There are still time slots for Purple Patrol this spring, and we need your help! The first week of Purple Patrol will be Friday, January 14, marking the first week of classes.

Sign up on behalf of your team or coworkers here. 

When it’s your week to help, you will receive an email in advance with basic instructions. Purple goodies will be waiting for you on Friday morning in the Office of Marketing and Publications (top floor of the Schroeder Family School of Business Administration Building). There is no specific time or place to hand out these items; the only requirement is that the recipients are wearing purple!

If you have any questions about the sign-up or Purple Patrol, please contact Julie Bryant, university relations coordinator, at jb855.

Friday, December 17 will be the last day AceNotes is published until Monday, January 3.

AceNotes Extras will still be published if necessary.

With a very short work week approaching, the Payroll Department is requesting the following:

• Staff and students please submit timecards by Friday, December 17th for the 12/05/21 - 12/18/21 pay period.
• Supervisors are reminded to approve timecards before noon on Monday, December 20th.

Thank you, and please contact Dawn Bury at EXT 2159 or db287@evansville.edu if you have questions.

The University of Evansville will be closed during the holidays to allow our employees to enjoy this special time with their families. This year, our December holiday will be extended for one additional day, closing on December 22 to provide extra time with your families.

Winter Holiday Break

• Closed Wednesday, December 22 through Friday, December 31
• Offices reopen on Monday, January 3

The Coronavirus Task Force thanks the campus community for creating a successful fall semester with very few COVID-19 cases on our campus. Looking ahead at the Spring 2022 semester, UE will continue with the same requirements for students and employees that were in place this fall.

A negative COVID-19 test (either rapid or PCR) will be required for all full and part-time students and employees (including adjunct instructors) who have reason to be on the UE or Stone Center for Health Sciences campuses. Those who submit a negative COVID-19 test will be required to participate in the Random COVID-19 Testing program throughout the semester.

If you submitted proof of full vaccination for the fall semester, you are not required to submit a negative test, participate in the Random COVID-19 Testing Program, or re-upload your documentation.

Those who became fully vaccinated after the fall semester began will need to upload their documentation. Full vaccination is considered two doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of Johnson & Johnson, plus a 14-day waiting period.

Students and faculty participating in study abroad programs, including Harlaxton College, will be provided specific information from the Study Abroad Office regarding testing and vaccine requirements for spring travel.

Please click on the links below for important information specific to requirements, submitting documents, and important deadlines: 

Required Testing for Students

Required Testing for Employees

The Center for Diversity Equity and Inclusion invites you to attend one of the following Passport to Inclusion Information Sessions! During the info session a representative from the CDEI will discuss the background and history of Passport to Inclusion, the requirements for the program, how to get involved and more.

Passport to Inclusion is aimed at University of Evansville employees to help raise awareness of issues relating to race, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status and accommodation, as well as other historically underrepresented identities in higher education and other systems. Employees engaged with Passport to Inclusion will not only gain knowledge of diverse experiences but are encouraged to utilize their knowledge and skills to inform their own workspaces.

All info sessions will take place in SOBA 271
January 5: 12-1pm (virtual at Zoom meeting ID: 572 831 8957)
January 6: 2-3pm (virtual at Zoom meeting ID: 572 831 8957)
January 7: 9-10am (virtual at Zoom meeting ID: 572 831 8957)
January 11: 3-4pm
January 13: 4-5pm

The last date to register to engage in Passport to Inclusion for this year is January 15, 2022. Please direct any questions to the CDEI at Center4DEI@evansville.edu.

If you are interested in Passport to Inclusion but unable to attend an info session, please watch this video.

UE’s annual MLK Celebration will be held on Monday, January 17, 2022. Events throughout the day will be offered in-person and are listed below. For the latest health and safety guidelines on the UE campus, please visit our Coronavirus webpage.

Martin Luther King Jr. Symbolic March
During the Civil Rights March of 1965, activists gathered in Selma, Alabama, to complete a 54-mile trek to the state capital in Montgomery. In recognition of this historical event, UE invites everyone to participate in 54 Miles to Social Change, a virtual march that raises awareness for social injustice in the United States.

The race (miles 1-53) will be held January 1-16, and together the 54th mile will be completed on MLK Day. Individuals or teams can participate by logging their miles spent walking, running, biking, or swimming. Register online at RunSignUp and receive a T-shirt to celebrate the march.

All proceeds will go directly towards Journey to Justice Scholarships for students expressing a financial need. To donate, visit UE Alumni Online.

Rally– 11:15 a.m.
To kick off our MLK Celebration, we will hold a rally in Meeks Family Fieldhouse, located inside Carson Center. The rally will recap the significance of the celebration and include remarks from Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz, president of UE; Rob Shelby, PhD, chief diversity officer; Abagail Catania, assistant director of diversity recruitment and programming; and the president of the Black Student Union.

Symbolic March- 11:45 a.m.
After the rally, UE invites everyone to complete the 54th Mile of Social Change together. The march will begin at Meeks Family Fieldhouse and down nearby streets before returning to campus at Ridgway University Center.

Local Leaders Forum – 1:00 p.m.
Held in the Schroeder School of Business room 170, the panel will be led by Melissa Morehead, a UE alum and Secretary for the Legal Aid Society Board of Vanderburgh County. The event may also be streamed live at evansville.edu/live.

