Our next
Monthly Gathering
is on
April 32nd (aka May 2nd).
The AprilMonthly Gathering
will be held
at the
Rolling Meadows Community Center
3705 Pheasant Drive, Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
The Business Meeting is being held Thursday, April 23rd via teleconference. * * * * * *
Our April MG is free for all CAM members!
Our Chicago Area Monthly Gatherings are open to the public.
So anyone interested in finding out more about Mensa is welcome to attend.
The April Monthly Gathering will be held at the Rolling Meadows Community Center at 3705 Pheasant Dr. in Rolling Meadows.
The gatherings are held each month, with the exception of November, at one of four locations. So
check this site to ensure you’re heading to the correct venue. Members can also check the latest issue of
ChiMe or
Chicago Mensa Meetup.
Typical Monthly Gathering
4:00 p.m.
Mensa Admissions Test
(for anyone who wishes to become a member) —
Preregister
to reserve a space for
this session or for a different test location/date. To
see if any of your past tests qualify for membership, see
what you need to qualify.
Cancelled for April!!
5:00 p.m.
Business Meeting —
Our five board members and any other interested members discuss various topics and issues.
Members are welcome to attend and voice their opinions, but only the Board of Directors can vote.
The April Business Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 23rd via video teleconference!!
6:00 p.m.
Games Room opens
for any early-arrivers and game enthusiasts.
At recent gatherings members have played their favorite games such as
Chess, Scrabble, Set, and Boggle, as well as current hit games.
Our game collection is pretty extensive,
so if you have a favorite, there's a fair chance we'll have it on
hand. Here’s the
list of our entire collection (minus a couple of oldies for which the Geek has no entry) over on
Board Game Geek, although not all games are conveyed to every
Monthly Gathering (there are just too many).
Contact our Game Warden
to ensure a specific one is available.
Speaker Presentation —
The gathering usually begins with announcements
from our Local Secretary (LocSec), followed by a guest who speaks on an
interesting topic for about an hour.
A short description of the topic may be available
on the April events page.
Members can view the full article about this month’s topic in the
April ChiMe.
Refreshments, Socializing, and Games —
After the speaker presentation,
our hospitality volunteers provide an assortment of party food and
beverages, and people browse and mingle. Conversation and games
continue into the night.
×
Pet Policy
Pets are not allowed in any group event areas at Chicago
Area Mensa sponsored events, with the exception as laid out
by the Americans with Disabilities Act. This exception is
listed below.
Service animals, as defined by Title II and Title III of the
Americans with Disabilities Act, are always allowed in any
Chicago Area Mensa sponsored event. The handler is responsible
for the care and supervision of the animal, including cleaning
up after the animal. The ADA guidelines on Service Animals
should be used if questions arise.
Events held in private homes are exempt from this policy.
The majority of the people start arriving around 7:00 PM.
Usually about 60-100 people attend the Monthly Gathering. If you
prefer a smaller group, try a
one of our many restaurant gatherings hosted at various
locations throughout the metropolitan area. Check out the latest monthly calendar
of events for dates, or,
for more information, call the
Membership Chair.
Babysitting
is no longer available unless we get
some volunteers willing to do so or to arrange it. If interested, contact our LocSec .
In the meantime, we encourage parents
and kids to hang out together in a separate room where
the children can play together under their parents’ supervision.
Also please contact our Gifted Youth Coördinators , who may be restarting the Gifted Youth MG activity held
in conjunction with the regular MG.
April 2020 Election Mail In Only
This year the election will be mail in only.
Please print out and follow the instructions to left of the ballot
exactly or your ballot may be disqualified.
Election Committee Chair, Deb Johnston, has made the decision to allow multiple ballots from one
address to be allowed in a single envelope (this is a special dispensation allowed to the membership,
in light of the pandemic, and is available ONLY for the 2020 election).
Your ballot(s) must be received by Thursday, April 30th so make sure you mail it at least 5 business days prior.
Also, due to the Coronavirus, there have been issues getting the April
ChiMe printed, so please print out the ballot
even if you were expecting to get a paper version of ChiMe.
If you do require a paper copy be mailed to you, or you have questions,
please contact contact Deb J..
The candidates’ statements are available on
our website as well as in the
April issue of ChiMe.
