News

Mapp Praises Virgin Islands Veterans

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Corliss Smithen |

ST. THOMAS – Veterans living in the Territory were honored for their contribution to the nation during a ceremony at Roosevelt Park to mark Veterans’ Day on Friday.

Veterans and their families; government officials, including Gov. Kenneth Mapp, Deputy Gov. Osbert Potter and senators; and uniformed groups from the high schools and other youth organizations were present at the ceremony, which was preceded by a parade through the streets of downtown Charlotte Amalie.

In his speech, Mapp thanked the veterans for their service to the country.

“I want to say today to all of our veterans, thank you for your service. We understand, respect and honor your sacrifices,” Mapp said.

He said the freedoms and democracy Americans enjoy – as evidenced in the recently-concluded presidential elections – was largely due to the efforts of veterans.

“Our place as a beacon of democracy on the world stage is intact… Many of our veterans and many of the members of our armed forces have gone to hostile points to fight so other can enjoy a semblance of freedom and democracy in their land,” Mapp said. Continue reading Mapp Praises Virgin Islands Veterans →

News

FRC Raises Domestic Violence Awareness

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Corliss Smithen |

ST. THOMAS, V.I. – Dozens of residents took to the streets of the capital, Charlotte Amalie, Thursday night in a march to express their dissent against domestic violence and to show support for victims and their families.

Under the theme, “Stop the silence and shine the light on domestic violence,” the Family Resource Center, a non-profit organization, in collaboration with the V.I. Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Council, hosted the annual March and Candle Light vigil.

Decked in purple – the color that represents domestic violence – marchers set off at 5:30 p.m. from the Emancipation Garden, wound their way over Government Hill, down to Hospital Gade, to the Legislature Yard and returned to Emancipation, where the march culminated with a candle lighting and vigil ceremony.

A number of school groups and bands – the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School Marching Band and Dancers, the Charlotte Amalie High School Marching Band and majorettes and the Ivanna Eudora Kean High School Marching Band and majorettes – provided musical accompaniment for the event and entertained spectators during their two-minute performances at Emancipation Garden where organizers erected a scroll bearing the names of the 72 victims who have died so far as a result of domestic violence.  T-shirts bearing messages were also hung on lines across the garden. Continue reading FRC Raises Domestic Violence Awareness →

News

Talents of UVI: The Charles “Pollo” Goodings Interview

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Featured Image: Charles “Pollo” Goodings (Photo Courtesy of Horace Matthews)

Nikiyah Gerson |

ST. CROIX – The University of the Virgin Islands has students with a broad range of talents. Some who use these very talents everyday and in ways that directly impact the students of the university such as Charles Goodings, Jr., a.k.a. “Pollo.”

Pollo is a radio show host for WUVI on the St. Croix Campus, airing on 97.3 FMLP and 1090 AM, every Wednesday from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

“I enjoy bringing entertainment and enjoyment to others through the university radio station,” expressed Pollo.

Before going on air, Pollo goes through his usual ritual, such as making sure his equipment is set up, playlist is ready and posting announcements on his social media informing people to tune in.

He has recently begun going “Live” on Facebook which allows people to actually see him in the studio while he is on air, thus appealing to a bigger audience.
“Being a radio show host for the school is a fun experience because I get to do what I love,” said Pollo.

Pollo is a junior on the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix. He is a full-time student obtaining a degree in mass communication and mass media.

The many hats Pollo wears include: DJ, radio show host, engineer, songwriter/musician, activity coordinator, president of Team M.A.D. (Making A Difference), a non-profit organization, and owner of his own clothing line, Apollo Legion, LLC.

The everyday life of Pollo revolves around the things he loves doing best such as entertainment and expanding his clothing line.

One could see Pollo on campus five days a week juggling a full-time class schedule, maintaining his business and giving back to UVI.

Remember it’s important to support our own. Make sure to tune into 97.3 FMLP and 1090 AM to listen to Pollo or watch him live on Facebook every Wednesday from 1:00-3:00 p.m.

