Submissions Call for 24th Issue of The Caribbean Writer The Caribbean Writer has announced a submissions call for its 24th edition. Besides the usual poetry, short fiction and personal essays, critical articles and insights on Trevor Rhone and Wayne Brown are specifically being sought for a special section. The deadline for submissions is Nov. 30, 2009. The Caribbean should be central to submissions or the work should reflect a Caribbean heritage, experience or perspective.
Writers are encouraged to submit poems, short stories, personal essays and one-act plays. Only previously unpublished work will be considered. Mail submissions to The Caribbean Writer, University of the Virgin Islands, RR 1, Box 10,000, Kingshill St. Croix, VI 00850-9781 or submit electronically to submit@thecaribbeanwriter.org. Please do not include submissions in body of email.
For details, visit www.TheCaribbeanWriter.org or call 692-4152. A news release is available from the UVI home page – www.uvi.edu.
SGA Sets Oct. 30 as Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day on St. Thomas The Student Government Association (SGA) on UVI’s St. Thomas campus has set Friday, Oct. 30, as Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day. Students are encouraged to show their appreciation to their favorite members of the faculty or staff. Presentations will be made between 12:15 and 1:15 p.m. at the Dining Pavilion. For more information, contact Jaedee Caines at sweetjaed@hotmail.com or jskcaines@myuvi.net.
October Issue of Dateline: UVI Published, Available on Website The Public Relations Office has published the October issue of the monthly newsletter Dateline: UVI. The October issue includes articles on the recent UVI visit by AIDS Activist Rae Lewis-Thornton and the 2nd Annual Health Disparities Conference hosted by UVI’s Caribbean Exploratory Research Center. Also featured are photos of World Food Day activities on the St. Croix campus and Wellness Center construction on the St. Thomas campus. Dateline: UVI can be viewed from the Public Relations section of the UVI Web site – www.uvi.edu.
Youth Participants Sought for 4-H Groups’ 2010 St. Croix Festival Troupe The 4-H Program of UVI’s Cooperative Extension Service is looking for Virgin Islands children between the ages of five and 12 to become a part of a 4-H Festival Troupe that will participate in the 2010 St. Croix Christmas Festival Children’s Parade. The parade is scheduled for Jan. 1, 2010. For more information, contact Yvonne Phillips at 693-1078 on St. Thomas or Jillean Webster at 692-4087 on St. Croix.
Non-Priority H1N1 Vaccinations Expected in Future at UVI UVI’s Health Services Offices on both campuses will offer H1N1 vaccinations to non-priority groups as soon as supplies become available.
Final CLEP Test on St. Croix Campus Set Nov. 19 The last scheduled College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests of the year on UVI’s St. Croix campus will take place on Thursday, Nov. 19. The registration deadline for that test is Friday, Nov. 13. The CLEP testing program allows students to earn college credit for acquired skill and knowledge in specific subjects. Registration for the tests is available at the Access and Enrollment Services Office in Evans Center room 811. Testing begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. on each test date. Latecomers will not be allowed to take the test.
The cost associated with CLEP examinations is $72 per test. Checks or money orders are payable to CLEP (cash will not be accepted). A separate check and/or money order must be written for each test. An additional administrative fee of $15, payable to UVI, will be charged prior to the test date. For additional information, call 692-4103 or 692-4158
UVI Revises Academic Calendar for Spring Semester 2010 The University of the Virgin Islands has announced the revision of its Academic Calendar covering the 2010 spring semester. The calendar stipulates the schedule for all academic activities at the University – such as the registration, orientation, the start and end dates of classes, holidays, final exams and commencement – for the period from Jan. 4 through May 16, 2010.
The revised calendar begins on Jan. 4, the date UVI staff members will return from the holiday break. UVI faculty members return on Jan. 7. New student orientation and registration are set for Jan. 7. Advisement and late registration are scheduled for Jan. 8. Spring semester classes begin on Jan. 11.
UVI Marking Red Ribbon Week with Activities on St. Thomas and St. Croix The UVI community is invited to join in Red Ribbon Week activities planned from Monday, Oct. 26 through Friday, Oct. 30, on the St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses. Red Ribbon Week is the annual campaign to encourage the prevention of alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse, and the violence and health impacts that accompany the illicit drug trade. The 2009 Red Ribbon Week theme is “Run Your Own Life … Stay Drug Free!”
