i So Cute!!!: 2015

Hello Again and my sincere thanks to everyone who has continued to check in on this blog.

My stint filling in for a maternity leave will be ending this week so I promise I will be posting a lot more frequently again in the near future - (at least once a week.)

I have something of a favor to ask of people, if they find themselves with some extra time and a good dose of persuasion:

Given that Liliane was such a hardworking and dedicated student, my family and I have been trying to do what we can to get UIC to change their degree policy to include posthumous degrees. (As it stands, the University of Illinois doesn't seem to currently have one in place.)

I've been in contact with the Dean of LAS at UIC a couple times and they've sent me very kind emails, but reportedly they are not the ones who can change the policy at UIC. (That is the job of the UIC Academic Senate, which will be having their next meeting in the near future... http://senate.uic.edu/)

Below I've included the (rather drawn-out) correspondence I've had with UIC. (The latest email is still only a draft and waiting to be sent upon further editing....) If anyone else feels willing to contact the university on behalf of Liliane and/or happens to know something about how to change policies at a university, your input, support, and advice would be greatly appreciated!

(P.S. I apologize in advance for the long-windedness of my emails. Blame it on my "academic training"/having the need to write 10-page papers when you can say everything in only 2... =P)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dear Dean Tantillo and Herget and honorable Members of the UIC Academic Senate,

Thank you very much for your past emails and for taking the time out of your very busy schedules to hear what I have to say. In full disclosure, I must admit that this is a rather awkward email for me to write as I understand I have very clear biases and cannot possibly present my request in a neutral manner. But if you could please try and read through what I have to present as if I were a neutral bystander/observer making a simple suggestion for what UIC can do to make itself an even better institution of higher learning, that would be greatly appreciated.

In my previous email, I listed some 20 university policies which currently exist detailing how to confer posthumous degrees. This time, I've included some links to articles I found which help show the direct, personal impacts universities can have on its communities by implementing a posthumous degree policy. I think a couple running themes you can find in each of the stories below include the idea of being able to inspire a moment of unity, solidarity, and compassion through the honoring of posthumous degrees, as well as helping provide families with an all-too-precious sense of closure, at least in the sense of their loved ones' academic journey and pursuits in life.

Posthumous Degrees Honor Departed Toros: http://www.csudhnews.com/2014/05/posthumous-degrees/

Posthumous Tri-C Degree Touches Family: http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/12/posthumous_tri-c_degree_touche.html

UMass honors Krystle Campbell:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/05/31/umass-boston-commencement-krystle-campbell-awarded-posthumous-degree/aF25DtupYXQNnns4WmacsK/story.html

UMass Posthumous Degree Policy:

https://www.umassd.edu/policies/activepolicylist/academicaffairs/policyonconferralofposthumousdegrees/

Family of Pioneering Student Receive her Posthumous Degree 79 years after her death: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13415565.Family_of_pioneering_student_receive_her_posthumous_degree_79_years_after_her_death/

Posthumous Award for Student who Died Waiting for Transplant: http://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/news/2005928.posthumous_award_for_student_who_died_waiting_for_transplant/

SUU Awards Posthumous Degrees to Four: http://www.suunews.com/news/2014/apr/30/suu-awards-posthumous-degrees-four/

Rutgers Student killed by Bear to Receive Posthumous Degree:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/rutgers-student-killed-bear-receive-posthumous-degree-article-1.1949581

December Commencement 2011: Every Number tells a Story:

http://louisville.edu/uofltoday/campus-news/december-commencement-2011-every-number-tells-a-story

http://resources.gradimages.com/how-to-use-commencement-to-remember-students-who-have-passed-away ***

