Quick Hits 2/20
This is the month of influencer visits and… virtual reality? Social media influencer Harlan Cohen visited campus, Golden Gate Bridge jump survivor Kevin Hines will visit, and ICC was selected for a virtual reality program/equipment grant it will use for the EMT program!
With all these visits and a ton more events, this edition of “Quick Hits” is stuffed with everything you need to know about what has happened and what is to come on Illinois Central College campuses.
In addition to these brief items, make sure to read all of our in-depth coverage on our website.
Contests
Thursday, Jan. 18- March 6: Student Life Writing Contest:
Want a chance at one of 10 cash prizes? Love writing? Submit your work to the ICC Student Life Writing Contest in the categories of documented research paper; creative writing/short story; or poetry/lyrics. You can even enter for the Paul Simon Student Essay Contest to possibly win $500. If you would like to learn more, visit the event page.
Thursday, Feb. 1- March 22: ICC Student Short Film Fest Begins:
The ICC Student Short Film Fest is back! All current and former ICC students, as well as prospective ICC students and community members, are encouraged and invited to submit a short film (10 minutes or less) of any genre (animation, stop-motion, documentary, music video, drama, comedy, etc.) to their 2024 ICC Student Short Film Fest.
Thursday, Feb. 29- May 13: Student of the Year Awards:
The transfer, applied science, and certificate students of the year will be held this spring. Nominations by current ICC faculty and staff are due Feb. 29 by 4:30 p.m. and student applications are due March 22 by 4:30 p.m. The winners will be announced at the Student Leadership Award on April 26 and at Commencement on May 13. Complete guidelines and nomination forms can be found here.
Past Events
Thursday, Feb. 1: New Student Government Vice President:
Student Al Cuizon Jr. has been elected vice president of the Student Government Association (SGA). This election was caused by the previous vice president leaving Illinois Central College. He competed against students Alexsus Nellum and Collin Grebner. The full election for the SGA will occur March 27-28.
Monday, Feb. 12: One Book, One College Art Showcase:
Pekin High School faculty, Colleen Kahl, will showcase and discuss the artwork of their students. The name of the showcase is “The Fight for Freedom: What Nance Means to Us”, and is inspired by ICC’s One Book, One College for the semester, The Fight for Freedom. It is the story and legacy of Pekin native Nance Legins-Costley, who was born into slavery, but became the first Black slave liberated by Abraham Lincoln.
Wednesday, Feb. 14: Karma is a Valentine:
Students celebrated Valentine’s Day in this Taylor Swift-themed event! There was cookie decorating, a caricature artist, a photo booth, stuffed animals, and of course some Swiftie classics playing in the speakers!
Wednesday, Feb. 14: Marcus Engel Presentation:
After surviving a horrible accident as a college freshman that blinded and nearly killed him, Marcus Engel is alive with a message to share about his work as a “compassion consultant”. Marcus spoke in two two-hour presentations called “The Other End of the Stethoscope” where he talked about avoiding “compassion fatigue” in the medical field.
Wednesday, Feb. 14: Black History Month Soul Cinema:
Harvesting Dreams and Black Legacy will be putting on a movie every Wednesday in February from 2-4 PM in room 212 C at the East Peoria Academic Center. Last week the film was Love and Basketball, a tale of two young basketball players.
Wednesday, Feb. 14: S.A.F.E. Club Bake Sale:
The Student Association For the Environment Club (S.A.F.E. Club), hosted a bake sale this past week to fund some projects they have been working on. This includes trail maintenance and river cleanups. They are currently researching a Native American burial mound found on campus, which an upcoming Harbinger Student Media story will cover more in-depth.
There were cookies, brownies, a chocolate fountain for strawberries, and one of the students’ grandparents made even banana bread for the event.
Thursday, Feb. 15: Influencer Harlan Cohen Visit:
On Feb. 15, “advice guy” TikToker and bestselling author Harlan Cohen posted a video about how he recently spent two days at the ICC East Peoria Campus interviewing students, staff, and faculty. He showcased the opportunities that students are offered as well as how successful many individuals on campus are. This was to promote the message that community college is a great use of time. You can watch his video here.
Thursday, Feb. 15: Grant for Work-Based Learning:
ICC held a press conference to discuss the Employ Central Illinois Initiative through the Perkins Innovation and Modernization Grant. ICC will be partnering with three area high schools as well as other local organizations to help high school students in urban, suburban, and rural areas. They will provide equal, centralized access to high-quality, work-based experience in many fields. These include health care, construction, manufacturing, and information technology professions. They also connect them with labor unions and businesses that offer apprenticeships and ICC programs.
Friday, Feb. 16-March 8: Sexual Misconduct Campus Climate Survey:
Students were supposed to have been sent an email on Friday, Feb. 16 about an optional anonymous survey regarding their relationships, sexual experiences, experiences with dating violence, and perceptions about safety at ICC during the last 12 months. This will help state officials be more aware of the issues institutions need to address and will help craft the tools needed to address them.
However, some students were not sent this email for an unknown reason. An inquiry has been sent to ICC asking why this is, and the page will be updated as more information comes along.
Saturday, Feb. 17: Comedy Show:
Creative Minds (ICC’s Production Club) hosted a comedy show starring student Logan Lewis, with Scott Jackson as the opening act. It was at 6 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center. Tickets were $5 for students and $3 for staff, and all proceeds went towards helping fund student’s projects in the Creative Minds Club.
