Feature

Local Aldermen Call for Improved University-Community Relations

By Elizabeth Vivirito, MPP'10

Shortly before the Thanksgiving holiday, Chicago aldermen Willie B. Cochran and Toni Preckwinkle addressed the relationship between the University of Chicago and the surrounding community in a talk to Harris School students. The two aldermen agreed upon the need for the University to develop a stronger relationship with its surrounding communities, especially regarding its recent land acquisitions in Washington Park.

Speaking about the history of the area, Cochran said that the Woodlawn community was stable until the 1950s, when demographic changes and divestment ushered in a new era. "Gangs game in, arsons took place, and homicides occurred, and it destabilized the community."

Cochran serves as the 20th Ward alderman and represents the area south of the University campus, including the Woodlawn neighborhood. He became a police officer in 1977 and fought gang activity in the community. At that time, he said, "the University had to put up borders to look out for its territory. The orientation for new students was 'Don't cross 61st Street or you will be killed.'"

Preckwinkle echoed these sentiments, saying that "[in those days] the University drew a line in the sand between the saved and the damned. And the damned really were." Preckwinkle serves the 4th Ward, which is northeast of campus and includes the Kenwood, Hyde Park, and north Washington Park area. She received both a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Chicago.

In the 1980s and 1990s, University presidents built strong relationships with the neighboring communities; simultaneously, the safety of the neighborhoods improved. The University also interacted with the Woodlawn Preservation & Investment Corporation, which purchased properties and helped make the area sustainable.

While the University's past presidents have a history of inclusiveness, Preckwinkle said the trend more recently has been one of exclusion. She cited the University's purchase of three acres of land in Washington Park, and said the University did not reach out to local neighborhoods or the aldermen under whose governance the area falls.

"The University has taken actions that have alienated pretty much every single elected official around them," said Preckwinkle. "People want to be involved in the planning processes of their communities. They want to talk about schools, retail, and social services in their communities."

Both aldermen expressed a willingness to talk with the University about its economic development plans in and around the communities they represent, but will wait for administration officials to contact them.

Both Cochran and Preckwinkle emphasized building relationships with state representatives and across city departments and agencies. Said Cochran, "The most effective policies [I can implement] involve state policies too. I can do as much as I can locally, but if I really want to leverage my resources, I must have partnerships with state representatives, senators, governors, and the help of various departments."

Among the advice the two aldermen gave to Harris School students was encouragement to participate in local and national campaigns as well as to work on-the-ground in community development, including volunteering with their local alderman's office.