Lunch and Learn Series concludes for the season

“Central Illinois: Patchwork of Creative Minds”, a thought provoking three-session educational series examining creative expression that has flourished in the heartland of Illinois, will conclude on May 19 at the University of Illinois Springfield’s Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Rooms C/D. Over the lunch hour attendees will hear presentations by two experts and enjoy a delicious hot buffet luncheon available at 11:30 a.m. The presentations are from 12 noon – 1:30 p.m. Moderator for the series is William Furry, Director of the Illinois State Historical Society. There is a charge for lunch, but the presentations are free and open to the public.

The topic to be addressed is “Architecture: Backyard Barns and Prairie Cathedrals”. Presenters include Larry Kanfer, award-winning Champaign, Illinois photographic artist and journalist, whose recent book is Barns of Illinois. The book will be available for purchase and the author will sign them. Floyd Mansberger, Director of Fever River Research that specializes in cultural resource management projects associated with historic properties, will report on recent archeological discoveries in the Lincoln Home neighborhood that provide a retrospective on this 150th anniversary of the election of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency.

Paid reservations are required for the luncheon by May 12. The cost is $20 per person for lunch and the presentations. Pre-registration is also requested from those not purchasing the lunch, but who wish to attend the presentations. For more information and to register, visit www.uiaa.org/uis/patchwork or contact the Office of UIS Alumni Relations at 217/206-7395 or alumni@uis.edu. Sponsors are the UIS Alumni SAGE Society, the Illinois State Historical Society and the Office of UIS Chancellor.

"Birds of Emiquon" event rescheduled for May 6 at Therkildsen Field Station

WHAT: A public seminar entitled “Birds of Emiquon” featuring Tharran Hobson, an Illinois River Restoration Manager with The Nature Conservancy originally scheduled for April 29 at 5 p.m. has been postponed due to a wind advisory.

WHEN: Rescheduled for Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 5 p.m.

WHERE: Alfred O. and Barbara Cordwell Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon (formerly the Emiquon Field Station) near Lewistown, Illinois

DETAILS: Hobson will present a short orientation to bird watching, and then guide visitors on a walk up the bluff behind the Field Station. Bird sightings and photography will be possible. “This time of year is good for migrant warblers in the uplands,” notes Hobson. Visitors are advised to dress appropriately for hiking and bring binoculars.

UIS’ Therkildsen Field Station is at The Nature Conservancy’s Emiquon Preserve, located between Havana, IL and Lewistown, IL near the Dickson Mounds Museum. The program is free and open to the public; reservations are not required. Entrance to the field station is on Prairie Road, located off Illinois Rts. 97/78, approximately one-and-a-half miles north of the Dickson Mounds turnoff. A sign will be posted at the turnoff and a map is also available online at www.uis.edu/emiquon/.

Everyone entering the property will be asked to sign a liability waiver. Participants younger than 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult and must have their waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian.

For more information, contact Hua Chen, Interim Director of the Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon, at hchen40@uis.edu or (217) 206-8339.

UIS to hold third annual Take Back the Night march

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield will hold its third annual Take Back the Night rally and march on campus.

WHEN: Friday, April 30, 2010 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: UIS campus starting in the Lincoln Residence Hall (LRH) Greatroom, followed by a march around the campus quad.

DETAILS: Take Back the Night is a movement inclusive of all genders and sexual orientations that brings survivors, supporters and activists together in a call for the end of violence against women.

The Speak Out and March will start at the UIS Lincoln Residence Hall (LRH) in the Greatroom at 7:00 p.m. Musician Tom Irwin, a UIS student, will perform at the start and end of the rally. The keynote speaker for the Speak Out will be Candi Clouse, UIS alum and Prevention Coordinator for the Sojourn Shelter.

Around 7:30 p.m., the group will then march around the UIS Quad. Following the march, Tom Irwin will be playing and there will be hot chocolate available. There will also be informational booths and refreshments in the LRH Greatroom, as well as The Clothesline Project, a project to support victims of domestic violence.

The event is presented by the Women’s Issues Caucus club from UIS. Co-sponsors of the event include the UIS Women’s Center, UIS Diversity Center and LGBTQ Resource Office.

More information about Take Back the Night is available at www.takebackthenight.org/. For more information about the rally and march, contact womenscenter@uis.edu or 206-7173.

