Share your thoughts in our weekly poll!

The National Day of Mourning (aka Thanksgiving) is just around the corner, and we hope you are looking forward to some time away from campus.

What are your plans for this short break? How will you honor the history of Indigenous peoples and/or recharge and care for your well-being?

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

Last week, we asked, "How are you feeling about the election results, whether it's the presidential race or other races and ballot measures in your town, the state, and the country?" Here are some of your responses:

Thank you for sharing your reflections and insights.

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

Friday, November 22 | 10am - 3:30pm
Institute for the Humanities, 153 BSB, 1007 W. Harrison St.
Audience: Graduate and Professional Students

Join other dissertators and thesis writers for a day of communal, in-person writing, plus an opportunity to meet one-on-one with a writing coach.

Lunch, snacks, and coffee will be provided.
Space is limited to 25 participants, so apply today!

[ID: At the top is a hand drawing a straight line with a yellow pencil. At the bottom are a pair of hands typing on a laptop, with a stack of books behind it. Around them is black text describing the Just Write! workshop.]

Monday, November 25 | 12:30-2pm
1043 ERF, 842 W. Taylor St.
Audience: Undergraduate, Graduate, and Professional Students

Join us for a collective reflection to recognize our semester wins, share stories, and connect as a community. Enjoy delicious food and great conversations, and receive a self-care package!

PERSIST(Σ) events center the experiences and voices of women and nonbinary students of color in engineering but are open to all students.

[ID: Cream and orange text describing the End of Semester Celebration, with orange, yellow, and green leaves behind it. In the background is a group of students at a PERSIST(Σ) event. At the top is a multicolored pennant banner and the PERSIST(Σ) logo, a stylized gear with a flower inside it.]

Apply by Monday, November 25
Audience: Undergraduate Students

Apply for the Spring 2025 Diversity Community Engagement Program (DCEP) Internship!

Select WLRC on the application if you're interested in working with us to develop programs to support pregnant and parenting students and/or raise awareness of sexual assault and gender-based violence prevention!

[ID: White text on top of a collage of photos of past WLRC events that has been washed in purple-blue reads: "WE'RE HIRING! Spring 2025 DCEP Internship with the UIC CCUSC & Office of Diversity. Apply by November 25!"]

Sign up today to receive an invitation to a student org gathering in early spring semester!

Is your student organization

Become a WLRC Affiliated Student Organization! By partnering with us, WLRC can provide guidance to your e-board, help you with planning, provide opportunities for learning and collaboration, provide meeting space, and promote your activities. 

[ID: Text at the top reads, "Sign up to be a WLRC Affiliated Student Organization." Below that are two people high-fiving with a light bulb above them and text describing ways WLRC can support student organizations.]

We ask that all visitors wear a mask. Our staff is fully masked at all times. Masks continue to help prevent the spread of airborne respiratory illnesses and allow us to be in solidarity with those who are immunocompromised. Thank you for keeping our community safe! 

Visit the page linked above for additional accessibility info.

[ID: At the top is a light blue face mask. White text on a dark blue and red background reads, "Masks Strongly Recommended & Appreciated. If you do not have one, we can provide one. Masks continue to help prevent the spread of airborne respiratory illnesses and allow us to be in solidarity with those are immunocompromised. Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe."]

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 message, 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.]

UIC's Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change all have amazing opportunities for you! Click below for this week's events, services, and resources (all times listed are Central Time):

Black Cultural Center: Health and Sustainability
Wednesday, November 20 | 12-1pm, 207 Addams Hall
Join us  as we explore ways to live healthier, more eco-conscious lives! Learn about sustainable practices, comprehensive health approaches, and how small changes can make a big impact on both personal well-being and the environment.

Gender and Sexuality Center: Name and Gender Marker Change Info Session
Wednesday, November 20 | 12-1:30pm, Virtual
In recognition of Transgender Day of Remembrance, the Pro Bono Litigation Clinic at UIC Law will go over the process for legally changing your name in Illinois. We will also explain how to correct your gender marker on your identification documents.

