UIC 101: a guide to what you need to know

Videography by Rachel Glass

 

Academic Computing and Communications Center

In this day and age, there is no studying or writing a paper without wi-fi and a computer. ACCC offers a wide range of services, including campus wi-fi networks, computer labs, software for sale or free, and help by phone, email and walk-in. Services include:

• Instructional Technology Lab, Daley Library and Goldberg Research Center: equipment check-out, support for Blackboard, Google Apps and more

• Instruction in popular software programs and web-related topics through Lynda.com, webinars and short workshops

• U-Print, the campus-wide printing service, offered in all ACCC labs and department locations. Students get a $15 print quota at the beginning of each semester. Funds can be added to the account with Dragon Dollars, purchased in the ID Center, at Student Center East and Student Center West, online, or through cash-to-card machines in SCE, SCW, Daley Library, Thomas Beckham Hall and the Library of Health Sciences.

• C-stop, where students can work, print, recharge their electronic devices with secured lockers, and receive help. First floor Behavioral and Sciences Building and 115 Student Center West. 

• UIC’s free mobile app includes maps, bus track, online directory, Blackboard access, campus photos and video, and more. Download from the Apple store or Google Play, or use m.uic.edu

Belonging 

• Why not join a club? There’s a long list of student organizations, some for community service or social issues, others organized around common interests like frisbee, anime or Italian. UIC also has fraternities and sororities! For more information, attend the Involvement Fair, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 2, Lecture Center Quad, or contact UIC Campus Programs.

• Want to volunteer at a community nonprofit? Student Leadership Development and Volunteer Services, 312-996- 4500

 

Centers for Cultural Understanding and Social Change 

• Disability Resource Center offers activities, services and resources for students with disabilities and guidance for fac­ulty on accessible teaching. 1190 Student Services Building. 312-413-2183 voice, 773-649-4535 video phone

• Latino Cultural Center promotes educational, cultural and social programs. There’s an annual film festival and weekly events that range from poetry to dancing. Lecture Center B2. 312-996-3095

• African American Cultural Center showcases cultural research, art exhibits, programming and community outreach. 209 Ad­dams Hall. 312-996-9549

• Asian American Resource and Cultural Center offers social, cultural and educational programs, peer mentoring. And don’t forget to check out the Pyro Paddlers, UIC’s own dragon boat racing team. 101 Taft Hall. 312-413-9569 

• UIC is among the nation’s top 50 campuses for the LGBTQ community. Visit the Gender and Sexuality Center, where education, research and outreach on issues of gender identity and sexual orientation are offered through events and workshops. There’s also consultation available for students and employees. 1180 Behavioral Sciences Building. 312-413-8619

• Women’s Leadership and Resource Center offers space for women to host small meetings. Staff assist with topics such as sexual harassment and gender issues on campus. The center sponsors an annual women’s leader­ship program and a production of “The Vagina Monologues.” 728 W. Roosevelt Road. 312-413-1025

 

Child care 

UIC Children’s Center, 312-413-5326,

College is for everyone, even the young ones. There’s fully accredited, full-time early childhood education for children of faculty, staff and students, ages anywhere between 2 years, 9 months to 6 years.

 

Commuter Student Resource Center 

240-248 Student Center East

Mon.-Thurs. 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Fri. 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 312-413-7440

The center serves the 85 percent of UIC students who commute to campus. Inside the Wellness Center behind the Inner Circle food court, it has quiet study space, social lounge, public computers and printers, kitchen and lockers. Staff can pro­vide information on transportation, off-campus housing and other resources.

