Wisconsin Union Adds New Events, Activities to 2019 Winter Carnival Lineup

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Information:

Shauna Breneman, Communications Director

Office: (608) 262-8862

Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu

WISCONSIN UNION ADDS NEW EVENTS, ACTIVITIES TO 2019 WINTER CARNIVAL LINEUP

MADISON – The Wisconsin Union’s Winter Carnival will return Jan. 31-Feb. 3 with many new events and activities, such as yoga on Lake Mendota.

Additional new events this year include: hot chocolates from around the world, gingerbread house-making, virtual reality scuba diving, origami-making, live performances by electric bassist Josh Cohen and folk band The Tillers with fiddle champ Georgia Rae, custom trail mix-making, and more. Guests will also be able to enjoy classic Winter Carnival events.

Put on by the Wisconsin Union team since 1940, Winter Carnival is a long-standing tradition of providing opportunities to take part in outdoor recreation and celebrate winter.

“To really experience winter in Madison, you have to go to Winter Carnival,” Wisconsin Union President Mills Botham said. “It’s easy to get in the habit of staying in during the colder winter months, but Madison and its frozen lakes offer much to see and do during this time. There are many ways to get outdoors and have fun, and the Wisconsin Union is proud to help create opportunities to stay active all winter long.”

The Festival will kick off Jan. 31 with multiple free activities, including a hike to a bonfire at Picnic Point. The Union will provide free snowshoes and cross country skis and boots rentals for this event, while supplies last. Three additional days of activities will follow, including many family-friendly options.

All members of the community, including UW-Madison staff, faculty and students as well as Wisconsin Union members and guests are invited to experience the Carnival.

The majority of Carnival events are made possible by Wisconsin Union Directorate and Hoofers student leaders at the Wisconsin Union. These leaders organize, promote and execute thousands of events throughout the year, including cultural events and outdoor recreation.

“It takes everyone at the Wisconsin Union, especially our talented student leaders, to make Winter Carnival possible,” Wisconsin Union Director Mark Guthier said. “We also appreciate the support of area organizations in helping us grow this celebration.”

Community partners with which the Union is collaborating on various events include Allen Centennial Gardens, Clean Lakes Alliance, the Sugar Maple Music Festival, University Ridge Golf Course, the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association, and longtime Carnival partner the UW-Madison Division of Recreational Sports.

To learn more about the Winter Carnival, including the full schedule of events and activities, visit union.wisc.edu/wintercarnival.

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About the Wisconsin Union

The Wisconsin Union enhances the lives of members and visitors through recreational, cultural, educational and social opportunities. Formed in 1907, the Wisconsin Union is a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more about the Union and its tradition of providing experiences for a lifetime: union.wisc.edu.

 [Note to the editor: Click here to download a photo from a past Winter Carnival.Photo provided by the Wisconsin Union.]

Downtown Breakfast Eatery offers Better Together: A V-Day celebration of love in all its forms

Contact:

Andrea Collins, Director of Sustainability

Short Stack Eatery, 301 W. Johnson St.

andrea@shortstackeats.com 608.709.5569

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Downtown Breakfast Eatery offers Better Together: A V-Day celebration of love in all its forms

Madison, WI — January 18, 2019

Everyone loves breakfast, and for the second year in a row Short Stack Eatery is proud to offer Better Together, an event celebrating love in all its forms for Valentine’s Day 2019. Short Stack believes that we are all Better Together, so you can be sure that your race, religion, age, ability, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other label that might be cause for consternation when dining somewhere new will be honored and welcome.

Brunch-lovers are invited to enjoy locally sourced, made-from-scratch favorites such as the eggs benedict, biscuits and gravy, pecan streusel French toast, or decadent sweet potato oatmeal pancakes with maple bourbon mascarpone. Better Together will also feature LGBTQ+ inclusive drink specials named to honor major figures and milestones in the LGBTQ+ movement, both globally and locally.

Do you love breakfast, but want to try something new? The “blind special” gives customers the opportunity to try a chef’s special mystery dish that isn’t included on the regular menu. The blind special changes daily and can be ordered for just $7 if customers don’t ask what it is!

Like last year during Better Together, blind specials will be VEGAN! Unlike last year, they will be vegan the ENTIRE MONTH OF FEBRUARY!

A fun, open-minded, quirky local breakfast eatery, Short Stack’s tables are adorned with old love letters, postcards, and even notes and letters from old employees and loyal customers. Natural light illuminates the restaurant through wall-sized windows and lively green plants bring a touch of natural beauty to the space. Most importantly, the Trans Pride flag and Philadelphia Pride Flag (which includes an added black and brown stripe) are proudly displayed in the windows in the restaurant, to show solidarity with the trans community and LGBTQA+ people of color.

