Get Ready for Earth Month 2025 @RooseveltU!

March 31, 2025March 31, 2025

Spring is officially in bloom and April 1st is right around the corner here at Roosevelt University, and you know what that means: it’s the return of Earth Month here in 2025. No foolin’! The earth is not getting much love these days (to put it mildly), so there’s never been a more critical time to reconnect with the natural world, learn more about environmentally-friendly practices (like composting and seed-bombing), and build a more sustainable community upon a foundation of environmental justice and stewardship.

This April, whether you’re on or off campus — from attending talks and webinars by invited speakers to hearing research presentations by current students to joining in the student org RU Green’s activities and community service work — you can participate in and contribute to the sustainability of our university. “How?” you ask. Keep reading!

Tues 4/1 12:20-1:20pm (common hour) — Grand Opening of the new RU Mental Health Garden We are kicking off Earth Month in serious fashion with the introduction of Roosevelt’s new indoor Mental Health Garden! The grand opening event will feature mindfulness exercises, coloring, and the opportunity to plant your own seeds. The space is located past the Learning Commons in the Quiet Study Zone of the Library. Check out the space to learn more about how to contribute to this community garden. All are welcome! And yeah, there’ll be snacks and treats. (RU Library, AUD 10^th floor)

All Month — Participate in the Earth Month 2025 EcoChallenge competition (students vs faculty/admin/staff) – Join this undeniably competitive yet somehow thoughtfully meditative tradition of RU students vs everyone else as you engage in and document your sustainability-related activities during Earth Month — and hopefully de-stress a bit while lowering your carbon footprint. Stay tuned on how to sign up (it’s free) for either the RU Faculty/Staff/Admin Team or the RU Student Team. Yes, it’s online and requires the use of a Device. But if you’re using your phone-thing anyway, why not stop looking at silly cat videos for just a sec and do something more mindful and earthwise? Winners get bragging rights for the rest of the year! Ahem . . . like the students did back in 2019 when they soundly trounced the faculty.

Now until Fri 4/18 — Applications Open for RU’s Summer 2025 Community-based Research & Environmental Justice Course. RU’s Office of Student Research and Dept. of Law, Society, & Sustainability will support 8-10 undergrad students in a Community-based Research and Environmental Justice (CREJ) research course this summer 2025. This field-based 3-credit EXL hybrid research course includes full tuition funding plus a small stipend for travel and meets on selected Fridays (9:30am-1pm) and online from June 6 – Aug 1. That’s pretty awesome!

Eligibility: Current RU undergraduates in any major; at least 15 credit hours completed at the time of application, including earning a C or better in ENG 102; minimum GPA of 2.0 overall (2.5 preferred).
How to Apply: Just go to the OSR website for more info and a link to the application. Application review begins April 11; final deadline is April 18, 2025.
For more info: email Prof. Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu) or Dr. Laura Nussbaum-Barberena (osr@roosevelt.edu)

Earth Day/Week/Month Service Opportunities & Events throughout Chicagoland, sponsored by the Chicago Conservation Corps (C3) and other organizations. Check out the many events listed here in the city by C3 as well as these by Friends of the Parks. Also see this article by Block Club Chicago, 12 Things To Do Outside in Chicago this April. Beyond the city limits, look up your county’s Forest Preserve event calendar for April for service and conservation opportunities (e.g., Cook, Will, etc.). Help clean up parklands, restore natural areas, and meet conservation-minded and nature loving sustainability nerds from across the city. Fun and rewarding in a deeply spiritual and dirt-under-your-nails kind of way!

Mon 4/7 thru Fri 4/11 — Spring 2025 Roosevelt Student Research and Inquiry Symposium: a week-long extended week celebration of student research & inquiry at Roosevelt’s campuses: Schaumburg (April 4th) & Chicago (April 7-11)! F inquiry at Roosevelt’s campuses: Schaumburg (April 4th) & Chicago (April 7-11)! For more info, check out the RSRIS website. Tons of great stuff here, folks!

