Dr. Weber (left) will speak on "How Lincoln Handled the Antiwar Movement." Lincoln faced harsh criticism from the outset of the Civil War. Antiwar Democrats objected to encroachments on civil liberties and to Lincoln's claims to expanded presidential powers. His strategy for dealing with Democratic critics was, for the most part, to ignore them -- an approach that very nearly failed. Weber will discuss how Lincoln's now-highly-regarded leadership might be considered today if the 1864 election had been held three months earlier, before the Northern armies started winning.
Dr. Siddali (right) will speak on "Lincoln and the Constitution in Civil War Era Presidential Campaigns," will examine how the presidential campaigns of the time caused American voters to consider a number of crucial issues, including the perpetuity of Union and the right to extend or prohibit slavery in new territories. Both parties framed the contest as a vote on the Constitution, yet neither side foresaw the sweeping constitutional changes that would result.
Program moderator Thomas F. Schwartz (left) is chief historian for exhibits and content in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and director of Research and the Lincoln Collection in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.
"Japan and a Changing Asia" is the subject of a presentation beginning at 7:30 p.m., Monday, October 6, in Brookens Auditorium, lower level of Brookens Library at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The program is free and open to the public.
8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, September 27, Westminster Presbyterian Church, 533 S. Walnut in Springfield
Pre-sale for early shoppers - 3 to 5 p.m. Friday, September 26
$5 entrance fee will be charged on Friday; Saturday admission is free
Thousands of good-quality hardcover and paperback books, LPs, CDs, videos, and DVDs will be available.
All proceeds benefit the AAUW local scholarship fund that for over 35 years has provided support for women returning to school at UIS and St. John's College. Endowed and annual scholarships at UIS support four women annually, and one nursing scholarship is awarded at St. John's.
Event also supported by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.
For information or to donate items, contact Amy Green, AAUW educational foundation co-chair, at 546-3271 or e-mail booksale@juno.com.
99 Questions You’ve Always Wanted to Ask an African American but Were Too Afraid for Fear They’d Break Their Foot Off in Your A**, a new multi-media play addressing stereotypes commonly held about African Americans, will be presented beginning at 7 p.m., Wednesday, October 1, in the Studio Theatre, lower level of the Public Affairs Center at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The performance is free and open to the public. Created by actor/playwright/professor Mark Cryer (above left) in response to a racial slur written on a college student's door, 99 Questions is an attempt to break down barriers and begin conversations about race.
Cryer began his exploration armed with a video camera and a simple offer to anyone who chose to respond to the question "What have you always wanted to ask an African American, but were too afraid?" The result has been called "insightful, funny, poignant, and powerful."
An associate professor at Hamilton College where he teaches a variety of courses in acting and African American theatre, Cryer previously taught at Cornell University and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. His other plays include Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear, Buzzard Luck, and No Other People. His acting credits include performances off-Broadway, in television, film, and at many regional theatres.
The UIS Theatre program is co-sponsoring the performance, which is also presented as part of the ECCE Speakers Series at UIS -- events that aim to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university’s effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world.
Upcoming ECCE programs include "Japan and a Changing Asia," with international security expert R. Michael Schiffer, on October 6; "Lawyers, 'Lawfare,' the War on Terrorism, and the Rule of Law," with law professor Steve Vladeck, on October 9; and a screening and discussion of the documentary "What We Want, What We Believe" on October 13.
See the complete schedule of speakers and topics for the 2008 Fall Semester.
For more information about the performance of "99 Questions," contact Missy Thibodeaux-Thompson, UIS assistant professor of Theatre, at 206-8307.
For information about any ECCE event, contact series coordinator Kimberly Craig at 206-6245 or send an e-mail to speakerseries@uis.edu.
Featured objects for viewing will be Jupiter, the largest planet, and the moon.
Conducted by Charles Schweighauser and John Martin, UIS professors of Astronomy/Physics, Sunday Star Parties use a telescope specially designed to give people with disabilities access to the sky. This is the first telescope in the world designed for, and dedicated to, people with disabilities.
