Daily Archives: May 1, 2015

News

Star-Studded Panel Encourages UVI Community to Show More Pride for Their School

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PATRICE RENEE HARRIS │

Left to Right Emmanuel Lewis, Shanti Das, Thomas Dortch, Tracy Broughton, Demetria McKinney involved in panel discussion at Legacy Lecture Series at UVI Sports and Fitness Center, St Thomas Campus
Left to Right: Emmanuel Lewis, Shanti Das, Thomas Dortch, Tracy Broughton, Demetria McKinney involved in panel discussion at Legacy Lecture Series at UVI Sports and Fitness Center, St Thomas Campus

ST. THOMAS – The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) community, engaged in eye-opening discussions with African American entertainment leaders, philanthropists and entrepreneurs on Thursday 23rd April at the Sports and Fitness Center.

The Andrew Young Emerging Leaders Legacy Lecture series 2015 was held for the first time at the University of the Virgin Islands in April 2015.

The event held under the theme: “Building dreams through leadership,” featured presentations from Tracy Broughton, Ms. America 2011; Thomas W. Dortch, Jr. Founder & Chairman, NBCA Hall of Fame; Demetria McKinney, Actress and Singer; Emmanuel Lewis Actor and Philanthropist; Shanti Das, The Hip Hop Professional.

The lecture series are held annually at a chosen Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The event, organized by the National Black College Alumni (NBCA) Hall of Fame and the UVI Division of Students Affairs, was held at UVI to celebrate the success of Ms. Elisa Thomas, the first Miss UVI to capture the NBCA Hall of Fame title.

Thomas Dortch, founder and chairman of the NBCA Hall of fame said that the journey to the Virgin islands is expensive, but it is important to include UVI in the HBCU family. He encouraged the students present to be more proactive, seek out opportunities and demand more from their leaders and administrators.

Dortch also shared his experience as a successful entrepreneur and urged students to pursue a degree in career areas that are in demand. He said while it is important to follow your dreams, students should consider degrees in Technology and Science. He urged the students to take control of their destiny.

Photo Credit: Dale Morton Front View of crowd including Student Government Association Leaders at Legacy Lecture Series, UVI Sports and Fitness Center
Photo Credit: Dale Morton
Front View of crowd including Student Government Association Leaders at Legacy Lecture Series, UVI Sports and Fitness Center

Ms. America 2011, Tracy Broughton encouraged the students present to organize more social activities and not fixate on what the school does not have. She encouraged the students to utilize what the university currently has even if it’s just a basketball team.

The panelists mainly answered student questions ranging from funding cut for HBCUs, social media, African Americans in corporate America and the entertainment industry. They also shared personal struggles, successes, and genuine words of encouragement to the students.

Broughton, used her experiences as a disabled female to encourage the audience to not be defined by their current situation. She shared personal stories about rape, disability, homelessness, and kidnapping. She credits these experiences as the worst experiences in her life and attributes them to her success today.

Photo Credit: Dale Morton Members of the student government association and other student leaders participating in private panel discussion at UVI Sports and Fitness Commuter Longue, St Thomas Campus, USVI.
Photo Credit: Dale Morton
Members of the student government association and other student leaders participating in private panel discussion at UVI Sports and Fitness Commuter Longue, St Thomas Campus, USVI.

Commonly known for his role in ABC’s sitcom Family Matters, Emmanuel Lewis, dressed in a blue UVI Pride Day t-shirt and a St. Thomas, USVI straw hat, expressed his love for the Virgin Islands. He described St Thomas as his home away from home. He said he could not wait to enjoy a home cooked meal from ‘roun de field’.

The lecture series aims to inspire and encourage African American students to reach their full potential. The night’s discussion included topics such as Black Lives Matters, Credit Worthiness and Job Possibilities, Voting & Civil Rights, Domestic Violence, Lyrics being used by recording artists and entertainers, Social media and how it impacts one’s professional and personal future.

The event included a question and answer section moderated by UVI alumni, Rick Grant.

Campus Life and Issues

A Long Way From Home: International Students at U.V.I

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LILIANA MORENO REYES |

ST. THOMAS – The international students and the diversity they bring, lend quite a bit to the melting pot of the University of the Virgin Islands’ population. At UVI the population comprises American students, other Caribbean students and a small mixture of students from foreign countries. These students play an influential role in aspects of the university experience. Their impact extends to the economic, cultural and educational spheres.

Among other things, international students weigh heavily on the economic scale. They are required to pay tuition and other fees which are generally higher, than for resident students. In some instances, they are required to rent apartments, which in effect requires that they purchase food, buy groceries and take transportation to and from school and other places.

Aside from academia, students require some level of entertainment which oftentimes leads them to visit popular sites around the island, ‘hang out’ and spend money. To some extent, international students merit the same value as tourists. To say the least, they can be considered as tourists on an extended stay.

With various languages such as English, Spanish, French and others, international students bring a variety of slangs, phrases and dialects. Their unique languages encourage the bilingual spirit of some students who are interested in adopting the language of another country.

The overall varying lifestyle of international students introduces a new dimension to other students. Their differences in fashion, food preferences, norms and customs are all intertwined as they share the same temporary home.

The myriad of religious beliefs brought by international students help to open other student’s minds to what lies beyond their own culture. In essence, international students bring to the university a new way of life, a different culture.

An international student on the St. Thomas campus "hanging out" and enjoying island life.
An international student on the St. Thomas campus “hanging out” and enjoying island life. (photo credit: Liliana Morenoreyes)

Although all students come to UVI with the common goal of learning, international students bring with them a variety of different learning techniques which they are able to share. Similarly, students engaging in foreign languages can seek the assistance of international students who possess these languages as their first language. Peer tutoring is an asset to any learning institution as it is understood that while students may not grasp concepts taught by their professors, it is sometimes easier to understand material explained by a peer. Also, international students are known to excel even beyond their academic disciplines. Their involvement in a number of extracurricular activities helps them to stand out among other students.

