Booth Library will host "Race Chats in the Library: Mass Incarceration" from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11, in the Center for Student Innovation on the first floor.

How can we better understand how to support healthy and safe communities through an equitable approach that respects and protects all citizens? Join our campus and community discussion of mass incarceration and its impact on diverse communities.

Attendees will review a few short media segments framing the issue and then are invited to participate in an open, guided conversation.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required, and space is limited. A limited number of spots will be available via Zoom for online attendees, as well. Register online here.

For more information on the Race Chat, contact Steve Brantley at jsbrantley@eiu.edu.

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EIU Housing and Dining Services will be honoring Cindy Sowers Thursday, April 6, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Lawson Hall Lobby. Cindy has recently retired from EIU with 35 years of service. Please join us for cake and punch to celebrate!

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The Human Resource Department of Eastern Illinois University has an opening for a full-time Human Resource Representative.  Duties will include:

• Conducting individual/group employee orientations to explain the various benefits options.
• Update the Benefits website with current/new information.
• Assist employees during the annual Benefits Choice period
• Ensure that employee leave balances are accurate.
• Assist with FMLA processing
• Perform basic certifications in SURS for processing.
• Assists with scanning activities as the area moves to as much of a paperless system as reasonably possible. benefits
• Provides the area with customer service and receptionist type duties that includes anything from directing visitors to other areas of the campus to anything related to both the Benefit and HR areas of the university.

Minimum qualifications for this position:

1. High school diploma or equivalent.
2. Any one or any combination totaling two (2) years (24 months) from the following categories below:
1. course work in human resource administration, business administration or a closely related field, as measured by the following conversion table or its proportional equivalent:
• 30 semester hours equals one (1) year (12 months)
• Associate’s Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen months (18 months)
• 90 semester hours equals two (2) years (24 months)
2. progressively more responsible work experience maintaining, monitoring, and/or processing human resource records and reports.

The Civil Service Examination for this classification is a credentials assessment.  No participation other than the submission of applicant materials is required from qualified applicants. To apply, you may submit a completed application, resume, references, and transcripts online. The deadline for applications is March 31st.

EIU offers an excellent benefits package, including competitive employee insurance premiums as well as flexible options for medical coverage. Vision insurance is included at no cost and dental insurance is available. Eligible employees participate in the State University Retirement System, which offers medical insurance upon retirement. Tuition waivers are offered for continued educational goals, and a generous paid time off package includes at least 11 paid holidays, earned vacation, and sick time. AA/EEOE

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The annual Staff Senate election will be held April 26, 2023.

Any employee interested in running for a position as staff senator may fill out the Nomination Petition on the Staff Senate website.  The deadline to submit a petition is April 5, 2023 at 3 p.m.  Employee categories eligible for election this Spring:

•         1 position from the Administrative & Professional employee group
•         1 position from the Contract Appointed or Grant Funded employee group
•         1 position from the AFSCME Union 981 employee group

Eligible candidates must be employed at EIU for one (1) year and must not be a member of President’s Council, Council of Deans, or be represented by Faculty Senate.

Return the petition via campus mail or email to Kim Pope, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, ktpope@eiu.edu

Call Kim at (217) 581-3328 if you have any questions or need information on your category.

~Staff Senate Election Committee~

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Join us for a literary celebration by creating a book-inspired diorama where all the characters are Peeps™! Booth Library's Peep™ Into a Book: The Peeples Choice Awards 2023 will kick off National Library Week activities this year.

Students, faculty, staff and area residents are encouraged to join in the fun by creating their own book-themed dioramas featuring Peeps™! In a shoebox or similar-sized box, create a diorama with the iconic Easter candies — Peeps™! — as the main characters.

All characters in the diorama must be made using Peeps™. Craft supplies and other objects can be used to complete the diorama, which should be connected to a book in its theme or content.

Students are encouraged to make their Peep™ diorama at this year’s Panther Bash on April 15! Supplies will be provided. Look for this activity in the Union from 7 to 10 p.m. (while supplies last). In addition, a limited supply of Peep™ diorama starter kits for students will be available to pick up at the library beginning April 10.

