Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Homecoming 2009: Over the Rainbow Relay Race



University of Illinois Springfield students slipped into ruby red high heels to face off during the Over the Rainbow Relay Race on Wednesday. The relay was part of the Homecoming 2009 at UIS, but similar events sponsored by Recreational Sports are held every week as part of “Wacky Wednesday”.

The Student Life Office helped to bring in a giant inflatable bounce house to campus for students to run through. They first started off in the high heels having to maneuver between orange cones before ditching the heels and jumping inside.

“I have a lot of respect for women because I can’t do it and women walk around in high heels all the time,” said junior criminal justice major Andrew Crain.

The male and female students with the fastest time both got an “I Won Wacky Wednesday” t-shirt.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Homecoming 2009: Mashed Potato sculpting



University of Illinois Springfield students got creative with a popular mashed vegetable during Homecoming Week 2009.

Assistant Director of Student Life Beth Hoag came up with the idea for mashed potato sculpting last year. The event was such big hit she decided to bring it back again with a few rules. Students had to design something based on UIS or the homecoming theme “There’s No Place Like Homecoming”.

UIS Food Service prepared 25 pounds of “extra stiff” potatoes for students to use. They decorated the mashed wonders with everything from food coloring to feathers and glitter.

“It’s almost like play doh just a little softer,” said junior business major Baily Meek. “I wouldn’t have expected it to be like that”.

Volunteers judged each design on creativity and theme. The winner of the contest was rewarded with a $50 gift card.

Click Here for a full list of Homecoming 2009 events.

Monday, September 28, 2009

PAPS: Anne Feeney & David Rovics in Concert

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield presents Political Art and the Public Sphere featuring folk singers, songwriters, and activists Anne Feeney & David Rovics in concert.

WHEN: Monday, October 5, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library at UIS

ADDITIONAL INFO: Anne Feeney and David Rovics share an interest in using their music to raise questions about social and political issues, to share with listeners some of the history of the diverse struggles of the impoverished, marginalized and exploited, and to inspire people to work together for social and economic justice.

With her conscience and consciousness shaped by the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, Anne Feeney has been called the best labor singer in North America. Rovics, who writes journalism pieces periodically as he tours the world, has been called the musical voice of the progressive movement in the US and the musical version of Democracy Now! Accomplished musicians and songwriters, both allow their music to be downloaded and shared with organizers, other activists and myriad fans.

For more information contact Richard Gilman-Opalsky at 217/206-8328 or rgilm3@uis.edu.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Toastmasters Club key to student success



The University of Illinois Springfield Career Development Center is working to improve the public speaking skills of students. The center has started a Toastmasters Club to bring in professional mentors from the community to work with students.

Employee Relations Recruitment Coordinator Rachel Hasenyager started the club. She says the skills that students are learning are key in job interviews. During the meeting students are called on to perform impromptu “table top” speeches. Students have a limited amount of time to talk about a subject they may know little about.

The Toastmasters Club also teaches students how to participate in the setting of a formal meeting. Every participant is introduced to the audience before they begin speaking.

Hasenyager says she hopes the club will also help teach leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth.

Students also get the chance to network with the professional mentors brought in from the community. Hasenyager hopes that will pay off once they’ve graduated and are looking for a job.

The club meets every other Friday at Noon in the Student Affairs Building (SAB) Room 50. The next meeting will be on October 9th, followed by October 23rd.

Toastmasters will welcome Springfield native Ed Hearn, who was crowned the 2006 World Champion of Public Speaking by Toastmasters International. Hearn will present his award-winning speech on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. in the Public Affairs Center Restaurant.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Speakers Series presents Paul Simon: A public career worth imitating

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents journalist Robert Hartley discussing the political career of Paul Simon

WHEN: Thursday, October 1, 2009 at 10:00 a.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library at UIS
(The event will be available via live webcast and video on demand at http://www.uis.edu/technology/uislive.html)

ADDITIONAL INFO: The personal value system and attitudes toward government that Simon followed over 40 years in elective office were developed in large part during his service as a newspaper editor and state legislature. How those played out in terms of specific experiences will be discussed. The emphasis will be on his Illinois political years ending in 1973, with some references to his later congressional service.

Robert E. Hartley is the author of several published books and articles concentrating on Illinois politics and history. Hartley has written books on prominent political figures in Illinois, including Charles H. Percy, James R. Thompson, Paul Powell, and Paul Simon. Hartley had a long career in communication fields (newspapers and governmental affairs) from 1959 to 1999. From 1962 to 1979 he worked as an editor and columnist on newspapers in central and southern Illinois.
http://www.illinoisauthors.org/authors/Robert_E._Hartley

For more information and a list of other speakers series events visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries or contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

UIS and Benedictine to host co-exhibit with internationally acclaimed Russian artist

The first North American solo exhibition of the artwork of Sergei Chepik is being announced by Benedictine University at Springfield and the University of Illinois Springfield, co-exhibitors. This first-ever co-exhibit by the two Universities will display forty lithographs by the internationally acclaimed Russian artist who currently resides in Paris. The prints were inspired by the novel The White Guard by Mikhail Bulgakov and were commissioned in 2006, with an initial exhibit held in 2008 at the Bulgakov Museum in Moscow.

