SUMMARIES OF PROPOSALS FUNDED BY THE WOMEN’S BOARD FOR 2004-2005

BOATS AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE SAILING CLUB
There has been a resurgence of interest in sailing by students. The Sailing Club has an agreement with the Jackson Park Yacht Club to store the two boats they have, use two more of the Club’s plus the safety launch. However all this equipment is marginal and the Club would like help to purchase some newer boats and life jackets. With better equipment, they can also offer a summer program for local school kids.

PATIENTS FIRST EMERGENCY FUND
Sixty percent of the Hospital’s patients are on Medicaid or Medicare and a large number of the remaining patients have no insurance at all. The Department of Social work stands as a last resort to supply medications to low-income patients who are waiting for Medicaid coverage, subsidizing travel for follow-up visits, providing meal vouchers for anxious families who spend long hours with loved ones at the hospital, and helping to purchase the medical equipment required to care for sick children and seniors at home (things that are partially covered by Medicare or Medicaid but carry a hefty deductible). A gift from the Board will allow the Hospital to help many more of Chicago’s neediest and most vulnerable.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
Over 400 foreign graduate students arrive at the University of Chicago every year. English is not a problem for some, but a significant number have inadequate command of the language and suffer culture shock as well. Four years ago, with Women’s Board help, the Office of Graduate Affairs developed a summer immersion program for these students and it has been extremely successful. Now the Office asks seed money from the Board to expand offerings over the whole year, presenting work shops in accents and pronunciation, writing, and small group tutoring sessions. Since 9/11foreign students in the US have faced increasing discrimination, isolation and vulnerability. Continued help for these students will make them feel more welcome and help to foster a continuing community of international scholars.

SUMMER INTERNSHIPS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS
Career and Placement Services (CAPS) is an extremely important office for all University students—both undergraduate and graduate. One major facet of its services is finding paid, substantive summer internships for students in the College. The competition for these internships is extremely stiff. While the for-profit organizations that accept interns provide the stipends, the non-profit organizations cannot. CAPS requests funding for four non-profit internships, allowing students to work at the Field Museum, WTTW, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Chicago Community Ventures.

HUMAN RIGHTS INTERNSHIPS
The Human Rights program at the University is seven years old. It was started in response to student demand and has grown quickly into a strong vibrant program, drawing its faculty and students from departments all across campus. The courses and lectures offered by the faculty are supplemented by internships in Human Rights organizations—and demand for these internships has grown with the program. The program doesn’t have enough funds to send every qualified student on an internship—support is sought to send six students on Human Rights internships in the summer of 2005.

INTENSIVE BIBLICAL HEBREW AND KOINE GREEK
The Divinity School seeks help to initiate an intensive beginning language program for three weeks in September before regular classes start. Allowing students to take a new language without other distractions is good pedagogically, and students will be able to take a wider variety of courses during the year if they get the initial hard work of learning new alphabets and grammar out of the way in an undisturbed time.

COLOR COPIER AND PRINTER FOR THE SMART MUSEUM
An art museum is always using high quality color images for education and promotion. However, the Smart Museum must currently send every such image out to be produced at a commercial establishment - causing delay as well as great expense. The Museum is asking the Women’s Board for a grant to purchase a state-of-the-art color printer.

FELLOWSHIP FOR THE STUDY OF RACE AND ETHNICITY IN CHICAGO
The Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture is seeking funding to establish a summer fellowship program for undergraduates to study race and ethnicity in Chicago. The students will be guided through the design of research projects and will work with community groups and organizations to publish a report.

COMPUTERS FOR INTERNATIONAL HOUSE
Foreign students at the University generally begin by living at International House. It provides a nurturing and helpful environment for 500 students each year. I-House students are far from home and also tend to be on very tight budgets. Being able to talk to family at home over e-mail or internet phone calls, is very important to helping them adjust to life on campus and in another country. It is also mandatory that today’s students have access to the internet for library and research work and word-processing capabilities to produce papers. Though some residents have their own computers, many do not. I-House needs help to update the computer labs so that the machines are up-to-date and the facility comfortable.

