UIS celebrates 18th annual Homecoming Weekend

The University of Illinois Springfield invites the local community to celebrate our 18th annual Homecoming Weekend on October 10 & 11. The theme of Homecoming 2014 is “Paint the Cornfield Blue”. The following is a partial list of events. To view a full list of Homecoming activities, visit www.uis.edu/homecoming/.

UIS Homecoming Parade

WHAT: The parade is an annual tradition of Homecoming at UIS. We hope you come out to enjoy the festivities, the UIS band and much more!

WHEN: Friday, October 10, 2014 at 4:15 p.m.

WHERE: UIS Campus – The parade will start in parking lot C-north and end in parking lot G south of the University Hall Building. The best place to view the parade is along Eliza Farnham Drive, near Founders Residence Hall.

DETAILS: Community members are encouraged to attend to watch the parade, enjoy, and learn more about the many student organizations, athletics teams, campus departments, businesses, & nonprofits that participate in the parade.

UIS Homecoming BBQ 

WHAT: The UIS Student Activities Committee (SAC) will host its annual BBQ following the parade. This will coincide with the soccer games.

WHEN: Friday, October 10, 2014 from 4:45 to 7:15 p.m.

WHERE: South Quad near the University Hall Building

DETAILS: Come join us for food, drinks, and fun. There is a cost for non-students. UIS students are free with a valid iCard.

UIS Prairie Stars Men’s and Women’s Soccer 

WHAT: The NCAA Division II men’s and women’s soccer teams will play Rockhurst during the annual homecoming game.

WHEN: Friday, October 10, 2014 – The women’s game begins at 5 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Kiwanis Stadium at UIS

DETAILS: Admission to the games is $8 for adults and children are $3. UIS students, faculty and staff are free with a valid iCard. Following the men’s soccer game, there will be a free fireworks display.

UIS Prairie Stars Volleyball

WHAT: The UIS Prairie Stars Volleyball team will play Bellarmine.

WHEN: Friday, October 10, 2014 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: The Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC) at UIS

DETAILS: Admission to the games is $6 for adults and $3 for children. UIS students, faculty and staff are free with a valid iCard.

UIS Students vs. UIS Alumni/Faculty/Staff Basketball Game 

WHAT: Students will face off against Alumni/Faculty/Staff in a basketball game designed to foster teamwork.

WHEN: Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 1 p.m.

WHERE: Student Life Building Gymnasium at UIS

DETAILS: Admission is free

UIS Prairie Stars Volleyball 

WHAT: The UIS Prairie Stars Volleyball team will play Southern Indiana.

WHEN: Saturday, October 11, 2014 at 3 p.m.

WHERE: The Recreation and Athletic Center (TRAC) at UIS

DETAILS: Admission to the games is $6 for adults and children are $3. UIS students, faculty and staff are free with a valid iCard.

Prairie Stars Athletics Hall of Fame Induction 

WHAT: The first class will be inducted into the new Prairie Stars Athletics Hall of Fame.

WHEN: Saturday, October 11, 2014 (Reception at 6:30 p.m., formal ceremony at 7:30 p.m.)

WHERE: Public Affairs Center at UIS

DETAILS: Celebrate with us as we induct Aydin Gonulsen (coach & administrator), Elias Shehadi (soccer, 1976-1979), Carla (Jimenez) Mills (tennis, 1998-2000), Harold Christofilakos (friend of the Prairie Stars) and the 1986 National Champion Men's Soccer Team to the Hall of Fame.

Guests must preregister for the reception in the Food Emporium in PAC. For $25, guests can enjoy beer & wine along with hors d'oeuvres from 6:30-7:30 p.m. along with light refreshments during intermission of the ceremony. Please register at www.UISPrairieStars.com/HallofFame by October 3.

The ceremony is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis.

UIS Speakers Series examines "The New Black: Family, Faith, and the Fight for Equality"

The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series explores how the African-American community is grappling with the gay rights issue in light of the recent gay marriage movement and fight for civil rights with a screening of the documentary film The New Black: Family, Faith, and the Fight for Equality. A discussion will follow by award-winning filmmaker Yoruba Richen. 