Admission Fees *
Ages
18-∞
8-17
Members‡
$7.00
$3.00
Guests
$10.00
$5.00
‡April is free to Chicago Area Mensans! * Children under the age of 8 are free provided they under the supervision of an adult attending the gathering.
Directions to
The June Monthly Gathering will be held at
Benedictine University’s Campus in the Daniel L. Goodwin Hall of Business
(Building 8 on the Campus Map)
located at
5700 College Rd. in Lisle. The building is near the
southern end of the campus.
Note that the campus is only accessible from College Rd. which runs along the eastern edge
of the campus.
The business meeting, games, and hospitality will be in room 411.
Testing and the parent-child play will be in room 317.
The speaker will be in room 321.
Note: The rooms tend to be a bit chilly, so you may
want to consider bringing a sweater/sweatshirt.
Please note that we have this venue only until midnight — plan accordingly.
Benedictine University is located at the southwest corner of Maple Ave. and College Rd. The
campus is only accessible from College Rd.
The closest parking to Goodwin Hall
(Building 8 on the campus map)
is the parking garage
(Building 7)
and the parking lot NW of the garage, both of which are accessible via the campus road
which runs parallel to College Rd. So after turning west onto one of the campus
entrances* on the west
side of College Rd., turn south (left) and follow that road as it curves west along the southern
edge of the campus and eventually curves to
slightly north
(see maps).
There are also
three large parking lots along College Rd. (the southernmost parking lot
is the closest of the three to Goodwin Hall). Parking is free.
If coming east or west via I-88 (north of the campus):
Exit onto onto Interstate 355 Tollway S toward Joliet.
Continue on I-355 S for ~3.3 miles to the Maple Ave. exit.
Turn west (right) onto Maple Ave.
Head west on Maple Ave. for ~2.4 miles to College Rd.
(Note: At the stop light, it's College to the south
and Yackley to the north).
Turn south (left) onto College Rd.
If coming east or west via I-55 (south of the campus):
Take the Interstate 355 Tollway N/Interstate 355 Tollway S toward
Northwest Suburbs/Southwest Suburbs exit.
Stay right to merge onto I-355 N.
Head north on I-355 N to the Maple Ave. exit.
Turn west (left) onto Maple Ave.
Head west on Maple Ave. for ~2.4 miles to College Rd.
(Note: At the stop light, it's College to the south
and Yackley to the north).
Turn south (left) onto College Rd.
From College Rd. (no entrance from Maple Ave.):
The campus is on the SW corner of Maple and College so
turn west (right) onto the campus from Maple.
Warning: There is no entrance onto the campus south of the main entrance
(1 on the Campus Map)
even though it looks like there is one on the map.
Turn south (left) onto the campus road that runs parallel to College
and continue along as it
curves to the west along the southernmost edge of the campus and
then slightly north.
Enter either the parking garage
(Building 7 on the Campus Map)
or the nearby narrow parking lot just past the garage,
both of which are on the right and are closest to Goodwin Hall
(the first building north of the parking
garage and east of the parking lot). Otherwise you may park in the
NW region of the southernmost parking lot near College Ave.
and it is still a short walk NW to Goodwin Hall.
Warning*: Although the map seems to show an entrance from
College Rd. south of the main entrance (1 on the Campus Map) at the very southern edge of the
campus that feeds into the road to the parking lot, some people have said it isn't always accessible.
Attention, city-dwelling Chicago Area Ms! Until further notice,
there will be a taxi service for our suburban Monthly Gatherings,
between the closest Metra station and the meeting site.
For the Benedictine University site, we will have a taxi pick you up
at the
Lisle station
at 6:31 PM
(Burlington Northern (BNSF) Railway line
— it leaves
Union Station
at 5:40 PM). A taxi will then leave the Goodwin Hall by 11 PM to return you
to the Lisle station in time for the 11:38 PM train, which is the
final train
of the evening. Use of this service must be requested in advance by e‑mailing
Greg three days prior to the MG.
Note: CAM will cover the cost of the taxi, but you are responsible for your own train ticket.