UIS Chamber Orchestra to present Early 20th Century Dance Music Program

WHAT: The UIS Chamber Orchestra will perform turn-of-the-century dance orchestra music from the John Robichaux collection.

WHEN: Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 6-9 p.m.

WHERE: Dana-Thomas House, 301 E. Lawrence Avenue, Springfield, IL 62703

DETAILS: Robichaux established himself as the premiere dance orchestra leader in New Orleans, from 1891 into the 1930’s. The John Robichaux Orchestra was active at the time of early jazz in New Orleans.

UIS Chamber Orchestra director Todd Cranson also directs the UIS Bands and serves as the Artistic Director of the Vintage Brass Band in Springfield, IL. His interest in 19th century American band music and the Creole Romantic composers of New Orleans sparked the idea to perform dance music from the Robichaux collection at Springfield’s Dana-Thomas House which was built in 1904. According to Cranson, “this event will allow our community a special opportunity to experience an exquisite intermingling of music, dance, architecture, and history.”

The UIS Chamber Orchestra is open to students, staff, faculty, and local community musicians. For information about getting involved, e-mail music@uis.edu and visit uis.edu/music.

Deborah Hyland of St. Louis will offer period dance lessons during the evening, so that the music may be enjoyed as it was originally intended. Hyland is a folk dance educator, who has taught dance to a wide range of audiences in the St. Louis area and beyond since 1991.

Admission of $5 per person at the door; includes music, dance lessons and refreshments. No advance reservations required. Lawn chairs welcome if the evening weather is pleasant.

Senior visual arts majors showcase their representation of what "Art Is"

WHAT: Fourteen senior University of Illinois Springfield visual art majors will showcase their representation of what “Art Is” during an end of the year exhibition.

WHEN: Exhibition runs April 29 through May 13, 2010. The opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, April 29 at 5:30 p.m. beginning in the Visual Arts Gallery and concluding in the Access Gallery.

WHERE: UIS Visual Arts Gallery located in the Health and Sciences Building, Room 201 on the UIS campus

DETAILS: Prepare to see many unique works of art by the talented visual arts majors. The seniors are Kaitlyn Bitner, Rachel Book, Kimberly Bretz, Willa Campbell, Lauren Cooper, Michael Curry, Adrian Hebert, Aby Lee Hood, Shannon Lubben, Ashley Moore, Valencia Robinson, Veronica Sparks, Emily Welch and Jennifer Yakes.

Each student has their own media, intention and style and the works are a summary of the inspiration and abilities they have acquired during their experiences at the university. The exhibit includes paintings, ceramics, digital media, screen-printing and installations of mixed media. “Art Is” describes the philosophy that art is anything and everything. It is a state of being that is not characterized or explained… it just Is.

For further information, go to www.uis.edu/visualarts/ or contact the gallery by phone at 217/206-6506 or by e-mail at gallery@uis.edu.

PAPS and ECCE Speakers Series presents "The Cove"

WHAT: The final installment for University of Illinois Springfield Spring 2010 Political Art and the Public Sphere (PAPS) series and Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series will feature a screening of the film “The Cove”. A group discussion will follow the presentation.

WHEN: Monday, April 26, 2010 at 6 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus

DETAILS: “The Cove” is a piece of investigative journalism with the pace and feel of an action thriller. Led by Louie Psihoyos, leader of the Ocean Preservation Society, and Richard O'Barry, an internationally recognized authority on dolphin training who is best known for his work on the 1960's TV show Flipper, the film follows a high-tech dive team on a mission to discover the truth about the international dolphin capture trade as practiced in Taiji, Japan. Utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including hidden microphones and cameras, the team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide.

The film presents an insider's account of this life-or-death covert operation. Guerrilla journalism and activist filmmaking bring to light the sharp political contest over who can do what in the waters of the world.

During the spring semester, all three installments of PAPS will provide a forum for focusing on particular political issues under the general heading “Water and Politics.”

Each semester, Political Art and the Public Sphere features a showing or performance of some kind of “political art,” followed by a group discussion. The basic idea behind PAPS is to consider how ‘art’ raises provocative social and political questions.

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

Springfest 2010 kicks off with scavenger hunt

Over 300 students at the University of Illinois Springfield are competing in a week-long challenge known as Springfest to see who can rack up the most points.

Springfest kicked off on Monday, April 13 in the SLB gym with a scavenger hunt for over 200 items, which students couldn't leave campus to find. Participants were given 45 minutes to come up with as many items as possible.

