Weekly Schedule - Jan. 28 - Feb. 3

Friday, January 28

Work/Life Balance GradSpace Discussion
Presented by: Office of Graduate Affairs
12:00 – 1:00 PM
South Lounge, Reynolds Club, 5706 South University Avenue

Chicago Careers in Journalism (CCIJ) Workshop
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
2:00 – 4:00 PM
Room 203 of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

OMSA Graduate and Professional School Application Workshop: Part II
Presented by: Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA)
5:00 – 7:00 PM
5710 South Woodlawn Avenue

Monday, January 31

OMSA Graduate Scholar of Color Network
Presented by: Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA)
2:00 – 3:00 PM
5710 South Woodlawn Avenue

Careers in Research for Social Scientists and Humanists (II): The Non-profit World
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
5:00 – 6:30 PM
West Lounge of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

The Great Divide: Women of Color, Cancer and the Price of Survival (A Marge Markin Theater Awareness Lecture)
Presented by: Goodman Theatre partners include University of Chicago's Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture, University of Illinois at Chicago's Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy and Chicago Foundation for Women
5:30 PM
Goodman Theatre, 170 North Dearborn Street
Free Events – Registration Required

Conversation Series: Being Black at the University of Chicago
Presented by: Organization of Black Students
7:00 – 9:00 PM
5710 South Woodlawn Avenue

Tuesday, February 1

Mexican Studies Seminar - Fernando Vizcaino
Presented by: Katz Center for Mexican Studies
1:00 – 2:30 PM
John Hope Franklin Room of the Social Science Research Building, 1126 East 59th Street

Gender and Sexuality Studies and Ethnoise! workshops: Luis-Manuel Garcia and Gregory Mitchell Presented by: Center for Gender Studies
4:30 – 6:00 PM
First Floor Conference Room of the Centers for Gender/Race Studies, 5733 South University Avenue

Pouring Tea: Black Gay Men of the South Tell Their Tales
Presented by: Office of LGBTQ Student Life and the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs with our co-sponsors, University Theater, the Reva and David Logan Center for Creative and Performing Arts, the Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture, and the Black Youth Project
6:00 – 8:00 PM
5710 South Woodlawn Avenue

Pouring Tea: Black Gay Men of the South Tell Their Tales

On Tuesday, February 1st, 2011, there will be a dramatic reading by E. Patrick Johnson. Pouring Tea: Black Gay Men of the South Tell Their Tales, is a stirring oral history stemming from E. Patrick Johnson's latest book, Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South - An Oral History and an adapted play which toured last Spring.

E. Patrick Johnson, a scholar and artist, is the chair of the Department of Performance Studies, and Professor in the Department of African-American Studies at Northwestern University. He is the author of Appropriating Blackness: Performance and the Politics of Authenticity and Black Queer Studies: A Critical Anthology .

OMSA Advisory Board Meeting Highlights!

The OMSA Advisory Board meets bi-monthly to address the concerns of UChicago's multicultural community. It is an important asset in helping to ensure that OMSA and the university administration is effectively meeting the needs of the diverse student body. In order to make sure the broader campus community is aware of the concerns the Advisory Board are addressing, the OMSA Blog includes meeting highlights!

Meeting Date: January 11th, 2011

Special Guest(s):

• Josh Singh, Ph.D - Counselor, Student Counseling and Resource Service

Highlights:

The earlier part of the Advisory Board's meeting was all about stress, how it operates, its effects, and the best ways to manage it. Learning how to control your amounts of stress during the gloomy winter months is an important tool for all students, regardless of color.

According to Josh, anxiety is one of the biggest problems for students on campus. In efforts to relieve both stress and anxiety, the Student Counseling and Resource service offers Let's Talk.

Let's Talk is a program that provides informal and confidential consultations with counselors from the Student Counseling and Resource Service. No appointments or fees are necessary!

