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Memorial Union • 800 Langdon Street Madison, WI 53706 • (608) 265-3000

Union South • 227 North Randall Avenue Madison, WI 53715 • (608) 263-2600

The Wisconsin Union unites the University’s social and academic lives, fostering the personal growth and relationships that are at the heart of a great education.

Photos courtesy of Ralph Russo, Jeff Miller, Stephanie Judge and the staffs of the Wisconsin Union and UW-Madison University Communications.

Special thanks to Bill Kasdorf and the staff of Impressions Book and Journal Services, Inc., for designing this booklet.

The Wisconsin Union is a membership organization. To join or to find out more information about the programs and services we offer, please visit: www.union.wisc.edu

Copyright © 2003 by the Wisconsin Union

Experiences for a Lifetime

The Wisconsin Union

The Union Idea:A Visionary Experience

“The Memorial Union has always meant a good deal more to me than a building project. It has been the embodiment of a fundamental idea in education—the idea that only full living induces full learning, and that full living comes only where and when there is opportunity for comfortable living, cordial and frequent human give and take, complete self-expression, and a certain feeling of unity of purpose and action with one’s neighbors and friends.”

—Porter Butts, Union Director,1926–1968

What is the purpose of the Union and what role does it play on campus?

Ask ten people that question and, chances are, no two answers would be the same. Because the Wisconsin Union is so many different things to different people. Because our Union is what students and the community make it. And because the story that has been unfolding here since 1907 is rich and diverse and layered.

Porter Butts, the visionary student leader who became the Union’s first director, saw the Union, in its simplest terms, as a place for students to spend free time. “We believe that the University’s educational function does not end with classroom hours,” Butts said in 1929. “We earnestly hope that the University, through the Union and its informal kind of education, may add a few more productive hours each week to the cultural interests of each student. If this can be done, it will be called a great achievement in education.”

Throughout the 40 years that Butts served as Union Director, he saw thousands of students cultivate interest in the arts, develop strong leadership skills, and form lasting and rewarding relationships. Not only did Porter Butts earn the right to call the Wisconsin Union the great achievement he envisioned, he laid the foundation for what is one of the most respected and emulated college unions in the country.

“The University’s educational function does not end with classroom hours”

In the 1920s, one of every two students donated $50 or more (equal to about $500 today) to build the Memorial Union, which they knew they would never have a chance to use as students.

Since the Union opened its doors in 1928, only three people have served as Director: Porter Butts, 1926–1968; Ted Crabb, 1968–2001(shown at right cutting cake as student president at the Union’s 25th anniversary in 1953); and Mark Guthier, 2002–present.

Lowell Frautschi, 1926–1927 Student Union Board President, viewed the Union as “the promoter of all things socially and culturally of value to students.”

The Union is commonly thought of as the living room of campus, a home for Wisconsin spirit, the University’s Division of Social Education, and the heart and soul of campus.

Our mission is to unite the University’s social and academic lives, fostering the personal growth and relationships that are at the heart of a great education.

“There is seemingly no limit to what can be accomplished”

“Before I joined Directorate, I was on my own trying to find a student organization to help create an Alternative Breaks program,” says Catherine Colyer, who in 1989 was an ambitious undergrad determined to bring an innovative program to the UW-Madison campus.

Knowing any student would be interested in taking a low-cost vacation, that is exactly what Alternative Breaks offered … with a twist. Alternative Breaks groups travel the country building houses with Habitat for Humanity, serving meals to the homeless, aiding the United Farm Workers Union and more. As rewarding as the community service aspects of the trips are, the extraordinary experiences that happen along the way and the lasting relationships that develop are equally important.

“I went to three student organizations, and everything took off when I went to talk to the folks at the Union,” says Catherine. If not for her dedication, however, Alternative Breaks may never have gotten off the ground. “The first step is for the student to have the interest and enthusiasm,” she says. “Once that exists and the student gets involved with the Wisconsin Union Directorate, there is seemingly no limit to what can be accomplished.”

The lessons Catherine learned through the development of the Alternative Breaks program have stayed with her.

“The process of seeing a project through from inception to completion was a tremendous introduction to the jobs I would hold after college and then after graduate school,” she says. “I learned how much people could accomplish when they are inspired and enthusiastic, and when they are properly supported.”

Social Education:A Learning Experience“The power of what students learn outside the traditional classroom must not be underestimated and it certainly cannot be quantified. The confidence that builds through real world experience, the growth that occurs when lasting relationships are formed, the pride that is felt when students assume responsibility and leave their mark on the campus … there is no description, number or ranking that can measure the value of these lessons.” —Mark Guthier, Union Director

“The foundation for my professional life was poured at Union South and Memorial Union.” —Michael Frohna, 1988/89 Union President

Student-led programs have brought the likes of Miles Davis, John F. Kennedy, Dizzy Gillespie, Martin Luther King, Jr., Peter Tosh and Maya Angelou to the Wisconsin Union.

