IlliniFamily A publication of the Illini Union Parent and Family Programs Office • union.illinois.edu/pfpo
SUMMER 2018
Get Connected The Illini Union Parent and Family Programs Office works with the Moms and Dads Associations to keep you informed. Check out our website to sign up for newsletters, e-updates, and crime alerts. You can also learn about upcoming events and volunteer opportunities. After the fall issue, you will not receive any mailed issues, so sign up today! Get online today: union.illinois.edu/PFPO
Inside This Issue
Public Safety Appointment........................ 3 Illinois Online........................ 4 UIPD Police Beat.................. 5 Scholarships.......................... 6 Moving Off Campus............. 7 Dads Weekend 2018............ 8 Bracing for Reentry.............. 9
The Summer Sponge Experience Zuri White – Parent & Family Programs Manager Happy summer! Many students at the University of Illinois take advantage of summer internship opportunities. If your student is working, interning, or volunteering this summer; he or she has the opportunity to benefit from these months of “out of classroom” experience. Here is a helpful article by Russell J. Bunio to ensure your student is getting the most out of their summer experience by encouraging your student to be a “sponge.”
“A person having a sponge-like capacity, as for drink, knowledge, etc.” (Webster’s New World Dictionary) A summer job can be more than an entry on the resume or a boost for the bank account. It’s also a chance to connect with people across various age groups that have different skills, backgrounds, ideas, and opinions. This is also a great opportunity to practice a skill many successful people employ: look, listen, and learn from others while having fun.
union.illinois.edu/PFPO
Here are four tips to help your student get the most out of the summer sponge:
Never eat alone If your student spends her lunch break playing games on her phone, she’s missing a chance to get to know a coworker (or two or three) and to discover what’s important to someone whose background and perspective might be very different from her own, as well as find out more about the organization she is a part of for the summer. Many years ago, when I was just starting out on my first real job at General Motors, I quickly learned the value of lunch with my coworkers. We had 45 minutes to spend any way we wanted and could have peeled off in 10 different directions, but instead we met every day to eat, connect, discuss, analyze, and joke. Some of us were college educated, some not. Some of us were on salary, some paid hourly. There were part-time farmers and entrepreneurs. The point is, we valued our time together. “Never eating alone” helped us work better together, and reduced our stress levels, too. I could ask questions and never feel out of place. Continued on page 2