Dan Mahony is one of about 140 students who remain on the University of Illinois Springfield campus after the school announced that the rest of the semester will be taught online amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Mahony couldn’t go home even if he wanted because his home is Brockham, England, which the United States banned all travel to and from last week to curb the spread of the virus.
As a member of the UIS soccer team, however, he didn’t expect to go home anytime soon.
“I was prepared to be here until May and I was actually planning on playing in a summer league, so I wasn’t expecting to go home for quite awhile,” Mahony said. “It’s not too bad. It’s quite easy to stay connected with your family through group chats or video calls.”
UIS Chancellor Susan Koch said students were not required to go home, but were encouraged to. She said students who needed to stay could submit a request.
“That includes a lot of international students, not all, but a lot, but it also includes some domestic students – maybe from Illinois, maybe from someplace else – who for whatever reason simply don’t have another option.”
While food, health and counseling services remain open at UIS, Mahony described campus as a “ghost town.”
“It’s pretty weird,” he said. “There’s no cars in the parking lot, no one’s walking around, you don’t hear music coming from anywhere, so it’s strange. I don’t know how really to describe it, it felt a bit like living in a movie how everyone just kind of disappeared.”
Mahony has spent most of his time playing video games online with friends and watching movies.
UIS soccer strength and conditioning coaches also gave the team bodyweight exercises to do at home to stay in shape. He also noted that the practice fields aren’t closing and is taking advantage of that.
However, as classes resumed Monday, he’s trying to shift the focus back to school. He was already enrolled in one online class, as he prefers in-person classes because he thinks it’s easier to get more out of it, but he understands the reality that everyone must adjust to.
“It’s hard to stay disciplined,” Mahony said. “It feels like you have a lot of free time because there’s nothing scheduled, but then really you do have to get stuff done and otherwise it will just build up.”
Some professors may not be fully confident in using technology to continue courses, but Koch said the decision to extend spring break for a week was to make sure professors were equipped and ready to implement e-learning.
“Regardless of the level of digital skill of any faculty member, one thing they all have in common is that they want their students to be successful and they really want our students to successfully complete the semester,” Koch said.
One of the first things he noticed was how well UIS was communicating with students about the coronavirus.
The university sent email updates after the first case was reported in Illinois in January, despite no confirmed cases spreading to Sangamon County until mid-March.
Koch said communication with students, faculty and staff has been one of the top priorities.
“We are working on that literally every day making sure people know what they need to know not only about the virus itself and the spread of the virus in Sangamon County and in Illinois, but also about what decisions are being made at the campus level that affects their lives,” Koch said.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on March 25, 2020.
Read the entire article online.
Showing posts with label Residence Hall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Residence Hall. Show all posts
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Census efforts also challenged by COVID-19
Like so many other things, the regular collection of census information for the once-in-10-year national count has been made more difficult because of the fight against the spread of COVID-19.
Some deadlines have changed, but because so much rides on the count – including federal reimbursements to cities – state and local officials are still working to make sure people get counted.
“It is extremely important that everyone knows how important it is to get counted in the 2020 Census,” said Patrick Laughlin, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Human Services, which is helping promote the federal census. “Completing the census will ensure that Illinoisans get both representation and federal funding for the critical things like roads, hospitals, schools and fire stations.
At the University of Illinois Springfield, classes are being taught remotely, but many students are no longer in the campus dorms, townhouses or apartments. UIS will include those students in the count they provide to the Census Bureau, UIS spokesman Derek Schnapp said. And students are being told that even if they are off campus on the official Census Day, April 1 – they should report their residence as where they live and sleep most of the time - at school.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on March 24, 2020.
Read the entire article online.
Some deadlines have changed, but because so much rides on the count – including federal reimbursements to cities – state and local officials are still working to make sure people get counted.