UVI students, faculty and staff on both islands will join with millions of people across the nation to express their support for the effort with pledges, decoration contests, protest walks and open microphone “Speak Outs.” The week’s informational efforts will focus on crime prevention, early intervention and treatment services. The complete Red Ribbon Week schedules for St. Thomas and St. Croix are available in the UVI Bulletin Board on the UVI Web site – www.uvi.edu
Initial H1N1 Vaccination Program to Include UVI Distribution Site on St. Thomas UVI’s Health Services Office on the St. Thomas campus will participate this week in the initial dissemination of the H1N1 flu vaccine to individuals in specific priority groups in the Virgin Islands.
A limited number of H1N1 doses are available in the Virgin Islands. Because of this, persons in the following groups will receive the vaccine during this initial offering: pregnant women, people who live with or care for children younger than six months of age, health care and emergency medical service personnel, children ages six months through four years old, and children ages five through 18 with chronic medical problems.
Vaccinations for these individuals are scheduled as follows:
Monday, Oct. 26 – 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. – at Sunshine Mall on St. Croix
Thursday, Oct. 29 – 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. – at the UVI Sports and Fitness Center on St. Thomas
Thursday, Oct. 29 – 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the St. Ursula’s Senior Center on St. John
Non-Priority H1N1 Vaccinations Expected in Future at UVI
UVI’s Health Services Offices on both campuses will offer H1N1 vaccinations to non-priority groups as soon as supplies become available.
Seasonal Flu Vaccine Availability on UVI Campuses Vaccine for the seasonal flu has been available on UVI’s St. Thomas campus since Oct. 13, and is expected to become available on the St. Croix campus beginning this week. On both campuses, vaccinations are offered by the Health Services Offices. On St. Thomas, Health Services Supervisor Ronda Herbert stressed that limited quantities of the seasonal flu vaccine remain. Interested individuals should call 693-1124 to make an appointment for a vaccination.
On St. Croix, Health Services Supervisor Meritza DeCosta-Bellardo said she expects to receive a limited amount of seasonal flu vaccine from the V.I. Department of Health this week. She advises individuals interested in getting a seasonal flu vaccination to call her office at 692-4208.
UVI Board of Trustees to Meet on St. Croix Campus on Oct. 31 The UVI Board of Trustees will meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, in the Great Hall of the North West Wing on the St. Croix campus. The meeting will convene with regular session agenda items. UVI President Dr. David Hall will give his first President’s Report to the Board. Following that, Board Chairman Alexander A. Moorhead will present the Chairman’s Comments. The Board will then consider agenda items that require action. A news release is available from the UVI home page – www.uvi.edu.
UVI to Close Nov. 2 in Observance of Liberty Day Holiday UVI will be closed on Monday, Nov. 2, in observance of Liberty Day. Classes will resume and administrative offices will reopen on their regular schedules on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
UVI Music Education Grads Plan St. Croix Benefit Concert on Nov. 15 UVI Music Education graduates along with UVI Prof. Austin A. Venzen will present a benefit recital at 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 15, at the Kingshill Lutheran Church. Joining Venzen, who plays flute, will be Neils A. Gooding on saxophone, Kevre’ L. Hendricks on trumpet, Eltino S. Pickering on steel pan and accompanist Monet I. Davis.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students. For more information, call 693-1192. Proceeds will go to the benefit of Kingshill Lutheran Church.
VI Sedimentation and Storm Water Runoff in Seminar Set Nov. 16 at UVI UVI will host a comprehensive “Land and Sea” research seminar and leadership conference focusing on sedimentation and how to reduce environmental degradation from storm water runoff in the Virgin Islands on Nov. 16, at the Administration and Conference Center on the University’s St. Thomas campus.
The day-long seminar (8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) is sponsored by the Coral Bay Community Council and the Virgin Islands Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (VI-EPSCoR). Other partners include Eckerd College, Island Green Building Association of St. John and the Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service.
The seminar will also include an introduction to and overview of the EPA-CARE (Community Action for a Renewed Environment) activities underway in Coral Bay to reduce environmental toxics, a review of progress on the Coral Bay Watershed Management Plan and a discussion among decision makers and partners about the next steps that need to be taken.
For more information or to register as a participant, contact UVI’s Center for Marine and Environmental Studies at 693-1380, or send e-mail to csetter@uvi.edu.
