Image description: Colorful graphic divided into sections. At the top is a drawing of the proposed quad design, which has an oval of grass in the center with a raised stage at the top. Seating areas enclose the grassy area on either side, and the bottom is open to the rest of the Quad. There is one ramp at the upper right leading from the grassy area up to the rest of the Quad. The grassy area takes up most of the surface area of the Quad, with passageways around it. Greenery and more seating are above and below the grassy area, close to Lecture Centers B and E. The poster also includes graphics of three people holding a sign together and a wheelchair user with shoulder length hair. The full text outlined in the graphic can be found below.

UIC Quad Renovation: We Do Not Approve The Quad Redevelopment Plan and Demand our Concerns to be Heard

Since late last year, when we started gathering signatures on our petition ( https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-uiceast-campus-quad-remodeling/ ), we have been attempting to meet with the Chancellor and UIC administration to collaborate on a quad design that is accessible and inclusive for all. The university has refused to include any current community members in the redesign or renovation process as the last time polls were conducted was in 2016: before the pandemic and the creation of the Disability Cultural Center. Throughout this process, UIC's administration has consistently ignored the cultural centers on campus and spoken over disabled voices.

From meetings between the Heritage Garden and Chancellor Amiridis to the Town Hall hosted by the Chancellor's Committee on the Status of Persons with Disabilities, the university has shown a blatant disregard for the needs of its entire community. The Heritage Garden takes care of plants donated by the American Indian Center after being forced to relocate. The renovations include the displacement of these culturally significant plants. The UIC administration also failed to recognize that ADA compliance does not equal accessibility and dismissed the real concerns raised by CCSPD and Town Hall attendees.

Renovations are starting NOW and we refuse to accept that.

While changes were made that added to the sustainability aspect of the proposed Quad Redesign, we believe our main concerns with the middle structure have not been addressed.

The proposed design places a grassy structure directly in the middle of the quad. Some of the proposed changes to the center area that were shared with us during the meeting in March that were made to address our concerns are as follows:

• Center area dimensions were widened by ~4 ft.

• The incline of the grassy middle structure was decreased from 18 inches to 6 inches.

• Underneath the central area are plans of having permeated pavement that helps with water drainage and is more sustainable than concrete.

• There will be a rain garden structure and native plants planted on the perimeter of the redesign.

Our concerns around the Central structure remain around:

• That the central structure obstructs the flow of people around the Quad, even with 10 to 20 foot pathways, it's still a quarter of the space that is available now for people to walk.

• Concerns about how people will move through the grass space itself; if the grassy structure design remains, grass will be trampled on to move through the area (what’s aesthetically pleasing or sustainable about that?).

• Grass maintenance: Will the area just be covered in snow in the winter? If there is an ice rink, is there a plan to make sure the snow being removed does not impede any walkways? Will the grassy area have to be closed off and not allowed to be used like the one in Millenium park and replaced often?

• During winter, it was mentioned that there’s the potential for an ice rink

• The administration could not answer if it would be free of charge for students and hours open for ice skating, as this would be based on programming.

• The administration also mentioned envisioning this place as a Maggie Daley ice rink:

• Maggie Daley attracts many people and if this happens at UIC during hours of classes, there will be more traffic for students.

• UIC has choices on East campus to pick locations for an ice rink that would not impede the flow of individuals that move through the Quad from classes to the library.

• The central structure will prohibit the ways students and organizations have historically operated through the quad. The quad is a space for the UIC to use as they please and this redesign will change the ways that is possible.

We are asking you: students, faculty, staff, prospective families, and the greater UIC community to demonstrate unity by emailing the administration. Together, we will create a larger and more aware community to shape a space that has been of historical significance in student organizing, protests, building community, and serves as one of the most transited spaces on the UIC campus. Help us maintain this legacy for the future. We need you to tell UIC Chancellor Amiridis and the Vice Chancellors that we do not approve the Quad redevelopment plan with the proposed middle structure. We demand that we continue to preserve the Quad’s historical significance and ensure sustainability and accessibility.