COAL PANEL
When:Tuesday 26th, 7PM, Harper 130
Details from the organizers: Join Green Campus Initiative, Students for a Democratic Society, Students for a Just and Sustainable Future, and the Southside Solidarity Network for presentations and discussion of the University's investment in mountaintop removal coal mining and Chicago's heavily polluting coal power plants. Free Diner from Rajun Cajun!

You Are Here: Screening and Discussion
When: Thursday, October 28th
What: From UCSC: Join Graduate Student Affairs and the University Community Service Center for this film screening and discussion, moderated by Wallace Goode. "You Are Here, Too" was produced by students, and explores the University's civic engagement on the South Side of Chicago - both today and in the past. Free lunch!
Contact: Rosa Yadira Ortiz at ryo@uchicago.edu
Time and Location: 12-1pm in Ida Noyes Hall, East Lounge

CSRPC/Black Star Project: "Beyond the Bricks"; documentary screening & town hall meetings
When: Saturday from 11am - 12:30pm
Location: International House - International House, Assembly Hall 1414 East 59th Street
What: According to the CSRPC: "The Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago and The Black Star Project are the Chicago hosts for the national community engagement campaign for the documentary film, "Beyond the Bricks", which focuses on one of America's critical problems in education: the consistently low performance of black males in school. This event includes a screening of the film (30 minutes) and a town hall discussion with panelists Dr. Cathy J. Cohen, Professor of Political Science at U of C; Salim Muwakkil, Senior Editor, In These Times; Bryan Echols, Executive Director, MAGIC, Inc.; Jonathan Lykes, Third year student at U of C and blogger for The Black Youth Project; Cheo Tyehima Taylor, National Media Director, 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys; and Trevor Wilkins, Princeton Undergrad and Collegiate Scholars Alumni.
Contact: Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture (CSRPC),773-702-8063"

Chicago VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, as listed in the University Community Service Center Newsletter:

King College Prep After School Tutoring Center
King College Prep, located at 45th and Drexel, runs an after-school tutoring center for its students. Students from all grades are welcome and come for homework assistance, help understanding subject material, and help studying for exams. Volunteers who can tutor in all high school subjects, but especially world languages, sciences, and math, are sought. Tutors must demonstrate proficiency in the material they tutor and must be interested in working with teens. Previous experience tutoring or working with youth is a plus, but not required. The tutoring center is open Monday through Thursday from 3 to 5 pm. Volunteers are required to make a mimimum 2 hour commitment per week, and must come on the same day every week.
Interested individuals can email their inquiries to kcptutoringcenter@gmail.com or by phone at 413-244-6737. They should email their availability, relevant experience and areas of tutoring expertise.

Volunteer tutoring opportunity at Urban Prep Academy in East Garfield Park!
Research shows that only 1 in 40 African American males will graduate from college. Only 45% will even graduate high school in Chicago. But you can be a part of the effort to reduce this trend. Urban Prep Academy is a charter high school that serves African American students from the South and West Sides of Chicago. Currently, Urban Prep is looking for enthusiastic, service-oriented book lovers to lead twice-weekly reading skills groups at our school. UChicago students who want to contribute their intelligence, enthusiasm and dedication to helping the young men of Urban Prep succeed, this is for you. Here are the details:

* Lead a tutoring group to improve student literacy or lead a book discussion group to encourage young men to read outside the classroom. Students will be broken into groups based on their reading levels. Abilities range from non-readers (2nd grade competency or below) to highly literate (12th grade competency or above), so there is a wide variety of teaching opportunities available.
* Meet for one hour twice a week. Times and days are flexible, based on your availability. Groups can meet during the school day from 11-12pm or after school from 4-5pm. Groups will be held at Urban Prep Academy, East Garfield Park Campus, right off the Green Line.
* Why: Currently, 71% of incoming freshmen are reading below grade level and 66% of our sophomores are still behind. The faculty only has so much time in the day, so they are hoping to find qualified students to help.

If you would like to get involved, email Sara at sleginsky@urbanprep.org or call 773.354.4960 for more information. To learn more about what Urban Prep Academies is all about, please see our website at www.urbanprep.org.

Summer Links Internship Program Info Session
When: Wednesday, October 20th
Description from SL: Summer Links, a program of the University Community Service Center, offers intensive 10-week internships to 30 returning College and graduate students committed to public service, community building, and social change. Interns receive a $4 000 stipend and the option of subsidized on-campus housing, and participate in weekly day-long and evening trainings about Chicago and social justice issues. Returning college, graduate, and professional school students are welcome to apply.
Can't make it? We will also present information sessions on the following dates:
Monday, November 8th 6:30-7:30 pm, in the Harper Memorial Library Room 130
Thursday, December 2nd 6:00-7:00 pm, in the 5710 OMSA Community Lounge
Questions? Please contact the Student Intern Ian Williams at summerlinks.ucsc@gmail.com or Program Director Trudi Langendorf at trudi@uchicago.edu or 773.834.2699
Time: 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Location: Harper 130

