Gifts are still being counted, but we are thrilled to share UE has officially surpassed the goal of 2,023 gifts during Pep and Vim. Through your incredible philanthropy, you have propelled the University of Evansville FORWARD in a major way. The Alumni Board of Directors will now gift $20,000 to the UEvansville Fund! Your generosity has had a ripple effect, and the philanthropy of the entire UE family makes a huge difference.

Across 47 states, over $385,000 was gifted during Pep and Vim 2023, to projects within all academic colleges and Athletics. The winner of Penny Wars ’23 is the College of Business and Engineering! Pep and Golden Squirrel will have a home in Dean Brockman’s office for the next year. Thank you to all those who participated, and for all the ways you give back to UE.

Each of you gifts your time, talents, and treasures. We appreciate you immensely, and as we move FORWARD together, we can build on your countless incredible achievements. Go Aces!

The University of Evansville Theatre continues their initiative to make theatre more accessible by offering all Thursday performances as “Pay What You Will.” Every Thursday evening performance in Shanklin Theatre is available for any person to pay any price that best fits their budget. Their season finale production of NOISES OFF, by Michael Frayn, runs for four more performances at 7:30 p.m., on Apr. 20, 21, 22, and at 2:00 p.m., on Apr. 23.

Easily considered the funniest farce ever written, this classic comedy follows a troupe of assiduous actors as they blunder from a disastrous dress rehearsal to complete pandemonium when they embark on an ill-fated tour. Hilarity ensues! With screwball shenanigans, mounting mayhem, slamming doors, and even flying sardines, this rip-roaring romp is the perfect outing for anyone ready to leave reality behind and indulge in the life-affirming and mood-altering benefits of good, old-fashioned belly laughs. This multiple Tony Award-nominated gem of a play will leave audiences in stitches.

For the Friday through Sunday performances, adult ticket prices are $20 and $18 for senior adults, UE employees, and non-UE students. UE students may obtain one free student rush ticket beginning at 12 p.m. on the day of the performance they wish to attend. Single tickets may be purchased online at theatre.evansville.edu or by calling the ticket office at 812.488.2031, Monday through Friday, 12:00 to 5:00 p.m.

Finals are coming up - but so are pancakes! Take a break from studying for finals to join some of your favorite Aces at the Pancake Study Break!

Pancakes and more will be available on Reading/Study Day - Thursday, April 27 - from 9:00-11:00 p.m. at The Eatery in Ridgway University Center. There will also be drawings for prizes - so don't miss out! Plan to be at the Pancake Study Break!

This event is free of charge for all UE students. A UE ID is required to enter.

Questions? Contact Chad Hart at ch299@evansville.edu.

Join us for a Lecture by a Visiting Anthropologist.
Title: Cultural Traditions and Human Evolution
Speaker: Dr. Kyle Clark, PhD in Anthropology from the University of Missouri
Date: Monday, April 24, 4:30 pm
Location: Hyde Hall 14
Description: Humans possess a wide array of distinctive features, one of which is the development of cultural traditions. In this talk, Dr. Clark will delve into the evolutionary significance of cultural traditions and provide insights into how and why they emerged. Of particular interest will be the phenomenon of ancestor worship, as he discusses a mechanism for its evolution and its potential role in shaping human societies based on his research among the Iban of Borneo, Indonesia.
Sponsored by the Department of Archaeology.

The UE Community Band will perform Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in Neu Chapel. Selections will include compositions by Gustav Holst, Leroy Anderson, John Philip Sousa and more.
Come and listen to UE music students perform alongside community members in this free concert. A live stream is also available at https://www.evansville.edu/majors/music/calendar.cfm.

Faculty and staff, join us for chips and salsa at Lunch Bunch this Thursday, April 20th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Philips Alcove (Ridgway 2nd floor). No need to RSVP. Stay as little or as long as your schedule allows. There is no agenda or presentation for these gatherings. Lunch Bunch is a way to offer faculty and staff a common place to get together. We hope to see you this Thursday for our last Lunch Bunch of the semester! ECTE Team: Kyle, Stephanie & Diana

Please join the Seniors in the Department of Art as we celebrate their group exhibition, The Hands That Create. There are two opportunities to visit the exhibition and speak to the artists. The first date is April 20th from 5-7 pm and the second is May 5th, 4:30-6pm. The exhibition is located in the Melvin Peterson Gallery.

The seniors are Lilly Boring, Jasmine Brents, Zoe Dennis, Rachel Fisher, Hannah Holbrook, Baylee Minton, and Niamh Steffens. Ian Leonhardt also contributed to the exhibition with the original music.

