CHICAGO - Windy City Times and Center on Halsted are launching a 9-month series of LGBTQ educational programs featuring prominent scholars known nationally for their innovative research and work.

Lavender University is modeled on a project of the same name that operated for several years in the 1970s and 1980s, providing a wide range of interesting educational and skills-building programs.

"While some high schools and colleges are doing a better job at including LGBTQ issues in their curriculum, there is still a vast amount of LGBTQ work and history that is not being taught to youth and adults," said Tracy Baim, publisher of Windy City Times. "I really liked the Lavender University model and approached the Center on Halsted about partnering on a 9-month series. If it is well received, we hope to expand these programs for 2014, including to other areas of the city and suburbs."

"We are excited to present a diverse set of education programs," said Lynnea Karlic, director of programming for Center on Halsted. "We think this will appeal to teenagers, college students, adults and seniors, with such an incredible lineup of LGBTQ experts from our community."

Following are the speakers and topics in the first 9-month series. All of the programs are the first Saturday of the month at 11 a.m., except for the November program, which is a Sunday. The bottom of this press release gives more details on each program.

The lectures are at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted. Each lecture is $25; there are discounts available for multiple lectures, and a limited number of scholarships will also be available.

For reservations see: https://community.centeronhalsted.org/lavenderuniversity .

Questions can be directed to: publisher@windycitymediagroup.com or  lkarlic@centeronhalsted.org .

Sat., Sept. 7, 2013, 11am-1pm: John D'Emilio

No Race-Baiting, Red-Baiting, or Queer-Baiting:  The Marine Cooks and Stewards Union from Depression to Cold War

Sat. Oct 12, 2013, 11am-1pm: E. Patrick Johnson

Gathering Honey: Oral Histories of Black Southern Women Who Love Women

Sun. Nov. 3, 2013, 1pm-3pm, Golda Goldbloom

Working For Queer Acceptance: Finding Love Amongst the Religious Right

Sat., Dec. 7, 2013, 11am-1pm Owen Daniel-McCarter

Constitutional Law as it Applies to Transgender Prisoners

Sat., Jan. 4, 2014, 11am-1pm Hyacinth Piel

Ethical Problems in Gender Identity Construction

Sat., Feb. 1, 2014, 11am-1pm: Beth Richie

Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence and America's Prison Nation

Sat., March 1, 2014, 11am-1pm Lourdes Torres

Making Familia from Scratch: Towards a History of Latina Lesbian Organizing in Chicago

Sat., April 5, 2014, 11am-1pm  Anne Balay

Steel Closets:  Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Steelworkers

Sat., May 3, 2014 11am-1pm Timothy Stewart-Winter

From Civil Rights to Gay Rights in Chicago

PROGRAM AND SPEAKER DETAILS:

Sat., Sept. 7, 2013, 11am-1pm: John D'Emilio

No Race-Baiting, Red-Baiting, or Queer-Baiting:  The Marine Cooks and Stewards Union from Depression to Cold War

John D'Emilio teaches at the University of Illinois Chicago.  A pioneer in the field of the history of sexuality, he has written or edited more than half a dozen books, including a history of pre-Stonewall activism and a biography of Bayard Rustin.  A former Board chair of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, he was the founding director of its Policy Institute.

In the 1930s, the Marine Cooks and Stewards Union became a multi-racial, left-wing, and queer-friendly labor union.  How was this possible?  What happened to the union?  And why has this history not come down to us?  Based on the research of Allan Berube, who was working on a history of the MCSU when he passed away unexpectedly in 2007, this talk with visuals will attempt to recreate this little known and inspiring episode in radical queer history.

Sat. Oct 12, 2013, 11am-1pm: E. Patrick Johnson

Gathering Honey: Oral Histories of Black Southern Women Who Love Women

E. Patrick Johnson is the Carlos Montezuma Professor in the Department of Performance Studies and African American Studies, Northwestern University.

