2008-2009 Buckys Award Winners
The Buckys is an esteemed awards banquet that recognizes outstanding student leaders and student organizations. Awards are given to those organizations that go above and beyond, and work hard to constantly serve the campus and community.
For more information on the Buckys and how to apply for the 2009-2010 awards, please contact the Organization Development Consultants at odc.slp@gmail.com.
Outstanding Freshman Award
The Center for First Year Experience Outstanding Freshman Award is presented to the freshman enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has gone above and beyond and shown personal growth throughout the year.
This year, the award was given to Jeffrey Vinokur.
Outstanding Senior Award
The Office of the Dean of Students Outstanding Senior Award is presented to the graduating senior enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who has gone above and beyond and shown personal growth throughout their time spent at the University.
This year, the award goes to Brittany Wiegand.
Outstanding Service Award
The Morgridge Center Award for Outstanding Service recognizes a student organization that has participated in service activities throughout the academic year and has hosted at least one service activity beneficial to the campus community.
This year, the award was given to Best Buddies Madison.
Best Buddies works to enhance the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-to-one friendships. They match UW students with people in the community with intellectual disabilities and encourage a very unique friendship. They have individual and group outings to further develop those friendships. http://www.bestbuddies.org
Outstanding Leadership Award
The Center for Leadership and Involvement Award for Outstanding Leadership recognizes a student organization that has excelled in fostering leadership growth, and has provided leadership opportunities for not only members, but for the campus and surrounding community. This organization promotes the setting of concrete goals and provides opportunities for members to achieve their goals.
This year, the award was given to the Student Leadership Program.
The Student Leadership Program provides leadership education to the student groups, thereby developing the leadership skills of their members and the student body. The Student Leadership Program strives to be a cutting edge resource on leadership issues and programs. http://cfli.wisc.edu/slp
Program Development Award
The School of Business Accenture Leadership Center Program Development Award recognizes a student organization that effectively plans and produces a unique event that benefits campus. This organization has a successful and effective marketing plan, sets concrete goals, and incorporates learning outcomes into the event.
This year, the award was given to WISPIRG.
WISPIRG is a student activist group. They are a student directed advocate for consumer rights, environmental protection, democracy issues, and hunger and homelessness issues. Through grassroots activism and civic participation, WISPIRG seeks to empower students, enabling them to make meaningful change on the issues they care about. http://www.wispirgstudents.org
Excellence in Innovation Award
The Award for Excellence in Innovation recognizes a student organization that has created a new program, event, organization, or a new aspect of an existing program, event or organization that has benefitted the campus. This organization has effectively marketed the addition, and as provided extensive evaluations of the new addition to determine it’s importance to the campus.
This year, the award was given to Spill.
Spill is an anonymous, non-judgmental support system made up of and for UW-Madison students struggling with common college issues, and want the opportunity to just vent to someone. It’s peer-to-peer support away from the clinical setting that allows for an outlet for life-stressors faced by students (eating disorders, relationship problems, alcohol or drug abuse, loneliness, roommate quarrels, etc.), as well as the opportunity to give anonymous advice and comfort to other students dealing with similar struggles on campus. They match up students who anonymously write in (spillers) with student facilitators who have dealt with similar past challenges. We are aimed at relating to one another, sharing previous experience, and making other people on campus realize that they are not alone. http://sites.google.com/site/spillmadison
Valued Membership Award
The UW Credit Union award for Valued Membership is rewarded to the organization that provides numerous opportunities for its members to grow and actively fosters communication and interaction among members. This organization also provides a system to track members’ involvement, and also to recognize those members that are going above and beyond what is expected.
This year, the award was given to the Public Relations Student Society of America.
Public Relations Student Society of America prepares members for successful integration into the public relations industry through hands on experience. They provide access to our national organization, internships, scholarships, contacts and other professional opportunities. http://prssa.rso.wisc.edu
Excellence in Social Justice Award
The Multicultural Student Center Award forExcellence in Social Justice is given to the organization that participates in at least one event, and hosts at least one event that concerns issues of social justice (including, but not limited to: racism, disabilities, socio-economics, LGBTA, etc.). This organization must provide learning outcomes and reflection for each activity.
This year, the award was given to Students for Equal Marriage.
Students for Equal Marriage work to gain equality in Marriage for Homosexual couples through public speeches around the state, demonstrations, and traveling and speaking around the state to different campuses.
Wisconsin Experience Award
The Wisconsin Experience Award reflects the Wisconsin Experience, established from the 100-year old Wisconsin idea that what we do matters and together we can solve any problem. (More information on the Wisconsin Experience: http://learning.wisc.edu). This award focuses on the "reflection and integrative learning" aspect of the Wisconsin Experience, and recognizes the student organization that excels in providing opportunities for both service and leadership to its members and the campus community. This organization hosts service activities throughout the academic year, and provides the chance for members to reflect. This organization also actively offers opportunities for its members to grow in leadership, while providing activities for the campus community that involve service and enhance the leadership skills of the members and of campus.
This year, the award was given to Action in Sudan.
The mission of Action in Sudan is to educate people about the history of violence and genocide in Sudan and turn that education into action, both political and educational. They work through letter-writing, calling Congress and international organizations, lobbying, educational talks given by informed speakers, recruiting support for the cause, Wisconsin divestment campaign, and help raise money to help and educate the refugees and survivors. http://actioninsudan.rso.wisc.edu/pages/index.shtml
Discovery Award
The Discovery Award recognizes the student organization that creates and coordinates a campus-wide event that provides clear benefits to the campus community, and has learning outcomes for its members. This new addition must provide benefits to the campus community and to the organization's members. This organization also shows great strides in innovation by either creating a brand new activity, being a new organization itself, or creating a new and improved aspect of an organization or event.
This year, the award was given to Vets for Vets.
The primary function of Vets for Vets is to communicate veteran education benefit information to student veterans (including reservists, Guard members and dependents), and educate students about the "student veteran experience" at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Benefit Vets for Vets provides briefing seminars & interactive social events available to all UW-Madison students. http://www.uwvetsforvets.org
Inclusivity Award
The Inclusivity Award is presented to the organization that fosters learning opportunities and contributes to the scholastic and leadership growth for its members, and focuses on fostering interactions between members. This organization also excels in promoting awareness and offering events and attendance at social justice related activities.
This year, the award was given to Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc.
Kappa Delta Chi Sorority, Inc. is an organization that advocates community outreach, social awareness and celebrates the accomplishments of young women of all nationalities, backgrounds and all walks of life. They promote the traditional values of Unity, Honesty, Integrity and Leadership among women at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They are dedicated to service for the university and the minority community with a special emphasis on the Latino/a population. http://kdxalpha-kappa.rso.wisc.edu
Dean's Award of Excellence
This award is presented to the organization that excels in the three pillars, Wisconsin Experience, Discovery, and Innovation. Therefore, this organization actively works to incorporate, effective program planning, innovation, leadership service, valued membership, and social justice.
This year, the award was given to Health Occupations Students of America.
UW-HOSA strives to provide cutting edge resources, exploration of careers in the health sciences, and enhance opportunities for knowledge, skill, and leadership development for all undergraduate students. UW-HOSA's motto: Creating the health-care leaders of tomorrow. http://www.uwhosa.com