Tue 4/8, 2:30-4:30pm — “The Future of Sustainability at Roosevelt: an Earth Month Teach-In (AUD 514): Join the students in Prof. Mike Bryson’s SUST 250 honors seminar as they present their “Analysis of RU’s Peer Institutions and Recommendations on Implementing the 2024-29 Strategic Sustainability Plan.” This session is a good old-fashioned “Teach-In” that features a tag-team group presentation followed by a participatory campus sustainability workshop to get our audience involved and engaged. Learn how Roosevelt’s green efforts stack up against its peer institutions here in the Chicago region, and strategize how we can move RU’s 2024-29 Strategic Sustainability Plan forward while advocating for social and environmental justice and maintaining hope and courage in these tumultuous and discouraging times.

Fri 4/18, 12-4pm – Green-up / Clean-up Event: We are pleased to announce this year’s Green Up / Clean Up event on both campuses, immediately following University Senate. You and your colleagues are invited to connect, collaborate and clean out your office spaces. Details are forthcoming about special services and activities, but wear your Roosevelt green, grab some bev and a snack and get ready for some spring cleaning! Details to come.

Mon 4/21 — Composting and Recycling Seminar. Aren’t sure what bin to use when you’re cleaning up after lunch? This is the event for you! (time/location TBA)

Tues 4/22 — Earth Day!

12:20-1:10pm Common Hour: Make your own Seed-Bomb at the new RU Mental Health Garden (AUD Library, 10th floor)
All day: Get outside! Take a walk . . . get some fresh air . . . listen to birdsong . . . pick up some litter . . . join an environmental demonstration . . . learn about the original Earth Day . . . do some gardening or start a nice little compost pile (you get the idea)

Th 4/24 — Drag Trash Competition and Show. This will be a historic first at Roosevelt, and if we may say so, long overdue! (details coming soon; time/room TBA)

Fri 4/25 — Earth Week Beach Clean-Up with RU Green & the Captain Paul Watson Foundation’s IL Chapter. Come join RU Green & CPWF for a service project along Chicago’s beautiful lakefront. Look for details here and on Laker Connect.

https://se-images.campuslabs.com/clink/images/97011f99-018c-46c3-833e-db5f58428f5812c5ca45-83ff-4efb-8607-c0fdb57c9f28.png?preset=med-w

Tues 4/29 2-4:30pm — Community service activity with students from SUST 250 Sustainable University (more info soon)

Stay tuned to the SUST @ RU Blog’s Earth Month 2025 page for updates!

Last update: 3/30/25

Apply for RU’s Community-based Research & Environmental Justice Course this Summer

March 18, 2025March 28, 2025

This summer of 2025, Roosevelt’s Office of Student Research and Department of Law, Society, & Sustainability will support 8-10 undergraduate students in a Community-based Research and Environmental Justice experience (CREJ). A cohort-based summer research course based here in Chicago, this competitive fellowship includes tuition funding for a 3-credit EXL/research-focused urban sustainability and environmental justice course on selected Fridays (9:30am-1pm) from June 6 through August 1 during RU’s 8-week summer session. In addition to a tuition waiver for the course, students will receive a small stipend to help defray travel costs from RU’s Chicago Campus to our community organization partner. You can . . .

During this summer’s Community-based Research and Environmental Justice course, undergraduate students will participate in a hands-on and field-based introduction to urban sustainability and selected research and analytic methods in the humanities and social sciences. Students will gain experience doing community-based research (CBR) in collaboration with the Southeast Environmental Task Force (SETF), one of Chicago’s oldest grassroots conservation and environmental justice organizations. In addition, they will synthesize their findings and have opportunities to present their work at events such as Roosevelt’s annual Student Research and Inquiry Symposium (RSRIS).

Based in the Hegewisch neighborhood on Chicago’s Southeast Side, the Southeast Environmental Task Force has advocated since the 1980s for the people and ecosystems of the culturally and biologically diverse Calumet industrial region that spans Chicago’s far South Side, near south suburbs, and communities of northwest Indiana. SETF’s current initiatives and activism include several key issues within urban sustainability: climate and environmental justice advocacy; pollution reduction; clean energy policy; land use and sustainable development; green space conservation; and public health.