“It was very hectic. I mean we were running all over the place trying to find stuff,” said Joshua Hoff, a junior communication major.

The celebration involves teams of no more than twelve people. In additional to the scavenger hunt they also face off in a trivia night, dress to impress event, flag-n-chant and more. At the end of the week, the team with the most points wins a gift card to the restaurant of their choice and the distinction of being Springfest champions.

“It’s a huge thing on campus. It’s a very big community building activity. Students get to know each other and you get to know your friends better,” said Leslie Reutter, senior criminal justice major and co-coordinator of Springfest.

Springfest events taking place include:
* Monday, April 12: Scavenger Hunt at 9:30 p.m. in SLB Gym
* Tuesday, April 13: Trivia Night at 9:30 p.m. in SLB Gym
* Wednesday, April 14: Dress to Impress (Career Development Center) at 9:30 p.m. in SLB Gym
* Thursday, April 15: Flag-N-Chant at 9:30 p.m. in SLB Gym
* Friday, April 16: Dance from 9 p.m. -12 a.m. in SLB Gym
* Saturday, April 17: Sports Day with BBQ Dinner--Performance by Absolutely Perfect

For more information, contact Lakeshia Washington or Leslie Reutter at uissacc@uis.edu or call 217-206-6463. You may also visit the Springfest website at www.uis.edu/studentlife/thingstodo/Springfest.html.

Dining for Success Dinner teaches students and alumni business etiquette

The Office of UIS Alumni Relations/U of I Alumni Association hosted its annual Dining for Success Dinner on Friday, April 9 in the PAC Restaurant.

Beth Reutter, a corporate etiquette consultant and coordinator of the Hospitality Management Program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign taught students and alumni the rules of business and social dinner behavior.

“The main thing to remember is you’re not there for the food. You’re there for the networking that’s going on,” said Reutter.

UIS senior communication major Luke Runyon came to the course looking for answers. He recently went to a formal dinner with four forks on the table and had no idea what to do with them.

“It’s a great experience to really pick up a lot of those skills that you’re really going to need once you go out for job interviews after you graduate,” said Runyon. “I think it could be one of the deciding factors, especially in a job market like right now.”

Reutter has made it her mission to not only improve the etiquette of college students, but business professionals. She regularly speaks to Chamber of Commerce groups in Central Illinois as well as Chicago.

“It takes practice, practice, practice. I will say that to tonight’s group. You can’t just leave. You have to leave and practice it,” said Reutter.

She notes that etiquette is actually slipping in the United States and she’s made it her mission to improve people’s skills one event at a time.

“The biggest mistake is getting too comfortable. Going social instead of business. I’m very strong about warning against alcoholic beverages during a business event,” she said.

For more information visit the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition website.

UIS plans service activities as part of National Volunteer Week

The University of Illinois Springfield Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center is planning a series of service activities to celebrate National Volunteer Week, April 18-24.

“We will have several exciting activities to highlight the spirit of volunteerism both on campus and in the local community,” said Kelly Thompson, director of the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center.

The week gets started on Monday, April 19 at 5 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium with a presentation by dynamic public speaker Jonathan Sprinkles. He has won national awards for his inspirational talks on leadership, diversity, and service. The title of his program is called “How to be a Change Maker." Using a highly interactive speaking style, Mr. Sprinkles will talk about how those with the most influence on others are almost always those who serve others, that true leadership comes from those who put others first. This event is part of the ECCE Speaker Series and is co-sponsored by the Student Government Association.

On Tuesday, April 20 starting at 4:30 p.m. in the Sangamon Auditorium lobby the Volunteer & Civic Engagement Center will host the second annual Good as Gold Volunteer Recognition Ceremony, a recognition ceremony for UIS and community members that have volunteered their time and resources during the previous year. This event is co-sponsored by the Springfield Junior League and Illinois Campus Compact.

The week will end on Friday, April 23 with “UIS Cares Day”, a service event where students will help revitalize Washington Park in Springfield by mulching trees from 10a.m. - Noon.

The Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center also plans to release a video compilation and Google map of all of the service projects they’ve done throughout the year. The video and map will be made available on their website at www.uis.edu/volunteer.

For more information about any of the events contact Kelly Thompson at kthom03s@uis.edu or 217/206-8448.

