Our staff are working remotely during winter break.

You can reach a CAN Advocate until December 23 and after January 5:

Outside our regular business hours, you can contact a 24-hour hotline anytime to speak with an advocate via phone, text, or online chat. More details here.

We look forward to seeing you in spring semester. Wishing you a warm holiday season and a happy new year!

[ID: Light blue, white, and grey leaves, branches, and stars framing a wide, dark blue square. In the center is light blue text that reads, "Winter Hours & Resources."]

UIC Students: We're putting together our Spring 2026 schedule for HEALS, a gathering space for student survivors of domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, harassment, stalking, and family abuse and their allies.

We'd greatly appreciate it if you could fill out a quick survey to share your availability and suggestions for our meetups!

[ID: Six hands in various skin shades forming a heart around a pink starburst. Around them is text describing the HEALS Spring 2026 survey.]

Our team has put together a list of movies, books, and more for you to check out during winter and take a well-deserved break from school.

We hope you enjoy these recommendations and have a relaxing time off!

What we'll be doing:

TV Shows

Movies

Books

Music & Podcasts

Activities & Places to Go

[ID: "Winter Recommendations" in dark blue text on top of a large white snowflake. Behind that is snow falling from an evergreen branch and a snow-covered hilly patch of ground.]

As the fall semester progresses and many of you and your families are being impacted by the actions of ICE and their abductions, WLRC and the Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change (CCUSC) want to underline our ongoing support to you all. Remember that there are multiple pillars on campus to help you stay resolute in completing your studies.

As you continue to fight the good fight, know that you are not alone in the urgency you are feeling. Our space is open to study, gather in community, and check in with

staff. We are here to support your academic success through the end of the semester and beyond. We will continue to find courage in our solidarity and community, fight injustice, and build spaces of love and care.

Additional Campus Resources:

[ID: "Persevering through the Semester and Beyond: A message of support for our students" surrounded by monarch butterflies and school supplies, all on a purple background.]

Survivors, we are here for you! Please reach out to the Campus Advocacy Network any time you need support, information, resources, answers, and/or advocacy related to safety, healing, or gender-based violence (sexual assault, domestic/dating violence, stalking, harassment, family abuse).

Our services are free, confidential, and open to all members of the UIC community.

We can help you

We're also here for allies! Please reach out to us if you are in a role where you may need to support survivors on campus (instructors, mentors, advisors, student leaders, friends, or colleagues) or have questions about resources, mandated reporting, and more. 

To connect with an advocate:

[ID: A grey t-shirt with "Someone you love is a survivor" painted on it, and a brown tabletop with a few buttons on it. The buttons have messages including "Take a stand," "Survivor," "Love shouldn't hurt," "Feminist," and "Be a voice."]

If you are a student leader, instructor, or supervisor, please consider inviting CAN to speak to your class through our Don’t Cancel Your Class! program, or request a training for your department, college, student organization, or other campus unit. 

[ID: Three students participating in a dating timeline activity on a tabletop.]

Faculty, please include info about us in your curriculum and syllabus:

"If you have experienced sexual assault, domestic/dating violence, stalking, or harassment, there is help available. The Campus Advocacy Network provides free and confidential services to UIC students, faculty, and staff who have experienced or are experiencing interpersonal violence. 

Pregnant and parenting students are also welcome to contact CAN for resources, information, and support.

If you would like to speak with an advocate, please email CAN at can-appointment@uic.edu, call (312) 413-8206 and leave a voicemail message, text (312) 488-9784, or fill out CAN's Ask An Advocate form online at can.uic.edu/ask. To learn more, visit CAN's website at can.uic.edu."

[ID: A CAN team member standing next to a presentation screen and facilitating a discussion on how to respond to a disclosure of gender-based violence.]

UIC Student Affairs: 2026-2027 Scholarships
Apply by January 29
Applications are now available for competitive scholarships that will support undergraduate students across campus colleges and academic disciplines.

