New & Updated Items posted Jan. 31, 2008

UVI Research and Technology Park
Directors to Meet Feb. 1 on St. Croix

The Board of Directors of the University of the Virgin Islands Research and Technology Park will meet at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 1, 2008, at the Park office on St. Croix. The meeting will be held to specifically discuss the press conference strategy, and the Baltimore Technology Park agreement. The meeting will be held via teleconference. Interested parties may visit the offices of Research and Technology Park on UVI's St. Croix campus to participate. For details, contact Denise Kurg at 693-1118.

Bucs to Host UPR-Rio Piedras
for Home Opener Friday, Feb. 1

The UVI Athletic Department has announced that the LAI league has determined that UVI's league opening home basketball games on Friday, Feb. 1, against University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras, will be played as scheduled.

UVI's Lady Bucs will take the court first in a 7 p.m. contest. The Buccaneers men's game will follow at 9 p.m. The games will be played in the UVI Sports and Fitness Center on the St. Thomas campus.

UVI Associate Athletic Director Curtis Gilpin is encouraging the UVI community to come out to support the Lady Bucs and the Buccaneers at 2008 home games. Bucs "Spirit Towels" are being offered to staff and students for a contribution of $12. These towels have a Buccaneer logo and the slogan "Step Aside for that Buccaneer Pride" printed on them. All fans are encouraged to bring them to the home openers and wave them in support of the Bucs!

Admission is $5. A number of complimentary tickets are available through UVI coaches and players. Admission is free to individuals with a Bucs "Spirit Towel" for these first two home games. Bucs Spirit Towels can be purchased at the Athletic Office, from team managers and from the UVI Student Government Association Sports committee members.

The Bucs's 2008 basketball schedule is available from the UVI home page - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link.

Air Conditioning Shutdown
in ACC Slated for Feb. 2-3

An air conditioning shutdown at UVI's Administration and Conference Center (ACC) building is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 2 and 3. A statement from the Capital Projects Department said the shutdown is needed to allow the completion of outstanding contract requirements.

St. Thomas 2008 Senior Class
Meeting Slated for Feb. 3

The next meeting of the 2008 Senior Class on UVI's St. Thomas campus is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 3 in room B-110. The meeting's agenda includes the introduction of advisors and executive officers, and a discussion of important dates such as the graduation registration deadline of Feb. 22. There will also be an update on details of the class trip and discussions on fund raising programs, class colors and themes, and plans for 2008. For details, contact Class President Gaetan Gentius at 277-0035 or send email to gaetanpresident@gmail.com.

Thurgood Marshall College Fund
Seeks UVI Students for Conferences

A representative from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) will visit UVI from Feb. 6-8 to recruit students to attend upcoming conferences in the areas of sales, hotel and hospitality management, and engineering. The conferences will be held in conjunction with the TMCF Professional Institute and Exhibition set for March 1-5 in Charlotte, N.C. Up to 10 students from UVI could qualify for all-expenses-paid trips to the conference. Details on the conferences and the criteria students must meet are available from UVI's Counseling and Placement Offices or the Office of Institutional Advancement. For details, contact Verna Rivers at 693-1087 on St. Thomas, Doris Farrington-Hepburn at 692-4018 or Ardrina Scott-Elliott at 693-1040.

Players, Teams Sought for Intramural
Basketball Program on Both Campuses

The University of the Virgin Islands is offering an organized, intramural basketball program during the spring semester for men and women. Team captains and interested basketball players need to contact Prof. Erik Heikkila on the St. Thomas campus and Prof. Bruce Wray on the St. Croix campus for league rules and details. This program emphasizes fun and team sportsmanship and is provided at no cost to all UVI students, staff and faculty. Teams consist of a maximum of 10 players. For more information on St. Thomas call 693-1213. For details on St. Croix call 692-4139. League champions get an official UVI Intramural T-Shirt and their name on the winners plaque.