Disability Cultural Center: State of Student Mental Health at UIC: Storytelling for Disability Justice Report Release & Open Mic
Wednesday, November 20 | 3:30-5pm, Hybrid
Join us as we share the results of the research project, Mental Health Storytelling for Disability Justice to explore what these statistics might mean and how we can think about better supporting mental health on the UIC campus.

Arab American Cultural Center: Yalla Let’s Chat! Stories and Insights from Arab American Women Engineers
Wednesday, November 20 | 4-5:30pm, 101 Taft Hall
Join the Equity and Inclusion in Engineering Program in an engaging conversation with Arab American women engineers and UIC alumnae.

Arab American Cultural Center: Teach-In: The War on Lebanon and Palestine
Thursday, November 21 | 12:30-2pm, 2233 ETSMW
Join us for a teach-in on the historical context of the current war on Lebanon and the long-standing links between freedom struggles in Lebanon, Palestine, and the Arab region more broadly.

Black Cultural Center: Late Nights @ the BCC
Thursday, November 21 | 5-9pm, 207 Addams Hall
Come unwind and have some late-night fun! Whether you're looking to relax, meet new people, or just enjoy the evening, this event is for you.

Arab American Cultural Center: Ana Min Hunak, Ana Mun Hunak: Jordan
Monday, November, 25 | 2:30-3:30pm, 101 Taft Hall
Listen to students share stories about their heritage, cultural practices, and experiences while also viewing various cultural items and artifacts from Jordan.

Latino Cultural Center: Dialogues and Mural Tours
By appointment | Lecture Center B2
LCC Mural Tours intertwine artistic interpretation with historic tales of our campus community and link these to contemporary life. Participants will discuss the disproportionate impact of environmental racism and systemic inequities on BIPOC communities.

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

Student Affairs: 2025-2026 Scholarships: Apply by January 28, 2025
Applications are now available for over 30 competitive scholarships for students across colleges and academic disciplines. Log in to the UIC SnAP portal and submit a General Application in the portal before addressing criteria specific to each scholarship.

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!

Graduate College: Weekly Funding Opportunities Newsletter
Check out this weekly list of funding (mostly external) and employment opportunities available to graduate students...and sometimes to recent graduates (to get you thinking long-term). Check out this week's list and be sure to subscribe!

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: 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.

Asian American Student Academic Program: Community Support Groups
Various dates and times | 2720 SSB
There are three groups for the following focus areas: Body Doubling to increase accountability and productivity, Returning from Leaves of Absence, and Completing Your Incompletes.

Asian American Student Academic Program: Low Sensory Space at AASAP
Tuesdays | 9:30-11:30am, 2720 SSB
Looking for a quiet or low-sensory space to relax before heading to classes? Every Tuesday starting 9/24, AASAP will have low light levels, little sound/relaxing music, and calming tools available.

Institute for the Humanities: Queer/Trans Studies Working Group Co-working Sessions
Various dates and locations | 2-3pm
We invite you to work, mingle, and meet graduate students, faculty, and staff interested in queer/trans studies scholarship, art, activism, and writing, across broad disciplines and fields of study.

- Nov 26: Institute for the Humanities, BSB 153

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.

- Nov 20: Survivorship & Family Estrangement Support Group
- Nov 21: Survivor Crochet Group
- Nov 25: WOC Free Support Group
- Nov 26: Male-Identified Survivors: Share Your Story Support Group
- Nov 27: Survivorship & Family Estrangement Support Group

CAASE: Surviving the Mic: Virtually Together
Thursday, November 21 | 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.

CAASE: Let's Chat Over Lunch: Community Forum
Wednesday, November 27 | 1-2pm, Virtual
Join CAASE for our monthly virtual community forum, Let’s Chat Over Lunch. At each gathering, we’ll discuss current cultural events, media, and news headlines related to sexual harm and/or social injustice.

UIC Women’s Leadership and Resource Center

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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