V-Day and UE's Women's Awareness proudly present Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues this Saturday, February 11 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, February 12 at 2:00 p.m. in Eykamp 251, Ridgway University Center.  Come see the production that Variety calls, "Spellbinding, funny, and almost unbearably moving...it is both a work of art and an incisive piece of cultural history, a poem and a polemic, a performance and a balm and a benediction." Tickets will be available in Hyde Hall on Monday-Friday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., in Ridgway University Center on Wednesday-Friday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m, and at the door. All proceeds benefit the Albion Fellows Bacon Center for victims of domestic violence as well as V-Day's Spotlight Campaign to end violence against the women of Haiti. 

Did you know that the current U.N. statistic shows that 1 in 3 women in the world will experience sexual violence? Join us in raising awareness to end violence against women and girls all over the world. Women's Awareness and V-Day Evansville will present a free showing of Until the Violence Stops on Monday, February 6 at 7 p.m., Room 126, Hyde Hall. This hopeful and powerful documentary chronicles the story of Eve Ensler's performance piece The Vagina Monologues as it transformed into the V-Day movement and touched the lives of women in every part of the world. The viewing is free and open to the public.  

Student Congress will be hosting an open forum on Feb 9 at 9 pm in Eykamp 253, Ridgway University Center. The topic of discussion will be changes being made to the constitution. This is an opportunity for your voice to be heard! Please come and show your support .. or lack thereof. We want to hear what you have to say so that we can form the new constitution to reflect what the student body wants. 

The Department of Music presents its first 1st Tuesday concert of the Spring semester on a program of music “Inspired by Opera.”  As one of the most popular art music genres, opera has always generated “spin-off” pieces: arrangements for solo piano, solo instrument with piano accompaniment, various chamber ensembles, and orchestral suites.  The program offers a sampling of all of these.  It includes the overture to The Magic Flute by Mozart performed by the Harlaxton Woodwind Quintet; Françoise Borne’s popular Fantasie brilliante on themes from Bizet’s Carmen performed by Shauna Thompson, flute, and Anne Fiedler, piano; timpanist William Shaltis and bassist Lee Veazey performing Philip Glass’s Prelude to Endgame; and a concluding performance of Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll for chamber orchestra, conducted by Dr. Brian St. John.  The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in Wheeler Concert Hall; it is free and open to the public.

UE student and flutist Alyssa Kereki will present her Senior Recital in Wheeler Concert Hall this Sunday, February 12, at 2:30 p.m.  The recital is free and open to the public.

 

Love meeting new people from across the globe? Looking for leadership development? In need of new programs for your floor, hall council or organization? These are all reasons that you should apply to attend NACURH, a national conference that connects students from around the world, provides student leadership development, and shares programming resources and efficient practices for running organizations. The conference is June 1-4, at the University of Colorado–Boulder. Applications are available NOW in Residence Life or on the RSA website: rsa.evansville.edu. This opportunity is open to any student living on campus and it is completely sponsored by RSA. In other words, it is FREE! Contact Sierra Burtis at sb269@evansville.edu with questions or for more information.
 

Join us for I-House: South Korea this Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. on the second floor of Ridgway University Center in the Class of 1959 Gallery. Bring your friends to enjoy a presentation about this beautiful Asian country, as well as complimentary cookies.

This is a reminder to ALL May Graduates that Commencement Central is set for Monday, February 27 from 5-8 p.m. upstairs in the Ridgway University Center and Tuesday, February 28  from noon-5 p.m. outside the UE Bookstore. Plan to attend one of these sessions so that you can finalize your graduation plans and make sure everything is set. During the event you will meet with the Registrar and staff from the Alumni and Career Planning offices.  You also will purchase your cap and gown and/or graduation announcements. There will be other useful information offered as well. During the Monday night event there will be food and a special giveaway.  Please mark your calendar and make sure you attend this event - it only takes a few minutes.

 

The annual UE Fitness and Health Fair is set for Thursday, February 16 from 11 a.m-2 p.m. in the Student Fitness Center. Admission is free! Services to be offered at the fair include: chiropractic screenings, display of fitness equipment, vision tests, drunk driving goggles that demonstrate impairment levels in driving drunk, and blood pressure screenings. You could win free giveaways such as restaurant gift cards and more! So come out and have fun, get free things and see how fit and healthy you are!

