Aaleiyah Spaulding of Springfield said Thursday she had not been on the University of Illinois Springfield campus since the school went to remote classes in March 2020.

Spaulding was taking part in a "stage experience" at Sangamon Auditorium, marking her graduation with a degree in psychology. That experience may have kept down the number of guests because of COVID-19 , and Spaulding couldn't celebrate with all of her classmates, but it was memorable nonetheless, she said.

The University of Illinois Springfield, in partnership with SHIELD Illinois, is now offering free COVID-19 saliva testing to the public.

The free tests are being funded through an agreement between the Illinois Department of Public Health and SHIELD Illinois using federal relief money.

Community testing is available between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday in the Student Union (west entrance).

University of Illinois Springfield runners Blake Jones and Taryn Christy became the first athletes in school history to qualify for a spot in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the school announced on Tuesday. 

This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on May 19, 2021.

Read the entire article online.

The University of Illinois Springfield Innovation Hub, UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership and the Community Health Roundtable will host a public webinar “COVID-19 and Returning to Work: Implications for the Workforce, Women and Work Sectors.”

In the webinar, panelists will discuss how issues like childcare and the lingering fear of COVID-19 infection are affecting the state and local workforces, why women may be more affected than men in returning to work and what re-start challenges businesses are facing.

The University of Illinois Springfield Innovation Hub, UIS Center for State Policy and Leadership and the Community Health Roundtable will host a free public webinar titled “COVID-19 and Returning to Work: Implications for the Workforce, Women and Work Sectors” at Noon Friday, May 21 via Zoom.