“It is extremely important that everyone knows how important it is to get counted in the 2020 Census,” said Patrick Laughlin, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Human Services, which is helping promote the federal census. “Completing the census will ensure that Illinoisans get both representation and federal funding for the critical things like roads, hospitals, schools and fire stations.
At the University of Illinois Springfield, classes are being taught remotely, but many students are no longer in the campus dorms, townhouses or apartments. UIS will include those students in the count they provide to the Census Bureau, UIS spokesman Derek Schnapp said. And students are being told that even if they are off campus on the official Census Day, April 1 – they should report their residence as where they live and sleep most of the time - at school.
This story appeared in The State Journal-Register on March 24, 2020.
Read the entire article online.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
UIS Announces Classes To Be Taught Remotely Due To COVID-19 Concerns
University of Illinois Springfield students are scheduled to return from spring break next week. But they won't be coming back to the classrooms. The U of I system has announced alternative delivery for instruction.
The following message was sent on Wednesday March 11: We write today to share new policies for the University of Illinois System and its universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield, all designed to protect the health and welfare of our students, faculty and staff amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. The proactive policies are focused squarely on doing our part to help curb the virus. Fortunately, there have been no confirmed cases among our faculty, staff and students. But such cases have been increasing in Illinois and our experts say early intervention is the best option to limit the spread.
Our policies will adopt best practices endorsed by state and national health officials by minimizing face-to-face exposure in classrooms and other types of large gatherings, and by limiting international and domestic travel.
They were developed with guidance from the leading-edge healthcare experts across our universities, who have been consulting daily with a leadership team composed of the president, the chancellors and the provosts from all three universities. We will continue to monitor the outbreak and stay in constant contact with the Governor’s Office, the Illinois Department of Public Health, local health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other universities around the state and the nation.
The new policies were carefully crafted to safeguard our students, faculty and staff without compromising the world-class education and the groundbreaking research discovery that are synonymous with the U of I System.
They are: Instruction Courses at each of our three universities will immediately begin migrating to online or alternative delivery mechanisms to provide the social distancing that helps limit transmission of the virus, with a goal of completion by March 23. Classes will be held at their currently scheduled times. Online and other alternative learning methods will continue until further notice, but our expectation is that it will be temporary and students will be updated regularly via email and updates on system and university websites. Students have the option of studying remotely from home or from their campus residence after spring break. Our campuses will remain open and ready to serve students, including residence and dining halls.
Each university will provide specific guidance for their students regarding both academic and housing arrangements. Faculty and staff will continue their work on campus, including research, and human resources offices will provide guidance for work conditions that foster safety and for employees who suspect exposure or infection and must self-quarantine.
Events with more than 50 attendees that are university-sponsored or hosted by registered student organizations will be suspended indefinitely, effective Friday, March 13. Events may occur via livestream or other telecommunications, or be postponed to a future date. Please check with each university for specific guidance.
All university-sponsored international travel is prohibited, along with non-essential domestic travel until further notice. Personal international travel is strongly discouraged, and we urge caution and the exercise of good judgment for personal domestic travel. Leaders of our three universities will share further information for how these policies will be implemented to address the specific educational and safety needs of their campus communities.
Our policies are rooted in our expert scientific knowledge base and exhibit an abundance of caution to take care of each other until the COVID-19 outbreak eases.
This article appeared NPR Illinois on March 11, 2020.
|
Read the entire article online.
The following message was sent on Wednesday March 11: We write today to share new policies for the University of Illinois System and its universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield, all designed to protect the health and welfare of our students, faculty and staff amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. The proactive policies are focused squarely on doing our part to help curb the virus. Fortunately, there have been no confirmed cases among our faculty, staff and students. But such cases have been increasing in Illinois and our experts say early intervention is the best option to limit the spread.
Our policies will adopt best practices endorsed by state and national health officials by minimizing face-to-face exposure in classrooms and other types of large gatherings, and by limiting international and domestic travel.