UE faculty, staff, students, and community are invited to attend the free (bring your lunch) Lunch & Learn session on Wednesday, February 8, from noon–12:50 p.m. in Eykamp 253, Ridgway University Center. The session will be presented by Centennial Wealth Advisory. The discussion will cover benefits and drawbacks of long-term care insurance, and cover the Indiana Long-Term Care Partnership, which allows people to keep more of their assets. Please contact Judy Caldwell at jc313@evansville.edu if you have questions. This event is sponsored by the Center for Adult Education.
 

The speaker for the Crick Lectures in Cognitive and Neural Sciences on Wednesday, Feb. 8 in Room will be Damani N. Bryant, Ph.D., Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, Oregon Health & Science University. His topic will be Mechanisms of Sexually Dimorphic Estradiol Neuroprotection

"Biological sex has historically been one of the most overlooked aspects of neuroscience," says Bryant. "It has become clear in recent years that sex profoundly alters the way the brain responds to its environment. For example, the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Stroke varies as a function of sex and estrogen status. Pre-menopausal women enjoy better protection from AD and Stroke than men, implying that estrogen is neuroprotective."

Bryant explains that "The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) was designed to determine whether hormone replacement was beneficial to women. Surprisingly, WHI found no benefit to estrogen replacement. However, there are several caveats associated with the design of WHI that preclude the broad generalization of its findings. Misinterpretation of the WHI findings thus represents a critical barrier to advancing our understanding of estradiol’s effects in the brain, which are very complex and are not completely understood.  Given the documented impact of sex on vulnerability to insult, it is reasonable to postulate that sex also modifies the brain’s response to other stimuli, such as the neuroprotective steroid 17β-estradiol (E2). To address this issue, male and female rat neurons are cultured separately and used as an experimental model system to examine biochemical responses to E2. Our findings indicate that female neurons are more responsive to estradiol than male neurons, which begs the question, Why is E2 signaling sexually dimorphic?  This sex difference may be a consequence of the perinatal Testosterone surge, which “Organizes” the male brain or it may be a consequence of genetic sex (XX vs XY). Future studies will address this issue."

Calling all artists and crafters! Women's Awareness and the V-Day crew are now accepting donations for the Vagina Monologues Silent Art Auction. All proceeds will benefit the Albion Bacon Fellows Center for victims of domestic violence and the V-Day Spotlight Campaign for the women of Haiti. Contact Sean Rocke at sr151@evansville.edu for submission details.  

Sympathy to Anne and Bob Dale on the death of Anne's father, Thomas Neeley, on February 2 in Newburgh, Ind. Anne is the vendor relations specialist and Bob is supervisor of grounds at UE.

Mr. Neeley is survived by his wife Ann, daughters Sheila Ann Rayburn (Charles) of Des Moines, IA; Karen Leigh Thomas (Terry) of Lexington, KY.; Anne Patricia Dale (Robert) and son Thomas Shawn Neeley (Camille) of Newburgh, IN.; ten grandchildren, Jeffrey (Jackie), Douglas, and Michael (Margarita) Rayburn; Trent Thomas (Heather) and Neeley Buhr (Jeffrey); Shannon Smith (Richard), Austin and Megan Dale; Brianne and Elizabeth Neeley; and eight great-grandchildren, Sydney, Tyler, Addison, Jasmyn, and Sophia Rayburn; Mason, Lily and Ava Thomas.

Mass was held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, February 6, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, officiated by Father Attila Frohlich with burial and full military honors at St. John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery, Newburgh, Ind. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to VNA Plus Hospice, 610 E Walnut, Evansville, IN 47713.

What has become a tradition of the last decade, the University of Evansville women's basketball team will host the 10th annual Hoops For The Cure game Sunday February 12, when the Purple Aces host Drake University. Tip-off at the Ford Center is set for 1:00 p.m.

Hoops For The Cure is a collaborative partnership between the UE athletics department, UE women's basketball program, and the Greater Evansville Affiliate of Susan G. Komen For The Cure, which is designed to help raise awareness for the fight against breast cancer.

