The University of Evansville will present "Social Justice in 2012" on  Monday, January 16. All events are free and open to the general public. The University of Evansville Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee is inviting the entire campus community to participate in this day-long celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Hear Martin Luther King’s historic speeches throughout the day on the University of Evansville’s radio station, WUEV 91.5 FM.

Activities of the day include:

• 11:30 a.m. - Living the Dream

Making history through music, art, and dance, this production celebrates the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Presented by the University of Evansville Black Student Union.  Hot chocolate will be served.

Shanklin Theatre

• 1:00 p.m. - Walk for Justice 

Join us for the 24th annual re-enactment of the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington at the University of Evansville.  We will begin in front of UE’s Carson Center on Walnut Avenue and conclude at Eykamp Hall, Ridgway University Center. This event is part of Evansville’s 200-day bicentennial celebration. Hot chocolate will be served.

• 1:30 p.m. - Talk for Peace

You are invited to our annual community program beginning immediately after the march. We will have the third annual UE Martin Luther King Jr. Day Speech Contest Finals and community guests share in the celebration.

Eykamp 251, Ridgway University Center

• 6:30 p.m. - Social Responsibility in Action

We welcome you to view our UE students’ community service projects on display.  There will also be a collection of donations to support the Lucas Place II, which provides transitional housing for veterans with disabilities.

Eykamp 251, Ridgway University Center

• 7:00 p.m. - William G. and Rose M. Mays Martin Luther King Jr. Lectureship

Through the generosity of William G. and Rose M. Mays, this lectureship funds the annual keynote speaker during the University of Evansville’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.

Eykamp 251, Ridgway University Center

Robiaun Charles
Robiaun Charles is the assistant vice president for development and external relations for the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (DDCE) at the University of Texas at Austin.  In this role, she provides strategic direction and leadership for the development, communications, special events, and community relations operations of the division.  Before joining UT Austin, Charles served as the special assistant to the president and director of diversity initiatives at the University of Evansville where she advised the president and senior administration on a range of diversity issues.  A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Charles is currently working on her doctorate in higher education leadership and policy at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. She and her husband (Preston) have one daughter (Camille).

Reception in the Class of 1959 Gallery and Lounge immediately following the lecture.

All of the events are free of charge and open to the public.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact La Toya Smith at (812) 488-2413 or ls103@evansville.edu .
 

This month, students at UE, USI, and Ivy Tech are collaborating on community service initiatives to remember Martin Luther King, Jr. For more information, contact the Center for Student Engagement at x2371.

January 9-13: Pigs on Parade. Students will pass around piggy banks in classes to collect donations for bus tokens for the homeless. Proceeds will be donated to the Operation Ministries in Evansville.

January 12, 5-8 p.m.: Fundraiser at GattiTown. Proceeds will be given to the local bus token program at Operation Ministries. Volunteers needed for the event.

January 13-16, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.: Collection drive at Schnucks. Visit any Schnucks location in Evansville and donate items to Lucas Place II and the Tri-State Food Bank. UE students will be staffing the East Side Schnucks. Sign up online at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnCbGkp17DcAdEQ5S1J4RlFyLVJ1SjFORUlKdTMxb2c&hl=en_US#gid=0. 

January 15: Hacienda on First Avenue will donate proceeds of sales to the bus token drive.

January 16: Hacienda on Pearl Drive will donate proceeds of sales to the bus token drive.

January 16: A food drive will take place at the USI vs. Kentucky Wesleyan game from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at USI.

Join us for a brand new semester of I-House presentations! Student Andrey Biruchinskiy will be presenting a program on Russia 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 the presentation and complimentary cookies!
 

Interested in law school? Want to get to know others who are interested in law school? The UE Chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, Pre-Law Fraternity, is having its first meeting on Tuesday, January 17 at 5:15 p.m. in Room 72, Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building. Phi Alpha Delta provides benefits to students while in law school, so don’t miss your chance to join this semester if planning on going to law school. Please send any questions to dk94@evansville.edu

Do you enjoy planning events? Do you like developing friendships with diverse groups of people? Are you looking for a leadership position that will help you grow and mature in ways that no other leadership role can? Consider applying to be an RA! Information sessions are Tuesday, January 17th and Wednesday, January 18th, both at 9pm in Eykamp 252. Stop by, learn the basics of the position, and pick up an application. And if you can’t come by but are still interested, pick up an application in the RA office during office hours, or in Residence Life 8am-5pm from Jan 19th-25th. If you have questions, please contact Mika Eubank at me63@evansville.edu.

The first Student Congress meeting of this semester will be held next Thursday, January 19, in Room 170 (Smythe Lecture Hall), Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building. A reminder - each organization will need a representative, also note that we will be holding elections for secretary at this time.

On Wednesday, Jan. 25, the Society for Women Engineers (SWE), the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, and the Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education are sponsoring the annual Engineering Career Forum. Representatives from several organizations, including Alcoa, Vectren, Sabic, Duke, Flanders Electric, and R.W. Armstrong & Associates will be in attendance to provide professional advice and to network with students. Engineering and Computer Science students should sign up in Tina Newman’s office by Friday, Jan. 20 at noon.
 

