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dateline: UVI November 23, 2005, vol xi, number 11 Events Calendar Nov. 24-26 Paradise Jam STT Nov. 23-Dec. 7 Purchasing Workshop STT Nov. 24-26 UVI Closed STT/STX Nov. 26 Christmas Concert STX Nov. 28 ITS Discussion STT/STX Nov. 28 Nonpoint Source PollutionSTJ Dec. 3 Christmas Concert STT The monthly newsletter of The University of the Virgin Islands As the year nears an end, one New Year’s resolution for many people is to become debt free. But how is it possible to become debt free, especially after spending on gifts, travel and lavish dinners for the holidays? Daryl Edwards knows it isn’t easy, but he said one thing is important when it comes to any kind of spending – planning. Edwards, a business counselor at UVI’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), recently presented a seminar on personal budgeting at the Center’s St. Thomas training facility. “Begin your holiday shopping early,” Edwards suggests. Not only can you get better deals if you shop early, payment for those items will be spread out over a period of time, he said. Although the holidays are a few weeks away, Edwards stressed that it is never too late to plan. For holiday shopping, plan a limit of how much you can afford to spend, he said. Edwards cautions against using credit cards. Purchases with credit cards, he explained, should pass the need and speed test. The item should be “something you need and need right now,” he said. If you must use credit cards plan a strategy about how you will repay, he said. But most of all “try to avoid all the hype,” Edwards said. The latest “in” thing, he said, may not be in your price range. “There are things (gifts) that can be made,” he noted. The true essence of budgeting must be on-going. Edwards began the seminar by discussing the principals of personal bud- geting. The first one was “Be Honest.” “Be comfortable living within your means,” Edwards said. “Some people earn $25,000 a year and spend as if they’re mak- ing $50,000. You must be honest with yourself,” he said. Edwards Plan Before You Spend for Holiday Season A young fair-goer holds a sea urchin at the UVI Marine Science Touch Pool display at the St. Thomas/St. John Agriculture Fair. Shopping continued on next page Keep Agriculture Alive Thousands of people turned out for the St. Thomas/St. John Agriculture and Food Fair held on Nov. 19 and 20, an attendance that left organizers thinking about ways to expand the fair’s offerings. “The level of public participation has increased,” said Carlos Robles, a member of the St. Thomas/St. John Agricul- ture and Food Fair Planning Committee. He noted that in the past most people attended on Sunday, but this year atten- dance on Saturday was almost equal to that of Sunday. The committee is considering ways to accommodate more ven- dors and attendees at the Reichhold Center fair grounds. While attendance was good, so is the state of agriculture in St. Thomas and St. John. “Progress has been made over the past few years,” said Robles, who is also an extension specialist with the UVI Cooperative Extension Service. “There is still work to be done to bring the industry to the next level,” he added. The Jam Goes On . . . The Wisconsin Badgers cel- ebrate their 2005 Paradise Jam championship. The Badgers, who were unde- feated in the tour- nament, won 84- 81 over Old Do- minion in the Nov. 21 game at UVI’s Sports and Fitness Center. Paradise Jam, the annual tournament featuring the best in pre-season NCAA Division I play, is in its sixth year. dateline:UVI 2 John Brewer’s Bay St. Thomas, VI 00802 GET CONNECTED TO UVI news, activities and accomplishments at . . . www.uvi.edu dateline:UVI is a production of the UVI Public Relations Office. Contact us by telephone at (340) 693-1056 FAX: (340) 693-1055 GET CONNECTED TO UVI news, activities and accomplishments at . . . www.uvi.edu When Students Lead Ten UVI students attended the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund Leadership Institute held during the first week of November in New York. Front row, left to right: Shakima Stoutt, Onage Ghanie, Ester Perez Johnson, Tionee Veira and Avalyn Goodwin. Back row, left to right: Ivan Connor, Trevor Joseph, William Davis McKean and Alkin Paul. Paul was one of the top three winners of an essay contest and he netted a HP Notebook computer and a digital camera. Jay Wiltshire was not shown in the picture. To read a complete press release vist the UVI website at www.uvi.edu. . More than 35 people attended the opening program for Na- tional French Week activities on UVI’s St. Thomas campus. It was the first time that National French Week has been celebrated at UVI. Violeta Donovan, professor of Spanish and Modern Lan- guage Area coordinator, provided a warm welcome and dedi- cated the opening program to Professor Evelyn Lallemand, who died tragically on Oct. 23. Donovan introduced master artist Frantz Coulanges, a native of Haiti, whose oil paintings were on display in the Reichhold Center gallery. She also introduced Freddy Icart, a photographer and French citizen of Haitian descent, who facili- tated workshops on campus for National French Week. Lallemand, a native of Haiti, was passionate about exposing the University community to Francophone culture. Donovan, who speaks French as well as Spanish, recalled the discussions that she and Lallemand had, which expanded Donovan’s understand- ing of the term Francophone to mean, “an amalgamation of all places that are influenced by French culture,” she said. Those in the audience took part in a moment of silence in honor of Lallemand. Students from Lallemand’s French 132 class performed a poem by Jacques Prevert. In her remarks, Madame Odile de Lyrot, honorary French consul of the U.S. Virgin Islands, invited those in attendance to UVI Celebrates French Week, Remembers Professor participate in activities sponsored locally by the Alliance Francaise. French 131 Student LaMoi Hedrington performed a ballet solo to “Merci” by Florent Pagny, which resulted in a standing ovation. Social Science Professor Dr. Malik Sekou gave the keynote address on the Haitian Revolution, stressing the cultural and po- litical legacy of more than 200 years of strife in that country. Shopping also stressed that people do not have to earn plenty money or to be a financial expert in order to be financially stable. During most of the seminar Edwards gave step-by-step in- structions on setting up a budget. For a copy of Edward’s Personal Budgeting Guide or for dates of upcoming SBDC seminars on St. Thomas, call the UVI- SBDC office at 776-3206. For dates of upcoming seminars on St. Croix call 692-5270.