UIC United Faculty: Apply for the Student Fast Fund
The UICUF FAST Fund is now taking applications for grants of up to $500 to support students in emergency financial situations. 

UIC IRRPP: Funding Opportunities for Faculty & Grad Students
IRRPP welcomes scholars from all disciplines and especially encourages those from historically underrepresented backgrounds to apply.

University of Toronto: Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship
Apply by January 5
Applications open for 2026-2027, with the possibility of a one-year renewal, to support emerging scholars pursuing research in queer, trans, and LGBTQ2+ studies.

The Gay & Lesbian Review / Worldwide: Charles S. Longcope Jr. Writers and Artists Grant
Apply by February 15
Awarded to emerging scholars, writers, and artists to write an article for The G&LR and to begin, complete, or advance LGBTQ+ related writing and other creative projects.

UIC Asian American Resource and Cultural Center: Asian American Leadership Certificate
Apply by December 19
Learn leadership skills through an Asian American lens and how to implement a plan of action. 

Pilsen Food Pantry: Spring Internship
Apply by December 29 (apps reviewed on a rolling basis)
Interns will have the opportunity to be active participants in our food and clothing distribution programs; participate in research; learn more about the inner-workings of non-profit organizations; and gain early experience in interdisciplinary collaboration.

The Network: Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month Sticker Art Contest
Submit by January 7
Want to use your creativity to shine a light on healthy relationships this February? Enter our 2nd Annual Sticker Contest! Three winners will receive a $100 e-gift card!

YWCA Evanston/North Shore: 40-Hour Domestic Violence Training
January 26 - February 6
Comprehensive 40-hour ICDVP training at YWCA Evanston/North Shore covers domestic violence dynamics, legal issues, counseling, and more.

UIC Law Pro Bono Litigation Clinic: Free Name & Gender Marker Changes
Students assist transgender individuals with changing their names and identification documents, prepare necessary court documents, and appear in court on behalf of individuals at hearings. Includes court and document fees.

CAASE: Upcoming Events
The Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE) addresses the culture, institutions, and individuals that perpetrate, profit from, or support sexual exploitation through prevention, policy reform, community engagement, and legal service.

Resilience: Upcoming Events
Resilience works to end rape culture and empower sexual assault survivors through advocacy, education, and healing.
- NEW in January: Intimacy After Assault Groups for couples and individuals

Check out what's happening at all our sibling centers this week!

Founded as a direct result of campus activism, the UIC Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change (CCUSC) work collectively to produce knowledge and shift university culture, validating the multidimensional lived experiences of historically and currently excluded communities.

Informed by social justice frameworks, the Centers support students, faculty, and staff as they build a strong identity and sense of belonging, becoming change agents for a more just campus and society.

The Centers connect our communities and design intercultural and engaged-learning opportunities, student mentorship programs, cultural programming, advocacy, collaborative research, and community partnerships.

Through these efforts, the Centers expand the educational and transformational mission of UIC.

In light of actual and potential threats to our communities, both here at UIC and throughout the Chicago area, it's important to know what our rights are when interacting with immigration and other federal law enforcement officers.

WHAT TO DO

UIC's administration has shared official protocols for such interactions on campus.

If you need assistance or suspect ICE presence anywhere in IL, please call the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) Hotline: 1-855-435-7693.

[ID: Details about ICIRR's Family Support Network Hotline: 855-435-7693.]

CAMPUS RESOURCES

UPCOMING TRAININGS & EVENTS

We are here for you and will continue to share resources and information with our campus community.

UIC Women’s Leadership and Resource Center
& Campus Advocacy Network

1700 Student Services Building (MC 363)
1200 W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60607

(312) 413-1025 ∙ wlrc@uic.edu ∙ wlrc.uic.edu

Subscribe:
Did someone forward you this newsletter? Please subscribe to ensure you receive future updates!

Missed a newsletter?
Visit our archive to read recent weekly digests.