Sunday night Star Parties to be held for people with disabilities

The University of Illinois Springfield is holding several Star Parties for people with disabilities throughout the spring 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, weather permitting this fall are Sunday, April 25, and Sunday, May 16. The events begin at 8 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 Mars.

Sunday Star Parties are conducted by John Martin, UIS professor of astronomy and physics. The sessions use a unique telescope specially designed to give people with disabilities access to the sky.

The modified eight-inch Schmidt Cassegrain telescope at UIS uses 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 event, contact Professor John Martin at 217/206-8342 or jmart5@uis.edu.

Speakers Series: The Open Space of Democracy

2010 UIS Earth Day Event

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents The Open Space of Democracy. The 2010 UIS Earth Day event speaker will be Terry Tempest Williams, known as "a citizen writer," who speaks out eloquently on behalf of an ethical stance toward life.

WHEN: Thursday, April 22, 2010 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library

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

DETAILS: Williams is a naturalist and fierce advocate for freedom of speech, she has consistently shown how environmental issues are social issues that ultimately become matters of justice.

Known for her impassioned and lyrical prose, Williams is the author of several books including the environmental literature classic Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place. In 2006, Williams received the Robert Marshall Award from The Wilderness Society, their highest honor given to an American citizen.

This event is co-sponsored by the UIS Julia J. Henderson Award Fund and the Senate Committee on Sustainability.

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.

UIS Health Awareness Week offers lifesaving screenings and education

The University of Illinois Springfield Campus Health Service and the Master of Public Health Student Association hosted a health fair providing screens and educational services on Wednesday, April 7.

Students, faculty, staff and community members were invited to take part in the annual event, which celebrates National Public Health Week.

“Prevention is key. A lot of times people don’t know they have a problem and if it can be detected early they can prevent it from becoming worse,” said Jill Stoops, UIS Campus Health Service nurse practitioner.

Stoops hopes health fairs like this one will help catch problems early by offering blood glucose, blood pressure, body fat testing, bone density and HIV screenings.

“I’ve actually had a few people from the community who have come, who have had high blood pressure and didn’t know it or high cholesterol,” she said.

UIS invited outside health providers like Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital to help with the screenings. Other on-campus health services like the Counseling Center were also represented.

“Education and just awareness is such a good tool and a good key to keeping people happy and living a successful life,” said Michelle Skotzke, UIS Counseling Center graduate assistant.

The Counseling Center helps student’s cope with stress related issues or other mental health problems that may be impacting their lives.

UIS Health Awareness Week runs through Friday, April 9. Organizers have a week full of activities planned, which include speakers and other presentations. Learn more by visiting our previous news release on the event.

Lunch and Learn series presents "Literature: Prairie Visions, Prairie Voices"

“Central Illinois: Patchwork of Creative Minds”, a thought provoking three session educational series examining creative expression that has flourished in the heartland of Illinois, will continue April 21 at the University of Illinois Springfield’s Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Rooms C/D. Over the lunch hour attendees will hear presentations by two experts and enjoy a delicious hot buffet luncheon available at 11:30 a.m. The presentations are from 12 noon – 1:30 p.m. Moderator for the series is William Furry, Director of the Illinois State Historical Society. There is a charge for lunch, but the presentations are free and open to the public.

The topic to be addressed on April 21 is “Literature: Prairie Visions, Prairie Voices”. Dr. Barbara Burkhardt, UIS Associate professor of English will make a presentation “The Past is Ever Present: William Maxwell and Logan County, IL”. Dr. Burkhardt is the author of a much celebrated biography of Maxwell, William Maxwell: A Literary Life, University of Illinois Press (2005), paperback (2008). Dr. Dennis Camp, Faculty Emeritus of English and noted Vachel Lindsay scholar will make a presentation entitled, “All About U.” Camp is President of the Vachel Lindsay Association and is the author of a forthcoming, three-volume biography of Lindsay.

The series will end on May 19 with the topic “Architecture: Backyard Barns and Prairie Cathedrals.” Presenters include Larry Kanfer, award-winning Champaign, Illinois photographic artist and journalist, whose recent book is Barns of Illinois. Floyd Mansberger, Director of Fever River Research that specializes in cultural resource management projects associated with historic properties, will report on recent archeological discoveries in the Lincoln Home neighborhood that provide a retrospective on this 150th anniversary of the election of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency.

