The Staff Advisory Council seeks representatives for EEO 1 and 3 – Executive, Administrative, Managerial and Professional; EEO 4 – Technical/Paraprofessional; and EEO 5 - Clerical/Secretarial. SAC serves the interests of Civil Service employees in an advisory role to the Senior Associate Chancellor for Human Resources. Visit the SAC Website for detailed election information under Elections or contact sac-ihr@illinois.edu or 217-333-3101. 

Consider volunteering at Allerton Park! Whether as a tour guide or working in the gardens, there is a place for you. Volunteers are vital to the success of the 1,500-acre estate that includes a historic mansion, 16 miles of trails and 14 formal gardens. Interested? Attend our New Volunteer Orientation on Saturday, May 17, or email sputman2@illinois.edu for information.

Facilities & Services and University Housing are partnering for the annual Dump and Run® spring event. Beginning Monday, May 12, through Sunday, May 18, from 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., staff and faculty may donate gently used personal items and unopened, nonperishable foods at shipping containers located near residence halls. Visit the F&S website to view a map of container locations and a list of accepted and prohibited items. As a reminder, the transfer of university property is not allowed. Disposal of all university-procured items must be in accordance with University of Illinois System policies.

The global Pint of Science Festival launches in Champaign-Urbana this May! The festival is open to the local community, including science enthusiasts and curious minds. Dive into the groundbreaking research at the Pint of Science Festival presented by researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The festival takes place from May 19-20. Each evening starts at 7 p.m. at Cowboy Monkey in Champaign and Gallery Art Bar in Urbana. Admission is $2 and can be reserved at pintofscience.us/events/urbana-champaign. Seating is first-come, first-served.

Mark your calendars for our writing retreat next month! We will host independent writing time in the mornings (Monday through Friday) and optional *in-person only* workshops in the afternoons (Monday through Wednesday). Register in advance and view the entire schedule on our calendar. We look forward to writing and connecting with you!

With Molecule Maker Lab, anyone — students, researchers, citizen scientists, families and you! — can automatically assemble molecular building blocks while leveraging the power of artificial intelligence. This opens the door to endless possibilities in medicine, energy and beyond. We will be joined by inspiring guest speakers, including a leader from NASA’s Planet Hunters Program, the President of MIT’s Scratch Foundation and our very own pioneer behind the new "Minecraft for Molecules" platform. More details, including livestream links, to come! Please register if you plan to attend.

Join us in becoming an ally. In this training we will cover: homophobia and transphobia, privilege, discrimination and other issues in the U.S., Common LGBTQ+ student challenges, U. of I. policies and reporting, interrupting bias, a case studies activity and creating an action plan to create change in areas of your life to further inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community. Participants must register: https://gsrc.illinois.edu/programs/ally. Upon completion of LGBTQ+ 101 and 102 Ally trainings (strongly recommended taking them in order), attendees can choose to become an Ally.

Join us for an Introduction to the LGBTQ+ community. In this training we will cover: LGBTQ+ identities, the gender spectrum and transgender identities, and gender pronouns and intersectionality. Participants must register: https://gsrc.illinois.edu/programs/ally. Upon completion of LGBTQ+ 101 and 102 Ally trainings (strongly recommended taking them in order), attendees can choose to become an Ally by completing an agreement expressing their commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community at the U. of I.

Join Dr. Paul Switzer as he explains the genesis and activities of the Urban Butterfly Initiative, a community service nonprofit that uses butterflies as the hook for broader conservation, environmental education and community-building goals. More information in the title link. 

Learn the difference between a shrew and a mole; a mole from a vole; a rat from a mouse  and more at Rats, Bats, and Mice of Illinois from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday May 31, in The Studio. Fran Harty of the Land Conservation Foundation will by the instructor. Students will receive a hand lens and a copy of a field guide to mammals. $45 per person. Register here.

Tour Allerton Park’s Formal Gardens at a Third Saturday Garden Tour at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 17. Meet at the Greenhouse Patio for a tour of the beautiful, elegant gardens created by Robert Allerton between 1899 and 1946. $5 per person (5 and under are free and do not require a ticket). Register here. All sales are final.

Have you ever wandered around Allerton and wondered what the inside of the historic Mansion looks like? Would you like to hear more about the unique history of Robert Allerton and the creation of his estate? Learn all of this and more during our Public Mansion Tours, including at 2 p.m. May 18. $10 per person (5 and under free and do not require a ticket). Register here. All sales are final.