Tickets for the 2012 Hoops For The Cure will be discounted to $5.00, with half of the ticket proceeds going to Susan G. Komen For The Cure to aid in breast cancer research. T-shirts will be available for $10 and tons of great prizes will be auctioned off with all proceeds being donated to the foundation.

The Lady Aces will trade in their normal home white jerseys for ones with a pink twist, while fans are also highly encouraged to wear pink in support of the cause.

Tickets for the 2012 Hoops For The Cure game can be purchased at the UE Carson Center Ticket Office, by phone at (812) 488-ACES, or on Ticketmaster.com.

The game will also be broadcasted on ESPN 3.
 

The University of Evansville athletic department has announced the Class of 2012 for the UE Athletics Hall of Fame.

Set for induction are Launa Hankins (women’s soccer), Andrew Norton (men’s soccer), Nick Waninger (cross country) and Andrea Werner (women’s golf).  The induction is set to take place on Saturday, February 25 at the Victory Theater in downtown Evansville.  Those wanting to attend can find full information by clicking on the invitation on above the release.  They will also be honored at the Aces’ basketball game against Missouri State that day at 1:05 p.m.

Launa Hankins graduated from the university in 1996 and was UE’s NCAA Woman of the Year candidate that year.  She was the team captain for team captain for the first 3 years of the women’s soccer program, setting career records for goals (17), assists (12) and points (46) when she graduated. 

Hankins led UE to the 1994 Great Midwest Conference championship and was named a 1st team all-conference player in that same season.  She set the foundation for the future success of the program.

Andrew Norton was in the class of 1987 and played Hall of Fame coach Fred Schmalz from 1983 through 1986.  In 1985, Norton was named a 3rd Team NSCAA All-American and his lasting impact on the program is shown in his record setting career as he still ranks in the top ten in program history, scoring 25 goals from his midfield position. 

He helped lead the program to the NCAA Final Four in 1985 and is the co-holder
of the UE record for most goals in a match with four.  Norton was named an All-Region player in  1985 and was the recipient of the 1984 Spirit of the Aces Award.

The most recent graduate in the Class of 2012 is cross country runner Nick Waninger.  A 2006 graduate of UE, Waninger owns four of the top ten times for both the 8K and 10K while setting the school record in the 10K in 2004. He was named an All-Conference runner in the MVC in 2004, ’05 and ’06 while making the MVC All-Centennial Team in all four years with the Aces.

Waninger remains to this day the program’s only All-American, being given the honor in 2003 and 2004 and was honored in 2005 and 2007 with the William V. Slyker Award, which is given to the school’s top male athlete.  A six-time MVC Runner of the Week, Waninger received the ’07 Ralph H. Coleman Award and the James A. Byers Athletic Student Scholarship.

Ida Stieler Award winner and 2003 graduate Andrea Werner is the fourth inductee into the Hall of Fame.  Werner has been playing professionally since her graduation and is another who has left a lasting impact on the program.  As a junior, she set the UE record with an 80.2 average and shattered the mark as a senior, averaging just 77.82 strokes per round.

She was a 2-time tournament medalist and is still No. 2 on UE’s career stroke average list, finishing her career with a mark of 81.96.  She was a 1st Team All-MVC golfer in 2003 and finished fourth in that year’s tournament.

Saluki junior Jeff Early hit a free throw with two seconds remaining to give Southern Illinois a 53-52 win over the University of Evansville men’s basketball team on Saturday afternoon at SIU Arena. 

Colt Ryan was the top scorer for Evansville (11-12, 6-7 MVC), finishing with 13 points while Kenneth Harris tallied 10.  Early was the leading scorer in the contest, leading SIU (8-16, 5-8 MVC) with 14 points.  Dantiel Daniels had 11 while Mamadou Seck chipped in 10. 

It was all Salukis in the early going.  SIU connected on their first three shots while forcing the Aces into a pair of early turnovers.  Colt Ryan got UE on the board with a layup almost three minutes in to make it a 6-2 game. 

Southern Illinois kept up its frantic early pace, jumping out to a 10-2 lead while hitting five of their first six shots while UE turned the ball over four times.  With the Aces trailing 13-4, senior Denver Holmes helped UE get back into, scoring seven in a row for UE to cut into the deficit.

