Are you a student staying on campus for Thanksgiving? A few UE faculty and staff members are willing to host students who are remaining on campus for a Thanksgiving meal. If you are interested, please contact Karen at km306@evansville.edu or call her at 812-488-2500 by Monday, November 24th. 

Come to the Newman Catholic Student Center Monday evening, November 24, for their annual Thanksgiving feast! This will also be a farewell celebration for campus minister Mike Roesch, as he leaves to become vice-chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Evansville.

This will be an open house, with dinner served between 5:00 and 7:00pm. All are welcome, though RSVPs are appreciated to Carla at cwildeman@evdio.org.
 

The UE Bookstore will be offering 15% off of all UE Clothing and Gift purchases, Monday-Wednesday, November 24-26. Bring the parents in if they're picking you up so they can cash in on the savings as well. Don't forget the Bookstore closes at Noon on November 26 and reopens again December 1 for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

Our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has partnered with Buffalo Wild Wings (Green River Road) as part of their fundraising efforts for Toys for Tots. Show your Home Team Advantage Card (UE is Team D) prior to paying your bill and SAAC will receive 10% of the proceeds. The card is valid through December 31 and may be used multiple times.

Feel free to save to your cell phone for convenience and circulate to everyone you know that frequents Buffalo Wild Wings.

* Please visit GoPurpleAces.com for the card! 

There will be an open house to learn more about the Master of Science in Athletic Training on Saturday, December 6, from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. in Wallace Graves Hall, Room 315. Register at jt3@evansville.edu.

The University of Evansville MASTER'S IN ATHLETIC TRAINING program is open to students who do not possess a bachelor's degree in athletic training. This two-year program includes didactic course work, clinical skill development, and practical experience. The clinical education component is fulfilled primarily while working with affiliated universities and high schools. Students gain valuable experience working with athletes under close supervision of the head and assistant athletic trainers, who serve as preceptors for the program. Plan to attend the informational session on December 6!
 

Lloyd Expressway traffic should watch for temporary lane closures upon entering the U.S. 41 interchange work zone as contractors perform temporary paving.

With the early arrival of winter temperatures, contractor Ragle Inc. is aggressively preparing for an upcoming traffic shift before the deep freeze sets in. Drivers should continue to expect delays and consider alternate routes as occasional lane closures are expected to last through next week.

Temporary traffic pattern
In early December, crews anticipate shifting Lloyd Expressway (S.R. 62/66) traffic south such that two lanes in each direction will share the existing eastbound lanes. Westbound traffic will cross the median using the temporary pavement being installed at each end of the work zone.

During future traffic phases, existing looping ramps from Lloyd Expressway to U.S. 41 also will be closed temporarily for reconstruction. Exiting traffic familiar with merging right will temporarily merge and turn left at a traffic signal.

While temperatures do limit the types of work that can be performed, construction will continue this winter as weather permits. Indiana Department of Transportation contractors will remove old pavement and move dirt for new ramps so they are ready for paving in the spring.

Follow INDOT on social media at http://facebook.com/INDOTVincennesDistrict or http://twitter.com/INDOTSouthwest for construction updates and traffic alerts, or access INDOT’s TrafficWise Traveler Information Service at http://indot.carsprogram.org.  

About the U.S. 41 & Lloyd Cloverleaf
Over about one year, Ragle Inc. of Newburgh will reconfigure the U.S. 41 and Lloyd Expressway interchange into a full-cloverleaf design, which will remove two stoplights from the Lloyd Expressway. INDOT and Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke broke ground on the $19.1 million project in October.

Traffic on U.S. 41, Lloyd Expressway and the ramps connecting the two will be maintained with traffic shifts and lane closures. To minimize hazards for workers that are digging and moving dirt, electrical service to overhead lighting has also been deactivated during construction.

In addition, Weinbach Avenue remains closed at Division Street for installation of a storm sewer. Lloyd Expressway entrance and exit ramps at Weinbach Avenue remain open, but traffic is limited on where they can turn.

Students who are studying abroad in spring 2015 and who wish to apply for an Orientation Leader position for 2015-16 should pick up an application packet in the Dean of Students office, located within the Student Life Center on the second floor of Ridgway. Applications will be available for pick up from November 20-December 1, 2014 during business hours.
Completed application packets, excluding references, must be returned to the Dean of Students office by 4:00 p.m. CST on December 2, 2014.