This year, Short Stack is picking up a page from the online community art project PostSecret and we’re inviting the community to engage with us by writing postcards to SSE (anonymously or otherwise), touching upon these two questions:

“Who do you love?” and “What does love mean to you?”

Submissions can be homemade, or folks have the opportunity to take advantage of the materials in Anthology’s craft room (230 State Street) or at Short Stack itself to craft about love in the weeks prior to Better Together. The windows and walls of Short Stack will be adorned with these PostSecrets during Better Together to celebrate love — whatever that means to you.

Through their Organization of the Month (OTM) program, Short Stack supports a different non-profit organization by donating a portion of each month’s sales and utilizing space in the restaurant and on social media platforms to spread the word. In the month of February, GSAFE will be their OTM. An organization that supports K-12 LGBTQ+ youth, GSAFE works with students, educators, and families to create schools — and a world — free from oppression based on gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, race, or other identities.

By eating at Short Stack during the entire month of February, you will directly support the important work that GSAFE does state-wide.

Co-owners, Sinéad McHugh and Alex Lindenmeyer, have been very clear about setting their intentions for creating a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere for all – and not just for Valentine’s Day.

“If you’ve ever had negative connotations about Valentine’s Day, we’ve got you,” says Lindenmeyer. “When you’re sick of the roses and chocolate and you just want to come and have pancakes with the person or people you love, we’re holding a space for you.”

SSE is proud to now officially have restrooms that are not qualified by a gender. Instead, a sign is affixed on each restroom door that describes the facilities available inside so that each customer may choose whichever restroom best suits their needs. SSE celebrates gender diversity and recognizes the threat that gendered restrooms impose on queer communities. Everyone can feel empowered and confident in choosing the restroom they feel comfortable choosing.

“All people are always welcome in our restaurant. We also recognize that Valentine’s Day is a very heteronormative celebration and that there are endless connections between which love thrives.” says Andrea Collins, Short Stack’s Director of Sustainability. “During Better Together, we intentionally invite communities who might feel like Valentine’s Day is not for them into our space to celebrate love, connection, togetherness, and pancakes.”

Short Stack Eatery will be open during its regular hours for the week of Valentine’s Day:

Wednesday 6am-3pm

Thursday 6am-midnight
Friday 6am-midnight
Saturday 6am – Sunday 9pm (yes, the whole time!)

Mailing address: 301 West Johnson Street, Madison, WI 53703

Check out their Facebook page for more information!

Richard Campbell Joins Alliance Board

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Lisa Wendorff, Marketing Communications Specialist

Telephone 608.210.6658; E-mail: lwendorff@the-alliance.org

www.the-alliance.org/news-and-press

RICHARD CAMPBELL JOINS ALLIANCE BOARD

MADISON, Wis. (Jan. 21, 2019) ─ Richard Campbell, head of human resources at ABS Global, DeForest, Wis., has been appointed to fill a vacant position on The Alliance Board of Directors.

Campbell joined ABS Global, a division of Genus PLC, in 2018. His responsibilities include focusing the organization’s human resources on serving as a business partner in developing talent to meet strategic and tactical needs. Campbell previously held human resources leadership positions at Glanbia and CUNA Mutual Group. ABS Global has been an Alliance member since July 2000.

The Alliance board also includes:

• Diana Clark, benefits manager, Promega Corporation, Madison, Wis.
• Wendy Culver, human resources director, Mead & Hunt, Madison, Wis.
• Mick Gronewold, owner, Fehr Graham, Rockford, Ill.
• Lisa Henke, risk/benefits manager, County of Walworth, Elkhorn, Wis.
• Annette Mikula, human resources director, Rock County, Janesville, Wis.
• Brad Olm, vice president of human resources, Gordon Flesch Company, Inc., Madison, Wis.
• Larry Pribyl, CFO, Trachte Building Systems, Sun Prairie, Wis.
• Kyle Reading, president, Spuncast, Watertown, Wis.
• Shirley Reif, secretary-treasurer, Crest Foods Company, Inc., Ashton Ill.

The Alliance Board of Directors works together with staff to set the direction for The Alliance. The Alliance is a not-for-profit cooperative that moves health care forward by controlling costs, improving quality and engaging individuals in their health. Members include more than 240 self-funded employers and multiemployer plans in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa.

To learn more about The Alliance Board, including biographies, visit: www.the-alliance.org/board

2019 Benchmark Report for Education

M3 Insurance has released our first-ever Benchmark Report for Education. This is a publication focused on the health insurance costs and plan designs of educational entities throughout the state of Wisconsin.

