Why join a student club?

Joining a club is fun, and can help determine things you are good at that you might not have known you were good at or liked,  and some students have said it helped them choose a career.

Helen Manley, Manager of Student Life & Leadership Development, PSC

Bloom Community College Student Government, ca. 1961-1962
This image was taken from the PSC Library Archive.

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I was a music major in college and went to music school hoping to go from being a decent violist to a great one. (In classical music, a viola is something of the violin’s older brother and sounds like this.) Early in my freshman year, one of the seniors talked to me about becoming the new viola club president. This person would represent the viola studio’s interests on the conservatory student council, whose interests would be represented in the larger student government.

I was a reluctant leader, yet I still did this role for several years. It was an overwhelmingly positive experience. This experience shaped me as a leader and improved my soft skills. “Soft skills are essentially “people skills” — they’re the skills that allow us to effectively interact with others, like communication, attitude, and work ethic.” We had a victory when I secured funding for a guest musician to come and teach a class. We had a devastating defeat when we learned that the conservatory’s gamelan instrument (the only one in the States at the time) would be sent back to Indonesia because the administration no longer wanted to fund it. But in the end, I got to have a voice on campus and represent the interests of our little club.

My advice to you about student clubs is the same that my grandmother-in-law gave me about the key to her 59-year marriage: “Just show up.”

With that, we hope this month’s blog will convince you to join a student club. Which student club? It doesn’t matter! PSC has many student clubs, which you can see here. If you don’t see a club you want to join but have an idea, please speak to Helen Manley about starting your own. To join one of these clubs, just show up at a meeting.
If you struggle to make friends or find your people, this can provide built-in friendships.

“In addition, people who are from diverse disciplines or have different backgrounds from you can enrich your life by exposing you to a whole new perspective on research or life in general.”

Manager of Student Life & Leadership Development, Helen Manley knows a thing or two about student organizations. When I asked her why you should join a student club, she had many reasons, which included:

• “Resume builder: Colleges and Employers are looking for well-rounded students and student leaders.
• Being in a club allows you to meet new people and learn about what is happening around the school, and about resources.
• Surveys from club members have shown students gain confidence which helps with their communication skills.
• Joining a club is fun, and can help determine things you are good at that you might not have known you were good at or liked,  and some students have said it helped them choose a career.
• Joining a club can help with networking and opportunities for scholarships and internships.
• You won’t regret joining a club, but you may regret not joining!
• Don’t miss out on all the fun – Join or visit and find out for yourself.”

But don’t just listen to those of us who work here, former PSC student, Ramon Morgan said:

“Involvement in community college clubs is vital for transitioning to a university. As a former club president at Prairie State College and now a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, I’ve learned essential skills like responsibility and time management. My leadership roles allowed me to inspire and guide fellow students, which has been rewarding. These experiences have greatly influenced my success at the university level. Being a member of multiple clubs improved my college experience and provided valuable networking opportunities. Student clubs have significantly molded my academic success and prepared me for future endeavors.”

Just as much as your professors, your peers shape your experience in college. They challenge you and provide lifelong friendships and a support system. Nobody will understand your college experience like your peers, so find “your people” in one of these student clubs.

I consulted these articles to write this post. You can check them out, too:

“5 Reasons Joining a Student Group Can Benefit You Professionally.” Career Connections  | Villanova University, 26 July 2023, https://connections.villanova.edu/blog/2023/07/26/5-reasons-joining-a-student-group-can-benefit-you-professionally/.

12 Reasons Why You Should Join a Student Organization. 20 Dec. 2022, https://www.bentley.edu/news/12-reasons-why-you-should-join-student-organization.

Mallik, Tithi Basu. “Why You Should Join Your Graduate Student Organization.” Inside Higher Ed, https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2022/09/26/many-benefits-joining-graduate-student-organization-opinion. Accessed 12 Apr. 2024.

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How To Unstick Your Research

By Grace Krause, Circulation Assistant and MSLIS Student

Writer’s Block by Leonid Pasternak (1862–1945)

No matter what stage you are in your college education, the research process can be as frustrating as rewarding. The research process means organizing all the steps it takes to answer a research question and make an argument about your topic. In general, the process includes finding useful sources, evaluating your sources, collecting information from your sources, knowing when you have enough information, analyzing that information, and writing about what you found. If you find yourself stuck on a project, give these tools a try. Remember, you can always talk to a Librarian at the PSC Library for all kinds of research help! The “Ask a Librarian” button on the website offers in-person, telephone, email, and chat options.

