Coordinator of Disability Services Ronda Stone is the recipient of the November 2011 Employee Excellence Award.  Since Ronda came to work at UE in August 2007, she has established herself as an enthusiastic advocate for helping students fully engage in the college experience. 

Her dedication to students was mentioned by many nominating her for the award. 

One noted that "Ronda works diligently all summer to prepare for the accommodations, technology, and alternative format texts and materials needed for the incoming students with disabilities. We have 97 students with documented disabilities registered with our office this fall. Ronda works with students who have a variety of disabilities including blind and low vision, hearing impairments, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, medical disabilities, mobility impairments, and psychological disabilities. She works with each student to determine appropriate and effective accommodations to allow access to University courses, programs, and activities. It takes knowledge, skill, and creativity to meet the challenging needs of such a diverse population. She approaches her job with compassion, sensitivity, and dedication. She is a highly valued employee in the Counseling Services Department and at the University."
 

Due to a conflict, the Residence Life Villages True Colors event has been changed from Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. in Eykamp 255, Ridgway University Center to Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. in Room 273 in the Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building.

This month’s event called “Backstage Pass” will showcase UE's Department of Theatre, one of the top undergraduate programs in the nation. Patti McCrory, professor and costume designer, will discuss the process of costuming UE Theatre plays — including the upcoming production of Gypsy, running Nov. 11-13 and 17-20.

The presentation is Thursday, Nov. 3 at 12:00 at Old National Bank’s Blue & Gold Room in downtown Evansville.  Think Outside the Lunch Box attendees will  be eligible to win one of three pairs of tickets to Gypsy.  Attendees are welcome to eat lunch during the presentation. There is a restaurant conveniently located in the Old National Bank lobby.

This is the second year of UE's monthly faculty lecture series. Presentations will continue the first Thursday of each month through May 2012.
 

The University of Evansville was, as the song goes, given life through founders’ vision; some of those visionaries were Methodists.  We are excited to promote the new display in the UE Libraries’ Reference display case which illustrates our heritage as a United Methodist affiliated institution. Items in the display have been gleaned from The John Wesley Commemorative Collection recently given to the University by Dr. R. Wayne and Sally Perkins. Dr. Wayne Perkins is a UE Professor Emeritus of Religion. The entire collection will be exhibited in the soon to be renovated Wesley Gallery in Neu Chapel’s lower level and includes 18th and 19th century artifacts and collectables illustrating the life and ministry of John Wesley, founder of Methodism. The University community is invited to view the display in the library through Sunday, Nov. 13.  The Wesley Gallery is slated to be open to the public in the spring, 2012.
 

Adventist Campus Ministries will be having Bible study tonight from 7-8 p.m. in Room 153 (Eades Music Room) in the McCurdy Wing of the Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building. They will be finishing up studying the topic, "Can the dead speak to us?"

"Many differences exist throughout Christendom concerning teachings about the afterlife," explains Guy Goodness, Adventist Campus Ministries member. "Heaven, hell, purgatory, and sleep are popular examples of common teachings of many different churches after death. Come to this study and find out what the Bible specifically teaches about the state of the dead and what happens after a person dies."

Anyone is welcome to attend!
 

Kelley Coures, vice president of Tri-State Alliance for Gays and Lesbians, will be on campus this Thursday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. in Smythe Lecture Hall (Room 170), Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building, to present, “4,000 Years of GLBT History.”  Refreshments will be served.  GLBT is an acronym that stands for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender.  This event is sponsored by the Office of Diversity Initiatives.  All are welcomed to attend.

Notice to UE Community artists and crafters - EXCITING NEWS!  This year, the Department of Art and the UE Friends of Art, in conjunction with Kappa Pi Art Fraternity, are planning a Christmas Exhibition as well as the annual Art and Craft Sale.  Both events will be held in the new Melvin Peterson Gallery, on the corner of Lincoln and Weinbach Avenues – across from campus.

The Christmas Exhibition, will open on Nov .16, and run through Dec. 8.  All categories of art are eligible and all work in the Exhibition will be offered for sale.  Work will be accepted on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 in either the Peterson Gallery during normal hours of 11 a.m.-3 p.m. or in the Art Office, FA 212, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

The Annual Art and Craft Sale is planned for 2 days this year:
Thursday, Dec. 1 from noon-6 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 2 from 7:00 a.m.-1 p.m.