Peep™ dioramas can be dropped off at the library from 5-11 p.m. Sunday, April 16, at the Research Help desk on the main floor, or from 8-9 a.m. on Monday, April 17, in the Marvin Foyer on the north end of the building. Entries will be on display for public viewing and voting from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

All Peep™ entries are eligible to win one of three best-in-show prizes, determined by popular vote (the “Peeples Choice” Award). Honorable mentions also will be awarded. Prizes will be distributed during a reception at 4 p.m. April 17 in the library’s Marvin Foyer.

Those who plan to enter the contest are asked to register in advance. The deadline to register is 9 a.m. April 17.

More information about the Peep™ Into a Book event can be found on the library website. Questions may be directed to event organizer Michele McDaniel at mkmcdaniel@eiu.edu.

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Eastern Illinois University is seeking candidates for a full-time Civil Service position of Admissions and Records Coordinator in the Graduate School. The Admissions and Records Coordinator works under the direction of the Dean of the Graduate School. Employees at this level represent the University to students and offices across campus and must provide a high level of customer service.

The Graduate School is responsible for determining the eligibility and admission of graduate student applicants. Interacting with internal and external constituents regarding admissions activities; interpreting policies, procedures, and/or requirements; creating, maintaining, analyzing, and interpreting official student academic records; and utilizing and maintaining data within electronic systems. The person in this position must be an individual of high integrity, possess a skill for attention to detail, and be able to make independent decisions and judgments based on applicable policy.

 

The Admissions and Records Coordinator will direct, and coordinate functions related to the following:

• Oversee the domestic admissions cycle within the Graduate School
• Assist the Office of International Students and Scholars in graduate and undergraduate admission processes.
• Evaluate applicants’ transcripts, calculate hours earned, and overall grade point average degrees when necessary.
• Academic records maintenance
• Imaging and indexing of academic records
• Provide student services regarding admission
• Assist with walk-in traffic and phone inquiries
• Design and use databases and spreadsheets to assist in admission decisions
• Process change-of-status, readmission, and application update requests from students
• Participate on university committees as required
• Assist with other duties in relation to the business of the Graduate School as assigned.

Required qualifications for this position are:

1. High school diploma or equivalent.
2. Any one or combination totaling four (4) years (48 months) from the categories below:
1. coursework in any discipline as measured by the following conversion table or its proportional equivalent:
• 30 semester hours equals one (1) year (12 months)
• 60 semester hours or an Associate’s Degree equals eighteen months (18 months)
• 90 semester hours equals two (2) years (24 months)
• 120 semester hours or a Bachelor’s degree equals three (3) years (36 months)
• a Master’s degree equals four (4) years (48 months)
2. work experience in administrative support, admissions and enrollment, customer service, public relations, records management, or closely related experience.
3. One (1) year (12 months) of supervisory or administrative experience in administrative support, admissions and enrollment, customer service, public relations, records management, or closely related experience.

The Civil Service Examination for this classification is a credentials assessment.  No participation other than the submission of applicant materials is required from qualified applicants. To apply, you may submit a completed application, resume, references, and transcripts online. The deadline for applications is April 3rd.

EIU offers an excellent benefits package, including competitive employee insurance premiums as well as flexible options for medical coverage. Vision insurance is included at no cost and dental insurance is available. Eligible employees participate in the State University Retirement System, which offers medical insurance upon retirement. Tuition waivers are offered for continued educational goals, and a generous paid time off package includes at least 11 paid holidays, earned vacation, and sick time. AA/EEOE

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The HLC Quality Initiative committee at EIU is inviting faculty and staff to participate in focus groups aimed at assessing the culture of inclusion and belonging at the institution. We hope you will consider participating in this second phase of data-collecting that will help us better understand what our institution does well and how we can improve.  

The focus groups are intended to build upon the results of the climate survey administered by the committee last semester as part of the strategic initiative for diversifying faculty and staff at EIU. This climate survey, the first in several years, was aimed at assessing how faculty and staff of different ethnic and racial backgrounds experience their workplace, including interactions with colleagues and students. The survey results offered

valuable feedback regarding the campus climate. These insights require deeper exploration in focus groups to identify ways to improve recruitment and retention of all faculty and staff.   