Let's Talk Meeting Times

• Wednesdays, 11am-1pm, Rockefeller Chapel - Uncommon Room.
• Tuesdays, 2:30pm-4:30pm, International House - Suite 291 (Office of International Affairs Suite)
• Fridays, 1pm-3pm, 5710 S. Woodlawn (Right here at OMSA!)- LGBTQ Lounge

Visit the Student Counseling and Resource Service's website for more info on stress relieving resources and Let's Talk!

Black Heritage Celebration 2011, Upcoming Campus and Community Events

The University of Chicago celebrates Black Heritage this January and February. Alumnus and historian Carter G. Woodson, (A.B. and A.M. 1908) spearheaded the 1926 creation of Negro History Week. In 1976, as part of the nation's bicentennial, the week was expanded into Black History Month in February.

Next week, on Tuesday, January 25, as a part of Black Heritage Celebration, the Center for Gender Studies will present a lecture by E. Patrick Johnson, titled, "In Search of Countess Vivian: Queerness and the Making of Southern History." This event is part of a series titled, "The Politics of Sexual Freedom."

Faculty Roundtable with Professor Agnes Lugo-Ortiz

OMSA invites graduate and professional students of color to a casual conversation with Professor Agnes Lugo-Ortiz on Tuesday, January 25 from 4:30-5:30 pm. The Faculty Roundtable is a chance to get to know faculty of color outside the classroom. It meets in the cozy setting of the Amandla Lounge at 5710 South Woodlawn.

Professor Lugo-Ortiz is a professor in the department of Romance Languages and Literature. Particularly, she is a specialist in nineteenth-century Latin American literature, and in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Caribbean cultural history. Her work focuses on questions concerning the relationships between cultural production and the formation of modern socio-political identities. Since 1994 she has been on the advisory board of the Recovering US Hispanic Literary Heritage Project. She is also the coordinator of the Humanities Division's Project Towards a New Americas Studies. Her current book-length project is titled: "Riddles of Modern Identity: Biography and Visual Portraiture in Slaveholding Cuba (1760-1886)."

Join us for an evening of fascinating conversation with Professor Lugo-Ortiz!

Weekly Schedule: January 20 - 27

Thursday, January 20

Civic Knowledge Project: Reforming Urban Schools at Scale
Presented by: Graham School
6:30 – 8:00 PM
Lobby of the School of Social Service Administration, 969 East 60th Street Chicago, IL

Friday, January 21

GradUCon: Graduate Student Development Conference
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Cloister Club of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

Chicago Careers in Journalism (CCIJ) Workshop
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
2:00 – 4:00 PM
Room 203 of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

Chicago Careers in Law (CCIL): Guest Speaker
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
6:00 – 7:30 PM
West Lounge of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

Poto Mitan: Haitian Women
Presented by: Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture (CSRPC))
6:00 –8:00 PM
Home Room of the International House, 1414 East 59th Street

Saturday, January 22

International Food Festival
Presented by: Asian Student Union
6:00 – 9:00 PM
Cloister Club of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

Last Day to Register to Vote in the Chicago Mayoral Election is January 25, 2011!

The Chicago Mayoral Election will take place on Tuesday, February 22, 2011. As University of Chicago students, you are eligible to vote for the next Chicago mayor.

To vote you must:

• Be a United States Citizen
• Be at least 18 years old
• Live in your election precinct at least 30 days
• Not be convicted and in jail
• Not claim the right to vote anywhere else

The last day to register to vote in this election is Tuesday, January 25, 2011. However, there is a grace period for registration which lasts from January 26 to February 15. To register to vote, complete the voter registration form. This form can be mailed to your County Clerk or Board of Election Commissioners. County Court/Board of Election Commissioners listings can be found here.

Candidates include former White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel; former US Senator, Carol Moseley Braun; former City Colleges Chairman, Gery Chico; former US Senator, Roland Burris; and State Senator, James Meeks among others. There are currently 7 candidates listed.

Other useful information, including voting locations and absentee voting, can be found at here.

Early voting starts on January 31 and lasts until February 17. Exercise your rights and vote on 2/22/11!!

