Hello, my name is Miranda and I am an International Student Advisor at UWL

UWL is a unique community to call home. Campus is very student centered and La Crosse, WI is a neat place to live. There is a lot of natural beauty here and the outdoor activities are expansive. There is also a lot of cultural diversity in the greater La Crosse area. Global Initiates Week happens every early November is a unique opportunity to highlight all of our international connections by creating an awareness and inspiring action. If you wanted to escape to a bigger city Minneapolis, MN, Madison, WI and Chicago, IL are not that far away. We also have our own airport, Amtrak station and bus station. 

I work with UWL Residence Life staff on a daily basis. I have a very close and collaborative relationship with many staff in Res Life. The folks in Res Life are great to work with. They are kind, creative and easy to talk to you. We work together on a lot of programming initiatives and finding ways to enhance our student's experiences on campus. I would say it has been a mutually beneficial relationship. I have learned a lot from them and they always go above and beyond to assist in whatever ways they can. It is truly an honor to work with so many wonderful folks on campus. 

-Miranda Panzer

My story with UWL began way back in the fall of 2009

     I was a brand new hall director pre-masters and we had just hired a new Director of Residence Life.  This guy kept talking about the University of Wisconsin La Crosse and how great it was.  We went to a fall conference, and everyone he introduced me to had some connection to UWL….Little did I know that 4 years later, after acquiring a master’s degree, and moving 9 hours away from home, I would find myself at UWL working for Dr. Nick and swiftly loving this place called La Crosse.

A specific story that I would like to share was when my nephew was born.  My brother and I are particularly close and he lives in Minnesota.  I’m the closest family as our other family lives in Kansas.  Jayce (my nephew) came into this world really early.  My brother called me to share the news and needed me to get there.  (More details: I was a new HD to UWL and had only served for 1 semester, I had a brand new assistant hall director, and a staff team of 14 students.) 

I called my supervisor to let her know that I needed to leave and her response was “Yep, see you later and keep me informed of how your family is doing.” Another important piece to this story is that we were 2 weeks out from welcoming our students back on campus for spring semester and there was plenty to do.  I was able to leave to go support my brother and sister-in-law without further thought and all the support from my UWL family.  I never looked back and was able to be there for my family.  When I got back to UWL, I was welcomed with questions of “How is your nephew?”  “How is your brother and sister-in-law?”  “When are you going back?” “What do you need help with?” “Can I see pictures?”

There was never a moment when I was asked “Where are you with your work?”  In fact, folks were asking what they could take off my plate so that I wasn’t so overwhelmed. 

This is the UWL that I have come to know and love.  More importantly, the UWL that I am a part of.  The folks in Residence Life care deeply.  I’ve also found this to be true for our campus partners and other folks that I have gotten to meet since I’ve been here.  

-Allyson

My name is Amanda Abrahamson, 

I am in my second year as a Hall Director at UWL. The reason I came to UWL was the exact reason that I did not want to leave: the people are unlike any you have every had the opportunity to work with. I was an undergraduate student at UWL, and spent three out of my four years working as an RA in the Office of Residence Life. For the last eight years (as a student, when I was away, and now that I have been back) I have felt incredible valued by Residence Life at UWL. Every time I walk into the office I am greeted enthusiastically, and it is nearly impossible to come in and out without stopping to chat about everything and nothing. The people that work in Residence Life at UWL truly care about you not just as a professional, but as a person as well. It would be very out of character for me to not talk about one of the many great things that the department has incorporated into practice: the pet policy. I have always wanted a dog, and find great balance by having a dog in my life, and Residence Life at UWL recognizes the benefits that pets can provide for life in professional staff. Jack joined the UWL Residence Life family on October 1^st of 2015, and has become a point of pride for a lot of the residents of White Hall. Jack loves people and people love Jack, and it is nearly impossible to get across campus without students wanting to interact with him. People in the main office recognize how much I love Jack, and ask me often how he is doing and if he is enjoying his walks – this is just another example about how much the professional staff care.

The students at UWL are also incredible. They are motivated, responsible, academically focused, and very involved in many places. When our students have ideas (which is often) we encourage and support and help make their dreams come true. Last academic year a couple of RAs on campus came up to me and pitched an idea they were very excited about: Flick and Float. They wanted to show a movie in the pool on campus, and this is not a program that has happened on campus in quite some time, so there was no experience to draw from. All I had to do was order the movie and show up because the students helping were so incredible excited and motivated to put forth the work for a successful program. Our students also just want to spend time with you and get to know you. There is never a long stretch of time that I am alone in my office, because students are always popping in for a couple minutes or a couple hours to hang out. These are just a few of the many reasons that I think the students at UWL are so special.

UWL and the Office of Residence Life has been my home for the last six of eight years. I love this place and I love the people here. If you are looking for a place that will give you the support you need as a professional, the freedom to find your professional identity, and the students to make your experience unforgettable, consider UWL!

Our Motivated and Ambitious StudentsVideos by: James Bushman, University Communications (former UWL RA)

Our Student Staff (Resident Assistants/Desk Coordinators/ Senior Staff) continue to impress us and are truly engaged in their academics as well as the community.  The two students highlighted in these videos were important members of our UWL Residence Life family during their recent time at UWL.

Katie Svitavsky: UW-L student Katie Svitavsky has a lot to look back when she thinks about her college career. The faculty and staff member she's worked with find it easy to brag about it.

Haley Cassidy: Hoeschler Award Winner encourages others to get involved!

My Graduate Assistantship Experience
By Dylan Kersten, RHAC Graduate Assistant

I am a second year graduate student in the student affairs administration master's program on campus. UW La Crosse (UWL) was appealing to me because the program requires students to have a graduate assistantship in order to gain practical experience in a student affairs functional area. I didn't have a lot of experience in residence life as an undergraduate and was interested in seeing what it had to offer. I joined the department as one of the advisors for the Residence Hall Association Council, in addition to helping out with other assignments when necessary.

There is a balance that needs to be struck as a graduate student of balancing both our academics and our work load. I feel that I have been able to successfully achieve that while working in this department. I feel as though residence life has a bad reputation for being too much work and I haven't found that to be the case in my time here. I feel as though they are understanding and supportive of my academic obligations, and I appreciate that this understanding doesn't come at the expense of my credibility in the department. Even though I am still a student, I feel valued as a professional in the office.

I enjoy UWL because students on this campus tend to be very engaged, especially within their residence halls. They actually enjoy forming connections with the professional staff, and I believe that is in part due everyone being very approachable. ORL places a strong emphasis on the importance of the student voice, which I believe has had a very positive impact on students' willingness to engage.

As a member of the Office of Residence Life, I believe we have high standards of one another because our performance has a strong impact on the experiences of residential students. Due to these high expectations, we hold each other accountable and strive for excellence each and every day. We are dedicated to developmental experiences, which is evident in our support of conference attendance, in addition to the willingness of the department to host conferences, either on campus or in the La Crosse Community.