The University of the Virgin Islands has dubbed March 23 – March 27 as Pride Week, a time for staff, alumni and students to showcase their pride and enthusiasm for the institution. The celebration includes a myriad of activities from pep rallies and lectures to athletic events and cultural expositions.
Pride Week is also a vehicle to expose high school students to the academic programs at UVI. In keeping with this goal, UVI President Dr. Hall, members of the administration and UVI students will host “Pride Rallies” at each of the four public high schools in the territory.
“Pride Week is the culmination of outward expression for the University of the Virgin Islands, by both alumni and the greater community,” said Nicole Gibbs, vice provost for Access and Enrollment Services and Interim Dean of Students. “Not only are we engaging in activities and events within the Territory, but globally as well. It is our hope to incorporate this event into the fiber of both the University and Territory. Each of us has our own way of displaying our pride in this great institution and we hope to see it manifest in a variety of ways during Pride Week.”
As part of Pride Week, administrators at UVI are asking all UVI alumni to wear the institution’s colors – blue and white – or other UVI clothing during the week. Additionally, the community is invited to share their memories and stories about the University on social media, via Facebook and Twitter, using the hashtag #UVIPRIDE.
Events scheduled on both UVI’s St. Thomas and Albert A. Sheen St. Croix campuses on Thursday, March 26 promise to rev up school spirit.
In the UVI St. Thomas campus Sports and Fitness Center, between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., the UVI Dance Team will perform, followed by a performance from Frontline Band. Afterward, faculty members and students will square off in a good-natured volleyball game, coaxed by the UVI cheerleading squad.
On St. Croix, alumni and staff, clad in blue and white t-shirts, will get fit with a UVI Pride Campus Stride, flanked by cheerleaders. In the afternoon, participants can attend a series of cultural workshops, including: "Mocko Jumbie Skills,” “Steel Pan Intro,” and “Masqueraders: Create a Mask.”
Representatives from UVI clubs and activities will be on display in the Great Hall to share membership information. The Seventh Day Adventist Marching Band will close out the day’s activities.
Pep rallies at high schools will take place March 23 at St. Croix Central High School, March 24 at St. Croix Educational Complex, March 25 at Charlotte Amalie High School and March 27 at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School. Dr. Hall and other UVI administrators will address students about opportunities at UVI. Each school’s marching band and cheerleaders will perform. The University will also announce scholarship recipients. UVI alumni on staff at each school are encouraged to wear their UVI paraphernalia.
For more information call the UVI Office of Access and Enrollment Services at (340) 693-1224.