Word Lists

Blank pages are scary. Even when you have a topic, you might not know how to start. Word lists are a tool to get unstuck from blank page mode. Write your topic at the top of a fresh page. Underneath, write every word (or phrase) that comes to mind about your topic. Copy the most relevant words to a new page. For example, if I’m researching why leopards have spots, I might list:

coat color, what is fur made of, cute, hiding, hunting, and genetics

From this list, I might choose: coat color, hiding, and genetics. Now I have some ideas to guide my research. I can also use these as keywords when searching for useful sources.

Reverse Outlines

What happens when you get stuck in the middle of writing a research project? Consider trying a reverse outline! These are different from regular outlines because they focus on what you have already done instead of what you plan to do. Use one to reorganize your thoughts and identify gaps in your research. On a fresh page, write all the major points you are covering in the paper, along with a sentence or two summarizing your evidence. Ask yourself: What information might be missing to connect each major point to the next? Would the points make more sense in a different order? The answers to these questions will guide your next steps. To see some examples of reverse outlines, check out the Purdue Online Writing Lab and the Brandeis University Writing Program.

The Zero Draft

Academic anxiety can make it hard to organize and write your research project. You might feel like you can’t write it at all unless it’s perfect the first time. To get unstuck from this state, you can try writing a zero draft. A zero draft permits you to write the worst, unfinished, profanity-filled version of your research paper just for you. The purpose of this tool is to get the words and ideas flowing so you have something to work with. You might be surprised how many good ideas come out of a zero draft!

Talk about your research!

Isolation is a frequently unspoken problem in college communities. Finding someone to talk to about your project can help you move past sticky spots in the research process. Talking about your research requires you to reframe it in a way that anyone can understand. Often this also leads to a better understanding of your topic. While this can be a trusted friend or professor, any person you are comfortable approaching is a good choice. It doesn’t have to be in person either. Virtual methods of communication such as social media work just fine.

TRIO

I spoke with Juanita Wyatt, Director of TRIO Student Support Services at PSC so that I can share a little bit about what they do.

TRIO is a set of federal programs designed to help students succeed in school. This is a holistic program that will connect and provide you with tutoring, financial aid, advising, career services, college tours, and more. While all PSC students have access to these services for free (except college tours and enrichment activities), only TRIO students are connected with tutors, advisors, and the like automatically. Other students have to opt into these services and seek them out one by one. In short, TRIO students have a helping hand and a cheerleader. Who doesn’t need that?

To qualify for TRIO you should be at least one of the following:

First-Generation Student
You are a first-generation student if neither of your parents has a 4-year degree. If your parents have an Associate Degree or some college, you are still considered a first-generation student. You are still a first-generation student if your siblings have college degrees, but your parents do not.

Limited Family Income
This one speaks for itself, but if you or your family has a limited income, based on the Department of Ed guidelines, you qualify to be in TRIO. See if you qualify through this link:
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/incomelevels.html

Documented Disability
If you have a disability documented by a medical professional, then you qualify for TRIO. You should also visit the Access and Disability Services office. Your high school IEP (Individualized Education Program) won’t translate to PSC, but if you had an IEP in high school, you would qualify for TRIO due to this documented disability.

As I mentioned, TRIO is a set of federal programs. PSC’s TRIO office participates in three programs that serve different ages:

Student Support Services
These are programs to help current PSC students succeed. They help with tutoring, advising, financial aid (and financial literacy), career services, transfer counseling, enrichment, college tours, and more. All of it is free. If you are reading this as a current PSC student (not a high schooler enrolled in dual enrollment), this would be your program. 

Upward Bound
Upward Bound is a program specifically to help high school students get into college.

Educational Talent Search
Educational Talent Search is a program open to middle and high school students. It identifies students who might need additional help in applying for and getting into college.

If you meet at least one of the qualifications to enter TRIO, think you might, or are just curious, you can visit their webpage, and fill out this application form. (Full disclosure, I looked at the form and provided you already know your household income, it will take you well under 10 minutes to complete.) Juanita said one of her proudest moments was seeing enrolled TRIO students bring their friends into the program.

The TRIO office is located in room #1180, directly across from Enrollment Services, and just past the northwest corner of the Atrium. Please stop by to say hi, and learn more. 

