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dateline:UVI The monthly newsletter of The University of the Virgin Islands April 26, 2001 vol. vii, number 3 Winning arguments is a skill that members of the UVI de- bate teams on St. Croix and St. Thomas have mastered. In the 12 years since the Caribbean Intercollegiate Debate and Public Speaking Association was founded at UVI, the University’s debate teams have traveled far and wide exhibiting their talents and challeng- ing teams from other universities in the region. The Carib- bean Inter- collegiate Debate and P u b l i c Speaking Association is made up of college debate teams from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guyana, Trinidad, Barbados, Baha- mas, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Last year, the 10th Annual Caribbean Intercollegiate Debates were held on UVI’s St. Croix campus. Communications Professor Lucia Dimeo is the faculty ad- visor to the UVI St. Croix Campus Debate Society. The St. Croix team held one debate in November 2000 and two de- bates during the 2001 spring semester, which were conducted in the Student Activities Center on the St. Croix campus. The last debate, in February, argued the moot, “Be it resolved that Hip-Hop music has a negative effect on today’s youth.” The St. Croix team split to allow its members to argue opposing viewpoints. UVI Debaters Win Arguments and Accolades “You have to research well, you have to feel confident about what you are saying,” Dimeo said. “Often after the debates, the audience finds out that the debaters really felt totally op- posite to the position they upheld. I am always thrilled to see how the students rise to the occasion.” On April 4, four members of UVI’s St. Thomas campus Debate Society traveled to the Cave Hill, Barbados campus of the University of the West Indies to participate in the 11th Annual Caribbean Intercollegiate Debates. UVI team mem- bers Sharyn Niles, Martha Joseph, Viola Joseph and Keicha Brooks won their debate against the University of Puerto Rico team by opposing UPR’s contention that the Caribbean “has failed its sons”. UVI team member Sharon Niles was also victorious — claiming the title of “best speaker” in three of the four debates in which the UVI team competed. English Professor Gene Emanuel, who is faculty advisor to the St. Thomas campus Debate Society, said UVI’s win against UPR was significant, based on the makeup of the St. Thomas team. Sharyn and Keicha are sophomores, Martha is a junior and Viola is a senior. “We did not have a full senior team and we still won,” Emanuel said. “We were debating against senior debaters who had been on the circuit for the past three years.” Each year, staff of the Upward Bound program on UVI’s St. Thomas and St. Croix campuses watch young people they have nurtured, taught, corrected and supervised take their first steps toward successful college careers. Upward Bound is a college preparatory program that is open to low-income high school students or to high school students who are potentially the first in their families to at- tend college. “We are a college-bound program and our goal is to get them into college - to see that they graduate and that they are successful,” Vanessa Ayala-Berg, assistant director of the Up- ward Bound program, said from her St. Croix office. During the academic year, about 70 Upward Bound stu- dents participate in weekly and after-school tutorial sessions in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, geography, chemistry, physics and language arts to supplement their high school classes. Students from public and private high schools par- ticipate in the program, which is funded by the U.S. Depart- ment of Education. Upward Bounders Are College Bound (Upward Bound continued on Page 2) Events Calendar May 12-13 19, 20 “Starfest 7” at the Reichhold Center for the Arts, St. Thomas Commencement - St. Thomas, St. Croix campuses Members of the UVI St. Thomas Campus Debate Society who traveled to Barbados are left to right: Sharyn Niles, Martha Joseph and Viola Joseph. (Keicha Brooks is not pictured.) dateline:UVI 2 John Brewer’s Bay St. Thomas, VI 00802 GET CONNECTED TO UVI news, activities and accomplishments at . . . www.uvi.edu GET CONNECTED TO UVI news, activities and accomplishments at . .. www.uvi.edu The Upward Bound summer residency program on St. Thomas further pre- pares students for college life with core curriculum classes in the morn- ing, tutorial and en- richment sessions in the afternoon and the experience of living on campus in UVI’s residence halls. Although the students who par- ticipate in the sum- mer residency program are high school students, several are challenged to reach their full academic potential by taking one college-level course during the summer. Students from St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas take part in the Upward Bound summer residency program on UVI’s St. Thomas campus. Rosalia Rohan, the director of Upward Bound, has worked with the program for 23 years. “Words can’t describe how rewarding it is,” she said. “You are able to be a very important part of their lives and watch them when they blossom into successful individuals.” Accord- ing to Rohan, 75 to 80 percent of Upward Bounders are honor- roll students and more than 90 percent go on to college. “It’s a well-kept secret,” she said. Thirty Upward Bound graduates are enrolled in full-time programs at UVI. Once they’re enrolled, the Upward Bound counseling component doesn’t stop. “They still have us here as a support system,” Rohan said. Upward Bounders . . . consul. Also in attendance were S u m i t o m o Horiuchi, direc- tor of the Japan Foundation’s NewYork Of- fice. World re- nowned Ikebana artist and teacher Nobue Miyauchi, from Japan, conducted the Ikebana exhibitions on St. Thomas and St. Croix, which were very well attended. The University of the Virgin Islands hosted two events as part of its international outreach to world cultures.The first of these – a series of free Japanese Cultural activities – took place during the week of March 22 through the 28th. The second event, the 12th Triennial Symposium of African and Caribbean Art, sponsored by the Arts Council of the African Studies Association (ACASA), is taking place from April 24 through April 29. The week of Japanese cultural activities took place on both UVI campuses, sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan in New York, the Japan Foundation and the University of the Virgin Islands. The cultural activities included a Japanese stamp art exhibit, two recently released Japanese films and an Ikebana exhibition — the art of Japanese flower arrang- ing. Several Japanese dignitaries visited the territory for the events. In attendance from the Consulate General of Japan’s New York office were the Honorable Joji (George) Hisaeda, deputy consul, Shingo Okazaki, consul, and Yukiko Abe, vice UVI Hosts International Cultural Events dateline: UVI is a production of the UVI Public Relations Office. Contact us by telephone at (304) 693-1056 FAX: (340) 693-1055 (L to R) Travis Vanterpool, Rydel Williams and Ira Hobson of Charlotte Amalie High School enjoyed a trip to Coral World with Dalia Charlemagne and Kai Barnes of Central High School on St. Croix. Nobue Miyauchi amazed audiences with her use of everyday, household items and her ap- preciation of common local flowers and plants.