The report leverages data collected from M3 educational clients to provide a snapshot of the market over the past year. This type of data can help professionals in the education sector better understand the unique challenges they face when structuring  health plans verses those of peers regionally and throughout Wisconsin.

According to data from the past year, health insurance costs in the education sector experienced a 4.1 percent rate of change in 2018. This rate is slightly lower than the average public sector change and overall trend reported in the M3 2018 Health Care Trend Report.

DOWNLOAD THE M3 BENCHMARK REPORT FOR EDUCATION

If you’d like to have a discussion on specific report findings in relation to your health insurance costs, contact your M3 Account Executive.  Hard copies of the report are available upon request.

What We Think it Takes to be a Customers’ Choice

What We Think it Takes to be a Customers’ Choice

InfoSec Institute named a January 2019 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for Security Awareness Computer-Based Training

MADISON, Wis., Jan. 17, 2019 – Coming out of a year with record revenue and workforce growth, InfoSec Institute is starting 2019 by announcing it is a January 2019 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for Security Awareness Computer-Based Training for its SecurityIQ training platform.

Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice distinctions are based on both quantity and quality of reviews written by the product users.

“Our success is built on a foundation of constant innovation driven by what our clients tell us they need,” said Jack Koziol, InfoSec Institute CEO. “This Gartner distinction is based on our clients’ opinion of our products and the service they receive. We think that makes being a Customers’ Choice all the more gratifying.”

InfoSec Institute, also recognized as a November 2018 Challenger in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Security Awareness Computer-Based Training for SecurityIQ, integrates security awareness training, phishing simulations and personalized learning in one platform to drop organizational phishing susceptibility rates and motivate behavioral change. The platform features 1,000s of realistic phishing templates and more than 500 interactive training modules in 32 languages.

InfoSec Institute is rated 4.7 out of 5 stars on Gartner Peer Insights based on more than 136 client reviews for SecurityIQ.* Reviews include:

• “This vendor is excellent. I have worked with many in the past [and] no one else is as ready to help as the SecurityIQ team. I can always count on them to provide amazing service.” — Associate Security Analyst in Finance

• “We were looking for a product to replace our present vendor for Phish testing. What we found with SecurityIQ is a platform that does so much more than that, it’s a robust platform that takes care of all our security awareness and testing. I am very impressed by all the updates and new content that comes out almost weekly.” — Director of Information Security in Manufacturing

• “Their engineering team was willing to work with us to provide custom content and UI. Implementation was a breeze and they walked me through step-by-step on setting up our first campaign.” — Senior Information Security Engineer in Finance

In 2018, InfoSec Institute experienced record growth, achieving 38 percent revenue growth for SecurityIQ, posting the company’s 18th consecutive year of profitability and doubling its workforce. The number of SecurityIQ students has increased 115 percent in 2018 and more than 160,000 students have been trained since the company’s inception in 2004.

Learn more about the 2019 Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for Security Awareness Computer-Based Training.

Gartner, Inc., Magic Quadrant for Security Awareness Computer-Based Training, Joanna Huisman, November 13, 2018

*All ratings are current as of January 15, 2019; reviews have been edited to account for errors and readability.

About Peer Insights:

Peer Insights is an online platform of ratings and reviews of IT software and services that are written and read by IT professionals and technology decision-makers. The goal is to help IT leaders make more insightful purchase decisions and help technology providers improve their products by receiving objective, unbiased feedback from their customers. Gartner Peer Insights includes more than 70,000 verified reviews in more than 200 markets. For more information, please visit www.gartner.com/reviews/home.

Gartner Disclaimers

Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice constitute the subjective opinions of individual end-user reviews, ratings, and data applied against a documented methodology; they neither represent the views of, nor constitute an endorsement by, Gartner or its affiliates.

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About InfoSec Institute  

InfoSec Institute fortifies organizations of all sizes against security threats with its award-winning security education solutions. Recognizing cybersecurity is everyone’s job, the company provides skills training and certification prep courses for security professionals while building workforce security aptitude through awareness training and phishing simulations. Recognized as a Gartner Peer Insights Customers’ Choice for Security Awareness Computer-Based Training, InfoSec Institute is also a Training Industry “Top 20 IT Training Company” and Gold Winner in Info Security Products Guide’s Global Excellence Awards for Security Training & Education.

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Media contact:

Jeff McCollum

Media & Public Affairs Manager

InfoSec Institute

608-509-9804

jeff.mccollum@infosecinstitute.com