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.]

Wednesday, November 12 | 3-5pm
WLRC, 1700 SSB
Audience: Everyone (open to the public)

Thick. Fat. Strong. Sturdy. Obese. Healthy.

Join us for a conversation about how Black women and femmes navigate ideas about health and body size in the U.S., especially in this moment when “weight loss” is being heavily promoted as necessary for happiness and good physical and mental health.

[ID: Three Black women in colorful clothes with various small food items scattered around and between them. Above them are the title, date, and location of the Body Size & Health event.]

Thursday, November 13 | 3-4:30pm
WLRC (1700 SSB) & Zoom
Audience: UIC Students

Holidays can be spaces of joy and relaxation, but they can also be stressful and even triggering for survivors of gender-based violence. Over cookies and crafts, we will talk through ways to stay safe, uphold your boundaries, and care for yourself this holiday season.

[ID: "HEALS Community for Survivors of Sexual & Domestic Violence" in white text over a magenta background. Below that are details about the HEALS Surviving & Thriving through the Holidays session. At the bottom is a snowgloble with a snow-covered house and snow-covered green trees.]

Monday, November 24 | 12:30-2pm
Location shared upon registration
Audience: UIC Students

Join us as we close out the semester with a hands-on celebration of reflection, creativity, and self-care.

Through guided journaling prompts, art activities, and light movement, students will explore ways to manage stress and reconnect with themselves. Each participant will leave with a self-made “resilience toolkit” they can return to throughout finals and beyond.

[ID: A person pouring water into a garden growing from the top of another person's head, with details about the PERSIST(Σ) Creative coping event above them.]

Now - November 28
Drop off at WLRC, 1700 SSB

As the colder months approach, Little Sparks and WLRC are putting out a call for winter coats and accessories to support the children of UIC parenting students. Your generosity can make a big difference! Seeking new or gently used:

[ID: A parent carrying a small child, both dressed in winter clothes. Next to them are details about the Winter Coat Donation Drive.]

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.]

It's crafting season! (Ok, it's always crafting season for some of us.) We're hosting a bunch of gatherings this month that will tap into our creative side--and we encourage you all to knit some warm accessories for our Winter Coat Donation Drive!

What's your favorite type of arts & crafts? What are you great at and what do you want to learn?

Check back next week for your responses and a new question!

Last week, we asked, "Who or what is giving you hope right now?" Here are some of your responses:

Thank you for your thoughtful responses!

[ID: "What do you think?" in yellow block letters inside a yellow-orange frame on a purple-blue gradient background.]

Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education: 2026 Scholarship
Apply by November 7
ILACHE is pleased to offer a $1,000 scholarship to Latino/a/x students in IL who exhibit outstanding commitment to leadership, community service, and learning.

UIC LARES: Tuition Award
Apply by November 16
This award aims to assist undergraduate students based on merit, leadership, and commitment to their community. 

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.

KAN-WIN & UIC AARCC: Domestic Violence Training
November 8-16 | AARCC, 723 W. Maxwell
Participants will complete 20 hours of self-paced modules provided by the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV), followed by 20 hours of in-person training provided by KAN-WIN. 

UIC Heritage Garden: Volunteer Days
Monday, November 17 | 12-1:30pm, Latino Cultural Center
Join us for hands-on gardening and learn how Heritage Garden interns are connecting horticulture with environmental sustainability, cultural diversity, and social justice. Activities will vary, but may include weeding, pruning, or potting up plants

UIC Student Affairs: Shaping the Future of Lactation Spaces on Campus: A Needs Assessment to Support Student-Parents
Monday, November 17 | 2pm, SSB Conference Room A
Dr. Jessica Rothstein, Assistant Professor of Community Health Sciences, School of Public Health, will share key findings highlighting participants’ satisfaction with various aspects of UIC's existing lactation rooms and identifying areas for improvement.

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

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