Jeff Early helped SIU respond, opening up its first double-digit lead of the game at the 13-minute mark, scoring ten points to set the Salukis up with a 24-14 advantage.  Evansville missed seven-consecutive shots before a shot by Ryan ended the drought.

With just over three minutes left in the half, an Early free throw gave SIU its largest lead of the half at 31-18.  Ned Cox cut into the deficit with a trey a minute later before the Salukis went into the half with a 34-23 advantage.  After hitting 41 shots in Wednesday’s win at Bradley, the Aces connected on just nine field goals in the first half while shooting 39.1%.  Turnovers also wreaked havoc on UE in the first half as the Aces committed nine turnovers after recording just ten last time out against the Braves.

The deficit for UE remained around ten points in the opening minutes of the second half.  A layup by Holmes got UE within a few as eight points while SIU led by as many as 13 in the first five minutes of the half.  Colt Ryan was held in check by SIU in the first half, notching just three points, but his three-pointer and runner, along with a Lewis Jones bucket, helped Evansville get back within seven points, 43-36, at the 9-minute mark of the period.

Ryan kept the momentum going as he knocked down his second three-pointer of the half with eight minutes left in the contest to get UE back within four, 47-43 before a Sawvell free throw made it a one-possession game just seconds later.  Just past the 5-minute mark, a potential dagger fell for the Salukis as T.J. Lindsay hit a three near the end of the shot clock giving SIU the 52-46 advantage.

Evansville continued to fight back.  With just 2:43 left, Ryan hit a pair of free throws bringing UE within a pair (52-50) for the first time since the opening minutes of the game.  On the next possession for SIU, Ryan Sawvell caught a turnover in the lane and dished it out to Kenneth Harris, who was fouled on a layup attempt.  He made both free throws to knot the game at 52.

The score remained that way until the final seconds.  Inside the last minute, a missed Jeff Early shot was rebounded by Harris, giving the Aces the ball with 36 seconds left.  A pass by Troy Taylor was intercepted by Early, who was fouled on a layup attempt and made 1-of-2 free throws putting the ball back in UE’s hands with two seconds remaining.  A late attempt was missed, giving SIU the win.

Neither team took care of the ball particularly well as UE had 16 turnovers while SIU had 18.  SIU finished with a slight 43.2%-40.9% shooting advantage and a 31-26 lead on the boards.

Creighton will mark the next opponent for Evansville as the 12th-ranked Bluejays come to the Ford Center for a 7:05 p.m. matchup on Tuesday evening.  Fans who buy a full price ticket to Tuesday’s game will have the opportunity to buy a ticket to any of the other remaining home games for half price.  You can also save $5 per ticket by using the latest QR code.  There will also be a concessions special as soda and popcorn will be just $1 apiece for the Creighton game.

Battling back from a 15-point second-half deficit, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team had a chance to tie the game in the final 30 seconds of play, but sophomore Miranda Liles’ three bounced off the back rim and the hosting University of Northern Iowa converted free throws in the final seconds to edge the Aces, 58-53, Saturday night at McLeod Center. Evansville now owns a 4-18 overall record and 1-10 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference, while the Panthers improved to 15-7 on the season and 8-3 in the MVC.

Three Evansville players reached double figures led by junior Meagan Collins’ 14 points and nine rebounds and classmate Samantha Heck’s 12 points and nine boards. In her second career start, Liles tallied 11 points and five rebounds. For the third straight game, senior Briyana Blair reached double-digits on the glass, grabbing 10 boards in addition to logging eight points.

Evansville started the game strong, as Heck put the Aces on the board first with a jumper from the top of the key. After UNI answered with a pair of free throws and jumper, Collins regained the lead for Evansville with her three-point play on a bucket and foul shot.

In a game that consisted of six tied scores and five lead changes, the squads traded 6-0 runs with UE tying the contest, 11-11 following two layups by Blair and jumper by Liles. However, UNI shifted the momentum back into their favor with an 8-0 run, taking their largest lead of the period, 19-11, with 7:09 remaining.