Office Hours

College can be mystifying and quite different from high school. Things can be even more daunting if you have been out of formal education for a while. Your professor may have mentioned something called office hours, or perhaps you saw it in the syllabus. (By the way, please read the syllabus, it’s never too late to do so!) If you wondered what office hours are, but were too scared to ask, you probably weren’t alone. As such, today we’ll talk about office hours.

One of the library’s old deans called office hours “student hours.” (Dean is a fancy academic term for the department’s boss.) She meant that these are hours professors set aside for students. They are set times when students can just show up. You can come with a specific problem, a question, to talk, or say hi. At PSC we are required to set aside blocks of time in our schedule for office hours.

Typically, no appointments are needed, but your professor will tell you if their office hours are only by appointment. To attend, show up at your professor’s office during their office hours. If you aren’t sure when and where, please email or ask them at your next class. Many professors even leave their doors open during this time to make it more inviting. When discussing an assignment, bring any work that you’ve already done. These meetings don’t need to be long if you don’t have much time, but I would allow for a minimum of 15 minutes. 

In addition to formal office hours, we can usually meet with you at other times as well. In other words, if our set office hours don’t work for your schedule, ask us and we can set up a different time. Office hours can even be done via Google Meet, but of course, you’ll need to set that up ahead of time.

Your professors love it when you come to office hours. This is an underutilized resource. I suspect that many of you are a little nervous or think your question doesn’t count, but we love all questions and talking shop with you! Professors are people who are so passionate about one subject that we went to school for a very long time to study it, and now we want to share it with you. Consider this your invitation to come to office hours to share your thoughts and questions, or just to talk. 

D2L’ing It

For most of you, D2L is the place you submit assignments and have class discussions regardless of whether your course is online or in-person. We have people who keep it running behind the scenes. In this month’s student blog, I talked with Joanna Kourtidis, Manager of Online Learning, and Randall K. Sharpe, LMS Support Administrator. (A LMS is a Learning Management System, and the one we use here is called D2L.) They are fellow colleagues in my department, and the good people who run D2L. In other words, they make sure the whole system is working well so that you can work well!

Tell me a little about your job, and what you did before PSC.

Joanna:
I support your professors with technology and D2L in their courses. I help you navigate your course spaces and use technology to complement your studies. Before I came to PSC I managed the tutoring center, worked with students on academic coaching, taught writing and literature courses, as well as first year experience courses.

Randall:
I am the “LMS Support Administrator.” That is just HR-eze for the person that takes care of our learning management system (D2L) here at PSC. That can range anywhere from making sure that you and your professors have D2L access to fixing things when they break.

As far as my “before” days. Let’s just say I have been in the business long enough to see the entire history of the LMS – from its early conception of being a fully immersive VR (Virtual Reality) classroom experience onward.


Your very own VR Classroom as conceived by the 1990s

I have been a researcher, developer, consultant, academic, husband, and father. I was semi-retired teaching as an adjunct, at PSC, when the opportunity to become the LMS administrator came up, I thought it would make a nice transition from teaching. For me, this is all just fun. It’s like getting paid to play with marbles.

So what is D2L anyway?

Joanna:
D2L is PSC’s Learning Management System which is just another way of saying where our online classes live. All courses at PSC can use D2L–it’s not just for all online courses. Even some face-to-face courses use D2L for almost everything–all the files and assignments are there, while other face-to-face classes use the space for large items or only for communication. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the expectations for each course so that you are not missing out on classwork.

What do you wish students knew?

Joanna:
You can only make decisions based on the information available to you at that time. It does no good to get so worked up about making the “right” choice that you stress yourself out (and then can’t think clearly to make any decision anyhow). You cannot evaluate whether a choice was right or not until it’s over–and this is true for an exam question and a choice of major. Follow your values, ask a lot of questions, and make a choice. If it was wrong, then learn from it and make a better choice using that as new information.

Randall:
We are here for you. You can just come up and knock on our door to get D2L help – or even just to ask if there is an easier way to do something. (Offices # 3215/3216.) We also like to hear your thoughts on how the online learning experience might be made better. Most of what we hear about are problems. We very rarely get to hear what you would actually like the system to do for them or what would make your life as a student better.

What advice do you wish you could give your college self?

Joanna:
Do at least one new thing each week that isn’t required of you. College surrounds you with lots of opportunities and experiences. Go to an event, a speaker, a club meeting. Sign up for that field trip.

