Illinois State University Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response
University offices will re-open on Monday, June 15, with limited staffing in place to assist campus visitors. This is part of Illinois State University’s Redbird Return Plan, a phased approach to bringing staff and faculty back to campus in advance of the fall semester. Campus buildings will be open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
The Redbird Return Plan was developed to ensure, to the greatest extent possible, the safety and security of faculty, staff and students. Under the plan, many employees will continue to work remotely during June. July and August will see a greater number of faculty and staff returning for on-campus work, provided that those returns are consistent with the State’s progression through the Governor’s Restore Illinois plan as well as guidance from state and local public health officials.
Call It What It Is: Anti-Blackness
The word “racism” is everywhere. It’s used to explain all the things that cause African-Americans’ suffering and death: inadequate access to health care, food, housing and jobs, or a police bullet, baton or knee. But “racism” fails to fully capture what black people in this country are facing. The right term is “anti-blackness.” To be clear, “racism” isn’t a meaningless term. But it’s a catch-all that can encapsulate anything from black people being denied fair access to mortgage loans, to Asian students being burdened with a “model minority” label. It’s not specific.
Family Engagement Matters!
The Minnesota Statewide Family Engagement Center (MNSFEC) aims to increase students’ academic achievement by supporting families, educators and communities in regular education. MNSFEC provides a variety of free services, such as workshops, webinars, professional development, and presentations. The Center works to increase family engagement for all families across the State, but has a particular focus on addressing the needs of families from low-income and diverse communities. The Center’s multicultural staff (Hmong, Latino, Somali and African American) can answer questions from families about their child’s learning and school-related issues. Families, schools, educators and communities learn how to build stronger family-school partnerships and communicate more effectively with one another. Resources are available in three languages.
