Your Focus is Your Resistance

These are challenging times for many.

Only in the first month of the year and the semester, we are seeing enormous political changes taking shape in the U.S. Our newsfeeds overwhelm us with what is unfolding: a deep commitment to eliminating legal protections and social recognition of minoritized groups, narrowing who can be recognized as an American citizen, and a determination to expand American power and dominance in the world, regardless of the cost to other countries. We are hearing words like “oligarchy” used in mainstream media to describe the configuration of race, gender, money, and power that is taking a more explicit form in the U.S. The attacks on immigrants and transgender people may be loudest at the moment, but everyone who is not privileged by race, gender, and economic status is at risk. The coordinated assaults on decades-long efforts to transform U.S. institutions to make them more equitable and welcoming - what is being referred to as diversity, equity, and inclusion - do not leave anyone out of the mix. Within the context of higher education, there will undoubtedly be more pressure to eliminate units like the cultural centers and critical ethnic studies and gender and women’s studies departments, reduce their ability to teach critical topics and skills, subject course content to increased surveillance, and lay off faculty and staff. This might not be our situation in Illinois right now, but it’s true for many places.

Given that the larger political environment is making marginalized groups feel targeted and less safe, it is reasonable to consider whether or how these changes are manifesting on our campus, what we are doing to counter or minimize the unsettling feelings that are emerging within this hostile political environment, and what we may need to do differently, starting now.

As Chicago is one of the places that is targeted for and expected to undergo multiple immigration raids, our students, faculty, and staff at UIC have been rightly concerned about how the institution will respond to ICE and other federal agencies visiting campus. Already, there have been “Know Your Rights” teach-ins, organizing among faculty and staff to create networks of information that can facilitate rapid response to any situation, and the development of educational tools to help staff understand how to respond. The cultural centers will continue to be spaces for education and organizing in support of immigrant students, staff, and their families.

Similarly, the political attacks on transgender persons at the national level may not be reflected in policies in the state of Illinois, but the everyday experiences of transgender persons on the streets, in classrooms, workplaces, hospitals, etc. and even on campus will indicate the extent to which the hostile rhetoric and efforts to further marginalize the group are having an impact. We need to pay close attention and be prepared to stand in solidarity.

Statements from university leaders inform us that they are paying close attention to how federal policy changes can affect the institution in relation to funding. I hope we can continue to find creative ways to affirm and shore up the institution’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion especially in relation to communities that are under attack. As we know, the targets will shift over time, but we need to constantly remind students and staff that UIC is their home, and make it so that they feel this to be true.

What do we do now?

Part of the challenge of the moment is figuring out how to deal with the constant onslaught of information, the chaos and crises being created in big and small ways, and the feelings of fragmentation and paralysis that are bound to surface. I am hearing the same thing from everyone I talk to: it is all too much, all at once.

It has been very useful to listen to folks who study political crises and mental health. From folks like Jennifer Walter, I have learned terms like “cognitive bottleneck” which describes the feeling of dealing with information overload and being unable to focus on any one issue, all of which leads to being passive and disengaged.

Some suggestions for what to do:

- Set boundaries: Choose 2-3 key issues that you care about and focus your attention there.

- Find trusted experts who can do the analysis for you (e.g., check out Tressie McMillan Cottom on Instagram)

- Remember: feeling overwhelmed is intentional; take breaks and reset.

- Go slowly: wait to react to new policies.

- Build community: share information, learn from others.

- Remember: Your focus is your resistance.

WLRC is committed to building community and creating spaces of education, caring and support at UIC through and beyond these difficult times. Whether it’s offering programs where we make things together, collaborating with other units to lift up work that focus on building stronger communities, making space for survivors to participate in their own healing, or showing up to stand in solidarity with communities that are under attack, we want to make sure that our community members feel valued, seen, affirmed and supported. Creating opportunities for people to listen to each other, to learn together, and to build networks of support and action will continue to be crucial in this moment.

