PLATO Weekly Update

February 1, 2022

CURRICULUM

 SPRING COURSES

Spring Registration is still open with 40 courses to choose from – 17 are in-person, 22 are virtual and one is via email. Four of these courses are hybrid, meaning there is an in-person or virtual option. Learn more on the COURSES webpage. 

And, please take a moment to review how to help make courses pleasant for all PLATO members by reading this brief article. 

 REMINDER

These COVID-19 Protocols are required for in-person courses:

· Wear masks inside of Host Location buildings.

· Follow social distancing guidelines.

· Follow any additional guidelines required at Host Locations - visit the Courses Page or check with your course coordinator.

SPECIAL EVENTS

LECTURES
NEW! Do you speak Badger? Join Professor Joe Salmons as he leads us in an informative and fun conversation on Wisconsin English – pronunciations, words, associations, and grammar. This is a virtual lecture and registration is required.

Also, explore archived PLATO Lectures on a variety of topics. 

BREAKFAST GATHERINGS
Join us on Friday, February 11th at 9:30am for good company and food at The Marquette Hotel Café, located at 414 South Baldwin Street in the heart of the Willy Street neighborhood. RSVP and other COVID-19 Protocols are required. RSVP and learn more here.

THEATER TRIPS 
Our trip to see a matinee of a Beatles-inspired version of As You Like It at the Milwaukee Rep on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 is now full but you can still join the wait list. Interwoven into Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy, the production features more than 20 Beatles songs performed live, including "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". We will take a chartered bus with convenient pick-up/drop-off stops around Madison. Registration and other COVID-19 protocols are required. Join the wait list and learn more here.

REMINDER 
These COVID-19 Protocols are required for in-person special events:

· Masks are required at all times, except while eating.

· You will need to show: 

o   A picture ID.

o   Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or proof of negative results of a COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to the event. The test must be issued by a medical provider or pharmacy. At home tests will not be accepted. 

· You will not be allowed to join the event without providing acceptable documentation.

· Please stay home if you are not feeling well and contact the trip organizer to inform them of your decision.

COVID-19 UPDATE

PLEASE READ the latest advice from PLATO’s COVID-19 Workgroup which provides recommendations about the most effective types of masks and a link to request four free at-home tests from the U.S. Government.

FEATURED AGORA WORKS

Visit The Agora Features webpage for highlights from this past season, created and curated by fellow PLATO members for your enjoyment. 

Our Biweekly Featured Offering for January 25th - February 7th is Coastline, a poem by Nancy Cross Dunham, inspired by a photograph she took on retreat in Hawaii that she calls "a visual meditation on impermanence".

SOCIAL JUSTICE EVENTS & READINGS

Select from a range of topics and formats 

for your Winter reading, viewing, or listening, 

curated by PLATO's Diversity Awareness Committee.

DID YOU KNOW? for February 1 - 13, 2022

Dr. Charles E. Anderson was the first black man to receive a PhD in Meteorology (MIT, 1960) and first black man to earn tenure at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was a Dean at UW-Madison (in the 1970’s and 1980’s), pioneered research and work that involved minimizing contrails of high-altitude aircrafts, worked extensively as a leading expert on severe storms and tornadoes, and made discoveries in the meteorology of other planets. 

Dr. Anderson was not only a distinguished scientist and meteorologist, but also an African American Studies scholar and teacher, serving as Professor of Afro-American Studies for several years at UW-Madison.

Visit the Social Justice Webpage for more about Charles E. Anderson & past DID YOU KNOW? features.

DID YOU KNOW? – spotlighting notable contributions made by non-mainstream individuals you might not have learned or read about. Suggestions for inclusions are welcome (send to Kathy at: ksmichaelis@gmail.com).