Thank You – Charitable Donations at the Holiday Luncheon

Once again the campus community was very generous at the Faculty-Staff Holiday Luncheon. We were able to give back to the community by donating over two large containers of needed items for Midwest Food Bank and $725 to Crisis Nursery of Bloomington. Thank you.

Employee Assistance Program

The Employee Assistance Program available to Illinois Wesleyan employees offers a variety of resources to help meet your New Year's Resolutions, from Financial, Wellness or Professional Coaching and Online Self-Help Resources to Management Training and Tutorials.

Posse Plus Retreat

This year's Posse Plus Retreat, The State of Politics, will take place Jan. 31-Feb. 2 and will include deep discussion about critical topics in the U.S. 

About this year's retreat from the Posse Foundation: 

As the 2020 election approaches, the country has been talking more and more about the state of political discourse in the United States. How you engage politically, today, will help determine how this nation deals with these and other issues tomorrow and for years to come.  But what does political discourse look like in an era of intense polarization? We all have non-negotiables when it comes to what we believe should be the core values of our society. So how can we talk with or work with or negotiate with people who disagree with those core beliefs? The 2020 Posse Plus Retreat is going to be about how we talk about the hardest issues facing our nation and threatening our democracy.

The retreat is free for any student, faculty or staff. Transportation, lodging, meals and snacks are provided. Participation is limited to 100 registrants and we encourage you to register early. We ask that registrants make a commitment to attending fully as you are taking a spot of others who may hope to attend. We will leave campus at approximately 3 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31 and return no later than 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2. Students who have class on Friday afternoon should work with their professors prior to registering and/or contact the Dean of Students office about your potential time conflict. 

Please also note that registration is a commitment to attend the retreat in full. If your plans change, please contact the Dean of Students office prior to Jan. 29. Cancellations after Jan. 29 will incur a $50 fee to cover expenses that cannot be adjusted after that date.   

Register with this link by Jan. 20. Once we know who is attending, we will be in touch about rooming and dietary needs. We look forward to seeing you at this impactful leadership retreat!

Questions? Please contact our office (dstudent@iwu.edu) or any Posse Scholar.

Reminder: Campus Snow and Ice Removal

It has always been our first and foremost priority to provide safe walking surfaces for the campus community. Given the extremes of conditions in a Midwestern winter and the large number of variables in conditions and forecasts, the decision-making process can be complicated. Last year in particular was exceptionally difficult, with a higher than usual incidence of rain/snow, followed by freezing rain and plummeting temperatures. Bare pavement followed by freezing rain is by far the worst-case scenario that we encounter.

Clean, dry pavement is always our end goal, and over the years the Physical Plant has worked to be as efficient as possible in achieving that goal. This year we are experimenting with brine application on campus sidewalks, which should prove to be a useful tool in managing snow and ice. We are hopeful that it will speed up application time and provide us a preferable option to granular salt when conditions allow. It also has the benefit of being a bit more ecologically sound. Regardless of what equipment and procedures we utilize, it still takes five employees several hours to cover the 16 miles of walks that connect our campus.

As we move into the winter season, we would encourage a cautious mindset and appropriate footwear. We would also recommend a heightened awareness, not only of conditions, but also of the machines that are out clearing the walks.

Snow and Ice Procedures

As we have already had our first hit of the snow and ice season, the Physical Plant would like to review the procedures for getting those work orders to us. Please do not put those requests into School Dude. Please call us at the Physical Plant at 556-3066 during our regular hours: Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. After hours, please call Campus Safety at 556-1111 for an emergency, and they will contact someone from Physical Plant.