Sale items should be delivered on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 29 and Nov. 30 to the Peterson Gallery during normal hours of 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Anyone in the UE community who makes art or does crafts is invited to participate in these events. This includes spouses, children, relatives and friends. 

Members of the UE Friends of Art and students in Kappa Pi Art Fraternity will be manning the sale so it is not necessary for sale participants to spend both days in the Peterson Gallery with their work.

To enter work in the Christmas Exhibition, to register as a participant for the Art and Craft Sale or for more information, please phone the Department of Art Office at 488-2043. (A sample of work may be requested prior to inclusion as a participant in either event.)

Phi Alpha Theta will be selling calendars to raise money for the Phi Alpha Theta National Biennial Conference in January. They are sending 9 of 16 members to the conference. Calendars will be available for pre-order Nov. 2-18.  Be on the lookout during lunch hours for tables in Hyde Hall on Nov. 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 14, 16 and 17, and in Ridgway University Center on Nov 3, 10 and 17. Calendars will feature professors and administrators from across the University dressed as Henry VIII, George Washington, Christopher Columbus, and more.

The Clay Club's 9th Annual Chili Bowl Sale is Thursday, Nov. 3. This year's event will be set up in a tent just outside of Hyde Hall.  Buy a bowl of chili and keep the handmade, one of a kind ceramic bowl. The first bowl of chili will be served at 11 a.m. and the sale will continue until 1 p.m., provided the chili and bowls don’t run out. Also for sale will be bottled water, the chili condiments are free. Prices are as follows:
Students with a valid UE ID: first bowl - $5
Faculty, Staff and guests: first bowl - $7
Everyone: second, third, etc. bowls - $10
Water – $1

Rain or shine the tent will be set up, the chili will be cooking and the bowls will be washed and ready.
 

UE PRIDE's ninth annual drag show is taking place Dec. 3 in Eykamp Hall, Ridgway University Center.  In order to make this event a success they need as many student performers that want to participate.  Participants will get free entry to the event and have the oppertunity to win gift certificates and grand prizes reserved for performers. The theme is "Keep Calm and Drag On" and is the biggest philanthropy on campus.  They hope to raise $2,500 this year but that will not be possible without the help and support of fellow students and student groups.  If you would like to participate please email bs159@evansville.edu with any questions as soon as possible.  Registration ends on Nov. 21.

Arjia Rinpoche, a Tibetan lama and author of the memoir Surviving the Dragon: A Tibetan Lama’s Account of 40 Years Under Chinese Rule, will speak at Neu Chapel at 7:00 p.m. Monday, November 14. Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel will introduce Rinpoche.

Rinpoche is the highest ranking Tibetan lama to escape Tibet since the Dalai Lama’s escape in 1959. He spent years in forced labor camps and is considered an authority on current Chinese/Tibetan relations.

At the Dalai Lama’s request, Rinpoche moved to Indiana after his escape to head the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center in Bloomington, founded by the Dalai Lama’s late brother. In 2010, Rinpoche published his life story, Surviving the Dragon, which includes a foreword by the Dalai Lama. Rinpoche will sign books before (6:00-6:30) and after (8:30-9:00) his lecture.

This event is hosted by the Office of Religious Life.
 

The Creative Writing Coffee Hour-Melvin M. Peterson Literary Hour is planned for Thursday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. in the Melvin Peterson Gallery. The topic will be "Concerning Jane Austen."

Each year, during this special hour in honor of the Department of Creative Writing’s longtime supporter, Mel Peterson, several professors and students discuss various aspects of the work of an important literary figure. This year the focus will be on the great eighteenth-century novelist Jane Austen.

Do you remember playing games like Twister and Operation? Well here's your chance to play these games and more at Sigma Alpha Iota's philanthropy event, Board Game Blitz on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7 pm in Eykamp Hall, Ridgway University Center. This event is a game tournament to raise money to benefit the People to People program, which bridges cultural and political borders through education and exchange. Tickets will be on sale in Ridgway University Center from Wednesday through Friday between the times of 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5-7 p.m .for $3. Tickets will also be sold at the door on Saturday for $5. 