Displaying remarkably powerful images of the Russian Revolution, the Chepik co-exhibit will begin October 1, 2009, at both the BUS Becker Library Gallery and the UIS Visual Arts Gallery, running through November 5 and October 28, respectively.

An opening reception will be held at 6:30 p.m. on October 7 in the UIS Visual Arts Gallery with a gallery talk by associate professor Rosina Neginsky, personal friend of the artist and author of Sergei Chepik: Between East and West, published by Benedictine University at Springfield.

A closing reception will be held from 6:30–8:30 p.m. on November 5 in the Brinkerhoff Home on the Benedictine campus with a gallery talk by Neginsky. The November 5 closing reception will occur together with the 2.2 release gala for Quiddity International Literary Journal and Public-Radio Program, published and produced by Benedictine University at Springfield and NPR member WUIS. Quiddity 2.2 includes Sergei Chepik as a featured artist.

For further information, please contact:
Marianne Stremsterfer
Benedictine University at Springfield
mstremsterfer@sci.edu
(217) 525-1420, ext. 518

Liz Murphy Thomas
University of Illinois Springfield
thomas.elizabeth@uis.edu
(217) 206-7547

Monday, September 21, 2009

Networking: Strategic Alliances workshop

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Career Development Center presents Networking: Strategic Alliances "Collect Success Partners".

WHEN: Monday, September 28, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Sangamon Auditorium Lobby on UIS Campus

ADDITIONAL INFO: Join the UIS Career Development Center, Office of UIS Alumni Relations, and Springfield Chamber of Commerce for a night of networking how-tos. Learn the tips and tricks of building your career network from hospitality expert, Beth Reutter. Enjoy refreshments while building your career network with other students, alumni, faculty, staff, Chamber of Commerce members, and other community professionals.

Don't wait for graduation or your next job search to begin building your career network. Build those connections now and be ready when opportunity knocks! Make sure to get started during our event. According to the recent NACE Job Outlook 2010 Fall Preview survey, employers are planning to trim college hiring by 7%. In another NACE Survey, nearly 70% of college seniors cited networking as an extremely useful career tool. So what are you waiting for? Sign up for the event today and start your network now!

Professional business attire is strongly recommended.

For more information about the presentation contact Kristen Chenoweth, Communication Program Coordinator at 217/206-6501 or kchen01s@uis.edu.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Speakers Series: Shakespeare Behind Bars

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents Shakespeare Behind Bars film viewing followed by a discussion moderated by Shakespeare theater director Curt Tofteland.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) Studio Theatre at UIS

ADDITIONAL INFO: Take Shakespeare's final play The Tempest with its violent seas, windswept island, crucial connection to nature, and underlying theme of forgiveness, and bring it into a prison, the ultimate venue of confinement. The result is an extraordinary story about the creative process and the power of art to heal and redeem--in a place where the very act of participation in theatre is a human triumph and a means of personal liberation.

In Hank Rogerson's revelatory trip into and around this prison production, we embark on a year-long journey with the Shakespeare Behind Bars theatre troupe. Led by Shakespearean volunteer director Curt Tofteland, the prisoners cast themselves in roles reflecting their personal history and fate. Their individual stories, including information about their heinous crimes, are interwoven with the plot of The Tempest as the inmates delve deeply into the characters they portray while confronting their personal demons. http://www.shakespearebehindbars.com/

For more information and a list of other speakers series events visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries or contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.

Speakers Series presents Arthur Danto: Prints

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents Arthur Danto: Prints gallery of the artist’s work and discussion.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 5:30 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library at UIS

ADDITIONAL INFO: Arthur C. Danto is considered one of the most important philosophers of art in the world. His undeniable influence on modern art criticism has affected the way that art is thought of and discussed around the world. Danto will talk about his work, as well art and aesthetics.

While many people are familiar with Danto as a philosopher and critic, Danto was also an artist early in his career. An exhibit of Danto’s work will be featured in the UIS Visual Arts Gallery from August 27 – September 23, 2009. This work, a series of woodcut prints produced from 1956 through 1963 has not been exhibited publicly since 1960. For more information on the exhibit visit: www.uis.edu/visualarts/gallery.html

Click here to visit an online slide show of Danto prints on display.