The modified eight-inch Schmidt Cassegrain telescope employs a traditional optical design but with a fixed eyepiece that brings the image to the viewer. This eyepiece can be moved backward and forward in its tube as much as seven inches without refocusing, and can accommodate anyone from a large person in a high wheelchair to a child in the lowest, smallest wheelchair. A laptop computer runs the telescope, eliminating the need for a large keyboard and monitor that can emit too much distracting light on the dark observation deck.
To make a reservation, or for more information, contact Schweighauser at 206-6721 no later than Friday, September 26, for the October 5 Star Party.
The program will be led by Dr. James Veselenak, UIS associate professor of Clinical Laboratory Science and Public Health.
The Emiquon Field Station is at The Nature Conservancy's Emiquon Preserve, located between Havana and Lewistown. 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.
See a map to Emiquon.
The program will start with a short discussion and slide show and then proceed to a mushroom hunt in the nearby woods. "Fall is the best time to hunt and photograph the elusive mushroom," said Veselenak. "There are more varieties in autumn than any other time of the year. Plus, the recent rain and moderate temperatures should provide ideal growing conditions for mushrooms."
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.
In case of rain, the program will be rescheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 7.
For more information, contact Mike Lemke, Emiquon Field Station Director, at lemke.michael@uis.edu or 217/206-7339.
Activities include lunch, tour of the Field Station, various family activities, canoe trips, and tour of the Dickson Mounds Museum
Transportation available -- leaving from the PAC teardrop entrance at 10 a.m. and returning after the event
The Emiquon Field Station is located on route 78/97, just north of Havana.
See a map to Emiquon and get updated information about the event.
To RSVP for transportation and/or attendance, contact Mike Lemke at 6-7339 or lemke.michael@uis.edu.
"Rethinking the Economics of Energy, Climate, and Food," an examination of sustainable agriculture, will be presented beginning at 7 p.m., Monday, September 29, in conference room C/D, lower level of the Public Affairs Center at the University of Illinois at Springfield. The program is free and open to the public. The featured speaker will be Dr. John Ikerd (above left), emeritus professor of agricultural economics at the University of Missouri-Columbia and a recognized expert on issues related to sustainable agriculture.
Ikerd's major research and educational efforts have included evaluations of the impact of sustainable agriculture on the quality of life for farm families and others in rural communities. He has also served as the head of a three-state, five-year program funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation that linked sustainable agriculture and sustainable community development. As Missouri's co-coordinator of extension programs in sustainable agriculture, Ikerd initiated a national professional development program for those whose jobs involved providing the public with information on the subject. He is the author of numerous books, including Sustainable Capitalism (Kumerian Press, 2005), A Return to Common Sense (R.T. Edwards Inc., 2007), and Small Farms are Real Farms (Acres USA).
Dr. Ikerd's address is presented as part of the ECCE Speakers Series at UIS -- events that aim to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university's effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world.
Upcoming ECCE programs include "99 Questions You've always Wanted to Ask an African American," with actor/playwright Mark Cryer, on October 1; "Japan and a Changing Asia," with international security expert R. Michael Schiffer, on October 6; and "Lawyers, 'Lawfare,' the War on Terrorism, and the Rule of Law," with law professor Steve Vladeck, on October 9. The complete schedule of speakers and topics for the 2008 Fall Semester is available at www.uis.edu/generaleducation/about/index.html.
For more information about Dr. Ikerd's presentation, contact Denise Keele, UIS assistant professor of Environmental Studies, at 206-7895.
For information about any ECCE event, contact Kimberly Craig, series coordinator, at 206-6245 or send an e-mail to speakerseries@uis.edu.
Detailed information – including audition materials and requirements and a complete performance calendar – is available at www.uis.edu/music. Interested musicians should download and review the auditions materials before calling the UIS Music Program at 217/206-8405 to schedule an appointment.
The Pep Band is traditional collegiate pep band of 20 or more members who play wind, brass, percussion, and electronic instruments. Twenty paid positions ($20/game) are available in this band.
The Basketball Jazz Combo is a six-member group comprising three horns of any type and a three-member rhythm section. Members of the Jazz Combo are paid $75 per game.
