Quick Hits

By Micah Weidner in Announcements Around Campus News February 5, 2024

Welcome back to “Quick Hits”! Here, we cover all types of news around Illinois Central College campuses so you can know what has happened and what is to come. In addition to these brief items, make sure to read all of our in-depth coverage on our website.

Contests

Thursday, January 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, February 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.

Past Events

Tuesday, Jan. 16, Monday, Jan. 22, and Tuesday, Jan. 23: Class Cancellations: This semester got off to a rocky start with multiple class cancellations. On Tuesday, January 16, the campus was closed due to winter weather. Classes were canceled once again on Monday, Jan. 22, and the pattern continued once more with a delayed opening on Tuesday, Jan. 23.

Tuesday, Jan. 16-Friday, Jan. 26: “Hop in the Library” Event: Why be reading when you can be ribbiting? The library was filled with little toy frogs for the “Hop into the Library” event! About a hundred frogs were hidden, and anyone who found them won $10 that could be used towards the bookstore. Last year had a similar event with toy ducks, but many ducks were stolen instead of given back to the library. However, this year most of the frogs were given back, and students seemed to have a lot of fun. “It was great to see the engagement,” says Eli Cook, a student library worker.

Wednesday, Jan. 24: Student Activities Fair: The student lounge hosted the semesterly Student Activities Fair in the student lounge. All of the ICC clubs from Dungeons and Dragons to Fashion Club stands. Members gave away snacks, stamped cards for a scavenger hunt game, and told students about what their club does.

Tuesday, Jan. 30-31: American Red Cross Blood Drive: The American Red Cross performed a blood drive in the cafeteria. They aimed for 42 pints of blood drawn, and got a total of 45 pints, with 25 pints on day one and 20 pints on day two! “At first, it was a little scary, but in the end, it wasn’t too bad. It’s for a good cause and for people who really need it,” says student Jovan Ortiz, who donated for the first time.

Saturday, Feb. 3: Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony- The athletic department hosted the second annual ICC Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the CougarPlex. The day began with a Women’s Basketball game at 1:00 p.m. and a Men’s Basketball game at 3:00 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony and reception. Karen Guthmiller, Kim Welles-Lauwers, Tonya Gilles Koch, and Cindy Stein were inducted, as well as the 1982 softball team and 1984 volleyball team.

Future Events

Wednesday, Feb. 7- Thursday, Feb. 8: African American History Lunchtime Trivia: In honor of black history month, the Minority Student Retention Team will be hosting a trivia competition from 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the dining hall both days. You can win prizes!

Wednesday, Feb. 7: High School Portfolio Day Reception: There will be a reception and awards ceremony for local high school students who recently submitted their portfolios for evaluation by ICC art instructors. The event be from 6:00-7:30 PM and will be located in Room 131D Student Gallery in the East Peoria Academic Building.

Sunday, Feb. 11: Martin Luther King Jr. Choral Celebration: Watch the Heritage Ensemble celebrate one of the most important civil rights activists ever for their 23rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Choral Celebration at 2 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $8 for children and are available at the Box Office.

Monday, Feb. 12: Lunar New Year Celebrations: The Minority Student Retention Team (MSRT) at Illinois Central College will be celebrating the Lunar New Year by providing candy and information at the Peoria and East Peoria cafeterias all day!

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. It will occur at 6:30 p.m. Room 212 C/D in the East Peoria Campus Academic Building

Wednesday, Feb. 14: Karma is a Valentine: Celebrate Valentine’s Day in this Taylor Swift-themed event! There will be cookie decorating and a caricature artist. It will occur from 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. at the East Peoria Campus Student Lounge.

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 will be speaking in two two-hour presentations called “The Other End of the Stethoscope” where he will talk about avoiding “compassion fatigue” in the medical field. The presentations will be from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. on February in the East Peoria Campus Performing Arts Center.

Wednesday, Feb. 28-Sunday, March 3: Women Playing Hamlet: This show follows a group of “women playing Hamlet”. Tickets are available online at ICC.edu/arts or at the ticket window 1 hour prior to the event. Entrance will cost $5 for students and $10 for adults.

Series

Gentle Yoga: Gentle Yoga, a new program series for all yoga ability levels by the counseling department, began its sessions as part of compliance with the Illinois Early Action on Campus Act, which aims to address gaps in mental health services on college campuses across Illinois. These events will occur every week all semester. However, the session for Monday, Jan. 29 was canceled for an unknown reason. The next one will be on Feb. 6 from 11-11:45 a.m. in the International Center in room 304a at the East Peoria Campus Academic Center.

Wellness Wednesdays & Thriving Thursdays: Every other Wednesday and Thursday there will be a seminar on some important aspects of thriving as a college student. The last one was the Financial Wellness seminar on Feb. 1, and the next one will be about Black Mental Health from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7 at the East Peoria Campus Student Lounge, and Thursday, Feb. 15 at the same time in the Peoria Campus Student Center.

Relax in the Stacks: Every other Tuesday there will be a time in the library to relax with crafts, snacks, and mental health resources. Last time there were therapy dogs! The next one will be Feb. 6 from 1-3 PM. The therapy dogs will return on the meeting after that, Feb. 20 from 1-3 p.m.!

Student Success Workshops: This series is about the skills you need to succeed in college! The last one, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, was about mastering Canvas, and the next one will be about overcoming test anxiety and will occur on Thursday, Feb. 15, from 2-3 p.m. in room 318.

ESL & Conversation Partners Workshop: ESL students can get some extra practice in 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 at the Academic Support Center in room S220 at the Peoria Campus Student Center on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 12:30 PM.

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