SAAM continues! Please join us to learn how to support survivors, build healthy relationships, and create a culture of care and action at UIC and beyond! GO.UIC.EDU/SAAM

HEALS: Survivor Skill-Building: Completing an Impossible Task
Thursday, April 16

Sex Ed After Dark: Sex Toy Bingo & Trivia
Tuesday, April 21

HEALS: “Shame Must Change Sides”: Navigating Violence in the Media
Thursday, April 23

HEALS: Standing Silent Witness
Friday, April 24

Queer Stories: I Used to Be Funny
Tuesday, April 28

HEALS: May Day: Celebrating Survivor Labor
Thursday, April 30

[ID: A list of events in white text on a teal gradient background. At the top is a teal awareness ribbon with the UIC circle logo and "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" on top of it in white. Behind this are images from various event posters.]

Thursday, April 16
3-4pm | Zoom
Audience: UIC Students

Are you working on something that feels impossible--finishing a paper, sending an email, or scheduling a doctor’s appointment? Join HEALS for a skill-building session on why tasks can feel paralyzing for survivors and strategies for getting unstuck.

HEALS: Healing for Engagement, Action, & Leadership by Survivors is a drop-in gathering space for UIC students who have experienced gender-based violence and those who support them.

[ID: A list of four events on a light blue background. At the top is "HEALS Community for Survivors of Sexual & Domestic Violence" in white text on a purple background, with a white heart and a teal awareness ribbon to its left.]

Monday, April 20
12-2pm | EIEP Lounge, 2260 SELE
Audience: UIC Students

Celebrate the end of the semester and join us for a fun and creative zine-making session where you can reflect on Spring 2026, highlight your wins (big or small), and connect with our community. We will provide all instructions and materials--we just need you to come celebrate your collective wins!

[ID: "Zines" in magazine cut-out letters and "and wins!" in whimsical text. Above that is the PERSIST(Σ) logo, a stylized gear with a flower in the center. At the bottom are details about the event. In the background is crumpled white paper with scattered hearts and flowers.]

Tuesday, April 21
6-7:30pm | 242 ARC
Audience: UIC Students

Come play Sex Toy Bingo and Sex Ed Trivia! We’ll chat about building healthy sexual relationships and give away sex toys, condoms, Plan B, and other prizes.

Learn how consent and communication make intimacy more fun and fulfilling. Don’t miss a night of laughter, learning, and free goodies!

[ID: A series of sex toys on a bingo card, with details about the Sex Toy Bingo event below.]

Thursday, April 23
3-4pm | Zoom
Audience: UIC Students

It can be hard to focus--let alone heal!--amidst the constant barrage of violence in the media. Join us to process ways that gender-based violence shows up in our feeds, learn coping skills, and recenter survivors’ voices.

HEALS: Healing for Engagement, Action, & Leadership by Survivors is a drop-in gathering space for UIC students who have experienced gender-based violence and those who support them.

[ID: A list of four events on a light blue background. At the top is "HEALS Community for Survivors of Sexual & Domestic Violence" in white text on a purple background, with a white heart and a teal awareness ribbon to its left.]

Tuesday, April 28
6-7:30pm | JST Event Center
Audience: UIC Students, Staff, Faculty

Join us for a screening of I Used To Be Funny! Come for snacks and conversation, and stay for the  queer-centered community space. All UIC students, staff, and faculty are welcome!

[ID: The face of actor Rachel Sennott, shown looking up, with her hair blowing wildly in the wind. At the top is "Feminist Films" in large grey text. At the bottom are details about the event.]

Thursday, April 30
3-4pm | Zoom
Audience: UIC Students

May 1st is May Day! Take a break from finals to lift up yourself and other survivors’ work, advocacy, and leadership.

HEALS: Healing for Engagement, Action, & Leadership by Survivors is a drop-in gathering space for UIC students who have experienced gender-based violence (domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, harassment, stalking, and family abuse) and those who support them.

[ID: A list of four events on a light blue background. At the top is "HEALS Community for Survivors of Sexual & Domestic Violence" in white text on a purple background, with a white heart and a teal awareness ribbon to its left.]