The film and discussion will take place Monday, October 6, 2014 at 6 p.m. in UIS Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library.

The New Black: Family, Faith, and the Fight for Equality documentary film takes viewers into the pews, onto the streets and seats them at the kitchen table as it charts the evolution of the divisive issue of marriage equality within the Black community leading up to the passage of Maryland’s historic marriage equality act in 2012. 

Richen has been awarded the Creative Promise Award at Tribeca All Access and has served as a Sundance producers’ fellow. She has directed and produced films in the U.S. and abroad. Her experience includes serving as an investigative producer for ABC News and Democracy Now. Richen teaches documentary film at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and is a Guggenheim Fellow. 

The film, discussion, and reception are sponsored by the UIS Diversity Center; UIS Brookens Library; and the UIS Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning and Allied (LGBTQA) Resource Office.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. 

All events are free and open to the public.

UIS Lunch & Learn Series to discuss Cubs and Cardinals baseball history

The University of Illinois Springfield Alumni SAGE Society and Illinois State Historical Society welcomes Cubs and Cardinals fans alike to the first Lunch and Learn Series event of the semester titled “Boys of Summer."

The Lunch & Learn will be Thursday, October 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Public Affairs Center (PAC) Conference Room C/D, located on the lower level of the PAC on the UIS campus.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the St. Louis Cardinals’ 1964 World Series Championship and the 100th anniversary of Wrigley Field. Join us for a lively discussion about the Cardinals, the Cubs and Wrigley Field, with Sports Editor Jim Ruppert and Sportswriter Dave Kane from The State Journal-Register. The event will be moderated by UIS professor and baseball historian Dr. Michael Cheney. 

The cost for the hot buffet lunch and program is $20/per person. Reservations are requested, as seating is limited. Seating is available in the back for those who do not purchase the luncheon buffet. A discounted series subscription is available for $50/per person.

Other upcoming Lunch & Learn events include “Discourse and Discord” on November 13 and “Celebrating the Holidays” on December 11. These lunch-time programs will stimulate thinking as they build upon the university's tradition of open and intelligent dialogue.

For more information, contact the UI Alumni Association at UIS at 217/206-7395 or email alumni@uis.edu.

UIS hosts "Foot in the Door" Career Fair for students, alumni, and community members

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Career Development Center will host the 2014 “Foot in the Door” Career Fair for students, alumni, and community members looking for full-time positions, part-time jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities. The event is free to all attendees. A minimum business casual dress code will be observed.

WHEN: Thursday, September 25, 2014 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for UIS students, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. for members of the general public

WHERE: The Recreations and Athletic Center (TRAC) on the UIS campus

DETAILS: The “Foot in the Door” Career Fair is intended to connect students, alumni and community members with employers to discuss career opportunities in a broad range of available positions. Attendees are encouraged to bring their resumes and networking cards to the event.

A partial list of off-campus employers attending includes Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Dot Foods, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), H.D. Smith, Hope Institute, Horace Mann, Illinois Government (Dept. of Revenue, Office of the Auditor General, Prisoner Review Board, Dept. of Human Services), LRS Consulting Services, Memorial Medical Center, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and United States Postal Service Information Technology. The complete listing of employers can be found online at www.uis.edu/career.

This event is hosted by the UIS Career Development Center and the UIS Volunteer and Civic Engagement Center, in collaboration with WIUS/Illinois Issues and Watts Copy Systems, Inc.

For more information about the “Foot in the Door” Career Fair, go online to www.uis.edu/career or call the Career Development Center at 217/206-6508. Individuals requesting disability related accommodations should also contact the UIS Career Development Center.

UIS Visual Arts Gallery presents group exhibition featuring over 30 national artists

The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is pleased to present I’m Jealous of Your Failure, a group exhibition that showcases interpretations of failure, personal or otherwise. The exhibit contains the work of over 30 contemporary artists from all over the country and is curated by Trew Schriefer.

