Spring 2009
Anoop is the coordinator for the Health & Fitness Center and the Aquatics Center . He is a “newbie” in Stout terms, starting here
October 2007. Anoop had a long journey to Stout. He is a citizen of
India who received an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and then decided that it was not a field in which he wished to work for his entire career. From India he traveled to Illinois, where he received a
Master’s in Exercise Physiology and then onto the University of Florida for a Master’s in Human Performance. His most recent stop is here at
UW-Stout. Anoop has a strong interest in the science of exercise so we might expect that someday his journey will extend beyond Stout to work on his PhD.
In the meantime, Anoop is enthusiastic about his job which literally affects the lives of thousands of students and staff in a very positive way. Each year the Health & Fitness Center welcomes about
4000 members each year as well as a number of new student employees. The student employees are trained and certified to work in the center and include personal trainers, group fitness instructors and desk attendants. The Center organizes events & clinics to promote fitness which includes the Blue Devil run/walk, strongman & strongwoman competition, Walkin’ to Paradise, and a Women’s
Free-Weight training class. Exercise classes are also provided including
Zumba, Yoga, Toning, Weight Lifting – but no belly dancing. I did explain to Anoop that belly dancing is a new craze which has swept into
Menomonie, but I’m not sure we’ll be seeing belly dancing soon in the
Health & Fitness Center.
Anoop is a strong proponent of motivation through recognition
– both for workers and members. If you visit the Health & Fitness
Center you’ll see recognition posters, posted thank you notes, suggestions received and answered, as well as a host of educational information. You’ll also see state-of-the art treadmills, steppers, and elliptical machines.
We’re fortunate to have a person like Anoop – he’s passionate about his work, a great role model for students, and an effective communicator via the web and in person. His journey will include time well spent in Menomonie.
The Student Health Services
Booth at the Optimal Health
Fair. For more on the Optimal
Health Fair, turn to page 4.
Inside This Issue
Shadowing Anoop Balachandran
...................................................... 1
Comment Card ............................ 2
Dining Services Nominated for Award
...................................................... 2
Seeking Innovation ..................... 2
Spring Move-Out .......................... 2
Welcome ...................................... 3
Walkin’ to Paradise ..................... 3
Optimal Health Fair ..................... 4
Research Day 2009 .................... 4
The Good News ........................... 4
News from the Vice Chancellor is published quarterly for ASLS division employees.
Publisher: Diane Moen
Vice Chancellor moend@uwstout.edu
(715) 232-1683
Editor: Heidi Hooten
Communication Specialist hootenh@uwstout.edu
(715) 232-1681
225 Administration Building
Menomonie, WI 54751
Fax: (715) 232-1527

Please review the attached comment card and send us your innovative ideas!
We’d like to know what works, what doesn’t, and how you think improvements can be made. We’re already very pleased with the work done by the staff in the ASLS division, but we’re always seeking ways to make your work lives easier, streamlined, and interesting.
You can add your name if you’d like, but it’s not necessary. We would, however, appreciate if you would indicate which is your unit at the bottom of the card so if there’s a specific change you’d like made in your area, that Director has the opportunity to address it.
This is the time of year when the ASLS division starts planning for the next year. This summer, the ASLS Council will gather together to review what we’ve accomplished in the preceding year, and what we still hope to accomplish in the year ahead.
When we held Focus Groups in 2007, employees requested additional ways to provide feedback and comments directly to the division office: especially in the area of planning and future focused initiatives . This was important enough that one of the 2008-2010 Division Initiatives is to involve all ASLS division employees in a review process. The comment card attached to this letter fits into that process. Our intent is to distribute a paper comment card annually and to also include it on our website so that employees can send us ideas throughout the year.
What are we doing well? What else could we do? Do you have any ideas you’d like to see implemented? It only makes sense that everyone receives an opportunity to add ideas. Each of you knows your own job the best, and whether the procedures you follow are working, or if there’s something that could be done to improve them.
We’ve had a lot of challenges to overcome these last few years, and still more to come. We’ve had continual budget reductions, demand from our stakeholders for more efficient services, the need to absorb mandates from both the federal and state levels, and adapting to technology to provide state-of-the art operations, as well as making continuous improvements in our customer service.
If you check out the Division Planning page on the ASLS website
( http://www.uwstout.edu/asls/divplan.html
) you can get an idea of where we’ve been and where we’re headed with planning. Your involvement in this is crucial:
YOU are our best resource!
Dining Services has been recognized as the March
Spotlight by the UW-Stout
National Residence Hall
Honorary (NRHH) “Pookie”
Albrecht Chapter. The
Spotlight is a way of recognizing Dining Services for the extraordinary job they did in transitioning to the MSC while maintaining excellent customer service. The nomination stated: “The
UW-Stout Dining Services is more than deserving of the
March Spotlight for their hard work and dedication to the service of the student body.”
Well done!
The Spring Move-Out day on May 8 was a huge success! Students brought their gently used items to Lot 29 to be recycled. All usable items were donated to the Hope Gospel
Mission. Three trucks were packed with couches, bed frames, tables, kitchen supplies and used clothing.
Non-perishable food donations were donated to the Dunn County Food Pantry. Non-usable items were loaded into a large dumpster by volunteers from the football and volleyball teams. Two dumpsters were filled to the brim. Hot dogs and drinks were provided to students who donated items by Veolia ES Solid Waste Midwest.
Spring Move-Out is sponsored by the Stout Student Association, Stout
Inter-Residence Hall Association, Stout Environmental Sustainability Steering
Committee, City of Menomonie, Dunn County Health Department, Dunn County
Solid Waste/Recycling, Sustainable Dunn, American Edge Real Estate, Hope
Gospel Mission, and Veolia ES Solid Waste Midwest.

