Category: Students

Friends of Volo Bog Offer 2024 Environmental Scholarship Opportunities

The Friends of Volo Bog is offering an Entering College scholarship and a Continuing College scholarship for $1,500 each to outstanding students interested in pursuing an environmental career.

To be eligible for the Entering College scholarship the applicant must have a permanent Illinois residency and attend high school in Lake, McHenry, Kane, Cook, DuPage, Kendall, or Will Counties,, have a minimum B average for the first three years, and plan to attend an accredited college or university. The applicant should be planning to enter a career directly related to preserving the natural environment.

To be eligible for the Continuing College scholarship the applicant must be currently enrolled in college or university pursing a degree directly related to preserving the natural environment, have a permanent residence in Lake, McHenry, Kane, Cook, DuPage, Kendall, or Will County, have graduated from a high school from one of these counties with a minimum B average, and currently hold a minimum B average in their college studies.

Application MUST be received by March 31st (or post marked by March 28) of this year (2024). Please check Visitor Center hours if dropping off in person as the Visitor Center may be closed on and/or prior to the day of the deadline.

Preparing the Application Package
Please assemble your package in one envelope in the following order:

  1. This Application Form filled out completely (form below).

  2. At least one signed letter of recommendation from a non-relative who is familiar your goals and aptitude.

  3. A one-page essay addressing your motivation for choosing an environmental or natural science career, your related experiences and attributes, such as leadership skills, and your educational goals. 

  4. Sealed official transcripts reflecting your GPA of B or higher.

​If you have any questions, please email FriendsofVoloBog@gmail.com. Application must be received at the VBSNA Visitor Center my March 31st.

Scholarship Committee
Friends of Volo Bog
28478 W. Brandenburg Road
Ingleside, IL 60041

American Dream Reconsidered Conference @RU (Oct 16-19)

Theme: Mind, Body and the American Dream

Mind and body are such fundamental concepts that we often take them for granted, but recent events have served as a reminder of how central they are to the American Dream. For example, the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade served as a stark example about the body itself as a site of political contestation. Roosevelt University is uniquely suited to explore this theme. As an educational institution, one of the University’s central missions is promoting and celebrating the life of the mind.
The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt is centrally focused on education that brings together mind and body in music, theater, and dance. In addition, as a participant in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and potentially Division II of the National Association of Collegiate Athletics (NCAA), the University is home to more than two dozen sports teams that encourage students to hone their physical development.
Visit the 2023 Conference website for the schedule and info on speakers!

Heads up! Roosevelt University Business Career Fair (Fall 2023) is Tomorrow 9/26

Fall Career Fair 2023 @RU / College of Business

This fall’s College of Business Career Fair is open to all students and alumni. We have a great lineup of employers looking to hire for both internships and jobs. Come ready to meet with employers.

Meet us in Wabash on the 3rd & 4th floors between 1pm – 5pm. Below is the lineup of employers who will be in attendance. Make sure to go on Handshake to learn about the roles these companies are looking to hire for.

While at the fair, don’t forget to take advantage and get your FREE professional headshots. Stop by WB 324, inside the Office of Career Services, during the Business Career Fair tomorrow.

We look forward to seeing you there!

COB Career Fair Headshots

RU Dining Center Student Job Opening

The Roosevelt University Chicago Campus Dining Center — known on campus as “The Caf” — is looking for a part-time student worker this Fall 2023 semester to fill a dual purpose:
  • Sustainability Initiatives: student engagement, tabling, signage, etc.
  • Social Media: posting to our Instagram account with sustainability news and other general information regarding specials and fun goings-on
RU Dining Center
The student, ideally, would be able to come up with independent novel ideas to help spread the word on what the Dining Center is doing and help come up with new ideas.
Hours/wage: 10 hours per week at $16 per hour

For more information or to submit an application, please contact Mr. Bill Reich at the email address below:

Bill Reich | Aladdin at Roosevelt University

Food Service Director
Bill.Reich@aladdinfood.com

Week 2: Working Remotely / Prof B’s Classes Meet on Zoom

To my SUST 101 and 220 students — This week of 9/5/23 I will again work remotely from my home office in Joliet, in the Lower Des Plaines River watershed. Please check your course Bb site and your RU email for communications and instructions regarding your class(es) this week. We will meet via Zoom during our regularly scheduled times, so plan accordingly in order to have a relatively quiet and appropriate space for logging in.