Randall:
That is a good one. I probably would tell me to go ahead and ask that girl on the 2^nd floor of our dorm out. Just kidding.

I would tell myself to relax and enjoy the experience. Do the work, but also enjoy figuring out who you are. Don’t worry about what others think about what you are doing, who you are, or what you like.

Drink deeply of academia and the freedoms of an academic environment. The memories of that time will live with you until you are old enough to be able to tell your adult children some of the more interesting tales.

We are located in offices 3215/3216 and strive to have someone here 8 am – 4:30 pm M-F.

You can also set up appointments using:

Schedule an Online appointment

Schedule a Face-to-Face appointment

Walkins are always welcome. 

It’s okay to ask for help

Each month during the school year, the library shares some information that we know our student body could use to improve their college experience. We hope this makes your experience a little easier. In this month’s blog post, I talked with Shannon Word, PSC’s Personal Counselor. Below she shared some information about personal counseling. 

Tell us a little bit about the Personal Counseling Services that are offered to students. 

Personal Counseling Services aims to encourage the special well-being and academic success of students. Students can discuss their personal matters to help better understand their situations, to establish goals, and to work towards solutions. Counseling Services addresses students’ psychological, social, and emotional issues through short term counseling that is offered both on campus and remotely. 

When a student comes to you for help, what is the process?

The very first goal that I have is to greet students with warmth and friendliness as I aim to build a good rapport. It is important to acknowledge students’ feelings and for them to know that they have been heard and understood.

The very first appointment is called an intake appointment. Students’ personal problems and the level of severity of those problems vary. The intake process allows me to gather information in order to learn the details of their symptoms and their origin. The result of the intake allows me to create a treatment plan that informs me if the student will benefit from short or long-term counseling, along with established goals.  

What are some details you wish PSC knew about Personal Counseling Services?

In regards to the services offered through Counseling, it is my wish for the PSC community to always remember that three types of services are offered, which are:

1) Holistic Personal Counseling. It is comprehensive and pertains not only to students’ mental health, but also financial planning, goal setting, etc. Personal counseling addresses all of the students’ personal issues.

2) Referrals to resources that are not just limited to basic needs. Referrals are given for non-emergency needs such as for daycare, legal assistance, etc.

3) Academic Success Counseling. The majority of surveyed college students reported feeling stressed. Research finds that depression and anxiety are two of the most common conditions that college students experience. The pressure of academic obligations contributes to stress, which is why Personal Counseling Services offers academic success counseling that teaches students how to overcome test anxiety, how to create time management and study schedules, and how to control their stress levels during high-pressure time periods such as midterms and finals.

If a student needs really basic things–food, shelter, clothing, or medical care–how do you help?

I have an extensive directory of various organizations that assist students. I am presently entering my 20th academic year at the College, and over the years I have networked and gathered numerous resources to assist our students. Whatever the student needs, a referral is given. If one is not in place, extensive research is conducted for it to be obtained. 

Is there anything else you want folks to know?

It is very simple to reach out for assistance. The fastest way is to send an email to Shannon Word, NCC, LCPC at sword@prairiestate.edu. You can also call (708) 709-3511.

Remember: “Successful people are people who know how to ask for help.” 

–Russel Lowery-Hart, President of Amarillo College

Interview with Elijah Leake, Pioneer Services Specialist

“When I got to DePaul I really focused on my major. I also had opportunities to do math research and that has had a great impact on my life both inside and outside of academia. Without my experiences at Prairie State, I don’t think I would have done that research. These experiences encapsulated all of my work so far.”

Elijah

In early May I sat down with Elijah Leake, Pioneer Services Specialist. In this grant-funded position, he connects students to any and all resources they need to be successful. He follows up with students after providing resources to see if any more assistance is needed and ensure students don’t fall through the cracks.

We talked about his background, what brought him back to PSC, and what advice he has for students like you. Elijah will soon be graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematical Sciences from DePaul University, so say congrats next time you see him! Below is a shortened and edited version of our discussion. 

Tell me a little bit about your time at Prairie State. What went well? Knowing what you do now, what would have been helpful?

I was a student at Prairie State from 2017-2019 right out of high school. I wanted to pursue an associate’s degree and then transfer out. That was my plan, and I did accomplish that. I graduated in 2019 with a business degree.

I originally wanted to be an accountant, but fate had other plans. I ended up taking a year off from school to try and figure out my major. I decided to go back to school at DePaul as a math major. I started in the fall quarter of 2020.

