Tutela a guiding influence

What's college all about? When you arrived on campus, you were faced with a variety of groups which helped you build an identity -- chorus, the Greek system, marching band, engineers, honors students, Safewalk volunteers, and yes, even the UISG-sponsored bagpipers! If you look, feel, or act in ways which are different from the majority of UI students, then the importance of finding a supportive and enjoyable community dramatically increases.

Difference and community. Finding people in your community who reflect your concerns in their eyes, who know what you're thinking before you can even say it, who can roll their eyes along with you when faced with some ignorant comment (say, about your hair or what you're wearing), who share your joy and energy and delight -- this is key to surviving and thriving in college and beyond, especially when you're surrounded by people who come from other communities. The air smells sharper, your feet move more quickly, and your brain clicks along with ease when you can find someone who reflects your identity, someone who can share new opportunities with you, someone who can build community.

In this issue, you'll find information about a variety of different help or resource centers and about ISIS -- all good information for you or your students to feel connected to the larger University of Iowa community. You'll read a recap of the community-building Academic Quiz Bowl event. You'll also find us focusing on Sister Connection, a conference only three years old but already an important part of the UI landscape. Sister Connection fuels the vital goal of creating a space for women students of color to explore their identities and find more opportunities for networking in their communities. I encourage you to look more into this conference by reading Tutela editor Erin McKee's thorough article.

If, like me, you're wanting to be a white ally to Sister Connection, I suggest that you go to the Sister Connection lunch on March 31st to hear Ramona Gray's keynote speech and also to find out what you can do to help out with the planning for next year's event. Read on, tutors, and keep on building our tutor and our university community!

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Pop quiz: what does "ISIS" stand for? Despite its ancient Egyptian goddess name, ISIS actually stands for Iowa Student Information System and that system is growing every day. From the old-school mainframe system many of us struggled through during first-year orientation to the complex Web site we now use, ISIS has changed dramatically in just three years.

ISIS keeps students connected to almost all UI vital signs, from grades to the U-Bill, in addition to being the main tool for choosing and registering for classes, especially since the UI is charging for the Schedule of Courses this spring. The following are some of the things the new and improved ISIS lets you do:

•• Register for classes: ISIS provides course times and descriptions from the paper Schedule of Courses and Guide to Courses respectively, allows you to view only open classes, provides a map for each class if you click on the room number, and has a perpetually updated open list.

•• View Significant Dates and Deadlines: Find out the last day to add/drop and when finals and holidays roll around.

•• Student Handbook: This section is currently under development and provides guidelines for each of the colleges; it is designed to duplicate the information generally found in the first 35 pages of the Schedule of Courses.

•• Financial Aid: View your financial aid history, application status, award summary, and information about your aid disbursement.

•• Student Records: Change your address; apply for a degree; view your class schedule; see your UI earnings statement, enrollment summary, grades and graduation date; apply for housing; and get your phone authorization code for the residence halls.

•• My Uiowa: Bookmark frequently visited pages, search the site, vote on student government issues, register for your email account, and create an email filter list.

•• Accounts/Passwords: Change ISIS and email passwords and view your Hawk ID.

 

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Three things are vital if you want to be a survivor: identity, opportunity, and community. Which is why Ramona Gray, research chemist and one of the original stars of the CBS show Survivor is such an appropriate keynote speaker for the third annual Sister Connection Conference, titled "Idenitities, Opportunities, and Communities."

Sister Connection, on March 30 and 31, is a conference designed to unite and empower women of color on this predominantly white campus. Most of the conference will consist of interactive workshops on a variety of topics including Autobiographical Body: Telling Race and Gender Using Female Nude Art; Women, Weight, and Wellness: Challenging Myths; and Progression of the African American Student Woman Professional, among many more.

The conference will officially begin with a reception March 30 at 6:30 at the Women's Resource and Action Center (WRAC) and restart the next morning at 9:30 with opening remarks by UI Women's Studies professor Jael Silliman, who will speak on "The Barriers Overcome and the Challenges Confronted Today by Women of Color." Gray will speak on "Being a Survivor" during the luncheon at 12:30.

According to Gabriela Rivera, UI admissions counselor and 2001 chair of Sister Connection, the decision to invite Gray was controversial because, according to some conference committee members, the show Surivivor seemed to be racist against indigenous people and African Americans. However, she added, they chose Gray precisely because she can address some of those issues, issues that have been central to the conference since its inception.

Begun in 1999 by Nadeja Wesley, a former UI School of Social Work graduate student, Sister Connection originally focused on African American women but has since expanded to include all women of color. Anglo women are also invited to participate, and those who attend generally have an open mind and attitude toward all races, Rivera said. "We don't turn away anyone," she added. Rivera said that 125 women attended last year and that she would like to see at least 25 more attend this year. "I'd also like to see some true connections made among the women, and I hope that people will go in with an open mind and learn to support each other," she added.

Sandi Solis, a doctoral student in Women's Studies, said it's a great chance to meet and connect with women who face similar issues at the UI and that she "saw more brown and black people in one place at last year's conference than she had seen anywhere on campus." Solis will present a workshop this year, titled, "How to Survive the Academy: The Role of Community, Identity, and Allies." "It's about not getting lost in institution, learning who your allies are, and recognizing community without getting lost in it," she said.

