Carbondale Calendars and Events
Edwardsville Calendars and Events
East St. Louis Calendars and Events

The SIUC debate team won the Creighton Open Invitation Debate Tournament, held in mid-October, beating out more than 40 other teams on the climb to the top.  Todd Graham, director of the debate program, said the icing on the cake was that the SIUC duo at this debate was one of the younger combinations of available debaters.  The pair representing the SIUC debate team at the Creighton tournament was Josh Campfield, a freshman in communication from Buckner, Mo., and Adam Testerman, a sophomore in cinema & photography from Springfield, Mo.  They were undefeated in the five preliminary rounds of the tournament.  They went on to the single-elimination final rounds, winning the whole tournament by beating out a nationally top-ranked team from Western Kentucky University and a highly rated team from Creighton.  The last debate of the semester begins Nov. 1 at the University of California at Berkeley.  The team will be on the road through much of the Christmas break and debates are on the schedule for the spring 2008 semester.

The SIUE Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice Studies will play host to two free events that are open to the public, featuring two distinguished speakers, Thursday, Nov. 8, in the Mississippi Room, on the second floor of SIUE’s Morris Center.  Marc Boucher, head of the Quebec Government Office in Chicago, will present Québec, Canada and the Evolution of La Francophonie in North America, and James Loewen, distinguished scholar and author of Lies My Teacher Told Me and Lies Across America, as well as his latest work, Sundown Towns, will offer insight about race and take audience questions.

A piece of coal might look like a simple black lump to the average person, something you can burn to make heat and energy.  But when John C. "Jack" Crelling looks at coal, he sees endless variety in composition and uses ranging from making dyes to facilitating iron production to liquid fuel for automobiles.  For his vision and decades of work in the coal classification field, Crelling recently received the Reinhardt Thiessen Medal from the International Committee for Coal and Organic Petrology.  Named for an early coal research pioneer with the U.S. Bureau of Mines, the international award is a top honor in the worldwide study of fossil fuels.  Crelling, a research scientist in SIUC's Department of Geology, is one of only a handful of Americans to receive it during its 50-year history.

Eugene Redmond, SIUE emeritus professor of English language and literature, recently was inducted into the 2007 Illinois Senior Hall of Fame at the Governor’s Mansion in Springfield.  The Illinois General Assembly established the state senior hall of fame in 1994 as a way to recognize people who selflessly give their time and talents and serve as role models to younger generations.

The results are in, and SIU School of Law graduates definitely make the grade when it comes taking the state bar exam tests for the first time.  Ninety-two percent, or 65 of the 71 SIU law school graduates who took the Illinois State Bar Exam in July passed the examination, compared to the statewide average of 90 percent.  The overall pass rate - first time and repeat takers - for the law school is 87 percent, 71 of 82 graduates, compared with Illinois' overall pass rate of 86 percent.  In Missouri, meanwhile, 88 percent, or 15 of 17 SIU law school graduates who took that state's test for the first time also passed the examination.  Law school dean Peter Alexander credits the law school's academic success program, an additional free bar preparation program that includes workshops and simulated essay exams, with the bar exam results.  SIU was among the first law schools in the nation to offer additional bar preparation.

More than 180 alumni, health care representatives, students, friends, faculty and staff turned out recently for the Fourth Annual SIUE School of Nursing Alumni Heritage Walk for Nursing Scholarships.  The event, organized as part of the School of Nursing's Alumni Weekend, raised more than $5,800 for student scholarships.  For information, or to register for next year’s walk, contact Kris Heather in the School, (618) 650-2551, or by e-mail: kheathe@siue.edu.  Also as part of the weekend of activities, the School held a Dedication to the Profession Ceremony and the First Annual School of Nursing Faculty Banquet and Awards.