They were developed with guidance from the leading-edge healthcare experts across our universities, who have been consulting daily with a leadership team composed of the president, the chancellors and the provosts from all three universities. We will continue to monitor the outbreak and stay in constant contact with the Governor’s Office, the Illinois Department of Public Health, local health departments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other universities around the state and the nation.
The new policies were carefully crafted to safeguard our students, faculty and staff without compromising the world-class education and the groundbreaking research discovery that are synonymous with the U of I System.
They are: Instruction Courses at each of our three universities will immediately begin migrating to online or alternative delivery mechanisms to provide the social distancing that helps limit transmission of the virus, with a goal of completion by March 23. Classes will be held at their currently scheduled times. Online and other alternative learning methods will continue until further notice, but our expectation is that it will be temporary and students will be updated regularly via email and updates on system and university websites. Students have the option of studying remotely from home or from their campus residence after spring break. Our campuses will remain open and ready to serve students, including residence and dining halls.
Each university will provide specific guidance for their students regarding both academic and housing arrangements. Faculty and staff will continue their work on campus, including research, and human resources offices will provide guidance for work conditions that foster safety and for employees who suspect exposure or infection and must self-quarantine.
Events with more than 50 attendees that are university-sponsored or hosted by registered student organizations will be suspended indefinitely, effective Friday, March 13. Events may occur via livestream or other telecommunications, or be postponed to a future date. Please check with each university for specific guidance.
All university-sponsored international travel is prohibited, along with non-essential domestic travel until further notice. Personal international travel is strongly discouraged, and we urge caution and the exercise of good judgment for personal domestic travel. Leaders of our three universities will share further information for how these policies will be implemented to address the specific educational and safety needs of their campus communities.
Our policies are rooted in our expert scientific knowledge base and exhibit an abundance of caution to take care of each other until the COVID-19 outbreak eases.
This article appeared NPR Illinois on March 11, 2020.
|
Read the entire article online.
Monday, January 13, 2020
UI trustees set to look at 5-year-old freeze on in-state tuition
Tuition for in-state freshmen hasn’t changed in five years at the University of Illinois, and trustees will decide next week whether to continue that freeze.
So far, administrators aren’t saying what they will propose. But they’ve noted recently that faculty hiring hasn’t kept up with enrollment gains, partly because the tuition freeze has limited income growth.
Executive Vice President Barbara Wilson declined to say whether the freeze will be extended for a sixth year. “We’re still in discussions with the board members,” she said.
Systemwide, income from undergraduate tuition has continued to grow in the five years since the freeze was imposed in fall 2015, from $750 million in 2014-15 to $830.1 million in 2018-19, after waivers were granted to veterans, children of employees and other students, according to UI data.
Separately, fees and housing rates have also continued to climb for all students. Undergraduates provide the bulk of tuition income, as most graduate students receive tuition waivers, and in-state students make up about three-quarters of all undergraduates.
The UI system plans to hire 500 new professors in over the next five years, on top of normal retirements and faculty departures.
UI officials are considering state funding levels, enrollment and financial aid resources as well as “what other institutions are doing,” she said. Trustees meet Wednesday in Chicago, where they will also consider fees and housing rates for 2020-21.
This story appeared in The News-Gazette on Jan. 10, 2020.
Read the entire story online.
Executive Vice President Barbara Wilson declined to say whether the freeze will be extended for a sixth year. “We’re still in discussions with the board members,” she said.
Systemwide, income from undergraduate tuition has continued to grow in the five years since the freeze was imposed in fall 2015, from $750 million in 2014-15 to $830.1 million in 2018-19, after waivers were granted to veterans, children of employees and other students, according to UI data.
Separately, fees and housing rates have also continued to climb for all students. Undergraduates provide the bulk of tuition income, as most graduate students receive tuition waivers, and in-state students make up about three-quarters of all undergraduates.
The UI system plans to hire 500 new professors in over the next five years, on top of normal retirements and faculty departures.
