Health officials keep watch on COVID, other illnesses

December 12th, 2022

The last two spikes in COVID-19 infections came at the end of the year in 2020 and 2021, so local health officials are concerned about the virus and other illnesses that may affect UW-River Falls students’ health going into the spring semester.

Pandemic trims parking revenue, but not for all

October 19th, 2021

For many cities and businesses, income from parking fees has been on a decline over the past two years and has resulted in a significant financial loss.

Obesity trend in western Wisconsin worries experts

July 29th, 2021

One in three adults in Wisconsin is considered obese, according to the most recent data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Obesity also affects children. And, despite being among the healthiest areas in the state, Pierce and St. Croix counties see similar trends in obesity. Reporter Brooke Shepherd talks to experts about the problem and what can be done about it.

Concert series cancelled, but RF Days return

May 10th, 2021

UW-River Falls has decided to once again cancel the annual summer concert series due to COVID-19 concerns, but some other events in the community are back on the calendar.

Decline in on-campus residents challenges UWRF

March 29th, 2021

In an average year, about 2,400-2,500 students live on the UW-River Falls campus. Last fall semester, that number declined steadily from September to December. “Then, by the start of spring semester, we were down to 1,370,” Karla Thoennes, director of Residence Life, said in an email. At this point, occupancy has slipped to 54% of the average.

Remote learning hasn’t dented off-campus housing

March 21st, 2021

Landlords in River Falls say that their properties remain full, despite an increase in remote learning at UW-River Falls amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Although on-campus housing has had a decrease in residents, off-campus housing remains full.

Keeping eye on UWRF’s finances just part of her job

March 20th, 2021

The coronavirus pandemic has led to challenges for UW-River Falls, including financial consequences that are the concern of Elizabeth Frueh, the assistant vice chancellor for business and finance. Frueh has many roles at the university, and spends a lot of her time working on the budget and the financial situation for campus, as well as advising the chancellor on financial matters.

Virtual story times help public library reach kids

March 8th, 2021

The River Falls Public Library continues to make youth literacy a priority amid the COVID-19 pandemic by conducting “Virtual Storytimes.” Monica LaVold, who has been working at the River Falls Public Library for nine years, creates content designed to teach and expose kids ages birth to 18 to reading and literacy.

Student’s pandemic story wins broadcasting award

March 6th, 2021

A long-form audio story by a UW-River Falls student about attending college under pandemic restrictions has won a first-place award from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.

Pandemic challenges international students at UWRF

December 12th, 2020

International students enrolled at UW-River Falls had to decide if they would work from their home countries or stay in the U.S. this fall. The pandemic brought about many challenges and experiences regardless of the decision.

Online courses may not increase cheating, profs find

December 11th, 2020

With the end of fall semester in sight at UW-River Falls, a concern facing some professors is how to discourage cheating on final exams, especially now that the coronavirus pandemic has forced courses online.

For health officer, the spotlight wasn’t part of plan

December 8th, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought more attention to public health officials than most would have ever expected to receive in their lifetimes, and that includes Pierce County Public Health Director AZ Snyder.

New UWRF center came just in time for pandemic

December 4th, 2020

UW-River Falls opened the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) earlier this year to serve as a resource to faculty, with an emphasis on diversity and sustainability — plus a special focus now on online learning.

In case of emergency, UWRF has a team ready to go

November 30th, 2020

Amid a global pandemic, UW-River Falls has found a way to remain operational thanks to its Emergency Management Team. The coronavirus pandemic left many universities with no plan, since the pandemic plan prior to COVID-19 was to close down, according to Beth Schommer, the university’s chief of staff and EMT liaison. The university couldn’t remain closed for the academic year, so the team went to work planning.

Art students at UWRF adapt to pandemic conditions

November 15th, 2020

Even with students back on campus, there are still many who have had a difficult time adapting to the changes caused by the pandemic. The Art Department at UW-River Falls might understand this more than others. “We aren’t scheduling anything in the gallery (Gallery 101) for this year,” said Eoin Breadon, the department chair. “Other […]

Work for Facilities Management returning to normal at UWRF

November 4th, 2020

Maintaining the campus of UW-River Falls has become even more important with regards to creating a safe environment for faculty, students and staff during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and that task has largely been the responsibility of Facilities Management.

Health officials urge residents to get annual flu shot

October 20th, 2020

As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic and the coming flu season, a call is being made for individuals in River Falls to get their yearly flu shots.

As UWRF students return, virus concerns remain

October 12th, 2020

After having students back on campus for only three and half weeks for the fall semester, UW-River Falls enacted a two-week shelter-in-place order because of a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases. Now that the two week quarantine is being lifted for UW-River Falls, the university has plans in its Falcons Forward initiative to prevent further spread.

Teaching during pandemic is hard, but they remain hopeful, profs say

October 7th, 2020

Professors at UW-River Falls had to make many adjustments to their classes in order to prepare for fall semester. In a typical semester, the majority of classes are offered in a face-to-face format. This fall, due to the coronavirus pandemic, all faculty were making decisions to either go completely online, have a hybrid class, or to remain face to face while meeting new guidelines about social distancing and mask wearing.

UWRF officials hope to keep campus open despite COVID-19 spread

September 15th, 2020

One of the big questions for colleges and universities across America this semester is “How long will it be before the campus has to shut down again?” University of Wisconsin-River Falls officials have developed a strategy to help prevent further spread of COVID-19 as thousands of students congregate once again in the community.