Rivera added that while it's important for students to recognize each other as allies, she also sees Sister Connection as a great chance to connect with the larger community, including the many UI faculty and staff members who attend and present the workshops.

Adrianne Thomas, UI junior, said she made a lot of great contacts last year and hopes to make even more this year. "I saw how many VIWs (very important women) there are in Iowa and especially at the University. At the luncheon, I got a chance to network with these women and also other students who may be aspiring toward the same goals that I was," she said. The majority of her professors have been men, so it was especially great to meet more female professors, she added.

"I think it is a great experience to bond with others and get a sense of self," Thomas said.

The feedback from other participants last year echo her sentiments. According to evaluation forms, participants, "met people," "heard different perspectives," "learned about cultural obstacles and barriers," "talked about things like beauty among women of color," "worked on self-improvement," and were "motivated to make changes and support women of color on this campus."

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Admit it, tutors. Sometimes you don't know all the answers. Most of the time, students need more than you can give them in one hour a week, and connecting your students with academic resources is a vital part of your job. So, stick this little article in your Tutor Tool Kit and use it as a resource for yourself and your students. The following is a list of various academic resources on campus:

Astronomy Tutorial Lab: 665 Van Allen Hall; Main Office: 335-1618

Cafecito Cervantes: A weekly discussion group for anyone who wants to practice their Spanish-speaking skills with native speakers

Chemistry Help: 111A Chemistry Building; Undergraduate Office: 335-1341 Check anytime for help in any course; TAs keep their office hours here.

History Writing Lab: 303 Schaeffer Hall 335-2584 Call 335-2584 for specific times

Language Media Center: 120 Phillips Hall 335-2331

Mathematics Tutorial Lab: MacLean Hall 335-0810 The math lab covers courses 22M:001-005, 009-011, 015-017, 025, 026, 035, 036

Physics Tutorial Lab: 245 Van Allen Hall; Main Office: 335-1618

Speaking Center: 12 English-Philosophy Building 335-0205

Statistics Tutorial Lab: 629 Phillips Hall 335-1917 The stats lab covers courses 22S:002, 008, 025, 039

Tippie Business Communication Center: W184 Pappajohn Business Building. Other Business writing assistance can be found at: http://www.biz.uiowa.edu/acct/writing/ This site includes many resources and interactive quizzes to improve writing and grammar skills.

Writing Center: 110 English-Philosophy Building 335-0188

RING: A24-hour automated system that provides information on a variety of topics. Dial 335-3244 and enter the number of the selection you want to hear.

282 Study Skills Sessions

283 How to Study for Exams

284 Test Anxiety

285 Math Anxiety

286 Improving Your Study Skills

287 Improving Your Memory

288 Time Management

 

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March 25th whimpered into Iowa City with windchills and snow flurries more reminiscent of December than of newly-awakened spring. But eight hardy tutors, not to mention tutor coordinator Suzi Steffen and program coordinator Johnnie Sims, took early to the IMU to attend the Academic Quiz Bowl. Though three of the tutors were playing for other teams, we'd still like to claim them as our own, especially because all of the tutor-personned teams were in our bracket.

Five intrepid souls comprised the first annual NDIL Tremendous Tutors team: Peter Andersen, Nathan Fieser, Michelle Francis, Diana Hu, and Coty Russell. Resplendent in navy Tutor T-shirts, the five stormed through the ranks, winding up fourth in the "Less Filling" bracket after the round robin, though we'd like to note that we had a higher point total (if a different win-loss count) than another tutor-led team, the MACC. Tutor Kevin Mack and Chih King were the tutorial stars on the MACC.

Though tutor Dan Crosby's team, Phi Kappa Psi "Epsilon Minus", royally tromped us in the first game, the Tremendous Tutors rebounded to beat the MACC and one other team during the long morning of play. Before the single-elimination round, in which the Tremendous Tutors played a hard-fought and barely-lost game against the MACC, the organizers announced the top ten scorers for the morning. Kevin Mack of the MACC came in at number 10, and Peter Andersen of the Tremendous Tutors tipped in at a high number seven. Congratulations to Kevin and Peter and to all of our tutors who participated in this competitive, wild, wacky event -- and let's start planning for next year! If you want more information on Quiz Bowl weekly practice meetings, hop onto the web and check out http://www.uiowa.edu/~quizbowl.

Some "Tremendous Tutors":

Diana Hu, Nathan Fieser, Peter Andersen, and Michelle Francis

Thanks a lot, tutors!

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The following sports are listed in a special order. What is it?

Soccer

Hocky

Football

Baseball

Bowling

Golf

(Look below for the answer.)

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Answer to Brainteaser: They are listed in the increasing order of the number of periods. Soccer 2 halves, Hockey 3 periods, Football 4 quarters, Baseball 9 innings, Bowling 10 frames, and Golf 18 holes.

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Page last modified April 2001. Site maintained by University of Iowa Office of Support Service Programs.  Copyright © 2001 The University of Iowa. OSSP site developed by Ray Mescallado.