For the past three months, Northeastern Illinois University’s buildings have been closed due to COVID-19. Next week, the Student Union will be the first building to reopen to students on the Main Campus with social distancing measures in place. Plus the Alumni Association, libraries and Student Counseling Services all have featured resources to help students. Read about all this and more in this edition of Noteworthy at Northeastern.
Around the Commons
Student Union pilot program
Northeastern is preparing the Student Union to be the first building on the Main Campus to open its doors to students following the Illinois Stay at Home Order during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Student Union will have 20 Study Spaces with five computers and 15 socially distanced study tables on the first and second floors. Students will have access to Wi-Fi and a copier/printer/scanner. This pilot program is scheduled to begin on June 15 and run Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Only students currently registered for Summer 2020 classes can participate in the program, and students must reserve a two-hour time slot in advance. There is a limit of 20 students in the building at a time. To reserve a space, students should submit the Student Union Study Space Request Form for each date/time they would like to access a Study Space. For questions, please read more information online, or contact the Student Union at suecs@neiu.edu or (773) 442-4630.
Illinois Writing Project
The Illinois Writing Project at Northeastern is hosting a series of online summer workshops, which offer Illinois State Board of Education Professional Development Hours. Courses include Social Emotional Learning, Digital and Media Literacy and Using Writing for Innovation and Inquiry, among others.
Second Half of summer and Fall 2020
Registration is open for the Second Half of Summer and Fall 2020 semesters. Academic and financial aid counselors are meeting with students remotely to ensure students have everything they need to register for classes and continue on their chosen degree paths. The deadline for new students to apply for the Fall 2020 semester is July 15. All of Northeastern’s academic programs are listed on a new sortable webpage.
Rotary Club
Three Social Work faculty members are scheduled to give online presentations for the Rotary Club of Chicago-O’Hare this month. Judith Rocha is scheduled to present “Alzheimer's Disease Caregiving in the Latinx Community” on June 18. Noe Mojica presented “A Supportive Response to Fathers of Children with Cancer” on June 4. Aissetu Ibrahima presented “Advancing Human Rights, Social and Economic Justice while Tackling a Pandemic: What can we learn from COVID-19?” on June 11. All sessions have been made available for the NEIU community to participate in live via Zoom. Questions or problems can be directed to Ed Jacob at (630) 282-4730.
And there’s more!
- El Centro has published its Spring 2020 newsletter.
- Acting Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Tim Libretti has published an article in the PopMatters Reading Pandemics series, which is being curated by Assistant Professor Ryan Poll.
- Northeastern’s library is looking for student submissions for “Sheltering in Place: NEIU Archives COVID-19 Documentation Project.”
- Northeastern’s Bookstore is offering free ground shipping on domestic orders so students can still receive their books for courses, as well as order University-branded items such as notebooks and apparel.
- Many of Northeastern’s Community and Professional Education (CAPE) classes, including the new NEIU English Institute courses, are being offered remotely. Registration for many programs is now open.
- Ensemble Español is offering a variety of online dance classes this summer.
Events at home
Though its buildings are locked, Northeastern has adapted by creating remote events.
Department of TESOL
The Department of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) will host a Virtual Graduate Open House at 5:30 p.m. June 19 to explore the Master of Arts and Graduate Certificate in TESOL. RSVP to Sarah Dandelles at s-dandelles@neiu.edu for virtual meeting instructions.
View all of Northeastern’s future events at neiu.edu/events. Please email public-relations@neiu.edu to submit events for consideration in future editions of Noteworthy at Northeastern.
In the media
- Professor Emeritus of Economics Edward Stuart was quoted in Portafolio about the economic impact of the pandemic on businesses and the roles that governments may seek to impose on the private sector if they have received financial assistance because of COVID-19.
- Stuart was also a featured guest on the LIFE Edge podcast discussing predictions of what industries will survive, grow and thrive in 2020.
Student Support Spotlight
Alumni Association
Northeastern’s Alumni Association will host a drive-thru food drop-off to support the University’s Student Pantry on June 15. The pantry has altered its delivery of services due to COVID-19. Students are now able to order food online. A food donation bin has also been placed at the University Police station to collect needed items throughout this time as other drop-off locations are now closed. Monetary contributions are being collected online to support the Student Pantry and the Student Emergency Fund. Student Pantry questions may be directed to Christopher Maxwell at c-maxwell2@neiu.edu.
NEIU Libraries
Librarians and library staff are available to students during the summer for help finding ebooks, journal articles, reliable online information and more. Visit the website to chat with a live representative. Chat is available from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. seven days a week.
Student Counseling Services
Students are welcome to contact NEIU’s Student Counseling Services to set up an appointment to talk, either by phone or using their online platform for video therapy. 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 our outgoing message.
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