By the year 2020, approximately 2,000 UW students will have held Officer or Director positions with the Wisconsin Union Directorate.

“Social education means cultivating in students the desire and the ability to bring their personal talents to bear as social forces.”—Porter Butts, Union Director, 1926–1968

There are enough Wisconsin Union Mini Courses offered each year to take a different one every day.

Arts & Culture:An Enriching Experience

“The Union’s vibrant arts program has played a vital role in bringing together the University community and the larger metropolitan community and has given thousands of students a new or renewed appreciation for the arts. The Union sings, hums, dances and rocks with artistic creativity in all its forms.”

—Ted Crabb, Union Director Emeritus

“None have made as big a difference as having my artwork purchased by the Union”

In 1952, when a young, inexperienced artist named David Pease won a prize in the Student Art Show, no one was as surprised as David himself. “I went from being totally unknown to being recognized overnight,” he recalls. “I remember feeling both elated and pressured.”

During his sophomore year in the Integrated Liberal Studies program, David took an elective painting class and completed an assignment which became his entry to the Student Art Show. To add to the thrill of the Art Show award, the work was purchased by the Union for its permanent collection.

“When you do something that you haven’t had a history of doing and someone recognizes value in it, it makes you think about it,” he says. “I thought, ‘Everyone has one good painting in them, but can I do it again to prove it wasn’t a fluke?’”

Throughout the last 50 years, David Pease has proved over and over that his win was no fluke. Now Dean of the School of Art and a professor of painting at Yale, his work has been added to the collections of such institutions as the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “None of them,” he says, “have made as big a difference in the direction my life has taken as having my artwork purchased by the Wisconsin Union.”

The Wisconsin Union boasts 1,300 pieces of art in its permanent collection, including works by such notable UW alums as Dale Chihuly and Bruce Nauman. About half of the pieces have been purchased from the Union’s annual Student Art Show.

“Reflecting the vibrant kaleidoscope of the 20th century, the arts, politics, public discussions and ceremonial occasions have shared the Union stage in a continuing educational ferment that shows no signs of diminishing.”—Fan Taylor, Union Theater Director, 1946–1966; from The Wisconsin Union Theater: Fifty Golden Years

Each year, the Wisconsin Union and its supporters sponsor awards for creative writing; student arts, crafts, and photography; amateur playwriting; and more.

The Wisconsin Union Directorate Film Committee programs more than 150 screenings per year of cult classics, popular favorites, art house hits and international offerings.

Memorial Union became the first college union to include a theater as part of its building when the Union Theater opened in 1939.

“My best college memories are in the Union”

What would college be like if it was all work and no play? Cal Williams didn’t want to find out, so he came to Madison. “As a freshman at Boston University, I visited Madison in summer and got acquainted with the Hoofer sailing program,” he recalls. “It was second only to the Naval Academy at Annapolis.” That was enough for him to pack his bags and head west.

Cal, who says that sailing is his first love, soon discovered an array of recreational activities awaited him at the Wisconsin Union. “I found people with similar interests and made lifelong friends,” he says. “Whether horseback riding, skiing, sailing, or sipping a beverage while listening to music on the Terrace, my best college memories are in the Union.”

After serving as a sailing commodore for two summers, Cal went on to become Hoofer Council President. Today, he continues to dedicate time and talent to the Wisconsin Union as a member of the Memorial Union Building Association.

Though he loves the leisurely lifestyle that can be found at the Union, Cal places a high value on the educational aspect that goes along with it. “My thought at the time was that such a high quality outdoor program enhanced the college experience,” he says. “The experiences in the outdoors balanced the academics.”

“The Union has a unique and superlative opportunity to bridge the gap between classroom and leisure, and enhance the quality of leisure, because it is precisely in the arena of a student’s leisure time that it operates … and the University suddenly finds that it has, through the presence of such a union, a new dimension in education.” —Porter Butts, Union Director, 1926–1968

Leisure & Recreation: An Invigorating Experience

In 2002, Utne Reader named Memorial Union one of America’s best places to hang out.

At the Badger Bash tailgate party at Union South before each football game, approximately 1,400 pounds of brats, 700 gallons of beer and soda, and 60 gallons of ice cream are consumed.

In 1948, Time magazine praised the Wisconsin Union by saying,

“It’s almost impossible not to have a good time at Wisconsin.”

The Wisconsin Union originated intercollegiate game tournaments like billiards, bowling, bridge, and table tennis.