Again, as I mentioned in my previous email, I can't pretend to understand how difficult it might be introduce and/or change university policy - and I certainly understand how to many this may seem like a rather silly policy to be advocating for given that at the end of the day, it arguably has no direct impact on the people it is intended to honor. But I hope - and now if I may ask you to no longer consider my words from a non-biased perspective but as someone who is directly living through the experience of having lost a loved one - I can impress upon you the gift you can give to the families of your students through the conferment of a posthumous degree. One hard lesson I had to learn and come to terms with right away is that there is no cure for grief and the pain of is never meant to fully go away. But having others readily recognize and honor the accomplishments and contributions of their loved ones - especially when they have been justly earned - can and does provide people with an invaluable sense of comfort and peace. Besides this policy being a measure of solace for the students' families, however, more importantly it should also be viewed as a matter of justice in terms of recognizing students for all the hard work and commitment they have devoted to their alma mater.

At this point, I'm almost positive that my emails have embarrassed my sister Liliane to no end. Liliane was always a very shy and incredibly humble/modest person who hated to inconvenience others and would much rather have the spotlight be on someone else rather than herself. Speaking as her sister, of course it would mean a great deal to me if Liliane was able to get a degree from UIC, but I know ultimately what Liliane would have wanted would be if we could somehow bring about some change that might help others to cope and deal in the midst of some of their darkest moments. I realize how quickly people's schedules and to-do lists can get filled up and how easy it is for things to get put on the backburner, but I hope you might be able to take this issue into consideration at your next Senate meeting.

Thank you again for all your time and for reading through my email. Wishing you and your loved ones a most warm and enjoyable holiday season.

Sincerely,

Elaine Wu

P.S. If I may take just a little more of your time, please allow my mom and I to present a few points for making the case as to why Liliane deserves to get a degree from UIC, since she is unable to make a case for herself:

-Liliane was accepted into your GPPA Pharmacy program, which is highly regarded to be an incredibly rigorous and prestigious program to get into and she was incredibly proud and honored to be included in such a distinguished group of students.

-Liliane was never one to try and take the easy way out of life as evidenced by her choice of a major - (I've heard from many students and know from firsthand experience how difficult and demanding a chemistry major is) - as well as her plans to earn her bachelor's degree in 3 years.

-There was no such thing as "senioritis" for Liliane. To the end of her days, Liliane was the type of student who cared greatly about her studies and grades and, most importantly, truly mastering the material she was learning so she could someday serve others - and this is perhaps what broke our hearts the most as her family members. Seeing your daughter and sister struggle everyday with the daily pressures of pursuing academic excellence - at the expense of being able to live your life in a more carefree, "carpe diem" manner - was indeed very heartbreaking, especially when it seems like that life has been cut short and she wasn't able to fully enjoy it because she was trying to do the right thing. (There were even some family trips that had to be cancelled because Liliane wanted to stay in the city to take summer courses.)

I think everyone hopes to be able to live in a just society where the right sorts of values are rewarded. Liliane was the type of student any university would be proud to have - and she in turn was very proud to be a student at UIC - and I sincerely hope something can be done to implement a policy that will give her the degree that she deserves.

Once again, thank you very much for your time and audience.

On Thu, Jul 9, 2015 at 8:02 AM, Agnes Herget <aherget@las.uic.edu> wrote:

Dear Elaine,

I am responding on behalf of Dean Tantillo.

Thank you for taking time to share your thoughts on your sister Liliane, and for the thorough investigation into policies on posthumous degrees at other universities.

As you noticed in your research, different universities have different policies regarding posthumous degrees: At UIC, those policies are set at the University level by an academic senate (rather than the College level). While the College cannot change University-level policies, I would be glad to relay your suggestion and your research to the relevant parties.

By all accounts, Liliane was a undoubtedly a gifted and dedicated student, and I can understand how a posthumous degree would be seen as a fitting tribute to her memory. I am truly sorry for your loss. I thank you for sharing a very personal story, and for being a strong advocate for your late sister.