The Allerton Park Concert Series kicks off on Friday, June 6, with LOVE FOR ALLerton featuring a unique blend of rock, blues and R&B from songwriter Sass and the breezy pop feel of Kittens, Incorporated. The event opens the concert season, presented by Cim-Tek Filtration, with monthly concerts through Sept. 5. $5 per person; $10 per family payable on arrival. Get info on the entire concert series here.

Join University of Illinois Extension for Walk and Talks — fun, interactive sessions featuring a short lesson followed by a walk on paved park paths. The next walk is from noon to 1 p.m. May 22, at Hessel Park (1400 Grandview Dr., Champaign), led by Horticulture Educator Ryan Pankau and Master Gardeners. Enjoy the fresh spring air, a chance to win a giveaway and connect with your community! In case of bad weather, we'll meet at First Christian Church (3601 S. Staley Road, Champaign). Registration is required to receive the meet-up details. Register at: go.illinois.edu/SpringWalks. 

The Intensive Language Instruction Program offers classes in 11 different languages. ILIP classes combine language and culture via engaging activities led by skilled instructors. No grade, just for fun! Students receive 30 hours of enjoyable language instruction which maximizes exposure to the target language to help them meet their own personal learning goals. Online and in-person options are available! Register for ILIP today!

Register now for the IT Professionals Forum on June 11 and 12. This event will be fully online. Check out our website for the full schedule of sessions. Registration will remain open until the end of the day on Tuesday, June 10. All content will be captioned in real-time. To request other accommodations or for other inquiries, please contact the committee at itpf-committee@illinois.edu.

At a moment that brings unprecedented threats to higher education and academic freedom in the U.S., please join us at the AAUP Annual Meeting. We will have two distinguished guests offering insights into how to communicate core academic values and work in a polarized world. Remarks from Adrienne Nazon, VP of external relations and communications for the U of I System, and Jan Erkert, director of the U. of I. OpEd Alumni Project ("Whoever Tells the Story, Writes History"). Registration required here.

Join these two Quick Start Workshops to learn how to make your PDFs accessible to everyone. In Part 1 of this workshop, you'll explore key accessibility tips, including how to use Acrobat Pro to adjust reading and tab order, edit tables and add alt text to images. In Part 2, you'll explore using the Acrobat accessibility checker and repairing the PDF. To participate actively in this workshop, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Pro installed (not Acrobat Reader). Faculty and staff can obtain Acrobat Pro free from the U. of I. Webstore.

Are you interested in a study involving research that will lead to advances in screening, treatment and care of Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety Disorder? We seek participants who currently have MDD or AD, and participants who do not have either of these conditions. Participating in the study will involve completing surveys about physical and mental health and participating in an interview.

Seeking participants (21-64 year olds) who had a sleeve gastrectomy 1-5 years ago or have not had any bariatric surgeries (control group). Participants must not smoke and drink alcohol at least once a month. There will be blood draws, body composition assessments, alcohol challenge tests and questionnaires. Compensation will be provided (up to $850 upon completion of four visits and free parking). Please fill out our online pre-screening form if you're interested, using the following link, https://illinois.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7R2VUEoOuh2cTXw, or contact ornella2@illinois.edu. 

The TEAM Project is looking for mothers and their 6th to 8th grade daughters. We want to understand teen girls' experiences with other kids and moms’ involvement. Families can earn up to $70 by participating online over a 3-month period. To sign up and learn more, go to https://publish.illinois.edu/adapt-lab/the-team-project/.

Looking for adults ages 40-75 for a study on prolonged sitting and cognition. The study tests interrupting sitting with short, high-intensity exercises and measures brain and cognitive functions before and after. Participants earn $280, with travel expenses covered if living 30-plus miles from Champaign. Interested? Click here to join.

Healthy adults ages 18-40 with no hearing loss but significant difficulty hearing in noise are invited for a study on listening in noise. There is an online survey to determine eligibility, followed by lab visits for those who qualify. Lab visits include hearing screening, listening to sounds and measuring ear and brain activity. There is a maximum of three lab visits, each lasting 2-3 hours. Compensation for lab visits is paid in cash ($15 per hour). Parking is covered, and mileage is reimbursed ($0.655 per mile, up to a maximum of 37.5 miles per visit). To participate, complete our survey.