Double check Metra Train schedule which has changed due to Coronavirus
The May Monthly Gathering
is being
will be held at the
North Park University’s Magnuson Campus Center at
5000 N. Spaulding Avenue in Chicago.
The University’s campus is basically situated south of Foster, east of Kimball,
west of Kedzie, and north of Argyle with some parking lots along the east side
of Kedzie.
Our main room will be Magnuson
1 & 2, Hospitality is in Magnuson 5, and the Mensa Test and the Presentation will both
take place on the third floor in Magnuson 310.
The Magnuson Campus Center is the triangular polygon-shaped building (16) on
the campus map,
just behind (west of) Burgh Hall (the long building along Spaulding, slightly north of Argyle) that
blocks one’s view of the Magnuson Campus Center from Spaulding.
The building is located on the southeast side of the Chicago River, North Branch,
which flows diagonally through the campus. Thus there is no car access from any of the side streets
near the campus that are north or west of the river although there are foot paths to a
pedestrian bridge. The Magnuson Campus Center is on the river just
northwest of the intersection of Spaulding and Argyle;
Spaulding is one way southbound and Argyle is one way westbound.
Please note that we have this venue only until midnight — plan accordingly.
Free parking in
the listed student lots
(dark gray areas on
the interactive campus map
where the bottom of the map is north). Campus security will not ticket any of
us who are parked in student parking:
Anderson Hall Parking Lot, 5000 N. Spaulding - NW corner of Argyle
and Spaulding, enter from Spaulding just north of Argyle (closest lot)
which is just south of the Magnuson Campus Center.
Burgh Hall Parking Lot, 5051 N. Spaulding - SE corner of Carmen and
Spaulding (next closest lot) which is a short walk across Spaulding to
the path that runs close to river and then between the buildings
to the Magnuson Campus Center.
Carmen & Kedzie Parking Lot, 5115 N. Kedzie - the east side of Kedzie
between Foster and Carmen where the southernmost lot
(just south of the river; entrance on Carmen) is just a two block walk west along Carmen and
south on the path that runs close to river and then between the buildings
to the Magnuson Campus Center.
Argyle & Kedzie Parking Lot, 5025 N. Kedzie - the east side of Kedzie
between Carmen and Argyle (entrance on Kedzie) which is also about a two block
walk west along the northside of Argyle to the west side of Spaulding
and then a bit north and west toward the river to the Magnuson Campus Center.
There is also street parking in the neighborhood so check for spots along Carmen,
Spaulding (one way southbound) and Argyle (one way westbound) but read the signs;
there is permit-only parking in the area as well as metered parking
where you pay at the box using cash or credit/debit cards or via the
ParkChicago app
which enables you to pay and add time remotely with your smart phone.
Chicago parking tickets are expensive so make sure you park legally.
The Magnuson Campus Center is located northwest of the Spaulding and Argyle
intersection (top-center of
the interactive campus map.
Follow the curved foot path along the river that runs
west of/behind Burgh Hall
(the large rectangular red brick building on Spaulding)
and northeast of Anderson Hall (the round building on Argyle).
Warning: Burgh Hall blocks your view of the Magnuson Campus Center
from Spaulding.
The CTA Brown Line
Kimball station
is less than a ½ mile southwest from Magnuson Campus Center at Lawrence and Kimball.
Head north on Kimball to Argyle. Turn right on Argyle. After Anderson Hall (round building),
you’ll see the Magnuson Campus Center to your right (north) next to the
the river.
There are also several
bus lines that service the area. The
CTA Bus Tracker
makes it easy to find out when the buses arrive and depart on your smart phone.
General directions to the campus can be found on the
NPU website.
The Magnuson Campus Center is located on the southeast bank of the river and is not actually
on Spaulding; it is
Building 16 on the map,
just behind (west of) the building (Burgh Hall) located on Spaulding; both are located on
the northwest corner of Spaulding and Argyle as well as Anderson
which is a cylindrical building to the southwest on Argyle.
The river prevents automobile access from any of the side streets that run through the campus
north of or west of the river (see
the campus map);
but if you chose to park on any of those streets, there are foot paths that lead to a
pedestrian bridge, which crosses the river, enabling you to walk to the Magnuson Campus Center.
After crossing the bridge, head south (right) on the curving foot path between the
buildings and the entrance is on your right.
Take the Lawrence Ave. exit.
Head north on Cicero Ave. to Foster.