References will not be due until February 12, 2015. Please note that it is the applicant’s responsibility to assure that references are received in the dean’s office by the due date.

Students who will not be studying abroad in the spring 2015 will not apply at this time. Watch AceNotes in mid to late January for an announcement about the open application period.

Students who have questions should call 812-488-2500 for more information.

The November Pcard cycle which began October 22 is ending November 21, at midnight. As of November 23, cardholders may schedule and run the November Cycle report. November transactions may be reconciled in SDG2 until November 28. On November 28, the general ledger Pcard file will be uploaded and cardholders will be locked out of (unable to make changes) posted transactions for the November Cycle. 

Fitness Center hours during Thanksgiving Break are:

Tuesday, November 25:  6:30 am-7:00 pm
Wednesday, November 26:  8:00 am-12:00 pm
Thursday, November 27:  Closed
Friday, November 28:  Closed
Saturday, November 29:  Closed
Sunday, November 30:  Closed
Monday, December 1: Resumes Normal Hours 

In order to fulfill requirements for NURS 395, UE’s nursing students are requesting your participation in the below survey. Your time and willingness to assist them would be greatly appreciated. The survey will take between 5 and 10 minutes to complete.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/smoke-free_project

Thank you!

UE Libraries will observe the following schedule of hours during the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Tuesday (11/25/14): 7:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Wednesday (11/26/14): 7:30 a.m. - 12 Noon
Thursday (11/27/14): CLOSED
Friday (11/28/14): CLOSED
Saturday (11/29/14): CLOSED
Sunday (11/30/14): 3:00 p.m. - Midnight
Monday (12/1/14): Resume Hours

The residence halls will be closed for winter break from noon on December 18 to 3 p.m. on January 9. Students participating in official University functions or other approved activities have the opportunity to apply for Winter Housing. Simply submit an Online Winter Request Form (hyper link this link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WinterHousing) by noon on Reading & Study Day to be considered. For more information about Winter Housing, contact the office of residence life. 

University Chaplain Tamara Gieselman, and UE students Sulaiman Alhumaidan and Fahad Ali were invited to speak at St. Peter's United Church of Christ in Lamar, Indiana, during the church's annual mission feast celebration. The November 23 collaborative presentation communicated the value of interfaith initiatives in a global society. An informal afternoon session provided a time for Q & A and conversation about interfaith initiatives at UE, Christian-Muslims relations, and the rituals and practices of Islam.

St. Peter's UCC is a rural congregation in Spencer County. Their ministry focus continues to be missional and global through participation in outreach programs such as non-violent conflict resolution in Sri Lanka and Ebola relief in West Africa. Locally, St. Peter's has sponsored domestic violence awareness programs and participated in the "Just Peace" initiative.
 

UE students Evan Meiman and Mallory Ermler and Dr. Lora Becker presented their research "Behavioral Effects of Magnesium Oxide versus Magnesium L-Threonate Diet in Adolescent Sprague Dawley Rats" at the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology conference in Washington, D. C., November 12.This work is the result of the research collaboration with Mead Johnson Nutritional. The students also attended the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience Poster Session, Graduate College Fair at the Society for Neuroscience with Dr. Becker. A conference with over 31,000 attendees. 

Dr. Lora Becker was installed at the president-elect for Nu Rho Psi, the Neuroscience Honor Society. NRP has over 40 chapters and 2000 members. The University of Evansville is the first school to have a chapter in Indiana and Kentucky.

The kNOw MORE Day committee thanks everyone who participated in and helped to make kNOw MORE Day a great day. Painting campus teal for the day showed wonderful support for the NO MORE campaign and to the education of campus about domestic violence and sexual assault. Thanks again! 

Three University of Evansville women soccer players were named Missouri Valley Conference Scholar Athletes for the 2014 season. Sophomore midfielder Bronwyn Boswell, senior defender Taylor Brand and junior goalkeeper Simone Busby all were honored for their play on and off the field this year.

“I'm thrilled that we were able to have so many represented,” said Evansville head coach Krista McKendree. “We have continued to increase the focus on the academic side and it is paying off for the girls. Last year, we had our best team GPA in my time and that is a credit to the work that the team has put in.”

Boswell has a cumulative 3.95 grade point average and is majoring in exercise science. She was named to the MVC First Team this season, after scoring a team-best nine goals, fifth most in the MVC. Boswell totaled seven game winning goals this year, third most in the nation. She had two multi-goal games this year (Austin Peay, Indiana State) and guided UE offensively to the MVC Tournament Championship match. Boswell was also named to the 2014 coSIDA Academic Al-District First Team.

