University of Evansville

AceNotes Today

Monday, August 17, 2020

Upcoming Events

* Harlaxton 50th Anniversary

Harlaxton is celebrating our 50th anniversary in the 2021-2022 year. To kick off this anniversary, we are hosting two weekend events at the Manor. One of these weekend events has already been so popular that it has sold out! But space remains for our weekend of June 25-28th, 2021. View details of the event and how to book. should you be interested in attending.

This information has been circulating in Harlaxton Society Circles, as well as a link to upload memories of your time at Harlaxton. We hope that as faculty you will consider both attending the event or uploading a photo and a memory. Upload photos and memories. These are being collected to be used for the 50th anniversary and also to be archived for the future.

We are all hopeful that the 50th anniversary will be a time for people to be able to come together and celebrate the amazing part that Harlaxton has played in the lives of our UE students and students from around the world.

 
* Fall Conference 2020

The opening session of the University of Evansville Fall Conference is Tuesday, August 18 beginning at 1:00 p.m. The conference will be virtual in a Zoom Webinar format. Zoom meeting information will be sent to all UE employees by email from the Office of the President by Patti Lippert.

Fall Conference will continue Wednesday, August 19 with Concurrent Sessions. The Concurrent Sessions will also be in a Zoom virtual format. All UE employees are welcome to take part. This includes faculty, staff, and administrators. Access will be sent via email to employees the week before the conference.

Please address questions to Tracey Folden at 812-488-2509 or tf91@evansville.edu or Paula Heldt at 812-488-2479 or ph28@evansville.edu.

 

Info You Should Know

* Margaret Stevenson Publishes Oxford University Blog on the Legacy of Racism Within Child Sex Trafficking

Margaret Stevenson publishes Oxford University Blog with colleagues Bette Bottoms and Kelly Burke titled "Cyntoia Brown and the legacy of racism for children in the legal system." Featuring the case of Cyntoia Brown, the authors illustrate the multifaceted ways in which racism influences minority youth’s life experiences as well as their interactions with the legal system.

 
* 2020 Fiddick Memorial Lecture Postponed

The history department regrets to announce the postponement of the 2020 Fiddick memorial lecture due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. We are, however, delighted to inform you that the same lecture, celebrating the milestone achievement of women's suffrage, will be delivered in Fall 2021. Full details of that event will be released closer to the time.

Michelle Lehman
ml281@evansville.edu

 
* Safety and Security has a New Name and a New Look

As of August 17, 2020, the Office of Safety and Security has undergone some exciting changes.

The office is now the Office of Public Safety. The new name reflects our mission of ensuring a safe campus for our students, employees, and visitors. As the needs of the University community evolve, so must our approach to providing services. Now is the time to take the necessary steps to meet those changing needs. The Office of Public Safety philosophies include student engagement, a focus on education over enforcement, inclusiveness, equal application of University rules and regulations, strong relationships with our University partners, and a forward-looking mentality that will ensure we are always striving to improve.

The police style uniforms that had been worn for many years have been replaced. The new uniform is a gray polo shirt and black pants. The shirts are embroidered with the UE logo on the chest and have newly designed patches on each sleeve. The phrase “PUBLIC SAFETY”, the UE logo, and “University of Evansville” is clearly visible on the patch.

All Public Safety Officers will have a University issued identification card displayed where it is easily seen. The ID card will include their name and a picture. This ID will help quickly verify their status as a University of Evansville Public Safety Officer. To help familiarize yourself with our officers and dispatchers, we encourage you to view our Office Staff under the Public Safety section of the University webpage.

Even during these uncertain times, the University has remained focused on the safety of our campus. A safe campus plays a crucial role in a successful academic environment and vibrant campus experience. The Office of Public Safety is committed to helping achieve those goals. We look forward to serving each of you as the University comes together again in the coming days and weeks.

 
* UE Wind Ensemble Auditions

Information regarding auditions for UE Wind Ensemble can be found at the following link:

https://www.evansville.edu/majors/music/ensIntro.cfm

Membership is open to all UE students, regardless of major.

For more information contact Dr. Kenneth Steinsultz (ks306@evansville.edu).

 
* Student Financial Services Closed Daily for Lunch

Effective immediately, the SFS Cashier’s area will be working with limited in-office staffing and will be closed everyday from 12 – 1 to allow for lunch breaks.

 
* Take the Purple Pledge, Keep our Campus Safe

As we all look forward to returning to campus for Fall 2020, we do so in the understanding that the safety of all of us depends on the cooperation of all. The Purple Pledge is a student-initiated pledge entreating every member of the University of Evansville community to join together in observing the guidelines put forth to help control the spread of COVID-19.

Taking the pledge is voluntary, but I ask that you step forward with every student, faculty, staff, and administration member to sign.

Please take a moment to visit the Purple Pledge webpage and add your commitment in maintaining a safe environment on our campus.