As a follow-up to Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South-An Oral History, E. Patrick Johnson has begun working on a new oral history on black lesbians of the South, tentatively entitled, Honeypot: Black Southern Women Who Love Women-An Oral History.       In his presentation, Johnson will discuss the challenges to conducting oral histories of black same gender loving women based not only on gender differences between his subjects and himself, but also the content of their stories. In addition, Johnson will share some of the women's stories through performance.

Sun. Nov. 3, 2013, 1pm-3pm, Golda Goldbloom

Working For Queer Acceptance: Finding Love Amongst the Religious Right

Goldie Goldbloom is a writer, a professor, a mother of 8, a trans mentor and a queer activist.

Goldbloom's award winning fiction has been published internationally. Her novel, The Paperbark Shoe, won the AWP Novel Award and was the Independent Publishers Literary Novel of the Year. She is a professor of creative writing at Northwestern University, and the mother of eight children. Goldie was a contributor to the groundbreaking anthology Keep Your Wives Away From Them: Orthodox Women, Unorthodox Desires, and continues to work as an activist in the Orthodox Jewish community for queer inclusion. She is a mentor for transgender youth.

Sat., Dec. 7, 2013, 11am-1pm Owen Daniel-McCarter

Constitutional Law as it Applies to Transgender Prisoners

Owen Daniel-McCarter is a transgender activist and attorney. He is co-founder and collective member of the Transformative Justice Law Project of Illinois which provides free, holistic, and gender-affirming legal advocacy to criminalized transgender and gender non-conforming people in Chicago and throughout Illinois prisons.

Sat., Jan. 4, 2014, 11am-1pm Hyacinth Piel

Ethical Problems in Gender Identity Construction

Hyacinth Piel is a graduate student in philosophy at UIC.  Ze lives in Edgewater with hir corgi, Poggibonsi.

This lecture begins with the idea that as people who seek to lead good and authentic lives, we are repeatedly confronted with profound and difficult questions about how best to develop, identify, and express our genders.  For one thing, the existential challenge we face as people capable of freedom includes a challenge (which often goes unacknowledged)  to lead our gendered lives in freedom and truth.  However, this demand that we strive to develop and express genders which are authentically ours becomes still more complicated when we recognize that gender roles as we know them are deeply implicated in a politically unjust system of gender domination: patriarchy.  Although our genders are uniquely our own existential projects, they are never only that: the way we live our genders is bound to affect others too, and since our existing gender templates are deeply influenced by the oppressive gender hierarchy from which they are drawn, it looks like the building blocks we must use to develop genders in which we can be free may also tend to threaten the freedom and well-being of those around us-- even, and perhaps especially, those we love the most.

Sat., Feb. 1, 2014, 11am-1pm: Beth Richie

Arrested Justice: Black Women, Violence and America's Prison Nation

Beth E. Richie, PhD is an anti-violence activist and author working in several social justice movements.  She is a Professor and Director or the Institute For Research on Race and Public Policy at UIC.

This lecture will focus on the ways that the prison industrial complex has served to exacerbate violence against Black women.  The emphasis will be on intimate partner abuse as well as systematic violence and the role that race, class, gender, sexuality and other markers of social disadvantage put people in the path of the punishment industry.  It will include the redemptive possibility of prison abolition as philosophical and practical solution.

Sat., March 1, 2014, 11am-1pm Lourdes Torres

Making Familia from Scratch: Towards a History of Latina Lesbian Organizing in Chicago

Lourdes Torres is  Professor of Latin American and Latino Studies at DePaul University.

Since the scholarship that exists on lesbian organizing in the Midwest neglects to engage with the history of Latina lesbian organizing, this project constitutes an effort to name Latina lesbians as agents of change and active subjects of a multiracial history of grassroots organizing. Torres writes: "I explore the history of two organizations in Chicago-Amigas Latinas, a Latina lesbian, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization that was founded in 1995 and is still in existence, and LLENA, an activist organization that existed from 1988 to 1992. I discuss the founding of LLENA and Amigas Latinas, the efforts of the organizations to create Latina lesbian visibility in both the 'Latino' and 'lesbian' social and political cultures of Chicago, and their successful and unsuccessful efforts to negotiate divergent national and ethnic histories, class and linguistic differences, and the diverse political stances of their membership. I also look at the coalition-building politics that the groups established with other Latino and queer communities in Chicago and internationally, their strategies for sustainability and finally, I discuss the enduring contributions of the two organizations."