Brand has a 3.46 cumulative GPA and is majoring in business. She was named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year this season. Brand was also named to the MVC First Team in 2014. She received the MVC Defensive Player of the Week Award once this season. Brand guided UE’s defense to 13 team shutouts this season, a new program record. She also piloted the Aces backline to six straight shutouts, another program record. Additionally, she led the Evansville defense to a program best defensive scoreless streak of 631:57 this year. Brand finished year with one assist and three shots offensively.

Busby has a 3.49 cumulative GPA and is majoring in legal studies. She was named Missouri Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year in 2014, her second time receiving the honor (2012). Busby was also named to MVC First Team in 2014, the second time she has received the honor (2012). She was named MVC Goalkeeper of the Week two times this season. Busby led the Purple Aces to the MVC Championship match this season with a program record 9 solo shutouts and program record 13 total shutouts. Her nine shutouts this season give Busby 20 career shutouts, a new program record. She had a personal best, and program record stretch of 586:57 without allowing a goal this season and guided a program record period of 631:57 without yielding a goal. Busby’s goals against average of .621 and saves percentage of .857 were both best in the MVC this season, the third year in a row she has led the Valley in both statistics. Her goals against average and saves percentage this season both ranked 19th in the country. 

For the third day in a row, the Purple Aces swimming and diving team set records as the squads wrapped up the third and final day of the House of Champions in Indianapolis.

“I am super proud of what our kids have done thus far in the season,” University of Evansville head coach Rickey Perkins said. “This weekend was a test to see where we are at and we did very well. We will continue to work and train hard and expect to win a lot of meets this season.”

In an interesting twist, Danielle Freeman broke the House of Champions record for the 100 free with a 51.19 in the prelims. The previous record was held by none other than current teammate Michelle Tipton, who set the mark in 2012.

The duo contributed to what would be a new school and meet mark in the 400 free relay. Freeman and Tipton teamed with Sam Montgomery and Abby Smith to set the bar high at 3:25.82. The previous mark, also held by UE, was a 3:28.48.

It was just another day at the office for Tipton, who also took top honors in the 1650 free as she won by two seconds with a 17:08.51.

Taylor Davidson was the final one to set a record on Sunday. She took fourth place in the 200 backstroke, setting the school mark at 2:03.63.

Sunday’s men’s effort was led by the group of Everett Plocek, Daniel O’Brien, Ethan O’Rourke and Ashton Bishop, who came home seventh in the 400 free relay. Their time checked in at a 3:08.58, which was almost four seconds ahead of their seed time.

The meet wraps up the fall slate for both teams as neither will see action until mid-January. The men travel to Ball State on Jan. 17 while the next meet for the women is a home match versus Saint Louis on the 24th.
 

Senior forward Mallory Ladd set career highs in points (31) and field goals made (10) as the University of Evansville women’s basketball team (1-2) lost 77-59 at IPFW on Friday evening. Ladd’s 31 points fell just four shy of Ashli Senff who set the program record with 35 points at Wichita State on December 30, 2006.

Aside from Ladd, the Aces scored just 28 points from the rest of the team. Evansville’s next highest scorer was senior guard Khristian Hart, who had nine points. Sophomore guard Sara Dickey was limited to six points on the evening and was held to single digit points for just the second time in her 34 game collegiate career.

UE fell behind early as IPFW scored the opening six points and held a 14-4 advantage before the first media timeout.

Ladd netted the first seven points of the game for Evansville, fueling an early comeback. After Hart made a pair of free throws, junior guard Laura Friday hit a three from the wing at 14:05 to pull UE within two, 14-12.

IPFW responded by scoring 14 of the next 17 points to rebuild a double digit advantage. Brett Green and Courtney Ogle both hit two threes each during that rally to establish a 28-15 lead.

UE cut the deficit in half over the final 7:32 to trail the Mastodons by just six points, 36-30 entering halftime. Ladd had a game-high 19 points in the first half on 7-for-12 shooting, sinking 3-for-4 threes and a perfect 2-for-2 free throws. Dickey was held scoreless in the first half, going 0-for-1 from the floor and 0-for-2 at the free throw line.

The score waivered a bit in the second half until Dickey’s layup at 10:44 brought UE within four points, 48-44.

