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July 22, vol xv, number 7 Events Calendar Aug. 5 Pre-Retirement Workshop STT Aug. 8 Alumni Breakfast STT Aug. 9-14 New Student Orientation STT/STX Aug. 17 Fall Semester Begins STT/STX UVI Bids Farewell to President Ragster A s a farewell thank you to UVI Pres- ident Dr. LaVerne E. Ragster, employees on UVI’s St. Thom- as campus hosted a surprise luncheon in her honor on July 17. The out-going president was caught off-guard when she opened the door to the Administration and Conference Center’s conference room packed with UVI employees saying “surprise” in unison as they jumped to their feet in applause. “I’ve been at this school for 30 years and there are very few times I’ve been surprised,” Dr. Ragster said, after taking the podium. In brief remarks, the leader, who start- ed her career at the then College of the Virgin Islands as a professor and worked her way up the ladder to hold its highest position, said she has “en- joyed every minute of it.” “It’s worth be- ing a part of this big team,” Dr. Ragster said. “I’m not go- ing away forever,” she reminded the crowd. “I’ll still be around.” Dr. Rag- ster encouraged UVI employees to “keep doing what you do to make the University the best place it can be.” After lunch the fl oor was open for brief remarks from well-wishers. Dr. Ragster was also presented with a 3-foot card bearing signatures and tributes from employees. Dr. Ragster served as UVI’s president for seven years. Her appointment ends on July 31, after which she will be on sabbatical leave for a year. Left: UVI President Dr. LaVerne E. Ragster reacts as she enters the room at a surprise farewell luncheon held in her honor. Right: Dr. Ragster receives a standing ovation as she makes her way to her seat. I t was an overcast day and 14 stu- dents of the UVI Multi-Sport Sum- mer Clinic were on the soccer fi eld learning the basics of soccer. Coach Alvin Joseph strategically placed cones on the fi eld and prepared the students for drills. “We want to work on passing and controlling,” Joseph said. Some of the students in the clinic were already soc- cer players, while others would have to be taught the basics, he said. Adrien Voigt was one of the stu- dents who came to the clinic with playing experience. Voigt, who lives in Florida, has played on a soccer team for three years. Ellerni Petersen, on the other hand, never played soccer before joining the clinic. “My parents put me in it, but now that I’m here I’m trying to learn a little something,” said Petersen, who has been playing volley- ball for three years and has also started to play softball. The 10th grader said soccer “seems kind of fun.” Joseph, a soccer player and coach, is a member of the New Vibes Sports Club. He said that while basketball and softball seem to be the most popular sports in the Virgin Islands, soccer is one of the largest spectator sports in the world. More children in the Virgin Islands should get involved in the sport, and from an early age, he said. He noted the US Summer Sports Clinic Develops Student Athletes Coach Alvin Joseph, center and pointing, explains a drill to Adrien Voigt. See Sports Clinic on Next Page GET CONNECTED TO UVI news, activities and accomplishments at . . . www.uvi.edu dateline: UVI 2 John Brewer’s Bay St. Thomas, VI 00802 dateline: UVI is a production of the UVI Public Rela- tions Offi ce. Contact us by telephone at 340-693-1056 or by fax at 340-693-1055. Alumni Breakfast Set for August Soccer National Team, saying that the Virgin Islands can develop talent to fi eld a team. “We can have the same thing down here, it’s just about getting them into it,” Jo- seph said. In addition to the basics, he also teaches the students conditioning and fi tness. Soccer was one of the three sports offered at the sum- mer clinic. Volleyball and basketball were also offered. The clinic boasted some high-profi le coaches from the mainland. Head coach Stephen Burns and assistant coach Nate Hinton of Columbia College in Columbia, S.C. headed the basketball clinic. Head coach Jill Stephens and assistant coach April Lowe of Florida Southern Col- lege in Lakeland, Fla., headed the volleyball clinic. “The UVI Multi-Sport Summer Clinic provides a great place for the student athletes of the Virgin Islands community to increase their level of sporting skills,” said Jerry Smith, UVI’s assistant athletic director and trainer. The clinics also offer academic enrichment in science and mathematics. The Multi-Sport Summer Clinic was only one of UVI’s summer offerings for children. The St. Thomas campus also hosted the Summer Business Residency Pro- gram and the Summer Band and Opera Camp. The St. Croix campus hosted the 4-H Summer Program. Upward Bound summer programs were held on both campuses. Sports Clinic Continued T he UVI Alumni Association St. Thomas/St. John Chapter will honor alumni at the chapter’s Annual Alumni Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 8. The event was rescheduled from July. Alumni Donnie Dorsett (’00), Jean Forde (’85), Dr. Henry Smith (’76), Winston Smith (’90) and Terrence Thomas (’88) will be honored for their work and con- tribution to the University and the community at large. Tickets for the breakfast - $35 per person - are available at the UVI Bookstore or from chapter offi cers: Pamela Toussaint, Helen Hart, Michelle Johnson and Chapter President Jackie Sprauve. Proceeds go to the chapter’s scholarship fund which supports incoming freshman students at UVI. The con- tinued support of chapter members is greatly appreciated. Sprauve said the event promises to be a “trip down mem- ory lane.” For more information call 693-1040. Workers and heavy machinery prepare the grounds at the future site of the Wellness Center on UVI’s St. Thomas Campus. The Wellness Center will be a 6,000 sq. ft. building constructed along the southwest side of the existing UVI Sports and Fitness Center. It will include a dance studio, an aerobics area, a cardiovascular equipment area, a weightroom and locker-rooms. The project is estimated to cost $2.1 million. Ground was broken in January. Wellness Work