 

Culture 

• Gallery 400 is a free gallery for art, design and architecture. First floor Art and Design Hall, Tues-Fri 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat. noon-6 p.m. 312-996- 6114

• UIC Theatre showcases student actors in professional quality productions. You don’t have to be a theatre major to audition. 312-996-2939

• Any musicians out there? UIC has a variety of groups, including string orchestra, concert band, jazz ensemble and choruses. Membership is open to all students, faculty and staff. 312-996- 2977

• Enjoy free concerts by professional musicians at the Tuesdays at One concert series. 50-minute performances are open to all. 312-996-2977

• Jane Addams Hull-House Museum exhibits are related to social issues important to the pioneering social reformer. Re-Thinking Soup offers free lunch and thought-provoking discussions. 312-413-5353

Dining Services 

UIC may be a diverse campus, but all students have one thing in common: the need for food. Dining Services has cafés, cafeterias and fast-food restaurants, including Argo Tea, Au Bon Pain, Burrito Bravo, Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin-Robbins, Frank & Fries, Port Center Café, Sbarro, Subway, Tropical Smoothie and Wendy’s.

Offerings include:

• all-you-care-to-eat dining rooms: Student Center East, Student Center West and James Stukel Towers

• coffee stands: Daley Library, University Hall, Behavioral Sciences Building, Student Center East, Douglas Hall, Student Services Building and Clinical Sciences North.

 

Health & wellness 

• Don’t fret over a fever. CampusCare, a student health plan paid by student fees, includes services at the Family Medicine Center clinics, 722 W. Maxwell St. and 1801 W. Taylor St. 312-996-2901

• Immediate Care Clinics: walk-in clinics open evenings and weekends

– Maxwell Street Clinic, 722 W. Maxwell St., Mon-Fri 5 p.m.-10 p.m., Sat-Sun noon-8 p.m., 312-355-0517

– Mile Square Urgent Care, 1220 S. Wood St., Mon-Fri noon-8 p.m., Sat-Sun 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Stress from classes can take a toll, so the Counseling Center provides counseling, therapy and work­shops. 2010 Student Services Building. 312-996-3490

• Wellness Center offers programs and accurate information on health and wellness, along with free condoms. 238 Student Center East, 312-413-2120

 

Housing 

• On-campus: UIC has nine residence halls, including options for special interest areas, graduate students, families and temporary guest housing.

• Off-campus

 

ID Center 

312-413-5940, 1790 Student Services Building; satellite center, 241 Student Center West

• Identification, please! The center distributes i-cards for students, faculty and staff, and CTA Ventra U-Passes for students. It also administers the Dragon Dol­lars meal plan payment program.

All students and new employees must visit the ID Cen­ter to get their i-card — the official UIC identification card.

• Dragon Dollars lets students use their i-card as a debit card at campus dining halls, convenience stores and fast-food restaurants. 

• Incoming students can pick up their U-Pass, good for unlimited rides on CTA buses and trains, at the ID Cen­ter or during distribution. The pass is valid for five years. All full-time students are assessed a $140 CTA U-Pass fee for fall semester. But watch out! If you lose your U-Pass, it costs $50 to get a new one.

Job services 

• College life can be expensive. Student Employment Office helps students find part-time jobs on and off campus to help ease the expenses. 2100 Student Services Build­ing, 312-996-3130

• Office of Career Services helps students prepare for careers and find jobs. 3050 Student Services Building, 312- 996-2300

 

Library 

There are two libraries on the Chicago campus — the Daley Library on the east campus and Health Sciences Library at the Medical Center — and libraries at the health sciences campuses in Peoria, Rockford and Urbana. All kinds of information and databases are accessible online. Get help from real, live librarians face-to-face or through live chat.

 IDEA Commons

Check out this popular learning and collaboration space on the first floor of the Daley Library, with meeting spaces, a per­formance area, moveable furniture and more than 100 computers, as well as the Instructional Technology Lab/Student Media Lab. Open continuously Sun 10 a.m. through Fri 7 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Maps

Grab an old-school paper map at Building Management in Student Centers East and West, or the Information and Service Center in the Student Services Building. Trying to save paper? Check out the online map.

Between-class hangouts 

Homework load, deadlines and studying can make school days seem like a dry desert. Thankfully, UIC has oases — informal spots where students can hang out, study or work with friends.