For more information and a list of other speakers series events visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries or contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Fall into Volunteering Fair

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center presents “Fall into Volunteering Fair”.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) Main Concourse

ADDITIONAL INFO: This is a chance for students to meet local non-profit groups and become a volunteer in the Springfield community.

Representatives from Lincoln Memorial Gardens, Illinois State Museum, Boys and Girls Club, Planned Parenthood and Memorial Medical Center will be attending along with over 15 other local organizations.

This program is also sponsored by UIS Housing and the Experiential and Service-Learning Programs.

For more information please contact Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center Director Kelly Thompson at 217/206-8448 or kthom03s@uis.edu.

Sunday Night Star Parties held for Disabled

The University of Illinois Springfield is holding several Star Parties for people with disabilities throughout the fall in the UIS observatory, located at the top of Brookens Library on the UIS campus. Sunday Night Star Parties for people with disabilities are free, but reservations are required.

The dates of the Star Parties this fall are Sunday, September 20, and Sunday, October 18 weather permitting. The events begin at 8:00 p.m. and will include a short presentation before the viewing. The featured objects for viewing will be the first-quarter moon and the planet Jupiter.

John Martin, UIS professor of astronomy and physics, conducts Sunday Star Parties. The sessions use a unique telescope specially designed to give people with disabilities access to the sky by using a fixed eyepiece that brings the image to the viewer. This eyepiece can be moved backward and forward in its tube to be able to accommodate anyone from a large person in a high wheelchair to a child in the lowest, smallest wheelchair. The telescope is the first one of its kind in the world.

For more information or to make a reservation for a Sunday Star Party, contact Professor Martin at 217/206-8342 or jmart5@uis.edu.

UIS Homecoming and Family Weekend



The University of Illinois Springfield will be holding its annual Homecoming activities during the week of September 28 through October 3. UIS Family Weekend will also coincide with the events on October 3 and 4. The theme of Homecoming Week 2009 is “There’s No Place Like Homecoming.”

The schedule of events for the week is as follows:

Monday, September 28
- “Network: Strategic Alliances” from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Sangamon Auditorium Lobby. Beth Reutter of the Hospitality Program at the U of I in Champaign will present the program about networking skills. Go to www.uis.edu/careerservices to register or for more info or call 217-206-6508.
- Homecoming Pep Rally at 9:30 p.m. at The Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC). First 200 students with ID through the door will get a free Homecoming T-shirt.

Tuesday, September 29
- Homecoming Court voting and Mashed Potato Sculpting from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Public Affairs Center (PAC) Food Emporium Patio (Rain Location: PAC Concourse).
- Make Your Own Spirit Wear at 9:30 pm in the Food Emporium. Paints, poster board and blank t-shirts are provided.

Wednesday, September 30
- Homecoming Court voting and Over the Rainbow Relay Race from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the UIS Quad
- Neo-Futurists performance at 9:30 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library. The Neo-Futurists are a collective of wildly productive writer/director/performers who create theater that is a fusion of sport, poetry, and living newspaper.

Thursday, October 1
- Homecoming Court voting and Come on 6’s dice game from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the PAC Main Concourse.
- Homecoming Dance at 9:30 p.m. in the Student Life Building gym. Dress is semi-formal.

Friday, October 2
- Volunteer Service Event from 1 to 5 p.m.
- UIS Women’s Soccer vs. Bellarmine at 5 p.m. at Kiwanis Stadium
- Student Cookout at 6:30 p.m. on the east side of Kiwanis Stadium
- Movie: Wizard of Oz at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium
- UIS Men’s Soccer Game vs. Bellarmine at 7:30 p.m. at Kiwanis Stadium. A firework display will be held immediately following game.

Saturday, October 3
- Yellow Brick Road 5K Run/Walk at 9 a.m. at TRAC. Cost is $10 for UIS students; $15 for non-students and $20 the day of the event. Registration deadline is September 16, and t-shirts will be provided to those registered by the deadline.
- Educational Technology Showcase at 10:00 a.m. in Brookens Library 141A on the lower level.
- Family Weekend Luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in PAC rooms C and D. Reservations are required.
- UIS Homecoming Parade at 5 p.m. on the UIS Campus.
- Homecoming BBQ & Lawn Party from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on the east side of Kiwanis Stadium.
- UIS Students vs. UIS Alumni/Faculty/Staff Basketball Game at 7 p.m. at TRAC

For more information, contact the UIS Student Life Office at 217/206-6665 or go online to the Homecoming Web site at http://www.uis.edu/homecoming.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Speakers Series: Battle in Seattle

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents Battle in Seattle film viewing followed by a discussion moderated by Richard Gilman-Opalsky.