W. Storm Poser

CEO, Student Government Association

 

Congratulations

* Lora Becker Named President-Elect of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

Lora Becker, PhD, was recently elected to serve as president-elect for Phi Kappa Phi (PKP), a collegiate honor society that recognizes scholarship among all academic disciplines. Becker is a professor of psychology and director of the neuroscience program at UE.

In her role, Becker will serve on Phi Kappa Phi’s 12-person board of directors. While her term lasts through 2022, her election is a six-year commitment including the successive terms as president and past-president. Voting for the title took place electronically at the beginning of the month, as the in-person convention was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Although meetings and activities will look different during the pandemic, Becker is looking forward to working with other PKP leaders and scholars. “Serving in this society has given me a deep understanding of how Phi Kappa Phi promotes academic excellence and provides service to others,” said Becker. “Because of the diversity of fields represented within the organization, Phi Kappa Phi is well positioned to help find solutions to questions we face during these uncertain and challenging times in higher education.”

Becker has been an active member of PKP not only within the University but also at the national level. After gaining membership in 2014, she became the president of the UE chapter just one year later. Becker has also served as chair of the biennial convention credentials committee (2016) and chair of the national bylaws committee (2016-18).

Under Becker’s leadership, the local chapter at UE has provided several opportunities for students. One such opportunity includes the Phi Kappa Phi Fellowship, in which nominees across the nation are awarded scholarship at the post-graduate level. This year, graduate Émile Moura Coelho da Silva was selected as a fellow.

“Moving forward, we need to determine how we can encourage members to show their love of learning through service to others with a goal of engaging their communities and removing barriers to education,” said Becker. She believes these initiatives will improve the narrative surrounding the value of education, support current discussions on social justice, and facilitate future conversations about higher education.

Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society, with chapters at over 300 colleges and universities in the United States and the Philippines. Inducting approximately 30,000 new members each year, membership is awarded to college juniors, seniors, and graduate students. More information about Phi Kappa Phi is available on their website at https://www.phikappaphi.org/.

 

Sympathy to...

* Sympathy to the family of Sharon Gieselmann

The University extends its sympathy to Dr. Sharon Gieselmann, Department Chair in the School of Education, in the death of her father, John H. Rothrock. John was proud to serve the US Navy in the Pacific Theatre during WWII. He graduated from Indiana University with Bachelor of Science and Masters Degree in Education after his military service. He was a school teacher for forty years in the South Spencer School Corporation where he taught business education, drivers education, and served as Department Chair. John was active in the Methodist church and taught Sunday School well into his nineties at Rockport First United Methodist. He enjoyed farming and was an avid IU basketball fan. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, August 18 from 4 to 8 pm and funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, August 19 at 10 am. All services will be at Boultinghouse Funeral Home in Rockport, IN.

 

Athletics

* Missouri Valley Conference Fall Sports Update

Based on continuing uncertainty around the ability to play full-season league schedules safely amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the lack of a fall NCAA championship opportunity, the Missouri Valley Conference has announced the postponement of Conference schedules and championships in MVC-sponsored fall sports.

The decision impacts MVC sports that compete in their championship seasons in the fall (men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball).  The Conference will continue to evaluate options for conducting MVC competition in these sports and potentially participating in NCAA championships during the spring of 2021.

Plans for MVC-sponsored winter (men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track & field; women's swimming and diving) and spring sports (baseball, softball, women's tennis; men's and women's golf; and men's and women's outdoor track & field) are not impacted at this time.

The University of Evansville, in following the lead of the majority of conferences and universities around the country, is suspending all fall competition which includes the aforementioned men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country, as well as men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s swimming/diving, and the non-traditional fall competitions for baseball and softball. 

During the fall months, MVC student-athletes in all sports, including those at the University of Evansville, will be allowed to participate in athletically-related activities (e.g., nonconference competition, practices, strength and conditioning sessions, team meetings) consistent with institutional policies, public health guidelines and NCAA and Conference regulations.

The MVC COVID-19 Working Group consisting of athletics administrators, faculty athletics representatives, sports medicine personnel and student-athletes will continue to monitor the national and local landscapes and work diligently to develop protocols for a safe return to MVC regular-season and championship competition by the Conference’s student-athletes. 
 
Statement from University of Evansville Director of Athletics Mark Spencer
 
“The health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, staff, officials and other members of the UE and Missouri Valley communities guided this difficult decision made by the MVC President’s Council and will remain the primary consideration in our decision making as we move forward.  There is nothing more that we want than for our fall sport student-athletes who are affected by these decisions to have the opportunity to compete during the spring semester, and we will strongly advocate for that opportunity both within the MVC and nationally.”

 

Contribute to Purple Pulse
To have content considered for inclusion in Purple Pulse, please submit a Marketing Request Form. Deadline for submission to Purple Pulse is 10:00 a.m. on the requested date of publication. Only articles concerning UE related/sponsored activities will be accepted. Articles submitted to Purple Pulse may be edited for length and clarity. Submitter contact information is at the end of each article.

Facebook   Twitter   YouTube

View Complete Issue