St. Thomas Campus Renovation Project Creates Additional Classroom Space The University of the Virgin Islands St. Thomas campus has more than 140 additional classroom seats thanks to a Classroom Administration (CA) Building rehabilitation project completed by UVI’s Physical Plant Department. When several departments relocated from the CA Building to the Administration and Conference Center in 2007, spaces were left empty. During the summer the empty spaces were transformed into classrooms, a laboratory and faculty offices. Additionally, the Division of Science and Mathematics administrative office was relocated to a smaller space and the old office was turned into a classroom. Also, CA Building room 302 was totally renovated. A news release is available from the UVI home page – www.uvi.edu.
Paradise Jam 2009 Brings Big Name NCAA Basketball to St. Thomas in November St. Thomas fans of big-time NCAA college basketball are in for their annual fall treat, as the 2009 edition of the Paradise Jam Basketball Tournament opens on Nov. 20, at the Sports and Fitness Center on UVI’s St. Thomas campus. This year, UVI fans have a special treat, as the Buccaneers men’s basketball squad will play an LAI League game during the event. They will face off against their Puerto Rican rivals Metropolitan University on Nov. 21.
In the regular tourney, 16 Division I teams, eight men’s and eight women’s squads, will play over a two-week period, with the men’s championship game on Nov. 23 and the women’s tourney running from Nov. 26 to 28. The men’s lineup includes Boston College, DePaul, East Carolina, Northern Iowa, Purdue, Saint Joseph’s, South Dakota State and Tennessee. The women’s field, in two divisions, includes Notre Dame, Oklahoma, San Diego State, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Rutgers, Southern California and Texas.
The tournament is organized by Basketball Travelers, Inc. Information on ticket prices, game brackets and much more on the teams, as well as featured travel packages for visitors, is available from the official Paradise Jam web site: www.paradisejam.com. Live national TV coverage of championship games has become a tournament fixture in recent years. Tickets for V.I. residents will be available at very reasonable prices.
Panel Discussions to Highlight Careers in Student Affairs Month Observance The offices of the Associate Campus Administrators for Student Affairs on both campuses invite the UVI community to attend a series of panel discussions as part of the local observance of National Careers in Student Affairs Month.
Dr. Karen L. Pennington will serve as the keynote presenter on both campuses. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and as past-president of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators in 2003-2004. Dr. Pennington has also served as Vice President for Student Development and Campus Life at Montclair State University in New Jersey since 1998.
Additional panelists will include former Student Affairs professionals. On St. Thomas, the panel discussion will take place from 12:30 to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27 in Business Education Room 110. On St. Croix, the panel discussion will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on Wednesday, Oct. 28 in the North West Wing annex Rooms 102 and 103. Refreshments will be provided on both campuses.
For further information, contact the Offices of the Associate Campus Administrators for Student Affairs at 693-1121 on St. Thomas or 692-4188 on St. Croix.
President Hall to Address Legal Services of the V.I. Luncheon on Oct. 29 UVI President Dr. David Hall will be the keynote speaker at the 40th Anniversary Commemoration Luncheon for the Legal Services of the Virgin Islands Inc., at noon on Thursday, Oct. 29. The luncheon will take place in the Great Hall, in the North West Wing on UVI’s St. Croix campus. Donations are $40. For more information, contact Attorney Richard Austin at 773-2626.
Gruber Foundation to Present International Women’s Rights Prizes on Oct. 29 UVI’s Reichhold Center for the Arts will host the presentation of the 2009 Gruber Foundation’s International Women’s Rights Prize at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29. Co-recipients of the prize are Teboho Molebatsi, of the Women’s Legal Centre of South Africa, and Leymah Gbowee, who spearheaded a women’s movement in Liberia.
The prize winners will make presentations on their work promoting peace and equality at a symposium scheduled as part of the awards presentation. UVI Trustee Judge Audrey Thomas will join Molebatsi and Gbowee in a panel discussion on women’s rights. Other panel participants will be Judge Patricia Steele, of the V.I. Superior Court’s Family Division, and Sandra Hodge Benjamin, representing the Family Resource Center.
Admission to the presentation and panel discussion is free and the public is welcome to attend.
The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation, which is headquartered in the Virgin Islands, honors and encourages educational excellence, social justice and scientific achievements that better the human condition. A major focus of the Foundation’s philanthropy is its International Prize Program, created to recognize excellence in science and humanities by highlighting five fields that create a better world: Cosmology, Genetics, Neuroscience, Justice, and Women’s Rights. For more, visit the foundation’s Web site: www.gruberprizes.org.