Head east on Foster for 2 miles to Kedzie Ave.
Turn south (right from Foster) onto Kedzie Ave.
For parking less than a two block walk:
Continue south on Kedzie Ave. to Carmen Ave. (four-way stop).
Turn west (right) onto Carmen
and find parking along Carmen (pay attention to any parking restrictions).
Or continue west two blocks to Spaulding
where there is a parking lot on the southeast corner of Carmen
& Spaulding (Burgh Hall Parking Lot, 5051 N. Spaulding -
which is the second closest lot). Or park along Spaulding
(pay attention to any parking restrictions).
Or try the closest lot (Anderson Hall Parking Lot,
5000 N. Spaulding) which you enter only from Spaulding on the west side (right)
and you’ll end up just south of the Magnuson Campus Center.
If you parked in the
Burgh Hall Parking Lot on the east side of Spaulding:
After you’ve parked,
cross Spaulding to the west side nearest the river.
Take the path and at the fork (do not cross the bridge),
stay right and continue on the path that
goes between the buildings. Magnuson Campus Center is on
your right next to the river.
For parking ~2¾ blocks away in the
Carmen & Kedzie Parking Lot at 5115 N. Kedzie:
Park in one of the student parking lots on the east (left)
side of Kedzie between Foster and Carmen where the
southernmost (just south of the river) lot is a shorter walk
to the Magnuson Campus Center. Continue south on Kedzie to Carmen (four-way stop).
Turn east (left) onto Carmen. The parking lot entrance is on the north side of Carmen (left).
After parking, walk south along Kedzie back to Carmen.
Cross Kedzie at Carmen.
Walk west along Carmen to the path that runs south along the
east bank of the Chicago river.
Follow the path as it curves south (left).
Stay right at the fork (do not cross the bridge)
and continue as the path
goes between the buildings. Magnuson Campus Center is on
your right next to the river.
For parking ~2½ blocks away in the
Argyle & Kedzie Parking Lot at 5025 N. Kedzie:
Park in this student lot on the NE corner of Kedzie and
Argyle by continuing south on Kedzie just past Carmen and
enter the parking lot on your left.
After parking, walk south along Kedzie to Argyle (stop light).
Head west by crossing Kedzie at Argyle.
Continue walking west on the northside of Argyle to Spaulding.
Cross to the west side of Spaulding and head a bit north
(right) along the fence to the opening and turn west (left)
past the building that abuts Spaulding and you’ll
see the Magnuson Campus Center to the northwest (slightly
to your right).
Take the Cicero Ave. exit to Foster.
Head east on Foster for 2 miles to Kedzie Ave.
Turn south (right from Foster) onto Kedzie Ave.
For parking less than a two block walk:
Continue south on Kedzie Ave. to Carmen Ave. (four-way stop).
Turn west (right) onto Carmen
and find parking along Carmen (pay attention to any parking restrictions).
Or continue west two blocks to Spaulding
where there is a parking lot on the southeast corner of Carmen
& Spaulding (Burgh Hall Parking Lot, 5051 N. Spaulding -
which is the second closest lot). Or park along Spaulding
(pay attention to any parking restrictions).
Or try the closest lot (Anderson Hall Parking Lot,
5000 N. Spaulding) which you enter only from Spaulding on the west side (right)
and you’ll end up just south of the Magnuson Campus Center.
If you parked in the
Burgh Hall Parking Lot on the east side of Spaulding:
After you’ve parked,
cross Spaulding to the west side nearest the river.
Take the path and at the fork (do not cross the bridge),
stay right and continue on the path that
goes between the buildings. Magnuson Campus Center is on
your right next to the river.
For parking ~2¾ blocks away in the
Carmen & Kedzie Parking Lot at 5115 N. Kedzie:
Park in one of the student parking lots on the east (left)
side of Kedzie between Foster and Carmen where the
southernmost (just south of the river) lot is a shorter walk
to the Magnuson Campus Center. Continue south on Kedzie to Carmen (four-way stop).
Turn east (left) onto Carmen. The parking lot entrance is on the north side of Carmen (left).
After parking, walk south along Kedzie back to Carmen.
Cross Kedzie at Carmen.
Walk west along Carmen to the path that runs south along the
east bank of the Chicago river.