SAVE THE DATE: From Surviving to Thriving: Cultivating Possibilities for Parenting Students in Illinois

Please plan to attend WLRC’s symposium on parenting students to be held on March 20, 2025.

The symposium aims to bring together parenting students, administrative staff, faculty, researchers and community organizations in Chicago and the wider state to talk about the unique needs and challenges of parenting students, present current research on parenting students, uplift student stories, identify best practices for supporting pregnant and parenting students, and find ways to collaborate to put our ideas into action at UIC and campuses statewide. We encourage UIC faculty and staff to attend.

In these trying times, please continue to take care of yourselves and each other,

Natalie Bennett

Thursday, January 30 | 4-6pm - TODAY!
Zoom
Audience: Everyone (open to the public)

Join the Black Cultural Center, Inclusive Collective, and WLRC for a virtual drop-in space to create 2025 vision boards! We’ll focus on our goals, spiritual wellness, and kicking off the new semester.

[ID: "Vision 'n' Vibes" in bold orange text on a pink background with cute emojis and icons around it.]

Wednesday, February 5 | 12-1pm - New date!
WLRC, 1700 SSB
Audience: Undergraduate, Graduate, and Professional Students

Want to build connections, heal, and work towards justice with survivors?

Come to our drop-in gathering space for UIC students who have experienced gender-based violence and those who support them. Lunch provided!

This week's topic: Trusting Ourselves and Our Community: Survivors Podmapping & Building Connections
Where do you go for support when you need it? In this session, we will get to know each other, build podmaps, and reflect on what community can/should look like during times of violence and uncertainty.

Check out our full spring schedule! Sessions will be held every other Wednesday.

[ID: "HEALS: Healing for Engagement, Action, & Leadership by Survivors" in white text over a purple background, with flames rising from the bottom center. Below that is white text on a dark purple background describing the HEALS affinity space.]

Tuesday, February 18 | 3:30-5:30pm
605 Student Center East, 750 S. Halsted
Audience: Everyone (open to the public)

Join us for a performance, screening, and conversation with Damon Williams and Daniel Kisslinger about their short film, One Million Experiments, and the new liberatory possibilities already in the making all around us! Also join us at 3pm to connect with campus and community groups working toward safety without police.

[ID: A person walking in front of an outdoor mural, with their head turned toward the camera. On top of the image is black and white text describing the One Million Experiments event.]

Thursday, March 20, 2025
9am - 1pm
SSB Conference Rooms, 1200 W. Harrison St.
Audience: Everyone (open to the public)

From Surviving to Thriving: Cultivating Possibilities for Parenting Students in Illinois

WLRC and campus partners will host a symposium to explore the unique needs and challenges of parenting students by uplifting student stories, presenting current research, identifying best practices, and putting our ideas into action at UIC and campuses statewide.

More details coming this spring!

[ID: "Save the Date" inside rectangular blocks colored blue, yellow, and red. To their right is white text on a black background that includes the name and date of the Student-Parent Symposium. WLRC's logo is at the bottom.]

Share your thoughts in our weekly poll!

With so much happening in the world, it can be tough to stay informed without feeling overwhelmed. Let’s discuss how you manage to stay grounded and informed without letting the news take a toll on your well-being.

How do you keep up with current news while also caring for your mental health? What news sources do you trust and rely on?

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

Last week, we asked, "What are you looking forward to this semester?" Here are some of your responses:

Thank you for sharing your wonderful responses!

[ID: "Question of the Week" in yellow block letters inside a yellow-orange frame on a purple-blue gradient 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).

We can connect in person at WLRC or via Zoom, phone, text, or email. Our services are free, confidential, and open to all members of the UIC community.

We can help you build a safety plan, connect with resources (like mental health support or legal assistance), process your experiences, and stay informed about your rights and options. We can assist you as you navigate processes like requesting academic accommodations, communicating with Financial Aid and the Registrar's Office, filing a report with the Office of Access and Equity, and/or petitioning for an Order of Protection, depending on your needs.

