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Do your holiday shopping on campus

December 9, 1998

From T-rex tooth replicas to weather devices, UW–Madison has plenty to stuff your stockings

Fearful of the mall this holiday season? Weary from trekking across acres of parking lot? Having a hard time running that elusive, all-important gift to earth?

Relax. Here, in no particular order, are 10 gift ideas from UW–Madison that can make holiday shopping easier and less aggravating. All are unique to the University and sales benefit campus academic, outreach and social programs.

  • A night in the Memorial Union: For as little as $51 a night, you can reserve a room with a view of Lake Mendota and the Union Terrace. The Union has half-a-dozen guest rooms ranging in price from $51 to $68, all with lake views. (Prices are a bit higher for non-members.) Make your reservations early. Rooms are hard or impossible to come by on football weekends and during commencement. To book a room, call (608) 265-3000.
  • A cast replica of a T. rex tooth: Take home a pointed reminder of the top carnosaur of the Cretaceous. A plaster cast that is an exact copy of a 6-inch T. rex tooth unearthed during a UW–Madison Geology Museum expedition to the badlands of eastern Montana. Cost: A bargain at $12. Available only at the UW- Madison Geology Museum, Room A120 Weeks Hall, 1215 W. Dayton St.
  • Landscape Plants of the Upper Midwest on CD ROM: Plan your landscaping with this CD from the UW–Madison department of horticulture. Features 1,800 quality color photographs of more than 600 species of plants displaying flowers, fruit, fall color and other ornamental features. Cost: $20.95. Call Karen Denk at (608) 262-1490 to reserve a copy for the gardener in the family. Or mail a check or money order, payable to the Department of Horticulture, to 1575 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706.
  • John Steuart Curry Exhibit Catalog: The Elvehjem Museum’s 1998 exhibit of the work of UW–Madison’s first artist in residence is cataloged. Available in hardcover for $32 from the Elvehjem’s Museum Shop, in the museum at 800 University Ave.
  • Say it with cheese: What better way to show affection or perpetuate a stereotype than by a gift of cheese? From Babcock Hall and the Food Science Club, choose from an assortment of gift boxes with more species of cheese than you can shake a sausage at. Prices range from $11 to $40. Available at the Babcock Dairy Store, 1605 Linden Drive, or by calling (608) 262-3045.
  • Concert tickets: The UW-Madison 150th Anniversary Concert, Feb. 7, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., will be a feast of music featuring the School of Music’s symphony orchestra, jazz ensemble, choral union, concert choir and UW- Madison marching band. Cost: Adults $5, students $3, age 12 and under $2. Tickets go on sale Wednesday (Dec. 9) at the Kohl Center and all Ticket Master locations. Proceeds benefit the UW–Madison Sesquicentennial Undergraduate Scholarship Fund.
  • Nostalgia: Available vicariously through a set of 12 note cards featuring the art deco prints of artist Charles R. Overman. The artwork, used in the 1932 Badger Yearbook, features scenes from University of Wisconsin campus life of 65 years ago. Available at University Bookstore. Cost: $29.95. Proceeds benefit the Wisconsin Alumni Association and are used in support of UW–Madison sesquicentennial activities.
  • Millions of books: For the book lover, a membership in the Friends of the Libraries is a way to support the continuing excellence of a great research library system. Benefits include Friends lectures, Friends magazine, invitations to special library events and a membership card that allows access and borrowing privileges. Cost: $15 for students, $25 for individual memberships and $30 for families. For membership details, call (608) 262-2566 or stop in Room 976 of the Memorial Library, 728 State St.
  • The gift of research: For a few dollars, you can support research into the diseases and afflictions faced by our companion animals, also known as pets. For a donation of $5 per card, the UW–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine Companion Animal Fund will hand sign and mail a card in your name to the animal lover on your list. Hurry, the deadline for ordering cards is Dec. 14. Send a list of intended card recipients along with their complete addresses, and an indication of how you wish the cards to be signed to: Companion Animal Fund, 2015 Linden Drive West, Madison, WI 53706. Checks should be made payable to the UW Foundation.
  • For the weather weenie in your life: You’ll never have to go to the trouble of hoisting the old weather balloon again if you’re packing the AERI, the Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer. Made only at UW–Madison’s Space Science and Engineering Center, the AERI is a portable, computer-sized device that can provide a handy profile of atmospheric temperature, trace gases such as ozone and carbon dioxide, and water vapor. Perfect for airport managers and professional weather forecasters. Cost: $250,000. Scientist not included.