DREAM Night, In Honor of the DREAM Act
When: Friday, October 22nd
Workshop and concert by Rebel Diaz, a Chicago-born trio of artists dedicated to spreading the global power of Hip Hop. Collaborators include Organization of Latin American Students, Puerto Rican Student Association, Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc., University of Chicago Coalition for Immigrant's Rights, and National Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan.
Contact: Rosa Yadira Ortiz at ryo@uchicago.edu
Time and Location: Workshop 5-6pm in OMSA, 5710 S. Woodlawn Ave.
Concert 8-11pm in Hutch Commons

An Evening of Classic Horror and Suspense in the Old Time Radio Tradition.'
When: Friday evening, October 22nd from 7-9pm
Where: The Experimental Station, 6100 S. Blackstone.
Description from the ES: "This fun and fear-inspiring event, directed and performed by members of the Hyde Park Community Players, will feature a selection of short radio-style stories, complete with music and sound effects. Enjoy radio-style renditions of Charles Dickens' "The Signal Man," Mary Wilkens-Freeman's "The Southwest Chamber," Oscar Wilde's "The Canterville Ghost," and more.... Tickets will be available for $10 at the door, $8 for students and seniors, and $5 for children. Adult advance tickets are $8, and may be purchased at 57th Street Books (1301 S. 57th Street), and Backstory Cafe (at Experimental Station."

by Lynda Lopez, UCSC News & Public Affairs

According to a report released by the federal Corporation for National and Community Service, college student volunteering increased by 20 percent between 2002 and 2005, more than doubling the growth in the adult volunteering rate. It found that 3.3 million college students volunteered in 2005 - nearly 600,000 more students than three years ago -- building strong momentum toward a national goal of five million college student volunteers by the end of 2010.

Volunteering has become an innate part of many student lives. From tutoring children at a local elementary school to taking care of kids at a children's hospital, there are endless opportunities to volunteer. This year, ten students at the University of Chicago will be selected for the Students in Service (SIS) Program. The Students in Service Program is a part-time AmeriCorps program that encourages and supports college and university students to enroll as part-time AmeriCorps. The students selected will have to complete 300 hours of volunteering at a local organization and after completion of the program each student will be awarded a $1,132 grant to commemorate their efforts.

The University Community Service Center received a total of $11,320 for the Students in Service Program through the Illinois Campus Compact (ILCC). The ILCC is a coalition of colleges and universities that supports the civic engagement of students. Currently Illinois Campus Compact has 43 member campuses. Illinois members are part of national Campus Compact, a coalition of nearly 1,100 college and university presidents, representing some 6 million students. The ILCC was awarded 100 part-time AmeriCorps slots from Washington Campus Compact. The University of Chicago, along with 11 other institutions, will have students participate this year in the SIS program. Over 3,700 college students will participate nationally and they will contribute approximately 1.4 million hours of service to their local communities.

The University Community Center will be starting the process of selecting students for this prestigious program in the coming weeks. Two slots for the program have been taken by two students interning in Mayor Daley's office. If you are interested in learning more about the program, contact Julia Pei, the Strategic Initiatives Intern at UCSC at strategicinitiatives.ucsc@gmail.com.

story and photos by Caitlin Grey, first-year in the College

Although it may not be as exciting as November 11th of next year for most people, this Sunday, October 10, (10-10-10) was a big day for environmentalism. 10-10-10 was an international day of climate action organized by 350.org. along with over 7000 registered in 188 countries, the University of Chicago was part of this global call against climate change. 

Around twenty students from the University of Chicago, primarily members of the Green Campus Initiative and Students for a Just and Stable Future, met at 11:30 in front of the Regenstein Library on Sunday to bike and bus to Pilsen, a historically immigrant neighborhood of Chicago. There we rallied against the Fisk and Crawford Power Plants.

Students bussed and biked around the various blockades and detours in place for the Chicago Marathon that day to join around one hundred other environmentally concerned Chicago residents in front of the Alivio Medical Center, a block from the coal-fired power plant that causes health problems and pollution in the area.

At the rally we heard speakers from various organizations including Green Peace, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Sierra Club, and the Huffington Post, made calls to our local aldermen asking them to close down the polluting power plant, signed petitions, and added to a live art installation. We also took a picture to be featured on 350.org along with photos of thousands of other actions across the globe.

As a first year I was thoroughly impressed by this event as my first environmental action in Chicago, and found it very valuable to learn about one of the environmental problems in this city. It was inspiring to see people of all ages, races, and genders with a common interest in the health and future of communities that suffer from environmental degradation.

Mark your calendars for some great events for students who want to explore Chicago, coming up this week and next:

TODAY Oct 1-31

Art Here, Art Now
Off Campus (see description)
HyPa and the University of Chicago invite you to celebrate Chicago Artists Month: Chicago's theme this year, "the city as studio," explores the impact of the urban environment on Chicago artists and their work, and the contributions that artists make to the vitality of our city. Art Here, Art Now is one of 12 Featured Programs for the 2010 Chicago Artists Month activities.

