Weekly Round-Up

Follow English and Creative Writing communities on social media!

now accepting scholarship applications!

The Illinois Club provides scholarships to outstanding students in the areas of global studies, humanities and social sciences, science and engineering, education, and art. You must be an undergraduate at UIUC who will have earned 60 credit hours by the Spring 2024 semester and be planning to graduate no earlier than December 2024. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is also expected. The application portal is now open and will be live until 5pm CST on October 14th, 2023. More information is available at Illinois Club Scholarships.

congrats!

Congratulations to English major Ariah Booker, who was among the winners of the Spring 2023 Rhetoric Program Student Essay Contest!

If you are taking RHET this fall and would like to throw your hat in the ring, the next deadline for submissions will be December 15.

need career wear?

The UIUC/JCPenney Suit-Up Event on Sept 9 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm can help you get ready. Clothes suitable for a variety of professional settings will be available at a discount.

Fall Into Success!

Stop by the “Fall into Success” fair at the library to learn more about different support services to help you in your academic and personal success. Talk to representatives from the following:

The Speaking Center
Writers Workshop
The Counseling Center
Research Consultations
Sexual Health Peers
Stress Management Peers
Talk to everyone and be entered into a raffle to win a plush squirrel or a library tote bag!

Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Main Library Orange Room

Student Panel hosted by LAS career services

Sept 13 @ 4 pm – Internships: Student Panel – virtual. Hear from current students about their internship experiences (summer gigs or other jobs), both on and off campus. Discover how internships can help you prepare for your future and learn about these opportunities right here in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Author Talks and Book Signings at urbana free library

Saturday, September 23, 2023, 1:30 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.

Stop by the Urbana Free Library, where authors Allison Boot and Francesca T. Royster will be discussing their works and signing books. Boot is a writer who specializes in novels featuring characters who are disabled, and Royster is a scholar and author who will talk about her new memoir. Books will be available for purchase at the event.

For a full list of events (some of which feature members of our own Creative Writing Program!) check out the Pygmalion website.

All Pygmalion events at the Library are free and open to the public.

Lisnek Hub

The Hub  is open again! Stop by Tuesday- Thursdays from 10 am to 3 pm. Under the Lincoln Hall theater is the Lisnek Hub where you can chat with peer mentors.

employment opportunity

Are you interested in topics related to diversity, inclusion, and social justice? Do you have experience leading difficult conversations? Do you want to become a diversity leader on campus? I-Connect peer educators are university students who lead I-Connect Interactive Workshops in the Spring. This is a paid student position with Diversity & Social Justice Education for Spring 2024. Workshops occur in the evenings from 6:00 – 9:00 PM throughout the Spring 2024 semester. Workshops are held on Zoom. This is a remote work opportunity. Apply at https://go.illinois.edu/iconnectjob (application window opened September 4 and will stay open until all positions are filled).

coming up!

The first event in the “Dinner and Development” series (see previous round-up for a full description of the series) is coming up soon:

Dismantling Professionalism
Cherisse Smith
September 13 at BNAAC (1212 W. Nevada St)
6:00-7:30pm
Register today: https://go.illinois.edu/wrc_DD

find a workshop for you!

If you’re struggling in one or more of your STEM courses, perhaps there’s a workshop that could help. Check out the LAS Success Workshop Schedule, and be sure to click on “see more” at the bottom for the full list of options.

Tuesday@7 Workshops

Each week, undergraduate Counseling Center paraprofessionals offer interactive workshops on various topics. Please visit our website for login information and upcoming topics.

Here are our workshops for September:

September 5 | Your Declassified College Survival Guide (Noyes Room 157)
September 12 | Cultivating Confidence: Challenging Your Inner Critic (BIF 1041)
September 19 |Building Campus Friendships Where You Alma Mater (Lincoln 1022)
September 26 | Intuitive Eating: You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It Too (ISR 94AB)

writers workshop

Writers Workshop drop-ins are available beginning 4-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 100b Main Library. These sessions are best for brainstorming, specific questions, or shorter documents (1-3 page papers, application materials, etc.). These sessions are first-come, first-serve.

Don’t forget these!

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

Want to keep up with research-related opportunities and events hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUA)? Subscribe to OUA’s monthly newsletter and you won’t miss a thing!

You might also want to learn more about the Humanities Research Institute (HRI), particularly opportunities for undergraduates (did you know that they hire student interns and that some of them are English or creative writing majors?) in which case you should check out the Undergraduate section on the HRI website.

