Buccaneers, Lady Bucs to Host Sacred Heart

UVI’s basketball home games on Saturday, Feb. 26, are designated as Homecoming for 2011. Both the Lady Bucs and the Buccaneers men’s team will face off against squads from Sacred Heart University of Puerto Rico. Game times are 6 p.m. for the Lady Bucs and 8 p.m. for the Buccaneers.

The Eudora Kean Marching Band will lead a tramp from the UVI Bookstore parking lot beginning at 5 p.m., and ending at the Sports & Fitness Center. The UVI Dance Team will perform during halftime, while the new look UVI Cheerleaders will be courtside.

Admission is free. The UVI Athletic Department will distribute free tickets beginning Monday, Feb. 21. The concession will be open with their famous huge hot dogs and tasty smoothies. Buccaneer t-shirts will be given away to the first 100 fans in the door. Giveaways and chances to win tickets to Reichhold Center shows will be part of the evening’s entertainment.

Everyone is encouraged to support UVI’s teams by wearing blue.

UVI Participates in 40th Annual USVI Agriculture and Food Fair

UVI President Dr. David Hall and Miss UVI Jonesia Smith display a framed version of the Agrifest 2011 official poster during opening ceremonies on Saturday, Feb. 19. The 40th Annual USVI Agriculture and Food Fair concludes today, Monday, Feb. 21. The fair, which annually draws up to 30,000 visitors, is hosted annually by UVI’s Cooperative Extension Service, along with the V.I. Department of Agriculture, the V.I. Department of Tourism and the V.I. Department of Health. - Photo Courtesy Dale Morton

Man Up Male Empowerment Conference on St. Thomas

More than 1,500 young men turned out to the St. Thomas session of the Man Up Male Empowerment conference on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011. The next Man Up conference session will be held on UVI's St. Croix campus on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011. Click here for details in a UVI news release.

Click to view a preliminary slide show.
Photos from the St. Croix event will be added when they become available.

News Conference Preceeds Man Up - Male Empowerment Conference

Farrah Gray, at right, the keynote speaker for the Man Up Male Empowerment Conference scheduled at UVI - Feb. 8, on St. Thomas and Feb. 10, on St Croix - appeared at a news conference Monday, Feb. 7, on St. Thomas. Gray was raised on the impoverished South Side of Chicago, where he defied the odds and became a self-made millionaire by the age of 14. He has since become a respected author and speaker, committed to the development of values such as leadership, integrity and scholarship. Also on hand for the news conference, below, from left, were UVI President Dr. David Hall, Gray, Lenox Zamore of the VI Department of Human Services, and A.C. Burgess of the Youth Enrichment Initiative of the VI lottery.

Ecozationists Conduct Hassel Island Beach Cleanup

This group of “ecozationists” conducted a beach cleanup on Hassel Island.

A group of UVI graduate students dubbing themselves “ecozationists” (derived from the terms eco and organizations) spearheaded a pre-Christmas beach cleanup on St. Thomas’ Hassel Island. Joining the students in UVI’s Masters of Marine and Environmental Studies program were members of the UVI Green Ambassadors student group, representatives from tour operator Virgin Islands Ecotours, members of the Environmental Association of St. Thomas-St. John and a number of UVI faculty. The ecozationists kayaked to Hassel Island’s southeastern shore from a dock in Frenchtown. During three and one-half hours of sun, rain and cool breezes, the group collected enough debris – plastics, bottles, cans, food containers, etc. – to fill eight industrial-size garbage bags. Afterwards, the group took time for a quick tour of a historical building adjacent to the beach. Individuals interested in joining or supporting the UVI Green Ambassadors organization should visit the website: UVI Green Ambassadors.

St. Croix Campus Residence Hall Complex Named for Delta M. Jackson Dorsch

The UVI St. Croix Residence Hall Complex was named in honor of Virgin Islands culture-bearer Delta M. Jackson Dorsch during a dedication ceremony on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010.

