David Dodds Henry Lecture

The UIS Campus Community is invited to the twenty-sixth David Dodds Henry Lecture entitled "Higher Education and the Global Knowledge Economy: Affordability and Accountability Redefined" given by Dr. David Ward, President of the American Council on Education.

The presentation will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 3 in Brookens Auditorium.

Depression Screenings

The UIS Counseling Center is holding a Depression Screening Day on Thursday, March 27 from 12 to 4 p.m. in the LRH conference room and Human Resources Building 64.

The screening is free of charge and will include a written test, confidential screening interview and video presentation. There will also be informational brochures available.

If you are unable to make it that day, call the Counseling Center at 206-7122 to schedule another screening time.

Service Opportunity!

Take a Service Splash with the Office of Student Volunteers & Civic Engagement on Saturday, March 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

Join in at the Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach as the volunteer group packs and sorts surplus medical supplies being shipped to Kenya.

The group will be meeting in the PAC lower level teardrop at 8:15 a.m. and will leave promptly at 8:30. Transportation will be provided.

Please e-mail the office at volunteer@uis.edu by Thursday, March 27 if you will be coming as they want to be sure they have enough transportation to accommodate everyone. If you'd like to drive separate, please e-mail volunteer@uis.edu for directions.

Orchestra and Chorus Recital

The UIS Chamber Orchestra and Chorus will present a chamber recital as part of UIS Arts Night on Friday, April 11 at 7:30 p.m.

The recital will take place in the Office of Electronic Media TV Studio in the basement of the PAC. Tickets are $6.00 and available at the Sangamon Auditorium Box Office.

UIS Spirit Team Tryout Clinics

Tryout Clinics will be held each Tuesday through April 22nd in the TRAC for students interested in the Dance and Cheer Team.

The Dance Team will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. and the Cheer Team will meet from 9 to 11 p.m. Brush up on dance, jumping, tumbling and stunting to get ready for the Sunday, April 27 tryouts! The Spirit Team is going competitive and is looking for the best to represent UIS.

Rainbow Connection Support Group Meeting

Rainbow Connection Support Group for LGBTQ Students at UIS will be holding their first meeting on Thursday, April 3. Meetings will be held the first Thursday of each month.

The first meeting is from 4:45 to 5:45 p.m. in Public Affairs Center room E. For more information, contact Dr. Alison Bess at 206-7122.

Diversity Task Force Meeting

All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend the next Diversity Task Force meeting on March 26 from 2 to 3 p.m. un UHB 2008.

The Diversity Task Force is committed to learn and educate about, advocate for, nurture, honor and model effective practices that foster an inclusive campus community rich in diversity, justice, respect and dignity.

UIS Unsung Herstory

Meet some of our very own unsung UIS heroines through their herstory on Tuesday, March 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the PAC Restaurant. Come learn about some of the events that affect the lives of women throughout the world during a lunch with four UIS women panelists.

There is limited space for this free luncheon. To register, please email OMSA@uis.edu before March 24.

Scholar Presentation

Chancellor's Distinguished Scholar Michael Jones McKean will present "On Beauty, the Limit, and Failure" on Thursday, March 27 at 6 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium.

A lecture will be about his research and work as related to specific individuals throughout history who have been so driven by a quest that they ultimately ended up failing. McKean is currently an Assistant Professor in the Sculpture and Extended Media Department at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

Also, McKean's work, The Sunshine of Our Last Day, will be on exhibit in the University Gallery until Thursday, March 27. For more information on McKean, click here.

Women's Awards Nominations Being Accepted

The Council of the Women's Center and the Women's Issues Caucus student organization
announce the opening of nominations for the 11th Annual Naomi B. Lynn Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Environment for Women at UIS and the 4th Annual Women's Issues Caucus Student Award In Recognition for Positive Contributions in Gendered Issues to the UIS
Campus Commmunity Through Activism.