SIUC launched its 13th annual "A Book in Every Home" campaign on Oct. 23.  The goal of the drive is to collect enough books so each of the 433 children enrolled in seven area Head Start centers will receive at least one book to take home and call their own.  Over the last 12 years, more than 29,000 books have been donated.  Last year's drive collected enough books so that each Head Start child went home with three books.  The goal this year is to collect at least 2,500 new preschool books by Dec. 7.  For a third year, Erika Lowery, wife of men's basketball coach Chris Lowery, is chairing the campaign.  Collection boxes are located at several locations, including the Student Center, the chancellor's office at Anthony Hall, Woody Hall and the Law School library.  Basketball fans again will be able to gain admission to a Saluki men's and women's exhibition games at the SIU Arena with the donation of a new preschool book.  The men's team faces King College, at 2:05 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 3.  The women's team plays the 2007 Women's NAIA National Champions, Lambuth University, at 2:05 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 4.

SIUE is acting now for the next 50 years, said Chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift recently in his annual Report to the University.  Vandegrift addressed the University community, neighboring community leaders, legislators and guests, during his annual report in SIUE’s Meridian Ballroom.  The Chancellor remarked with pride that SIUE has been ranked for three consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report among America’s 13 Best Institutions, along with Harvard University and MIT, for its Senior Assignment Program, which is an integrative learning experience required for all seniors prior to graduation.  In addition, SIUE’s Senior Assignment was ranked as a national model for learning assessment in 2007 by the Association of American Colleges & Universities.

A professional with 12 years of public relations experience has joined the SIUC Division of Institutional Advancement Department of Development Communication.  Stacey L. Vinson, a native of Vienna, has been hired as an editorial assistant and writer.  She assumed her new role on Sept. 24.  Vinson will assist the director of development communication in various aspects of communication for the SIU Foundation.  Her duties will include writing and editing development publications, disseminating press releases related to the University's fundraising efforts and creating overall awareness of the advancement unit.  Vinson's experience includes serving as a director of public information and marketing at Frontier Community College in Fairfield from 2000 to 2005.  She was a public relations administrative assistant at Shawnee Community College from 1993 to 2000 and print advertising coordinator for Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau in 2000.

The third annual "Fantastic Basket" raffle is being held to raise funds for the Children's Miracle Network, which supports pediatric research, programs and equipment for St. John's Children's Hospital.  The children's hospital in Springfield is a partnership of SIU's School of Medicine and St. John's Hospital.  Winners can choose from a variety of "Fantastic Baskets" being created around specific themes such as "Cruizin' Springfield," fishing, and fall harvest.  Raffle tickets for the baskets will available Oct. 22 - Nov. 2.  Tickets sell for $1 each, 6 for $5, 12 for $10 and 25 for $20.  The baskets can be seen and raffle tickets can be purchased at various St. John's and SIU locations.  The winning tickets will be drawn at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2.

Lana Hagan, director of theater education in the SIUE Department of Theater and Dance, was among four inductees to the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) Hall of Fame for 2007.  She was honored at a ceremony recently at the EdTA Annual Conference in New York City.

Saluki basketball forward Randal Falker was named one of the top 50 preseason candidates for the 2007-08 John R. Wooden Award, the nation's most coveted college basketball award.  The Award is named for the three-time college basketball All-American, 1932 Player of the Year and ten-time national championship coach at UCLA.  The list is composed of 50 student-athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most coveted trophy.  Falker, a senior forward, is the leading returning scorer for Southern Illinois and the 2007 Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year.  Last summer, he was invited to participate in the Pan-Am Games tryout.

Erik Steffens (Moline), Kyle Cameron (East Moline) and Kayla Brown (Petersburg) were named All-Great Lakes Valley Conference at the cross country championships in Indianapolis.  Steffens and Cameron finished in third and fourth place, respectively, in the men’s 8,000-meter race.  Brown placed 10th in the women’s 6,000-meter event.  The SIUE men finished sixth as a team, while the Cougar women took seventh overall.

The SIUC football team returns to action on Sat., Nov. 3, when they travel to Macomb to take on Western Illinois.  Kick off is set for 1:05 p.m.  The Salukis are 7-1 following a 45-10 victory over Missouri State on Oct. 20.  The final, regularly scheduled home game of the season takes place Sat., Nov. 10, when the Dawgs take on Illinois State at McAndrew Stadium.  Game time is 1:30 p.m.  For ticket information, contact the Saluki Ticket Office at (618)453-2000.