Educators Invited to V.I. Writing Project Conference on Literacy on Nov. 2 The Virgin Islands Writing Project (VIWP) invites educators to its first conference on literacy to be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Monday, Nov. 2, at the Great Hall of the North West Wing building on UVI’s St. Croix campus.
The keynote speaker will be Dr. Jacqueline Jones Royster, a professor of English at Ohio State University. Dr. Royster will address the theme: “Building Literacy in an Age of Technology.” There will be two workshop sessions, where presenters will address and demonstrate the theme in eleven separate workshops.
The registration fee is $30 until Oct. 25. After Oct. 25, it will be $50.
The Virgin Islands Writing Project is a partnership between the National Writing Project, the Virgin Islands Department of Education and the University of the Virgin Islands. For more information, please call any of the following individuals: Valerie Combie at 692-4126; Sharon Charles at 778-5286; Fenella Cooper at 774-0780; or Veronica Prescott at 773-0050.
Annual Virgin Gorda Get-A-Way Slated for Nov. 11 The Annual Virgin Gorda Get-A-Way, a day trip to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands, is scheduled for Nov. 11. The trip is for UVI students, staff, faculty and friends. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the UVI Bookstores. Space is limited to the first 149 persons to sign up. Ticket prices are as follows: UVI students STT/STX: $40; staff/faculty STT/STX: $60; non-staff/non-students: $80; and students under 12: $25. For more information, call 693-1111 on St Thomas or 692-4228 on St. Croix.
4-H Food Sale to Fund Participation in St. Croix Festival Rescheduled to Nov. 13 The 4-H program operated by UVI’s Cooperative Extension Service on the St. Thomas campus is raising funds to support the group’s participation in the upcoming Christmas Festival on St. Croix. A food sale at the CES Office (located in the former UVI Business Office) has been re-scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., on Nov. 13. Delivery on campus will also be available to those who call ahead. BBQ chicken, tofu, mutton, fish, rice, macaroni, stuffing and vegetables will be available. For information, call Jacqueline Blyden at 693-1079.
UVI Concert Choir to Perform a Choral Celebration on Nov. 15 on St. Thomas The UVI Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. Lorna Young-Wright, will present a Choral Celebration at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15, at the Nisky Moravian Church on St. Thomas. The program will include student accompanists and conductors. Soloists will include Christalia Mark, Rebecca Darling, Ledell Mulraine, Lystra Edwards and Blessyn Washington. Tickets, which may be purchased at the UVI Bookstore, the Humanities Division office and from choir members, are $15 for adults and $5 for students.
UVI Music Education Grads Plan St. Croix Benefit Concert on Nov. 15 UVI Music Education graduates along with UVI Prof. Austin A. Venzen will present a benefit recital at the Kingshill Lutheran Church on St. Croix at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15. Joining Venzen, who plays flute, will be Neils A. Gooding on saxophone, Kevre’ L. Hendricks on trumpet, Eltino S. Pickering on steel pan, and accompanist Monet I. Davis.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for students. For more information, call 693-1192. Proceeds will go to the benefit of the Kingshill Lutheran Church.
St. Thomas-St. John Agriculture and Food Fair Scheduled for Dec. 5-6 The St. Thomas-St. John Agriculture and Food Fair will be held on Dec. 5 and 6, on the grounds of UVI’s Reichhold Center for the Arts on the University’s St. Thomas campus. The theme for this year’s fair is “Fresh Start – Grow Smart.” Applications for vendors wishing to participate are available from UVI’s Cooperative Extension Service Office and from the V.I. Department of Agriculture. Submissions of articles and advertisements for the fair program booklet are also being sought. For more information, contact the Department of Agriculture at 774-5182 or the UVI Cooperative Extension Service at 693-1080.
English Proficiency Examinations Scheduled for Nov. 5 UVI’s fall semester English Proficiency Examination (EPE) test is scheduled for 8:30 to 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, on the St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses. All UVI students must meet the English Proficiency Requirement in order to graduate. For more information, contact EPE Coordinator Dr. Trevor Parris at 693-1258.
On St. Thomas, the exam will be administered in Sports and Fitness Center rooms 221, 224 and 225.
On St. Croix, the exam will be administered in Evans Center Rooms 302, 303, 305 and 308. EPE registration forms are available from the Registrar’s Office on St. Thomas (693-1150) and the Academic Affairs Office on St. Croix (692-4103).
An EPE workshop is scheduled on the St. Croix campus from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, in Evans Center, Room 716.