The Melvin Peterson Gallery is open during the week with posted hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, 12-3pm
Wednesday and Thursday, 12-6pm

Hope to see you at either reception.

Department of Art

The University of Evansville really needs your help to get to the 60 percent goal for the campus survey completion! The response rate is currently at 9 percent, but if by next Friday, April 21, UE reaches the goal, Lollys Pops will come to campus as a special thank you!

The survey is completely anonymous and takes less than 10 minutes!

If UE reaches this goal, there will also be a a $500 donation made to United Sound. This organization was created through a ChangeLab, and its purpose is to give students with disabilities an opportunity to learn how to read and play music and perform in a concert.

Please share your feedback with UE at your earliest convenience!

This year's Spring Crick Lecture will take place on Thursday April 20 at 4:00 PM in a Zoom format. The lecture will be presented by Shannon Proksch, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Augustana University. The title of the lecture is “Acoustic social interactions: emergent crowd dynamics at a basketball game”.

When multiple individuals interact in a conversation or as part of a large crowd, emergent structure and dynamics arise that are behavioral properties of the interacting group rather than of any individual member of that group. In other words, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. Such is the case for fans gathered together to watch a basketball game – at times coordinating their acoustical behavior into well-practiced chants, loosely coordinated cheers, or cacophonous distracting noise. Individual fans in the crowd “softly assemble” into certain functional patterns of acoustic behavior for periods of time, alternately enacting a collective, coordinated “we” or acting as a collection of individuals. These chants, cheers, and noise are examples of different levels of coordination among members of the crowd. In this talk, Dr. Proksch will discuss how tools from dynamical systems theory can be used to detect these coordination modes by analyzing the acoustic behavior generated by an interacting crowd.

Zoom Meeting Info
Meeting ID: 865 294 1995
Passcode: purple

For further information, contact Vincent Campese at VC44@evansville.edu.

Are you looking at the world around you and asking, “What if”?

Are you interested in helping the community to innovate for a more just, prosperous, and sustainable world?

Do you need to add a course and not sure what to take?

ChangeLab is for YOU!

All ChangeLab Students receive presentation coaching workshops, team building guided by expert coaches and project management resume building skills!

Here are just a few of the ChangeLabs YOU can choose from for Fall 2023!

YUMMY (CHNG 310-05) - Explore ways to offer EVSC students with free, hot, healthy lunches.

Health Equity in Evansville (CHNG 310-01) - Examine marginalized healthcare case studies, hear from professionals in the field, and learn exhibition strategies. The end goal or product would be for students to use the information to create an exhibition about health equity in Evansville.

Equitable and Nourishing Food System for All (CHNG 310-07)- Students will collaborate with Urban Seeds, a not-for-profit organization advocating for a quality, equitable, and robust food system.

UE Audio/Visual: Creative Tech in a Changing World (CHNG 310-Y04) - Projects will encompass any Audio/Visual necessities of the campus and community.

A complete list can be found on Self-Service. Look for CHNG 300 and CHNG 310 courses! Honors sections are also available.

The Center for Career Development has a limited number of stipends available to students completing an unpaid or minimally paid internship each semester. There are still stipends available for Summer 2023.

The Center for Career Development stipends:

• Are for a maximum of $500 based on the number of hours being worked.
• Are offered to students within the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education and Health Sciences
• Are offered to undergraduate students only.
• Each student is eligible to receive a total stipend amount of $500 in their undergraduate college career.
• If interested, please contact the Center for Career Development at career@evansville.edu or 812-488-1083 for an application.

Summer Hours

UE will reduce business hours during the summer from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Fridays. This schedule will be in place beginning Monday, May 8 through Friday, August 4. Regular hours will return Monday, August 7. Enjoy the sun a little longer.

Friday Jeans Day

You can wear jeans on Fridays in the summer – as long as you wear purple on Fridays. Please dress appropriately and adjust the dress code as necessary on Fridays for visitors or other events. And as always, purple shoes are welcome – and send me pictures for Friday Wrap.

July 4 Holiday

The long weekend will get a little longer. The President’s Council added one additional day to create a long holiday weekend. In addition to the University observing the July 4 holiday on Tuesday, the University will also be closed on Monday, July 3. Enjoy the sun even more.

The drawing was held for students who completed the NSSE Survey by April 15. The Apple Watch winners were first-year student, Jacovia Young and senior, Jacob Moffat. The Ear bud winners were first-year students, Irene Hernanz Pacios and Odera Ijeomah. Senior winners were Luciano Albanese and Rebecca Conoway. Congratulations and thanks to all who have completed the survey to this point.