Julie Cook, Collection Specialist, is pretty much a native of Menomonie other than a few years in California, Oklahoma and Minnesota due to being an Air Force family.
She and her husband live south of Menomonie within walking distance to the
Chippewa River which they often frequent. She has two daughters and two stepsons and a first time grandbaby born a few weeks ago. She previously worked twenty years in collections/accounting for a property management firm here in
Menomonie. She enjoys outdoor activities and needlework in her spare time and is looking forward to a rewarding career here at the University and is happy to be on board.
David Davis, Senior Automotive/Equipment Technician, is married to Jennifer and has two children: Kaydence (4 years) and Jocelyn (1 year). He was a painter before coming to UW-Stout and in his free time Dave likes to bowl, golf, attending the local races, and spending time at the lake with family.
Jerry Dorame, Senior Power Plant Operator, is married to Lisa and has one daughter, Nicole. He enjoys fishing, hunting, woodworking, walking and reading.
Jason Spetz, Police Officer, is originally from Champlin, MN. He attended Minnesota
State - Mankato, and graduated with a B.S. degree in Law Enforcement. From there, he took a job with the Wisconsin State Patrol and worked as a Trooper in
Dunn County. Since then, he has worked for the Menomonie Fire Department as a firefighter/medic and as a part-time deputy for the Dunn County Sheriff's
Department. Last May, he began his move back into law enforcement and accepted part time employment with the UW-Stout Police Department. He became full-time in March. In his spare time he works on projects around the house, goes boating, enjoys riding the ATV trails, or spending time with his springer spaniel,
"Black Dog". He continues to enjoy coming to work every day and looks forward to serving the UW-Stout community for years to come.
The Optimal Health Committee sponsored a virtual walk to Hawaii this spring. A good time was had by all who participated — over 270 staff from all parts of the university. Thanks to the committee for sponsoring the program, and congratulations to all who participated for a healthy start to summer. Aloha!
Connie Galep of the walking team “the Big D” and George
Acker of the team “The Street
Walkers” get into the island mood for the Walkin’ to
Paradise luau with
Hawaiian-influenced duds and
(for George) dreads. They won
“Best Dressed” at the Luau.

Jim Erdman represents the
Safety & Worker’s
Compensation Committee at the Optimal Health Fair.
The office of Budget, Planning and Analysis demonstrated their innovative projects during Research Day 2009.
Meridith Wentz, Sally
Bosshart, Tammy Cutsforth,
Susan Greene, and Wendy
Marson presented on three projects: UW-Stout Alumni
Follow-Up Survey; UW-Stout
Student Engagement Survey; and the UW-Stout Campus
Violence Prevention Project
Survey.
Every year, the Optimal Health Fair gets bigger and better. Over 480 people attended the event this year, with the majority of attendees being faculty and staff. There were 43 vendors represented, which was eleven more than last year. In lieu of a speaker, Zumba, Belly Dance and Nia demonstrations were held by local instructors, and members of the UW-Stout Swing Club performed.
Each attendant was encouraged to bring a “loot” bag and a food donation for the local food pantry. All those with their own bags and/or a food donation, were provided with an extra drawing slip to submit for prizes. There were 59 prize winners. Some of the winners were: Alan Symicek won a bike from Black Cat Bicycles; Monica Winter won a coffee mug and a belly dance lesson; and Diane Larson won a DVD player. There were also prizes for such things as a $100 savings bond, massage, and legal advice.
The date for future fairs is planned for the first Wednesday of April.
Next year’s fair will be held on April 7 th . Thank you to everyone who helped make the Optimal Health Fair a success!
A Belly Dance demonstration. A moment of relaxation.
Director of Budget, Planning & Analysis, Meridith Wentz, has published an article titled “ Vacancy Assessment Policy Helps Fund Priorities” in the March 2009 edition of the NACUBO Business Officer magazine. She’s also been accepted into the Harvard Management Development Program for
June.
Grants awarded: Jim Uhlir, Leigh May, Carla Greiber, Laura Short, and Lisa Walter received $346 for the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant
2008. Susan Staggs, Kristina Gorbatenko-Roth, Richard Tafalla, and
Meridith Wentz received $6,858 for their UW-Stout Curricular Incubation
Center Grant Proposal.