We are here not only for survivors and those facing gender-based violence, but also for those in roles where there may be a need to support survivors on campus, such as instructors, mentors, advisors, student leaders, friends, or colleagues.

To connect with an advocate:
- Call: (312) 413-8206
- Text: (312) 488-9784
- Email: can-appointment@uic.edu
- Submit an Ask an Advocate form

[ID: Four members of Mujeres en Medicina, smiling, hold a section of clothesline from WLRC's Clothesline Project, where t-shirts tell the stories of surviving violence or offer messages of support, such as "Women owe you nothing," "You are loved," and "I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become!"]

Everyone at UIC has a role to play in preventing violence and supporting survivors in our community. 

If you are an ally supporting a survivor in your life (whether that is a friend, family member, student, or employee), contact us to discuss questions around advocating for survivors, campus and community resources, mandated reporting, and more.

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: A coffee cup, paper, paper clips, buttons, and pencils scattered around text about the Don't Cancel Your Class program, all on a teal background.]

If you are teaching, please share information about CAN during class and in your 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: The text of the CAN Syllabus Statement in dark blue on a white background, with a teal green border.]

January is National Stalking Awareness Month. Stalking involves repeated watching, following, or harassing someone, making them feel unsafe, distressed, or afraid. It’s a form of gender-based violence that can impact survivors' health, relationships, work, education, and access to essential resources.

If you are experiencing or healing from stalking, it is not your fault. You deserve to feel safe and move freely. Help is available:

Legal Support:
Enrolled students can seek advice from Student Legal Services.
All survivors can call Ascend Justice’s Order of Protection Hotline at 312-239-0413 (Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM-4:30 PM).

Want to Support Survivors?
Review SPARC’s tips for Supporting Loved Ones Experiencing Stalking [PDF], factsheets on Stalking in the Workplace [PDF], and their infographic on Stalking on College Campuses [PDF] to learn how to be a supportive bystander.

[ID: January is National Stalking Awareness Month 2025. Know it. Name it. Stop it." The SPARC (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, and Resource Center) logo appears at the bottom right..]

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.

[ID: The above statement about who the UIC Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change are, on a purple background.]

Arab American Cultural Center: Spring Open House 2025 & Fragments of Ourselves Art Exhibition
Thursday, January 30 | 12:30-2pm, 101 Taft Hall
Join us for an exhibition that showcases artwork by students and staff on the intricacies of identity, how our identity shapes us, and its significance in our everyday experiences. 

Latino Cultural Center: Student Organization Open House
Wednesday, February 5 | 2-4pm, Lecture Center B2
Connect with other UIC students, learn about various student organizations’ missions, upcoming events, and student services.

Disability Cultural Center: Crip Coffee Break: Know Your Rights: Our Rights, ICE, and Community Care
Wednesday, February 5 | 3-4pm, BSB 235 & Virtual
Come as you are! We’ll put a pot of coffee on and we have snacks as well as tea/hot chocolate. Different meetings have different ways for us to hang out together– but we’ll let the conversation be guided by what’s going on in our lives or what’s on our minds.

Asian American Resource and Cultural Center: Become a Mentor with AAMP!
February 10, 12, & 14 | Various times, 723 W. Maxwell St. (AARCC)
Interested in mentorship and building leadership skills? The Asian American Mentor Program (AAMP) is hosting info sessions on how to become a mentor!

Disability Cultural Center: Incongruent Access with Brick Beck & Matt Bodett
Tuesday, February 11 | 4-5:30pm, BSB 235
Join the DCC for a facilitated community conversation with Bri Beck and Matt Bodett. The discussion will explore the nuances of cross-disability access in personal, professional, and communal spaces.

In light of 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.