Industry on the Calumet River, Chicago IL (photo: M. Bryson)

Student applicants may be from any major and should have completed at least 15 hours of college credit; have earned a C or better in ENG 102; and have an interest in learning about community-based research, urban sustainability, and/or environmental justice.

Eligibility

Current Roosevelt University undergraduate student in any college or major (except those graduating in May 2025)
At least 15 credit hours completed at the time of application, including earning a C or better in ENG 102 (or, if currently taking ENG 102 this spring, a recommendation from the instructor is required)
GPA of at least 2.0 overall (2.5 minimum preferred)
Interest in learning about urban sustainability, doing applied research in the humanities and/or social sciences, working collaboratively with a local environmental organization, and exploring the neighborhoods, natural areas, and industrial landscape of Chicago’s historic Southeast Side

Fellowship Requirements and Benefits

Participate in an 8-week interdisciplinary hybrid seminar on selected Fridays 9:30am-1pm and online on Blackboard from June 6 through Aug 1. Class meetings will be at RU’s Chicago Campus and at selected field locations on Chicago’s Southeast Side. Online work is required in addition to the scheduled class and field trip sessions.
Work effectively as individuals, in small teams, and in collaboration with our community-based organization partner (the Southeast Environmental Task Force).
Earn 3 EXL course credits toward graduation (SUST / SOC / POS 262 Environmental Justice).
Gain first-hand knowledge of the remarkable people, industrial sites, and natural areas of a truly unique area of Chicago.

Application Info

Apply here for the Community-based Research and Environmental Justice Course Fellowship (application review begins April 11^th, final deadline to submit April 18th, 2025). Or, go directly to the link below or use the QR code:

https://tinyurl.com/76ncv6ub

Students do not need to register for the course. All students will be notified about their application status once applications are reviewed. Students accepted to the CREJ program will be registered for the course by the Office of Student Research and at that time, tuition will be paid by the OSR.

For questions or more information, please contact:

Mike Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), SUST Professor and Chair of the Department of Law, Society, & Sustainability
Laura Nussbaum-Barberena (lnussbaumbarberena@roosevelt.edu), Director of the Office of Student Research and the Policy Research Collaborative

For an informational flier, click here (pdf)

Apply for REU Fellowships for Summer 2025

January 26, 2025

Hey RU students — especially SUST majors and minors . . .

The annual Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) has literally hundreds of PAID summer research fellowships in the US that you can search for and apply to. These are well-compensated and you learn a ton doing one of these fellowships as a rising junior or senior.

This REU database is searchable by geographic region, general research area, and keyword. When I did a simple search for “sustainability” I got 50 hits. Check it out!

If you’re wondering, “Have any recent SUST majors got one of these awesome fellowships?” — the answer is yes. Here’s a cool post by Kiera Carpenter (BA in SUST ’24) who completed one of these REUs at the Chgo Botanic Garden in the summer of 2023.

Remember, you can’t get one of these gigs unless you apply!

RU Campus Job: Sustainability Student Associates for 2024-25

August 25, 2024September 5, 2024

The Department of Law, Society & Sustainability (LSS) @RooseveltU is hiring up to two undergraduate students to work as Sustainability Student Associates for the 2024-25 academic year. Information and application instructions for this position can be found on the RU Student Employment website. To apply, just login to the Handshake job posting system and upload your letter of interest, résumé, and writing sample (deadline extended to 9/13/24). These positions are funded by the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program as well as Testa Produce; FWS and non-FWS eligible students are therefore welcome to apply.