Hyde Park Polling Place:

Ray Elementary - Gymansium
5631 S. Kimbark Ave 60637

Early Voting Sites
Jackson Park Fieldhouse
6401 S. Stony Island (Ward 5)

King Center
4314 S. Cottage Grove (Ward 4)

You talked, we listened! CAPS now has walk-in hours at 5710!

Every Thursday from 4-5pm, you can stop by and talk to Bora Un! She is available to assist with questions about resume writing, job searching and general CAPS inquires. Before coming to CAPS, Bora worked at a non-profit staffing agency in Evanston. She recruited 17-24 year old job-seekers living with significant barriers to participate in the Summer Youth Employment Initiative funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. She also developed worksites for the federally funded program and established strong employee partners for the agency. Before transitioning into career counseling, Bora spent time teaching English and developing curriculum in Seoul, Korea and was also a Site Director for an afterschool tutoring program for “at-risk” students in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood. Bora earned her Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Northwestern University's School of Continuing Studies and her Bachelor's degree in English from Wellesley College.

Finding Good Mentors: State Rep. Will Burns discusses careers in politics

State Representative Will Burns will be speaking about exploring careers in politics on Tuesday, January 18 at 5710 S. Woodlawn.

Will Burns is currently serving his first term as 26^th District State Representative. Currently, Burns is running for Alderman in the 4th Ward which incorporates areas of Oakland, Kenwood, and parts of Hyde Park and Bronzeville.

Prior to serving as State Representative, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the Illinois Senate President. In that role, Burns developed legislation for the Senate Democratic Caucus on issues ranging from criminal justice, consumer protection, education, minority business development, and ethics reform. Before working for the Senate President, Burns was the Vice President of Program and Field Offices for the Chicago Urban League. Burns has also served in a number of political and governmental capacities including: Deputy Campaign Manager for Obama for Congress 2000, Campaign Coordinator for the Democratic Party of Illinois, senior advisor and legislative analyst in the Office of the Illinois Senate Minority Leader, and as a community outreach coordinator for then State Senator Barack Obama.

In 2001, Burns was named an American Marshall Memorial Fellow of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.  Burns attended the University of Chicago where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees. He lives in North Kenwood with his wife Robin N. Black and their daughter Athena.

Weekly Schedule: Jan. 13-19

Thursday, January 13

Making the Most of GradUCon
Presented by: Office of Graduate Affairs)
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Room 110 of the Classics Building, 1010 E. 59th Street

Chicago Career In Higher Education: Planning Ahead For Third-Years Who Will Be Applying to Graduate School
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
4:00 – 5:00 PM
Room 216/217 of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

Winter Quarter Grad Student Social
Presented by: Office of the Reynolds Club & Student Activities (ORCSA)
4:00 – 7:00 PM
Cloister Club of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

University of Chicago Public Interest Program (UCPIP)
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
5:30 – 7:00 PM
Room 203 of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

Chicago Career In Law: Mentoring Event for Law Students and College Students
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
6:30 – 8:00 PM
West Lounge of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

Winter General Assembly
Presented by African and Caribbean Student Association
7:00 – 9:00 PM
Room 135 at the Harper Memorial Library, 1116 E. 59th Street

Meeting
Presented: Puerto Rican Student Association
7:00 – 8:00 PM
5710 S. Woodlawn Avenue

Kuvia Winter Festival Day 4
All day
Henry Crown Field House (2nd floor)

Friday, January 14

Internship Interview Practice Day
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Second floor reception of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

Chicago Careers in Journalism (CCIJ) Workshop
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
2:00 – 4:00 PM
Room 203 of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

University of Chicago MLK Commemoration Service
3:30 – 5:00 PM
Rockefeller Chapel, 1156 East 59th Street

Kuvia Winter Festival Day 5
All day Henry Crown Field House (2nd floor)

Saturday, January 15

Community Organizing 101 Workshop
Presented by: Office of the Reynolds Club & Student Activities (ORCSA)
12:00 – 1:00 PM
McCormick Tribune Lounge Reynolds Club, 5706 S. University

Cultural Show: Mulan
Presented by: Chinese Undergraduate Student Association
Dinner: 5:30 – 7:30 PM at Hutch
Show: 8:00 – 10:00 PM at Mandel Hall
Tickets are $10 at Reynolds Club M-F from 10:30AM – 4:30 PM

One Year Anniversary of Haiti Earthquake.