  

The participants will be organized by affinity groups (white and underrepresented race/ethnicities) and will be given several question prompts to guide the discussion. Focus groups will be conducted over Zoom and recorded. The committee will ensure that responses will be anonymous in the summary report and that participation in the focus group will remain confidential. 

  

This round of the campus climate survey and the focus groups does not encompass the many other forms of diversity that deserve attention, such as (though not limited to) gender and sexual identity, religion, and physical and cognitive ability—identities that often intersect with racial and ethnic identities. This Quality Initiative focuses on faculty and staff of color because these identities are most visible on campus and they represent a form of diversity that we can track using federally-mandated data collection. The aim of the plan is to foster an inclusive and equitable working and learning environment at EIU.  

 

If you are interested in participating in a focus group, please indicate your interest on this brief Qualtrics survey before end of day March 31: https://eiu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dmB1sdRrMH6dSlM 

 

QI Steering Committee 

Sace Elder, Catherine Polydore, Angela Vietto, Jeff Stowell

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Africana Studies Program Presents:

Black Lives Matter Speaker Series " Intersection of Black Lives Matter and Environmental Justice"

Speaker: Tonyisha Harris. Associate Director of Communication Partnerships, Action for Climate Emergency based in Chicago , Illinois

Friday, March 31

Place: Blair Hall Rm 3103. Time 1-2:30pm

Presentation is open to public

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Friends and Colleagues,

The semester may be drawing closer to an end but we are still busy in the Office of International Students and Scholars.
For the week of March 27^th, we have many activities planned to connect our students with the greater campus community.
Please take a look at these upcoming opportunities to see if you might be available to spend some time with our students. 
 
International Tea
Join us for an afternoon of refreshments and conversation as we invite members of the EIU and Charleston community to afternoon tea.
 March 27 @ West Reading Room
(Booth Library) from 1:30-3:30pm

Friends & Family Game Night
Join us for a night of fun as we play games from around the world and international trivia.
March 31 @ Arcola / Tuscola Room
(MLK Jr. Union Bldg.) from 6:00-8:00pm
  
International Education Reception
Join us for the 2023 Office of International Students and Scholars awards ceremony to recognize our outstanding international student leaders and scholarship recipients.
April 05 @ Dvorak Hall and Concourse
(Doudna Fine Arts Ctr.) from 3:00-4:30pm

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*Meeting Notification*

Radio/TV Center Advisory Board Meetings (Open to Public)

WEIU Conference Room, Buzzard Hall - 1521

12 p.m. | Thursday, April 6, 2023

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NOMINATIONS ARE BEING SOUGHT for Eastern Illinois University's 2023 Faculty Laureate. Each year, this award recognizes a faculty member for excellence in teaching general education classes. Nominations and supporting materials should be submitted to Cindy Hutchison cmhutchison@eiu.edu,  VPAA Office. The deadline for submitting nominations and supporting materials is 4 p.m., March 31, 2023

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The Graduate Student Advisory Council, the Council on Graduate Studies and The Graduate School will be sponsoring the 2023 Graduate Student Exposition during the month of April. The exposition will include the Distinguished Graduate Student Awards Ceremony, Tuesday, April 11, at 4:30 p.m. in the Dvorak Concert Hall within the Doudna Fine Arts Center.

The Distinguished Graduate Student Awards Ceremony will recognize those students who have achieved excellence in graduate scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year, including the winner of the Robert and Kathryn Augustine Distinguished Master's Thesis Award, and winners of the Graduate Thesis Awards of Excellence, King-Mertz Research/Creative Activity Awards, Williams Travel Grants, the Distinguished Graduate Student Awards, and the Graduate School's prestigious Hamand Scholars.

Prior to the Distinguished Graduate Student Awards Ceremony, the Graduate Expo Research Poster and Digital Presentation Exhibit will take place in the main concourse of the Doudna Fine Arts Center beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.