Each year Sodexo gives back to the Evansville community by hosting the annual Helping Hands Across America Food Drive. This year their goal is to donate 300 cans of cranberry sauce to the Evansville Rescue Mission for their Thanksgiving meals and 300 cans of other canned goods to the Tri-State Food Bank.

On Nov. 9 during meals at Cafe Court and operating hours at Ace's Place, diners will be able to purchase cans to donate for $1 (cash, credit, or flex). In addition, UE faculty and staff will receive a coupon for a FREE meal at Cafe Court in exchange for a donation of five cans. (The faculty and staff donations will be accepted in the Sodexo office.) For questions about the Helping Hands Across America Food Drive, contact Lindsey Mitchell at x2436 or lm150@evansville.edu.

On Nov. 10 from 7-8 p.m., in Smythe Lecture Hall (Room 170), in the Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building, Dr. Bill Hadley, '69 will have a question and answer session for students interested in careers with a global focus.  A reception will follow from 8-8:30 p.m. in the Atrium outside of Smythe Lecture Hall.

Hadley is a retired officer of the CIA with tours of duty in the Middle East, Africa and the United Kingdom.  He currently works for Global Analysis, a U.S. subsidiary of the U.K. defense firm, BAE Systems as a Technical Director. He is a published author, noted expert on the Middle East and has taught at the Royal College of Defence Studies in the UK.

As a part of Homecoming activities, Hadley will be the Alumni Homecoming Speaker Saturday at 10 a.m. and has also generously offered to interact with students regarding government and international career paths.

Please direct all inquiries to Career Services and Cooperative Education at career@evansville.edu or 812-488-1083.
 

On Nov.16 at 4 p.m., in Room 170 (Smythe Lecture Hall) in Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building, Congressman Mike Sodrel will be speaking on the topic of “More Liberty or More Government?” What kind of political system will bring back prosperity to the United States economy? What’s the difference between socialism, communism, and fascism?

In the words of Congressman Mike Sodrel, “For me it’s still about liberty. What we have secured, extended, restored and defended with blood and bullets, we are about to lose with ballots. We are about to lose it from lack of understanding.”

Come join us to find out answers to your questions about the economy and all those “isms.”

Sodrel was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 2005-2007 serving the Ninth Congressional District of Indiana. Under his leadership, Sodrel Truck Lines, Free Enterprise Motor Coach, and Sodrel Logistics (SOLO) grew from less than 100 employees to over 550. Congressman Sodrel has been recognized as the Southern Indiana Small Business Person of the Year and elected as Chairman of the Southern Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Congressman Sodrel has received many community leadership awards and has been honored with distinction by several service organizations. He is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Constitution Institute.

Are commas confusing?  Do you have questions about quotation marks?  The Grammar League of America is here to help!  Come to the Writing Center at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9, for a fun-filled presentation to solve all your punctuation problems.  Contact Camille at cb236@evansville.edu or Sam at su18@evansville.edu for more information.
 

Homecoming 2011 is Nov. 7-13 with a week full of fun and exciting events. Come out and watch the fun and cheer on students to show your UE School Spirit.

Monday, Nov. 7: Game Show in Eykamp 251, Ridgway University Center, at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 8: Round 1 of UE’s Best Dance Crew in Eykamp 251 at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 9: AceFactor on Ridgway East Terrace at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 10: SAB Movie Night, “Space Jam” in Eykamp 251 at 9:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 11: UE Veterans Day Service at 11 am in Eykamp 251
Homecoming Pep Rally on Ridgway East Terrace at Noon
Saturday, Nov. 12: Homecoming Parade at 9 a.m. starting on Walnut and heading around the campus.
Chili Cook-Off at the Fan Fest starts at noon. Tastes cost 50 cents. All proceeds are donated to local food kitchens
UE’s Best Dance Crew rounds 2 and 3 at noon at Fan Fest
UE Men’s Basketball vs. Butler game starts at 2:05 p.m. The Homecoming Court will be announced at Halftime.
Sunday, Nov. 13: Walk, Run, Roll VETS Day 5k at 8 a.m. at the USS LST Memorial

The Fan Fest will be located at the D-Patrick Ford Dealership on Walnut Street, next to the Ford Center. Shuttles will be available for students in front of Carson Center and will drop off at the Ford Center starting at 11:30 a.m. and resuming at the completion of the game to return students back to campus.

