A WIDE range of UIC listservs are available
(http://listserv.uic.edu/htbin/wa?HOME) for anyone interested in job openings,
events, and general news about the campus, and much more information. Anyone
affiliated with the University who has a NetID can subscribe. This includes
staff, faculty, and students.
HUNDREDS OF lists are available; some are very
active, others less so. Even for active lists, there are usually only two or
three posts a week, so they usually won’t flood one’s email inbox. Anyone can
start a list. Most are “opt in,” meaning one goes out to the listserv website
to subscribe. Many of the lists also include a footer in each posting, which
has links to subscribe or unsubscribe. Many people sign up for lists when
someone forwards them an email and suggests they sign up.
“WE’VE HAD about 3,500 subscribers consistently
over the past several years for the listserv PACADEMY,” said Michael Moss, associate director of
budget operations and financial analysis for UIC. “It’s a free, easy way to
reach a broad range of people on campus with news, events and other items of
interest. It’s also easy to use. Messages are usually posted within 24 hours.”
MOST LISTS focus on a specific group. For
example, PACADEMY targets Academic Professionals while FACULTY_VOICE targets
faculty. Lists provide updates, news, and information that targets subscriber’s
interests and concerns. Most are moderated, so messages must be approved by the
list owner before they are posted, which helps eliminate junk mail.
“I’VE HELPED moderate PACADEMY, the Academic
Professional list, for several years,” Moss said. “I’ve been happy to see it
evolve into one of the campus’ primary job boards; we usually see two or three
job postings each week. Many departments take advantage of the free publicity
that targets internal staff who may be interested in taking the next step in
their careers. PACADEMY also includes updates on campus events as well as news
stories we think employees might value.”
TO ACCESS a specific list on the main website,
simply click on the name of the list in the table. To find confidential or
unlisted lists, type the list name in the search box to the right. For lists
that have been configured with an HTML description, one can get more
information by holding the mouse over the list name.
THE FOLLOWING information is about three of the many
listservs at UIC.
Disabilities Issues
Listserv
THE CHANCELLOR’S Committee on the Status of Persons
with Disabilities (CCSPD) maintains a listserv for the UIC community interested
in disability issues. This list (CCSPD-EXT) is set up for discussion of
disability topics and is open to anyone on campus who wishes to be included. Dr. Carol J. Gill, associate professor,
UIC Department of Disability & Human Development, Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Disability Studies, oversees the listserv.
CCSPD-EXT POSTINGS include announcements of disability
cultural events and academic presentations, reminders regarding CCSPD meeting
dates and other CCSPD-sponsored events and projects, as well as information
regarding access, inclusion, and other disability issues. The listserv provides
information that helps advance the status of people with disabilities on campus
and beyond. It includes about five postings per week.
DR. GILL said the listserv serves an
important purpose. “People with disabilities compose a very large but
under-represented community,” she noted. “Our committee communicates
information about disability issues, disability rights, inclusion and access,
campus disability resources, and disability pride and culture. Subscribing to
the list helps one keep up to date on issues and resources that advance
understanding of the disability experience.”
UIC IS a nationally recognized
leader in disability research and academic programs, she added. The University
currently offers the first Ph.D. in Disability Studies in the country, which
examines the social and political dynamics of disability. Disability also is a
focus of scholarship across campus, engaging faculty and student researchers.
Sustainability Listserv
DR. CYNTHIA Klein-Banai, associate chancellor for
sustainability at UIC, oversees the Greenlights listserv, which helps faculty,
staff, and students keep up with the latest green initiatives at UIC. By using
this service, people can stay abreast of environmental, social, and economic
happenings, and learn about internships, scholarships, and jobs. Greenlights is
distributed once every two weeks, and once a month during summer. The list is
moderated.
“WE ALSO have an EcoReps listserv. EcoReps are
departmental liaisons who are designated by their department head to
communicate sustainability-related events, opportunities and programs back to
their units. More information is available at: uic.edu/sustainability/ecoreps.html.
There is also a discussion list for its members.”
Faculty
Listserv
Dr. Philip
Patston, of the executive committee of the UIC Senate, and
associate professor of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences in the College of
Dentistry, oversees faculty_voice@uic.edu,
which allows the UIC Senate to share items of interest with faculty. It
includes reports of important Senate or faculty events and meetings; summaries
of news items and announcements of meetings, and events of interest to faculty.
The list is moderated, so only postings of legitimate importance are accepted.
It receives one orf two postings per week.
The
UIC Senate
primarily focuses on academic programs such as reviewing courses, admissions
policies, requirements for degrees, and the academic calendar. It has no
involvement with salary negotiation or employment issues. “There is a
difference in what we [faculty Senators] are empowered to do and what a union
would do,” Dr. Patston said. “The Senate doesn’t have decision or negotiation
power regarding employment issues, but since it has a wide membership of
faculty from all of UIC, of students and academic professionals, it has
considerable expertise as an oversight and consultative body.” Despite some
limitations, Dr. Patston said, the Senate “has been the only voice through
which faculty could raise issues of concern, and there are AP Senators who
raise issues as well. We point people in the right direction.”