HRI PRINDABLE INTERNSHIP IN OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATION

HRI’s Communications and Outreach internship offers real world experience for undergraduate humanities majors.

Are you passionate about the humanities? Undergraduate majors in humanities disciplines are invited to apply for a paid internship in communications and undergraduate outreach at the Humanities Research Institute (HRI), the campus humanities hub. The successful candidate will assist HRI with its communications, including social media, event calendar maintenance, and research and writing projects, in addition to serving as an undergraduate ambassador and a strategist for HRI on undergraduate engagement. For application guidelines see hereApplication Deadline: September 15!

INVITATION FROM THE PROVOST’S OFFICE

Dear Students, 

Are you looking for opportunities to get involved and work together with peers and campus leadership to strengthen our community? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you!

The Office of the Provost is now accepting applications for appointment to the 2023-2024 Student Success Undergraduate Advisory Board. 

The board is a group of diverse undergraduate students who volunteer to serve as advisors to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Provost and Student Success @ Illinois. They aim to accurately portray the current realities of the undergraduate experience by articulating the highlights and challenges of being a student at the university. As representatives of the undergraduate population at Illinois, their objective is to convey what could make a successful undergraduate student experience. 

The Application can be accessed here:  https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/2104101941

If selected to participate as a Board member, appointments will be for one full academic year. All applications are due Friday, September 8, 2023, at 11:59 PM CDT.

We hope you will consider applying because your voice is a critical part of the work that we do to ensure your success while at Illinois and beyond graduation!

Sincerely, 

Kathy Martensen

Associate Provost for Educational Programs and Success Initiatives

2ND ANNUAL MENTAL HEALTH FAIR
TUTORING SERVICES

Take advantage of tutoring services on campus
Many departments within the College of LAS offer tutoring. Find the right fit for you.

ACCESSIBLE COUNSELING RESOURCES

It can be hard to take the first step when you’re in need of counseling, so for ease of access the College of LAS has its own embedded counselor, Andy Novinska and you can contact him directly to schedule an appointment at anovinsk@illinois.edu.

Students can also access Counseling Center services by calling 217-333-3704 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday – Friday to set up an appointment via the same-day scheduling system. There is also an online scheduling system (please note that appointments are limited via this option so if you try to schedule online and cannot find anything that works please call the office or email Andy).

Workshops for Test Anxiety, ADHD Symptoms, Perfectionism, Body Image, etc. can be found here.

PSA–HEARD ABOUT 211?
CREATIVE WRITING CLUB
DATES & DEADLINES

Deadline to drop, CR/NCR, or elect grade replacement in a POT A (first-8-week) course 
Friday, Sept. 15

ICT/Curriculum changes for Spring 2024
Oct. 2-27

Deadline to drop, CR/NCR, or elect grade replacement in a FULL-SEMESTER course
October 13

Weekly Round-Up

Follow English and Creative Writing communities on social media!

Important deadline

Please remember that TODAY Friday, September 1 is the deadline to add a full-semester course (aka “10th day”) and thus the deadline to perfect/finalize your fall schedule.

This is also the deadline for new students and students on academic probation to check in with the English advising office. As a reminder, we do not schedule appointments via email. Please call the office at 217-333-4346 and we will get you on the calendar.

internship opportunity DEADLINE TODAY!

Applications Open for Social Justice Leadership Interns
Application Deadline: Friday, September 1 by 5:00 PM

If you are an Illinois student with a passion for supporting student success through workshops, trainings, tabletop games, and social media, and you would like to work to promote an inclusive campus community, this is the position for you!

english student association 1ST MEETING!
LAS CAREER SERVICES UPCOMING EVENTS

Resume Workshop for LAS Students 
Sept 5 @ 3:30 pm
Learn to put together a resume that will help you move forward to the future you want. This informal and interactive workshop focuses on the strengths that LAS students bring to internships and jobs. We will cover current resume best practices, as well as strategies for showcasing your skills to give employers the information about you that they need.

Need Career Wear? UIUC/JCPenney Suit-Up Event on Sept 9 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm can help you get ready. The Career Center has arranged this to help you be ready and look as smart as you are.

Some of the above links take you to Handshake; you will need to create an account and then you’ll be able to access Handshake events to sign up. Note that you can also (in many cases) turn up to an event without signing up beforehand. If you’re uncertain whether pre-registration is mandatory for a given event, email las-careerservices@illinois.edu.