Community Service- 2:00 p.m.
Participate in community service projects alongside various UE departments and student organizations. A list of projects and locations will be provided on the day.

Lectureship – 6:00 p.m.
Each year, the Martin Luther King Lectureship is made possible by the generous support of William G. and Rose M. Mays. The 2022 lectureship will feature keynote speaker Dr. Lerone A. Martin. Martin is currently an associate professor of religion and politics in the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also an associate professor for African and African-American Studies at WashU.

Martin is the author of the award-winning Preaching on Wax: The Phonograph and the Making of Modern African American Religion, which tracks the role of the phonograph in the shaping of African American religion, culture, and politics during the first half of the twentieth century.

In 2021, Martin was appointed as the next faculty director for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. The King Institute supports a broad range of educational activities illuminating Dr. King’s life and the movements he inspired. Martin will be only the second director, and he will begin his professorship at Stanford in 2022.

After the lectureship, the 2022 Mays Legacy Award and the inaugural Rising Star Service Award will be presented.

Reception – 7:00 p.m.
Students and guests are invited for a reception following the lectureship, hosted in the Class of 1959 Gallery outside Eykamp Hall. The reception will include light refreshments.

Do you remember earlier in the semester when we announced on-campus filming for our very own episode of The College Tour? This 30-minute video allows anyone in the world to get an in-depth look into our campus, programs, student life, and athletics. If the pandemic or finances get in the way of traveling to the UE campus, our episode helps high school students feel like they’re right here in Evansville!

So without further ado, before you head home for the holidays, mark your calendar for The College Tour Watch Party on Wednesday, January 12, 2022!

The event will be held in Eykamp Hall that evening. Pre-show entertainment will begin at 8:30 p.m. with free snacks in Café Court, giveaways, music, and even a purple carpet! At 9:00 p.m., the episode will premiere. Make sure to get there early to secure your seat!

Whether you’re a student, employee, alum, or a prospective student, we want to see you there. Those who attend the watch party will be the very first audience to see the final cut! We’re so excited to share the completed episode with you. 

Top 20 Finalist for the 2022 UE High School Changemaker Challenge Announced!

In no particular order...

Intertwined Financial Literacy: Kerry Ao and Naina Muvva
Genocide Education Project: Max Roberts
Women in STEM Careers: Madelyn Tarvin and Hannah Adison
Vol-Grad: Cody Bunch
The Hydration Station: Jack Deig
The ART Van: Anika Pai
Glow in the Dark Cemetery Angels: Vivian Galey
Ethical Clothing: Braelyn McKenzie and Emma Thompson
Driving for Change, Sensory Inclusion: Tyler Myers
Garden-Way: Jet Gregory
The Wholesome Forest: Elliott Foresterwelsh
Project CuRe: Sabreen Hussain
Restore and Rebuild: Faith Field
Walkers for Mental Health: Rebecca Rzeszut
Do You Mind?: Brooke Williard
Teach the Educator: Save our Future: Alison Gansman
Produce Prescription Program: Carlie Hayward
Additive Affordable Prosthetics: Zeke Grant
Improving Academic and Physical Success: Lydia Jourdan, Adison Young, and Madison Schenk
Every Body Helps: Emmett Bowman

The Top 20 Finalists will compete on January 25th in person at the University of Evansville. The winner of the FULL TUITION Scholarship will be announced that day.

Toyota Manufacturing, Indiana graciously donated $350,000 to the UE Trinity Storm Waterpark ChangeLab. A formal announcement was made on December 13, 2021. The story of Robert Lopez, UE Junior, is one for the books. He started out competing in the UE High School Changemaker Challenge. He did not win, but continued literally walking to UE Campus from Bosse High School just to work on his dream. Fast forward 5 years later… After being coached in ChangeLabs by Erin Lewis and her gift of bringing people and resources together, we celebrate Robert’s dream becoming a reality. This collaboration of UE CFIC/ChangeLab, Toyota Manufacturing Indiana, The Honorable Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, the City of Evansville, EVSC, and so many more, is a memorable example of partners coming together for something bigger than all of them. This feel good story is perfect timing as we celebrate a season of giving. Robert’s speech during the formal announcement reminds all of us to dream big, and never give up. May you too be inspired by Robert’s true grit, tenacity and heart of excellence. I know we are. #bethechange

If your office is having a Holiday party -- please notify housekeeping at ext. 2045 or by email at housekeeping@evansville.edu so that they can tend to the trash pick-up and removal.

Students can adjust meal plans for the Spring semester until Friday, January 14, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

Adjust your meal plan online.

It's not too late to register for a Winter Intersession course. Classes are held December 17, 2021, through January 7, 2022. Students may take one course.

For registration, payment deadlines, and additional information visit https://www.evansville.edu/registrar/winterSessions.cfm.

Winter Intersession Course List

Clark Kimberling, Professor of Mathematics, wrote an article recently published by the West Gallery Music Association. Entitled "The Carol Books of Thomas Hardy (1778-1837) and Thomas Hardy (1811-1892)", the article studies the sources of texts in the manuscript books of Christmas carols used by the father and grandfather of novelist Thomas Hardy (1840-1928). The article also discusses the influence of these carol books in the writings of Hardy the novelist. Copies of the books, dated 1799 and circa 1842, were made available to Dr. Kimberling by the Dorset County Museum, in Dorchester, Dorset, England. To download the article, go to https://wgma.org.uk/articles.htm and scroll to the last article under "Regional".