OUTDOOR RISERS FOR UT’S SUMMER SHAKESPEARE PRODUCTION
University Theater is the student theater. It produces countless productions during the year and for many summers has put on Summer Shakespeare in Hutchinson Courtyard. UT would like Women’s Board help to build permanent risers for these summer productions. These would add authenticity to the productions and provide better sight lines and acoustics for the audience.

SUMMER RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM (MCNAIR/SROP)
The goal of the McNair/SROP program, now in its seventeenth year, is to encourage talented minority undergraduates to consider careers in the field of higher education where they currently make up only 7% of the professorate. During eight weeks of intensive research and mentoring by Uof C faculty members, these students discover graduate study and the academic life. The program, which has been supported by the Women’s Board on and off since its inception, is very successful—participants from the early years of the program are now receiving their PhDs and joining faculties in substantial numbers. McNair/SROP received a four year government grant four years ago and did not apply to us that year, but the University has dramatically increased housing costs, so SROP again seeks help to house 25students for the summer of 2005.

MANDEL LEGAL AID CLINIC POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT
The Law School requests funding for two summer interns to work in the Civil Rights Police Accountability Project. The Project provides legal services to indigent victims of police abuse and lends legal support to projects that are improving police accountability. A grant would pay the interns a summer stipend and cover their litigation expenses.

CENTER FOR URBAN SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT (CUSI)
USI is dedicated to achieving high-quality public education for all the children in Chicago. Training top-notch teachers and supporting them in their first difficult years of teaching in Chicago's inner schools are integral to solving education problems in the city. University of Chicago students are taking up the challenge, taking one year of graduate work in education, and moving into the southside schools. The Board is asked for bridge funding to support the math teaching curriculum and coach of new teachers by master teachers as the USI expands its funding sources.

ORIENTAL INSTITUTE EXCAVATION IN EGYPT
The Oriental Institute is seeking support to excavate the pyramid of Queen Tetisheri at Abydos just north of Luxor in southern Egypt. The plan is to excavate the monument and construct a protective fence, and also conduct selective conservation of the ancient mudbrick walls in the pyramid enclosure..

COMMUNITY SERVICE LEADERSHIP TRAINING CORPS
Community service is extremely important to both the students and the University. Ten years ago the University established an office to facilitate volunteerism and shortly thereafter a full time director was hired and office space increased. Today the University Community Service Center handles more than 2000 volunteers a year. The UCSC is seeking bridge funding from the Board for a new project. A group of first years is chosen by competition to join the Community Service Leadership Training Corps. This group commits to the program for all four years and through structured activities develops increasing responsibility for leading volunteer efforts at the University. Funding is sought to provide supplies and field trips for this pivotal group.

SAFE SPACE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMING
Thirty university students, members of Safe Space, volunteer each week at Amani House, a domestic violence shelter on the city’s southwest side. Until now, they have worked with the children there only on arts and crafts. Safe Space realizes these children are always going to be at greater risk for inadequate education and would like to offer them some educational enrichment. To keep the kids engaged and learning, Safe Space is planning quarterly field trips to major museums in the city along with an educational build-up for each of these trips. AMOUNT REQUESTED: $9,548

COURT THEATRE STUDENT INITIATIVES
Court Theatre is asking support for student ticket subsidies and a student internship program. Court is committed to increasing the number of students who can attend professional theater which will ultimately help increase the theater audience pool of the future. The internships will provide a unique opportunity for students to get hands-on theater experience, especially important since the University does not have a drama department.

CONTEMPORARY CHAMBER PLAYERS
The CCP performs music written by University of Chicago faculty and students as well as other significant new music. With the award winning Pacifica Quartet and Eighth Blackbird to perform the music, the concerts they give are dazzling. However, classical music in the US is in trouble. While gifted and enthusiastic young performers and composers abound, audiences decline everywhere (including Chicago’s own CSO). CCP asks for Women’s Board help to perform its 40th anniversary season in some venues downtown to try to increase audiences. A grant would allow them to increase publicity, hire additional musicians and instruments, and book space that will expose it and the University to fresh audiences.

 

Prior Years

Project Funding for Prior Years:
2007-2008 | 2006-2007 | 2005-2006 | 2004-2005.