Best wishes,

Agnes Herget

Agnes Herget
Assistant Dean

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
University of Illinois at Chicago

601 S. Morgan Street
425 University Hall, MC 228
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 413-2470
aherget@uic.edu

www.las.uic.edu

From: Elaine Wu <elainewu0620@gmail.com>
Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2015 11:41 AM
To: Astrida Tantillo <tantillo@uic.edu>
Subject: Re: Degree Petition Request

Dear Dean Tantillo,

Very sorry if this email comes off sounding a bit bizarre, but I hope you will be able to understand why I felt compelled to write to to you again.

Upon receiving your last email all the way back in April, I didn't have further plans of trying to pursue a degree for my sister because I assumed I had already done all that I could on the matter.

However, the issue was recently brought back to the foreground for me again since I last thought about it over a month ago when I emailed you, because of a dream I had sometime last week.

In the dream, I saw Liliane sitting at our old kitchen table, busy doing calculations of some sort. When I asked her what she was doing, she told me that the numbers didn't add up. That she had 20 credit hours but she needed 21. (I realize these numbers don't make sense, but they were the ones mentioned in this dream.) In the dream, my sister was quite upset and couldn't understand why the numbers weren't adding up. If you had known Liliane, you would know that education was always one of her very top priorities and she took great pride in making sure she maintained good grades. The last part of the dream I remember was me promising her that I would do all I can to try and help her fix her problem.

And hence the reason for this email. Again, I'm very sorry if all of this strikes you as bizarre and/or superstitious. Perhaps the dream was my own subconscious telling me that the issue had never truly left my mind but I guess I'd like to believe that if there's still something I might be able to do for my sister - (even if it was concocted by an overactive imagination) - then I want to make sure I follow through.

Below, I've listed, in no particular order, 20 university policies that currently exist which allow for posthumous degrees to be conferred even if the student didn't complete all the degree program requirements. (There were literally hundreds I could have listed, but I didn't want to take up too much of your time...) There are certainly slight variations to the policy, but in general all the schools listed below follow a version of these following requirements: 1) That the student have completed at least 75% of the degree program requirements. 2) That the student be in good standing with the university (and some require that the student not have died from illegal activities.) 3) Some universities ask that degree request process include a faculty recommendation so as to vouch for the student's academic prowess and merit in deserving a degree. 4) Some universities have the requirement of undergraduate students being able to graduate within 1-2 additional semester(s) of university attendance - (i.e. essentially achieving the equivalent of senior status, which perhaps is also the same as saying the student needed to have finished at least 75% of the degree program...)

I don't pretend to understand how difficult it might be to try to get such a policy passed; but if it's not a huge ordeal, I strongly believe taking the time to make amendments to the current UIC posthumous degree policy can only help make UIC an even better, more sensitive and compassionate institution. Ideally, I would prefer that your university never finds the need to have to award posthumous degrees to your students, but as someone who has personally experienced the need for such a policy, I can only hope you might take my suggestion under serious consideration.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read through my email.

Sincerely,

Elaine Wu

1. Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis - (http://registrar.iupui.edu/posthumous.htm)

2. University of Minnesota - (http://policy.umn.edu/education/posthumous)
3. University of Richmond - (http://registrar.richmond.edu/services/policies/posthumous.html)

4. University of North Carolina at Charlotte - (http://provost.uncc.edu/policies/posthumous-degree)
5. University of Missouri - St. Louis - (http://www.umsl.edu/services/academic/policy/post-humous.html)
6. Montana State University - (http://www.montana.edu/policy/posthumous/)
7. University of Cincinnati - (https://www.uc.edu/registrar/policies_and_procedures/posthumous_degree.html)
8. North Dakota State University - (http://www.ndsu.edu/facultysenate/acadaffairs/posthumous/)