First performances for both bands will be Monday, September 29, at the UIS Homecoming Bonfire and Thursday, October 2, at the Student/Faculty Basketball Game.
For more information, contact Todd Cranson, UIS assistant director of co-curricular music, at rcran2@uis.edu.
Constitution Day was created by law in 2004 to honor the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787.
Panelists Bill Wheelhouse, general manager of public radio station WUIS; Dana Heupel, executive editor of Illinois Issues magazine; and Don Craven, attorney for the Illinois Press Association, will examine issues surrounding the First Amendment. Those unable to attend in person can watch a live webcast by going to www.uis.edu/technology/uislive.html at the time of the event.
The discussion is co-sponsored by UIS' Center for State Policy and Leadership, the campus' policy center, and is also part of the ECCE Speakers Series at UIS – events that aim to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university's effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world.
Upcoming ECCE programs include the documentary "Rethinking the Economics of Energy, Climate, and Food" with Dr. John Ickerd on September 29 and "99 Questions You’ve Always Wanted to Ask an African American" with actor/playwright Mark Cryer on October 1.
See the complete schedule of speakers and topics for the 2008 Fall Semester.
For more information about the panel discussion, contact Anthony Halter at 206-6576 or Dana Heupel at 206-6084.
For information about any ECCE event, contact Kimberly Craig, series coordinator, at 206-6245 or send an e-mail to speakerseries@uis.edu.
The University of Illinois at Springfield will be one of three host sites on Friday, September 19, for a progressive reception featuring art exhibits commemorating the Springfield Race Riot of 1908.
Other hosts for "Through the Eyes of Artists: Looking Back, Looking Forward" are the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and the Illinois State Museum. The event is free and open to the public and will feature artwork that captures the essence of the riot, its meaning, and what it can say to us today.
The reception begins at the Lincoln Presidential Library, Sixth and Jefferson Streets, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.; progresses to the State Museum, Spring and Edwards Streets, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.; and concludes at the UIS Visual Arts Gallery, located in room 201 of the Health and Sciences Building on the UIS campus, from 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Mike Miller, UIS associate professor of Visual Arts, is one of the organizers of the event, as well as a participating artist in the show at the Illinois State Museum. "Visual art is a powerful tool for instigating meaningful dialogue about critical issues in contemporary society," said Miller. "'Through the Eyes of Artists' continues a promising trend in the Springfield arts community of institutions working together to advance a common theme."
Luna notes that his installation springs from the idea that, in the right time and place, organic substances such as stones can "transcend the world of utilitarian tools and become objects that hold a spiritual soul and speak of knowledge of the other world." A special place in "Talking Stones" will accommodate a brick from the riot that "cast a dark shadow on the history of Springfield."
"In 1908…," the display at the Lincoln Presidential Library, features a work by Brian Gillis, formerly an assistant professor of Visual Arts at UIS. In this exhibit, Gillis turns historical sources into artworks that coax visitors into becoming witnesses. Sources include maps, arrest records, court proceedings, death records, National Guard documents, and oral histories.
The State Museum will present "Across the Divide: Reconsidering the Other," an exhibit featuring works in a variety of media by 16 leading contemporary artists that look back and forward and deal with race, ethnicity, religion, and other geo-political issues.
For more information on "Through the Eyes of Artists" call 217/558-8934 or go to www.abelincolnmuseum.org.
UIS Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For further information on "Talking Stones," go to www.uis.edu/visualarts/ or contact the gallery by phone at 217/206-6506 or by e-mail at visarts-ga@uis.edu.
Sessions for the three-day program will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, and from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Presented primarily for UIS students but open to others on a space-available basis, the program will be particularly helpful to those planning to apply to law school within the next two years.
Cost is $190. Advance registration is due by Wednesday, September 17.
"The primary purpose of this course is to provide affordable LSAT preparation to students who will eventually apply to law school," said Pre-Law Center Director Dennis Rendleman. "In addition, it gives students the confidence to know they can succeed on the LSAT."