That sounds hard.

Virtual classes were a hard adjustment. That was also my first time doing a full load of classes online.

Oh yeah! That’s very different.

The Professors were pretty gracious, especially with deadlines.

It was really hard when we started having classes in person again at DePaul. I live really close to Prairie State College, but not to DePaul, so I lost a lot of time commuting.

I was pretty active during my time at Prairie State College. I was a Board of Trustees Scholarship Recipient, which meant that I had a full tuition scholarship. As part of the scholarship, I had to volunteer some of my time as a student ambassador. I led orientation sessions and helped with summer tours and orientations throughout the year. I was also a work-study student during my first year in the First Year Experience Office. I coordinated with some of the advisors as part of that job. This meant I was also working with the Manager of the First Year Experience, Dr. Lee Helbert. I was a “first-year experience baby.”

For those of you who don’t know, The First Year Experience Office, or FYE, helps support first time college students to transition from high school to college. “First Year Students work closely with FYE advisors to explain and explore college and career interest(s), as well as assist students with the class registration process, campus technology, and ‘how do I succeed questions.’ First Year Experience students are more informed about academic and extra-curricular opportunities available on campus as well as personal support programs also available on campus.”

In my second year I continued all of this, and added the Speech Team. Our team got really close that year. I don’t want to boast, but I did place gold at the national tournament for one of my speeches.

Applauds. Please boast.

That was a new type of speech for me too: communication analysis.

The Prairie State College Speech Team “is a great opportunity for students who love to perform and communicate with others to hone their communication and speaking skills. The Speech Team is a competitive activity where students compete at both virtual and face-to-face tournaments in a number of competitive speaking events.” If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to Dana Trunnell or Joshua Green.

I was the student you saw around campus a lot.

Sounds like you were active.

Yes!

How do you think these extracurriculars helped shape you?

Before I got involved in all of these things, I was reluctant to join because I didn’t know how I would manage everything.

These activities allowed me to immerse myself in the college experience. It allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and meet new people. I really enjoyed getting to do these things and it was an honor to have choices. If it all got to be too much, I could opt out too.

So framing things as, “I get to do these things, as opposed to I have to do them.”

Yeah, exactly. I carried that with me when I went to DePaul.

I wanted to be more active at DePaul, but I was limited because of the commute. Plus after doing so much at Prairie State I didn’t feel like I needed to prove myself at DePaul. I already proved I had a work ethic. I knew I could invest in myself and bond well with other people. When I got to DePaul I really focused on my major. I also had opportunities to do math research and that has had a great impact on my life both inside and outside of academia. Without my experiences at Prairie State, I don’t think I would have done that research. These experiences encapsulated all of my work so far.

It’s okay to feel all over the place about your major.

And better to figure that out in college, than when you are 50.

Yes! That’s how I look at it. It doesn’t matter that I don’t always know what I’m doing.

And you are learning.

Yes. And taking things one step at a time.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

As far as resources? The library can help with the writing and researching process. (I promise; he said this on his own.)

I’ve done this as part of my job, but students should walk around and just ask people what they do, and how they can help. This would help students see how the college runs, as well as all the different departments that exist to support them. Knowing what services are offered is helpful while you are at Prairie State, but also if you transfer to another institution, you’ll know what to expect. 

Yeah; because you don’t know what you don’t know.

As a student I saw all of you differently. Now that I work here, I see what happens behind the scenes. In a way I’ll always be that student still trying to figure things out, but now I see that we are all here to support students.

I see my role as collaborating with students to help them succeed. We are partners in a process.

That’s it essentially.

Thank you so much!

This was great.

Elijah can tailor a plan for your individual needs. Please reach out at  eleake@prairiestate.edu or call: (708) 709 – 3686

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Elijah’s Biography:

Born and partly raised in Tennessee until I was ten years old, I have been a native of the Chicagoland area for the past 13 years. I live about five minutes away from campus in Flossmoor and I attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School from 2013-2017. After I finished at HF, I decided to continue my education at Prairie State College. I began my time at PSC as a math major, but I eventually switched to Business and graduated from PSC in 2019 with a Business A.A. While I was a student at PSC I was a work study student in the First year Experience office, I was a Board of Trustee Scholar, and a Student Ambassador. I also participated in Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Beta Gamma, and the Sustainability Club. Also, of course I can’t forget that I was a member of the Speech team from 2018-2019 and I was a National Champion at the National Community College Speech Tournament. 