“It went pretty well, with about 30 people that showed up. We were told that was a great turnout for a first event. It was fun with a lot of comedy for about two hours ranging from Scooby-Doo to ‘meme cops’ arresting Logan for ‘illegal Rickrolling,’” says Sky Marie, the club president. Marie says the club made a little over $200.
Tuesday, February 20: EMT Program is Getting VR?:
ICC announced they are one of the twelve recipients of a grant to get virtual reality equipment for students. ICC will be using this for the EMT and paramedics program in order to train students for various scenarios.
The grant is from the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB).
Michael Dant, Health Careers Professor, said “The virtual reality (VR) equipment will be utilized to provide simulations in which ICC EMT and Paramedic students can immerse themselves in a variety of creative medical and trauma scenarios that are difficult to replicate in a traditional classroom setting, in order to better prepare them for their careers in the emergency medical services profession. It will also be used in recruitment activities to provide those interested in emergency medical services a better understanding of what EMTs and Paramedics do in the course of their jobs.”
Future Events
Wednesday, Feb. 21: Eating Disorder Awareness:
This is part of the Wellness Wednesdays series hosted by the counseling department. Every other Wednesday there will be a seminar on some important aspects of thriving as a college student. The next one will be about easter disorder awareness.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 11:30 a.m.- 1:30 p.m.
Where: East Peoria Campus Student Lounge
Wednesday, Feb. 21: Adopting Effective Note-Taking:
This is part of the Student Success Workshops series, which is about the skills you need to succeed in college! The one next afternoon will be about adopting effective note-taking.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 2-3 p.m.
Where: East Peoria Campus Academic Building Room L318
Wednesday, Feb. 21: Utilizing Time Management:
This is part of the Student Success Workshops series, which is about the skills you need to succeed in college! The next evening session will be about utilizing time management.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 5-6 p.m.
Where: East Peoria Campus Academic Building Room L318
Wednesday, Feb. 21: Dreamgirls Movie Showing:
This is part of the Black History Month Soul Cinema series. For Black History Month, Harvesting Dreams and Black Legacy will be putting on a movie. The next one will be Dreamgirls, a 1960s narrative portraying Black artists striving to achieve success amid limitations thrust onto them by pervasive racism, poverty, and sabotage.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 2-4 p.m.
Where: Room 212 C at the East Peoria Academic Center
Wednesday, Feb. 21: Black Excellence Showcase:
Harvesting Dreams will be hosting a performance showing the skills and talents of African-American ICC students and local community members. Admission is FREE and open to everyone.
When: Feb. 21 from 5-7 p.m.
Where: East Peoria Performing Arts Center
Wednesday, Feb. 21: Comedy Hypnotist:
Comedy magician and hypnotist David Anthony will be putting on a show on campus. Last semester, a student was hypnotized to act like a chicken, and you better believe he will do that and more in this show! Open to all. Free admission.
When: Feb. 21 from 12-1 p.m.
Where: East Peoria Campus Cafeteria
Thursday, Feb. 22: Carrie Pearce Artist Talk:
Artist Carrie Pearce will give a talk about her current artwork being exhibited in Gallery 336 B. In her Artist Statement, Carrie says, “I combine paint and assemblage to create a marriage of my inspiration and passion…utilizing the objects to tell stories, which explore the depths of movement, layering, and composition.”
When: Feb. 22 at 1:30 p.m.
Where: Gallery 336 B at the East Peoria Academic Building (Near the Starbucks cafe)
Thursday, Feb. 22: ESL & Conversation Partners Workshop: Emotional Vocabulary:
This is part of the ESL & Conversation Partners Workshop series, where ESL students can get some extra practice by attending workshops every other Thursday! This semester’s workshops will each follow a similar format: Greetings and questions, a short lesson (less than 20 minutes), and a lot of practice using oral English in games and activities. The next event will be about emotional vocabulary.
When: Thursday, Feb. 22 at 12:30 p.m.
Where: Academic Support Center in Room S220 at the Peoria Campus Student Center
Monday, Feb. 26: Kevin Hines Speech:
In 2000, Kevin Hines tried to end his life by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge – and lived. He is one of only 39 people who are known to have survived that fall. Today he is a storyteller, best-selling author, global public speaker, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. He will be giving a presentation on the ICC campus titled “#BeHereTomorrow: A Story of Hope, Healing, and Recovery”. Admission is FREE.
When: Monday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m.
Where: East Peoria Campus Performing Arts Center
Wednesday, Feb. 28- March 3: Women Playing Hamlet:
The plot of ICC’s spring play this year literally follows a group of “women playing Hamlet”, and the struggle of Jessica, the one who is cast as Hamlet. Naturally, the cast consists of solely female or non-binary actors.
Tickets are available online at icc.edu/arts or at the ticket window one hour before the event. Entrance will cost $5 for students and $10 for adults. Warning: Adult themes.
When: Wednesday, Feb. 28- March 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Where: East Peoria Campus Performing Arts Center
Wednesday, Feb. 28- April 5: John Boylan Art Exhibition:
Artist John Boylan will be displaying his artworks which the ICC website describes as “often inspired by things most of us have chosen to ignore. There is no denying his love for pop culture, the obscure, and the completely random.”
When: Wednesday, Feb. 28- April 5
Where: Gallery 336 B at the East Peoria Academic Building (Near the Starbucks cafe)
In Case You Missed It
- Honors Society Increases Campus Safety App Downloads: Illinois Central College students may be safer on campus thanks to increased student downloads of the Rave Guardian campus safety app after a campaign by the Phi Theta Kappa honors society last fall.