Looking for their first conference victory of the season, the University of Evansville men’s basketball team head to Carbondale, Illinois, today to face Southern Illinois in a 7:00 p.m. game inside SIU Arena.

Playing with all five starters at their disposal for the first time in over a month, the Purple Aces fell by a final of 66-59 on Saturday at Loyola. Up by a point with 4:48 left, the Ramblers finished the game on a 15-9 run to finish off the win.

Sophomore Dru Smith missed four games due to injury but showed no signs of missed time against Loyola on Saturday in his first game back. Smith finished with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting and was on the floor for 35 minutes while leading everyone with four steals. He has notched eight double-figure scoring efforts this season, surpassing his total of four from his freshman campaign.

Since returning from a foot injury that caused him to miss seven games, Ryan Taylor has averaged 21 PPG in two contests. Taylor attempted a career-high 22 shots on his way to 22 points against Illinois State; at Loyola, Taylor was an efficient 8-of-16 on his way to 20 points.

On Wednesday, the Purple Aces look for their fifth win in a row at SIU Arena after losing 12 in a row at the facility. The last opponent the Aces defeated on the road in five straight games was Loyola  - UE topped the Ramblers six times in a row on the road between 1989 and 1994; UE also enjoyed 5-game road win streaks over Detroit Mercy and Butler in the early 1990s.

Southern Illinois stands at 9-6 overall and 1-1 in Valley play. The Salukis picked up a 56-53 win at UNI to start the league schedule before dropping a 70-67 home game against Drake. SIU spreads the scoring around as four players average double figures. Armon Fletcher leads the way with 12.9 points per game while Sean Lloyd sits with 12.6 PPG. Kavion Pippen and Aaron Cook average 11.9 and 10.0 points, respectively.

Following today’s contest, UE is back home on Saturday to face Bradley in a 3:00 p.m. game. It is also the annual Courier and Press game where fans can get $5 tickets to the game with the coupon in the Courier this week.

To help celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the MLK Committee will share 10 days of little known facts about his remarkable life. It is our hopes that you will be inspired to join us for a rally, a march and a lecture on Monday, January 15, to continue the festivity of Dr. King’s life.
This year the theme is “Respect and Compassion for All,” using Dr. King’s quote: “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

Today’s little known fact:
In 1939, 10 year old King sang in his father’s church choir at the Atlanta Gala Premiere of the movies “Gone with the Wind.” Martin Luther King did a vocal performance for the commemoration of the release of the famous film. This performance was sung by a young boys' choir in Ebenezer Baptist church. Martin and the boys’ choir sang in celebration of the film's release as part of a several day festival in honor of the film.

Events Planned for Monday, January 15
• 11:45 a.m. - Rally on the steps of Neu Chapel

• 12:00 p.m. - Symbolic March on Washington

• 5:00 p.m. - Live Experience, “Women of the Civil Rights Movement,” hosted by the Black Student Union, in Eykamp Hall, Room 251, Ridgway University Center.

• 6:00 p.m. - William and Dr. Rose Mays Lectureship featuring keynote speaker Robert Jackson in Eykamp Hall, Room 251, Ridgway University Center. More information on Robert Jackson can be found at www.robertjacksonmotivates.com/video-clips.

The UE Bookstore hours during the first week of the spring term are: Monday-Thursday from 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Keep in mind that the deadline for textbooks returns with just a receipt is Friday, January 9 with books returned in the same condition as purchased.

Submitted by Doug Gustwiller dg57@evansville.edu

The UE Bookstore will have special hours the week before classes start as follows: Tuesday-Thursday, January 2-4 from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.; Friday, January 6 from 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; and closed Saturday and Sunday, January 7 and 8.

Submitted by Doug Gustwiller dg57@evansville

After 22 years of dedicated service to the University of Evansville, Sherri Chambliss will be retiring January 5. Sherri has impacted the lives of hundreds of UE PT and PA students and families who will forever be grateful for her service. Stop by and see Sherri and wish her well! 

University chaplain Tamara Gieselman and executive director of international programs Wes Milner have accepted an invitation to participate in an international conversation at the United Nations Together Summit in New York City on January 8-9.

The summit will center on a globally-focused campaign to “promote respect, safety and dignity of refugees and migrants.” Event participants and presenters will include educational leaders from American, Asian, and European Universities. Goals of the summit are to begin a conversation centered on breaking down barriers, find solutions to the significant and troubling challenges faced by refugees and migrants, share positive stories of integration, and demonstrate how higher education institutions can make a difference on this important issue.

The invitation was motivated by the U.N.'s recognition of the University of Evansville’s "reputation for engaging with marginalized communities and commitment to learning as a means of attaining freedom from ignorance and prejudice.” Gieselman’s interfaith work in partnership with Harlaxton College has facilitated previous collaborative efforts with De Montfort University in curricular and co-curricular projects.

“We are thrilled that De Montfort University in Leicester, U.K., which has been tasked by the United Nations to reinvigorate the U.N.'s Together Campaign, has invited us to participate in this important summit,” said Gieselman.

Several outcomes are expected as a result of the summit: 1) partner institutions will join together in a social media campaign that creates international reach for the project; 2) a website will be developed to act as a repository to share best practices for refugee outreach work; and 3) the summit will conclude with the creation of a UN Together Action Charter.

Lori Johnson from the registrar’s office has been named the January 2018 Employee of the Month!

Lori is an excellent example of what UE is all about. She is encouraging to the entire UE community of employees, current students, and future students. Lori is known for being helpful in all situations and for being kind and extremely hard-working. She is a problem-solver and will always help find a solution. 

She has earned the nickname “SACM Mom” (Saudi Arabia Cultural Mission) from her endeavors in assisting International students with all of their needs. Lori is a pleasure to work with whether over the phone or in person and a very worthy recipient of this month’s award.

Rania Mousa, associate professor of accounting, has had a paper accepted for publication in the Accounting Research Journal. The paper is titled “Addressing the AICPA Core Competencies through the Usage of the Monopoly™ Board Game.”

A total of 550 UE students played the game in Mousa’s introductory financial accounting class (ACCT 210) as part of a course project in which they analyzed business transactions and created financial statements. Students were also asked to share what they had learned from the project in 10 bullet points. The ‘learning outcomes’ were graded based on inclusion rather than content. A longitudinal empirical analysis of 5500 self-reported learning outcomes revealed their alignment with the American Institute of CPA’s Core Competency Framework. The framework defines a set of essential personal and professional skills needed by students transitioning into the accounting profession. In addition, the study informs academics as to the implications of engaging students in an innovative class activity that incorporates the use of Excel’s basic functions and features.

The paper was presented at the American Accounting Association Conference in August in San Diego.

Mousa said that she is “grateful to all students and alumni enrolled in ACCT 210 during 2010-15 for sharing their valuable feedback in their course projects.”