These 15 hour/week student positions support the mission, pedagogy, and service work of the Sustainability Studies (SUST) as well as other related programs in the LSS Dept at Roosevelt by

developing & supporting campus sustainability projects in consultation with the SUST program director; Dept of Law, Society & Sustainability faculty; Operations and Planning admin/staff; and the RU Green student organization;
managing the Roosevelt Urban Sustainability Lab (RUSLab) & assisting with the WB Rooftop Garden;
providing logistical and communication support for sustainability-related activities, events, and projects, especially our ongoing efforts at strategic sustainability planning;
coordinating & promoting departmental events & campus outreach (e.g., Campus Sustainability Month in October, SUST Symposia, & Earth Month in April);
supporting student experiential learning, recruitment, retention, & career development efforts;
performing alumni and community outreach.

In 2024-25, up to two Student Associates will work under the direction of the LSS Dept Chair and SUST Program Director, Prof. Mike Bryson. Associates will utilize the RUSLab in AUD 526 as their home base at the Chicago Campus as well as perform some work remotely as needed. Both Federal Work-Study eligible and non-eligible students from any major are welcome to apply, but priority in hiring will be given to FWS students who are based in the programs of the new Department of Law, Society & Sustainability within the new College of Humanities, Education & Social Sciences (formerly the College of Arts & Sciences).

The application deadline has been extended Friday 9/13/24. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews will be conducted starting the week of 9/3/24. Consequently, interested students should get their applications submitted ASAP and may contact Prof. Bryson in advance to indicate their intention to apply and ask questions about the position. A cover letter, updated résumé, and writing sample are required for the application.

The writing sample should be at least 1000 words and demonstrate your writing & research skills (this may be a paper submitted for a college class). Topic related to sustainability and/or the environment is recommended, but not required. This should be something that exemplifies your *best* writing for a general and/or academic audience, but not be overly technical.

Please note your FWS eligibility status in your cover letter. Applicants should explain their interest in advancing campus sustainability as well as highlight their prior knowledge about and/or skills in relevant sustainability issues and practices (e.g., recycling, gardening, event planning, data analysis, student outreach, etc.)

Priority Majors: Criminal Justice, Economics, English, International Studies, Paralegal Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Public Administration, Social Justice Studies, Sociology, and Sustainability Studies. Students from other majors will also be considered.
Required Skills/Knowledge: Knowledge of and interest in sustainability; strong writing/editing skills; effective communication skills; dependability, strong work ethic, and ability to work independently.

Please email Prof. Bryson (mbryson@roosevelt.edu) for questions about the position or application process.

Laker Book Bundle Info for Fall 2024

August 24, 2024September 4, 2024

Dear RU Students,

Welcome to a new semester! Here is some important info for you about purchasing textbooks for your Fall 2024 classes.

Laker Book Bundle

Last year Roosevelt initiated a program meant to potentially save you money on your textbooks for your classes. The program is called “Laker Book Bundle” and all of you are automatically enrolled.

The way this works is that you will be charged $22.50 per credit hour you are enrolled this semester. For instance, 12 credit hours will cost you $270.00 for the semester.

You will receive rental books for all of your enrolled classes through the bookstore and then these must be returned by the last day of finals (which is Sat., December 14, 2024, but I’d go with Friday the 13th just to be safe).
If you want to stay in the program, you don’t need to do anything and your account will automatically be charged the designated amount on September 11, 2024.

Do the math for your book costs!

The purpose of this program is to streamline the book renting process and to save you money. For many of you, the Laker Book Bundle will be a good deal and will save you money as intended — some textbooks can be very expensive! However, depending on your class schedule and your textbook requirements, there is a chance that the Laker Book Bundle price could be more than the outright total for your books for the semester.

Two things to consider about cost:

Rent or Buy: Do you want to buy some of your books to keep, or do you want to rent all of your textbooks? Laker Book Bundle is only for rentals, though you have the option of buying your book(s) for an additional charge.
Total Cost: Add up the cost of your required books for the semester and compare against the Laker Book Bundle price. You can find the required textbooks for all of your courses through the University Bookstore website.

Opting out:

If you decide to opt out of the Laker Book Bundle program, you can do so at roosevelt.edu/lakerbookbundle and follow the prompts. Make sure you keep these important deadlines in mind!