Sat., April 5, 2014, 11am-1pm  Anne Balay

Steel Closets:  Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Steelworkers

Anne Balay is a scholar who has published work on fantasy fiction, children's time travel, and queer pedagogy.  She lives in Gary, Indiana.

Balay will summarize and discuss her new book, Steel Closets, which explores how sexuality and gender overlap in the sprawling steel mills of Northwest Indiana. Drawing from extensive, detailed oral histories taken of a previously silent and invisible population, it investigates how gay, lesbian, and transgender steelworkers interact with their co-workers, communities and families in the context of their physically demanding, risky work.  It explains how and why basic steel mills are inhospitable, even dangerous to queers, and demonstrate that we can't understand what it means to be GLBT without including working-class, blue-collar voices and stories.

Sat., May 3, 2014 11am-1pm Timothy Stewart-Winter

From Civil Rights to Gay Rights in Chicago

Timothy Stewart-Winter is an Assistant Professor of History at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey

This talk is based on Stewart-Winter's forthcoming book on the rise of gay politics in Chicago since the 1950s. The talk will examine trace how black insurgency paved the way for Midwestern gay activists to challenge police brutality and job discrimination, and the complicated role of the emerging urban gay voting bloc in efforts to consolidate the civil rights revolution in a conservative era. At the same time, Stewart-Winter will examine how the gay movement's priorities changed in the course of a long struggle for a voice at city hall, and how African American queer activists confronted and challenged the increasing association between gay mobilization and the mostly white North Side lakefront gay enclaves.

ROCKFORD, IL (06/24/2013)(readMedia)-- Jesse Cole a resident of Erie, IL, was named to the Dean's List at Rockford College.

Students attending Rockford College were named to the Dean's List for the spring 2013 semester who earned at least a 3.5 GPA with no grades below "C."

Rockford College's Spring 2013 Dean's List includes those students who meet all requirements at the time the list is compiled. Students who have incomplete coursework as of the date the list is compiled are not included in the current list. This list should not be considered an official confirmation of award. Official confirmation will be recorded on students' transcripts.

EAST PEORIA, IL (06/24/2013)(readMedia)-- Hannah Patricia Torres, of Sterling, IL, was named to the Dean's List at Illinois Central College for the Spring 2013 semester. The academic honor is presented to students who earn a 3.5 to 3.99 grade point average on a 4.0 grading scale.

ROCHESTER, NY (06/24/2013)(readMedia)-- The following local residents made the Dean's List for Spring 2013 quarter at Rochester Institute of Technology:

  • John Dvorak of West Liberty, Iowa, (52776) is a fourth-year student in the computational mathematics program in RIT's College of Science.
  • Emma Nelson of Moline, Ill., (61265) is a fifth-year student in the software engineering program in RIT's B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences.

Rochester Institute of Technology is internationally recognized for academic leadership in business, computing, engineering, imaging science, liberal arts, sustainability, and fine and applied arts. In addition, the university offers unparalleled support services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. RIT enrolls nearly 18,000 full- and part-time students in more than 200 career-oriented and professional programs, and its cooperative education program is one of the oldest and largest in the nation.

MILWAUKEE, WI (06/24/2013)(readMedia)-- The following local students have graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis.:

Sean Templeman of Moline, IL. Templeman earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences.

Daniel Baumann of Sterling, IL. Baumann earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.

Andrea Glasgow of Walcott, IA. Glasgow earned a Juris Doctor in Law.

Nikki Katschnig of Prophetstown, IL. Katschnig earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Benjamin Minnick of Sterling, IL. Minnick earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Tara Vandygriff of Rock Island, IL. Vandygriff earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations.

These students were among the nearly 2,000 undergraduate and graduate students who participated in the May 19, 2013 graduation ceremony at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

Marquette University is a Catholic, Jesuit university that draws its more than 11,500 students from all 50 states and more than 75 different countries. In addition to its nationally recognized academic programs, Marquette is known for its service learning programs and internships as students are challenged to use what they learn to make a difference in the world. Find out more about Marquette at marquette.edu.

WINSTON SALEM, NC (06/21/2013)(readMedia)-- The following students were named to the Spring 2013 Dean's List at Wake Forest University.

Emily Guinn from Bettendorf, IA

Michael Herman from Davenport, IA

Students who achieve a 3.4 and no grade below a C were named to the list.

BOURBONNAIS, IL (06/21/2013)(readMedia)-- Olivet Nazarene University congratulates those students named to the dean's list during the recently completed spring 2013 semester. To qualify for inclusion on the dean's list, a student must have been enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student and must have attained a semester grade point average of 3.50 or higher on a 4.00 grading scale.

Local residents named to the list are:

Ryan Archer of Moline

Emily Arnold of Prophetstown

Lydia Bilyeu of Fulton

Derek Delgado of Sterling

Liza Dollenbacher of Bettendorf

Jordan Hirl of Clinton

Kaitlin Loos of Sterling

Jacob Mellinger of Moline

Hannah Milby of Sterling

Nicholas Mizeur of Moline

Ainsley Ports of Sterling

Hannah Rowen of East Moline

Olivet Nazarene University is an accredited Christian, liberal arts university offering more than 100 areas of undergraduate and graduate study, including the Doctor of Education in ethical leadership. Olivet has one main campus in Bourbonnais, Ill. - just 50 miles south of Chicago; three sites: Rolling Meadows and Oak Brook, Ill., and Hong Kong; and more than 100 School of Graduate and Continuing Studies learning locations throughout Chicagoland and the Midwest. From Oxford to Tokyo, hundreds of Olivet students also experience the global classroom each year, whether through study abroad opportunities or worldwide mission trips.

Q:        What do college-bound students need to know about student loans before school resumes this fall?

A:        Many young adults use the summer months to earn money to help pay for their college expenses in the year ahead.  Even with summer just having started, the first day of fall classes aren't too far behind.  However, most college-bound students will need to finance college tuition through school loans.  Last year, U.S. student loan debt exceeded $1 trillion.  The vast majority of student borrowing is from the federal Stafford Loan program.  Starting in July 2006, the interest rate on all Stafford Loans was set at 6.8 percent as a result of advocacy by student groups who determined that a fixed rate at 6.8 percent was a better deal for students given the history of the previous variable interest rates.  Approximately 40 percent of federal Stafford loans are awarded based on need with the taxpayers paying the interest on the loan while students are in school.  About 7.7 million undergraduate students are expected to apply for this subset of subsidized Stafford loans for the 2013-2014 academic year.  Special interest rates on these loans were set temporarily at 3.4 percent for the past two years.  On July 1, the original 6.8 interest rate is scheduled to be reinstated for all new Stafford loans.  Existing subsidized Stafford loans will not be affected by changes scheduled for July 1.  If the interest rate resets to 6.8 percent, the average student loan borrower would owe about $727 more in interest over 10 years, or $6.06 a month.

Q:        Are changes to the student loan system being considered in Washington?