Arts, Campus Life and Issues, Feature, News, Style

ROOTS – LET YOUR INNER VOICE BE HEARD

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Featured Image: The official Roots club logo. (Courtesy of Nosakhere Williams, Roots president)

Alicia Taylor |

ST. CROIX – This year, UVI students sought to enhance student creativity in a way that would allow students to exhort their feelings in a positive manner.  Thus is how UVI’s new poetry club, Roots, was formed.

Roots, originally named University Poetry, is aimed to allow students to root themselves into multiple attributes that characterize poetry such as strength, tranquility, compassion and freedom.

“We want to give college students the chance to express themselves through lyrics and poetry,” said Nosakhere Williams, a sophomore Information Systems and Technology major and the founder of Roots. “We want students to engage and interact with our community while allowing students to gain knowledge over various types of poetry.”

Roots Poetry has been involved in a variety of events including UVI’s Day of Remembrance for Murdered Victims, International Day of Peace and Taboo. Continue reading ROOTS – LET YOUR INNER VOICE BE HEARD →

Announcements, Campus Life and Issues, Entertainment, Feature, News

R. City Visits WUVI, Campus Radio Station

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Featured Image: Theron and Timothy Thomas pose with UVI students outside of the WUVI campus radio station. (Photo courtesy of Shahim Skeete)

Nathalie Trow-McDonald |

St. Thomas native born performing artists, R. City, participated in an interview yesterday at WUVI, the student-run radio station at the University of the Virgin Islands.

Brothers, Timothy and Theron, spent about half an hour being interviewed by Shahim “Jay” Skeete, WUVI Production Manager, and D’Ajahni Estrada-Petersen, WUVI Public Relations Manager.

R. City has a history of supporting the local student radio station. They have participated in live interviews before as well as their father and producer, Kiebo Thomas.

The artists are currently on break from touring with Maroon 5 and returned home to be the first to receive the keys to the territory from Governor Kenneth Mapp. Not only did they receive the keys, but September 27, 2016, was announced as official R. City Day to commemorate their many accomplishments in the music industry and for serving as both role models and goodwill ambassadors for the territory

During the live interview, several UVI students who were present to meet the local stars were sharing the interview through Facebook Live. The brothers addressed callers to the station and the Facebook viewership to answer questions such as: “When will you return to Dallas?” or “Would you rather have [student] housing be renamed after you or keep the key [to the territory]?” Continue reading R. City Visits WUVI, Campus Radio Station →

Feature, News

Murder Victims Remembered

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Featured Image: Basket of roses that attendees tossed into the ocean in honor of 2016 murder victims.

Corliss Smithen |

ST. THOMAS  – A small crowd converged at Emancipation Garden Sunday afternoon to celebrate the lives of their murdered loved ones during a somber and poignant ceremony to mark National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims, which was jointly organized by the Victim Services Unit of the Department of Justice and the Family Resource Center.

During the event, two survivors of victims – Kimesha Wade, who lost her fiancé three years ago and Aloma Blake, whose son was violently killed about 10 years ago – reflected on the lives of their loved ones.

Wade told those in attendance of the struggles she faces as a single parent raising her son alone after his father, Andre Christian, Jr., was killed on Sept. 28, 2013.

“Being a single mother has changed my life,” Wade said. “It has tested my physical and emotional strength, my ability to manage my time and personal life… As a single mother, I bear the weight of making ends meet on one salary to try and equal the second income his father would have brought in.”

Wade said she feels proud, though, when she is able to relax with her son, watch his favorite television shows with him and see his comfort in her.

“My son is my pride and joy, my heart, my soul and my world, and even though this job is every bit as gratifying as it is exhausting, it made me see how much of a strong, independent and responsible person I am,” she said.

Wade also vowed that these streets will not take a hold of her son. “I am breaking the cycle and I am raising our next doctor, lawyer, or aero-engineer. I am 100% vested in my son’s success; he will be someone great,” she concluded. Continue reading Murder Victims Remembered →

Announcements, Campus Life and Issues, News

Provost Impressed by Student Research

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Nathalie Trow-McDonald |

The 18th Annual Fall Student Research Symposium sponsored by the Emerging Scientist Program was held yesterday afternoon in the Sports and Fitness Center of the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) St. Thomas Campus.

Sixty posters and their proud owners stood in a circle around the basketball court as judges and curious community members mosied from one well-dressed student to another in hopes of learning something new.

“This is my favorite event all year,” commented Dr. Camille McKayle, UVI Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs with enthusiasm. “It has everything we want in it: inquisitive students, engaged faculty, and students exposed to cutting-edge technology… I am always impressed by the students when I come.”

Incorporated in the symposium was a competition for the participants. Students who receive the highest scores from the judges will be awarded travel funds that cover registration, transportation, and housing to attend a scientific meeting to present their research.

Symposium winners typically attend the Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics held annual in Washington D.C., but winners are allowed to choose the conference they are most interested in attending. Continue reading Provost Impressed by Student Research →

Campus Life and Issues, News

Psychology Club Beach Cleanup

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Featured Photo: Albert A. Sheen Campus Psychology Club

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UVI Psychology Club members placing litter into a trash bag.

ST. CROIX – In partnership with Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup and other organizations around the globe, the University of the Virgin Islands Psychology Club held its first Beach Cleanup for the semester. Officers, students and community volunteers gathered at Rainbow Beach, St. Croix on Saturday September 17th, 2016 to remove trash from waterways and to identify the sources of debris. In a collective effort to take action to ensure trash never reaches our beaches.

All photos are courtesy of Leanne E. Morancie, UVI Psychology Club Public Relations Officer.

 

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Club members discussing their plan for the cleanup.

Officers In Featured Photo:
Advisor: Dr. Aletha Baumann
Public Relations Officer: Leanne E. Morancie
Treasurer: Jama Raimer
Events Coordinator: Jailine Manon

For more information or to join the Psychology Club, please email Leanne E. Morancie at lmorancie10@gmail.com.

Arts, Campus Life and Issues, News, Opinion

International Day of Peace – Overcoming Racism Inside-Out

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Featured Image: Organizers of the International Day of Peace event placed doves around the Albert A. Sheen Campus to direct guests to the location of the event.

Alicia Taylor |

ST. CROIX – Students on the Albert A. Sheen campus gathered in EVC 401 Friday, September 16, to observe International Day of Peace. This is the fourth year English 100 students and faculty have organized and held this event on St. Croix.

“Because of Beyoncé and the national news, we decided the focus of overcoming racism was a topic that needed to be addressed and discussed,” said Mary Wilder, Assistant Professor of English. “Instead of just reading about it, we want students to be involved and talk about the issues we presented today.”

To assist in getting the focus across to the University students, Judge George Cannon came to speak about peace within and without.

Cannon expressed that racism isn’t unique to a particular group and that true peace is found within the chaos. “If inside the chaos you can still do a constructive job in efforts to change the world, then you have achieved inner peace,” said Cannon.   Continue reading International Day of Peace – Overcoming Racism Inside-Out →

Feature, News, Opinion, Profiles

STUDENTS’ APATHY – A GROWING CONCERN FOR EDUCATORS

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Corliss Smithen |

ST. THOMAS – He sauntered aimlessly into the classroom, ten minutes after the bell had rung, with his back stooped as if belabored by the small backpack. He shuffled to his desk, noisily pulled out a chair and slumped down with a sigh. His bag dropped with a thud on the floor.

Taking a cursory glance in front of him, he noticed the notes scrawled across the blackboard.  Looking around the room, he quickly observed that his classmates were engaged in their classwork. Without even bothering to take his copy book from his bag, Jahlil, whose name like the others below have been changed, propped his head in the crook of his arm on the desk and closed his eyes for the entire session.

When the bell rang to signal the end of the class period, Jahlil lifted his head from the desk, yawned, stretched, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, picked up his bag from the floor, and left the room, as if in a daze.

“He’s like this most days,” his history teacher said.  “He hardly does any work, but I continue to encourage him.”

Jahlil, 19, is just one of many students who appear to have little or no interest in academics.  His school records show that he is failing all of his courses.  Four other students who were interviewed are not faring any better.  Brent, 17, is in ninth grade – for the third time. He thinks that school is a waste of time for him.  He has no plans to graduate.

“School is boring,” Brent said. “I am going to drop out of school soon, get a job and get my own apartment.  I’ve already discussed it with my mother and she agrees.”

Brent is not considering the option of getting his GED and he certainly is not looking into obtaining a college degree. Continue reading STUDENTS’ APATHY – A GROWING CONCERN FOR EDUCATORS →

Campus Life and Issues, Health and Fitness, News

‘WhatUEatin’ Won Big at The 2nd Annual UVI Hackathon at St. Croix

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Featured Image: Dr. Tim Faley and Team McKrigger after they were presented with the “Best Hack” $500 check and a certificate for 40 hours of free mentoring from NEARiX. 

hackfest

The Hackathon 2016 T-shirt design.

Alicia Taylor |

ST. CROIX – Imagine getting paid to bring your crazy ideas to life. The UVI Hackathon allowed students to do just that.

The 2nd annual Hackathon to be held on St. Croix took place September 9th and 10th in the Albert A. Sheen Campus Library. Thanks to NEARiX LLC, UVI’s Research and Technology Park (RTP) and Virgin Islands Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (VI-EPSCoR), UVI Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Association (UVIDEA), students competed for $700 in cash prizes and a $100 UVI bookstore certificate.

In a 24-hour span, students broke into teams to develop an app that reflected the year’s theme of health and wellness. UVI Distinguished Professor and Special Assistant to the President, Tim Faley, instructed students to create an app that they would personally use.

The students took that advice and ran with it. They saw a problem and came up with a solution to solve it in the form of an application for cell phones.

However, of the four teams competing, there could only be one grand prize winner.

Team “MacKrigger” took home the title of “Best Hack,” as well as a certificate for 40 hours of free mentoring from NEARiX to expand on their idea, an estimated total value of $5,000, and the $500 cash prize. Continue reading ‘WhatUEatin’ Won Big at The 2nd Annual UVI Hackathon at St. Croix →

Announcements, Campus Life and Issues, Health and Fitness, News

New Station Addresses Student’s Craves

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Nathalie Trow-McDonald |

ST. THOMAS – Last night, Elite Hospitality Management, the company running the St. Thomas campus cafeteria, unveiled their new “Crave Station” and held an informative session lasting from about 7:30-8:00 PM.

“I know it’s already the third week of class, but it is still early enough to welcome you all back,” said Jennifer Palmer-Crawford, Director of Residence Life for the St. Thomas Campus, as she opened the meeting.

The main point of interest for most students was the new Crave Station, open during diner and lunch hours, that serves fresh fruit, yogurt, and four types of sub sandwiches including: tuna, ham, turkey, and vegetable on either white or wheat bread. The Crave Station will not be open during the late-night “snack hours” from 7:00-9:00PM.

Silently, everyone had been wondering for the past three weeks why they were no longer allowed to make their own salads, and now the salads were being prepared to one’s liking and served to the customer.

“Items are now being served from the Salad Bar and Crave Station to reduce contaminants and make sure they have enough to spread around for every paying student,” noted Claudia Prince, Manager of Elite Hospitality Management, curing everyone’s curiosity. Continue reading New Station Addresses Student’s Craves →

Campus Life and Issues, Feature, News, Opinion

New Students Set Sail for Academic Success

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Feature Photo Caption: Ryan Shaw ready to take on the new academic year and next, the world. (Photo taken on St. Thomas courtesy of Adeola Adelekan, Orientation Leader)

By Alicia Taylor and Nathalie Trow-McDonald

IMG_0560Albert A. Sheen- St. Croix campus new student orientation island tour, August 20, at Point Udall. (Courtesy of Catey Mendoza, a National Student Exchange student from Alaska)

Albert A. Sheen – St. Croix Campus Orientation: Perspectives of An Exchange Student

Attending UVI is the beginning of our flight towards success. With the help of the orientation staff and student leaders, we were introduced to the flight attendants and captains that will assist in our navigation throughout the journey we call college.