The Office of Campus Learning Environ­ments creates the oases with new, comfortable furniture and the latest multimedia technologies. Oases in the second- and third-floor hallways in Lincoln Hall have TeamSpot, which lets students wirelessly collaborate on a single document or project while they each use their own computers.

Recreation 

Zumba, swimming, massage therapy, oh my! UIC has recreation facilities on the east and west sides of campus that offer everything from intramural sports to personal training, as well as an outdoor field complex and outdoor recreation courts for tennis, sand volleyball, basketball and jogging.

• Student Recreation Facility, 312-413-5150

• Sport and Fitness Center, 312-413-5260

• Bowling and Billiards Center with video and pinball games, Student Center East, 312-413-5170

Safety 

• UIC Police Department works with Chi­cago Police and other area security agencies to keep the UIC campus and neighborhood safe. Services include bike registration, after-hours escort and crime prevention programs. 312-355-5555 emergency, 312-996-2830 non­emergency, 312-413-9323 TDD.

• Red Car Service is a transportation service for employees and students within designated area, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven days a week including holidays. UIC i-card required. 312-996-6800

• Emergency notification through UIC’s emer­gency system includes 140 audible alerts, the UIC website, official campus email and social media, UIC Hotline (312-413-9696) and the SMS text messaging system.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to register for emergency text messages. Registration is free and subscribers can sign up for several phones, so students can register their par­ents’ phones to receive the alerts.

Social media 

You can find many UIC offices and or­ganizations on popular social media sites. A good place to start:

• Facebook: UIC and UIC News
• Twitter: UIC News and ThisIsUIC
• YouTube: UICmedia and thisisuic
• Instagram: thisisuic
• Follow Chancellor Michael Amiridis on Instagram!

Sports 

312-413-1911

Fire up Flames! UIC has NCAA Division 1 teams in a long list of men’s and women’s sports, including basketball, soccer, baseball, golf, tennis, gymnastics, swimming and softball, plus fan group Ring of Fire. Learn the UIC Fight Song!

Student support services 

• Academic Center for Excellence, 2900 Student Services Building, 312-413-0031

• African American Academic Network, 2800 Student Ser­vices Building, 312-996-5040

• Latin American Recruitment and Edu­cational Services Program, 2640 Student Services Building, 312-996-3356

• Native American Support Program, 2700 Student Ser­vices Building, 312-996-4515, nasp@uic.edu

• Student Veterans Affairs, 3030 Student Services Building, 312-996-4857, awright@uic.edu

• Student Legal Services, 3030 Student Services Building, 312-996-9214

• Student Ombudsperson, 3030 Student Ser­vices Building, 312-996-4857

• TRIO Academic Support Program, 2720 Student Ser­vices Building, 312-996-5046

• Women in Science and Engineering Program, 312-355-1490, wiseuic@uic.edu

 

Student government 

• Graduate Student Council

• Health Profession Student Council

• Undergraduate Student Government

• Student representative, U of I Board of Trustees. This year’s student trustee is Jauwan Hall, jhall40@uic.edu 

Sustainability

UIC is working for a greener world through recycling, improved transportation and energy efficiency. We’re recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree Campus! Learn more — volunteers welcome — from the Office of Sustainability.

Transportation 

• CTA L Trains have three stops near campus — Blue Line stops at UIC-Halsted and Racine, and a Pink Line stop at Polk — as well as bus routes

• Intracampus Bus Service provides free transportation for students, faculty and staff around campus. The routes include UIC Intracampus Route, the UIC East Side Route and the Semester Express. Don’t forget to bring your i-card!

• Biking: With stations all around campus, Divvy Bikes are a great way to get around. Discounts are available for the UIC community. 

• Parking: by semester or daily.

• Byrne Interchange project: the Morgan-Harrison-Halsted area will be affected by construction for the next several years.