Desserts are shown at a gala.

Friday, October 16, 2020

Northeastern Illinois University’s Golden Gala and Alumni Awards Ceremony is virtual this year. Find out how to join the Alumni Association on Oct. 17 in honoring five alumni for their contributions to their communities and place bids in an online auction! Plus read about a new recognition for the Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education, the call for recipes for an Undocumented Cookbook and early voting at Northeastern locations in this week’s edition of Noteworthy at Northeastern.

Around the Commons

Virtual Golden Gala and Alumni Awards Ceremony

Northeastern takes great pride in the success of its alumni. This year, five outstanding alumni will be recognized for excellence and achievement in their careers, leadership, and service to their communities and society. The awards will be presented during the NEIU Virtual Golden Gala and Alumni Awards Ceremony, taking place at 7 p.m. Oct. 17. A virtual auction and sponsorship opportunities are also part of the event. Registration is complimentary.

Honor for leadership and improvement

Northeastern is one of nine institutions from around the United States to be honored by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) for its leadership and commitment to continuous improvement. The Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement awardees were selected from the educator preparation providers that were granted accreditation by CAEP at the initial level from the previous year, that provided evidence, and that demonstrated data trends with no stipulations or areas for improvement. Northeastern’s Daniel L. Goodwin College of Education was granted such accreditation earlier this year.

Undocumented Cookbook

Undocumented Student Resources, in collaboration with Undocumented, Resilient and Organized (URO), invites Northeastern immigrants of any generation and 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 by Oct. 30. Questions can be directed to Luvia Moreno, lu-moreno@neiu.edu.  

Voting information

Three Northeastern locations will be used as polling places for the national election. Early voting has already started at El Centro, which will host early voting in its lobby through Election Day, Nov. 3. The times are 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 6 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day. The Main Campus will host early voting in Alumni Hall from 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Oct. 28 through Oct. 30. The Jacob H. Carruthers Center for Inner City Studies will host voting in its lower level from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. Mail-in ballots for Chicago voters can also be returned to secure drop-boxes at all early voting locations. Northeastern’s COVID-19 Task Force is in regular communication with the Chicago Board of Elections to determine procedures that will keep the University community, election judges and general public safe.

And there’s more!

  • Advanced registration for the Spring 2021 term ends Oct. 23. 
  • Professor and Chair of the Mathematics Department Lidia Z. Filus gave a presentation titled "Theoretical Aspects and of Bivariate Probability Distributions, Most General Case" at the Stochastic Modeling Session of the VII Workshop on Computational Data Analysis and Numerical Methods (VII WCDANM) that took place virtually at Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Portugal, Sept. 10-12.
  • Computer Science Chair Marcelo Sztainberg, Computer Science Associate Professor Francisco Iacobelli and Management and Marketing Assistant Professor Garo Agopian appear in a four-video series titled "The Forced Evolution of Higher Education." The series was produced by staffing agency Peterson Technology Partners, whose Chief Marketing Officer, George Wang, sits on the advisory board for the Department of Computer Science and the executive council of the College of Business and Management.
  • Stage Center Theatre (SCT) is now accepting submissions or potential projects for a month-long Digital Theatre Festival for Social Justice to take place Oct. 15-Nov. 17. SCT welcomes submissions from all members of the NEIU community throughout the dates of the festival.
  • Northeastern’s bookstore is transitioning to a virtual bookstore. Right now, all NEIU branded merchandise including spirit gear, apparel and novelty items are on sale. Save 25% off branded merchandise through Oct. 21 by visiting the current NEIU Bookstore website. This sale is accessible only online as the on-site store remains closed due to COVID-19 pandemic precautions.

To Do

Uplift Me NEIU

Undocumented Student Resources, in partnership with URO, 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 Hunts Galore!

This week there are three opportunities to participate in virtual scavenger hunts!

  • NEIU Transfer Student Week Scavenger Hunt, Oct. 19-Oct. 23. Download the Scavify app and find "NEIU 2020 National Transfer Student Week" hunt. The NEIU transfer student with the highest score will receive a prize! 
  • LGBTQ+ History Month Scavenger Hunt, through Oct. 31. Celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month with a virtual scavenger hunt! The University community is invited to participate for a chance to win a variety of prizes. To play, download the Scavify app to your mobile device and search for “LGBTQ+ History Month.” New tasks will be added daily.
  • Campus Recreation Scavenger Hunt. Throughout the fall semester, 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

  • Professor of Urban Community Studies Lance Williams was interviewed for an article by The Columbus Dispatch about the recent spike in shootings in the Columbus, Ohio, area and how it impacts minority children the most. 
  • Northeastern’s El Centro location was featured on the cover of the October edition of Chief Engineer. The article, which discusses innovations in hydronic heating systems and features quotes from NEIU’s Chief Engineer John Murry, starts on Page 38.

Student Support Spotlight

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 will be 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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