A Busy Spring for Chicago Studies
by Sydney Paul, Class of '12

Spring 2012 is already shaping up to be a busy time in the city with events like the NATO Summit in May.  We here at Chicago Studies plan to help students make the most of it.  We have the pedal to the metal with collaborations with a variety of faculty, the Sustainability Office, ORCSA, OMSA, the Creative Writing Program, the Human Rights Program,  the Logan Center, the Film Studies Center, and more. 


Here is a wrap-up of exciting events Chicago Studies has planned for Spring 2012:

NATO: Where It Came From and Where It's Going
(April 19th)  - 6:30pm Stuart Hall 101
Join us for a discussion with Professor John Mearsheimer, who is the R.  Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and the co-director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago, as  lectures on NATO's history and its relevance to the U.S.  and the world going forward.  Co-sponsored by the Human Rights Program. 

With just shy of 3 million people, Chicago is the third largest city in the United States. UChicago Press has two recent books by Chicago authors - Dmitry Samarov and Martin Preib - both of which describe the city from unique perspectives. In doing so, both come to a similar conclusion about Chicago: as bustling and crowded the city may be, many people living in the city find themselves lonely and depressed.

Register for the 2011 South Side History Bike Tour: email David Hays.

Whether biking for recreation or transportation, sticking to the same tried and true route can become a force of habit. But on Saturday, October 1, 2011 participants in the annual South Side History Bike Tour will take the "road less traveled" through historic neighborhoods.

Even long-time South Siders are likely to discover something new about events and people that shaped Chicago-both the city and the University. Tour guides include John W. Boyer, Dean of the College; Terry Nichols Clark, Professor in Sociology; and J. Mark Hansen, Dean of the Social Sciences Division.

Bikers will get a first-hand look at historic Bronzeville, sneak a peek at the residence of the late Mayor Richard J. Daley, admire the rugged limestone Union Stock Yard Gate, and learn about the Settlement House movement at the Jane Addams Hull House. For those who participated in last year's tour, the route and stops will be similar this year.

Participants, who must have their own bike and helmet, will meet at the Quad between Bartlett Dining Commons and the Regenstein Library at 10:30 a.m. In case of rain, the tour will be rescheduled for the Spring of 2012. Email dhays@uchicago.edu to register.

Bicycling Resources in Chicago

• Video and Feature Story from News Office from previous tour
  
• recycles Bike Share Program
• Blackstone Bike Works
• Active Transportation Alliance
  

Chicago celebrates its 174th birthday today. Wishing the City that Works the best!

Celebrate this afternoon at the Chicago History Museum

National Geographic and NPR have fascinating story on Paris catacombs:

• Interactive Map of Paris Catacombs
• Jacki Lyden's story on NPR

Chicago's got it's own underground historyOf course there's the CTA's subways, but there's a lot more going on underneath us. Some of us learned about the Chicago Tunnel Company's 60 mile underground freight network 40 feet below ground in the 1992 Chicago Flood. The photo above is from tunnels at the corner of Randolph and State Streets.

And then there's the ginormous Deep Tunnel project of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, one of the largest civil engineering projects ever.

Like the Paris catacombs, Chicago has a story to tell of what we do with our dead, which reveals much about the city's history, development, politics. There's the mass grave of Camp Douglas POWs from the Civil War, the Couch mausoleum still in Lincoln Park from when it was a main cemetery for the city, and the current controversy over the cemetery where a new O'Hare runway is planned...For more on Illinois graveyards, visit graveyards.com.

Check out this great event opportunity TONIGHT from ORCSA:
Event release from ORCSA:

There's still time to take part in the next Discover Chicago event, Yoga and Ice Cream! The specifics have changed a bit, but the idea remains the same. Join ORCSA as we Discover Chicago! On Tuesday (November 2nd) we will be venturing out of Hyde Park to visit 2 area businesses owned by University of Chicago alumni. First stop will be at 8pm at the Soulistic Studio and Spa, owned by alumna Margaret Castrovillari (MBA '00), where participants will take part in a 1-hour yoga class. From there we will head to iCream, owned by alumni Jason McKinney (MBA '06) and Cora Shaw (MBA '07). There we will watch our very own ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet selections created on-the-spot with the help of liquid nitrogen. Check out icreamcafe.com for more details on their creations. Tickets are now only $5 and include the yoga class and a treat at iCream (transportation not included). To purchase a ticket, please email me at ksiron@uchicago.edu by noon on Tuesday. I will respond with all necessary details. Thanks! Have a great night!

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"

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

Submitted by first-year SoonKyu Park

Ever since I was in high school, I have loved going to theater, often by myself. During the two hours of the show, I could always forget about my life and live someone else's. When I learned that the Steppenwolf Theatre was offering advance tickets to students for $15, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. The theater had three different plays that all had received equally good reviews, and I decided to see Samuel Beckett's Endgame. I had always been a fan of Beckett's, and this production starred William Peterson, who played Gill Grissom in the popular TV crime show C.S.I.

Getting to the Steppenwolf was easy. I took the 55 bus, transferred to a Red Line train, and got off at North/Clybourn. The theater was only five minutes on foot from the station. From door to door, the trip took only 45 minutes--less than I had expected--and so I got to take my seat early and observe the other theater-goers as they came in. Most of the audience was in its fifties or above, but I was also happy to see a few familiar faces from the University.

The production was first-rate, capturing Beckett's nihilistic vision of the world. Consisting of two windows, two trashcans, a sofa, and a door, the minimalist set stuck faithfully to the playwright's directions. The talented ensemble shone. The chemistry between Hamm, the crippled despot, and Clove, the only mobile inhabitant and Hamm's obedient servant, was especially notable. The actors created comedic moments from what could have been absurdly bleak moments, and it is those moments that gave the audience hope that the world we live in is different from that of the play. Lines like "Nothing is funnier than happiness" and "[If he's crying] then he's living" made me laugh because such pessimism was completely unrealistic to me. At some points, the dialogue may have sounded a bit unnatural when the actors sounded as if they were acting instead of talking to one another. But having seen no other productions of the play, I couldn't tell if this was particular to this production or something that Beckett had intended.

Overall, the experience at the Steppenwolf was satisfying and worthwhile. Even if Beckett is not your thing, the theater also offers two other shows. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran as a theater-goer, the Steppenwolf is a great option--and tickets are only $15. Check it out at www.steppenwolf.org.