The deadline to opt out is September 10, 2024
If you don’t opt out your account will be charged automatically on September 11, 2024

If you have any questions about this, let me know and I’ll try to track down answers for you! Your best bet, though, is to contact the RU bookstore first.

Faculty Learning Fridays for Fall 2024

August 19, 2024

Faculty Learning Fridays @RooseveltU are back for the Fall 2024 semester! Sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs, the Learning Commons, and the Library, Faculty Learning Fridays is a monthly informal workshop series for RU instructors to explore challenges, insights, and practical strategies related to teaching, learning, mentorship, and more, drawing on the expertise of our RU community.

All instructors—full-time, part-time, and staff—are invited, and workshop topics and leaders rotate from month to month. A central goal of this series is to help instructors develop and implement effective practices in their work with students, in an interactive, participatory, and structured workshop format.

FALL 2024 SCHEDULE

We meet the first Friday of the month during the semester (September-December), 9:00-10:00am, via Zoom: https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/98190063346?pwd=2eTrwjLo9pINwRKRTfNeyzpfLtQoy7.1Meeting ID: 981 9006 3346 Password: 132328

Friday, September 6, 9:00-10:00am
Topic: Dis/ability Inclusion: Reflecting on Dr. Charnessa Warren’s 2024 Faculty Conference presentation
Led by: Ellen O’Brien, Director of Student Learning and Access, RU Learning Commons; Nicole Yoon, Disability Services Specialist; and Natasha Robinson, Deputy Chief Diversity Officer and Title IX Coordinator

Friday, October 4, 9:00-10:00am
Topic: Copyright, Fair Use, and Access to Scholarly Material
Led by: Robin Hofstetter, Director of Libraries

Friday, November 1, 9:00-10:00am
Topic: What’s New in Title IX
Led by: Natasha Robinson, Deputy Chief Diversity Officer and Title IX Coordinator

Friday, December 6, 9:00-10:00am
Topic: An Update from RU’s AI Working Group
Led by: Michael Blancato, Director of Undergraduate Writing, and RU AI Working Group members

Candidate Presentations for RU Criminal Justice Faculty Position this Week

July 9, 2024July 9, 2024

All RU students, faculty, admin, and staff are welcome and encouraged to attend the teaching presentations this Wed 7/10 and Th 7/11 by candidates for the Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice faculty position in the Dept of Law, Society, & Sustainability (LSS). Both sessions will take place in person at the Chicago Campus as well as on Zoom. After each presentation there will be a substantial amount of time for Q & A with the audience.

Wed 7/10 at 10:30-11:45am – Dr. Anne Kirkner: “Care as Control: The Intersection of Violence Against Women & the State,” WB 1214 & Zoom (https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/94813812788). Dr. Kirkner’s curriculum vitae is available here (pdf).

Th 7/11 at 11:15am-12:30pm – Dr. Faraneh Shamserad: “Measures of Variability,” WB 609 & Zoom (https://roosevelt.zoom.us/j/93248609914). Dr. Shamserad’s curriculum vitae is available here (pdf).

Hope to see you there!

For questions or more information, please contact Prof. Mike Bryson, Chair of the LSS Dept (mbryson@roosevelt.edu), and/or Prof. LaDonna Long, Director of Criminal Justice and Assoc Chair of the LSS Dept (llong@roosevelt.edu) in the College of Humanities, Education, & Social Science.

Michael Bryson

Professor & Director of Sustainability Studies @RooseveltU, Chicago IL

Category: Education

Apply for REU Fellowships for Summer 2025

RU Campus Job: Sustainability Student Associates for 2024-25

Laker Book Bundle Info for Fall 2024

Laker Book Bundle

Do the math for your book costs!

Two things to consider about cost:

Opting out:

Faculty Learning Fridays for Fall 2024

Candidate Presentations for RU Criminal Justice Faculty Position this Week

Eligibility

Fellowship Requirements and Benefits

Application Info

For questions or more information, please contact:

Eligibility

What Fellows Can Expect

Application

RU Green’s Mission

Contact Information

Laker Book Bundle

Do the math for your book costs!

Two things to consider about cost:

Opting out: