UIS Viewbook takes new form

The University of Illinois at Springfield Viewbook is now available to viewing and exploring in an electronic format.

The Viewbook offers a variety of information about UIS, from photos to stories about students, programs, events, Springfield and more. It also gives an exciting list of the top 10 reasons to attend UIS and gives accounts about what some UIS alumni are now doing with their UIS degrees.

To check it out, click here.

Is It Chemistry or Magic?

In celebration of National Chemistry Week, the UIS Chemistry Club is hosting a program called "Is It Chemistry or Magic?" on Monday, October 29 at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium.

Nationally-known chemists Otis Rothenberger and Jim Webb of Illinois State University and Heartland Community College in Bloomington-Normal will be putting on a series of fascinating chemistry demonstrations.

This program is free and open to the public. To read more about the Chemistry Club's activities for the week, click here.

The Sounds of Music Echo in the PAC

Conveniently set up for students, staff and faculty, the UIS Band, Chamber Orchestra and Chorus are performing for your listening pleasure on Wednesday, Oct. 24 starting at 12:15 p.m.

The free concerts will take place in the PAC conference room C/D on the first floor, across from the Food Emporium.

The UIS Chamber Orchestra is a small ensemble open to all string, wind and percussion players. The ensemble performs everything from Renaissance dances to Argentinean tangos. Additionally, the UIS Chamber Orchestra often combines with the UIS Chorus to perform mass movements and other similar repertoire and breaks into smaller ensembles to perform more intimate chamber music.

So come out on Wednesday to admire the musical talents that UIS is showcasing!

First Chancellor's Distinguished Visiting Scholar to Speak at UIS

John D'Emilio, widely considered one of the founders of the field of gay and lesbian studies, has been named the first Chancellor's Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the University of Illinois at Springfield. As part of this honor, D'Emilio, a professor of history and gender and women's studies at UIC, will be giving two free public lectures in Brookens Auditorium this week.

On Tuesday, October 16, D'Emilio will discuss "An Agitator for Justice: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin" at 7 p.m. Rustin was an openly gay black man who introduced Martin Luther King Jr. to the principles of non-violence and organized the 1963 march on Washington D.C. where King delivered his "I have a dream" speech. Despite his leadership, Rustin was pushed to the side of the civil rights movement because of his sexual orientation.

On Wednesday, October 17, D'Emilio will give a presentation called "Will the Courts Set Us Free? Reflections on the Same-Sex Marriage Fight," also at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. In this presentation, D'Emilio will offer his own observations on the current state of gay rights and politics.

The presentations give students, staff and faculty the opportunity to learn about social justices and injustices and historical events from one of the activists in the forefront of the movement.