also cut down on the misuse of Safe Ride and provide an environmentally friendly mode of transportation, the legislation said.

When the program started in 2005, the bill allowed for 10 bikes. In 2007, it was taken over by the Outdoor Program and since that time has grown to include more than 100 bicycles.

The bikes are easy to recognize. That bright yellow blur that zips past students between the classroom building and the Union most likely came from the bike inventory owned by the Outdoor Program.

With a little bit of paperwork and a small fee, students get to rent their own yellow blur machine for the school year. A helmet and bike lock is included in the rental.

The Outdoor Program also holds a four-part clinic on bicycle maintenance. The first session will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday. Anyone who rides a bike on campus is invited to attend. Contact the Outdoor Program for more information.

“Our over-reaching goal is the hope that students get a sense of self sufficiency with their personal bicycles,” equipment manager for the Outdoor Program, Avi Katz said.

The program hosts one clinic per month and each clinic builds on the one before. “We basically want to empower them by giving them the skills to maintain their bicycle on their own,” Katz said.

Cindy Dywann coordinates the clinics. She is a bicycle technician and owner of Doin’ It Outside, an outdoor adventure and guide service and assists students with maintenance on their personal bikes. “We don’t let people drop off their bikes for us to fix, but we do have tools and Cindy can advise students on how to maintain their bikes,” Katz said.

Denise Caskey

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Photo: Courtesy of Maggie Nelson
Maggie Nelson, the MFA Eminent Writer in Residence for the Fall 2012 semester, will give a reading from some of her work from 6-8 p.m. tonight at the UW Art Museum. Nelson’s newest book, “The Art of Cruelty: A Reckoning” examines society’s obsession with violence.

It is no secret that violence, cruelty and sex sell. Because of this, these types of pieces often take the lead in media.

Maggie Nelson’s latest book, “The Art of Cruelty: A Reckoning” picks at the violence and cruelty exhibited in different forms of media and examines society’s obsession with it. Nelson appears both fascinated and revolted by the horror she sees, according to the New York Times’ review of the book.

Nelson is the MFA Eminent Writer in Residence for the Fall 2012 semester. She teaches humanities courses to undergraduate art students and creative writing to graduate writing students at the California Institute of the Arts.

“I was just one of those kids who wrote all the time — journals, short stories, plays, poems, transcripts of others’ speech, and so on,” Nelson said.

Her work encompasses the worlds of poetry and non-fiction, and she enjoys both, she said. “A great poem can be written in a flash, as a kind of gift,” Nelson said. “You have to get a back-ache from sitting in your chair to write a prose book. But both have their challenges and pleasures.”

“I like to think that my work also looks outward toward the world and registers joy and wonder,” Nelson said.

She has earned numerous accolades, including Notable Book of the Year from the State of Michigan for her non-fiction book “Red Parts: A Memoir.” She was most recently awarded the 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Grant in Poetry.

Nelson will be working closely with creative writing students, meeting one-on-one with them and going over student manuscripts while she is here, according to an email from Beth Loffreda, an associate professor in the UW English department.

“In the course of these visits, our students also get a different kind of knowledge, maybe the best kind an emerging artist can get,” Loffreda said.

“They can learn how successful writers go about their daily work, how they’ve built writing lives, how they negotiate the world of publishing, how they’ve put together the habits and tactics a writer needs for the long haul.”

“Your presence is kind of like a door blowing open and then closed,” Nelson said. “Maybe someone saw something behind the door that he or she needed to see, or heard something he or she needed to hear, in order to continue along their path. That’s why I keep talking.”

Nelson will give a reading from some of her work from 6-8 p.m. tonight at the UW Art Museum. There will be a reception and book signing as well, and the event is free and open to the public.

Denise Caskey

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