TheAmpersand UIC Honors College October 2003 Important Upcoming Dates Home - Not Always a Safe Haven Oct. 29 by Joseph Morgan Volunteer Fair 11a-2p at Illinois Room Author’s Note: Although this is a simple work of imagination, situations like this Oct. 30 do occur on a daily basis. It is easy for people to see the fiction, and ignore the SFP sponsored Peds Ward party at the Hospital, meet 5 p at UIH truth. Unfortunately, this is truth each and every day. contact [email protected] “It was so simple. Such a simple day. Everything seemed so normal; one of Oct. 30 those days where you expect nothing to be out of the ordinary. The sun had been HCAB General Body Meeting shining, the grass was so green. Everywhere, you could hear the sound of the birds Nov. 12 chirping in the air. It was the perfect day. I walked into the house, not on my guard at HCAB Luncheon, 11a-2p BH all. I was so happy that day, not like it had been on other days. I was just happy to be Nov. 13 alive, happy to have my family, and happy for everything. I had spent the entire day Domestic Abuse Awareness Forum time TBA, BH just playing, and gazing out the window. My teachers may have been talking, but I didn’t hear anything. I was just so happy. And then I walked in the door. Nov. 20 HCAB General Body Meeting “I could tell as soon as I entered that within this house, it was not perfect. The shades were closed so that the sun could not penetrate. Nothing but darkness. My Nov. 27-28 Thanksgiving Break! perfect bubble burst as I walked into the door. Nothing. I could hear no noises, No Classes nothing. It was eerie; not at all like the sounds of nature that were playing everywhere around me outside. I stood in the middle of the hallway and listened. Listened as 2003: A Great Year intently as my teenage ears could allow me to listen. And I heard it. The soft, muffled by Jennifer Baek sounds of a whimper. I could barely make out the sounds at all, but I knew that it was there. I began to creep very slowly towards the source of the sound. It was coming In 1908 the Chicago Cubs won from the hallway closet, not too far off to my right. It was getting minutely louder. I the World Series; that is also the last time began to become worried. What if my family had been hurt? What was going on? I the Cubs have won the World Champi- tried to catalog where everyone was. My brother was at school still – soccer practice onship title. Why? Some Chicagoans until late. My dad was at work. It had to have been my mother! But what happened? blame the “Billy Goat Curse,” cast upon I opened the closet door ever so slightly. A scream issued from behind the door! I the Cubs by William “Billy Goat” Sianis jumped…it was my mom. What on earth made her so scared that she couldn’t come in 1945. William Sianis, the owner of from behind the closet door? the popular Billy Goat Tavern, became “’Mom, it’s me,’ I said patiently, assuring her that nothing was wrong. ‘Go known as “Billy Goat” after he grew a away. HURRY!’ my mother shouted at me. The crying strengthened. I tried the door goatee and adopted a goat that had fallen once more and found there to be no resistance from the other side. In the closet, sitting off a passing truck and wandered in. A among the shoes and the coats sat my mother, a grown woman, with her head in her dedicated Cubs fan, “Billy Goat” Sianis lap. I could not even imagine what was going on. And then I saw it…a trickle of planned to watch the Cubs play the De- blood on her upper forehead. ‘Mom, what happened? Tell me!’ I screamed at her. I troit Tigers in Game 4 of the 1945 World began to panic. What was going on? As I panicked, her maternal instincts took hold, Series. He bought two tickets, one for and she lifted her head to comfort me. But as she did, I felt no comfort…only fear. Cubs cont.on page 4 The Ampersand 1Domestic Abuse October cont.on 2003 page 6 One of the Many Reasons to Go Postal Fall Ball 2003 by Rose Adamczyk by Cynthia Kay It’s 2:30 in the afternoon. Sunny, 95 degrees, no wind. You’re dragging on the last leg In October, one of the most of your route. You just ate the last chunk of ice in your water bottle, so you know that widely sought after tickets around cam- no refreshment will meet you back at the truck. Suddenly, in the distance, you hear pus was the Student Alumni League’s music, the tiny recording of what you make out to be “Do Your Ears Hang Low?”