12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

The Department of English presents a talk by postdoctoral fellow Jason D. Price, "Politics Beyond Rights and Representation: Animal Affect and Indigenous Desire in South African Literature," in Hibbs Hall, Room 308. All are welcome to attend. This event is part of the English Faculty Forum talk series. For a description of the talk, contact the organizer.

For more information, visit https://english.vcu.edu/about/english-faculty-forum/.

12:30 p.m.

The Global Education Office invites the VCU community to the Global Cafe in the University Student Commons, Richmond Salons I-II. This month's cafe will feature Arab culture and food. This is a casual, drop-in event. Refreshments will be served and everyone is welcome.

3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

VCU Libraries "Wednesdays in the Workshop" returns to Cabell Library. Participants will experience Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Microsoft Hololens in the "Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Demo."

For more information, visit https://www.library.vcu.edu/about/events/2016-17/wednesday-workshops-2016-17.html.

5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The School of Education Adult Learning Masters Program holds an information session for individuals interested in human resources development, adult literacy, and teaching and learning with technology in Oliver Hall - Education, Room 2116.

5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Psychology Anonymous presents a free art therapy workshop hosted by Rams in Recovery at the Wellness Resource Center. The workshop will guide participants through meditation and finger painting for an hour of relaxation and creative expression.

For more information, visit http://www.thewell.vcu.edu/recovery-support/.

6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Active Minds presents National Eating Disorders Awareness week with Taryn A. Myers, Ph.D., Virginia Wesleyan College, speaking about the effects of social media on body image in the University Student Commons, Virginia Rooms C-D. Myers' research interests include risk and protective factors for body dissatisfaction.

7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

New ERA presents "Back to the Basics," an open discussion about the basic principles of God, at West Grace Street Student Housing-North, Room 1030 C/A.

7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Green Unity at VCU invites the VCU community to make a cutlery pouch and learn ways to reduce waste in West Grace Street Student Housing-North, Room 1030J. All supplies will be provided.

8 p.m.

Chili's at VCU hosts the official Men's Basketball game watch party versus Dayton. Fans can catch the HAVOC on each of Chilis' nine TVs and take advantage of specials like the $5 game-day burger. Attendees are encouraged to wear VCU gear for free giveaways and prizes. Limited free parking will be available to Chili's customers across the street in the JL Lot. Follow VCUDine on Facebook for details and the complete watch party schedule.

For more information, visit http://bsv.vcu.edu/dining.

Thursday, Mar. 2, 2017 at noon

The Catholic Graduate Student Organization invites all to a luncheon in Sanger Hall, Room 3-016. The importance of Lent and how to make it a powerful experience of God's grace will be discussed. The presenter will be Fr. Gino Rossi, a priest for four years and pastor of St. Peter, St. Patrick and St. John Catholic churches. He is 34 years old and a Pittsburgh native but grew up in York County, Virginia.

Thursday, Mar. 2, 2017 at noon

The Global Education Office and National Scholarship Office host workshops on the Faculty Fulbright Scholar Program at noon in the Kontos Medical Sciences Building, Room 104, and at 3 p.m. in West Grace Street Student Housing-North, Room 1030J. Fulbright representative, Andy Reiss, will discuss global teaching and research opportunities, how to select countries for application and make contacts abroad, how departments can host visiting scholars and how to prepare the Fulbright application.

Thursday, Mar. 2, 2017 at 2:15 p.m.

The Department of Craft/Material Studies presents a lecture by Visiting Curator, Susie Silbert, at The Depot. Silbert was appointed curator of modern and contemporary glass at The Corning Museum of Glass in 2016. Prior to joining the museum, she was an independent curator, as well as a lecturer on the history of glass at the Rhode Island School of Design.

For more information, visit http://arts.vcu.edu/craft/2017/02/09/visiting-curator-susie-silbert/.

Friday, Mar. 3, 2017 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Office of Faculty Affairs Mentoring Program invites faculty to "Write on Site" every Friday. After a successful inaugural semester, sessions will be hosted on both campuses to increase accessibility to those interested. The first session on the MCV Campus will be held in the Robert Blackwell Smith Building. Those that have a research project, article, book manuscript, dissertation or are interested in generating more scholarly writing are encouraged to attend.

For more information, visit http://www.provost.vcu.edu/faculty-affairs/faculty-resources/writeonsite/.

Friday, Mar. 10, 2017 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research invites the VCU community to attend the next Central Virginia SoCRA Chapter meeting in the McGlothlin Medical Education Center, 11th Floor, Rooms 11-101 and 11-102. A webinar titled "The Two Faces of Research: The Havasupai Indian Experience with Arizona State University Research" will be shown, followed by a discussion. 1.0 CEU will be offered for this meeting.