Mrs. Dorsch, a former teacher and V.I. Deputy Commissioner for Curriculum and Instruction (pictured at right with her niece Claire Roker) beamed with pride through much of the half-hour ceremony. A member of the Commission on the Preservation of V.I. Culture and of the "Our town, Frederiksted" civic organization, Mrs. Dorsch is credited with helping to sustain interest in Virgin Islands culture.

Lieutenant Gov. Gregory M. Francis, UVI President David Hall, members of the V.I. Legislature, relatives of the Jackson and Dorsch families, the UVI Board of Trustees, students, faculty, staff and administrators paid tribute to Mrs. Dorsch in word and song.

Following the ceremony, a reception took place in the Pavilion on the St. Croix campus.

President Ragster Portrait Unveiled

Dr. LaVerne E. Ragster, fourth president of the University of the Virgin Islands, recently gathered with UVI President Dr. David Hall, members of the UVI Board of Trustees, as well as family and friends, at the unveiling of her portrait on the St. Thomas campus.

The oil painting, by well-known St. Thomas artist Shansi Miller, joins those of former UVI presidents Dr. Lawrence Wanlass, Dr. Arthur Richards, and Dr. Orville Kean, on the walls of the University's Administration and Conference Center.

Pictured above: UVI Trustee Dr. Yvonne E.L. Thraen helps Dr. Ragster unwrap a gift copy of her portrait.

Birthing Simulators to Allow Nursing Students Delivery Experience

The University of the Virgin Islands School of Nursing unveiled a birthing simulator at its lab on the St. Thomas campus on Monday, Dec. 6. A $28,574 grant for two simulators, one for each campus, was given to the School of Nursing by the Bennie and Martha Benjamin Foundation to purchase the equipment. The Gaumard Scientific NOELLE Advanced Maternal and Neonatal Birthing Simulators will allow all nursing students instruction in normal, abnormal and multiple deliveries. These advance birthing simulators are used worldwide by healthcare educators.

“It rivals any university on the mainland and the world,” School of Nursing Dean Dr. Cheryl Franklin said of the equipment. “As nurses we have to anticipate everything,” Dr. Franklin said. The simulator allows students to work through many possible childbirth scenarios and gets them to critically think through problems, she said. “It lends itself to so much on-going teaching.” Dr. Franklin thanked the foundation for its continued support.

Pictured top: Dean of the School of Nursing Dr. Cheryl Franklin, Executive Director for the Bennie and Martha Benjamin Foundation David Beal, Nursing Professor Meg Sheahan, Foundation Administrator for the Bennie and Martha Benjamin Foundation Tina Beal, and Nursing Professor Dr. Marion Howard stand around the birthing simulator.

Pictured middle: A normal delivery is simulated.

Pictured bottom: A breech delivery is simulated.

Woodworkers’ Expo to Continue on St. John

A small selection of Avelino Samuels' collection, above, is on display at the fifth annual Virgin Islands’ Woodworkers’ Expo, held Dec. 3-5 on UVI’s St. Thomas campus. Also pictured is a mirror by Bernard Jones. The Expo features the work of members of the St. Thomas/St. John Woodworkers Society and the St. Croix Wood Artists, Inc.

The Expo continues on St. John at the Market Place, from Dec. 10 to 12. It will open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The Woodworkers’ Expo is the ideal place to purchase holiday gifts. The Woodworkers’ Expo is sponsored by the UVI Cooperative Extension Service in partnership with the V.I. Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, the V.I. Department of Tourism, and the West Indian Company, Ltd.

UVI Says 'Thank You' to Physical Plant and Security Employees

UVI’s St. Thomas campus Physical Plant and Security employees were treated to an afternoon of fun at a “Physical Plant/Security Appreciation Luncheon” on Dec. 1, in the Administration and Conference Center. Employees were given honor and encouragement from President David Hall, Campus Executive Administrator Dianne Piper and Associate Campus Administrator for Operations LilyMae Durante. Each employee was presented with a certificate of appreciation. After lunch the group participated in several activities, including employee trivia and a “give me” game. Employees also received gift prizes for entertaining awards such as “tallest person,” “longest working” and “longest hair.” Pictured, President Hall congratulates Trades Worker III Roy “Ibo” Sterrod, who won a prize for the “longest hair.”