Commencement This Weekend As finals wind down and faculty finish grading exams, 209 USF St. Petersburg students are looking forward to Fall 2005 Commencement when they cross the stage to receive their diploma. More info... Showcase of Talent at StompFest About 200 high school students, parents and counselors attended StompFest last Friday, a step show sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Minority Recruitment. Guests saw five high school step teams compete by showcasing their art of synchronization, dance, and enthusiasm.  More info... Bake It or Fake It for the Holidays USF St. Petersburg will continue to accept cookie donations to the Ronald McDonald House and All Children's Hospital until Friday. Volunteers can either bake or buy cookies for donation. More info... Katrina Café Does More than Raise Money This semester enterprising College of Business students in the Leadership in Teams class became unofficial greeters in Bayboro Hall’s breezeway. Throughout the semester, students targeted hungry faculty and staff en route to classes by providing tables full of goodies for sale. Full story... Students Take Active Roles in Democratic Convention Three students from USF St. Petersburg attended the 2005 Florida Democratic Party Conference in Orlando last weekend. Political science majors Christina Boltin, Teresa Preztocki and Nicole McConnell traveled to the conference held at Disney's Contemporary Resort. More info... Operation Giving Tree Continues Help top last year’s donation of more than $1,000 worth of toys for local underprivileged children. Collection points are now open across the USF St. Petersburg campus for Operation Giving Tree. The USF St. Petersburg Ambassadors will continue to collect new toys at the Poynter Library, the College of Business, the Campus Activities Center and the USF Barnes and Nobles Bookstore until Dec. 20. More info... Final Exam Cram The week of final exams is a stressful time for many students and Monday night, a few students were able to find a quiet place at the Final Exam Cram. The after hours study location allowed students to prepare for the impending exams. More info... Holiday Blood Drive Give the gift of life this holiday season. Due to the influx of visitors to Florida and a decrease in donations during the holidays, the supply of blood is critically low. Donate blood Wednesday, Dec. 21 from 8 am – 5 pm. Donations can be made at a bloodmobile located in front of FWRI. For more information, please contact Barry McDowell at 553-4990 or mcdowell@stpt.usf.edu. Faculty and Staff Celebrate at Holiday Open House Almost 100 faculty and staff members enjoyed good conversation and delicious food at the Holiday Open House last week. Many guests said they enjoyed the festive event and the opportunity to meet and socialize with faculty and staff members. More info... Holiday Reception Photo Gallery Congratulations on New Position Stacey Silverstein, program assistant for Facilities Planning and Construction, will take a new position as office manager of Residence Life starting January 23. Silverstein will support Coordinator Errin Mills in keeping Room Management System (RMS) up to date. More info... New Phone Prefix Thanks to Campus Computing a new program will reduce annual phone costs by more than $300,000. The three-digit prefix for the St. Petersburg campus changed last week from 553 to 873. More info... Scholarship Applications Applications Due Now The faculty is encouraged to identify exceptional students to apply for this nationwide honor. Truly exceptional students in their junior year who are planning to attend graduate school and pursue a career in public service may apply. More info... NSSE Sighting Nessie was most recently sighted with her compatriots Barry McDowell, Errin Mills,and Joseph the Scottish bear. They were working on plans for the upcoming Bake It or Fake It Holiday Cookie Drive that will benefit the Ronald McDonald House and All Children's Hospital.  December 14, 2005 USF St. Petersburg is looking for alumni and former faculty with stories to tell. USF St. Petersburg Homepage Campus Calendar of Events USF St. Petersburg News eNews Archive Subscribe to eNews USF Bulletin Send a USF St. Petersburg Postcard To submit news, events and announcements, Click here. The deadline is the Friday prior to Wednesday publication. See our current eNews for reference. eNews is the official electronic newsletter for faculty and staff at USF St. Petersburg. This weekly publication is distributed every Wednesday by University Relations and seeks to keep the campus community informed about campus news, faculty and staff achievements, and upcoming events. For questions about eNews, please visit the University Relations Web site. A Product of Horizon Marketing Group, Inc. Powered by Peer360°.