Students are welcome to apply for the I-Pals Program. This program is set in place to promote friendship by matching International students with American students. This program provides students with a new perspective on cultures different from their own. Applications for I-Pals Program are available in the Office of Cultural Engagement and International Services in Ridgway University Center, Room 220, at the back of the Student Life Center. Please contact Emily Fiedler at ef31@evansville.edu  with any questions.

Come commemorate and discover more about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at UE Libraries courtesy of the Black Student Union’s engaging display. While visiting the libraries, consider booking a display case for your organization’s events this Spring Semester 2012.  Dates are open, supplies are provided, display cases are secure and ready, and your organization will be making a difference by sharing your passion and cause. Contact Laura Summers at the Circulation Desk, via email (ls120@evansville.edu), or phone (812-488-1062) for more information. 

The University of Evansville, in pursuit of excellence in service, wishes to recognize monthly 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 community
• Service to students
• Job performance and attitude towards fellow employees

One award will be presented each month.  To be eligible, an employee must be a full-time member of administration or staff.

Nominations for the February 2012 Employee Excellence Award are due no later than Wednesday, January 18.

To nominate someone, or to find out more information about the Employee Excellence Awards, go to http://acelink.evansville.edu/Tools/EmployeeAward/

The new year 2012 SDG2 Pcard Cycle Dates are now available. They are posted on the AceLink Pcard website under Training Materials PCard Montly Cycle Dates - 2012.  (Note: Cardholders should route Pcard Envelopes for signature to their Supervisors within 1-2 days of the Cycle Report Print Date.)

Able Muse, A Review Of Poetry, Prose, & Art, published in its most recent print issue "The Commandant," a poem by Chair and Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Paul Bone.  The poetry journal 32 Poems accepted his poem "Moment of Dante" for an upcoming issue.

The University of Evansville men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams both closed out the 2011-12 home schedule with a win in today’s dual meets. The men cruised past Lindsay Wilson by a final score of 184-89 while the women battled to pull out a 162-132 victory over Vanderbilt.

“Today probably wasn’t one of our greatest performances, but it all comes down to competing and that’s what we did,” said head coach Rickey Perkins. “I know that they are all tired from our winter training trip and getting back into the swing of things at school, so it’s nice to see that we were able to compete and get it done today.”

Junior Alex Seward led the men’s swimmers, tallying a pair of first place finishes in the 100-yard backstroke and the 200-yard IM. Freshman Matthew Newland notched a win in the 1000-freestyle while sophomore Carder LaBrake finished first in the 200-back. Kyle Tiemann also earned a top-time, winning the 100-free with a time of 47.12. In the last home meet of his career, senior Will Spradley also posted a first place time, touching in at 22.09 to win the 50-free. On the boards, sophomore Mallet Reid racked up two more first place scores, winning both diving events for the Aces.

Individually for the women, freshmen Caroline Lee was a perfect 3-for-3 in today’s meet, posting wins in the 200-IM and in both the 100- and 200-breaststroke. Freshman Michelle Tipton continued her hot streak, taking a pair of first place times as she won both the 200- and 500-freestyle. Senior Alex Howard ended her Senior Day with a first place finish in the 200-backstroke, winning with a time of 2:08.61.  Sadie Wells won both the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events for the Aces. Freshman Stephanie Tran posted a career-high score of 244 to claim second place behind Wells on the 3-meter.

Both teams will return to action on January 27, traveling to Missouri State for a dual meet with the Bears before competing in the Saint Louis Invitational on the 28th.

Despite the Purple Aces’ 11-point lead in the first half, the hosting Drake Bulldogs stormed back to even the score at the half and stole a 67-53 win away from the University of Evansville women’s basketball team Saturday afternoon at the Knapp Center. The Aces fall to 4-13 overall and 1-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference, while Drake improves to 9-2 on the season and 3-2 in the MVC.

For UE, senior Briyana Blair recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and a team-high 14 rebounds, representing the most double-doubles in a single season since Jamie Gray logged 12 in 2003-04.

Junior Samantha Heck scored her 13th consecutive double figure game with a squad-high 16 points, also adding four rebounds and three assists. Classmates Meagan Collins and Taylor Ware added nine and six points, respectively. Playing in front of over 60 of her hometown friends and family, senior point guard Staci Gillum recorded five points, four rebounds, and two assists.

Drake scored the first basket of the game, but Evansville responded and went into the first media timeout with the lead as Heck knocked down a three from the edge of the half court logo as the shot clock expired to give UE a 7-5 advantage.

Amidst a 10-0 run, the Aces widened the gap to 12-5 on another three by Heck. Evansville continued to expand their lead to as much as 11 points, 24-13, with 6:42 remaining, following two layups apiece by Ware and Blair.
However, Drake’s leading scorer Rachael Hackbarth took command, piloting a 13-2 Bulldog run in the remaining minutes of the half. The post player scored Drake’s final seven points of the stanza, tying the score, 26-26, at the break.