It’s exactly one year since the catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti, killing between 250,000 and 300,000 people, wounding about 300,000 people and leaving over a million homeless. The 7.0-magnitude earthquake left much of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince in ruins, destroying infrastructure and causing a humanitarian catastrophe in a country that was already considered the poorest in the Americas.

In response to the destruction in Haiti, representatives from several RSOs on campus including the African & Caribbean Students' Association, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc, Beats & Pieces, FIERCE, Puerto Rican Students Association, Minority Student Pre-Medical Association, Organization for Black Students, and Cultures in Action met immediately to form UChicago for Haiti, a coalition that has since been raising awareness and fund-raising relief efforts for Haiti.

To date over US$20,000 worth of proceeds in form of money, clothes, shoes or medical supplies have been sent to Haiti via Partners in Health, a health care outreach organization that has worked in Haiti for over 20 years, and the Red Cross through UChicago for Haiti.

Fundraising events included tabling in the Reynolds Club collecting donations big and small. Adama Wiltshire (AB 10), one of the UChicago for Haiti’s leaders was caught saying, “People underestimate the power of coins. It really adds up.” Other awareness and fundraisers include collecting medical supplies, toiletries, clothes and shoes in boxes set up throughout campus including at the nearby Citi Bank. UChicago for Haiti also raised money via hosting events such as the Beats & pieces Concert, Native Touch Fashion show, Hunger banquet, and “Indulge the Arts” featuring Haitian artists. We also had several panels and discussions including a Teach-in on Haiti hosted by OMSA, CLAS & CSRPC.

In addition to the successful college effort, the professional schools helped a lot as well. For instance, the medical center sent several surgical and post-operative care teams to Haiti. The Graduate Business Council collected and matched donations of more than $1500 from the Booth community and the alumni association website allowed donations to be done online via credit cards.

The University of Chicago’s efforts did not end after the news stopped broadcasting about Haiti’s devastation. More doctors, nurses, and volunteers continue to go to Haiti to help via the university’s Global Health Initiative. Events are still being organized by UChicago for Haiti and other groups to ensure that help continues to reach those affected in Haiti.

These events include but are certainly not limited to:

Gina Athena Ulysse: Because When God is Too Busy-Haiti, Me & The World
Monday, January 24, 2011 6:00 pm
Court Theatre
5535 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL
"How did Haiti, the enfant terrible of the Caribbean become its bȇte noir?"
In this dramatic monologue, CSRPC Artist-In-Residence Gina Athena Ulysse considers how the past occupies the present. Ulysse weaves history, personal narrative, theory and statistics in spokenword with Vodou chants to reflect on childhood memories, social (in)justice, spirituality, and the incessant de-humanization of Haitians.
The performance is followed with a talkback.
Co-sponsored by the Center for International Studies, the Center for Latin American Studies, The Center for Gender Studies, Court Theatre, the Human Rights Program, Rising in Solidarity with Ayiti (R.I.S.A.) & UChicago for Haiti. Free and open to the public.

OMSA Graduate and Professional School Application Workshop Part 1: Ease Some Stress Out of Your Life

A 1966 Time Magazine article explored the "graduate school squeeze," a colorful illustration of the sudden necessity for students to pursue graduate studies in order to remain competitive members in an American Society. The impetus resulted from some problems that today's students don't necessarily have to face: an insurgence of baby boomers flooding into undergraduate schools, the "threat" of Selective Service, and an increase in vocational expectations in lieu of shaping students ready to compete in a globalized economy--but there is one common denominator that always seems to transcend time, and that is that unholy entity-- stress.

