Luis Gutierrez smiles into the camera.

Friday, November 13, 2020

Northeastern Illinois University has received a grant to digitize the archives of alumnus and former Illinois Congressman Luis Gutiérrez. The University also received a grant for students from the Consulate General of Mexico. Plus, Spring 2020 virtual Commencement ceremonies have been announced. Read about all this and more in this week’s edition of Noteworthy at Northeastern.

Around the Commons

Gutiérrez archives grant

The Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board Historical Records Grant Program has awarded Northeastern a $5,000 grant to digitize the archives of former Illinois Congressman and Northeastern alumnus Luis Gutiérrez (B.A. ’76 English). The award is the highest amount a project can receive. “We are very excited for this collection and digital project,” Northeastern Archivist Hanna Ahn said. “The congressman’s work seems more relevant than ever, given the current political climate and recent headlines as they relate to immigration reform and immigration rights, healthcare reform, racial equity, veterans’ issues, and violence against women, among others. We are honored to have been given the opportunity to preserve his legacy here at NEIU.”

IME Becas grant

The Consulate General of Mexico has awarded a $9,000 IME Becas grant to Northeastern. This is the fifth year Northeastern has received the grant. “Many of our students have lost their jobs or had their hours at work cut,” El Centro Director Maria Luna-Duarte said. “Their families are struggling. Some of their parents are out of work and it’s harder to make ends meet. Some of our students have gotten COVID-19, or someone in their family has, and they’ve had to withdraw from school. This money is more critical than ever to help our students stay in school. Some people don’t realize how $500 or $1,000 can really be the difference between a student completing their degree or stopping their education.” An additional $1,500 grant is also expected from the Consulate later this year to support Northeastern students of Mexican heritage who are graduates of Chicago Public Schools.

Virtual Commencement

Northeastern will honor the May, August and December 2020 graduates with a series of six virtual Commencement ceremonies, providing a fun, innovative and safe platform to celebrate the achievements of our graduates. The ceremonies will launch concurrently at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 13. Graduates should pay close attention to their NEIU email accounts during the coming weeks for more information regarding the ceremony and what they need to submit in order to participate.

Undocumented Cookbook

Undocumented Student Resources, in collaboration with Undocumented, Resilient and Organized (URO), invites Northeastern immigrants of any generation and any stutus as well as allies to share cultural recipes and memories of what makes the dish special on a personal level. Selected recipes will be added to a digital “Undocumented Cookbook by NEIU Immigrants.” The Undocumented Cookbook is a borrowed idea from the national immigrant advocacy organization United We Dream. Just like this organization, the idea is to celebrate immigrants through one of the things that brings people close together: food. Northeastern students, faculty and staff are all encouraged to submit recipes and memories. Questions can be directed to Luvia Moreno, lu-moreno@neiu.edu.

And there’s more!

  • Three of the deadlines to apply for Spring 2021 enrollment have been extended to Dec. 1. The new deadline applies to undergraduate, undergraduate student-at-large and graduate student-at-large. Graduate and International deadlines are not changing.
  • President Gloria J. Gibson will be a featured speaker for the City Club of Chicago’s virtual “COVID on Campus: How Higher Ed is Adapting” event on Nov. 17.
  • El Centro has published its Fall 2020 newsletter.
  • Associate Professor of Political Science William D. Adler published an article for NBC News about the 2020 presidential election. 
  • Northeastern’s library is seeking student submissions for “Sheltering in Place: NEIU Archives COVID-19 Documentation Project.” All current Northeastern students as well as alumni who were students during the Spring and Summer 2020 terms are encouraged to submit pieces to the archive. 
  • Northeastern’s student media organizations are currently recruiting students. Any students interested in participating can fill out the NEIU Student Media Interest Form or contact Student Media Coordinator Dennis Sagel at drsagel@neiu.edu for more information.
  • Ensemble Español continues to offer virtual dance classes for all levels and ages. The Ensemble is also offering several Flamenco master classes in November and December.

To do

QR code for Nett Day

Nett Day

Northeastern will host Nett Day 11 on Nov. 17 via Zoom. The theme of this year’s daylong event is Learn to Succeed Virtually. The schedule includes a lineup of guests who will speak about data analysis, internet of things, interviews via Zoom, Bitcoin and how to cope with stress and maintain a healthy immune system during a pandemic.

Uplift Me NEIU

Undocumented Student Resources, in partnership with Undocumented, Resilient and Organized student club, has worked with undocumented students and allies to create a Uplift ME NEIU, a collaborative Spotify playlist to help the Northeastern community get through these stressful times. The playlist has a wide range of genres, but is full of feel-good tracks. Students and allies can continue to add songs to the playlist. Tracks can be in any language, any genre and do not have to be about immigration. They should, however, be uplifting and help spread the message that “you are not alone, you matter, and you belong.” Questions can be directed to Luvia Moreno, lu-moreno@neiu.edu.

Scavenger Hunt

Campus Recreation Scavenger Hunt. Until Nov. 30, individuals who complete the scavenger hunt by sending pictures of the 10 things on the list to adventure@neiu.edu can win a prize! Questions can be sent to adventure@neiu.edu. 

Coming next week!

In the media

  • Associate Professor of Economics Michael Wenz was interviewed by Bisnow in an article discussing how a Chicago casino could impact the city’s revenue.
  • LivingHealthyChicago featured Ensemble Español dancer and Northeastern alumna Abby Ventura (B.A. '17 Nontraditional Degree Programs) in a video about seeking help for a hip injury. Ventura is a current student in the Social Work master's program.
  • Northeastern alumna Catherina Malone (B.A. '13 Justice Studies) was quoted in a Chicago Defender article about mental health resources for the Black community.
  • Ensemble Español was featured on Chicago Tonight’s "Latino Voices."
  • Associate Professor of Political Science William D. Adler was quoted in an article about anti-Trump conspiracies on Noah Berlatsky’s Patreon blog.

Student Support Spotlight

Virtual Study Halls

The NEIU Center of Health is hosting free Virtual Study Halls via Zoom from 3-5 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday for all NEIU students. The sessions will utilize the Pomodoro Technique for time management, which breaks up work periods into intervals. These sessions will also allow students to “work together” even though they aren’t in the same room or working on a project as a group. Knowing you will check in about your progress—and that support is there if you are stuck—can make a difference.

Study Spaces

For the Fall 2020 semester, the Student Union and Ronald Williams Library offer students study spaces by reservation only. These spaces provide access to Wi-Fi, computers and copiers/scanner/printers. A color copier/scanner/printer is available in the Ronald Williams Library only. Students may reserve a two-hour block for use of either the Student Union or Ronald Williams Library. Please note that there are limited spaces available in each building. The Ronald Williams Library continues to offer Grab & Go services for physical library items.

Student Counseling Services

Students are welcome to contact NEIU’s Student Counseling Services to set up an appointment to talk either by phone or their online platform for teletherapy. To access NEIU’s Student Counseling Services, call (773) 442-4650 or send an email to counsect@neiu.edu. The hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. After hours, students may also reach a counselor for more urgent consultation by calling the main number and pressing “2” during the outgoing message.

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