Category Archives: Education

The Rosenwald Schools

Posted on 10/01/2014 by Belden Fields

This May I took a trip to Savannah, Georgia, and to the southern coast of South Carolina. In Savannah, I took a “Freedom Tour” that included visits to the oldest Black church, the black cemetery that contains a whip-scarred “whipping … Continue reading →

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Racism and Freedom of Speech: Framing the Issues

Posted on 10/01/2014 by Al Kagan

Two of the more volatile issues in our society are racism and freedom of speech. This article is about an interesting case that severely divided the American Library Association in the late 1970s, and was recently revived. Readers ought to … Continue reading →

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A Faculty Union at UIUC: the State of Play

Posted on 08/21/2014 by David Prochaska

Since the first part of this article appeared in the last Public i, UIUC non-tenure track faculty have conducted a six-week card drive, turned in the requisite number of cards mid-May, and after surviving a challenge by UI administration, have … Continue reading →

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Books To Prisoners 10 Years/100,000 Books Party!

Posted on 08/21/2014 by Books to Prisoners
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Central Illinois Jobs With Justice’s Statement on the Termination of James Kilgore by the University of Illinois, Urbana

Posted on 06/24/2014 by Public i

Central Illinois Jobs with Justice (CIJWJ), a coalition of labor, faith-based, and secular civic organizations that advances the interests of the  unemployed and working people in both the public and private sectors, condemns the  termination of  James Kilgore and calls … Continue reading →

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A Faculty Union at UIUC Part 1

Posted on 06/07/2014 by David Prochaska

The UI Chicago faculty union signed its first contract in April 2014. In Urbana the Campus Faculty Association (CFA) submitted in mid-May the necessary number of cards to create a full-time non-tenure track (NTT) faculty union (part-time NTT’s are excluded … Continue reading →

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Remembering Manni Brun

Posted on 03/27/2014 by Belden Fields

In January, this community lost a woman to whom it owes a great deal. Marianne (Manni) Brun passed away on January 6th. Manni and her husband Herbert, who was a professor of music composition, came to the university in 1963. … Continue reading →

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University of Illinois at Chicago Faculty Union Goes on Strike: What Are the Stakes?

Posted on 03/27/2014 by David Prochaska

On February 18-19, 2014 the University of Illinois at Chicago faculty union staged a strike joined by more than 1000 faculty, students, and other supporters, and that received widespread media attention locally and nationally. With no appreciable progress made on … Continue reading →

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Why Tenured Professors Need Unions

Posted on 03/27/2014 by Janine Drake Giordano

I once got stuck in an airplane sitting next to an off-duty pilot. As we sat on the runway for an hour, only to find that we had to change flight crews and pilots because of the long delay, a … Continue reading →

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The Community Saturday School and the Ongoing Campaign for Literacy

Posted on 01/31/2014 by Amira Davis

“History has shown that, up to the present time, revolutionary regimes have been the only ones capable of organizing successful mass literacy campaigns. From the Soviet Union to China, from Vietnam to Cuba, all revolutionary governments have given high priority … Continue reading →

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The Economic and Political Context of Student Debt

Posted on 01/31/2014 by David Green

Alan Collinge, author of “The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in U.S. History and How We Can Fight Back,” recently spoke to students at Lincoln Hall on the UI campus. His argument is detailed, persuasive, and heartbreaking; it … Continue reading →

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What is a nüz/böx?

Posted on 08/01/2013 by Mike Lehman

What is a nüz/böx? First, it’s spelled with an X, a Z, two ümlaüts and a slash/. Even the name calls your attention. The pronunciation of nüz/böx is intentionally ambiguous. How do you pronounce it? Pronunciation, like many aspects of … Continue reading →

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Summer Classes at Common Ground’s Flatlander Classroom

Posted on 08/01/2013 by Public i

Visit Urban Bees! Led by Maggie Wachter $10 owners/$15 non-owners Saturday, July 27th, 1-3pm Min 4/Max 12 Local beekeeper Maggie Wachter will take you on a thrilling journey in her teaching apiary located just a few blocks from the Common … Continue reading →

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“What’s in a Name? Two C-U Buildings Named After African American Women”

Posted on 03/14/2013 by Brian Dolinar

As a new building on campus is being named after Maudelle Bousfield, the first African American woman to graduate from the University of Illinois, a public housing complex named after Joann Dorsey, black community activist in Champaign during the 1960s, … Continue reading →

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Motivating High School Students to Become Future Builders

Posted on 01/21/2013 by Belden Fields

In 2007, I met Tanya Parker, now the publisher of the local magazine, Unity in Action, at a demonstration in front of the County Court House in Urbana.  We were both protesting what we felt was racial inequality in the … Continue reading →

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Photos of GEO’s “Let Us Work” Rally

Posted on 11/23/2012 by Stephanie Seawell

On November 8, a “Let Us Work: Work With Us” rally was held by the GEO on the plaza of the Undergraduate Library.                        

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Campus Support Grows for GEO’s Efforts to Protect Public Education

Posted on 11/23/2012 by Stephanie Seawell

The Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) at the University of Illinois is in the midst of an important fight to protect access to public higher-education. On campus support has been growing for the GEO in this struggle. The GEO represents about … Continue reading →

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Chicago Teachers Union Forum in Urbana

Posted on 09/08/2012 by Belden Fields

On Saturday, August 25, approximately fifty people attended a forum in support of the struggles of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) against the actions of the mayor and the Board of Education that he appoints.  They are fighting against the … Continue reading →

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New Program for Donations to Illinois Prison Libraries in Makes Progress

Posted on 07/10/2012 by Liz Abraham

The 3 R’s Program (Reading Reduces Recidivism) was established in the 2010 as a direct service to recycle books from peoples’ homes to state prison libraries. Providing books to people in prison appeals as prisoners generally have the time and … Continue reading →

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Odyssey Project Offers Classes on Literature, Philosophy, History and Art

Posted on 07/10/2012 by Public i

Residents in Urbana-Champaign are invited to apply to be part of a unique program offering a free college liberal arts course to adults living on low-incomes, complete with college credit. The Odyssey Project, a program of the Illinois Humanities Council … Continue reading →

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