Friday, April 24
12-1pm | Daley Plaza
Audience: UIC Students, Staff, Faculty

Join us at Standing Silent Witness, Resilience’s signature event for Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

In this powerful visual demonstration of the silencing of survivors of sexual violence, participants will gather silently for one hour at Daley Plaza, wearing t-shirts adorned with messages and stories protesting sexual violence and rape culture.

At the end of the hour, we will break the silence and hear directly from survivors.

To travel with us to Daley Plaza, meet at the Harrison & Morgan bus stop in front of BSB at 11:30 AM, and we’ll take the #60 Bus traveling east.

We also invite you to stop by WLRC from April 20 to 24 to make a poster or t-shirt before the event.

[ID: A list of four events on a light blue background. At the top is "HEALS Community for Survivors of Sexual & Domestic Violence" in white text on a purple background, with a white heart and a teal awareness ribbon to its left.]

Saturday, April 25
11am - 2pm | Children's Center Playground
Audience: UIC Students & their families

We’re excited to celebrate you! Join us for a relaxed, family-friendly gathering honoring UIC parenting students—especially our 2025–2026 graduates. Come enjoy community, recognition, and family fun!

[ID: A parent and children at a snack table at a large festival. Above and around them are details about the Graduation Celebration for UIC Parenting Students in colorful text.]

Meet Nate Chang Sawyer, CCUSC Community Mental Health Intern!

As the Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change (CCUSC) community mental health intern, Nate offers different kinds of 1:1 student support including but not limited to:

- mental health/therapeutic support
- connections to resources and mutual aid, and
- advocacy support while navigating institutional barriers and academic ableism.

As a Taiwanese-American graduate student with lived experience of mental illness and psychiatric disability, Nate’s work is centered on collaborating with fellow students to imagine and build structures of collective care inside the university.

There are no costs or session caps. Meetings can be scheduled via email (nsawy@uic.edu) for both in-person and remote. Nate’s office is in 4080 BSB.

[ID: Info about services provided by CCUSC Community Mental Health Intern Nate Chang Sawyer.]

As the academic year 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.

To connect with an advocate:

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. 

[ID: A grey t-shirt with "Someone you love is a survivor" painted on it in red and white. Red and black hearts are scattered around the words.]

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.]

Cook County Health: Provident Scholarship
Apply by April 19
The Health Professionals Scholarship provides up to $20,000 to medical students and students in graduate-level clinical and behavioral health academic programs. The Allied Health Scholarship provides up to $10,000 to individuals pursuing allied health careers such as nursing, behavioral health, and students in select certification programs.

UIC Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement: Urban Public Policy Fellowship
Apply by May 3
Provides seminars covering public policy-making, advocacy, community development, and service provision. Open to undergraduate students from all academic areas.

UIC United Faculty: Apply for the Student Fast Fund
Provides grants of up to $500 to students in emergency financial situations. 

UIC Black Studies: Grace Holt Celebration: Black Creative Resistance
April 7-15
Each year, we uphold Grace Holt's commitment to Black Studies and celebrate our community through a keynote presentation, series of community and scholarly events, and recognition of students.

UIC Police: Stronger Together: Domestic Violence Resource Fair
Wednesday, April 15 | 12-2pm, Student Center West
Learn more about local shelters, legal assistance, counseling services, hotlines, orders of protection, and other safety and support resources. WLRC's Campus Advocacy Network will have a table there--please stop by!

UIC Social Justice Initiative: Massacre River: The Woman Without a Country
Wednesday, April 15 | 6pm, Chicago Justice Gallery
Join us for a special documentary screening about race, statelessness, and the Dominican-Haitian borderlands. A discussion with Dr. Lorgia García Peña, Dr. Manoucheka Celeste, Dr. Natalie Bennett, and curator Lola Ayisha Ogbara follows.

Survivors.org: Trauma-informed Yoga Workshop
Tuesdays beginning April 21 | 6pm, Virtual
Offers survivors a free, virtual yoga practice that is gentle, grounding, and meets them where they're at.

UIC Counseling Center: Parenting Student Support Group
Thursdays | 12-1pm, Hybrid
Come as you are to connect, share experiences, and receive support from your peers. This support group is open to any UIC student who is a parent or caregiver in any way.

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.

UIC Library: Upcoming Events
Check out events from the Undergraduate Engagement Program and other departments within the university library!

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.

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.