UI officials are considering state funding levels, enrollment and financial aid resources as well as “what other institutions are doing,” she said. Trustees meet Wednesday in Chicago, where they will also consider fees and housing rates for 2020-21.
This story appeared in The News-Gazette on Jan. 10, 2020.
Read the entire story online.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
UIS students met with rainy welcome back to school
Incoming freshmen at the University of Illinois Springfield had a very rainy welcome to campus on Tuesday.
Tuesday was move-in day for the University of Illinois Springfield but it wasn't the move-in day they were expecting.
Torrential rain and weather conditions made this a difficult time, but students say that it was the hard work of the volunteer that got them through.
"They came out, helped me get all my stuff out of the car, got it in a cart, pushed it out for me in the rain while getting drenched," UIS student Jalen Walsh said.
Around 125 volunteers helped over 300 incoming freshmen get all moved into their dorms.
This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on August 20, 2019.
Watch the entire story online.
Tuesday was move-in day for the University of Illinois Springfield but it wasn't the move-in day they were expecting.
Torrential rain and weather conditions made this a difficult time, but students say that it was the hard work of the volunteer that got them through.
"They came out, helped me get all my stuff out of the car, got it in a cart, pushed it out for me in the rain while getting drenched," UIS student Jalen Walsh said.
Around 125 volunteers helped over 300 incoming freshmen get all moved into their dorms.
This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on August 20, 2019.
Watch the entire story online.
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Freshmen students move in to UIS Wednesday
New freshmen students are calling the University of Illinois Springfield home!
The annual move-in day kicked off at UIS Wednesday.
"Just getting to know everyone makes it more comfortable to walk around campus and just not be afraid of talking to new people," Freshman student Hannah Piel said.
This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on August 22, 2018.
Watch the story online.
The annual move-in day kicked off at UIS Wednesday.
"Just getting to know everyone makes it more comfortable to walk around campus and just not be afraid of talking to new people," Freshman student Hannah Piel said.
This story aired on WICS Newschannel 20 on August 22, 2018.
Watch the story online.
Friday, July 20, 2018
UIS supporting runners who are crossing the country for charity
Nineteen students left San Francisco on June 17 on a 4,000-plus mile cross-country run to Baltimore. They slept in beds for the first time Thursday night.
The University of Illinois Springfield is currently home base for Team Baltimore, a group of college-aged runners who are raising money for young adults diagnosed with cancer. They are running in a relay-style format across the country in a program called 4K for Cancer. Runners are between the ages of 18 and 25. Three or four run at a time and each averages 12-14 miles per day.
Team Baltimore departed Hannibal, Missouri for Springfield on Thursday morning. En route, it encountered stormy weather. The weather delay forced them to shuttle to a location, they then ran the rest of the way. Around 3 p.m., two male and two female runners made their way onto the UIS campus via W. Lake Shore Dr. They met the rest of the team at a residence hall. After unpacking their belongings from support vans, some runners snacked and lounged, while others ran around campus putting in the miles they were unable to get in earlier due to the weather.
UIS is providing Team Baltimore with complimentary lodging and laundry service and has offered meals. The Springfield Road Runners Club is also providing food.
This article appeared in the State Journal-Register on July 20, 2018.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
New UIS students move onto campus
Hundreds of new students arrived at the University of Illinois Springfield campus for Freshmen Move-In Day Wednesday morning.
Officials say approximately 245 first-year students moved in to the Lincoln and Founder Hall Residence Halls from 9:30 a.m. until 12 p.m.
Volunteers from UIS student organizations, sports teams, and campus departments helped the new students move in.
Many of the new students are excited to start their first semester at UIS.
Grace Negron, a freshman at UIS, tells WAND News, "I'm super excited. I've wanted to live on campus since the beginning of my senior year, and this is why I applied here. I love the area how small it is, but it's so beautiful here and I'm really excited to move in with my roommate and just to get a feel for the college life."
