Our Platform

HOPE stands for Help, Organize, Persist, and Ensure.

We plan to Help UChicago students, especially those who are the most marginalized; Organize the student body in order to create change, building on CARE’s work; Persist in light of challenges from the administration; and Ensure greater focus on justice and community engagement with the South Side.

Help

Diversity and inclusion and racial and socioeconomic justice are top priorities to all of us on the HOPE slate. We want to ensure that UChicago can be a community for all students, and that means supporting students with marginalized identities.

This section of our platform came from talking with UChicago United. If you are interested in work revolving diversity, inclusion and racial justice check out their Facebook page.

We commit to recruiting diverse students to Student Government and positions of change. We know that UChicago is a predominately white institution, and many of our institutions within the University were literally created not to include people of color. It is our responsibility and our privilege to change that.

We support and will work with the student organizers to ensure that their voices are heard and help create student-led cultural centers for Black, Latinx, and Asian/Asian American students and a Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies (CRES) Department.

In doing so, we commit to

Helping organizers on campus connect with administrators and establish direct lines of communication, including but not limited to
- Holding executive slate town halls on these issues
- Creating meetings between organizations on campus and the administration
Writing regular solidarity statements in support of students of color and organizations working to ensure the success of all people of color
Serving as resources and partners to student activists
Pursuing anti-racist policies and pressuring the administration to apply substantive solutions to make the campus a more livable environment for students of color

This section of our platform came from resources developed by UChicago for Fair Tuition. If you are interested in learning more about this organization, check out their Facebook page.

We support the work of UChicago for Fair Tuition and The Emergency Fund, amongst others, that focus on the financial and emergency needs of students throughout this campus, both during times of crisis and otherwise.

In doing so, we commit to

Donating a portion of our slate’s fall budget to The Emergency Fund in the event that Fall Quarter is remote
Asking the administration for a release of an annual budgetary breakdown regarding student tuition
Helping to permanently reinstitute part-time status
Supporting a $15/hr minimum wage for student workers
Developing easily accessible guides to ensure that students know what resources are available to them and how to get the support they need
Funding and implementing a Plan B vending machine in the basement of Ida Noyes

This section of our platform came in part from talking with Questbridge scholars and undocumented students organizers on campus. Questbridge is an on-campus RSO dedicated to building community among FLI (First Generation College-Low Income and Immigrant) students. If you are interested in getting involved and want to know more about their great work, check out their Facebook page. If you’re interested in getting involved in community building and advocacy revolving immigration, check out UChicago Coalition for Immigrant Rights!

The University Admin has constantly put students of color and FLI (First generation, Low-income, Immigrant) students in the front for diversity pictures, but in the back in their minds in terms of allocating resources, funding, and support. Despite the University increasing accessibility in its admissions process in an effort to admit more students of color and FLI students, the University has done little to expand its resources for these students once they are on campus. This neglect has resulted in making the college experience for students of color and FLI students even more difficult than it already is.

HOPE aims to address these issues through initiatives like

Partnering and working with DACA and Undocumented student leaders and organizations in order to increase services, resources, and community building centered by, for, and from DACA/Undocumented folks
Demanding expansion of the Center for College and Student Success and its services
Promoting community building among FLI groups through showing up
Supporting FLI advocacy initiatives through solidarity statements.
Facilitating dialogue to close the gap between the Financial Aid office and Bursar’s office in order to facilitate an easier chain of communication for students navigating the those offices
Advocating for more academic advisors specialized in supporting FLI students and are able to meet students' needs.
Increasing more support for students on leave of absence, such as retaining access to university libraries and facilities.

Advocating for the University to create a new position dedicated to following up and supporting students who are on leave-of-absence
Allocating specific funds for students of color and FLI led initiatives and projects dedicated to support the FLI and students of color UChicago community

This section of our platform came from talking with the Organization of Students with Disabilities. If you are interested in learning more about this organization, check out their Facebook page.

We recognize that there is a large population of students on campus that receive disability accommodations and/or identify as disabled and we want to ensure that they finally receive the institutional support that they need. No student should have to choose between their personal wellbeing and their studies and we want to make sure that such a choice is protected and respected.

We commit to supporting students with disabilities by

Having open and frequent dialogue with student disability activists and organizations on campus
Ensuring administrative transparency around decisions regarding accessibility so that they always include and center around the students affected
Dedicating support that is already in place for other marginalized communities, such as programming and staff in the Center for Identity and Inclusion and Student Counseling Services, to people with physical disabilities and/or chronic illnesses
Encouraging students with disabilities to join Student Government committees, such as the Transportation Security Advisory Board, that help to frame the conversation around accessibility
Ensuring that when we do come back to campus, students with immunodeficiencies or preexisting health conditions are able to engage in academic and social life safely
Initiating conversations with the Administration and faculty on institutional and departmental responses to accessibility requests and expanding the ability for students to apply for letters of accommodation

Organize

We commit to pushing from the inside while supporting and in partnership with activists pushing from the outside in order to make change for the UChicago community.

We know that the status quo on sexual violence at the University of Chicago is unacceptable. We know that the beginning of the school year is the most dangerous time for students in regards to sexual violence and misconduct. We know that Greek life at the University must be recognized in order to be held accountable. We know that silence is violence. This administration is as responsible for student success as it is for student rape and must take responsibility as such. When (not if) we get administrative pushback, we will remember that before we are representatives of the University, we are representatives of the student body. We will use all tactics available, from discourse, to organizing, to protest, to going to the media so that we can enact change.

This section of our platform came from talking with Phoenix Survivors Alliance. If you are interested in learning more about this organization, check out their Facebook page.

We recognize and agree with the following demands from Phoenix Survivors Alliance.

We intend to use the full force of our positions to

Extend Title IX office hours so that students can access help when they need it, not when it's easiest for staff
Increase trauma-informed counseling and intersectional services for trauma-informed care in order to ensure that all students can make use of resources
Demand university recognition of Greek Life in order to hold Greek organizations and members fully responsible
Increase marketing of campus sexual violence resources
Increased graduate student participation in trainings and actions
Institute mandatory RSO, housing, and athletic sexual misconduct training
Establish a student advocate office
Hold increased town halls both with the administration and the student body
Partner with community organizations, like Resilience and Porchlight, in order to provide students with more resources beyond campus
Update study abroad policies in order to protect students regardless of where they are studying
Increase campus climate survey frequency to every other year to hold the Administration accountable for sexual violence occurrence on campus
Fund survivor legal fees through a fund under the purview of the Student Government Committee on Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention

We also will focus on

Working with the administration to create a Rape Crisis Center in Hyde Park for students and community members
Ensuring that meetings with administrators about sexual violence include activists
Instituting mandatory House and Resident Assistant sexual misconduct trainings in partnership with RSVP
Working with UChicago Housing and the Title IX office to ensure a more thorough vetting of residential housing staff
Increasing outreach of RSVP, including more advertising of workshops that focus on bystander intervention training
Establishing a Student Government Standing Committee on Oversight and Accountability

This section of our platform came from talking with CARE. If you are interested to learn more about their work as the past SG, check out their Facebook page and think about applying to be in Student Government in the fall.

Under the CARE Administration, all of the following and more was accomplished. We commit to continuing their work that

Institutionalized Student Government airport shuttle service
Institutionalized The Diva Cup initiative
Created Mental Health Passes for class
Supported initiatives by the Health and Wellness Committee (HAWC) such as the renting crutches and wheelchairs
Worked to establish a UChicago Community Food Pantry in order to reduce food insecurity on campus
Supported and worked closely with the Emergency Fund
Communicated with students through regular office hours, helpful social media, and chairs of communications and events
Organized campus shuttles
Ensured that improving access to mental health care is coupled with more SG-led opportunities for students to get out of the Reg and relax

Persist

Let's Talk

We are determined to make the most of the role of Student Government, and in doing so, open doors and pull up seats to tables in rooms that folks are systematically excluded from. We hope that working in tandem with activists pushing from the outside and us communicating within the system, we will be able to achieve some ambitious priorities. In order to do so, we will

