New & Updated Items posted Feb. 4, 2008

Lady Bucs, Bucs Drop Home Openers;
Two-Week Road Campaign Up Next

UVI's varsity basketball opened the 2008 Intercollegiate Athletic League season with losses at home against UPR-Rio Piedras. The Lady Bucs, playing only one game, lost 60-28 in Friday's opener. The Buccaneers lost close matches to Rio Piedras on Friday and to UPR-Bayamon on Saturday.

The men's and women's squads begin a two-week road campaign with games against Caribbean University on Feb. 8 and Central Bayamon on Feb. 9. They will also visit Puerto Rico on Feb. 15 and 16, for matchups against UPR-Carolina and UPR Humacao, respectively. The Buccaneers' next home game is slated for Feb. 22, when Polytecnica visits the Sports and Fitness Center. The complete 2008 basketball schedule is available from the UVI home page - http://www.uvi.edu - or from this direct link.

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

A luncheon to recognize the contributions of Physical Plant and Security staff on UVI's St. Thomas campus will take place from 12:30 to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7 in the first floor conference room of the new Administration and Conference Center. All are welcome to attend. For details, call Denisa Wattley at 693-1259.

Staff Invited to Tryout
New Bucs Fitness Center

Members of the staff on UVI's St. Croix campus are invited to a free, introductory session at the new Bucs Fitness Center from 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8. The session is designed to give members a chance to see what's available and to try out the various exercise machines and equipment. Proper workout gear - sneakers, t-shirts, etc. - is required. Light, healthful refreshments will be available. An introductory night for faculty members will be scheduled in the near future. The session is sponsored by the Office of Student Activities. For details, contact Hedda Finch-Simpson at 692-4228.

Renowned Jazz Trumpeter Chris Botti
to Play at the Reichhold Feb. 16

Celebrate Valentines weekend at UVI's Reichhold Center for the Arts with jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, playing such standards as "When I Fall in Love," "Let There be Love" and "My One and Only Love." Botti performs at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16. A New York Times article about a recent New York performance hailed the jazz virtuoso as "Sting-endorsed and Oprah-approved." Tickets are $25, $36 and $45. Tickets are available at Modern Music, 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. A news release is available on the UVI home page - http://www.uvi.edu - of from this direct link. Photos from previous Reichhold performances are available from the Reichhold Center web site - http://www.reichholdcenter.com - or from this link.

CLEP Tests Offered Feb. 13
on UVI's St. Thomas Campus

The next scheduled offering of CLEP - College Level Exam Program - tests is scheduled on UVI's St. Thomas campus on Feb. 13. The deadline to register for that date is Feb. 11. Successfully completing a CLEP test allows students to earn college credit, save money and cut the time it takes to earn a degree. The tests are offered in more than 20 areas of study, ranging from accounting to chemistry to English literature. A complete list is available on pages 26 and 27 of the 2007-08 UVI Catalog - available online at http://www.uvi.edu/pub-relations/cat_07-08/.

CLEP Tests are also offered on UVI's St. Croix campus. For details and to arrange tests on St. Croix, contact the Office of Enrollment Services at 692-4158.

Enrollment Services Seeks Volunteers
for Feb. 16-18 Ag and Food Fair

UVI's Office of Enrollment Services on the St. Croix campus is seeking volunteers to assist with recruitment activities during the 2008 Agriculture and Food Fair to be held from Feb. 16 to 18 on St. Croix. Enrollment Services will staff an information table in the UVI tent and would like volunteers to assist in giving out information about UVI programs. Interested persons may sign-up in the Office of Enrollment Services in Evans Center room 811 or contact Charmaine Smith at 692-4070 for additional information.

UVI Buck Island Excursion
Scheduled for Feb. 23

UVI's 2008 spring semester Buck Island Excursion is scheduled Saturday, Feb. 23. Organized by the Office of Student Activities on the St. Croix campus, the excursion will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will cost $20 for registered UVI students and $40 for faculty, staff, and non-UVI students. Included are round-trip transportation (UVI Campus to Christiansted Wharf), on-site barbeque, and optional snorkeling and hiking. Space is limited. Sign-up in the Student Activities Lounge. Contact Hedda Finch-Simpson at 692-4228 for additional information.

Other Current Items ...

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.

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.

Other Current Items ... (cont.)

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.

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.

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.

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 activities 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.

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.

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.

January Issue of Dateline: UVI Available

The January 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 January 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.

UVI CELL Notes ...

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.