Questions? Please get in touch via email or phone, as noted on my Contact page.

Yours in environmental stewardship,
Prof B

Wanted: Sustainability Student Associates for Fall 2023 @RooseveltU

The Department of Law, Society & Sustainability (LSS) @RooseveltU is hiring up to two undergraduate students to work as Sustainability Student Associates for the Fall 2023 semester. 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. 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

(1) 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;

(2) managing the Roosevelt Urban Sustainability Lab (RUSLab) & WB Rooftop Garden;

(3) providing logistical and communication support for sustainability-related activities, events, and projects, especially our ongoing efforts at strategic sustainability planning;

(4) coordinating & promoting departmental events & campus outreach (e.g., Campus Sustainability Month in October, SUST Symposia, & Earth Month in April);

(5) supporting student experiential learning, recruitment, retention, & career development efforts;

(6) performing alumni and community outreach.

In 2023-24, 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. Both FWS 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 is Friday 9/15/23. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and interviews will be conducted starting the week of 8/29/23. 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 should demonstrates 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 demonstrates your *best* writing, and not 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.

Textbook Purchasing Info for Fall 2023

Dear RU Students,

Welcome to a new semester! Here is some important info for you about purchasing textbooks for your Fall 2023 classes. Things are new this year so read on . . .

Laker Book Bundle

This year Roosevelt has 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 December 16, 2023.
  • 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 5, 2023.

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 lineup, 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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 deadline mind!

  • The deadline to opt out is September 4, 2023
  • If you don’t opt out your account will be charged automatically on September 5, 2023

If you have any questions about this, let me know and I’ll try to track down answers for you!

Wanna Learn More ’bout Sustainability? Here’s 10 Ways You Can this Fall @RooseveltU

Let’s be real, shall we? A world rocked by climate change, toxic pollution, devastated biodiversity, and persistent environmental injustice demands change. The folks in charge? While some have their hearts in the right place, and others even know full well there’s a crisis ongoing around us that demands immediate action, the fact is they’re not getting it done.

So who is going to do it? Who’s going to actually get off their duffs, get us out of collective fossil-fuel guzzling garbage-spewing junk-food-eating rut, and create healthy sustainable future for people and the planet? Everyone has a stake in this, of course, particularly the current generation of college students (of all ages). Here @RooseveltU, creating a sustainable future isn’t just a cool and fun thing to do with like-minded folks (though it certainly is); it’s an obligation mandated by our social justice mission.

Education, experiential learning, and activism are key parts of the struggle to create a truly sustainable planet (not to mention college campus), and that’s where SUST courses come in. RU students should look over the Fall 2023 schedule using this Coursefinder, (2) check the remaining course requirements in Degree Works, and (3) email or call your assigned academic advisor with your planned schedule and any questions you have about your upcoming classes. Your advisor will provide you with an RU Access registration code so you can register. Click on selected titles below for detailed course previews!

Sustainability Studies courses still open for enrollment this Fall 2023:

  • SUST 101 Humans & Nature (TTh 11am-12:15pm, Ideas, Prof. Bryson)
  • SUST 210 Sustainable Future (M 9:30-12pm, EXL, Staff)
  • SUST 220 Water (Th 2-4:30pm, EXL, Prof. Bryson)
  • SUST 230 Food (W 2-4:30pm, Staff)
  • SUST 240 Waste (online, 8/28-10/21, Prof. Jones)
  • SUST 261 Writing for Non-Profits (TTh 2-3:15pm, EXL, Prof. Blancato)
  • SUST 320 Sprawl, Transportation & Planning (online, Prof. Gerberich)
  • SUST 330 Biodiversity (Field Museum, Th 9am-1pm, EXL, Prof. Kerbis; see course preview)
  • SUST 362 Climate, Cities & Justice (W 2-4:30pm, Prof. Farmer)
  • SUST 390 Environmental Crime (MW 12:30-1:45pm, Prof. Green)

Ideas = Ideas of Social Justice course (CORE gen ed credit)
EXL = Experiential Learning course (ditto)

For additional useful info, see this Advising Resources page on Prof. Mike Bryson’s faculty website as well as this Registration page on the RU website.

Students of SUST 250 Sustainable University (April 2022) after their team presentations of campus sustainability projects