"We Are UVI" - the University of the Virgin Islands' Golden Jubilee blog that features individuals sharing their College of the Virgin Islands (CVI) and UVI stories from the past 50 years - recently passed the half-way mark. One new story is being added to the blog each week during 2012, the University's Golden Jubilee year. The July 1 submission, penned by 2009 graduate Kishma N. Allen, marked the 27th entry and the beginning of the second half of the project.
Ever wonder how UVI and the U.S. Virgin Islands developed their first connection to the Internet? Do you know the story of the first campus demonstration at CVI? Want to learn how the internationally renowned UVI aquaponics system was developed? Remember the challenges of hurricanes Hugo and Marilyn? Spend a few minutes reading "We Are UVI" and you can learn the answers to these questions, as well as get a sampling of the many fascinating stories that make up the University's history.
To date, stories from 28 individuals, along with more than 50 photos, are available for reading and viewing on the blog. New entries are posted on Sundays. A project of the UVI Golden Jubilee Committee, "We Are UVI" can be viewed from this web link: http://weareuvi.blogspot.com.
Reaction to the blog has been very good, according to Golden Jubilee Committee Co-Chair Dr. Henry Smith. "There are a lot of persons who have an association with UVI - some of them long, some of them short - who are really anxious to tell their stories," Dr. Smith said. "We've gotten personal anecdotes and insights from persons who were there...first-hand accounts of some of the significant events that make UVI what it is... It (the blog) is true to the title - 'We Are UVI.' It does tell truly what UVI is and where it came from."
Web statistics indicate that the blog has been accessed more than 7,000 times. Indeed, Dr. Smith said, "There are lots of people out there who are reading it on a regular basis." Visitors came mainly from the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands and the mainland United States. Visits from as far away as Europe, Australia, South Korea and the Philippines have also been recorded.
"We Are UVI" features entries from the following members of the UVI family: Sinclair Wilkinson ('72), Rafe Boulon, Jr. ('76), Carmie Thompson ('10), Frank Mills ('67), James Rakocy, Arah Lockhart ('78), Utha Williams ('82), former UVI President LaVerne Ragster, Marthious Clavier ('02,'08), John Lucas, Maxine Nunez, Rosary Harper, Yegin Habtes, Gloria Callwood, Laurent Javois ('76), Helen Dookhan ('79, '84, '98), Curtis Gilpin ('80), Carolyn O'Neal-Morton ('85), Ali McClean ('93), Constance Gumbs ('87, '91), Malcolm Kirwan ('67), Sharleen Fahie ('86, '93), Samuel Hall, Jr. ('68), Richard Lippke, Randy Brown, Paul Flemming ('95, '98, '99), Kishma Allen ('09) and Lawrence Lewis ('73).
Submissions for the blog from interested persons are still being sought and will be accepted until a submission has been posted for each week of the University's Golden Jubilee year. To participate, contact Dr. Henry H. Smith at hsmith@uvi.edu or call (340) 693-1062.