The Department of Music invites the greater Evansville community to its annual Holiday Pops concert on Tuesday, December 10, at 7:30 p.m. The concert will take place in Victory Theatre in downtown Evansville, and the concert program will feature the University Choir, the Men’s and Women’s Choruses, the UE Symphony Orchestra, and the UE Wind Ensemble performing separately and in various combinations. Director of Choral Activities Dennis Malfatti, Director of Orchestral Activities Brian St. John, and Director of Bands Kenneth Steinsultz will lead the ensembles in a program of traditional and popular holiday favorites. In addition, the UE Jazz Ensemble I will perform under the direction of Professor of Trumpet and Jazz Studies Timothy Zifer, and several of the department’s smaller ensembles will also participate in the program. The evening will climax with all the choirs joining the orchestra for a performance of Robert Shaw’s The Many Moods of Christmas, Suite One. The concert is free and open to the public.

Spanish Club is going to El Charro on Tuesday, December 10th. Anyone interested in going should meet at Olmsted at 5:30.

Due to Friday's snow day, the Writing Center will be open December 9 and 10 from 5 to 7 p.m., in addition to our normal hours. You will not be able to create a session using the online calendar, but you may come to the Writing Center during the day and sign up for a session. First-come, first-served. We are also trying to serve walk-in students during the next two days as best we can in addition to our regularly-scheduled students. You're welcome to come and wait for a tutor during regular hours; the best time to walk in is on the half hour. See you soon and good luck with your papers!

Delta Sigma Pi, the professional business fraternity, will be selling lollipops in a variety of flavors for $1 in Ridgway on Monday, December 9th and Tuesday, December 10th. Stop by our table for a delicious end of the semester treat! We appreciate your support!

Prioritization Author Training will take place on Thursday, December 12, in Hyde Hall 126.  The Academic Author Training will take place from 10:00-11:00 am that morning with the Administrative Author Training taking place that afternoon from 4:00-5:00 pm.

Kappa Mu Epsilon will be providing free math tutoring on Reading/Study Day (Wednesday, December 11) in Koch Center 307 from 1:00-4:00.

The end of the semester book buyback at the UE Bookstore begins Wednesday, Dec 11 at NOON and runs until Wednesday, Dec 18 at 5PM promptly. We freely quote any book regardless of where purchased or if used on campus. We have promotions and discounts during the event including daily $100 shopping spree drawings. Sell books as often as you like. Please bring your student ID. Also all rental books rented through the Bookstore at due back by Wednesday, Dec 18 at 5PM as well. Questions?? please contact the Bookstore.

The UE Bookstore is having a SALE! During buyback December 12-18 you'll get 20% OFF the original price of all UE clothing and gift items. Clearance items are exempt from additional discount as well as items on the 12 Days of Christmas sale list. Sell any books you might not want anymore and save some money on holiday gifts!

Primary report authors who will be submitting reports on behalf of their programs to the Academic and Administrative Programs Committees are asked to attend one of the following 45 minute training sessions. The system training will include information on how to access templates and supplemental data files, as well as how to use the LiveText system to submit reports to the committees. All sessions will be held in SB 68.

A farewell reception for Professor of English Arthur Brown is planned for December 11 from 3-5 p.m. in the Class of 59 Gallery and Lounge in Ridgway University Center.

Professor Brown has been teaching literature, creative writing, and World Cultures or First-Year Seminars at UE since 1995.  He has a Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Davis, and an M.A. in English with an emphasis in creative writing from the University of New Mexico.  In 2008 he received the UE Dean of Arts & Sciences’ Teaching Award.

Professor Brown has published two books of poetry, Duration and the Second Hand (2013) and The Mackerel at St. Ives (2008), both with David Robert Books.  He has published poems in Poetry, Michigan Quarterly Review, Southwest Review, AGNI, American Arts Quarterly, Malahat Review, Carolina Quarterly, and other journals, and his poems have won the Morton Marr Poetry Prize and the American Literary Review Poetry Prize.  His one-act play won the Arts & Letters Drama Award, and his essays on Poe, Henry James, and Faulkner have been published in journals including Nineteenth-Century Literature, Studies in Short Fiction, American Literary Realism, Colby Quarterly, and Mississippi Quarterly.  His essay on Shakespeare is published in the current issue of Philosophy and Literature.

Professor Brown has served on numerous UE committees, including the Faculty Senate, the Curriculum Committee, and the Promotion and Tenure Committee.  He was Chair of English from 2008 to 2010.  The highlights of his career at UE have been his semesters with his family at Harlaxton, his lunch hours playing racket-ball, the many good discussions with students on serious matters, and the good friendships he has made.

Please join us for a reception on Thursday, December 12 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in the Ridgway University Center honoring JoAnn Laugel, director of financial aid, who will be retiring on December 20. She began at the University of Evansville in 1980, a 33-year career.

Over the years JoAnn has selflessly served not only UE’s students, parents, coaches, faculty, and fellow administrators, but has offered herself as a resource to families and high school guidance counselors in the Tri-state area through various outreach efforts. She has volunteered at every College Goal Sunday for the past 24 years, quite often as the main presenter. She has also presented at high school financial aid nights in the surrounding area every year since 1993, serving as the Southwest Regional Financial Aid Night representative since 1999.

