The Viterbo University Conservatory for the Performing Arts chose a challenging Sondheim show to open its 2024-25 season, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and came through with flying colors.

Faculty member Brittany Bara directed the student cast, led by senior music theatre major Zach Sullivan (pictured above) in the title role.

Up next for student productions is Tom Stoppard's absurdist tragicomedy, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, which hits the stage Nov. 15-17 at the Weber Center for the Performing Arts.

The two newly planted pollinator gardens flanking the Fine Arts Center might not look like much yet, but a couple summers from now they'll be abuzz with activity. They'll provide a healthy habitat for pollinating creatures, certainly, but the gardens also are intended to serve as a vibrant and visible reminder of Viterbo's commitment to sustainability.

Viterbo seniors Emily McCurdy and Ben Lisek helped make the long-discussed pollinator garden a reality over the summer when they successfully applied for a $5,000 Youth Climate Action Grant from the city of La Crosse. In addition to paying for nearly 300 native flowering plants and grasses for the gardens, the grant also paid for a delegation of Viterbo faculty, staff, and students to attend a campus sustainability conference in the Twin Cities.
Read more about the gardens and other campus sustainability activities.

As is tradition, the first week of October on the Viterbo campus was dedicated to celebrating St. Francis of Assisi, with the week culminating in Franny Fest to mark his feast day. Students and employees are treated to lunch on the Assisi Courtyard, along with music, games, and the always popular petting zoo. The day ends with Blessing of the Pets, an attraction for animal lovers on campus and beyond.

The next week, the university celebrated the annual Viterbo Days alumni weekend, kicked off with the Day of Giving, which saw more than $300,000 in gifts to Viterbo. In addition, the weekend included the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony, alumni reunions, and the fall choir concert at which students were joined by alumni singers.

Check out the photo galleries on Flickr for a taste of October's festivities.

Viterbo recently celebrated the opening of Threads to Thrive, a new campus career clothes closet in Room 125 of Brophy Center. 

The purpose of Threads to Thrive is to empower students to look and feel their best by offering free-of-charge clothing suited for interviews, presentations, and career events. This resource is available to all Viterbo students to help ensure they have the opportunity to dress for success.

People who would like to support Threads to Thrive by donating gently used professional clothing, may drop off donations in the Dahl School of Business office in Brophy Center on campus or email Danielle Rhodes to coordinate pickup.

The spring schedule was released on Oct. 14, and the first group of students can register for classes on Monday, Nov. 4. This three-week period gives your student time to meet with their assigned advisor to receive the required approval to register. 

During this meeting, they review planned courses, pick course sections, discuss research or internship plans, and affirm your student feels like they are on the “right track” and supported. If your student is questioning any of this, they can discuss with their advisor or make an appointment to meet with our career advisor. 

Encourage your student to pay any outstanding fees/fines, take care of known registration holds, and find their assigned academic advisor in their Starfish Success Network and contact them to set up a registration approval meeting. Multiple communications will go to your student in the coming weeks to encourage their participation.

Viterbo Dining is dedicated to providing delicious, nutritious meals to keep our students energized and healthy. October has been packed with exciting events, kicking off with World Vegetarian Day on Oct. 1, offering students a variety of flavorful plant-based options. As part of our commitment to variety, National Taco Day on Oct. 4 brought an added layer of fun to Franny Fest.

For students looking to stretch their dining dollars, Oct. 14 was a great time to participate in our V-Bucks Reload Promotion, making it easy to top off their accounts. The fall season wouldn't be complete without our Fall Fest celebration on Oct. 24, with hearty autumnal meals in focus.

Of course, we make sure no birthday goes unnoticed with our monthly celebration on Oct. 30, and Tricked Out Halloween on the 31st will offer spooky-themed treats and décor.

With these events and an ongoing commitment to healthy, balanced meals, Viterbo Dining ensures students are well-fed and ready for success all month long.

Questions? Email Havin Rehwinkel, Viterbo's director of dining services.

This is normally the time of year when we start communicating with students and families to start working on their FAFSA for the following academic year. However, much like last year, the launch of the 2025-26 FAFSA has been delayed.

The anticipated launch date for next year’s FAFSA is Dec. 1. In the meantime, the Federal Student Aid Estimator is available online. This will give an estimate of the Student Aid Index (SAI), and it will also give estimated federal financial aid eligibility for Pell Grants, federal Direct loans, and federal work-study. Please note, this will not give information about state funded financial aid or institutional aid that Viterbo has to offer students.

In the more immediate future, student bills are due to be paid in full by Oct. 31 to avoid any finance charges. If it looks like there is financial aid that has been accepted but not applied to your student account, your student should contact the financial aid office to see if there are any additional requirements that need to be completed. We can always be reached at financialaid@viterbo.edu or 608-796-3900.

The deadline to pay student accounts in full to avoid interest for fall 2024 is Oct. 31. Students with unpaid balances in November have until the 30^th of the month to pay in full to avoid interest. The final day to have accounts paid in full, including interest, is Friday, Dec. 13.

Email notices will be sent to students and approved parent proxies with reminders about these dates throughout the remainder of the fall semester. Payments can be made online in Self-Service, through the mail, or in person at the business office in Room 214 of Murphy Center.

For all other important dates, please visit the Student Information page.

Students can add parents and family members as a proxy if they want them to have direct access to their account and academic information. 

(If you are interested in adding a proxy for ADA accommodations, dietary concerns, or student conduct, email the Student Life Office and they will walk you through that process. 

If you have any questions regarding your student account, call the business office at 608-796-3850.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Viterbo University has taken active steps to raise awareness and provide resources to students and employees. Efforts kicked off with the Red Zone campaign in September, highlighting the heightened risks of sexual and domestic violence during the first weeks of the academic year. 

On Viterbo Speaks Up Day (Sept. 24), safety whistles were distributed to students to promote personal safety and reporting. Additionally, the university "turned the campus purple" with ribbons and signage to show solidarity with domestic abuse survivors throughout the month.

These efforts were made possible through the collaboration of students, employees, and community partners like New Horizons, which works to support victims and survivors of violence. 

Looking ahead, we have Demystifying Domestic Violence Week (Oct. 21–25). This week will feature daily messaging and a dedicated social media campaign to further educate the Viterbo community about domestic violence, its signs, and how to seek help. 

October also serves as Depression and Anxiety Awareness Month (linked to counseling services). We encourage family, friends, and faculty to submit concerns for the well-being of students at the Viterbo Speaks Up reporting site so that we can work together to care, and support, the students of concern.

If your student has leadership potential, you might want to talk to them about some opportunities to gain leadership skills while working on campus. We're looking for students for the following opportunities, with applications being accepted through the Handshake platform:

►Service Saturday student leaders
►Weekends at VU student programmers
►Violence prevention peer educator

In addition, we already are starting the process of hiring next year's crew of resident assistants, which we consider to be among the most important leaders on campus. Applications for RA positions are being accepted through Nov. 27.