I’m Jealous of Your Failure will open on Monday, September 29 and runs through Thursday, October 23. A reception for the exhibit will take place on Thursday, October 2 from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. All events are free and open to the public.

“In the beginning, I asked the participating artists to submit a work that they felt was a ‘failure’ in their own studio practice,” said Schriefer, a Moline, Illinois native.

The thematic direction of the show expanded from there, but, as several of the works included will reflect, remained rooted in the exploration of failure.

Exhibiting artists include John Phillip Abbott, Timothy Bergstrom, Valerie Brennan, Todd Chilton, Ryan Travis Christian, Bill Conger, Paul DeMuro, Austin Eddy, Andreas Fischer, Ted Gahl, Richard Galling, Benjamin Gardner, Ethan Gill, Shara Hughes, Stacie Johnson, Bob Jones, Brian Kapernekas, Judy Ledgerwood, Marcie Oakes, Michael Rea, Nina Rizzo, Steve Ruiz, Cordy Ryman, Trew Schriefer, Peter Shear, Geoffrey Todd Smith, Jason Stopa, Michael Wille, and Scott Wolniak.

The UIS Visual Arts Gallery is centrally located on the UIS campus in the Health and Science Building, room 201 (HSB 201). Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information exhibition programming, please visit the UIS Visual Arts Gallery website,  or contact the gallery at 217/ 206-6506 or alach3@uis.edu.

UIS Speakers Series examines "Cultural Gaps in Education" as part of Hispanic Heritage Month

The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series continues its focus on Hispanic Heritage Month with a discussion and film screening of Storming the Gates: The Struggle for Access to Higher Education in Illinois, led by industry expert Detmer "DJ" Wells of the Kaleidoscope Group.

The film screening and discussion will take place at Brookens Auditorium on Wednesday, October 1, 2014 at 6 p.m.

Storming the Gates: The Struggle for Access to Higher Education in Illinois is a documentary which traces the history of how minorities gained admission into major academic institutions in Illinois.
 The film illustrates the links between access and the civil rights movements of Blacks and Latinos in the 60s and 70s as well as the role Illinois played in the national struggle for access and equality.

Wells' discussion will include the importance of black and brown people uniting against actions that would cut back on affirmative action gains.

Wells has an extensive background in higher education, including working for the Urban Health Program at University of Illinois at Chicago campus, which seeks to address both health and educational access for traditionally underrepresented minority students in the health professions. He is currently a Vice President at the Kaleidoscope Group, a full service diversity and inclusion consulting firm, and an adjunct faculty member at Governors State University.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, click here.

All events are free and open to the public.

UIS Speaker Series explores "Culture, Identity, and Sports: Indigenous Mexican Migrants Shooting Hoops"

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series continues its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month delving into how anthropology can offer a deeper understanding of sports and insight into current immigration debates. The featured speaker will be Bernardo Ramirez Rios, a visiting faculty member from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York.

WHEN: Thursday, September 25, 2014 at 7 p.m.

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

DETAILS: Many migrant populations are marginalized and exploited because of their social and political status. Cultural anthropologist Ramirez Rios will explore how Oaxacan migrants from Southern Mexico use basketball to create community and promote identity in the U.S. and Mexico.

Using a discussion, photography and video format, Ramirez Rios will show how the popular sport helps migrant withstand their daily struggles.

Ramirez Rios is a third generation Mexican-American from Sacramento, California. Inspired into equality and social justice work by his parents, who were active in the Chicano movement, Ramirez Rios has conducted field work in Oaxaca, Mexico and Southern California. He has published Torneo Transnacional: Shooting Hoops in Oaxacalifornia and the photographic essay La Copa Benito Juarez: Oaxaqueno Basketball in the USA and Mexico.