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

UIC's Rigo Padilla Pérez Undocumented Student Resource Center provides a comprehensive set of resources you can use on campus and in the community, including printable cards in multiple languages. They can also provide Know Your Rights trainings by request.

For more detailed info, check out this presentation from Sanctuary for All UIC, a collective of students, faculty, and staff imagining a sanctuary for all at UIC.

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

[ID: A two-page flyer with Know Your Rights info from ICIRR, which is available on its website.]

New Student and Family Programs: Weeks of Welcome
Now through January 31
Check out events across campus, get involved, and discover your school spirit!

Asian American Student Academic Program: Advising 101
Thursday, January 30 | 1-3pm, 2720 SSB
Join AASAP and UIC Advisors to: learn what Advising is, how to optimize your Advisor,
and run through scenarios to build confidence in communicating and self-advocating with university staff.

Center for Student Involvement: Black History Month Kick-Off
Friday, January 31 | 6-8pm, SCE East Terrace
Celebrate UIC Black History Month 2025! UIC student, staff, and faculty are welcome to join us for an evening full of fun and community.

LARES: Community Event for Students
Thursday, February 6 | 3:30-5pm, SSB Conference Room A
Join LARES for an exciting community event featuring various student organizations dedicated to supporting Latine students. Connect with peers, explore campus resources, and celebrate Latine culture. 

Center for Student Involvement: UIC Black History Month
February 6 - 28 | Various Times & Locations
The UIC Black History Month 2025 Committee invites the campus to celebrate with events honoring the theme "On My Black Job – Labor, Love, and Liberation."

Commuter and Off-Campus Life: Upcoming Events
Click above for exciting events, resources, and opportunities designed for UIC commuter and off-campus students!

Career Services: Upcoming Events
Click above for career prep workshops, career fairs, and more!

Daley Library: Upcoming Events
Click above for fun and engaging events for UIC students!

Little Sparks Program: Services and Opportunities for Student-Parents
The Little Sparks Program supports student-parents as they complete their education by providing childcare funding and wrap-around support. They offer things like child care; tuition assistance; diapers, wipes, and formula; student-parent network & events; and community resources.

Counseling Center: Upcoming Events
Click above for popular workshops, peer-support groups, drop-in groups, and other events!

Counseling Center: Mind-Body Programs
Weekly on various days and times | Virtual
The Mind-Body programs are focused on fostering emotional, mental, and physical well-being and strive to take the whole person into account by offering services that promote students’ overall health, resilience, and quality of life.

Resilience: Upcoming Events
Resilience is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the healing and empowerment of sexual assault survivors through non-judgmental crisis intervention counseling, individual and group trauma therapy, and medical and legal advocacy in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Resilience provides public education and institutional advocacy in order to improve the treatment of sexual assault survivors and to effect positive change in policies and public attitudes toward sexual assault.

- Feb 3: Winter Journaling and Meditation Support Group
- Feb 3: Men's Art Support Group
- Feb 3: Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Assault Support Group
- Feb 4: Survivors of Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault Support Group
- Feb 4: Survivor's Book Club: Free Support Group
- Feb 5: Women-Identified Survivors Support Group

Women Rise Chicago: Order of Protection Workshop
Wednesday, February 5 | 6-7pm, Virtual
& Rise is proud to bring you this complimentary and educational event: Navigating Orders of Protection followed up with a Q&A session with legal advocates in the field.

Chicago Women's Health Center: Pelvic Self-Exam Workshop
Monday, February 10 | 6-8pm, Virtual
This 2-hour workshop will discuss the pelvic floor and its function across bodies, as well as review the history of the Pelvic Self Exam movement. We’ll discuss best practices for pelvic exams and explore the medical violence and bias involved in pelvic health.

CAASE: Surviving the Mic: Virtually Together
Thursday, February 20 | 3-5pm, Virtual
Surviving the Mic: Virtually Together is an online gathering space for survivors of sexual harm and those who support them, either personally or professionally or both.

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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