This story aired on WAND-TV on August 23, 2017.
Watch the story online.
Officials say approximately 245 first-year students moved in to the Lincoln and Founder Hall Residence Halls from 9:30 a.m. until 12 p.m.
Volunteers from UIS student organizations, sports teams, and campus departments helped the new students move in.
Many of the new students are excited to start their first semester at UIS.
Grace Negron, a freshman at UIS, tells WAND News, "I'm super excited. I've wanted to live on campus since the beginning of my senior year, and this is why I applied here. I love the area how small it is, but it's so beautiful here and I'm really excited to move in with my roommate and just to get a feel for the college life."
This story aired on WAND-TV on August 23, 2017.
Watch the story online.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
More than 200 freshmen move in at UIS
More than 200 freshman moved into their dorms at UIS Wednesday.
Students, assigned arrival times to space out their arrivals, and keep too many from moving in at once.
Dozens of volunteers from UIS student organizations and campus departments helped the freshmen move in.
All other UIS students are set to start returning on Friday. Classes are set to begin on Monday.
This story appeared on WICS Newschannel 20 on August 19, 2015.
Watch the story here.
Students, assigned arrival times to space out their arrivals, and keep too many from moving in at once.
Dozens of volunteers from UIS student organizations and campus departments helped the freshmen move in.
All other UIS students are set to start returning on Friday. Classes are set to begin on Monday.
This story appeared on WICS Newschannel 20 on August 19, 2015.
Watch the story here.
Friday, March 20, 2015
Shop24 Opens New Automated C-Store at U of I Springfield
Shop24 Global has installed its first automated convenience store in Illinois on the University of Illinois-Springfield campus.
The UIS Shop24 store is operated by UIS foodservices personnel. Located on the path between the on-campus dorm cluster and the student union, the Shop24 store complements other UIS amenities by increasing the variety of consumer packaged goods available on campus and providing 24/7 shopping convenience.
"Sales for the first seven days of operation exceeded forecast by nearly 40%," said Dave Brotherton, vice president of marketing and business development of Shop24 Global, Westerville, Ohio. "The results we saw are a testament to optimum site location and product assortment, the hard work of the UIS operations team, and their close collaboration with Shop24 client services to maximize uptime."
Shop24 is a self-contained, automated and refrigerated convenience store designed to enable 24/7 accessible consumer purchasing. A Shop24 automated c-store delivers more than 200 items ranging in weight from 1 ounce to 10 pounds in a well-lit, security-camera-monitored environment.
This article appeared online on CSPnet.com on March 18, 2015.
Read the entire article online.
The UIS Shop24 store is operated by UIS foodservices personnel. Located on the path between the on-campus dorm cluster and the student union, the Shop24 store complements other UIS amenities by increasing the variety of consumer packaged goods available on campus and providing 24/7 shopping convenience.
"Sales for the first seven days of operation exceeded forecast by nearly 40%," said Dave Brotherton, vice president of marketing and business development of Shop24 Global, Westerville, Ohio. "The results we saw are a testament to optimum site location and product assortment, the hard work of the UIS operations team, and their close collaboration with Shop24 client services to maximize uptime."
Shop24 is a self-contained, automated and refrigerated convenience store designed to enable 24/7 accessible consumer purchasing. A Shop24 automated c-store delivers more than 200 items ranging in weight from 1 ounce to 10 pounds in a well-lit, security-camera-monitored environment.
This article appeared online on CSPnet.com on March 18, 2015.
Read the entire article online.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Campus faces accessibility issues
A number of students and faculty members with disabilities find the UIS campus less than fully accessible. Articles in the April 27, 2008, State Journal-Register outline the problem, as well as the administration's response.
Download a pdf file of the articles
20080427-sjr-Accessibility.pdf
Download a pdf file of the articles
20080427-sjr-Accessibility.pdf
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