…the 2003 Fall Ball. Boasting a location type of song that can only belong to an ice cream truck. The music grows steadily ninety-nine floors high above the streets louder. You know that it’s coming your way, yet it is approaching at such a slow rate of Chicago the Ball took place at the that you have all the time in the world to fantasize about every frozen treat in the truck. Sears Tower, with a view that can only You also fantasize that the driver of the truck will see you in all of your sunburnt, be described as breath-taking. At only sweaty, delivering-the-mail glory and be kind enough to give you a free Popsicle…any ten dollars each, the three-hundred tick- kind, anything, even some ice on a stick. Something. Anything. The truck is upon ets for the event were quickly sold out. you. The driver looks at you as if he doesn’t even know what it is you’re doing…and In fact, an additional one-hundred and passes by. You fight the uncontrollable urge to throw your mail bag at the truck. You fifty tickets were printed due to popular move on to the next house, put the mail in the box, and continue on your way, only to demand, reaching the room’s maximum walk the same path tomorrow. capacity. Student Alumni League’s Vice President of Events and Programs, Anne Caveat: A continuation of last month’s summer job article. Fall Ball cont. on page 5 Upcoming Scholarship Deadlines! Goldwater Scholarship Are you a sophomore or junior interested in pursuing a career in mathematics, science, or engineering? The Goldwater schol- arship is a funding opportunity for students just like you who enjoy researching in one of the above mentioned fields. If you consider yourself a math, science or engineering enthusiast, you may be an ideal candidate for the Goldwater. The Goldwater Scholarship is awarded annually to outstanding sophomores and juniors interested in pursuing a career in science, math or engineering. Each scholarship covers eligible expenses for tuition, fees, books and room/board up to a maximum of $7,500 annually. Sophomores are eligible for up to two years of funding. Regarding eligibility, candidates must be full time sophomores or juniors at the time of application, be interested in a research career in science, math or engineering, be a U.S. citizen, natural or resident alien, and have a GPA of 4.7 or above. Students planning on medical studies alone don’t tend to be strong candidates. Students pursuing the MD/PhD can be candidates. Due to the competitive nature of the UIC selection process, strong candidates should have at least 3 months of science/engineering research experience. For more specific information, you may access the Goldwater website at www.act.org/goldwater. Candidates must be nominated by UIC and may not apply directly. The UIC Goldwater application deadline is November 12, 2003. The national application date is February 1, 2004. UIC students interested in applying should contact the Office of Special Scholarship Programs for more information about the application process. Madison Scholarship Do you plan on teaching American History, American government, or social studies at the secondary level? The James Madi- son Fellowship Program may offer you the funding that will help you achieve your professional goals. The James Madison Fellowship Program awards up to $24,000 to secondary teachers, grades 7-12, of American History, American government, or social studies who are interested in pursuing a master’s degree. Fellowship payments cover the actual costs of tuition, required fees, books, and room and board, but cannot exceed $12,000 per academic year. For more information on the fellowship, please visit the Madison website at www.jamesmadison.com. Special Scholarships cont. on page 3 The Ampersand 2 Ocrtober 2003 Project ESTEEM (Enrichment of Science Through Exposure to Experimental Models) by Ada Moadsiri Orgs Project ESTEEM is a volunteer organization dedicated to reaching out to the children of Chicago’s Maryville DCFS Shelters. Project ESTEEM uses science to help under-privileged children improve their self-esteem. Our pro- gram includes the Medically Complex Shelter that houses DCFS children with medical ailments, which we visit on Mondays, and the Columbus Maryville Shelter, which we visit on Thursdays. Many of these children have had difficult upbringings lacking support and encouragement. Thus, the curriculum focuses on not only teaching them basic concepts in biology, chemistry, and physics, but more importantly, it strives to show the children that they are capable individuals.