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. 

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.

 

Professor Zhu’s informal Chinese language and culture course will be offered again this semester. The class will meet each Wednesday at 3 p.m. in Room 204, Hyde Hall for 10-weeks, beginning Wednesday, February 15. The course will mainly cover practical vocabulary and skills in Chinese conversation, basic cultural information about Chinese traditions and customs, and an introduction to the Chinese writing system. The free Taiji (shadow-boxing) lesson will also continue this semester. It will follow the language and culture course, beginning at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays The first meeting will be at the entrance of Krannert Hall of Fine Arts. In addition to the 24-movement Yang Style Taiji, Baduanjin, or the Eight Section Brocade, a traditional Chinese breathing exercise (similar to Taiji but easier to learn) will also be taught.

Both courses are open to the campus community.
 

Looking for a full-time professional position? Cooperative education opportunity?  Internship? Summer job? Then make plans to attend Career Day 2012 on Tuesday, February 14, from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. in the Student Fitness Center.  More than 70 employers registered!  Login to JobLink to view the list.  Pre-register in JobLink and give employers access to your resume before the event!

The Resident Students Association will present Winter Whispers 2012 in Eykamp Hall, Ridgway University Center, on Saturday, February 11, from 8-11 p.m. The theme is Midnight Masquerade and the first 100 people will get a free mask! There will be tons of food, including a cupcake/cookie bar, as well as music and dancing. It is free to everyone and all are welcome! If you have any questions you can email mk210@evansville.edu

The TIAA CREF representative will be on the UE campus on Wednesday, February 22, for individual counseling sessions. To schedule an appointment, call TIAA CREF at 1-800-732-8353 or 317-706-6200. The sessions are held in the Clifford Rare Books Room of the University Libraries (Room 158). If you have any questions, call Carol McCraney at extension 2943.

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. 

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.

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!

The next in the series of Crick Lectures in Cognitive and Neural Sciences is set for February 8 from 4-5 p.m. in Room 100 (Vectren Lecture Hall) in Koch Center. The speaker will be Dr. Damani N. Bryant, Department of Physiology & Pharmacology at Oregon Health & Science University. He will be discussing "Mechanisms of Sexually Dimorphic Estradiol Neuroprotection." The lecture is free and open to the public.

Biological sex has historically been one of the most overlooked aspects of Neuroscience. 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.

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. Male neurons show a less robust response to estradiol than female neurons. The most important question is “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.

Enter Crescent Magazine’s “You Can Read About You” Contest and you might be reading about yourself in the April 2012 issue.  It’s simple to enter.  Just visit us at www.facebook.com/uecrescent, download and fill out the contest entry and return it to crescentadvertising@evansville.edu by March 18.  Only University of Evansville students are eligible to enter. One student will be selected.  Students who have been profiled in a previous issue of Crescent Magazine are not eligible to enter.

Do you want to have the opportunity to give weekly campus tours, host perspective students, assist with special events, such as Road Trip, and so much more? Then you should apply to become an admission ambassador. The applications can be found in the Office of Admission. Applications will be due February 21 with an interview to follow. Get your applications today!! 

Your one-sided scrap paper is needed!  It doesn’t matter if it colored or hole-punched as long as one side is blank (no staples please).  We will come and pick up your paper - just call Annual Giving at x2377 to arrange it. If you do not have paper at this time, please start saving!  We can use scrap paper this spring and also for Fall Phonathon. We appreciate your help with raising money without spending money!
 

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.  

The Department of Creative Writing announces the Major George Cowgill and Mrs. Mary Cowgill Award in Creative Writing.

George and Mary Cowgill believed in the power of a good education and the potential freedom and opportunity higher education could provide. Though he achieved much in his life, often through determination and a knack for being in the right place at the right time, Mr. Cowgill felt he could have achieved more if he had earned a college degree and instilled this belief in his sons. Mrs. Cowgill taught English for many years and continued her own education, eventually becoming a high school guidance counselor, where she helped many students in their search for the right college. A number of those students attended the University of Evansville, including her son Michael (BFA, creative writing, ’95). In her retirement, she volunteered at St. Gerard, a high school for pregnant teenagers in St. Augustine, Fla.

Mr. and Mrs. Cowgill both worked hard and made sacrifices so their sons could attend college. Though creative writing wasn’t their first choice of major, they supported Michael’s choice both at UE and later at the graduate level at George Mason University. They were lifelong readers and considered writing an honorable profession. Michael honors their spirit and memories with this gift to the Department of Creative Writing.

DEADLINE: Entries MUST BE RECEIVED ON OR BEFORE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, AT 4:00 P.M.  No late manuscripts will be accepted.