JoAnn has both served and been honored by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association and the Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Of note are:

• 2001 - Began serving on ISFAA Executive Committee; has served as Commissioner for Internal Operations and Training & Development
• 2004-05 - Recipient of the ISFAA Distinguished Service Award
• 2007 to present - Governmental Relations Committee
• 2007-08 - ISFAA President
• 2008-09 - chaired the ISFAA Leadership Symposium held in February 2009 for new ISFAA members
• 2009 - MASFAA Conference Program Committee for the Minneapolis Conference
• 2010 - Chair of the 75th ISFAA Planning Committee
• 2011 - MASFAA State Leadership Award
Please join us to wish JoAnn well as she enters retirement.
 

Students who have received Federal Direct Loans while attending UE and plan to graduate, withdraw, or transfer, are mandated by federal regulations to attend an Exit Counseling Session. The Office of Financial Aid will hold the last session of the semester in Room 126, Hyde Hall, on Dec. 11 at 1:30 p.m.

You must arrive on time and bring the names, addresses and phone numbers of 2 people who you will remain in contact with after leaving UE, plus a next of kin at a different address than yours. Session will last approximately 30 minutes.
 

Free off site paper shredding by Piranha Mobile Shredding will return to the campus once again! All UE students, faculty, staff and alumni can take advantage of this free service by bringing paper to the Piranha truck in Koch parking lot. Paper will be shredded offsite.

So, if mounds of paper are taking over your office, home or room, this is the time to gather those old files, receipts, cancelled checks, tax forms, etc. No need to take out the staples or paper clips. Avoid identity theft by having confidential information permanently destroyed. Please no telephone books, magazines or newspapers. Also, please note that there is a 100lb. paper limit per visit (number of visits is not limited).
 

Looking for a quiet place to study for Final Exams or to complete a paper? UE Libraries is the place for you! A complement of Group Study Rooms, study tables, individual study carrels, and comfortable lounge seating are waiting for you. Not only these, but two collaborative project locations are available with appropriate technology as you complete team projects. Of course, librarians are always available to assist you in your research endeavors. Take advantage of these many study and research opportunities as you enter the Autumn Semester HOME STRETCH! Remember, we're waiting for you!

If you have earned a military honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions, are on active duty, or in active drilling status, please notify the Cherie Leonhardt in the Office of Veterans Affairs at cl29@evansville.edu or call 488-2141 ASAP. The Office of Veterans Affairs and UE VETS has a special graduation gift for you! 

UE President Thomas A. Kazee has announced his opposition to HJR-6, the proposed amendment to the Indiana Constitution that would define marriage and limit protections under law for same-sex and unmarried couples and families. He joins the Faculty Senate of the University, which has passed a resolution opposing HJR-6. To learn more, click here.

The YMCA of Southwestern Indiana is offering a "Try the Y Week" from December 11 – 18 for University of Evansville employees. During Try the Y week, UE employees will be given unlimited use of both the Downtown & Dunigan Y facilities. Please stop by the membership desk when you come in and let the staff know that you are participating in the Try the Y Program. YMCA staff will be happy to give you a tour of the facility or if you are familiar with the Y you can just sign in and use the facility. Already a member of the YMCA? Then be sure to ask for the corporate membership rate. For more information, check out: http://acelink.evansville.edu/Areas/HR/Files/TryTheY-UE.pdf

UE Libraries will observe the following schedule of hours during Final Examinations and also during the December Intersession. Contact William F. Louden, University Librarian, with questions either at 812.488.2376 or wflouden@evansville.edu .

12/11/13: 7:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
12/12/13: 7:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
12/13/13: 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
12/14/13: 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
12/15/13: Noon - 1:00 a.m.
12/16/13: 7:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
12/17/13: 7:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
12/18/13: 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
12/19/13: 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
12/20/13: 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

12/21/13 - 1/1/14: CLOSED

The University of Evansville, in pursuit of excellence in service, wishes to recognize a non-faculty employee displaying records of achievement as a leader. Leadership may be demonstrated in any of the following categories:
Service to the University
Service to students
Job performance and attitude towards fellow employees

To be eligible, an employee must be a full-time member of administration or staff. Nominations for the January 2014 IMPACT Employee of the Month are due no later than Wednesday, December 11. To nominate someone, please go to http://acelink.evansville.edu/tools/employeeaward.
 

The Department of Law, Politics, and Society hosted the 2013 Social Research Symposium on December 3 and 5 at the University of Evansville. The Symposium featured 21 presentations of independent research papers from senior majors in Anthropology, Criminal Justice, Gerontology, and Sociology. Participants in the Symposium were: Kaitlyn Bond, Camille Burger, Allana Chittick, Chelsea Clifton, Kelsey Costales, Lauren Flinn, Justine Gerling, Max Gross, Kelsea Guy, Gary Hanner, Sarah Malik, Janice Mann, Isaac Martin, Vanessa Parker, Arwen Plunk, Liz Reis, Sarah Spalding, Joshua Strain, Tonya Toby, Stephanie Underhill, and Aimee Wetzel.

For the second time this season, University of Evansville sophomore D.J. Balentine was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week in a release by the league on Monday.

Balentine continues to set the tone for the Evansville offense and remains one of the top scorers in the nation at 24.9 points per game.  In the Aces' two outings this week, Balentine averaged 23.5 points per game while playing an average of 39.5 minutes. 

At Murray State, he posted 25 points playing just under 40 minutes.  Assisting in his effort was an 8-9 performance from the line while he dished out 8 assists without a turnover.  He completed the week versus Miami with 22 points while posting another four assists.

This marks the second award of the season for the Kokomo, Ind. native as he also earned the honor on Nov. 25.  Balentine and the Aces are set to face Xavier in a nationally televised game on Fox Sports 1 Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. ET.