The University of Southern Indiana Communication and Media Department and the College of Liberal Arts will welcome Sanford Ungar, Director of the Georgetown University Free Speech Project, as presenter of the 2023 Berger Lecture. The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 26 in the USI Performance Center. The event is open to the public at no charge.

Unger’s lecture, “Banning Books to Please Parents: The Political Assault on Free Expression,” will cover the negative impact of banning books on the education system in America and on the young minds who will grow into our future leaders.

Following his lecture, there will be a panel discussion featuring Dr. Chad Tew, Associate Professor of Journalism, Dr. Elizabeth Wilkins, Assistant Professor of Teacher Education, and R. Scott Kinney, CEO of Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library. A reception will follow.

“What began as an effort by a few strategically placed parents to protect their children from a small number of books they regarded as inappropriate has expanded into a full-fledged front in the culture wars raging around us,” says Ungar. “Librarians are under steady attack, even threatened with criminal prosecution, over where they shelve certain books.”

Ungar served as the 10th President of Goucher College from 2001-14. Prior to assuming that position, Ungar served as Director of the Voice of America, the U.S. government’s principal international broadcasting agency, for two years during the Clinton administration. He is a respected educator who previously served as Dean of the School of Communication at American University. Ungar also is an international journalist with extensive experience at news organizations such as Foreign Policy, The Washington Post and The Atlantic, and he was an award-winning co-host of All Things Considered at NPR. Ungar is a graduate of Harvard College and the London School of Economics and is the author or editor of six nonfiction books.

The Purple Aces will have 10 home games and 10 road games in 2024

ST LOUIS – The University of Evansville women’s basketball team has its full schedule for the 2023-24 season in place.

After their best season in Valley play in four years, the Purple Aces look to continue their growth in conference play. UE’s conference schedule is highlighted by a three-game home stand at Meeks Family Fieldhouse to end January and begin February and a four-game road swing during the back half of the conference season.

“It’s always exciting to receive the MVC schedule and plan for home games and how to make those special for our players and fans, said Head Coach Robyn Scherr-Wells. “I can’t wait to see Meeks packed with fans this season! The MVC is one of the best mid-major conferences in the country and we will spend our non-conference schedule making sure we are building towards being successful in MVC play!”

Evansville gets to begin conference play at home in Meeks Family Fieldhouse against in-state rivals Indiana State on Saturday, Dec. 30. The Aces then get the New Year’s holiday off before hitting the road for its longest geographic road trip of the year, making its way to Iowa for the first week of January. The Aces will start their Iowa swing with the UNI Panthers on Thursday, Jan. 4. UE ends the trip by playing the reigning MVC Tournament Championship Drake Bulldogs on Saturday, Jan. 6.

Evansville gets to return home the following week to host the Belmont Bruins on Friday, Jan. 12. The Aces finish off the weekend with a Hoops in the Heartland rematch against Murray State on Sunday, Jan. 14, their closest out-of-state rival. UE gets its other long road trip done during January when visiting Springfield, Mo. on Friday, Jan. 19 to play the Missouri State Lady Bears. Evansville completes the trip with a stop in Carbondale for a game with Southern Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 21.

The Aces return home to Meeks Family Fieldhouse for their longest homestand of the season on Friday, Jan. 26. UE will host games against UIC, Valparaiso, and Bradley in the three-game stretch that lasts over a week from late January to early February. Evansville’s first game of the homestand comes against the Flames on January 26 and is followed by a Sunday afternoon contest with the Valparaiso Beacons on January 28. The final game of the three is the Aces only game of the season against the Bradley Braves on Saturday, Feb. 3.

UE gets almost a week off before its next game on the road in Chicago. After seeing UIC only two weeks prior, the two teams get another chance at each other on Friday, Feb. 9. Evansville then completes the road trip up north with a game in Valparaiso on Sunday, Feb. 11. The Aces get another two games at home following Valentine’s Day with an evening contest against Southern Illinois Thursday, Feb. 15. UE rounds out the weekend with another home game on Saturday, Feb. 17 as Missouri State comes to the River City.

Evansville’s longest amount of time away from Meeks Family Fieldhouse begins on Thursday, Feb. 22 with a quick stop in Terre Haute. The Aces then head to Normal, Ill. for their lone game against Illinois State on Sunday, Feb. 25 at CEFCU Arena. UE remains on the road the following weekend with stops in Murray on Friday, March 1, and Nashville on Sunday, March 3 for its second games against Murray State and Belmont.

The Aces then finish the regular season with a two-game home stand against two teams they saw to begin the season. Drake will begin the final week of regular season play for Evansville on Thursday, March 7. UE then closes out the regular season with a game against the UNI Panthers on Saturday, March 9. Evansville then heads to the Quad Cities for Hoops in the Heartland from March 14 to March 17 for postseason play.

Season tickets are available for the upcoming season. Season tickets start as low as $50 with floor seats priced at $100 with limited availability. Order your season tickets today by calling Logan Belz at (812) 488-2623.

2023-24 Missouri Valley Conference Season (Times CT)

Saturday Dec. 30, 2024 INDIANA STATE – 2 p.m.

Thursday Jan. 4, 2024 @ UNI – 6 p.m.

Saturday Jan. 6, 2024 @ Drake – 2 p.m.

Friday Jan. 12, 2024 BELMONT – 6 p.m.

Sunday Jan. 14, 2024 MURRAY STATE – 1 p.m.

Friday Jan. 19, 2024 @ Missouri State – 6:30 p.m.

Sunday Jan. 21, 2024 @ Southern Illinois – TBA

Friday Jan. 26, 2024 UIC – 6 p.m.

Sunday Jan. 28, 2024 VALPARAISO – 2 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 3, 2024 BRADLEY – 2 p.m.

Friday Feb. 9, 2024 @ UIC – TBA

Sunday Feb. 11, 2024 @ Valparaiso – 1 p.m.

Thursday Feb. 15, 2024 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS – 6 p.m.

Saturday Feb. 17, 2024 MISSOURI STATE – 2 p.m.

Thursday Feb. 22, 2024 @ Indiana State – TBA

Sunday Feb. 25, 2024 @ Illinois State – TBA

Friday March 1, 2024 @ Murray State – 6 p.m.

Sunday March 3, 2024 @ Belmont – TBA

Thursday March 7, 2024 DRAKE – 6 p.m.

Saturday March 9, 2024 UNI – 2 p.m.

March 14-17 Hoops in the Heartland