Follow the path as it curves south (left).
Stay right at the fork (do not cross the bridge)
and continue as the path
goes between the buildings. Magnuson Campus Center is on
your right next to the river.
For parking ~2½ blocks away in the
Argyle & Kedzie Parking Lot at 5025 N. Kedzie:
Park in this student lot on the NE corner of Kedzie and
Argyle by continuing south on Kedzie just past Carmen and
enter the parking lot on your left.
After parking, walk south along Kedzie to Argyle (stop light).
Head west by crossing Kedzie at Argyle.
Continue walking west on the northside of Argyle to Spaulding.
Cross to the west side of Spaulding and head a bit north
(right) along the fence to the opening and turn west (left)
past the building that abuts Spaulding and you’ll
see the Magnuson Campus Center to the northwest (slightly
to your right).
Take the Kedzie Ave. exit.
Head north ~2¼ miles to Argyle (stop light).
For parking less than a two block walk:
Continue north on Kedzie one block to Carmen (four-way stop).
Turn west (left) onto Carmen
and find parking along Carmen (pay attention to any parking restrictions).
Or continue west two blocks to Spaulding
where there is a parking lot on the southeast corner of Carmen
& Spaulding (Burgh Hall Parking Lot, 5051 N. Spaulding -
which is the second closest lot). Or park along Spaulding
(pay attention to any parking restrictions).
Or try the closest lot (Anderson Hall Parking Lot,
5000 N. Spaulding) which you enter only from Spaulding on the west side (right)
and you’ll end up just south of the Magnuson Campus Center.
If you parked in the
Burgh Hall Parking Lot on the east side of Spaulding:
After you’ve parked,
cross Spaulding to the west side nearest the river.
Take the path and at the fork (do not cross the bridge),
stay right and continue on the path that
goes between the buildings. Magnuson Campus Center is on
your right next to the river.
For parking ~2½ blocks away in the
Argyle & Kedzie Parking Lot at 5025 N. Kedzie:
Park in this student lot on the NE corner of Kedzie and
Argyle by continuing north on Kedzie just past Argyle and
enter the parking lot on your right.
After parking, walk south along Kedzie to Argyle (stop light).
Head west by crossing Kedzie at Argyle.
Continue walking west on the northside of Argyle to Spaulding.
Cross to the west side of Spaulding and head a bit north
(right) along the fence to the opening and turn west (left)
past the building that abuts Spaulding and you’ll
see the Magnuson Campus Center to the northwest (slightly
to your right).
For parking ~2¾ blocks away in the
Carmen & Kedzie Parking Lot at 5115 N. Kedzie:
Park in the student lot on the NE corner of Kedzie and
Carmen, by continuing one block north on Kedzie to Carmen (four-way stop).
Turn east (right) on Carmen. The parking lot entrance is on the north side of Carmen (left).
After parking, walk south along Kedzie back to Carmen.
Cross Kedzie at Carmen.
Walk west along Carmen to the path that runs south along the
east bank of the Chicago river.
Follow the path as it curves south (left).
Stay right at the fork (do not cross the bridge)
and continue as the path
goes between the buildings. Magnuson Campus Center is on
your right next to the river.
April Business Meeting:
The Business Meeting is being held at 5 PM on Thursday, April 23rd via video teleconference. The meeting id can be found on our website.
The April
Monthly Gathering will be held at the Rolling Meadows Community Center
at 3705 Pheasant Drive in Rolling Meadows.
The Community Center is located just east of IL-53, just north of the Algonquin exit
and south of the Euclid exit. Use the map on the right for directions.
We will have games and hospitality in their spacious auditorium with overflow space in the lobby.
The speaker event will be in the Card Room. There will be a Parents-Kids Play Room available.
Please note that we have this venue only until midnight — plan accordingly.
Parking is plentiful and free.
Exit onto IL-53 north (Northwest Suburbs) and look for the IL-62 (Algonquin Road) exit.
Exit right onto IL-62 (Algonquin Road).
Turn east (left) onto Algonquin Road.
Continue east onto Algonquin Road for ~5 miles to Barker Ave.
Turn north (left) onto Barker Ave. and continue north for .04 miles to Central Road.
Turn east (right) onto Central Road and continue east for .03 miles to Jay Lane.