Speaking of career fairs, if you’d like to volunteer to help out at the ACES + LAS Career Fair, please sign up via this link. If you’re nervous about attending career fairs, this might be a good way to get a sense of what they’re like first from behind the scenes!

help us reward excellent teaching!

It’s time to nominate your excellent English department instructors for teaching awards if you haven’t already done so this year!  If you have found someone to be especially skilled, knowledgeable, inspiring, or responsive to your needs as a student, please consider submitting a nomination using the very simple form available here.

For the 2023-24 award cycle the deadline for nominations is Tuesday, September 5.  

You can nominate any professor, lecturer, or instructor (that includes graduate TAs) who has taught any English department course (BTW, CW, ENGL, RHET) on any topic.  You can nominate more than one person.  It only takes a few minutes and it can be enormously helpful to the teaching awards committee.  Thanks in advance for taking the time to do it!

Call for Participation: Creative Writing and AI

Hello!

We are a team of researchers at UIUC studying how language generators may impact creative writing processes and the controversial role they currently have in creative production. We are recruiting participants who self-identify as creative writers. Participants will be asked to write a short story and respond to a survey.

Participation is remote, asynchronous, and will last about one hour. You will be given a $10 Amazon gift card for your time. If you would like to participate in this research, please fill out the consent form at https://forms.gle/3n9hdM78uBJa36mD6, which contains more details about the study.  You must be at least 18 years old to participate. 

Please reach out to David Zhou at david23@illinois.edu if you have any questions about this study. Thank you!

undergraduate research opportunities

Want to keep up with research-related opportunities and events hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUA)? Subscribe to OUA’s monthly newsletter and you won’t miss a thing!

You might also want to learn more about the Humanities Research Institute (HRI), particularly opportunities for undergraduates (did you know that they hire student interns and that some of them are English or creative writing majors?) in which case you should check out the Undergraduate section on the HRI website.

scholarship opportunity coming up soon!

The Illinois Club provides scholarships to outstanding students in the areas of global studies, humanities and social sciences, science and engineering, education, and art. You must be an undergraduate at UIUC and have earned 60 credit hours by the Spring 2024 semester and be planning to graduate no earlier than December 2024. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is also expected. The applications for these scholarships open on September 5th and will be live until 5pm CST on October 14th, 2023. More information is available at Illinois Club Scholarships.

HRI Prindable Internship in Outreach and Communication

HRI’s Communications and Outreach internship offers real world experience for undergraduate humanities majors.

Are you passionate about the humanities? Undergraduate majors in humanities disciplines are invited to apply for a paid internship in communications and undergraduate outreach at the Humanities Research Institute (HRI), the campus humanities hub. The successful candidate will assist HRI with its communications, including social media, event calendar maintenance, and research and writing projects, in addition to serving as an undergraduate ambassador and a strategist for HRI on undergraduate engagement. For application guidelines see here. Application Deadline: September 15!

New series at the WRC

Join us this semester for a new series: Dinner & Development! This series will offer a variety of professional development workshops specifically designed with women and gender minorities in mind! Join us as we explore how to dismantle traditional pillars of professionalism, build meaningful relationships through networking, and leading with empathy as we enter our careers. 

Dismantling Professionalism
Cherisse Smith
September 13 at BNAAC
6:00-7:30

Networking: Building Meaningful Relationships
Kirstin Wilcox
October 11 at SDRP Room 2050
6:00-7:30

Leading with Empathy
Joy Das
November 8 at the Illinois Leadership Center (290 Illini Union) 
6:00-7:30

Register today: https://go.illinois.edu/wrc_DD

Dinner is provided at all three events!

The Dinner & Development series is hosted by the Women’s Resources Center in collaboration with the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center, the Illinois Leadership Center, LAS Career Services, and University Housing. 

Pre-health? The Career Center can help!

If you’re interested in working in a health field (we know that not all pre-med students are biology majors!) consider attending the Pre-Health Kick-Off on September 6!

invitation from the provost’s office

Dear Students, 

Are you looking for opportunities to get involved and work together with peers and campus leadership to strengthen our community? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you!

The Office of the Provost is now accepting applications for appointment to the 2023-2024 Student Success Undergraduate Advisory Board. 

The board is a group of diverse undergraduate students who volunteer to serve as advisors to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Provost and Student Success @ Illinois. They aim to accurately portray the current realities of the undergraduate experience by articulating the highlights and challenges of being a student at the university. As representatives of the undergraduate population at Illinois, their objective is to convey what could make a successful undergraduate student experience. 