Rendleman noted that the course includes two LSAT exams administered under simulated conditions; instructional sessions in each section of the exam; test-taking strategies and hints for better performance; and personal strategies and writing tips.
The program is presented with support from UIS' Institute for Legal, Legislative, and Policy Studies.
To register or for more information, send an e-mail to prelawcenter@uis.edu, or telephone 217/206-4529.
Business trainer Marion Richter will be on hand to offer networking tips. Participants will learn how to make a large number of contacts in a short amount of time, and will also have the opportunity to make actual contacts that can enhance their professional and personal lives.
Reservations should be made by September 26; early registration is strongly encouraged. To register, go to www.uiaa.org/spfld and click on "Speed Networking Experience."
For more information, contact the UIS Career Development Center at careerservices@uis.edu, phone 217/206-7544.
Noon to 1 p.m., Wednesday, September 24, in PAC G
Learn:
For more information, contact Karen Moranski at 6-7440
11 a.m.-noon, Wednesday, September 10, PAC G
Those who are unable to attend in person are invited to provide feedback via e-mail to any member of the energy task force: Al Barnhart, Dave Barrows, Joan Buckles, Joe Eck, Wes King, Marc Klingshirn, John Ringle, Tim Ritzo, and Tih-Fen Ting (chair).
Facilitated by Vince Flammini, visiting clinical instructor, Social Work, and Carolyn Peck, associate professor, Gerontology
Noon to 1 p.m. in PAC E
On four Thursdays: September 25, October 30, November 20, and December 18
For more information, contact Carolyn Peck at Cpeck2@uis.edu.
Presented by the Office of UIS Alumni Relations
Charles Schweighauser, professor of Astronomy/Physics at UIS, says that the experiment -- being conducted by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and involving the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – will attempt to answer questions like "What is matter?" "What was matter like within the first second of the Universe's life?" and "Do extra dimensions of space really exist?"
Schweighauser says the scientific community is anticipating results that may very well open up a whole new way of looking at the Universe. "Our understanding of the Universe is about to change," he notes. "A lot of physicists will be disappointed if a whole new Physics doesn't come out of this experiment."
The LHC will be activated on September 10.
To help the public gain some sense of the scope and importance of the experiment, Schweighauser and two other UIS professors will present "Discovering a More Beautiful Universe with the Large Hadron Collider" beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 28, in conference room F, located on the lower level of the Public Affairs Center at UIS. The illustrated program will be presented for a general audience and is free and open to the public.
Schweighauser will facilitate the discussion and will begin the program with "The Large Hadron Collider and How it Works," a discussion of the instrument itself.
Following Schweighauser's presentation, Dr. Hei Chi Chan, associate professor of Mathematical Sciences, will discuss "The Physics behind the Experiment: What they're looking for and hope to find."
Following Chan, Dr. John Martin, assistant professor of Astronomy/Physics, will speak on "The Physics Involved and How It Relates to the Early Universe," an examination of what the experiment may reveal about many unanswered questions on how the Universe evolved.
A question-and-answer session will follow the three presentations.
The Large Hadron Collider is a gigantic particle accelerator housed in a 27-kilometre tunnel near Geneva, Switzerland, and relies on technologies that until recently did not exist. LHC experiments are expected to provide insights into questions such as what gives matter its mass, what the invisible 96 percent of the Universe is made of, why nature prefers matter to antimatter, and how matter evolved from the first instants of the Universe's existence.
CERN is the world's leading laboratory for particle physics. Headquartered in Geneva, it has 20 member nations; six other countries including the United States, as well as two international organizations, have been granted Observer status. CERN is one of the world's largest and most respected centers for scientific research. Its business is fundamental physics, finding out what the Universe is made of and how it works.
For more information, contact Schweighauser at 217/206-6721.
Written and produced by David Antoine, staff member in the Office of Electronic Media at UIS, this film examines Springfield's August 1908 race riot through historical photographs, dramatic readings, and re-enactments of original newspaper accounts. Comments from historians and eyewitnesses are also included.