UNI picked up the defensive pressure, but Evansville came storming back with six unanswered points on the press-breaker, as Liles, Juliann Miller, and Staci Gillum each recorded baskets in the paint, cutting the deficit to two, 19-17.
Heck knocked down two free throws and Blair’s put-back evened the score at 21 with 3:22 to go in the half. Next time down the floor, UNI hit a jumper, but Evansville scored the last six points of the half, as Blair drained two at the charity stripe, Heck’s up-and-under found the bottom of the net, and Collins’ left-handed layup capped the run and sent the Aces into the locker room with a 27-23 lead.

Out of the break, UE stretched its lead to six with Gillum’s drive to the rim, but UNI responded with a 13-2 run, including eight straight points that gave the Panthers a 36-31 lead with 12:08 remaining. UNI went up by as much as eight, 40-32, before Evansville cut the margin to five on Collins’ three in front of the UE bench. The Aces continued to battle back, getting within four, 41-37, following two free throws by Taylor Ware at the 9:11 mark.

However, the Panthers got hot from behind the arc and answered immediately with a 10-0 run, including two threes. With 5:27 to go, UNI took a 15-point lead, 54-39, its largest lead of the game, but UE continued to fight. Liles drained a three from the top of the arc and Heck made both of her free throws to send the Aces into the final media timeout trailing by 10, 54-44, and on a 5-0 run.

The teams traded baskets, but Heck continued to excel at the free throw line, hitting two more, finishing 6-for-6, to put the deficit in the single digits once again. Collins stepped up big in the post, knocking down two consecutive jumpers in the paint and making a free throw to make it a five-point game, 56-51, with a 1:48 remaining. Liles capped the 9-0 run with a strong put-back to make it a three-point game in the final minute of play.

However, the Panthers held off the charging Aces in the waning seconds.

Katelin Oney led UNI with 16 points, followed by Rachel Madrigal’s 12 points, and Amber Kirschbaum’s 11 points and seven rebounds.

Evansville dominated the boards, outrebounding the Panthers, 42-29, and outscoring UNI, 14-0, on second chances. However, turnovers proved to be costly for the Aces as UNI forced UE into 21 and scored 26 points off the mishaps.
UE shot 38.8 percent (19-49) from the field, 14.3 percent (2-14) from three, and 72.2 percent (13-18) from the line, while the Panthers shot 35.3 percent (18-51) from the floor, 23.1 percent (6-26) from three, and 72.7 percent (16-22) from the free throw line.

The Aces are back in action Thursday when they host Creighton at 11:00 a.m. at the Ford Center.

 

The University of Evansville women’s tennis team moved to 3-0 with an impressive 6-1 victory over UT-Martin in its home opener Saturday evening at the Tri-State Athletic Club.

Evansville swept doubles competition as Dora Kotsiou and Natasha James grabbed an 8-4 win over Jodie Tiley and Johanie Van Zyl.  Kelsey Costales and Emily Richardson picked up an 8-1 win at the No. 2 over Katie McCall and Ivon Simic while the No. 3 crew of Jessica Raatz and Aleks Dzakula took an 8-4 decision over Alice Laing and Anna Winkelmann.

The dominance carried over into singles play as five of six UE players picked up wins.  No. 1 Kotsiou (6-2, 6-4) topped TIley while Dzakula (6-1, 6-3) beat Winkelmann at the two spot.

Natasha James remained perfect at the four with a win over Van Zyl (6-1, 6-2) while Mina Milovic and Gaby Fifer won their respective matches.  The lone loss on the night came at the No. 3 as Emily Richardson fell to Ivon Simic in three sets (6-4, 3-6, 10-3).

The Aces will be right back in action with a pair of matches next weekend at the Murray State Tournament.  UE will take on Murray State Friday before facing Chattanooga on Saturday.  Both matches are slated for a 1 p.m. start.

A pair of promotions have been announced for Tuesday, February 7 when the University of Evansville plays host to Creighton at the Ford Center. Fans can purchase tickets for the Creighton game at full price and will have the opportunity to purchase tickets to any of the other remaining games (2/15 vs. UNI, 2/18 vs. Western Illinois or 2/25 vs. Missouri State) for just $10.  For more information, please call the UE athletics ticket office at (812) 488-ACES. Another special promotion taking place on Tuesday evening will be $1 popcorn and soda. 

The Aces and Bluejays are set to tangle at 7:05 p.m. at the Ford Center.