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Be sure to visit the EIU Undergraduate Art Exhibition at the Tarble Arts Center. The exhibition opens with a reception on April 1 at 2:00 PM and closes on May 6.

Open to all EIU art students, this exhibition features jury-selected examples of undergraduate study in drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, metalsmiths/jewelry, sculpture, fashion design, digital art, and graphic design.

Exhibition Information: https://www.eiu.edu/tarble/undergradexhibition2023.php

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Student Insurance provides the student worldwide protection, 24 hours a day. The Plan has a $100 deductible per diagnosis and pays up to 70% of eligible expenses for physician and hospital expenses, lab and x-ray, surgery, ambulance transport, physical therapy, maternity expenses, mental health and substance abuse issues. The Student Insurance plan also covers prescriptions at the Health Services on campus.

Unlike an HMO or PPO, the Plan does not have a network, giving students a choice in their care and provides coverage for treatment the student receives while they are at home, at school, and wherever they may travel. When you have other insurance, the Plan coordinates with the primary carrier. Student Insurance is an economical way to reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket expenses when family health plans do not cover 100% of medical costs because of deductibles, co-payment amounts, limitations on specific benefits, and out-of-network penalties. The Student Insurance Plan complements the family health plan. Most students find it beneficial to carry both, particularly if the family plan has a deductible and/or coinsurance.

You can find more information about the Plan at www.eiu.edu/studentinsurance or by contacting our office at 217-581-5290. There are 2 short videos on the website that do a nice job of explaining all about the Plan.

The Summer 2023 Student Insurance fee will be automatically assessed to students enrolled in an on-campus program taking 9 or more hours; graduate assistants under contract to the University; and international students enrolled in an on-campus program taking 3 or more hours.

Students wishing to waive the Student Insurance Plan must complete the Waiver Form available in their PAWS account, under the MyHealth tab. The deadline to waive coverage for the Summer 2023 semester is May 23, 2023. 

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Student Insurance is available for the Summer 2023 term. The coverage effective dates are 5/15/2023-8/13/2023. The cost for the coverage is $87.45.

Students who are insured in Spring 2023, who desire Summer coverage and will not be enrolled in the Summer Term, may obtain coverage by submitting the Summer 2023 Enrollment Form available in their PAWS account, under the MyHealth tab prior to 5/14/23.

Students who enroll for 5 or more hours for the Summer Term may obtain coverage by submitting the Summer 2023  Enrollment Form available in their PAWS account, under the MyHealth tab prior to 5/23/23. Coverage is effective upon receipt of the enrollment form.

Student Insurance provides the student worldwide protection 24 hours a day.  The Plan has a $100 deductible per diagnosis and pays up to 70% of eligible expenses for physician and hospital expenses, lab and x-ray, surgery, ambulance transport, physical therapy, maternity expenses, mental health and substance abuse issues. The Student Insurance Plan also reduces copays for prescription medications at the Health Services on campus. 

Unlike an HMO or PPO, the Plan does not have a network, giving students a choice in their care and provides coverage for treatment the student receives while they are at home, at school, and wherever they may travel. 

Student Insurance is an economical way to reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket expenses when family health plans do not cover 100% of medical costs because of deductibles, co-payment amounts, limitations on specific benefits, and out-of-network penalties.  The Student Insurance Plan complements the family health plan.  Most students find it beneficial to carry both, particularly if the family plan has a deductible and/or coinsurance.

You can find more information about the Plan at www.eiu.edu/studentinsurance or by contacting our office at 217-581-5290. There are 2 short videos on the website that do a nice job of explaining all about the Plan.

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For several years, Eastern Illinois University has used a 4.5-day summer workweek for many areas on campus to promote energy efficiency.

For this summer, the administration again asks employees, whose work assignments allow, to compress their normal five-day workweek into a 4.5-day workweek. Please be sure to turn off computers, lights, and personal air conditioning units if you have them to help improve our energy efficiency.

Campus-wide summer office hours will be in effect from Monday, May 8, through Friday, August 11, excluding the holiday weeks of Tuesday, May 30, through Friday, June 2, Tuesday, June 20 through Friday, June 23, and Monday, July 3, through Friday, July 7.

