Students Zero In on Leadership and Law Enforcement

Pictured are UVI students from St. Croix and St. Thomas who attended a leadership conference hosted by the VI Police Department Cadet Corps. The corps is a two year old program encouraging high school and college students to prepare for law enforcement careers.
The half day conference was held Sunday, Oct. 25 at St. Thomas' Palms Court Harborview Hotel.

Newly promoted US Army Brigadier General Timothy Lake, who grew up in the Virgin Islands, served as they keynote speaker for the conference. He urged participants to set goals, learn to make their own decisions, and invest heavily in their educations and their future.
Pictured from left to right: STT Cadet Class Leader Sherrika Industrious, Francilla Francis (STX),Emanuel Morales (STX), Lionel Benjamin (STX), STX Cadet Class Leader Jeremy Donawa, Natasha Nicholas (STX), Jahnisha McIntosh (STX), Ivory Carter (STX).

Disability rights advocate Mark Vinzant speaks to about 100 participants in the 2009 Voices that Count Conference held Friday at the UVI Administration and Conference Center on St. Thomas. He reminded those attending that anyone can find themselves living with a disability and many seniors who experience changes in their health often do.

The two-day conference, sponsored by the Virgin Islands University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, began Thursday on the St. Croix campus. Top government officials, including Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr, Lt. Gov. Gregory R. Francis, an official from the U.S. Department of Justice and members of the Legislature took part in the discussions. Members of the Disability Rights Center of the Virgin Islands were also on hand to hear about challenges the disabled face on a daily basis.

SGA and President's Office Hosts Lunchtime Forum

Student Government Association Vice President St. Clair Hodge hands the microphone to student participant in an Oct. 21 meeting with UVI President David Hall. Dr. Hall brought members of his cabinet and several department heads to the cafeteria at lunchtime to hear what's on the student's minds. Among the topics covered: Accreditation of the MBA degree program; health insurance for international students; anticipating student enrollment for the allocation of classes; campus security, and faster, better, cheaper ways to acquire textbooks.

Dr. Hall said, "UVI will soon be the best university in the Caribbean."

He also said UVI will one day compete with and outdistance many institutions on the U.S. mainland.

Students, Faculty Star in On-Campus Photo Shoot

Photographer Quiana Duncan captures a slice of daily life on the St. Thomas campus on Monday, the first day of a week long photo shoot. Duncan and her crew of student models have already visited the President's office, the Administration and Conference Center, a business class in the Education Building and the Music Suite. The St. Thomas photo sessions run until Wednesday, St. Croix shoots are scheduled to take place Thursday and Friday. Models are still wanted and curious onlookers are welcome to get into the act.

Liberty, Justice and Good Health for All

The 2nd annual conference of the Health Disparities Institute brought inspirational words to an audience of health educators, students and health care professionals.
The keynote address was delivered by Margaret Heckler, currently the US Ambassador to the Republic of Ireland.
At one point in her career she served as US Secretary of Health and Human Services and directed the first national study into the differences in health status between persons of color and the majority population.

She spoke about the mission to bridge the gap in health outcomes as one of the components of the modern day civil rights movement in America. The conference was held over the course of two days at the St. John Westin Resort. It was sponsored by the Caribbean Exploratory NCMHD Research Center (CERC), National Center on Minority and Health Disparities, led by former UVI Nursing Division Director, Dr. Gloria Callwood.

Free Seasonal Flu Vaccine

Dr. Angela McGhee from Campus Advisory and Tutorial Services gets the point about safeguarding her health from Nurse Ronda Herbert.

Students, staff and faculty on the St. Thomas campus lined up to take advantage of a free flu shot offer on Tuesday. Herbert of Health Services said those who come Oct 13 – 14 can be vaccinated against the seasonal flu virus. An announcement will be made as to when shots against the H1N1 flu virus will be available. Those who want to take precautions against catching the flu can call 340-693-1124 to make an appointment.

Flu vaccine will be available on the St. Croix campus in the near future. Call Health Services, St. Croix at 340-692-4214 for details.

Activist Leads Frank Discussion About Living With AIDS

Emmy Award-winning AIDS activist Rae Lewis-Thornton was the featured speaker during a day-long conference on HIV/AIDS held on Oct. 2, on UVI’s St. Thomas campus. Lewis-Thornton, who has been living with HIV for 26 years, spoke frankly about her experiences and transmission of the disease. She told the group of UVI and high school students that while she wants to make a difference, she cannot save their lives and the decision to protect themselves is ultimately up to them. “You have got to take this information and use it,” she said, following her presentation.

Lewis-Thornton was one of the first African American women to share her story with a major publication when she was featured on the cover of Essence magazine in 1994.

The conference was sponsored by the Office of the Associate Campus Executive Administrator for Student Affairs.