Paid reservations are required for the luncheon by April 14. The cost is $20 per person for lunch and the presentations. Pre-registration is also requested from those not purchasing the lunch, but who wish to attend the presentations. For more information and to register, visit www.uiaa.org/uis/patchwork or contact the Office of UIS Alumni Relations at 217/206-7395 or alumni@uis.edu. Sponsors are the UIS Alumni SAGE Society, the Illinois State Historical Society and the Office of UIS Chancellor.

10th Annual UIS Science Research Symposium

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Natural Science Division is celebrating the 10th Annual UIS Science Research Symposium featuring student and faculty research presentations and a distinguished keynote speaker.

WHEN: Friday, April 16, 2010 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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

DETAILS: This year's keynote speaker will be Dr. Andrew Gewirth, from the Department of Chemistry at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his talk will be on the “Behavior of Supported Phospholipid Bilayers”.

The primary goals of the symposium are to share the results of various local scientific studies, encourage scientific dialogue in the community, and to inform the community of the research conducted at UIS and at neighboring campuses. The symposium is open to the public. Undergraduate students, graduate students, and faculty involved in any aspect of scientific research are encouraged to present either oral presentations or poster presentations. Prizes will be awarded to the three best student oral presentations and to the three best student posters.

For more information contact Dr. Matt Evans, Assistant Professor of Biology at mevan4@uis.edu or 217/206-8367. You can also visit the symposium website at www.uis.edu/biology/symposium/.

UIS Theatre's season concludes with Milan Stitt's The Runner Stumbles

The Theatre Program at the University of Illinois Springfield will conclude its 2009-2010 season with the play The Runner Stumbles by Milan Stitt, opening Friday, April 23. Six performances will be presented in the Studio Theatre, on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center at UIS - on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, April 23, 24, and 25, and Thursday, Friday, Saturday, April 29, 30, and May 1. All shows will begin at 7:30 p.m. except the Sunday performance (April 25), which will begin at 2 p.m.

The Runner Stumbles is set in 1911 at a remote northern Michigan parish where a young nun, Sister Rita, mysteriously dies. Her superior, Father Rivard, is charged with the crime. As the trial unfolds four years later, the story alternates between the past and the present, revealing a conflicted relationship between the young nun and the priest. Sister Rita tries to inject color and life into the rural, drab town, bringing more tension to the surface. Part courtroom drama, part memory play, part romance, the play explores conflicts between duty to the church and duty to self, forbidden passions, and divisions between strict traditional morality and complex human emotions.

The cast is made up of 4 men and 5 women. Cast members include Dug Hall* (Father Rivard); Ben Gold* (Guard – Amos); Jennica Danner* (Erna); Ben Beams* (Lawyer – Toby); Ellyn Thorson* (Sister Rita); Nancy Cole@ (Mrs. Shandig); Dwight Langford* (Prosecutor); Jim Bonacum^ (Monsignor – Secretary); Kaitlyn Best* (Louise). * denotes a UIS student, @ a community member, and ^ a faculty member.

UIS Assistant Professor of Theatre Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson will direct.

Tickets – $12 general adult; $10 senior citizen, 65+ with photo ID; $8 UIS faculty/staff with current I-card; $6 all students with current school ID – are available now at the UIS Ticket Office, located on level two of the Public Affairs Center. Purchase tickets in person, by phone at 217/206-6160 or 800/207-6960 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or online at www.uis.edu/theatre. Tickets will also be available at the ticket office on the day of the performance, beginning 90 minutes before curtain time.

For more information, contact Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson at 217/206-8307 or email mthom1@uis.edu.

Explore and make music history at the UIS Music Spring 2010 Showcase Concert

The UIS Music Spring Showcase Concert will be held in Sangamon Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 9, 2010 and feature the Chorus, Chamber Orchestra, and Concert Band.

Many of the selections performed at this year’s UIS Music Spring Showcase Concert illustrate the evolution of music that is still popular, decades and in some cases even centuries after it was first composed. The Chorus, under the direction of Dr. Sharon Graf, will open the evening performing songs from a variety of cultures and eras, including “Ahe Lau Makani (There is a Breath)” by Queen Liliuokalani, the last reigning monarch of Hawaii; “Fire, Fire,” a polyphonic English madrigal by Thomas Morley; “The Erie Canal,” an American folk song accompanied by piano and fiddle; “Oleana,” an American folk song accompanied by violin; and “Blackbird,” a classic Beatles song. Todd Cranson will add to the chorus’ performance of “Blackbird” with a solo tuba rendition of the classic tune.

The Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Todd Cranson, will follow, performing selections from John Robichaux’s 19th Century New Orleans Dance Orchestra. Robichaux, a jazz bandleader, drummer and violinist, wrote more than 350 songs and many orchestral arrangements, which are now housed at the William Ransom Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University.

Following a brief intermission and presentation of student awards, the Concert Band under the direction of Todd Cranson will take the stage. The Concert Band performance will include a number of selections, including “Galop from Genevieve De Braban” by Jacques Offenbach, from which the U.S. Marine Corps Hymn was later extracted; the landmark “Fantasia for Band” written by Vittorio Giannini; and “Clash” by Ryan Main, an interesting pieces filled with dissonant sounds.

Doors will open for the concert at 7:20 p.m., and refreshments will be served in the lobby after the performance.

The Showcase Concert is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome and will be used to benefit the UIS Music Student Merit Award. For more information visit www.uis.edu/music/ or contact Todd Cranson at rcran2@uis.edu or 217/206-7549.

Speakers Series presents Hip Hop, Lao American Youths, and Performative Blackness

WHAT: University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series presents Hip Hop, Lao American Youths, & Performative Blackness. The featured speaker for this event is Monica Chiu, Associate Professor of English and University Honors Program Director at the University of New Hampshire.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 2 p.m.

WHERE: Brookens Auditorium on the lower level of Brookens Library

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

DETAILS: A long standing goal of immigrant children has been to become “Americanized” as a key to their future economic and social success. In the particular case of Lao American youth, "becoming white" is closely associated with performing blackness. This talk discusses how Lao American boys' refashion themselves with the blackness inspired by media in order to achieve the so-called social acceptance among their American peers. It also highlights how their efforts to "fit in" are related to their academic struggles. Taking ethnographical and cultural approaches, this talk addresses how this cultural phenomenon reflects the dilemma of social acceptance for adolescents, the perception of community, as well as U.S. immigration history and the relationships between different racial groups.

Chiu specializes in Asian American Studies, she is the author of Filthy Fictions: Asian American Literature by Women (2004), the editor of Asian Americans in New England: Culture and Community (2009).

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.

UIS presents Project Success: Dress to Impress

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield will host “Project Success: Dress to Impress” as part of the annual Springfest celebration on campus. Project Success is a runway fashion show that displays how to dress for business casual and business professional.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 from 9:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

WHERE: Student Life Building (SLB) Gymnasium on the UIS campus

DETAILS: Through fun and fashion, the audience will get a sense of how to dress for professional interaction and career daily wear, while learning which kinds of fashion flops to avoid.

UIS students have been invited to form teams and compete by showing their best and worst examples of business attire. The runway show will be judged by the audience and a panel of judges. Nina Wright from Western and Southern Financial Group and Sharon Thornton Knop, a UIS alumnus, from State Farm will return as this year’s judges and be joined by a member of the Capitol Radio Group. Tim Burns from Prudential, an employer partner with the UIS Career Development Center, will act as emcee for the evening. The winning team will be awarded a prize of $600.

Project Success is sponsored by UIS Career Development Center, UIS Office of Alumni Relations, and Student Government Association. It will be available via live Webcast for online students and those who are unable to attend.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Rachel Hasenyager or Gale Kilbury at 217/206-6508. A complete list of Springfest events is available at www.uis.edu/sga/sac/Springfest.html.

"Sustain" exhibition now on display at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery

WHAT: The Visual Arts Gallery at the University of Illinois Springfield presents an exhibition of fine art entitled "Sustain." This internationally juried exhibition features the selected works of 13 artists.

WHEN: Open now through Thursday, April 22. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

WHERE: Health and Sciences Building, Room 201 on the UIS campus

DETAILS: Art has always been a forum for change. The artists’ work addresses the three issues of sustainability resource conservation, social justice and economic equity.

Please join us for a closing reception as part of the campus' celebration of Earth Day on April 22 from 5:30 – 8 p.m. in the gallery. Along with the exhibition, Terry Tempest Williams, environmental activist and author, will give a speech entitled "The Open Space of Democracy" at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium.

For further information, go to www.uis.edu/visualarts/ or contact the gallery by phone at 217/206-6506 or by e-mail at gallery@uis.edu.