After I finished at PSC in 2019, I decided to take a year off from school and spent some time tutoring math at Perspectives Charter School where I worked with middle schoolers and high schoolers on various math subjects like Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and any math involved with the SAT math portion of the test. It was here that I found my passion to study math again and I decided to go back to DePaul in the Fall of 2020. Since then I have stuck with being a math major till the end (this upcoming June graduation), I have had numerous research opportunities in and outside of the DePaul University community, became a McNair Scholar, and I have garnered a lot of cool friends in the process. I am now transitioning from undergraduate school into graduate school to study the intersectionality of mathematics with other fields of study. I also value teaching/tutoring math as well, so I will be spending a lot of time with that for the next year or so.

As a black man, I know how rare it is for someone that identifies like me to be in academia, let alone the math space. With this privilege and honor of being in higher ed, I want to continue to push forward in my education as well as provide service towards those that are deserving and often left out of education. As one of my favorite artists who goes by the name of Smino says in a song called “No L’s”, “My whole goal is to get everything I want (in academia) and give it away”. As I am on this journey of being in higher ed, I hope I never stray away from the path of being a resource for people and helping others get to the place they want to get to.

My hobbies/passions include going to music concerts, listening to a lot of music, roller skating, working out, juggling, dancing, thrifting, playing my Nintendo switch (first personal console since I was 9), traveling, hanging out with friends, and trying new things.

Library 101

I’d love to share a few things with you that can help you as a student.

What is an academic library?
An academic library exists to help you with your research. That’s why we are here. If you’ve taken a Communications or English 102 class, you might have met one of us already. We do these sessions with classes to get you started on the research process, and guide you through the rockier moments. We can assist you in person, over the phone, email, and chat.

We have research guides, a collection of quick instructions for researching across multiple topics and classes. These are designed to help you when we aren’t available. These include instructions on things like creating citations,or developing research questions. To get meta, this is a research guide about everything the library offers that isn’t a book.

Finally, if you click on chat it will direct you to the reference librarian on the reference desk who can help you with a research assignment, ask basic questions about campus, or anything else.



And of course, we have books.

What do you wish students knew?
You aren’t interrupting us with your questions; it’s our job to answer them! We are at the circulation desk to check out books and answer questions. We are working to hire more librarians for the reference desk, but have it staffed the bulk of the time we are open. A reference librarian is like human Google. They’ll answer any questions and help you with research.

Library Hacks
Please don’t pay for any articles or books while you are in school. Your PSC user name and log in gives you access to a massive collection between our website and the physical library. If we don’t have something, we can probably borrow it from another library using something called interlibrary loan. Simply fill out this form with the article or book that you would like. The process usually takes a few days, but with some changes coming next year will be as short as a day.

We have movies, audiobooks, and music
Kanopy is a collection of movies, as is Feature Films for Education. We have a collection of audiobooks through OverDrive. Using an app called Libby, you can borrow these titles and listen to them over your phone. You can also add your local public library to your Libby app for even more titles. Finally, we have music, mostly classical, and some jazz through Naxos, a collection available with tens of thousands of recordings to stream while you study. And all of this is free with your username and password.

We have study rooms
During the worst part of the pandemic, we were closed, and the next year our study rooms were not available. (That was last year for those of you keeping track.) If you need a completely quiet place to study, our study rooms are back for groups. You can reserve one online, or in person on a first-come, first-served basis from the circulation desk. Right now the library classroom is available for silent individual study as well. We also have things like earplugs and headphones at the reference desk that are yours to keep.

We have programming
We host a book club at least once a semester, typically advertised over your student email and social media. We also have some sort of crafty event where we create something you can take home once a semester.

Immediately after spring break, we are hosting a traveling exhibition called Americans and the Holocaust, which seeks to answer what Americans knew and what more could have been done. You can see the exhibition and attend any programming for free:
https://prairiestate.edu/events/ushmm.aspx

Lastly, we are here for you. Please reach out through Ask a Librarian with any questions.
 

Assistance for Veterans

By Maranda Martinez-Brink

If you or a loved one has served our country, then Prairie State College wants to serve you. Our Military Student Affairs Office is here to provide assistance and guidance for the military community and their dependents to ensure a smooth transition to college and resources to ensure your success. 

How Can Prairie State Help?

Students can find assistance with the following resources:

-Providing support for military educational benefits

-Resource referral services for other veteran’s resources

-Credit for military experience

-Priority registration for courses

What Benefits?

