Nou La! (We are Here!)

Someone asked me this week what is motivating me in this moment. I can say that this Haitian Kreyol statement energizes me immensely. In these times, to assert presence, show up for one’s community and declare one’s value can feel like dangerous work. But many of us persist and do it anyway, knowing that what matters most is putting thoughts and words into action, even if we doubt ourselves along the way, and even if others don’t always understand why we do things in particular ways.

Like all UIC’s cultural centers, WLRC is a space for the campus to learn, think about, and engage with ideas old, new, and emerging. We came into being in 1990/1991 because women students, staff and faculty saw the need to have a space on campus that was different from the traditional classroom.

Where you could browse a bookshelf filled with materials that you might not have encountered in any of your courses. Where you could be in a conversation about matters considered too risky or too political to discuss openly elsewhere. Where you could begin the work of building community and forging authentic relationships around shared values, knowing that at least one corner of the university would support you in that mission. Where you were able to understand that getting a college education is the beginning, not the end, of a journey towards self-definition and establishing one’s place in the world.

The university has always been a contested space; indeed, the cultural centers exist because of hard-won struggles over which bodies and ideas rightfully belonged on the campus in the first place. When I first arrived on a college campus in 1987, I understood it as a space for asking questions, learning different methodologies for arriving at answers, and working together to understand the implications of the answers that we offered to the problems of the world. A women’s center and women’s studies classes on that campus helped to make the social infrastructure of race, gender, class, and sexuality visible - in the ways that they shaped who was taken seriously, who was subjected to violence, whose presence and intellect were questioned, who was cared for, and who did the work of caring.

Read the rest of the note here...

[ID: The cover of PET, a book by Akwaeke Emezi, which features a teenage Black girl looking forward and a black and white feather in front of her.]

Wednesday, October 8 | 4-6pm - TODAY!
Hybrid: 1700 SSB & Zoom
Audience: UIC Students

Join fellow parenting students at UIC to learn what resources exist to support you, connect to each other, and share tips about how to navigate parenting and academics successfully. Let’s show up—for ourselves and each other! Children are welcome (childcare not available).

[ID: "Rise and Thrive" in bold magenta letters with three green leaves coming out of the final "E." Below that are details about the Rise and Thrive event.]

Tuesday, October 14 | 1-2pm
Zoom
Audience: UIC Students

What are the challenges of moving through classes and work as a survivor of sexual or domestic violence? What forms of support and accommodations do you need in the classroom, and how can you access them? We will leave the session with concrete strategies and goals for the second half of the semester.

[ID: Three students helping each other climb up a stack of books. Above them are details about the HEALS: Surviving & Thriving in the Classroom program.]

Wednesday, October 22 | 2:30 - 4:30pm
207 Addams
Audience: Everyone (open to the public)

Join us and read a book that has been challenged or banned! October's Banned Book Club will dive into PET by Akwaeke Emezi. Free copies available, first-come, first-served.

[ID: The cover of PET and other banned books, with details about the Black Banned Books Club event below them.]

Thursday, October 23 | 12:30-1:30pm
College of Dentistry, Lecture Hall South
Audience: Dentistry students, residents, staff, faculty

In commemoration of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, come learn about supportive resources on campus, the barriers survivors face, warning signs and patterns, advocacy skills, and how we can support our community.

[ID: Three people holding each other's hands above their heads, and another three people wearing shirts with awareness ribbons on them and raising one hand in front of themselves. Around them are details about the Lunch and Learn event]

Apply by October 15
Audience: UIC Undergraduate Students

WLRC offers tuition awards to support the educational pursuits of women undergraduate students who have a great deal of financial need that is not being met by financial aid or loans.

We especially encourage applications from women who are members of marginalized groups, e.g., lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women; women of color; women with disabilities; undocumented students; veterans; and students returning to college to complete their education.

[ID: At the top is a purple-blue award ribbon with "WLRC" in the center. In the center is purple-blue text that reads "Tuition Award." Below that is the WLRC logo in black.]

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.]

These are heavy times. We're all doing what we can to survive and care for ourselves and the people we love.

How are you supporting your communities and loved ones right now? What actions, organizations/collectives, or ways to get involved can you recommend to others?

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

Last week, we asked, "What are your favorite things about autumn?" 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.]

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

UIC Gender and Women's Studies & Black Studies: Open Study Hours
Mon - Thu | 1-5pm, 1250 UH
We invite UIC students to our Open Study Hours in our multipurpose space. Free coffee, tea, and snacks!

UIC Latinx Heritage Month: Semillas del Futuro
September 15 - October 15
From cultural events and keynote speakers to workshops and performances, Latinx Heritage Month at UIC is an invitation to reflect on our collective past while nurturing the seeds that will shape our future.

SAAPRI & SAAJCO: Breaking the Silence: Domestic Violence & Immigrant Rights
Thursday, October 9 | 5-6pm, Zoom
This session aims to provide crucial information for immigrants and their allies on recognizing, addressing, and seeking support for domestic violence.

UIC Native American Support Program: Indigenous People’s Day Workshop
Monday, October 13 | 10am - 12pm, 1600 SSB
Join us to learn about the histories, contemporary experiences, and contributions of Native communities while exploring how to be an active and respectful ally.

UIC IRRPP: Researching, Teaching, and Building in Troubled Times
Wednesday, October 15 | 12-1:30pm, Zoom
Join us for a panel discussion about how to continue doing critical research in contentious times, featuring UIC professors Teri McMurtry-Chubb, Nadine Naber, and Jane Rhodes.

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
During this presentation, 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.

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. 

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!

[ID: A statement about who the UIC Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change are, which can be found on our website.]

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 law enforcement officers.

WHAT TO DO

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

If you need assistance or suspect ICE presence anywhere in IL, you are also encouraged to 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

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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