The survey remains open until May 15. First-year students and seniors still have time to complete the survey as your voice matters!

The Sociology Programs announced the winners of their annual awards:
Hanns G. Pieper Sociology and Criminal Justice Senior Research Award: Kaitlyn Collins (CJ '23)
James Berry Sociology and Criminal Justice Outstanding Junior Award: Majestica Weatherford (SOC/PSYC '24)
Mary Rode Petkovsek and Ludwig A. Petkovsek Sociology and Criminal Justice Outstanding Service Award: Haley Worland (CJ/SOC/PSYC '24)
Inaugural Lowell A. Dunigan Award for Outstanding Research in Gerontology: Brandi Borchers (Theatre Design and Technology '23)

Congratulations to these exceptional students!

On Tuesday, April 11, students presented posters at the Research in Gerontology Symposium, hosted by the UE Gerontology Center. The symposium featured posters from a variety of majors on the following topics:

"Dead or Alive: How Aquamation is Changing the Responsibilities of the Dead," Claire Abner ‘24 (Environmental Administration)
"The Relationship between Spirituality and Death," Nuha Adeel ‘24 (Educational Studies)
"Restorative Art: A Coping Mechanism for Grieving Families," Paige Beard ‘23 (Sociology)
"Death with Dignity: How Can It Help?" Brandi Borchers ’23 (Theatre Design and Technology)
"Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide," Emily Burleson ‘23 (Health Services Administration)
"Life after Death: Studying Egyptian Funerary Rituals," Sophia Caci ’25 (Archaeology)
"What Does Suicide and the Societal Reaction Look Like across the World?" Emily Clark ‘23 (Psychology)
"Maternal Mortality: A Racialized Issue Fueled by Access to Safe Abortion," Kaitlyn Collins ’23 (Criminal Justice)
"Psilocybin Therapy for Terminally Ill Cancer Patients," Andrew Garvin ’23 (Cognitive Science and Psychology)
"Death and Funerals in America," Micah Jesus ’25 (Sociology and Psychology) and Autumn Kolley ‘24 (Creative Writing)
"Grief and Mourning in the Wake of Parasocial and Collective Identity Loss," Seph Kier ‘23 (Psychology)
"Coping with Child Loss," Josie Kremzar ‘25 (Sociology)
"Genocide and the Expression of Grief," Connor Pfau ’24 (Sociology)
"The Potential Benefits and Future of Hospice Counseling," Chloe Prince ‘23 (Psychology)
"Differences in Grief between Sudden Loss and Expected Loss," Sadie Scovern ‘24 (Cognitive Science)
"Overdose in the US," McKenzie White ‘24 (Sociology and Criminal Justice)

University of Evansville junior shortstop Simon Scherry (Santa Claus, Ind./Heritage Hills) has been named to the prestigious Brooks Wallace Award Watch List by the College Baseball Foundation. The Brooks Wallace Award is presented annually to the nation’s top shortstop in collegiate baseball.

A group of 101 of the most talented shortstops in Division I college baseball were named to the initial 2023 Brooks Wallace Award watch list late Tuesday night. The award honors the nation’s top shortstop and is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played from the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980, before passing away from leukemia at the age of 27.

Scherry is one of four Missouri Valley Conference shortstops to make the initial watch list, joining Randal Diaz of Indiana State, Nick Rodriguez of Missouri State, and Southern Illinois’ Kaeber Rog. Scherry currently has the best fielding percentage among starting shortstops in the Missouri Valley Conference with a .981 mark. He has committed the fewest errors of any starting shortstop who has started 30 games or more this year, having committed just three errors. He also ranks second in the Valley in defensive assists with 114, and has posted the highest single-game assist total in Division I baseball this year with 11 assists against Belmont on April 2.

Offensively, Scherry is batting .291 with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs and 18 RBI for Evansville. He has also posted a .408 on-base percentage this year, as he ranks among the nation’s top 130 players with 27 walks so far this season. Scherry is also a perfect seven-for-seven in the stolen base department.

Evansville will return to the diamond this weekend, as the Purple Aces will travel to Murray, Kentucky to take on the Murray State Racers in a key Missouri Valley Conference series. UE will bring a 21-15 overall record into this weekend’s series after posting a 10-8 win over Western Kentucky on Tuesday night. This weekend’s series is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. on Friday night, and all three games of the series can be heard live in Evansville on 107.1 FM-WJPS and the Old National Bank/Purple Aces Sports Network from Learfield. Friday night’s series-opener is also available on ESPN+.