Out of the locker rooms, the Bulldogs used an 11-2 run to keep the momentum flowing in their favor. Evansville cut the deficit to seven on Heck’s layup with 16:12 to go, but Drake built the lead up to 14 points twice in the next seven minutes.

The Aces made a run, sandwiching layups by Heck and Gilllum around Collins’ three to cut the margin to seven once again, 50-43, with 7:49 to go.

The Bulldogs went back up by 11, but with 5:55 remaining, Collins hit another jumper to get UE within eight. However, Drake expanded the margin to double figures on Hackbarth’s next layup and the Bulldogs held onto a 10-plus lead the remainder of the way.

Hackbarth finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Kyndal Clark (13 pts), Brittnye McSparron (12 pts), and Amber Wollschalger (10 pts) also reached double figures for the Bulldogs.

Shooting 47.2 percent, Drake narrowly outshot Evansville from the field with the Aces hitting 23-of-50 shots (46.0 percent). UE shot 21.1 percent (4-19) from three compared to Drake’s 14.3 percent (1-7). The largest difference came from the free throw line where Drake hit 16-of-23 attempts (69.6 percent), while Evansville took just seven shots from the charity stripe, shooting 42.9 percent.

Drake won the battle of the boards, 36-27, outscoring UE, 15-1, on second chances.

The Aces are back in action Thursday when they welcome Wichita State to the Ford Center for a 7:00 p.m. tip. Evansville will also host Missouri State Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
 

 Lewis Jones scored a career-high 24 points as the University of Evansville men’s basketball team picked up an 87-82 overtime win at Missouri State on Sunday afternoon at JQH Arena.

Jones hit 9-of-14 shots and all six free throws to lead the Aces (8-9, 3-4 MVC) to the win.  Jones was one of four players in double figures as Colt Ryan finished the game with 22 points, Denver Holmes notched 16 and Troy Taylor had 14.  Taylor hauled in a career-high 14 rebounds on his way to his second double-double in three games.

“I think we were a little due, things just needed to go our way,” head coach Marty Simmons said. 
“To beat good teams on the road, you need to make things happen.  It was a team effort, Taylor was outstanding while Colt and Lewis did some great things.”

The Aces got on the board first as Troy Taylor notched a steal and would hit the ensuing shot on the first possession.  Colt Ryan scored five early points as UE opened up a 7-4 lead, but Missouri State came right back, hitting five of their first seven shots to go up 13-7.  Kyle Weems had six points in two possessions before Nathan Scheer connected on a trey.

Later in the period, the Bears would go up by as many as ten points, taking a 33-23 lead six minutes left in the half, but the Aces rallied behind Lewis Jones, who recorded a career-high of 14 points in the first half.  Jones scored ten-straight UE points to bring Evansville back within a possession, 38-35, with just over two minutes left in the half before UE went into the break down 42-38.

Jarmar Gulley helped MSU open up the second half on an 11-4 run to take their largest lead of the game to that point, 53-42.  Gulley hit three shots in a row before the run was capped off by a Keith Pickens three-pointer.  Also complicating things for the Aces was the fact that Colt Ryan picked up his third foul of the contest just over a minute into the period.

Another rally brought the Aces deficit down to just six with just over ten minutes left, but MSU’s next answer came in the form of Anthony Downing, who tallied nine-consecutive points for the Bears as their lead grew to 12 over the next two minutes of play. 

With MSU up 67-56, Evansville made another push, scoring nine points in a row, including five by Ryan, to get back within a possession at 67-65.  As was the case with the other Aces runs in the contest, the Bears were able to sustain the pressure and pull away.  On the ensuing possession, Caleb Patterson used his size advantage to draw a foul on a made bucket, which led to five-straight points for the Bears, who extended their advantage back to seven points with four minutes left in the game.

In a contest that featured countless rallies by each squad, the Aces showed their grit once again, reeling off the next four points to make it a one-possession game before a pair of missed three-pointers helped MSU knock down a pair of free throws to make it a 5-point game with 39 seconds left.  A Denver Holmes trey cut the deficit to just a pair with 30 seconds left before a foul sent Anthony Downing to the line.  He made 1-of-2 attempts setting MSU’s advantage at 75-72.

Holmes was clutch once again knocking home his second three in a span of 15 seconds to knot the game at 75-75.  Missouri State missed its chance for the win in the final seconds, sending the match to overtime.

Evansville opened up the extra stanza on a 6-2 run as they opened up an 81-77 lead, their largest of the game.  A pair of Taylor free throws capped off the run with just over three minutes left.  The Aces would later find themselves up by five points, 85-80, with just over a minute left before a Scheer jumper got MSU back within three.  Following a missed jumper by Ned Cox inside of 20 seconds left, Patterson missed a three-pointer giving the ball back to UE where Ryan sealed the victory with a pair of free throws.

The Aces owned a slight 45.3%-43.9% edge in shooting while the Bears finished with a 39-35 edge on the boards.

Five Bears finished in double figures, led by Weems’ 17-point performance.

A pair of home games await the Aces this week as they will face Bradley on Wednesday before playing Illinois State on Saturday at the Ford Center.  Both games are set for 7:05 p.m. tips.