The Application can be accessed here:  https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/2104101941

If selected to participate as a Board member, appointments will be for one full academic year. All applications are due Friday, September 8, 2023, at 11:59 PM CDT.

We hope you will consider applying because your voice is a critical part of the work that we do to ensure your success while at Illinois and beyond graduation!

Sincerely, 

Kathy Martensen

Associate Provost for Educational Programs and Success Initiatives

2ND ANNUAL MENTAL HEALTH FAIR
tUTORING sERVICES

Take advantage of tutoring services on campus
Many departments within the College of LAS offer tutoring. Find the right fit for you.

accessible counseling resources

It can be hard to take the first step when you’re in need of counseling, so for ease of access the College of LAS has its own embedded counselor, Andy Novinska and you can contact him directly to schedule an appointment at anovinsk@illinois.edu.

Students can also access Counseling Center services by calling 217-333-3704 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday – Friday to set up an appointment via the same-day scheduling system. There is also an online scheduling system (please note that appointments are limited via this option so if you try to schedule online and cannot find anything that works please call the office or email Andy).

Workshops for Test Anxiety, ADHD Symptoms, Perfectionism, Body Image, etc. can be found here.

PSA–Heard about 211?
creative writing club
amazing alumni

Congratulations to English department alumnus Andy Sima on the recent publication of Climate: Our Changing World, a book in the Science in Action series for middle-grade readers. Andy graduated from Illinois with majors in creative writing and environmental sustainability and we’re delighted to hear of his success!

dATES & DEADLINES

Labor Day — No Class 
Monday, Sept. 4

Deadline to drop, CR/NCR, or elect grade replacement in a first-half session course 
Friday, Sept. 15

ICT/Curriculum changes for Spring 2024
Oct. 2-27

Weekly Round-Up

Follow English and Creative Writing communities on social media!

esa welcomes you 😊

ESA (English Student Association) will be hosting their annual Welcome Event next Wednesday, August 30th @ 4:30 p.m. in front of the English Building (on the Quad side)! All new, continuing, and prospective students are encouraged to come and get acquainted while eating pizza and doing crafts. Materials for bracelet making, blackout poetry, and coloring pages will be provided. Hope to see you there!

To learn more about ESA contact esaillinois1867@gmail.com.

LAS Career Services Upcoming Events

LAS – Fall Career Fairs and YOU
Aug 29 @ 3:30 pm or Sept 6 @ 4 pm

Fall campus career fairs are open to all students, regardless of major. Not sure career fairs are for you? Come to this informal workshop to learn how you as an LAS student can stand out. Note: the first job fair is the Illinois Part-Time Job Fair on Aug 30 at the Illini Union 11-3 pm.

Resume Workshop for LAS Students 
Sept 5 @ 3:30 pm
Learn to put together a resume that will help you move forward to the future you want. This informal and interactive workshop focuses on the strengths that LAS students bring to internships and jobs. We will cover current resume best practices, as well as strategies for showcasing your skills to give employers the information about you that they need.

Need Career Wear? UIUC/JCPenney Suit-Up Event on Sept 9 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm can help you get ready. The Career Center has arranged this to help you be ready and look as smart as you are.

Some of the above links take you to Handshake; you will need to create an account and then you’ll be able to access Handshake events to sign up. Note that you can also (in many cases) turn up to an event without signing up beforehand. If you’re uncertain whether pre-registration is mandatory for a given event, email las-careerservices@illinois.edu.

Speaking of career fairs, if you’d like to volunteer to help out at the ACES + LAS Career Fair, please sign up via this link. If you’re nervous about attending career fairs, this might be a good way to get a sense of what they’re like first from behind the scenes!

undergraduate research opportunities

Want to keep up with research-related opportunities and events hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research (OUA)? Subscribe to OUA’s monthly newsletter and you won’t miss a thing!

You might also want to learn more about the Humanities Research Institute (HRI), particularly opportunities for undergraduates (did you know that they hire student interns and that some of them are English or creative writing majors?) in which case you should check out the Undergraduate section on the HRI website.

scholarship opportunity coming up soon!

The Illinois Club provides scholarships to outstanding students in the areas of global studies, humanities and social sciences, science and engineering, education, and art. You must be an undergraduate at UIUC and have earned 60 credit hours by the Spring 2024 semester and be planning to graduate no earlier than December 2024. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is also expected. The applications for these scholarships open on September 5th and will be live until 5pm CST on October 14th, 2023. More information is available at Illinois Club Scholarships.