When summer office hours are in effect, all offices must be open Monday through Thursday between 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. and on Friday from 8 a.m. until noon. 

Due to ongoing operational needs, offices including, but not limited to, University Police, Booth Library, and the Renewable Energy Center, will keep regular business hours and remain open on Friday afternoons.

Holidays will be observed on Monday, May 29, for Memorial Day, Monday, June 19 for Juneteenth, and Tuesday, July 4, for Independence Day. For the holiday weeks of May 30 - June 2, June 20 – June 23, and July 3, 5, 6 and 7, all offices must be open for regular business hours from 8 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4:30 p.m.

Classes scheduled to meet on Friday afternoons will be relocated to buildings where the air conditioning will remain on.

Employees are to work with supervisors to ensure that a 37.5-hour workweek is accomplished. Each office is to change voice mail, signs, and other public communication to reflect its summer hours. Regular business hours will resume on Monday, Aug. 14.

If you need to complete your flex schedule, please visit webappsprod.eiu.edu/flexschedules/login,  This link allows you to complete a request, obtain supervisor approval, and finally submit it to Benefits for final approval. 

Questions may be directed to Human Resources at benefits@eiu.edu or by calling 217-581-5825.

Thank You!

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Part of your responsibility in driving a university owned vehicle is to report any accidents involving that vehicle to Paul McCann, the University Risk Manager. You will need to come to Old Main - Room 1140 within 48 hours to fill out a claim report. If there is a police report, please bring it with you. Incidents involving damage to university property must also be reported. If you are unable to come into the office, call 217-581-2921. Permalink

Expanded Bereavement Leave Rights became effective January 1, 2023, which expand the ability to take leave without pay for certain losses. Employees may be eligible to take up to 2 weeks (10 working days) of unpaid leave for family losses or losses related to pregnancy or fertility.  To read more about these additional rights, please visit the Illinois Department of Labor link.  Human Resources is in the process of updating EIU's bereavement leave policy for non-negotiated employees, IGP 4, to reflect these changes.

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Students: Grab a friend and come to the library to study or get that research paper or project done! Your friends at Booth Library have planned two Write Night & Study Buddies events, from 6-8 p.m. on March 27 and April 4.

At these events, there will be plenty of research, study and writing help from librarians, the Writing Center, TRiO and other student support offices.

Activities will take place on the first floor of the library, in the Atrium and the Center for Student Innovation. Don't forget to bring your snacks!

For more information, contact Amy Odwarka, aodwarka@eiu.edu or (217) 581-6006.

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Katniss or Arya? Okoye or Storm? Who do YOU think is the most Kick-Ass Heroine in fiction? Help us crown the 2023 Kick-Ass Heroine champion by taking part in Booth Library's March Book Madness bracket competition!

March Book Madness is similar to NCAA March Madness except that Kick-Ass Heroines will be competing instead of basketball teams. Our library staff has chosen the Top 16 match-ups featuring heroines from various literary genres.

Here’s how to play: Beginning March 1, see the Top 16 bracket in a special display on the library’s main floor. Grab a bracket and choose the winners of each pairing, then add your name and email address and drop it in the box before 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 19.

Round 1 of online voting will take place from March 20-26 as the Top 16 heroines are narrowed down to the eight, then to four (online voting March 27-April 2), and then the championship match-up (April 3-4). The final round of voting on April 5-6 will declare the 2023 Kick-Ass Heroine Champion! Everyone is encouraged to vote in each round!

Stop by the March Book Madness display often to see the updated bracket after each round of voting, and watch the library website and Booth Library social media (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter) for information on how to vote online.

Brackets with the most accurate predictions will be entered into a raffle for a copy of the book featuring our Kick-Ass Heroine champion!

For more information on March Book Madness, contact Kirstin Duffin at kduffin@eiu.edu, or call 217-581-7550.

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The Center for Student Innovation at Booth Library is offering an opportunity for students, staff, and faculty to learn more about technology in a hands-on workshop series.