One $1000 prize will be awarded for the best story

ELIGIBILITY:  Any UE writing major or minor.

ENTRIES:  Maximum 15 pages of short fiction.

FORMAT:  All entries are to be typed on one side of 8 ½ x 11 sheets, double-spaced.  Each is to have a title, and pages are to be numbered.  The writer’s name is not to appear on the work, but each submission is to have an attached (stapled) cover page (8 ½ x 11) listing: the name of the award (“The Cowgill Award), the genre (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, academic essay), the title, author, and the UE ID number.  PLEASE NOTE: NO SUBMISSIONS WILL BE RETURNED.

Michael Cowgill will award the prize at the Creative Writing Coffee Hour on April 19 at 4 p.m. in Eykamp 253, Ridgway University Center.  All are welcome to attend.

The deadline to enter the UE Student Writing Contest for the Virginia Lowell Grabill Writing Awards and the George Klinger Memorial Prize for Excellence in Writing is February 17. Entries must be submitted to Kathy Martyn, administrative assistant for Departments of English and Creative Writing, in Room 320, Olmsted Hall. THEY MUST BE RECEIVED ON OR BEFORE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2012, AT 4:00 P.M.  No late manuscripts will be accepted.

Grabill Awards
Four $100 first prizes will be awarded for the best (1) Poem; (2) Short Story; (3) Creative Non-Fiction Essay; and (4) Academic Essay.  Second and third prizes of $75 and $50 respectively will be awarded in each category.  In each category a student will receive only the highest prize for which he or she is eligible.

Anyone who is or has been a University of Evansville student at any time between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011 is eligible to submit a work in any category.

For the Poetry Category:  a poem of at least 10 lines.  Three may be entered separately.  For the Short Story Category:  a short story of at least 5 pages.  Two may be entered separately.  For the Creative Non-Fiction Essay category: a creative essay of at least 5 pages.  Two may be entered separately.  For the Academic Essay:  an expository research paper of at least 8 pages. Two may be entered separately. 

Klinger Prize
Two prizes will be awarded in the amount of $500 each, one for creative writing (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction) and one for academic writing.

Any senior University of Evansville student is eligible for this prize.

Entries in the Poetry category should be a poem of at least 10 lines. Three may be entered separately. For Short Stories:  a short story of at least 5 pages.  Two may be entered separately. For Creative Non-Fiction: a creative essay of at least 5 pages. Two may be entered separately. For Academic Essays: an expository research or analysis paper of at least 8 pages. Two may be entered separately.

All entries are to be typed on one side of 8 ½ x 11 sheets, double-spaced. Each is to have a title, and pages are to be numbered. The writer’s name is not to appear on the work, but each submission is to have an attached (stapled) cover page (8 ½ x 11) listing: the genre (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, academic essay), the title, author, the UE ID number, class rank, and the name of any teacher who has read or heard the work. PLEASE NOTE: NO SUBMISSIONS WILL BE RETURNED.

Prizes for Poetry, Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction will be awarded at the Creative Writing Coffee Hour on April 19 at 4 p.m. in Eykamp 253, Ridgway University Center.  All are welcome to attend.  Prizes for academic writing will be given at an English Department event to be announced at a later date.

Seniors will be entered automatically in both the Grabill and Klinger contests.

If in the opinion of the judges, entries in one or more categories are too few or not of satisfactory quality to merit recognition, one or more prizes may not be awarded.  All entries are judged “blindly” (i.e. anonymously.) Please note that all entries in the Poetry, Short Story, and Creative Non-Fiction categories will be judged by the Department of Creative Writing Faculty and may be considered for publication in The Evansville Review and/or The Ohio River Review.  All entries for the Academic Essay Category will be judged by the Department of English Faculty.
 

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.

The University of Evansville men’s soccer team and ProRehab, a private physical therapy practice with locations in Evansville, southwest Indiana, and western Kentucky, have teamed up to address obesity on a local level with the Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds program. 
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States over the past twenty years; roughly 33% of adults in the U.S. are obese. A nationwide poll conducted in 2011 by the Gallup Group found that 37.8% of Evansville, Indiana residents were considered obese; this is was the highest percentage in the nation. 

”Obesity is a terrible condition that has had an adverse effect on health all over the United States, and nowhere more so than right here in Evansville,” said UE head coach Mike Jacobs. “Our goal is to negate this terrible distinction of being ‘the nation’s most obese city’, and to educate our young elementary school students and their families in the process.  We will rid our city of this problem one elementary school student at a time, and help teach children and families how to make healthy lifestyle choices.”

The Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds program is modeled after the successful reading program, Score With The Aces, also created by a collaboration between ProRehab and the University of Evansville that has been administered through the Aces Soccer Camp. The Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds program fits into school wellness programming and creates a user-friendly approach for teaching healthy lifestyle strategies to elementary school students.

The program launched on February 1 and will run through April 15. Students are rewarded for reaching daily goals that related to diet, exercise, and reading. Meeting specific goals will offer unique prizes: members of the Aces will come into the classroom to discuss good lifestyle habits; students will receive Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds t-shirts; and students will receive a free ticket voucher for upcoming Aces games.

“Stressing the Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds concept will encourage good lifestyle habits now and in the future,” states Andrea Baumann, ProRehab physical therapist and co-owner. “ProRehab is extremely proud to have a hand in helping out the community. This local initiative is not only addressing issues in Evansville, but we hope it can be replicated in other locations throughout the U.S.”

For the second consecutive year, University of Evansville shortstop Eric Stamets has been named to the Missouri Valley Conference preseason all-conference team, voted on by the league’s eight head coaches.

Stamets, a junior from Dublin, Ohio, projects to be one of the best shortstops in the nation this year. Last season, Stamets hit .292 with a team-high 51 runs scored and 27 stolen bases. Defensively, he led the Aces with 181 assists and helped the squad to a program-best .977 fielding percentage with a record-low 48 errors as a team.

In addition, Stamets turned heads in the summer, playing for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks and was named a Cape Cod League All-Star.

Stamets was a consensus Freshman All-American and the MVC Freshman of the Year in 2010.

Evansville opens the 2012 campaign at Belmont University Friday, Feb. 17 at 4:00 p.m. The first pitch at UE's Braun Stadium will be Friday, March 2 when the Aces host IPFW in the first game of the Dunn Hospitality Classic.
 

Nationally-ranked Creighton will come to the Ford Center on Tuesday to face the University of Evansville men’s basketball team at 7:05 p.m.

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.

For those wishing to view the game from out of town, AcesTV will have full coverage of Tuesday’s contest along with all home men’s games.

On Saturday, the Aces lost their 11th-straight game in Carbondale, Ill., falling to Southern Illinois by a final of 53-52.  DOwn by as many as 13 in the first half, UE fought back to tie the game in the final minute, but the decisive play came in the last five seconds.  Evansville had possession with the game tied, but a turnover led to Saluki Jeff Early getting fouled on a layup attempt with two seconds left.  Early hit 1-of-2 free throws to push SIU to the win.

Following a record-setting outing at Bradley, the Evansville offense met its match at Southern Illinois.  UE put up just 52 points while shooting 40.9%; both marked the lowest output in MVC play for the Purple Aces.  The leading scorer for UE was Colt Ryan with 13 points, which marked the lowest total for the top scorer for UE this season.  Southern Illinois also had its struggles defensively, putting forth just 19 second-half points.  It marked the first time this season that UE held the opposition to fewer than 20 points in a half.

Junior Colt Ryan tallied 13 points, marking the 12th time in 13 Missouri Valley games that the Batesville, Ind. native has reached double figures.   He has put forth nine 20-point league efforts and remains the leading scorer in conference games, averaging 22.4 PPG.  Ryan has garnered two MVC Player of the Week honors and has hit 89.8% of his free throws since league play began.  The junior is 11th in the nation in scoring.

Creighton comes to Evansville with an impressive 21-3 mark and an 11-2 record in the league, tied atop the conference with Wichita State.  The Bluejays lone non-conference loss came at Saint Joseph’s while their other losses came against Missouri State and at Northern Iowa on Saturday.  The Bluejays are currently the top ranked shooting team in the country, top three-point team and No. 2 in the country in assists.  Everything for Creighton goes through sophomore Doug McDermott.  McDermott is the No. 3 scorer in the country, averaging 23.4 points per game while his shooting percentage of .624 is in the top ten nationally. 

The Bluejays have won the last six meeting against the Aces, including a pair of nearly identical matches last season.  Creighton picked up a 74-69 win at Roberts Stadium in January before taking a 75-69 victory in Omaha.  In the last game, CU led by five at the half before taking the win behind a 21-point outing by Antoine Young.  The win for the Bluejays marked the 12th consecutive home win over UE.  Colt Ryan was the leading scorer for the Aces with 20 points.  Doug McDermott, a freshman at the time, recorded a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.

Evansville will be back on the road this weekend, traveling to Drake for a nationally-televised contest on Sunday evening at 7 p.m.  ESPNU will have full coverage.  Next Wednesday, the Aces will be back at the Ford Center to face Northern Iowa.

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.