There are many benefits available from the Veterans Benefit Programs, which are federal and state government programs to assist military-affiliated students. These can include

• – Illinois Veterans Grant (IVG)
  – Illinois National Guard Grant (ING)
• – Illinois MIA/POW Scholarship (for spouses and dependents)
• – Montgomery GI Bill® Educational Benefits (Chapter 30, Post 9/11, and Chapter 1606)
• – Department of Veteran’s Affairs Veterans Readiness & Employment (Chapter 31)
• – Department of Veteran’s Affairs Dependents Educational Assistance  Program (Chapter 35, Fry Scholarship, and ToE)

Not Sure What Benefits You Qualify For?

Contact the Office of Military Student Affairs coordinator, Georges Sanon, at (708) 709-3567 or via email vetcenter@prairiestate.edu / gsanon@prairiestate.edu. Or consult the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website.

Getting all of the documentation can be overwhelming, so the library has made it easy to access their resources through the research guides with multiple tabs directing students to the precise location of documents, forms, and assistance. 

Under each section, there are links to helpful material that can help students take steps to receive all of their benefits. 

In- Person Resources

The Student Veterans Club is another excellent means of support where members can gain community and camaraderie amongst students, veterans, and faculty. Meetings occur every first Wednesday of the month at 1300 hours or 1:00 pm.

In addition to online resources, the physical office is located in room 1240 of the main building at Prairie State. 

Hours of operation: 

Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday: 0830 – 1700 hours (8:30 am – 5:00 pm)

Wednesday: 1030 – 1900 hours (10:30 am – 7:00 pm)

Friday: 0800 – 1630 hours (8:00 am – 4:30 pm)

“The Military Student Affairs Office is committed to ensuring military-affiliated students a smooth transition to college and a successful educational experience.”

Can you get disability help?

The transition to higher education is not an easy one in the slightest. From the high pressure of school and life balance to the complex inner workings of the higher education system, the task of getting your college education can seem daunting. This overwhelming list can get so much longer when disability issues are added into the mix. As a student with a disability myself, I know how hard it is to ask for help, but once you have it, it can feel like a weight lifted off your shoulders. 

A Short History

The American Disabilities Act of 1990 provided protection to people with disabilities from discrimination and legal required accommodations. This is not only applied in the workforce, but also in postsecondary education. (This includes students at Prairie State.) Access and Disability Services are required to provide available accommodations to students with documented disabilities. So what counts as a disability? More than you probably would think! Anything that impairs walking, seeing, breathing, and thinking COUNTS as a disability, even if the impairment is temporary. A few examples of qualifying disabilities are:

• Epilepsy
• Diabetes
• Visual impairment
• Hearing impairment
• Neurodivergency (Autism, ADHD, OCD, Tourette’s, etc.) 
• Any disability that requires a wheelchair, crutches, or canes

There are so many disabilities that are protected by the ADA to help students get the accommodations they need.

What Accommodations?

So, unfortunately, disability services can’t give you an automatic A, even though we all wish it could! HOWEVER, it can provide some really helpful resources to give students the best chance of success. Accommodations are set on a case by case basis to a student’s needs but can look like more time to take a test, or reducing distractions while testing. Each student with documentation has the opportunity to work with a member of disability services to figure out the proper help needed. 

Accommodations for Everyone

Even students without documentation can go on D2L and find accommodations on the platform. D2L has ReadSpeaker that provides text to speech options for students that need or prefer auditory learning.

How to Get Started with Accommodations

1. Visit and review the Office of Access and Disability Services web page.
2. Review the following documents:
   Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities
   from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights:
   Differences Between High School and College Level Accommodations
3. Complete and submit the online Office of Access and Disability Services Intake Form.
4. Complete and submit the Accommodation Request Form (if you are registered and have a class schedule).
5. Provide appropriate documentation of disability.
   • Visit the following link for documentation guidelines: https://prairiestate.edu/student-services/disability-services.aspx (Click the “Documentation” tab.)
   • Please send documentation via email to disabilityservices@prairiestate.edu for review.
6. Schedule and Attend an Intake Appointment.
   • Intake Appointments will be conducted virtually through Google Meet.
   • Please send a few dates and times that you are available to: disabilityservices@prairiestate.edu.
   •  Scheduled Appointments will be confirmed via email.

You can also call Access and Disability Services at (708) 709-3755