Next SECS Meeting This Wednesday at 6:30! 🌱

Happy Monday, SECS! We hope everyone had a great start to their semester and is hitting the ground running.

Take a look at what our working groups have on the docket this week:

Fossil Free Addendum will give updates on a meeting with Senator Collins to advance the introduction of a senate-side bill and will continue reaching out to representatives. New folks welcome, no legislating experience needed!

Divestment Referendum is continuing their awesome postering campaign to raise awareness of the referendum!

Media will be using plastic bags to craft yarn as part of their semester-long art project! Bring any extra plastic bags to the meeting if you have some to spare!

Green Observer will be briefly meeting this week to check in on draft progress for the upcoming winter issue.

Education will continue outreach to nearby schools for prospective teach-ins.

Solidarity Gardens will not be meeting this week, but suggests folks interested in the garden still stop by to check out other groups!

Join us this Wednesday, January 28th at 6:30 p.m. at the Channing Murray Foundation (1209 W. Oregon Street) for our next meeting.

Stick around after the meeting this week for a showing of Princess Mononoke right at Channing Murray!

🚨WAIT, THERE’S MORE!🚨

RSVP for Prom!

On Saturday, February 15th from 7-10pm at the University YMCA, we will host the third annual SECS prom, featuring a potluck for the first time. RSVP here and signup to bring something to the delicious potluck here!

Book Club First Meeting!

SECS is proud to announce our first ever book club! We’re currently reading Parable for the Sower and meeting every other Thursday. Their first meeting is Thursday, January 29th and they are currently reading chapters 1-3. We are unable to offer free copies of the book at this time, but encourage anyone interested to check it out from a local library.

Submit to the Green Observer!

The Green Observer, the university’s only student-run environmental magazine, is seeking submissions for its Winter 2025 issue. This edition invites you to explore the theme of “Currents”. Whether it’s the invisible currents shaping our world or the ones pulling us in new directions, we want your perspective.

Art, essays, photography, poems, or stories must all be submitted by February 1st at 11:59 p.m. for consideration in the upcoming issue. Email mgerg2@illinois.edu to submit and for any questions.

Come to Fossil Free Friday!

This Friday, from 2-3pm at the Channing Murray Foundation, come to Fossil Free Friday to help the divestment effort!

Did you know…

SECS is an affiliate of the Women’s Resource Center! The WRC is committed to enhancing campus climate and advancing gender equity at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for students of ALL genders. Click here for a full list of WRC-affiliated RSOs.

Show up on Wednesday! Go green or go HOME!

Have something to submit to the newsletter? Fill out this form.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Come to Illini Lights Out!

Sign up to help turn off lights in campus buildings and save energy on January 31st here!

Help birds stop dying!

The UIUC Bird Strike group is made up of some awesome students who are looking to reduce bird deaths caused by window collisions. Go here for more information or if you’re interested in volunteering!

Join the Climate Grief Group

Feeling the weight of climate change? You're not alone. Many of us are struggling with grief, anxiety, and a sense of loss as we watch our planet change. The Climate Grief Group is a safe, supportive space where we can talk openly about our climate-related emotions and learn how to cope together. We'll explore our feelings, build resilience, and find ways to turn that grief into positive action. Let's connect, heal, and support each other as we work towards a more just and sustainable future. This group meets virtually on Tuesdays between September 24th and October 29th at 1pm and is led by a licensed, climate-aware therapist. Pay what you can. Register here.

Visit TORIIS and take action

TORIIS.earth is an organization that makes transparent the University of Illinois Systems investments and visualizes this data through an environmental lens. Throughout TORIIS, you can explore in depth the University of Illinois Systems’ investments, understand the scope and impact of its investments in the fossil fuel industry, and take action by signing the open letter requesting fossil fuel divestment from the University of Illinois.

Listen to the SECS talk
Listen here to our sustainability-focused podcast, the SECS talk! The most recent episode’s guest is Lina Avalos, a student at UIUC and an environmental justice advocate from the Southeast side of Chicago.

If you’ve read this far, click here for the song of the week.

Contact Us!
President — Rudy LaFave (he/him)
rlafave2@illinois.edu
Vice President — Claire Sullivan (she/her)
csull7@illinois.edu
Treasurer — Averhy Sanborn (she/her)
averhys2@illinois.edu
Secretary — Julia San Miguel (she/her)
julials5@illinois.edu
Action Co-Coordinator — Trey McCallister (he/him)
tmcca7@illinois.edu
Action Co-Coordinator — Gabi DalSanto (she/they)
gdals2@illinois.edu
Media Officer — Natalie Reed (she/her)
nlreed2@illinois.edu
Editor-in-Chief of the Green Observer – Michael Gergeni (he/him)
mgerg2@illinois.edu
Community Chair — Joya Weissman (she/her)
joyarw2@illinois.edu
Land Management Chair — Liam Henry (he/him)
liamjh2@illinois.edu
Outreach Coordinator — Izzy Wilder (she/her)
iwilder2@illinois.edu
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer — Fatima Naveed (she/her)
fnave2@illinois.edu