For any further information contact Geoff Edwards at ge21@evansville.edu

The TIAA CREF representative will be on the UE campus on Wednesday, Nov. 9 and Friday, Nov. 11 for individual counseling sessions. To schedule an appointment, call TIAA CREF at 1-800-732-8353 or 317-706-6200.  The sessions will be held in the Clifford Rare Books Room in the Library (Room 158).  If you have any questions, call Carol McCraney at extension 2943.
 

The campus community, alumni and friends are invited to celebrate Veterans Day at a special service on Friday, Nov. 11 from 11 a.m.-noon in Eykamp 251, Ridgway University Center. UE alumnus and Marine veteran John MacCauley will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.  The key note speaker will be Professor of History James MacLeod.  His presentation is titled, “That Their Names Be Not Forgotten: The Role of Remembrance in the 21st Century.” Music selections will be performed by UE's Trebles Without A Cause and the Evansville Firefighter’s Pipe and Drum Corps.

A luncheon reception will immediately follow on the second floor of Ridgway University Center.  All are invited.

Then from 1-2 p.m. in Eykamp 253, senior archaeology major Elizabeth Bostelman will present her research titled, “UE’s Military History Project – An historical account of the UE campus community from the Civil War through the Afghanistan & Iraq Wars”.

For more UE Veterans Day celebration details go to: http://www.evansville.edu/veteransaffairs/veteransday.cfm

UE Athletics, in association with the Tri-State Military Resource Network, are sponsoring Aces Military Appreciation Night Basketball Game at the Ford Center . This event will be at the Ford Center at 7:05 p.m. on Nov. 4.  There will be exhibitors in the lobby with veteran specific information, and special recognition for veterans at the game. While UE students can get a free ticket for athletic events, veterans and current service members can get discounted tickets for this game ($8).  Tell your friends and family!

For more UE Veterans Day celebration details go to: http://www.evansville.edu/veteransaffairs/veteransday.cfm

Mark your calendar!  UE faculty, staff, students and community are invited to attend the free (bring your lunch) Lunch & Learn Session on Wednesday, Nov. 9, from noon–12:50 p.m. in Eykamp 253, Ridgway University Center.  The session will be presented by Centennial Wealth Advisory on "Budgeting for the Holidays: Keeping Your FICO Score High and Your Debt Low. " This event is sponsored by the University of Evansville, Center for Adult Education.  Please contact Judy Caldwell at jc313@evansville.edu if you have questions. This event is being presented by the Society for Financial Awareness and sponsored by the Center for Adult Education.
 

Students - want an easy way to get downtown to the Ford Center for the men’s basketball game Friday night at 7 p.m.?  Hop on the Aces Shuttle departing from the Carson Center at 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.  The bus will take you to the Ford Center pre-game and bring you back post game.  The bus will depart from the Ford Center 15 minutes after the game and bring you back to UE. Best of all it’s FREE and you don’t have to worry about parking or walking!

On Friday, November 4, the University of Evansville will participate in Junior Achievement's annual Job Shadow Day as a host site. Twenty eighth-graders from Thompkins Middle School will spend the morning touring campus, meeting with faculty and administrators in their areas of academic and career interest, and having lunch at Cafe Court. If you see these students on Friday morning, please give them a warm welcome to campus! 

December graduates are reminded that if you need a cap and gown for graduation ceremonies you should purchase one in the UE Bookstore as soon as possible.  If you are a Masters graduate you need to contact the Bookstore IMMEDIATELY as your garments are custom-made and require additional time to receive.  Also if you need graduation announcements, you can order them in the Bookstore and receive for mailing in as little as 3 days.  If you have any questions please contact the Bookstore.
 