A:        Various proposals reflect efforts to keep college affordable for students and their families.  Earning an advanced degree is one way to scale the economic ladder of mobility in the United States.  Although policymakers share a common goal to keep higher education attainable for the next generation, it is more difficult to reach a consensus on how to pay for that goal.  The President has proposed a long term solution linking interest rates for new Stafford loans to market interest rates so that students can take advantage of lower interest rates during more difficult economic times.  The House of Representatives passed legislation to revert to a variable rate system in which interest rates on student loans change from year to year based on the market rate.  Senate Democrats have proposed to continue the special 3.4 percent rate for another two years by raising taxes permanently.  Senate Republicans put forward a proposal closely aligned with the President's plan to link student loans to market-based interest rates.  And like fixed home mortgage loans, the rate would be locked in for the life of the loan.  However, while the President's plan maintains different rates for different loans, our plan would allow all students borrowing federal student loans to take advantage of the same low rate.  Let me repeat.  It would help all students take advantage of historically low interest rates, including loans available to parents and graduate students.  With the current Treasury note at 1.75 percent, students taking out a new loan this fall would pay 4.75 percent for the life of that loan.  Since 60 percent of federal student loans have remained at 6.8 percent since 2006, and most students who qualify for the subsidized 3.4 percent loans also have to take out loans at the higher rate, our proposal would result in greater savings for more students compared to the Senate Democrats' proposed extension of the special rate just for subsidized loans.  While it is uncertain which proposal will gain final approval, I will continue championing policies that address the exploding growth of college tuition and fees.  That includes my work to bring more transparency to college revenue and expenses.

Q:        Why is it so complicated to figure out a student's tuition tab?

A: A big part of the problem calls for a fairly simple solution:  Boil down the financial aid mumbo-jumbo into plain English.  Replacing the bewildering information that families receive from each college in which their students receive financial aid award letters with one boilerplate, easy-to-understand letter would be a welcome blessing to families across the country.  Under the current system, many families find it nearly impossible to make an informed decision.  Various definitions are used for grant aid (which does not need to be repaid) with student loans (which do need to be repaid).  That's why I'm working to separate the wheat from the chaff.  The bipartisan legislation I've cosponsored with Senator Al Franken of Minnesota would drive out the cobwebs tangling up financial aid literacy.  Called "Understanding the True Cost of College Act," our bill would create standard terms and definitions for college aid so students and families can make direct comparisons.  This would empower students to better understand their debt burden and avoid taking on more than they can afford.  Even better, this would help students shop around for the best value in the higher education marketplace.  As a result, more colleges would be inspired to rein in double-digit tuition hikes as they compete to keep up enrollment.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Congratulations to the following students who have made the Rivermont Collegiate 4th Quarter Honor Roll!

 

Note: PDF list is also attached.

 

Middle School (Grades 6-8)

High Honors (All grades B+ or higher or B or higher for courses designated as Upper School level)

Elizabeth Decker

Clayton Douglas

Faith Douglas

Giavanna Eckhardt

Jessica Elliott

Andrea Gamble

Olivia Gamble

Shivani Ganesh

Aislinn Geedey

Mahum Haque

Azariah Hughes

Megan Lindle

Naina Ninan

Benjamin Nordick

Manasa Pagadala

Emilia Porubcin

Maryam Rasheed

Collin Smith

Honors (All grades B- or higher or C+ or higher for courses designated as Upper School level)

Genevieve Solange Bolger

Hema Chimpidi

Kenton Fee

Aditya Gohain

Mary Aisling McDowell

Elizabeth Paxton

Bhavana Purighalla

Lauren Schroeder

Nikhil Wagher

Jack Westphal

 

Upper School (Grades 9-12)

Headmaster's List (GPA 3.85-4.00)

Vishal Bobba

Adam Dada

Summer Lawrence

Victoria Mbakwe

Grace Moran

Michal Porubcin

Shravya Pothula

Kelsey Qu

Suhas Seshadri

Alexander Skillin

MingSui Tang

Loring Telleen

Distinction (GPA 3.50-3.84)

Rebecca Cupp

Christian Elliott

Ryan Howell

Tejasvi Kotte

Margaret Martens

Amanda McVey

Darsani Reddy

Merit (GPA 3.00-3.49)

Anastasia Eganova

Jesus Fuentes

Alejandra Martinez

Nell Meier

Alexis Shaheen

Ashish Tadepalli

Gwyneth Vollman

MILWAUKEE, WI (06/20/2013)(readMedia)-- Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) is pleased to announce Meghan Essary, from Davenport, has been awarded a Presidential Scholarship for four years of full tuition. She attended Davenport Central High School and plans to major in industrial engineering at MSOE.To qualify for MSOE's most prestigious scholarship, students needed a minimum 3.80 cumulative GPA and 28 or higher composite score on the ACT (1240 SAT) and be accepted for enrollment by February 1. In addition, the students attended and competed at a scholarship event.