It is fair to claim that international students serve an important role among the general UVI student population. It is understood that due to their different backgrounds, they possess a host of differences compared to resident students. Thus, when all the international students, American, other Caribbean and a small mixture of others are combined with the resident students, it produces a melting pot, a diverse university.

News

Eight prepare to participate in The Washington Center internship program this summer.

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PATRICE RENEE` HARRIS |

twcST. THOMAS – Eight students at the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) are currently preparing to spend their entire summer in Washington D.C.

The students will be participating in The Washington Center (TWC) Internship Program commencing May 27 until Aug. 7.

The 10-week program includes an internship, networking opportunities, leadership forums, academic course, and civic engagement programs. The students will also receive academic credits for their participation in the program.

Students will be immersed in the corporate and civic culture of Washington D.C.

The successful candidates were chosen to represent UVI from a pool of 15 applicants including graduate students.

TWC liason, Leslyn Tonge, said choosing the eight students was a difficult task.

Tonge said that the process began as early as February in order to meet the priority deadline. According to Tonge, the recruitment process included email blasts, class visits, presentations, workshops and one on one conversations. UVI also engaged a representative from TWC to meet with students and introduce them to the program.

Tonge said that UVI’s selection criteria included a 3.0 or more GPA and second semester sophomore and upper class-men.

A five-member committee chose the final eight participants by looking at the quality of the essays, recommendation letters, interest statements and professional statements submitted by the students.

The total cost for the university’s participation in the program exceeds $100,000. However, the school is confident that the students will benefit from the program.

UVI’s participation is made possible through funding from the Virgin Islands’ Legislature.

Provost Camille McKayle says that the investment is worthwhile. She said that UVI’s participation is in line with the university’s commitment to provide various educational experiences for students, outside of the UVI classroom.

“One of the things that we have really been trying to focus on is getting students different experiences. [We want students to] use UVI as a pathway to anywhere they want to go and not to think of education as just within the classrooms at UVI, but as varying sets of experiences,”McKayle said.

Provost McKayle hopes that students’ participation in these experiences will allow them to have different perspectives on the world of work. She also noted that participation in the TWC program, “enhances intellectual activity and conversation on campus.”

McKayle expects that the students will be organized, professional and ambassadors for the Virgin Islands. She encouraged the students to be the best all the time.

The eight participants include Music and Business major, Chyrstal Duncan, Communications major, Zoe Walker, Accounting major Alphea Brown and Tayla-Marie Manners, Criminal Justice Majors Depa Punjabe and Alana Carbon, Communications and English major Patrice Reneé Harris, and graduate student Lorenzo Donastorg.

Sophomore accounting major Alphea Brown says that she is pleased to have been selected. Browne said she is particularly “looking forward to learning new skills, expanding her network and gaining new opportunities.”

Communications major on St Croix, Zoe Walker, said that she is excited to participate in the program. She says she is looking forward to gaining work experience in Human Resource Management. “I am really looking forward to networking, because UVI does not offer Human Resource Management as a major. This internship will give me the experience I need to land a job in Human Resource Management after I leave UVI,” Walker said.

Walker is currently researching and acquainting herself with the mission, vision and culture of her internship site.
Presently, the university is finalizing travel arrangements and stipends, and approving the students’ academic program. The students are confirming internship and housing placements.

Upon their return from the summer internship program, the students will present their experience to the board of trustees.
This year marks the third year that the UVI has participated in the program. Each year the program has grown with an increasing numbers of applications from the university.

Editorial

Truth to Power: My Time in Journalism

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DAVID B. GUMBS |

ST. THOMAS – In his 1839 play, “Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy,” the English writer Edward Bulwer-Lytton first coined the phrase “… The pen is mightier than the sword.”

More than a century and a half later, the idea that the written word could be stronger than any force of aggression or intimidation remains both undeniably true and immensely important. It is a belief that has taken hold across all of humanity regardless of borders such as nations, culture or language.

It is also an ideal whose usage – and indeed misuse – has shaped the course of history time and again, and will continue to play a guiding role for mankind as we collectively move into this new age of uncertainty.

Thanks to the astounding advancements in technology, the world is now more connected than ever before, and events that were once unknown or kept far at a distance from us can be brought to the attention of the entire world.

However, with all the potential for good that this can generate, there is an equal, terrible potential for harm; for we are indeed more connected through news as a species than we have ever been, but that same news also arguably less trustworthy that it has ever been too.

To easily have half-truths and yellow journalism enflamed opinions and stirred outrage and passion in the hearts of many, only to ruin the lives and reputations of innocent people by the time their falsehoods are exposed to the world.

In this time of both journalistic greatness and uncertainty, institutions such as the UVI Voice and UVI’s Communications classes are more important that they have ever been before.

Through my experiences in my Com 200 class, I learned how to do research, draft articles and write for an audience in a professional and – most importantly for news – impartial manner.

My time as a writer and reporter for the UVI Voice helped me even more giving me real, hands-on experience in working for a newspaper company in an educational and familiar environment. These two experiences have helped me immensely, and as we move towards a future where the power to become a reporter and change the world is at everyone’s fingertips, it’s important that we have a place that can instruct us and teach us about the enormous responsibility that comes with that power.

We live in a world where pen being mightier than the sword is not only a clever adage but the law, and in this world, each and every one of us has the power to change the world.