Hoofers was founded in 1931 for campus skiers and has since grown to include seven outdoor recreation clubs: Ski & Snowboard, Mountaineering, Gliding, Riding, Outing, SCUBA, and Sailing.

There are 574 chairs on the Terrace.

Student Leadership: A Hands-On Experience

“A recent graduate told me that he’d been offered a job in a field in which he wanted to work but had no experience. The reason for the offer: the company had seen his Union leadership roles on his résumé and thought it showed the kind of initiative and organizational skills that would benefit their company.”

—Ted Crabb, Union Director Emeritus

“A true leader fosters the development of others and enables them to lead”

In 1993, Miguel Guevara, then a UW student and the Wisconsin Union Directorate Cross Cultures committee director, was concerned that multiculturalism at UW-Madison wasn’t being recognized in a meaningful way. To address the issue, “I explored lasting enhancements that would reflect the growing diversity of our campus,” says Miguel.

To make those enhancements, Guevara, who grew up surrounded by the works of artists that “highlighted the cultural wealth of a hybrid culture,” spearheaded a multicultural mural project at the Wisconsin Union.

Once the Wisconsin Union “embraced the notion of adorning our walls with a rainbow of faces,” Miguel formed the Multicultural Mural Committee, composed of interested UW students, and led the group in securing a location, raising funds, and recruiting an artist.

Reflecting on the project, Miguel says, “The most remarkable lesson is the power of community in cultivating an idea,” adding that the group involved with the project

“learned a lot about each other as we joined each of our lives and history in a collective work.”

Miguel also has deep gratitude to those who provided guidance on the project. “The leaders on the mural project were the individuals who believed in us and encouraged us to proceed: the Union Directorate, staff and Union Trustees,” he says. “I now fully appreciate the spirit of the Wisconsin Union and the faith we have in our future leaders: the students.”

Hoofers established PEOPLE (Providing Equal Outdoor Programming and Leadership Experience) in 1992 to offer people with disabilities access to all Hoofer activities.

“What was most important about my Union experience was the opportunity to learn leadership skills, entrepreneurship, and teamwork.”—Bill Kasdorf, Wisconsin Union Directorate Literary Committee, 1969–1971

The Greater University Tutoring Service (GUTS) opened in Union South in 1976. More than 20,000 students participate in GUTS programs each year, making it the largest organization of its kind at any American college or university.

The Union hired a female student to run the projector in the Play Circle in 1943; she is believed to have been only one of three female projectionists in the country at that time.

“There are very few doors into the field of arts administration, and the Wisconsin Union Directorate Art Committee is certainly one of them.”—Adelia Bussey, Wisconsin Union Directorate Art Committee, 1996–1998

Heart & Soul: A Community Experience

“The Union is an alive organization—both giving life to the greater University and drawing strength from it. Ever mindful of the diverse needs of its members, the shifting political landscape, the evolution of the arts, and the innovative nature of a major research institution, the Union has always changed to meet the times. We must continue to do so. It is the essence of being alive.”

—Mark Guthier, Union Director

“The Union is a family”

For many, the first word that comes to mind when asked about the Wisconsin Union is community. It is a place where students, alumni and friends gather to feel the warmth of community surround them. A place where young people learn to appreciate and enrich the community in which they live. A place that invites the community every day to experience its extraordinary interaction of arts and entertainment, camaraderie and companionship, leisure and learning.

“The Union provides a sense of community that is intrinsically linked with giving people the opportunity to do things they love,” says Hilary Berwick, the 2003/04 Union President. “That’s as close as I can come to describing that indescribable quality that unites such a diverse group of people and draws them back.”

Of course, a community is only as successful as the relationships that develop within. Hilary feels it is that personal connection that inspires a lifelong link to the Union. “It’s introduced me to amazing and impressive people, most of whom have become some of my best friends,” she says.

The friendships formed and the experiences shared at the Wisconsin Union weave together to form the heart and soul of UW-Madison, and to strengthen the ties that last a lifetime. “Each room in the Union has a different memory for me,” Hilary says, “and I know my children and grandchildren will know the Union inside and out.”

“The Union gave me a sense of family when I was alone at school, a thousand miles from home … I remember a special place I fit in, where I was made to feel welcome and loved.”—Paula Perrone Neuman, ’75

“Had we not served on Directorate together, we might never have crossed paths.”—Ralph Ebbott, ’48, who met Elizabeth Adams, his wife of 48 years, at the Union

“As a young commuter student, I sometimes felt alone and unconnected. The Union provided a place where you could always find someone you knew and feel that you were part of the larger campus community.”—Rolfe Kellor, ’61

Since Memorial Union opened its doors in 1928, more than 80,000 alumni and friends have become members.

Together, Memorial Union and Union South welcome an average of 14,000 guests each day.