Turn north (left) onto Jay Lane and continue north for 0.3 mile to Grouse Lane.
Turn west (left) onto Grouse Lane and continue west for 0.3 miles to Pheasant Drive.
Turn north (right) onto Pheasant Drive and continue northwest for 295 ft. to the Community Center which is on the west side (left) of Pheasant Drive.
If you miss the Algonquin Road exit, you can exit at Kirchoff Road and head east (right) for 0.2 miles to Meadow Drive.
See last three steps of the "Via the Euclid Ave exit:" directions (below) to get from Meadow Drive to the Community Center.
Exit at the Euclid Ave East exit.
Continue east on Euclid Avenue a short distance to Rohlwing Road.
Turn south (right) onto Rohlwing Road and continue south for a ½ mile to Kirchoff Road.
Turn east (left) onto Kirchoff Road and continue east for 0.7 miles to Meadow Drive.
Turn south (right) onto Meadow Drive and continue south for a ½ mile to Grouse Lane.
Turn west (right) onto Grouse Lane and continue for 0.2 miles to Pheasant Drive.
Turn north (right) onto Pheasant Drive and continue northwest for 295 ft. to the Community Center which is on the west side (left) of Pheasant Drive.
Attention, city-dwelling Chicago Area Ms! Until further notice, there will be a taxi service
for our suburban Monthly Gatherings, between the closest Metra station and the meeting
site. For the Rolling Meadows site, we will have a taxi pick you up at the
Arlington Park station at 6:30 PM
(Union Pacific–Northwest line
— it leaves
Ogilvie Station at 5:40 PM).
A taxi will then leave the Park District building by 10 PM to return you to the Arlington Park station
for the 10:29 PM train, which is the
final train
of the evening. Use of this service must be requested in advance by e‑mailing
Greg by Wednesday, April 29th.
Note: CAM will cover the cost of the taxi, but you are responsible for your own train ticket.
Double check Metra Train schedule which has changed due to Coronavirus
There is no Monthly Gathering in October nor in November. Instead, CAM hosts
HalloweeM,
the largest Regional Gathering (RG) in the country.
It's a wonderful, fun, and informative event that runs
Thursday, October 29th through Sunday, November 1st.
Expect games, dances, programs, costume parades, and excursions.
Our great RG
will be held at the Westin-Chicago North Shore Hotel at
601 North Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling.
The hotel is located on the east side of Milwaukee and the main entrance is at the intersection
of Milwaukee Avenue and Wolf Road (just south of Lake-Cook and
north of Dundee Road).
The rooms facing east enjoy a great view of the Forest Preserves.
The hotel is located just west of the Des Plaines River and is steps away from the
Des Plaines River Trail leading into the Potawatomi Woods Forest Preserve.
There’s plenty of free parking both on the north and the south side
of the hotel. The south lot is closer to the meeting rooms.
The hotel offers a shuttle service from the nearby METRA stations .
Please call them well in advance to arrange a pickup.
The test is administered at 4 PM at every Monthly Gathering. Get more information about taking a
proctored test to join Mensa
including different dates and locations. You must preregister to take advantage of any special offers from
American Mensa.
Or check out if any of the tests you’ve taken in the past can be used as prior evidence to
join.
Cancelled for April!!
Thanks for being our 10,984th visitor to the Monthly Gathering page.
These pages and all content Copyright 2020
by Chicago Area Mensa, all rights reserved. Chicago Area Mensa is part of
American Mensa, Ltd.
Mensa® and the Mensa logo (as depicted for example in U.S. TM Reg. No. 1,405,381)
are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by
American Mensa, Ltd.,
and are registered in other countries by
Mensa International Limited
and/or affiliated national Mensa organizations.
Mensa does not hold any opinions, or have, or express, any political or religious views.
These pages and all content Copyright 2020
by Chicago Area Mensa, all rights reserved. Chicago Area Mensa is part of
American Mensa, Ltd.
Mensa® and the Mensa logo (as depicted for example in U.S. TM Reg. No. 1,405,381)
are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by
American Mensa, Ltd.,
and are registered in other countries by
Mensa International Limited
and/or affiliated national Mensa organizations.
Mensa does not hold any opinions, or have, or express, any political or religious views.