Political Art and the Public Sphere is a monthly event on the UIS campus; each program features a showing or performance of some kind of "political art," followed by a group discussion of the issues it raises. "The basic idea is to consider how 'art' raises provocative social and political questions," said series facilitator Richard Gilman-Opalsky, UIS assistant professor of political philosophy.
This fall the PAPS series will focus on questions of race and class in 20th century American politics. Topics for subsequent programs will include the Black Panther Party and the disenfranchisement of black voters in the 2004 elections.
"Public spheres are the places where people come together to communicate, to evaluate, and to circulate ideas and arguments," said Gilman-Opalsky. "In the public sphere, people form a collective political opinion and will. Ultimately and ideally, the public sphere brings the interests and demands of the public to bear on those who hold power."
The presentation of "Springfield Had No Shame" is also co-sponsored by the ECCE Speakers Series at UIS – events that aim to exemplify engaged citizenship as part of the university's effort to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world.
The next PAPS event will be a showing of the film "What We Want, What We Believe" at 6 p.m. Monday, October 13, in Brookens Auditorium. For more information about the PAPS series, contact Gilman-Opalsky by phone at 206-8328 or by e-mail at rgilm3@uis.edu.
Programs in the ECCE series are campus-sponsored lectures or other events exemplifying engaged citizenship. The series is also part of the Engaged Citizenship Common Experience, a set of courses taken by undergraduates at UIS to foster appreciation for and practice of diversity and the active effort to make a difference in the world.
All events in the speakers series are free and open to the public.
On Thursday, September 11, James Loewen, author, professor, and expert in race relations, will speak on "Lincoln's Unfinished Legacy" beginning at 7 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus.
A native of Decatur, Dr. Loewen taught race relations for 20 years at the University of Vermont and was also on the faculty at Tougaloo College in Mississippi. He has been an expert witness in more than 50 civil rights, voting rights, and employment cases. His book Sundown Towns was chosen as a Distinguished Book of 2005 by the Gustavus Myers Foundation and he is the recipient of an Oliver Cromwell Cox Award for Distinguished Anti-Racist Scholarship.
On Monday, September 15, the documentary "Springfield Had No Shame" will be shown at 6 p.m., also in Brookens Auditorium.
Written and produced by David Antoine, staff member in UIS' Office of Electronic Media, this film examines the riot through historical photographs, dramatic readings, and re-enactments of original newspaper accounts. Commentary from historians and eyewitnesses is also included.
This event is presented in conjunction with UIS Political Art and the Public Sphere series, monthly programs that consider how 'art' raises provocative social and political questions.
On Wednesday, October 1, "99 Questions You’ve Always Wanted to Ask an African American but Were Too Afraid for Fear They'd Break Their Foot Off in Your A**" -- a multi-media play by Mark Cryer that addresses stereotypes commonly held about African Americans -- will be presented beginning at 7 p.m., in the Studio Theatre, lower level of UIS’ Public Affairs Center.
On Monday, October 13, "What We Want, What We Believe," a documentary about the Black Panther Party, will be shown at 6 p.m. in Brookens Auditorium. In the 1960s and '70s Newsreel Films served as the unofficial recorder of much of the group's activities, and the film has been called "not a documentary so much as living history preserved on film." This program is also part of the PAPS series.
On Thursday, October 23, noted historian and author Dr. Roberta Senechal will speak on "Centennial of Fire" beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Public Affairs Center. Her book The Sociogenesis of a Race Riot: Springfield, Illinois, in 1908 (University of Illinois Press, 1990) received the Illinois State Historical Society Superior Achievement Award in 1991 and the Gustavus Myers Center Award for the Study of Human Rights in the United States in 1992.
See the complete schedule of speakers and topics for the 2008 fall ECCE Speakers Series, or contact series coordinator Kimberly Craig at 206-6245 or speakerseries@uis.edu.
A variety of other events related to the riot centennial, ranging from an art installation to special podcasts, is planned at UIS throughout the fall semester.
"Welcome Back/Meet and Greet"
4:30 - 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, September 9, in VPA 170
All students, faculty, and staff members with an interest in theatre are welcome.
