Final exam week can be the most stressful time of the year for college students. With the holidays around the corner, the mere mention of the word “finals” can be enough to send your student into a tailspin. But before they start catastrophizing about every possible worst-case scenario, make sure they take a deep breath and start planning how they will get through exam period with minimal stress. To assist in this mission, the University offers events all around campus to help students from feeling overwhelmed during finals. To see what the University has to offer, click here!

There’s something for everyone at the Tech Zone including computers, i-Pads and tablets, dorm and gaming accessories, and so much more! We’ve put together a holiday gift guide so you can delight even the hardest to shop for. Your purchases support Illini Union student events and activities. So keep it on campus while getting your student the latest tech devices.

For the complete gift guide, click here. 

As the school enters its hiatus and many students leave campus, those who stay during the break should take precautions to make sure they stay safe.
With fewer people in the area, that also provides criminals with better opportunities to commit their crimes. But there are a few things you can do to significantly reduce your risk of being targeted by an offender.“These are things we want our campus community members to be doing year-round, but the campus environment during the break makes these tips particularly helpful,” said Lt. Joan Fiesta. 

To read these tips, click here.

The Career Center has launched their 2017 Winter Break Campaign, “Brand Yourself”, which focuses on personal branding. The campaign encourages Illinois students who are communicating their skills in unique and creative ways to share their brand with others. The goal of the campaign is not only to showcase the tremendous skills and talents of these students, but to also inspire and bring awareness across campus that there are multiple platforms a student can use to tell their story.  

Students who share their brand with The Career Center will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a FREE Amazon Fire Tablet. In addition, The Career Center will feature these students’ brands on their social media and digital communication channels, exposing their platforms to over 2,000 followers.

Examples of how a student may be building their brand in creative ways include: Vlogging, Blogging, Personal websites, Social media following (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Reddit, etc.), Youtube/Vimeo channel, Apps, Cool and unique resumes, Portfolios, and Elevator Pitches.

The campaign will run through January 31, 2018. Students can share their story and brand here until then. 

You’ve been dreaming of this moment since you dropped them off in August the sweet reunion of your baby returning home from college for the holidays. But before your vision of a fairytale homecoming is shattered by disappointment, here are eight common things to expect, as well as how to make the most of your time together.

1. They’ll annihilate your laundry room.

Prepare for them to come home with an obscene amount of dirty laundry in tow. And after a semester of doing this chore themselves (or avoiding it and saving it all for break), they’ll expect the laundry fairy (you) to wash, dry, and fold everything for them. Promptly, of course.

To continue reading this article, click here. 

The Illini Union Parent and Family Programs Office is committed to providing all University of Illinois families with up-to-date information, resources to assist you in the role that you play in your student’s success, and a point of contact to answer questions or address your concerns. Complete the contact information form and make sure you have access to everything the Parent and Family Programs Office has to offer. Be sure to forward this to other Illini families who are not receiving our updates.

Have you joined the Facebook Group? We created a Group for Parents and Family members of UIUC students to connect and communicate with each other about whatever they would like i.e. sharing tips, have questions, carpools, etc..

To join, click here. 

Parents and family members, just like you, have the ability to make our students’ college experience remarkable. Your contribution supports innovative programs that promote student learning, personal development, and well-being. 

Your unrestricted gift to the Parent Fund helps Student Affairs support alcohol-free programming, such as Illinites, provide personal safety training to students, and more. Your gift also ensures that regular communication and support for all families of Illinois students will continue.

To learn more about Student Affairs, click here. 

GIVE TODAY!

Staying at the Illini Union puts you in the center of a premier Midwestern University town. The University of Illinois’ Campustown offers you all kinds of entertainment, shopping, dining, and cultural options within a few steps of your door. Take in a show at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, visit Krannert Art Museum and Spurlock Museum, show your ILLINI pride at sporting events, shop a bit, or just stroll through Illinois’ beautiful campustown. With views overlooking the Quad, the Illini Hotel has 72 rooms, 2 VIP suites, offers free access to both campus recreation facilities and free parking. Also, as a bonus to your student during this time of the year, the Illini Hotel offers students an opportunity to find a quiet place to study, or stay after the holidays at a significantly reduced rate of $45 per night for 1 person, or $80 per night for 2 people.

For more information and to book a room, click here.

The Moms Association is a great way to be involved with the university and learn more about the exciting events, scholarships, and opportunities available to you and your student. While everyone is automatically a member of the association, the Board of Directors is looking for interested moms and mother figures to join the leadership team.

Board members participate in several meetings on campus (in person or by teleconference), are engaged in numerous activities during Moms Weekend, form a closer connection to the university, make new friends with other Illinois moms, and have a great excuse to visit campus a few times a year to see their student! Those with creative, organizational, and/or business skills and experience are encouraged to apply.

If interested, please complete the online application on the Moms Association website here.

You can also support the Illini Moms Association by getting Illini Moms Merchandise from the official Moms Association Online Store. All proceeds will go towards supporting our students and the campus community.

The Moms Association at the University of Illinois is looking forward to an exciting year. Be sure to like the Facebook page for the latest Moms news, events, and advice.

Looking to get involved while your student is at U of I?

We are always looking for fathers and father figures to join our Board and serve on various event committees. If you have experience and skills in event planning, organizing outings, philanthropic causes, marketing, communications, or just plain want to help out on Dads Weekend, then please click here to join the board and we will be in touch.

Whether you are interested in joining our board or not, please click here to activate your free membership with the Illini Dads Association.

All proceeds coming into the Illini Dads Association supports our students and the campus community. Founded in 1922, IlliniDads has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships and grants to U of I students and the Champaign-Urbana community. We look forward to hearing from you and meeting you at our next meeting!

For more information about the Dads Association, click here.

Though there is no campus-wide ceremony. The University of Illinois celebrates student accomplishments with several ceremonies separated by college. Ceremonies start on December 16^th and go through December 23^rd. If you have a student who will be graduating this December, ceremony times and locations are dependent upon college.

Information regarding ceremonies can be found here.

The University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign offers a number of short-format courses over the winter break. The winter online term offers your student an opportunity to persist toward graduation and learn valuable skills such as time management and goal setting. Students are allowed to enroll in only one class and all classes are completely online. If your student is interested in registering for a winter break course, the dates below may be of interest:

• December 21^st | Last day to add Winter course
• December 22^nd | First day of instruction
• January 13^th | Last day of instruction and final exams

 For more information about registering for winter classes, click here.

The Student Health Insurance Spring Registration period will begin January 11, 2018 and end on February 14, 2018. During that time students may add dependents to their plan, waive the insurance if they did not waive it in the fall, or extend their insurance and reinstate into the plan.

For more information, click here.

• Thursday, December 21^st | Residence Dining Halls close after dinner
•  Saturday, December 23^nd | Undergraduate halls close for winter break
•  Friday, December 22^nd| Winter Break Begins
• Wednesday, January 10^th | Early arrive begins for Undergraduate residence halls
• Saturday, January 14^th | Undergraduate residence halls open
• Monday, January 15^th | Martin Luther King Jr Day (No Classes)
• Tuesday, January 16^th | First day of classes

Chemist Paul Hergenrother and veterinary oncologist Timothy Fan, are taking on one of the biggest challenges they can: developing new drugs to fight brain cancer. Before they collaborated in the lab, they met at pick-up games on the court. Years later, with federal funding as well as an $11 million investment from an anonymous donor, they have seen promise in the treatment of pet dogs with brain cancer. Now the drug is in human clinical trials and could radically change the treatment for one of our most deadly cancers.

 Read the rest of the article here.