9. University of Oregon - (http://policies.uoregon.edu/policy/by/1/0299-general/posthumous-degrees-conferral)
10. Southern Illinois University - (http://policies.siu.edu/other_policies/chapter1/posthumo.html)
11. University of Florida - (http://www.aa.ufl.edu/Data/Sites/18/media/policies/posthumous-degree-policy.pdf)
12. American University - (https://www.american.edu/policies/upload/Posthumous-Degrees-Policy.pdf)
13. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth - (http://www.umassd.edu/policies/activepolicylist/academicaffairs/policyonconferralofposthumousdegrees/)
14. University of Vermont - (https://www.uvm.edu/policies/student/posthumous.pdf)
15. Southern Oregon University - (https://www.sou.edu/assets/policies/docs/Posthumous-Degrees.pdf)

16. California State University Monterey Bay - (https://csumb.edu/policy/posthumous-degree-policy)
17. Auburn University - (https://sites.auburn.edu/admin/universitypolicies/Policies/AwardofPosthumousDegreesPolicy.pdf)
18. University of North Texas - (https://policy.unt.edu/sites/default/files/untpolicy/15.2.19_Awarding%20Posthumous%20Degrees%20Administrative%20Procedures.pdf)
19. University of Hawaii - (http://www.hawaii.edu/uhmfs/sessions/2003_04/posthumous_comparison.html)
20. University of Washington - (http://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/policy/PosthumousDegree.html)

On Tue, Apr 21, 2015 at 5:41 AM, Astrida Tantillo <tantillo@uic.edu> wrote:

Dear Elaine,

I would like to express my deepest sympathies for the loss you and your family have experienced by Liliane’s unexpected and untimely passing. My thoughts are very much with all of you. She most certainly had a bright future ahead of her. I have heard from several of her professors, and they speak so highly of her intelligence and abilities.

My staff has looked into the possibilities of awarding a posthumous degree, and it is campus policy that posthumous degrees may only be awarded if all degree requirements have been met. Unfortunately, it is not possible to award your sister a degree.

I am sorry that my response is not what you were hoping for. I hope that the memories of Liliane may bring solace in this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Astrida Orle Tantillo

On Apr 18, 2015, at 11:57 AM, Elaine Wu <elainewu0620@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello Dean Tantillo,

I've been meaning to send this email to you for a while now and I apologize for the last-minute nature of my request.

My name is Elaine Wu and I am the older sister (and former roommate) of Liliane Amy Wu, who was a student at UIC until November 23, 2014 when she passed away quite suddenly and unexpectedly. My sister was part of the GPPA Pharmacy program and had been on track to graduate a year early with this Spring 2015 semester intended to be her last. She was an incredibly dedicated and hardworking student - (something I was able to witness firsthand everyday having been her roommate.)

Given how close she was to graduating, I'm wondering if it might be possible for the college to grant an honorary degree to Liliane. I feel certain that my sister was the kind of student any university would be proud to have and it would really mean a lot to my family if she was able to be recognized in some way for all the hard work she put into her studies.

I've been trying to do some research into whether there's an official petition process I can/should be going through at UIC, although I'm afraid I didn't have much luck. One of Liliane's professors, Dr. Preston Snee, has been incredibly kind and supportive in trying to help us out with this mission of getting LIliane an honorary degree. If there is any information you might be needing from me, please let me know. (I've accumulated a large stack of work Liliane did during her time at UIC that can be used as proof for her aforementioned diligence and dedication; and if necessary, I'd be more than happy to try and get some more input/"testimony" from her professors and fellow classmates as well.)

Again, I apologize for not getting this email to you earlier as I recently just realized that the semester is almost over! (My sister and I both had a problem with figuring out how to best word our emails.) Thank you very much for all your time and patience in reading through this email. Wishing you a beautiful rest of your weekend and hopefully will be in touch.

Sincerely,

Elaine Wu

P.S. If it helps to know, Liliane's netID was lawu2. Again, if there's any other information you might be needing from me, just let me know. Thank you!!

Astrida Orle Tantillo

Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Professor of Germanic Studies and History

601 S. Morgan Street (MC 228), 425 UH

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, IL 60607

Phone: 312-413-7329

Fax: 312-413-2511

www.uic.edu/las