Nominations for both awards are due in the Women's Center, SAB 35, by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 18, 2008. Students may be nominated for both awards, but only students may be nominated for the student award.

Women and men may be nominated for both awards. Community members who have contributed to the environment for women at UIS are also eligible to be nominated.

The Annual Garden Party and Awards Ceremony will be on Thursday, May 1 beginning at 5 p.m. in the Women's Peace and Friendship Garden on the west side of the Campus Pond, with a rain location in the PAC Restaurant.

Click here to find out about more information on previous awardees and the annual party when the awardees and all the nominees are honored each year.

Raise Your Health Awareness

Health Awareness Day will be held at UIS on Wednesday April 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Public Affairs Center Concourse and conference rooms.

There will be several speakers throughout the day in PAC room F. Cindy Ladage will kick off the day with a presentation about radon at 11 a.m. Then James Bonacum, Hua Chen and Michael Lemke will conduct a program about the Emiquon Project at 12 p.m. And finally, William Warren will speak about global warming and public health at 1 p.m.

There will also be a variety of free health screenings and other health information on topics such as smoking cessation, back care, blood donation, cholesterol and blood sugar, vision screenings and much more.

Tea Break

The Office of Multicultural Student Affairs will be hosting an "International Tea Break" every Thursday in March and April.

The tea breaks will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in SLB 22.

Come enjoy traditional teas from around the world!

Seeking Museum Volunteers

The Illinois State Museum is currently recruiting volunteer docents to interact with the public in its natural history exhibit, Changes: Dynamic Illinois Environments. The museum is inviting graduate and undergraduate students to participate in this service opportunity.

Changes docents share hands-on specimens with visitors and answer questions about the exhibit. They are asked to volunteer for at least one 2-hour shift each month. To become a Changes docent you must complete the Illinois State Museum volunteer application
process and complete a docent training session held twice annually.

The next training session is being held Saturday, April 5, 2008, from 9:00 AM - 4 PM. Volunteer applications for this training are due March 28, 2008.

For more information or to receive a volunteer application, please contact Beth Shea at 217-782-5507 or by e-mail: volunteer@museum.state.il.us.

Springfest Team Registration Forms Available

Springfest Team Registration Forms Are Now Available!

Team Registration Forms for Springfest 2008 are now available in the Student Life Office, P20, LRH, or online on the Student Life website. They are due in the Office of Student Life by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19th.

Individual Release forms are due by the Captains meeting and are available online on the Student Life Web site or in the Office of Student Life. They can also to be turned in at the Student Life Office or at the Captains meeting on April 6th.

For more information, e-mail SAC at uissacc@uis.edu.

Bring in Used Cell Phones!

The Special Olympics will be collecting used cell phones, and the money that is earned from these phones will go to fund Special Olympics programs in Sangamon and Menard counties.

If you would like to donate your old cell phone, please drop it off at the office of Experiential & Service-Learning Programs (EXS-L) in BRK 482 or the Office of Student Volunteers and Civic Engagement in SAB 60.

Money raised through this promotion will go toward paying for registration fees, equipment, competition venues and awards for Special Olympics athletes. The local Special Olympics office serves nearly 500 athletes in Sangamon and Menard counties, and parents and guardians are not charged for athletes to participate.

Contact Kathy Guthrie at kguthrie@uis.edu for more information.

Wacky Wednesdays Resume after Break!

Wacky Wednesday is a series of unusual events designed to allow people to participate in Recreational Sports activites who may not feel they have the time or ability to participate in traditional Intramural Sports.

The events range from activities as ordinary as a trivia contest to things as off the wall as a toilet plunger tossing competition. Wacky Wednesday events will occur in a number of different venues such as the TRAC, the PAC, and the Quad, but no matter the location, these events will always occur between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Wacky Wednesdays are resuming again after Spring Break with a Limbo contest Wednesday, March 19 at 11 a.m. in the TRAC Atrium. Come out and strut your stuff!