Seconds later, Ladd picked up her fourth foul and was relegated to the bench to avoid collecting her fifth foul. With Ladd on the bench, IPFW immediately went on an 11-0 run to put the game out of reach.

The Mastodons led by as much as 20 points in the game, shooting 51% from the floor and going 11-for-28 on threes in the win. Evansville, by comparison, shot just 38% in the loss. Freshman Kenyia Johnson scored her first collegiate basket, totaling three points in the defeat.

Evansville will continue their five game road trip on Wednesday, November 26 at nationally ranked West Virginia. The game at WVU Coliseum is set for a 6:00 p.m. tip. UE’s next home game will be on Saturday, December 6 against Miami (Ohio) for a 4:00 p.m. tip at the Ford Center. Fans can purchase tickets over the phone at 812-488-ACES (2237), in person at either the Carson Center or Ford Center ticket office, or online via Ticketmaster.com.
 

For the first time in 21 years, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team travels to the state of Florida to take part in the Gulf Coast Showcase.

The last visit to the state by UE came in the 1993 NCAA Tournament when the Aces took on Florida State in Orlando in 1993; FSU won by an 82-70 final. Dec. 28, 1984 was the last regular season outing the Aces played in Florida; that night saw UE deal Florida Southern a 71-63 defeat in Lakeland.

Evansville will play three games in the event, with the opener set for Monday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET as the Purple Aces take on Fresno State. Other schools in the tournament include: Marist, San Francisco, Florida Gulf Coast, East Carolina, Green Bay and Hawaii.

While the game against Fresno State is set in stone for Monday, the Aces will face either East Carolina or Green Bay in the second round.

A 69-50 triumph marked the beginning of the UE road slate in 2014-15 - Evansville led from start to finish in the win, going up by as many as 20 points before winning by 19. D.J. Balentine shot 6-of-17 en route to a game-high 19 points while Egidijus Mockevicius checked in with his 8th double-double in the last 12 games as he tallied 17 points and 12 rebounds. Blake Simmons also finished in double figures with 12 points on a 6-7 shooting day.

Two games are down and the Purple Aces are still at or near the top of the country in a pair of offensive categories as of Nov. 21. With 51 assists against just 18 turnovers, UE has the top assist/turnover ratio in the NCAA at 2.83. The Aces are tops in the country with an average of 25.5 assists per contest; Duquesne is in second place with 24/game. Shooting has also been hot thus far as UE is second in the nation behind just Ohio State; in two games, the Aces have hit 60.5% of their attempts.

Despite scoring two points in the first half and hitting six of his 17 attempts, D.J. Balentine still managed to near his average as he posted 19 points. Balentine kept chipping away even though his shots were not falling at the usual rate and it showed with his game-high effort; he also made nine trips to the charity stripe. He has scored 20 or more points in 22 of the last 35 games dating back to the beginning of last season and has scored in double figures in 33 of the last 35 games for the Aces.

After leading the MVC in shooting last season, Egidijus Mockevicius is at it again, ranking as one of the top ten most efficient shooters in the nation. Mockevicius has hit 14 out of 17 shots this season, an amazing .824, which is tied for 9th in the country. He drained 7 out of 8 attempts at Miami while blocking his first two shots of the year. With 17 points and 12 rebounds, Mockevicius tallied his 8th double-double in the last 12 games for the Purple Aces.

Junior Adam Wing kept rolling in the road victory at Miami; the Morehead Ky. native has averaged 9.5 points and 6 rebounds in two games. Wing’s start has seen him gain confidence with each shot as he has knocked down 9 out of 15 field goals and is 1-1 from outside. His energy has also helped him to gain a better presence down low, averaging 6 rebounds in games against Earlham and at Miami.

Fresno State enters Monday’s tilt with a 1-2 mark following a 73-52 loss at Northern Arizona on Thursday. Four Bulldogs average double figures led by Julien Lewis’ tally of 16 per game. Last year, FSU went 21-18 on their way to the finals of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). They return four of their five starters this year, but welcome a new bench with seven newcomers.
 

Due to the upcoming holiday, faculty tickets are now available for the men's basketball game on Tuesday, December 2, against Wright State at 7:05 p.m. Come to the Carson Center Ticket Office to pick up your tickets. The ticket office will be open normal business hours November 24 and 25, and will close at noon on November 26. The ticket office will reopen for normal hours on December 1.