Pre-health? The Career Center can help!

If you’re interested in working in a health field (we know that not all pre-med students are biology majors!) consider attending the Pre-Health Kick-Off on September 6!

internship opportunity

Applications Open for Social Justice Leadership Interns
Application Deadline: Friday, September 1 by 5:00 PM

If you are an Illinois student with a passion for supporting student success through workshops, trainings, tabletop games, and social media, and you would like to work to promote an inclusive campus community, this is the position for you!

amazing alumni

Congratulations to English department alumnus Andy Sima on the recent publication of Climate: Our Changing World, a book in the Science in Action series for middle-grade readers. Andy graduated from Illinois with majors in creative writing and environmental sustainability and we’re delighted to hear of his success!

accessible counseling resources

It can be hard to take the first step when you’re in need of counseling, so for ease of access the College of LAS has its own embedded counselor, Andy Novinska and you can contact him directly to schedule an appointment at anovinsk@illinois.edu.

Students can also access Counseling Center services by calling 217-333-3704 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday – Friday to set up an appointment via the same-day scheduling system. There is also an online scheduling system (please note that appointments are limited via this option so if you try to schedule online and cannot find anything that works please call the office or email Andy).

Workshops for Test Anxiety, ADHD Symptoms, Perfectionism, Body Image, etc. can be found here.

invitation from the provost’s office

Dear Students, 

Are you looking for opportunities to get involved and work together with peers and campus leadership to strengthen our community? If so, we have the perfect opportunity for you!

The Office of the Provost is now accepting applications for appointment to the 2023-2024 Student Success Undergraduate Advisory Board. 

The board is a group of diverse undergraduate students who volunteer to serve as advisors to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs & Provost and Student Success @ Illinois. They aim to accurately portray the current realities of the undergraduate experience by articulating the highlights and challenges of being a student at the university. As representatives of the undergraduate population at Illinois, their objective is to convey what could make a successful undergraduate student experience. 

The Application can be accessed here:  https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/2104101941

If selected to participate as a Board member, appointments will be for one full academic year. All applications are due Friday, September 8, 2023, at 11:59 PM CDT.

We hope you will consider applying because your voice is a critical part of the work that we do to ensure your success while at Illinois and beyond graduation!

Sincerely, 

Kathy Martensen

Associate Provost for Educational Programs and Success Initiatives

Important deadline

Please remember that Friday, September 1 is the deadline to add a full-semester course (aka “10th day”) and thus the deadline to perfect/finalize your fall schedule.

This is also the deadline for new students and students on academic probation to check in with the English advising office. As a reminder, we do not schedule appointments via email. Please call the office at 217-333-4346 and we will get you on the calendar.

Information for New Students❤

Welcome!

We hope you’re excited to begin your journey here at Illinois, and we want to give you some information about how we do advising. The information that follows is also available on the departmental advising site. You should be prepared for the possibility of change as we move through this semester, so bookmark the advising page and check the blog regularly to stay in the loop and up to date! We look forward to working with you all and we want to keep advising procedures as clear, smooth, and accessible as possible. 

MANDATORY NEW STUDENT CHECK-IN:

We are asking all new students to check in with an advisor in some way during the first two weeks of the semester. This is to let us know how you’re doing, whether you’re satisfied with your schedule, and (crucially) whether there are any problems we might be able to help you solve. Even if everything seems fine, please do your check-in (at least send an email) so that we know you’re settled in. A good time to do this is once you’ve attended the first meeting of each of your classes (i.e. toward the end of the first week).  The last day to add a semester class to your schedule (in case you do want to swap a class you don’t like out for something else) is Friday, September 1, so you must complete your check-in by then. 

You can connect with us in the following ways:

  • You can email your questions and concerns, and we will email you back. If you have already worked with a particular advisor and would like to email her directly you may, or you can email englishadvising@illinois.edu in which case Anna, Keshia, and Nancy will all see your message and the first person available to reply will do so.
  • If you want to talk to an advisor in real time, please schedule an appointment by calling the office at 217-333-4346 (we do not schedule appointments via email). If you have to leave a message, please include your name, UIN, the reason for the appointment, and your preferred advisor (if any). Someone will get back to you as soon as possible. Depending on the urgency of your questions and our availability you may need to schedule a virtual appointment, but if you prefer to meet in person please let us know.  

That’s it for now!  Let us know if you have questions or need help, and we wish you all a happy and safe fall semester!

Best, 

Anna, Keshia, & Nancy