WEBVTT 0:00:00.230 --> 0:00:04.859 The African-American Academic Network would like to welcome you to the 0:00:04.859 --> 0:00:10.170 University of Illinois at Chicago. It is our hope you will connect with us and 0:00:10.170 --> 0:00:16.949 become a part of our community. No matter who you are or what you have. our message 0:00:16.949 --> 0:00:23.580 to you is that you belong here. AAAN, as we are affectionately 0:00:23.580 --> 0:00:28.500 called, promotes success and high-impact engagement for students of African 0:00:28.500 --> 0:00:33.690 descent through comprehensive advising, developmental programming, student 0:00:33.690 --> 0:00:37.920 advocacy and structured learning experiences within an inclusive 0:00:37.920 --> 0:00:43.590 community. In other words we want you to be successful in every aspect of your 0:00:43.590 --> 0:00:48.690 college career and not just stop there, but go on to graduate and contribute to 0:00:48.690 --> 0:00:55.440 your community and a global society. Each year we work with hundreds of students, 0:00:55.440 --> 0:01:00.239 like you to gain access to the campus via high school or community college 0:01:00.239 --> 0:01:04.890 visits, or while hosting a group of students for a more personalized campus 0:01:04.890 --> 0:01:10.170 experience. The application process can be a bit overwhelming but we are here to 0:01:10.170 --> 0:01:17.340 assist you in any way that we can. After you enroll and make contact with our 0:01:17.340 --> 0:01:21.930 department we will assign a professional advisor to you to help answer your 0:01:21.930 --> 0:01:26.340 questions and keep you on track to meet your academic and developmental goals. At 0:01:26.340 --> 0:01:31.200 any time throughout the semester you can call and schedule an appointment to meet 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:35.189 with your advisor and enjoy the expertise of a trained staff member 0:01:35.189 --> 0:01:42.869 committed to your success. If you stop by our office located at 1200 West Harrison 0:01:42.869 --> 0:01:48.119 Street Suite 2800 in the Student Services Building, you can take advantage 0:01:48.119 --> 0:01:54.149 of our Learning Resource Center or LRC. There we have a computer lab, study area 0:01:54.149 --> 0:01:58.290 and host private and group tutoring sessions for students interested in 0:01:58.290 --> 0:02:04.259 staying ahead of their coursework. Each year we employ between 12 and 15 peer 0:02:04.259 --> 0:02:08.729 tutors to assist students with math and science courses and even foreign 0:02:08.729 --> 0:02:13.709 languages. Be sure to contact us or stop by to set an appointment 0:02:13.709 --> 0:02:19.019 our high-achieving tutors. And if we don't offer a particular subject we'll 0:02:19.019 --> 0:02:25.769 help you find a tutor elsewhere on campus. We currently have six 0:02:25.769 --> 0:02:30.030 professional staff members in our department and hire another 20 to 0:02:30.030 --> 0:02:34.560 25 students to help us carry out the important work of supporting 0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:39.120 black students. Each team member can be contacted by scheduling an appointment 0:02:39.120 --> 0:02:47.189 but also hold walk-in hours periodically throughout the week. We host a variety of 0:02:47.189 --> 0:02:52.019 programs to help students get acclimated to the campus and to meet other students 0:02:52.019 --> 0:02:56.069 in the process. If you're interested in having candid discussions regarding 0:02:56.069 --> 0:03:01.290 issues relevant to black students on campus, stop by the office and sign up 0:03:01.290 --> 0:03:06.030 for our Sistas, Fellas, Keeping it Real sessions. Or maybe you're interested 0:03:06.030 --> 0:03:10.889 in networking with distinguished alumni or want to get an advanced degree after 0:03:10.889 --> 0:03:15.659 graduation, You might find our Black Professional Roundtable Discussion of 0:03:15.659 --> 0:03:25.109 interest. Another signature service in our department is our Peer Success Coach 0:03:25.109 --> 0:03:31.139 Program. Here we pair incoming freshmen and new transfer students, like you, with 0:03:31.139 --> 0:03:35.099 an upperclassman that will help guide you through your first academic year at 0:03:35.099 --> 0:03:41.519 UIC. Or perhaps you are a techie, or want to acquire more knowledge in website or 0:03:41.519 --> 0:03:46.349 mobile application development, feel free to ask us about our Black Tech 0:03:46.349 --> 0:03:49.340 Scholars Program. 0:03:50.230 --> 0:03:55.599 Each year right before the first day of class we welcome our new students to 0:03:55.599 --> 0:04:01.180 campus by hosting our annual We Are One Retreat and our Black to School Barbecue. 0:04:01.180 --> 0:04:07.390 Yes, you heard it correctly, Black to School Barbecue, where we celebrate black 0:04:07.390 --> 0:04:14.310 students, black staff and black culture. We can go on and on about our top-notch 0:04:14.310 --> 0:04:19.750 services and how much we support student success but nothing beats hearing from 0:04:19.750 --> 0:04:25.389 students who are connected to us. Crystal is a class of 2020 graduate and has 0:04:25.389 --> 0:04:31.180 taken full advantage of our resources in AAAN. She is a Public Policy major 0:04:31.180 --> 0:04:36.850 who has interned for the Chicago Aldermen, Greg Mitchell. Crystal serves as 0:04:36.850 --> 0:04:41.440 one of our peer coaches while simultaneously holds membership in the 0:04:41.440 --> 0:04:45.910 Collegiate 100 Chicago and Gamma Phi Omega International Sorority 0:04:45.910 --> 0:04:52.419 Incorporated. Debora is also a graduating senior and has been one of 0:04:52.419 --> 0:04:55.570 the most involved students AAAN has ever seen. 0:04:55.570 --> 0:05:00.669 She is a Psychology major in Black Studies minor who had the honor of being 0:05:00.669 --> 0:05:07.360 accepted into the KEI London Study Abroad Program and internship. Debora 0:05:07.360 --> 0:05:11.979 began her journey at UIC through the AAAN FIRST Program and currently 0:05:11.979 --> 0:05:17.289 serves as our student programming intern. She also serves as the current President 0:05:17.289 --> 0:05:24.729 of the Collegiate 100 Chicago. For more information or to speak to one of our 0:05:24.729 --> 0:05:31.000 team members, please call us at (312) 996-5040. 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:36.789 Our office hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. through 5:00 0:05:36.789 --> 0:05:42.070 p.m. and we look forward to getting to know and meeting you. We're glad you 0:05:42.070 --> 0:05:46.199 chose UIC and know there are dozens of other schools you could have selected, 0:05:46.199 --> 0:05:53.280 but since you chose UIC, just remember: You belong here!