December Issue of Dateline: UVI Available

The December issue of the monthly newsletter Dateline: UVI is distributed on UVI's St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses. An on-line version is also available from the UVI Home page - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link. The December issue includes a report on the spring semester Conversation with President Ragster, photos of the Junior King and Junior Queen of the Band winners in the St. Croix Festival, and a look at the new Fitness Club on the St. Croix campus.

Luncheon to Honor Physical Plant,
Security Personnel on St. Croix

The third annual Physical Plant & Security Appreciation Day pot-luck luncheon on UVI's St. Croix campus is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8. The luncheon will take place at The Pavilion. For details, call Nereida Washington at 692-4161.

Friends of Denmark Offer
Scholarship to Visit Denmark

The St. Croix Friends of Denmark Society is offering students between the ages of 18 and 21 a scholarship opportunity to visit Denmark for three weeks from July 26 to August 16, 2008. Applicants should have a winning personality, good communication skills and be able to represent the Virgin Islands in historical and other relevant information. Applicants will live with members of the Danish West Indian Society in Copenhagen and the Danish countryside. Applications and personal interviews are required. Application forms are available from the Counseling & Placement offices in Evans Center Rooms 720 and 721. The application deadline is Feb. 1 For more information, call Elizabeth Rezende at 998-4147 or Doris Farrington-Hepburn at 692-4187.

UVI Community Invited to Attend
Golden Key Honour Society Induction

Golden Key International Honour Society, St. Thomas Chapter, will conduct its annual Induction Ceremony at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10, at UVI's Administrative and Conference Center on the St. Thomas campus. UVI's faculty and staff are invited to attend. For details, send email to goldenkey.uvi@gmail.com.

Fair Wear Competition Set
for 2008 Agriculture and Food Fair

The 2008 Agriculture and Food Fair will be held from Feb. 16 to 18 on St. Croix. The event's sixth annual Fair Wear Competition is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Feb. 16. UVI students and community members interested in participating in this fashion extravaganza should contact Fair Wear Coordinator Yvonne Webster-Pryce at 773-1994 for additional information. The preliminary registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 1. Registration forms are available in the Student Activities Office (NW143) on UVI's St. Thomas campus.

'A Week in Black History' Events
Set on St. Thomas Campus

UVI's Black Heritage Committee and the UVI Accounting Association will present a series of events and activities titled "A Week in Black History" during the week of Feb. 17 on the University's St. Thomas campus. The groups are also sponsoring an "I Have A Dream" essay contest for all UVI students. The deadline to submit essays is Feb. 10. (Click here to see essay contest rules.)

The week's actuvutues open with a forum on Greek life at HBCUs which will be held at 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 18, in the Dining Pavilion. A social arts and crafts night, and art show are planned at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19, in the Dining Pavilion.

A dance show at the Dining Pavilion is scheduled from 9 p.m. to midnight on Wednesday, Feb. 20. A civil rights debate is scheduled at 8 p.m. on Feb. 21 in Chase Auditorium (B-110). A rally is set for 12:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22, at the Dining Pavilion.

A play on Black History, sponsored in collaboration with the St. Croix Guild Workshop, is planned for Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Charlotte Amalie High School auditorium. An exhibit opens at 5 p.m. and the play follows at 7 p.m.

For details, contact Dr. Patricia Harkins-Pierre at 693-1357.

Electronic Waste Collection Drive
Set Feb. 21-23 on St. Croix Campus

An Electronic Waste Collection Drive, organized by the VI Waste Management Authority, is set on UVI's St. Croix campus for Feb. 21 through 23. Departments should use this E-Waste Spreadsheet to see what equipment will be accepted for recycling and to list items to be included. Send the completed form with departmental information electronically - to mpember@uvi.edu or print it out and drop it off to Myrtle Pemberton at the Business Office no later than Monday, Feb. 11. A separate sheet with a description of the electronic equipment and the ID tags must also be turned in to Yvette Taylor. All tags must be removed from the equipment prior to drop-off. Departments must drop-off any electronic items to the cage in the receiving area (by the mailroom). For assistance with large items, contact the Physical Plant 692-4171 or send email to: gcarras@uvi.edu. For more information, call 692-4161 or 692-4170.

Other Current Items ...

V.I.'s Top Cooks, Volunteers Sought
for UVI's 19th Afternoon of the Green

The Virgin Islands' top cooks are invited to enter food dishes - entrees, side dishes, drinks and desserts - in the competition at the University of the Virgin Islands' 19th annual Afternoon on the Green. UVI's annual "friend-raiser" is scheduled for noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 9, 2008, on the St. Thomas campus golf course. This year's theme is "Be Seen on the green for Cultural Cuisine!"

Along with the food competition, where members of the community sample dishes and cast ballots for their favorites, the day features live entertainment, admission prizes, children's games and family fun. Also featured are informational booths that focus on how the community can take advantage of UVI's wide array of academic, public service and research offerings.

General volunteers, and especially those with valid health cards who can act as food servers, are also sought. Individuals who wish to enter a dish or participate as a server or general volunteer should call UVI's Office of Institutional Advancement at 693-1040.

Playing Ring: 'A Fungi Jamboree'
Set Feb. 2 at UVI's Reichhold Center

UVI's Reichhold Center for the Arts presents "Playing Ring: A Fungi Jamboree" on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2008. The fun starts with the traditional marketplace at 6 p.m. on the Reichhold grounds. Local foods, arts and crafts will be featured. The music begins in the theatre at 8 p.m. The Fungi Jamboree will feature the St. Croix Quelbe band Native Rhythm - with special guest artist Jamesie Brewster, the Anguilla scratch band Smokey and the Boys, and Puerto Rican music from Victor Manuel Reyes y El Barrio. Victor Manuel y El Barrios is the only band to win the Puerto Rican troubadour show twice at both the Barcardí Fair and at the Puerto Rican National Institute of Culture. The Playing Ring series is made possible through partnership with Reichhold Center's season sponsors: First Bank, First Insurance, Marriott Frenchman's Reef Resort, Tropical Shipping, the Virgin Islands Council on the Arts and Innovative Cable TV. Tickets - at $12, $18 and $35 - are available at Modern Music, the UVI Bookstore, V.I. Bridal & Tuxedo, Urban Threadz, Essentric Shoe Boutique, Island Video (Nisky), Home Again (Red Hook) and the Reichhold Center Box Office at 693-1559. Details are available on line at Reichhold Center web site: www.reichholdcenter.com.

Food, Arts and Crafts Vendors
Sought for Feb. 2 Playing Ring Fair

UVI's Reichhold Center for the Arts is seeking food and arts and crafts vendors to participate in the Playing Ring: Market Place Arts Fair scheduled for Feb. 2 on the Reichhold grounds. To participate, call Tasida Kelch at the V.I. Council on the Arts at 340-774-5984.

Upward Bound Offers After-School
Centers on St. Croix, St. Thomas

The Upward Bound Program at the University of the Virgin Islands will host After-School Homework/Computer Literacy Centers for high school students and their parents starting later this month. Assistance with English, math and science homework, and instruction in the basic principals of computer use will be offered. The centers will be open Mondays through Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on the St. Thomas campus and from 5:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the St. Croix campus. Spaces are limited. Applications are available from the Upward Bound Offices on both campuses. For details, call 693-1133 on St. Thomas or 692-4182 on St. Croix. The center is funded by a Community Development Block Grant, through the Department of Planning and Natural Resources.

Financial Aid Awareness Week
Set Feb. 5-7 on St. Croix Campus

Financial Aid Awareness Week activities for continuing UVI students are planned on UVI's St. Croix campus from Feb. 5 through Feb. 7. Sessions titled "Promoting the Financial Aid Office on Campus" are slated for 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the Library Terrace, and from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 6, on the Student Center Terrace. A session for junior and senior high school students - titled "How to Pay for College" is slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at the Student Center/Cafetorium. A workshop on the online financial aid application process for the 2008-2009 school year is planned from 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7, in the library computer lab room 902. Space is limited for the online workshop and registration is required. Call 692-4193 to reserve space.

St. Croix Campus to Offer
Free HIV/AIDS Testing on Feb. 6-7

The University of the Virgin Islands Health Services Center and the office of Student Activities on the St. Croix campus, in collaboration with VICare, will offer free HIV testing from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 6, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7. Testing will take place in Health Services office. It is open to the UVI community as well as the general public. For more information, call Health Services Supervisor Naita Salmon-Iles at 692-4214.

Living With HIV' Workshop
Planned Feb. 7 on St. Croix

A workshop titled "Living With HIV – A Personal Journey" will be presented by VICare Chief Executive Officer Bruce E. Smail at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7, in the Cafetorium on UVI's St. Croix campus. The workshop is free and open to the UVI community and the general public.

Free HIV/AIDS Testing Offered
Feb. 7 on UVI's St. Thomas Campus

Free HIV/AIDS testing will be offered to UVI students, faculty and staff - as well as the general public - on UVI's St. Thomas campus from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7. The testing is being offered by Hope, Inc. and the UVI Health Services Center as part of the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day activities. Testing will be conducted in a mobile booth in the UVI Bookstore parking lot. Details are available from Health Services Supervisor Ronda Hatchett at 693-1124. More information is also available from the www.blackaidsday.org web site.

Performers Sought for St. Croix
Student Talent Show on March 14

UVI's St. Croix campus Office of Student Activities is seeking musicians, singers, rappers, chanters, actors, dancers and other performers for its spring semester "UVI @ the Improv" talent show to be held on March 14. Entry forms are available at the Student Activities Lounge from students Joel Dorsett or Kelly-Ann Joseph. The show will be held at 8 p.m. in the UVI Cafetorium on the St. Croix campus. For details call 692-4228.

St. Thomas Campus Student Activities
Web Site Offers Latest Information

UVI students on the St. Thomas campus are encouraged to visit the Student Activities web site - studentactivity.uvi.edu - for the latest information of interest to students. The site includes a semester calendar of activities, an announcements section, and detailed information on student government (with photos) and student organizations.

UVI CELL Notes ...

UVI-CELL to Launch Management
Workshop Series with AMA in February

The University of the Virgin Islands' Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning (UVI-CELL) Center will launch its newly developed Management Skill Series in February. The series is designed to help managers develop and refine the skills needed to manage the workforce more effectively. The first workshop in the ten-part series -- entitled "Leadership Skills for Managers" -- will kick-off Feb. 1 on both St. Thomas and St. Croix. All workshops will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the first Friday of every month. On St. Croix, workshops will be held at the Joseph A. Simpson Building, #23A Hospital Street in Frederiksted. On St. Thomas, the workshops will be held at the UVI-CELL Center on the St. Thomas Campus.

Participants will learn to: build teams; coach, mentor and reward employees; foster and develop new leaders; provide direction to turn an organization's vision into reality; stay the course in troubled times; and manage change.

The workshops are offered in collaboration with the American Management Association (AMA). Participants who complete six of the workshops will obtain a Certificate in Management Skills in the Workplace from UVI and the AMA. For details or to register, call 693-1100 or visit UVI-CELL on-line at http://cell.uvi.edu.

Taxi & Tour Certification
Program Set for February

Taxi and Tour Operators who wish to join their peers in receiving certification have the opportunity to once again qualify for certification through a six-week program offered by UVI's Community Engagement and Lifelong Learning Center (CELL). The next session is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, on St. Thomas. The program covers customer service, V.I. history and culture, points of interest and presentation skills. Training costs $250 and includes materials. Graduates are eligible for membership in the Certified Taxi and Tour Guide Association.

The certification program was developed by UVI-CELL and is endorsed by the USVI Hotel and Tourism Association and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association. To register, call the UVI-CELL Center at 693-1100 or visit http://cell.uvi.edu.