These workshops are free, and they will take place in the CSI on the first floor of Booth Library. Registration is recommended but not required.

Digital Sandbox

The Digital Sandbox series offers sessions on data wrangling, text analysis and spatial storytelling. These are taught at an introductory level and are intended for those who have little to no knowledge of the subject. These workshops are open to students, faculty and staff. Register for these workshops at https://www.eiu.edu/booth/csi/digitalsandbox.php.

• Feb. 9, 3:30 p.m., Introduction to Data Wrangling with OpenRefine: Preparing data for analysis in any given project often requires more time and labor than the analysis itself. OpenRefine is a free application that can help you clean and normalize your data, transform it from one format to another, and even automate complicated tasks like data validation. In this workshop, we’ll explore some of the basic operations used in OpenRefine to help us work with “messy” data.
• March 9, 3:30 p.m., Introduction to Text Analysis with Lexos: Text mining and analysis offer ways of using computers to help process and “read” large amounts of text. In this workshop, we’ll learn how to perform a number of basic operations related to text analysis, such as calculating word frequencies and other statistics, using the free and cloud-based tool Lexos. This workshop will also survey some of the potential benefits and challenges of incorporating text mining and analysis into different types of projects.
• April 13, 3:30 p.m., Spatial Storytelling with Esri ArcGIS StoryMaps: Esri ArcGIS StoryMaps allows you to easily combine GIS data with effective visuals to create powerful interactive and informative presentations. If your information can be visualized spatially, as a map, it can also be turned into a StoryMap. In this workshop, we'll build a basic StoryMap and discuss possible uses in the classroom as well as for digital presentation of research.
  
  

CSI Technology Workshops

3D printers, podcasting stations, VR equipment -- the Center for Student Innovation has lots of stuff and we want you to use it! But how do you get started?

The CSI regularly hosts workshops to introduce you to the technology we have available for your use. The workshops listed below will give you everything you need to know to get started with specific technologies in the CSI. Sign up for these workshops at https://www.eiu.edu/booth/csi/equipment_workshops.php.

• 3D Printing 101: Interested in 3D printing? This one-hour workshop will walk you through the basic process of taking a 3D model from a digital file to a printed 3D object. After this workshop, you will be able to reserve time with the CSI's 3D printers to print items for educational or personal use (with assistance from CSI staff). No previous experience required. Dates for Spring 2023: Feb. 23, 6 p.m.; March 23, noon; April 11, 6 p.m.

• Podcasting 101: The CSI's Podcating Studio includes two podcast stations and four microphones capable of producing high-quality digital audio for many different applications. This one-hour workshop will give you everything you need to know to start using the podcasting equipment independently. After this workshop, you will be able to reserve time in the podcasting studio to work on projects for educational or personal use. No previous experience required. Dates for Spring 2023: Feb. 28, noon; March 28, 6 p.m.

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Genre-bending, crossover trio Empire Wild will be performing with our own Eastern Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, April 16, 2023  at 6 p.m. in the Doudna's Dvorak Concert Hall.  Empire Wild will be performing some of their original works with the Eastern Symphony Orchestra.  This group fuses the sounds of pop, folk, Broadway, and more into their songwriting and composition. Their debut EP "Paper Session" features all original songs, highlighting the trio's unique sound and instrumentation. Based in NYC, they have brought their signature mix of original music, inventive covers, and twists on the classical canon to audiences across the country.  

Tickets are on sale now at www.doudnatix.com or you can always call our box office at (217) 581-3110. Groups of 4+ save $5 per ticket. 

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After a successful first year, Spring Fest will return Thursday, April 20, 2023 at noon and run through Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 8:00 p.m.  This year's festival will feature different vendors, food trucks, activities, and performances!  As always, on Friday, April 21st at noon the Doudna will announce the next season, and with the 2023-2024 season marking our 15-year anniversary. It’s going to be an exciting one! Make sure to come out April 20 - 22, 2023 and enjoy quality performances, kids activities, shopping, and a whole lot more.

For a full list of activities go to www.eiu.edu/festival. 

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