University Housing welcomes thousands of summer residents

During a period of 13 weeks this summer University Housing is hosting residential programs involving 106 groups that will collectively bring some 16,000 guests to campus, including residents and local commuters who will be staying in University Housing facilities.

The programs began in May and will end in mid-August.

As usual, there are plenty of sports camps being held, including basketball, golf, soccer, rowing, hockey and track and field, to name just a few.

The largest and oldest gathering is the Wisconsin 4-H and Youth Conference, which took place last month with more than 620 participants. It is the longest standing residential program on campus and has held its conference here for 92 years.

In June, there was the Yet Another Perl Conference, with 48 on-campus residents. It is an inexpensive technical conference with its roots in the Perl Mongers user groups, celebrating the Perl programming language and accessible to anyone, regardless of experience.

During the summer, 13 Student Orientation, Advising and Registration (SOAR) sessions are held. They began on June 4 and will end by mid-August.

From July 15-19, the 10th International Congress on the Biology of Fish will take place at at Monona Terrace. It brings together researchers from around the world to discuss various topics that focus on aquatic genetics and development.

On July 30, MathFest begins at Monona Terrace, with an estimated attendance of 600 participants.

Also among the scores of other residential programs on campus this summer are: Summer Science Camp; Science on Wheels; the Japan-America Student Conference; Music Clinics; International Farmers; Grandparents University; the PEOPLE program; the Graduate School of Banking; iD Tech Camp; Science on Wheels; Upward Bound; and the Zebrafish Conference.

“We appreciate the annual programs being flexible in terms of planning around facility renovations and construction,” says Sharon Seagren, director of Conference Services with University Housing, noting that this summer Cole Hall and Carson Gulley Commons closed for projects.

“We are eager for the opening in August of the new Dejope Residence Hall and the Gordon Dining and Event Center,” Seagren says.