View local artists' installations 24/7 in the windows along 53rd Street and watch local artists at work during studio hours every Saturday in October from 1pm-5pm.

THURSDAY: Oct 14

Tutoring Volunteer Info Session

5:00-6:00 PM
Reynolds Club, South Lounge
Learn about tutoring and mentoring opportunities in the local community from the University Community Service Center and representatives from local education organizations.

Oct 17

Reel Jazz Films

Where: HyPa Gallery, 5226 S. Harper Ave. in Hyde Park
When: 3:00pm, every Sunday in October

- "Jammin' the Blues" (1944), Oscar-nominated short featuring Lester Young, Red Callender, Illinois Jacquet, and Marie Bryant
- "The March of Time presents American Music" (1937) Jukebox films featuring Cootie Williams, Laurel Watson, and the Lindy Hoppers
- "Symphony in Black" (1935), featuring Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday
- "Ration Blues" (1945), featuring Louis Jordan, Una Mae Carlisle, and Hilda Rogers
- "Jumpin' at the Woodside" (from 1941 film Hellzapoppin'), featuring Slim Galliard, Slam Stewart, and the Lindy Hoppers

Each Sunday in October, the Chicago International Movies & Music Festival and the Hyde Park Alliance for Arts and Culture present an afternoon of rare jazz films from the 1930s through the somewhat recent past, shown on genuine 16mm film.

How much: $5 suggested donation

Oct 21

Great Conversations Lecture Series: An Evening with Earl Shorris

12:00 - 1:30 pm - SSA
5:30-7:30 PM - Gleacher Center
Earl Shorris is the founder of the Clemente Course in the Humanities, the award-winning global program that uses the humanities in antipoverty efforts. A contributing editor of Harper's Magazine, he has received the National Humanities Medal, awarded by President Clinton, and the Condecoracion de la Orden del Aguila Azteca. His books include Riches for the Poor: the Clemente Course in the Humanities, The Politics of Heaven: America in Fearful Times, New American Blues: A Journey Through Poverty to Democracy, and Under the Fifth Sun: A Novel of Pancho Villa.

by Grace Evans, third-year in the College

Are you interested in teaching health classes to Chicago Public School students? The UChicago-based Peer Health Exchange is inviting students to apply to be a part of this national organization.

PHE is a nonprofit organization that trains college students to teach health classes to ninth-graders in public schools. PHE is a national organization, operating in four universities in Chicago and five cities throughout the U.S. This means we have access to significant monetary and human resources, and yet we function like a community organization. PHE at UChicago will teach in five schools this year, all on the South Side, and three within walking distance of the University.

PHE volunteers teach health workshops in ten subjects to meet this need, engaging students in discussions and roleplays to give them the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy decisions.
All of these schools are high-need, measured by the proportion of students receiving free or reduced lunch, and by the fact that these schools would not offer comprehensive health education if PHE were not there.

Woodlawn has a new coffee shop, writes David Sisco Casey in the Chicago Weekly:

"The technometropolis that is South Campus Residence Hall may have just opened its doors last year, but its effects on the neighboring Woodlawn community are already palpable. As the university's population moves south of the Midway and outside the safe confines of the main quad and the student ghetto immediately to the north, businesses in Woodlawn will have to decide whether and how to change to meet its new residents' needs. Robust Coffee Lounge is a months-old café that embodies one direction Woodlawn could be heading: a continuation of Hyde Park. The walk to the place will give you a good idea of the issues facing expansion south of campus--the lounge rests in a half-vacant building across the street from two deserted and unkempt lots.

It's clear that the owners of Robust were taking a risk in opening this coffee shop"... (read more)

Robust Coffee Lounge, 6300 S. Woodlawn (773) 891-4240

By Claire Brindley, a student in the College

Chicago is home to a lot of great landmarks--the John Hancock building, Wrigley Field, the Bean (or Cloud Gate, if you prefer). But the Windy City also has a couple of skyscrapers that are a little less family-friendly, the Fisk and Crawford coal-fired power plants.

These edifices may not be a part of the famous skyline, but they are a serious threat to the health of Chicago's residents. Built in the 1920s, they face lenient emissions standards, are the reason that Chicago now has one of the nation's highest asthma rates. In addition to chronic illness, air pollutants from Fisk and Crawford are responsible for 500 emergency room visits and 40 premature deaths each year.

Now is the time to clean up emissions from the old coal plants--not only for environmental reasons, but also for the health of Chicago residents. On Saturday, October 10, people from around the world will gather to support clean power in their communities and political action for sustainability as part of 350.org's Global Work Party.

This will be the most widespread day of political action in history, with 6227 events in 185 countries. Green Campus Initiative Students for a Just and Secure Future will be leading U of Cers downtown to join their fellow Chicagoans in demanding a cleaner, coal-free future. We'll be meeting in front of the Reg (1101 E 57th St) on Sunday, October 10, to bike or take the CTA to the rally. If you need to borrow a bike, check out the UChicago bikeshare program.

Please come out to make the call for a clean city even louder! Get to work, Chicago!