Don’t forget that Friday, Nov. 11, is the last day to drop a fall class.  Drops will be posted with a ‘W’ grade.  If you need to drop a class, fill out a yellow Add/Drop Form (available in the Registrar’s Office in Olmsted Hall, Room 106), get signatures from your advisor and class instructor, and return the completed form to the Registrar’s Office no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11.

The women's basketball team needs male practice players! They need  guys who are knowledgeable, love the game and are willing to come help the players get better. Things that will need to happen if you are interested: physical by the team doctors, fill out NCAA paperwork, and fill out an amateur questionnaire.  Please contact Nicki Motto-Asst Coach immediately if you are interested at nm91@evansville.edu

The Office of Admission will have a photographer on campus for a photo shoot, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Nov, 1, 2, and 3. UE students and faculty have always been very cooperative and accommodating during previous shoots and as a result, many great photos have been taken for UE publications. Kim McDonald will try to notify faculty in advance if photos will be taken in a particular class, however, often weather unexpectedly can force the shoot inside and it is possible that last minute requests will be made. If faculty members know that they will be giving a test or do not wish to be bothered any of these three days, they should please inform Kim McDonald at ext. 2683 and the classroom will be avoided.

The Office of Human Resources is pleased to announce that the W-2s will be available to view/print online thru WebAdvisor for employees and student workers beginning in January 2012.  To take advantage of this option, you must log onto WebAdvisor and select the option “W-2 Electronic Consent.” Click the first radio button to give your consent. By giving your consent, you will receive an e-mail notification that your W-2 is ready to view/print. You will not receive a paper W-2, as the electronic W-2 will be in a format that you can print and submit with your tax return. Among the advantages of electronic W-2’s: (1) you will have access to your W-2 a couple days earlier than a paper copy that is mailed to your home (2) you can print as many copies of the W-2 as you need. If you choose to withhold your consent to view/print your online W-2, a paper copy will be prepared and mailed to you at your home address. Although the W-2s will not be available until the end of January 2012, we strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity and give your consent early. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Gloria Spencer at ext. 2159.  

Congratulations to UE student Alexandria (Alex) Hays, who is among 31 outstanding first-generation college students honored in this year’s “Realizing the Dream” program, sponsored by the Independent Colleges of Indiana. Hays, an exercise science/pre-physical therapy student from Cicero, Indiana, will attend a banquet in Indianapolis on Saturday along with the mentor who most encouraged her to seek a college degree, John Walsh of Hamilton Heights Elementary School.

Made possible by a grant to the Independent Colleges of Indiana from the Lilly Endowment, “Realizing the Dream” recognizes the triumphs of first-generation students in their first year of college. The student honorees are Indiana high school graduates who subsequently demonstrated superior academic performance during their first year of studies and exhibited leadership in campus or community activities. 
 

UE Director of Choral Activities Dennis Malfatti will direct the Evansville Philharmonic Chorus at its Fall Choral Concert on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Benedict Cathedral located at 1328 Lincoln Avenue in Evansville.  This will be the Chorus’ first feature concert since Dr. Malfatti’s conducting debut at Carnegie Hall last summer.  The program will feature works by Verdi, Mozart, Beethoven, and many more. 

The Chorus will begin with selections from three great oratorios including “Hallelujah, Amen” from Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus; “He, Watching Over Israel” from Mendelssohn’s Elijah; and “Hallelujah” from Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives.  The Fall Choral Concert will continue with selections from 19th Century Italian Opera including Chorus of the Wedding Guests from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor and Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Verdi’s Nabucco. 

The Chorus will also sing contemporary choral works including Psalm 23 by American composer Paul Basler and featuring Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra principal horn Jonas Thoms; Lord, Thou Hast Searched Me by American composer Howard Helvey featuring Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra concertmaster Gared Crawford; followed by two works by John Rutter:  Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind from Shakespeare’s “As you like it” and What Sweeter Music.  The Chorus will be accompanied by Kristin Jones on piano.  The concert will close with Mozart’s Dixit Dominus from the Vesperae Solennes de Confessore K. 339.  
     
General admission is just $12 per person.  Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling the Evansville Philharmonic Box Office at (812) 425–5050 or ordering online at www.evansvillephilharmonic.org  Tickets may also be purchased at the door one hour prior to the performance.  Media Sponsor is 14 NEWS.