Also, a Movie Quote Trivia will be held on March 26 in the TRAC Atrium and a "Dizzy Run" will be held April 2 on the Quad.

For the complete schedule of Wacky Wednesday events, click here.

Searching for Student Commencement Speaker

The student commencement speaker is an important tradition for UIS. All graduating students are invited to audition for this honor and responsibility.

Auditions are scheduled for Friday, March 21, 2008, from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. in University Hall Building, Room 2034.

Speeches for the audition should be no longer than five minutes and should be presented in their entirety. Speeches will be evaluated by a faculty/student committee for clarity of expression, delivery, timing and appropriateness and relevance of the topic as representative of the graduating class.

If you would like to audition to be the Student Commencement Speaker, please fill out and return an application to Brian Clevenger, UIS Registrar, in the Office of Records and Registration, UIS, UHB 1076, no later than 12 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18, 2008.

Etiquette Dinner

"The ABCs of Forks, Knives, and Toasting" Etiquette Dinner will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, in the PAC Restaurant.

The dinner will be led by Beth Reutter, coordinator of the Hospitality Management program at UIUC. Participants will be able to:
-Enjoy a four-course dinner
-Brush up on your table manners
-Learn other tips that will enhance your career and personal life

Please wear appropriate business attire.

The cost for UIS students is $10 and all others is $20. Please make reservations by March 18 by going online here. The dinner is sponsored by the Office of UIS Alumni Relations and co-sponsored by the UIS Career Development Center, Student Government Association, and the Office of Student Life.

Diversity Center Discussion

There will be a Student Townhall Meeting on Monday, March 24, at 9:30 p.m. in the Great Room of the Lincoln Residence Hall to discuss the Diversity Center that is being developed by the Division of Student Affairs.

The Diversity Center will promote the following campus, strategic goals:
Enriching Individual Lives: "All will be exposed to a campus community that is infused with an appreciation of diverse cultural perspectives. The campus environment will be an inclusive and safe place for different perspectives to be explored."

Enrollment and Retention: "By improving access and opportunity, the University of Illinois at Springfield will enroll, retain, and graduate a larger and more diverse student body…"

UIS is interested in hearing students' ideas and opinions about what things - social, cultural or academic; programs, services or resources - might either be in the Center or done by the Center to accomplish these goals?

There will also be refreshments at the meeting.

Now Accepting Homecoming Theme Ideas

Time to start thinking about Homecoming 2008! The most important part of Homecoming is the theme – and your help is needed in coming up with ideas.

Homecoming 2008 is set for October 6th through the 12th. Theme submissions are due by Friday, March 21.

Submissions for theme ideas will be can be emailed to studentlife@uis.edu or submitted by paper to the Office of Student Life in the Student Affairs Building 20.

Feel free to submit multiple ideas. A prize will be awarded to the winning theme. In addition, the author of the winning theme will be recognized in Homecoming promotional materials.

The Return of the Navajo Boy showing

A screening of the film "The Return of Navajo Boy" will be held on Wednesday March 5 in UHB 2008 at 6 p.m.

The film chronicles an extraordinary chain of events that began with the discovery of an old film reel and ended with a long-lost brother's return to his family. In the process, it examines a number of issues, including stereotypical portrayals of American Indians during the mid-20th century and interracial adoption. The film also triggered a federal investigation into contamination resulting from uranium mining on the Navajo Reservation in Monument Valley, Utah.

Director and producer Jeff Spitz will discuss the film and events that have occurred since its filming. For more information or questions about the film, contact Jim Ottery, associate professor of English at 206-7443 or jotte1@uis.edu.

Study Abroad Info Session

Professor Peter Shapinsky will be presenting an information session on the 2008 Japanese Language and Culture Program in Ashikaga, Japan on Thursday, March 6 from 12 to 1 p.m. The session will be held in UHB 3026.

If you cannot attend the information session but are interested in the program, please contact the Office of International Programs in HRB Building, Room 52 by phone at 206 8319 or through email at intprog@uis.edu.