This series is co-sponsored by the UIS Organization of Latin American Students, UIS Department of Sociology and Anthropology, UIS Department of Women and Gender Studies, UIS Athletics and the Baymont Inn.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. All events are free and open to the public.

UIS Speaker Series celebrates Latino contributions with "The Indigenous Heritage of Latin America"

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series and Organization of Latin American Students kick off Hispanic Heritage Month by examining “The Indigenous Heritage of Latin America”. The featured speaker will be nationally-known multicultural motivational speaker Bobby Gonzalez.

WHEN: Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 7 p.m.

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

DETAILS: Many of society’s incredible contributions in the fields of agriculture, linguistics, art, religion and medicine were made by the Inca, Maya, Aztec, Taino and other First Peoples of Central and South America and the Caribbean. With his unique storytelling ability, Gonzalez will explain how present-day Mexico City was a marvel of advanced architecture and engineering and how the brilliant mathematicians from Latin America developed the concept of zero centuries before the Europeans. Come learn more about why Latinos should be proud of their indigenous ancestry.

González seeks to empower his audiences by encouraging them to embrace their heritage and use this knowledge to create a dynamic future. He draws on his Native American (Taino) and Latino (Puerto Rican) roots to offer a unique repertoire of discourses, readings and performances that celebrates his indigenous heritage. He has published two books, Song of the American Holocaust, and The Last Puerto Rican Indian, and the soon to be released Taino Zen. He is also the event coordinator & master of ceremonies for the annual Bronx Native American Festival.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. All events are free and open to the public.

UIS Speakers Series examines "The Constitution and Slavery"

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speakers Series will host a Constitution Day event examining the “social, political, economic and human rights issue” of slavery in today’s world. The featured speaker will be UIS Associate Professor Emerita Kathryn Eisenhart.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 at 7 p.m.

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

DETAILS: Despite being legally abolished in the Americas in the nineteenth century, Slavery is alive and well in today’s world existing even in Chicago and Springfield. It is a social, political, economic and human rights issue that most people don’t see or recognize.

Eisenhart will focus on the effect of slavery on the birth of our nation and its laws. She will use history as the platform for the drafting of a constitution legally protecting slavery. She argues that we cannot understand ourselves until we acknowledge the effect of slavery on our society in 1778 and in 2014.

Eisenhart joined the faculty of the UIS Department of Legal Studies in 1992. She earned her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law and her B.A. from Northeastern Illinois University, both in Chicago. Through the years she has taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate core courses and electives on topics such as employment law, comparative law and human rights. Her interest in slavery began the year she started preparing her course on human rights.

For a list of other upcoming ECCE Speakers Series events and more information, visit http://illinois.edu/goto/speakerseries. All events are free and open to the public.

UIS hosts poverty simulation to demonstrate the challenges low-income families face

WHAT: The University of Illinois Springfield, in collaboration with the Illinois Association of Community Action Agencies, will host a poverty simulation designed to educate students, policy makers, and community leaders about the typical day-to-day challenges of low-income families.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

WHERE: The Recreation & Athletic Center (TRAC) at UIS

DETAILS: The Community Action Poverty Simulation (CAPS) objective is to help participants understand the challenges and barriers faced by real people struggling to make ends meet.

During a simulation, participants will role-play the lives of low-income families, from single parents trying to care for their children to senior citizens trying to maintain their self-sufficiency. The task of each family is to provide food, shelter and other basic necessities during the simulation while interacting with various community resources.

Although it uses “play” money, fictional scenarios, and time limits, CAPS is not a game. It is a simulation tool that enables participants to view poverty from different angles in an experiential setting.

After the simulation participants will engage in an in-depth debriefing and discussion of their simulation experience, enabling participants to view the complexities of poverty from different angles.

The simulation is part of a War on Poverty Forum series which will also feature a screening of the film American Winter on Oct. 20 and a War of Poverty Panel Discussion on Nov. 12.

For more information, contact Lorena Johnson, program director in the UIS Institute for Legal and Policy Studies, at 217/206-6079 or ljohn04s@uis.edu.