WHEN: Monday, September 21, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library at UIS

ADDITIONAL INFO: Battle in Seattle is a 2007 film based on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity. Thousands of activists arrive in Seattle to protest the WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999. The movie takes an in-depth look at characters during those five days in as demonstrators protested the meeting of the WTO in Seattle's streets. Protests began with a goal of stopping the WTO talks, and escalated to a State of Emergency that pitted protesters against the police and National Guard. http://www.battleinseattlemovie.com/

For more information and a list of other speakers series events visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries or contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Students Share Experiences from Peru Study Abroad

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield students share learning experiences and photos of their Summer Study Abroad trip to Perú during a “Brown Bag” lunch presentation.

WHEN: Thursday, September 17, 2009 from 12:00-1:00 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Room F at UIS

ADDITIONAL INFO: This is the first time UIS has sent a delegation of students to South America. They lived in the former imperial capital of Cusco for a week, climbed Machu Picchu, navigated Lake Titicaca located 12,500 feet above sea level, stayed with host families on Amantani Island, and took 28 hours of immersion Spanish! They did all this while battling soroche (altitude sickness) and eating the local cuy or guinea pig!

This dedicated group of nine UIS students spent 17 days in Perú as part of their study abroad that focused on language, culture, and history. A photo exhibit will be displayed during the same week in the PAC Cafeteria Concourse.

For more information about the presentation and the trip contact Veronica Espina at 217/206-8300 or vespi1@uis.edu.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Speakers Series: State of the Recovery

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents a State of the Recovery panel discussion on the status of the Central Illinois economy.

WHEN: Friday, September 18, 2009 at 12:00 p.m.

WHERE: Public Affairs Center (PAC) Lobby at UIS

(The event will be available via live webcast and video on demand at http://www.uis.edu/technology/uislive.html)

ADDITIONAL INFO: WUIS General Manager Bill Wheelhouse will facilitate the panel discussion featuring Jeremy Hobson, Marketplace Wall Street reporter; Tim Landis, State Journal- Register business editor; and Ronald McNeil, Dean of the UIS College of
Business & Management.

For more information and a list of other speakers series events visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries or contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.

Constitution Day Panel: Lincoln and the Constitution

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents Constitution Day Panel: Lincoln and the Constitution featuring Dr. Thomas F. Schwartz, John A. Lupton and Dr. Daniel W. Stowell.

WHEN: Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 12:00 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library at UIS

(The event will be available via live webcast and video on demand at http://www.uis.edu/technology/uislive.html)

ADDITIONAL INFO: Dr. Thomas F. Schwartz will present Lincoln, Politics and the Constitution. Dr. Schwartz is the Illinois State Historian and Director of Research at the
Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. He recently participated in the Global Lincoln Conference at Oxford University that explored how other nations view Abraham Lincoln. http://www.alplm.org/

John A. Lupton will present Lincoln's War Powers. Mr. Lupton is the Associate Director and Associate Editor of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln. He has spoken widely on Abraham Lincoln and on the law. He received his M.A. at UIS. http://www.papersofabrahamlincoln.org/

Dr. Daniel W. Stowell will present Seceding from the Secessionists: The Constitutional Problem of West Virginia. Dr. Stowell is the director and editor of the Papers of Abraham Lincoln. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Georgia, and his doctorate in American History from the University of Florida.

The event is co-sponsored by the UIS Center for State Policy & Leadership.

For more information and a list of other speakers series events visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries or contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Speakers Series: Transforming "China" in American Eyes

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents Transforming “China” in American Eyes featuring Dr. Zhou Liu of Northeastern University of China.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library at UIS
(The event will be available via live webcast and video on demand at http://www.uis.edu/technology/uislive.html)

ADDITIONAL INFO: Dr. Liu will discuss the transformative images of China and Chinese in the United States, addressing Chinese American immigration history and the mainstream’s cultural shift from Anglo-Saxon’s WASP dominance to multicultural era. Dr. Liu is currently a visiting scholar at the Department of English at the University of Washington.

For more information and a list of other speakers series events visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries or contact Kimberly Craig at 217/206-6245 or craig.kimberly@uis.edu.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Registered Student Organization Deadline



Now is the time for students to leave their mark on the University of Illinois Springfield campus. The Office of Student Life is taking priority applications for registered student organizations (RSOs) until September 15th.

Students are required to register on an annual basis and attend one student origination workshop. RSOs are required to have a written constitution and bylaws that govern the group along with a faculty or staff advisor.

UIS had more than 70 registered students organizations during the 2008-2009 academic year. They are separated into six different categories: Cultural/Diversity, Religious/Spiritual, Academic/Honorary, Political/Advocacy, Service or General Interest.

All student organizations fully registered by September 15th will be eligible for two $50 prizes.

Fill out the RSO registration form online: http://www.uis.edu/studentlife/Forms/Registration%20form%2009-10.pdf

For more information, visit the UIS Student Life Office Web site: http://www.uis.edu/studentlife/