Decades ago, applying to Graduate School was just as daunting:

• "My fate depends on a couple of people sitting in an office 2,000 miles away," says a Yale senior. Vanderbilt Senior Robert Thiel worked three days on his application to Yale, including a five-page essay and translation of a long English paragraph into German and French, got a one-sentence rejection. He spent five hours on his Stanford application, got a two-paragraph form rejection."
  
• "I really don't feel prepared to do anything with this liberal arts education," says one Yale senior who has applied at law schools. "You've just got to go to graduate school." Another contends that "the pressure is parental—and it almost killed me." He finally said "To hell with it" and joined the Peace Corps. "
  
• "Harvard also took the applicant who pleaded in the margin: "Help me!"...He dropped out after one term."

You don't have to cry for help, or join the Peace Corps (unless you really want to) OMSA's got you covered.

Graduate School and Professional School Application Workshop

5710 S. Woodlawn Ave. January 20th, 2011
5:00pm - 7:00pm

Let's help the article written about Graduate Students 50 years from now be a little less dismal. Shall we?

-Aaron Talley
-Class of 2013, 5710 Student Intern

Black Hertiage Celebration Book Review!

Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Trumpet of Conscience

January is the beginning of the University of Chicago’s Black Heritage Celebration. The celebration kicks off with the annual MLK Commemoration Service (http://mlk.uchicago.edu/) Friday, January 14th, 2011 at 3:30pm at Rockfeller Chapel.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the one of the biggest advocates in the Civil Rights movements of the 1960s for which he won the Nobel Peace Prize. If you are interested in some of Dr. King’s work you can check out some of our resources in our collection at 5710 Woodlawn, including King’s book The Trumpet of Conscience.

One of King’s five books The Trumpet of Conscience, which features a Forward by Coretta Scott King, was a call for a nonviolent revolution and his final statement on racism, poverty, and war. Just before his death, Martin Luther King realized that no threat to human dignity anywhere in the world could be excluded from his crusade. He committed himself to battle all facets of the enemy—racism, poverty, and war. In this, his final statement, the issues remain vital—the impasse in race relations, the neglect of inner cities, the moral deterioration of our society through the war, the corruption of our values by acts of destruction. King argues that protest marches and sit-ins are not powerful enough to uproot entrenched evil and that mass civil disobedience must be the next tactic to force profound and necessary change.

MLK Commemoration Service 2011!

Begin the University of Chicago’s Black Heritage Celebration with the MLK Commemoration Service!



The University of Chicago will be commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with several on campus events. The speaker for this year’s activities will be Judith Jameson, American dancer, Choreographer, and Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.



Judith Jameson is a legendary icon in the world of performing arts. Ms. Jameson began her dance efforts at the age of 6 and began her education at Fisk University at the age 15. In 1965 Jamison moved to NYC to join the Alvin Ailey Company where she became a principal dancer for the company. Ms. Jameson was appointed Artistic Director of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater in 1989 at the request of her mentor, Alvin Ailey, who personally chose her to succeed him. In her two decades at the helm of one of the most respected dance companies in America, Ms. Jameson has successfully kept the Alvin Ailey brand alive.

Weekly Schedule: January 10 - 16

Friday, January 10

Winter Career Fair
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
12:00 – 4:00 PM
Cloister Club of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

What it’s Like to be an Associate Editor in Publishing: A conversation with Anna deVries, Associate Editor at Scribner
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
2:00 – 4:00 PM
Room 203, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

Monday, January 13

Kuvia Winter Festival Day 1
All day
2nd floor, Henry Crown Field House, 5550 South University Avenue

Interview Prep
Presented by: Career Advising & Planning Services
4:30 – 5:30 PM
East Lounge of Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 East 59th Street

GradUCon Conference Deadline Monday, January 10!

The deadline for GradUCon will be Monday, January 10. Register online here.

GradUCon is THE conference designed for current graduate students in the arts and sciences, and recent alumni of graduate programs at the University of Chicago. This conference includes expert panels on a variety of topics related to graduate student life, as well as personal and professional development.

The GradUCon conference will take place on Friday, January 21. Learn more about GradUCon here.