Throughout our flight journey at UVI, we were instructed on safety precautions and instruments we can utilize to assist us. We were educated about campus security, dating and violence, sexual assault and physical and mental health concerns. Through counseling and health services, RAVE and a variety of other departments on campus, students can be reassured that the flight they are traveling on is a safe one.

The theme for orientation on the Albert A. Sheen campus on St. Croix was “Navigating Your Path to Academic Success,” hence all the flight metaphors.

Being a National Student Exchange (NSE) student, the Virgin Islands was an unknown territory waiting to be revealed to me. Attending orientation allowed me the opportunity to experience the university and the culture of St. Croix first hand.

The orientation staff and faculty made it their priority to make sure each student either learned or was reminded of the heritage of St. Croix and the Virgin Islands. Meals were prepared with a variety of foods local to the Caribbean, including the introduction of two local food trucks for students to try at lunch.

The St. Croix campus offered orientation students to take part in a movie night at the Caribbean Cinema, an island tour, bowling at Ten Pins and snorkeling lessons.

Of all the organized activities and events, the New Student Convocation and Buccaneer Welcome Reception was my favorite. Specifically, President Hall’s address to the students.

“He was engaging, relatable and genuinely cared about each of us individually,” said Cassie (Cassandra) Glodowski, a NSE student from Wisconsin. “He didn’t just see us as a statistic, but rather as a student of UVI.”

After walking the stage and being bestowed the medal, I felt like an official member of the Buccaneer community. UVI is proud of each and every student, whether they are here for a semester or five years. The bond created here is unbreakable and each individual of this community will assist in navigating you towards the path of academic success.

Regardless of the destination, you have allowed UVI to provide a stamp on your passport of life. Continue reading New Students Set Sail for Academic Success →

Announcements, Campus Life and Issues, News

UVI Welcome Back How-To: The Parking Permit Situation

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Featured Photo: Designated Parking Map of the St. Thomas Campus. (Courtesy of the University of the Virgin Islands)

Alayna Belshe |

ST. THOMAS – This is my third fall semester at UVI and every year I learn a little more about how to get things done at our university. This year, I mastered getting a parking pass and completing the vehicle registration process.

If you are new to campus or if you have been lucky enough to get a new vehicle over the summer, you need to register your vehicle online through your BanWeb account before you visit the security office.

To complete the online registration you need:

  • Your driver’s license
  • Your license plate number
  • Your car’s make
  • Your car’s color
  • Your car’s year

Accessing BanWeb is as simple as logging into your MyCampus page on the UVI website and selecting the BanWeb link on the left.

BanWeb Location

Screenshot of the BanWeb Home Page after Logging into MyCampus (August 2016)

After filling out the vehicle registration form found on BanWeb, proceed to the campus security office. The entrance to the office is right next to the Banco Popular ATM on the St. Thomas campus and near the First Bank ATM by the Evans Center on the Albert A. Sheen- St. Croix campus.

You will need to bring your driver’s license, registration and your student ID. (If you still don’t have your UVI Student ID, a piece of paper with your name and ID number will be accepted).

The campus security office is open 24 hours a day, so there is no excuse for not getting this done.

The best part of this whole process is that the permit is free. (Provided that you do not lose said permit, otherwise be prepared to fork over $25.00 to the security office.)

As of Wednesday morning all members of the UVI community received an email detailing the parking policy and the process of registering your vehicle including maps of appropriate parking for each campus.

Good luck to all of us finding our preferred parking spaces!

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Designated Parking Map of the Albert A. Sheen Campus on St. Croix. (Courtesy of the University of the Virgin Islands)