For more information, visit https://rampages.us/vcucctr/2017/02/27/central-virginia-socra-chapter-meeting-to-present-the-two-faces-of-research-webinar/.

Monday, Mar. 13, 2017 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The School of Education presents the School of Education Scholarship and Awards Ceremony in the University Student Commons, Commonwealth Ballrooms. The ceremony recognizes the 2017-2018 scholarship recipients and donors, and includes special award presentations to alumni. The reception, featuring music by students of VCU Jazz, will include light fare. R.S.V.P. to the email address below.

Wednesday, Mar. 15, 2017 from noon to 1 p.m.

The Interprofessional Education and the School of Medicine Simulation Center discuss specific techniques to create realistic and effective standardized patient scripts in the Molecular Medicine Research Building, Room 1009. In addition, participants will have a working session where they will begin to develop a case specific for their curriculum. Identifying clear learning objectives, harnessing the power of collaborative case building, and creating an environment for transformational experiential learning are key components to this presentation. Lunch will be provided for registered participants.

For more information, visit http://go.vcu.edu/ipe-event.

Saturday, Mar. 18, 2017 from 8:30 a.m. to noon

VCU Rec Sports hosts an indoor sprint triathlon at the Cary Street Gym. The cost is $10 for students, $15 for members and $20 for non-members. Register by Friday, March 3, by visiting the website below.

For more information, visit http://www.recsports.vcu.edu/programs/special-events/.

For those needing a ride back home for Spring Break, RamAway provides free transportation for faculty, staff and students during designated holidays and semester breaks to and/or from the Richmond International Airport, Greyhound Bus Station and Amtrak at Main Street Station and Staples Mill Road. RamAway is currently accepting reservations for rides through Sunday, March 12. Reserve a ride by visiting go.vcu.edu/ramaway

For more information, visit http://go.vcu.edu/ramaway.

The VCUCard office will be closed from March 6-10. During this time, Campus Card Services will implement a major upgrade to its card application system. RamBucks, Meal Plans, Dining Dollars and Housestaff will not be available for payment. Card production, AdminWeb, RamsLaundry, myVCUCard.com, VCU Attendance Monitoring and other services will not be available during this time. Pay4Print will still be accessible during this time. VCUCard offices will reopen for normal business hours on Monday, March 13, at 8 a.m.

For more information, visit http://vcucard.vcu.edu/alert.

Staff Senate presents Employee Appreciation Week from March 6-10. A week of fun activities have been planned for employees on both campuses to thank them for the hard work they do in supporting the mission of VCU and VCU Health. Activities include free doughnuts from the Krispy Kreme Cruiser, office visits from Rodney the Ram and staff senators, free tours of the Capitol, VCU Recreational Sports is offering free membership for the week, and RamTech and Barnes & Noble @ VCU are offering discounts for employees. For a full schedule of events, visit the website below.

For more information, visit https://staffsenate.vcu.edu/appreciation/.

The Office of the President accepts nominations for the University's Distinguished Faculty Awards Program. Nomination packages are due to department chairs by Friday, March 17. Professors are at the heart of VCU's commitment to transform students' lives and ensure their success. To view the criteria, timeline and instructions for nominations, visit the website below.

For more information, visit http://www.president.vcu.edu/nominations/index.html.

The Great Place: HR Redesign draft policy is now open for university comment through Friday, March 17. The draft policy addresses career advancement, career development, networking and mentoring, performance evaluation, merit pay and enhanced leave programs. Review and submit feedback at http://greatplace.vcu.edu/policy/

For more information, visit http://greatplace.vcu.edu/policy/.

Weight Watchers on campus holds meetings every week. The Monroe Park Campus meetings are held on Tuesdays at 12:15 p.m. in Harris Hall, Room 5173. The MCV Campus meetings are held on Wednesdays at 12:45 p.m. in the Alumni House, Room 217. Meetings usually last about 30 minutes and members are encouraged to attend, however, if schedule conflicts occur, members can stop by to weigh-in or attend a community meeting. Special pricing and reimbursement are available to employees eligible for health care benefits.

For more information, visit http://www.hr.vcu.edu/current-employees/worklife/weight-watchers/ .

The Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs invites faculty and staff to review the draft Annual Assessment of Faculty Performance policy. Comments can be submitted during the 10-business-day public comment period before continuing through the governance process. The draft policy can be found at https://policy.vcu.edu/policies-open-for-public-comment

For more information, visit https://policy.vcu.edu/policies-open-for-public-comment.