From: Out in STEM Date: February 19 Subject: UIUC, Nominations, and 1 IOU
Queers Read This!
Hi, power top! If I had a nickel for every time I wrote these newsletter openers while rotting in bed the morning it’s scheduled to be sent…I’d now have 2 nickels, which I know isn’t a lot, but it’s scary it’s happened twice this early into the semester. If it wasn’t me reframing it under the lens of communal care through normalizing the human need for rest (instead of fronting perfection that risks mythologizing my work), I’d probably guilt-trip myself out of any self-care or owning that need.
On an entirely different & definitely unrelated note, I owe yall one (1) queer highlight, so expect that next week. Sorry to my millions of fans! To make this up, I sent Ellie to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to do an oSTEM IG takeover, check it out!!
This/Last Week
Thank you so much for coming to our Nails & Movie Night social last week, we hope you had a slay time being artsy and yapping with our lil community. Turns out, Bottoms was based on our chapter of oSTEM and exposed why Ellie and I co-founded the student org (/s). If you missed it, we did not have a meeting agenda/presentation, but you missed out on the indescribable gem of being in a room packed with queer nerds. Hope to see you at the LGBTQ+ Leadership Lecture & Dinner!!
Coming Up
Updates
- Spring Speaker Series: Next Wednesday (2/28)
A reminder that our next GMM is next Wednesday (2/28) and will be the first of our annual Spring Speaker Series! We’ll share more details in our Slack later this week on our guest and theme, so join for that and populate the #randoms channel with TikToks because I’m curious about what the range of FYPs for oSTEM looks like!
oSTEM
- E-Board Nominations: Nomination Form due by March 17, 2024 (EOD)
Submit your nomination form to run for oSTEM E-Board for the next academic year (2024-25)!! The open positions are Secretary, Social Chair, Publicity Chair, Industry/Conference Coordinator, and Business Manager. Details for these positions are in slides 7 & 8 of a previous meeting’s slides, but feel free to reach out for more details! We’ll be accepting nominations until the end of Spring Break (3/17), submit now! :P - Website
Browse through our CCC website to take advantage of our compiled Resources & Opportunities (scholarships, conferences, etc.), read more about our iconic E-Board, and find other general oSTEM links. The website is regularly updated, if you spot any issues or know of an R&O we haven’t included, our Feedback Form is always open!
University
- OUTBreath
Our besties from the Mindful University Project asked us to let you all know about OUTBreath, a Queer-centered space of shared experience and support where participants can develop mindfulness skills for stress reduction and relaxation. They will be starting next week, on Mondays for students (2- 3:15 pm via Zoom) and Thursdays for all community members (8 - 9:15 pm via Zoom). - HPO Meal Prep Workshop: Register here!
Meal prep can seem (and lowkey is) a daunting and time-consuming process, especially for college students. Thankfully, the university is hosting a workshop next Wednesday (2/28) at noon in the Community Kitchen in Douglass Commons (fourth floor) that’ll teach students recipes for a queer meal and snacks (+you get to eat your meal in the end)! It is open to undergrads & undergrads, registration is required. I can’t attend because of classes, but if you go let me know how it goes!!
Outside
- Point BIPOC Scholarship: Applications due March 7, 2024 @ 8 pm EST
The Point Foundation’s BIPOC Scholarship is open to current college students of all levels who identify as both BIPOC and LGBTQ+ for up to $1.5k in funding. Application factors considered include financial need, personal history, academic achievement, and community service history. Read more and apply here. Note: This scholarship requires you to be “out” as a person who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
IOU 1 Queer Highlight
I was going to die, sooner or later, whether or not I had even spoken myself. My silences had not protected me. Your silences will not protect you.... What are the words you do not yet have? What are the tyrannies you swallow day by day and attempt to make your own, until you will sicken and die of them, still in silence? We have been socialized to respect fear more than our own need for language.