MSOE is an independent, non-profit university with about 2,500 students celebrating its 110th anniversary. MSOE offers 20 bachelor's degrees and nine master's degrees in engineering, business, mathematics and nursing. The university has a national academic reputation; longstanding ties to business and industry; dedicated professors with real-world experience; a 94% placement rate; and the highest average starting and mid-career salaries of any Wisconsin university according to PayScale Inc. MSOE graduates are well-rounded, technologically experienced and highly productive professionals and leaders.

NOTRE DAME, IN (06/20/2013)(readMedia)-- Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN, named the following students to the Dean's List for the spring 2013 semester:

Katherine Kautz, daughter of Gregory and Ann Kautz of Bettendorf, IA

Caitlin Poster, daughter of Michael and Kelly Poster of Eldridge, IA

To earn academic honors at Saint Mary's, a student must achieve a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.6 on a 4.0 scale, have at least 12 graded credit hours, no incompletes, and no grades lower than a C.

About Saint Mary's College: Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN, is a four-year, Catholic, residential, women's liberal arts college offering five bachelor's degrees and more than 30 major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. The College's single-gender environment has been proven, in study after study, to foster confidence, ethical leadership, and strong academic success. Saint Mary's College ranks among the top 100 "Best National Liberal Arts Colleges" for 2013 published by U.S. News. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary's College's mission is to educate women and prepare them for postgraduate success whether it's a first job, graduate school, or postgraduate service.

DEKALB, IL (06/20/2013)(readMedia)-- Please review our Spring 2013 Dean's List to identify all students living in your service area; we appreciate your assistance in acknowledging their accomplishments. For additional information, please contact Brad Hoey by phone, 815-753-6667 or e-mail, bhoey@niu.edu.

The following local students were named to Spring 2013 Dean's List at Northern Illinois University:

Wesley Brinkman of Lyndon, IL

Haley Inboden of Sterling, IL

Ashley Vegter of Morrison, IL

Angela Versluis of Silvis, IL

Shawn King of Sterling, IL

Ellen Collison of Clinton, IA

Megan Wilson of Milan, IL

Joshua Screnock of Morrison, IL

Keaston Bonnell of Prophetstown, IL

Gabriela Cason of Morrison, IL

Irlen Carranza of Rock Island, IL

Krista Ramirez of Sterling, IL

Aaron Berogan of Sterling, IL

Abbie Habben of Sterling, IL

Aaron McKeown of Moline, IL

Jessica Davis of Rock Falls, IL

Nathan Asbury of Sterling, IL

Nevin Walker of Rock Falls, IL

Paige Deyo of Lyndon, IL

Ian Andrews of East Moline, IL

Cierria McPerryman of Sterling, IL

Karin Carlson of East Moline, IL

Ashley McMahon of East Moline, IL

Katherine Anglese of Albany, IL

Kara Ford of Fulton, IL

Trevan Burn of Morrison, IL

Dustin Flesch of Port Byron, IL

James Green of Rock Island, IL

Rachel Harris of Fulton, IL

Monte Sunday of Sterling, IL

 

The list is compiled by NIU's academic colleges according to varying criteria. Students enrolled in the colleges of Business, Education, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts, and Health and Human Sciences must meet a minimum semester grade point average of 3.75 on a 4.0 scale. Students enrolled in the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology must meet a minimum semester grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.

Located in one of the most dynamic regions of the country, Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a comprehensive teaching and research institution with a diverse and international student body of nearly 23,000.

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