Be in regular and open communication with Administrators about regular business as well as new happenings
Take every opportunity for public and private meetings and town halls with Administrators and, more specifically, hold at least bi-quarterly town halls addressing pressing issues facing the University community
Advocate that GSU should be recognized and affirm that UChicago undergrads are in solidarity with graduate student work
Collaborate with Graduate Council in order to most effectively make coordinated demands
Center health, safety, and access over “intellectual rigor” while advocating for students during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
Bring clear and published agendas to private meetings and put all minutes online afterward

We enthusiastically and wholeheartedly stand with Graduate Students United and all graduate student workers at UChicago in their fight for recognition and better working conditions and guarantees. UChicago would not function without these essential workers and we know that not only do they need a fair contract, improved access to healthcare, greater ability to bargain, and higher wages, they deserve all of these things and more. To find out more about GSU or get involved, check out their website here.

We commit to making this a priority of our slate, working with the administration to push for results, and supporting and working in partnership with GSU. We support the following initiatives put forth by GSU and based off resources they shared with us

In light of the coronavirus, we support their demands that
- PhD students have an additional year and subsequent funding, including dissertation completion fellowships and postgraduate teaching fellowships
- All intermediate deadlines be extended by a year
- All students with extended time-to-degree and funding be eligible for health insurance during these extensions
- International students receive formal help from the University extending their visas I-20 renewals in conjunction with the aforementioned time and funding extensions
- Program caps with not force PhD students to drop out or defend early
- A grant of at least $4000 be given to all graduate students as Covid Relief
We encourage undergraduate students to sign this petition in order to demand changes to the recent funding overhaul of Humanities, Divinity, and SSA programs and we support all of the demands of the petition

We commit to

Working with the administration to create a town hall focused on graduate student needs
Working to utilize our power to organize a formal meeting between GSU and admin
Releasing a formal solidarity statement on behalf of our Student Government slate once elected
Meeting quarterly with GSU representatives to maintain open communication to support their goals and demands

Ensure

This section of our platform came part of inspiration from past Dis-Orientation Books by past and current student organizers and activists. Check out the older versions and the updated versions by UCUnited.

Although the University of Chicago is located on the South Side, the University has created physical and social barriers between itself and local South Side community members. The disconnect is the result of the University’s racist and oppressive history against South Side communities of color, especially surrounding neighborhoods like Washington Park, Bronzeville, Kenwood, and Woodlawn. We recognize that as members of the UChicago community, we are affiliated with the prestige of the university but also with the University’s harmful history to these communities. Therefore, HOPE believes we need to actively help mitigate this relationship through student and administration efforts in collaboration with South Side community-based organizations and leaders.

Unveil the University of Chicago’s past and current institutional violence against South Side through
- Political education efforts with input from local community members
- Memorializing UChicago History in South Side of Chicago with involvement from local community members
Disrupt the harmful and enduring stigmatization of the south side community through
- Creating a comprehensive and culturally competent guide of opportunities to engage and explore Chicago South Side with input from local community members
- Working with pre-orientation programming to expand more house trips to Chicago South Side
- Funding student initiatives and projects that foster healthy relationships between UChicago students and South Side locals
- Challenging the violent language and stereotypes of the South Side and actively promoting a narrative that properly contextualizes and recognizes communities and locals resiliency.
Leverage campus resources for community members like
- Work with the administration to expand UChicago library access to all CPS Students
- Expanding the shuttle system to be accessible to South Side locals
- Offer free space for community-based organizations
- Prioritizing catering and buying from south side locally owned businesses
- Support a Community Benefits Agreement for the Obama Foundation library
Prioritize an active collaboration with South Side based community organizations through
- Inviting South Side community organizers to all future UChicago development plans
- Mobilize the community service fund to host community events
- Support creating more mixed enrollment classes

Through guidance from Students Working Against Prisons activists, we developed this section to affirm our support for and intended partnership with the Care Not Cops campaign.

We will work to

Advocate for University administration to release a statement of support for Charles Thomas
Work with administrators to support Illinois House Bill 3932, which would require UCPD to comply with Freedom of Information Act requests
Redefine campus safety initiatives into being centered on having caring, trusting networks of friends and peers instead of meaning surveillance and police violence
Shift funding from UCPD and reallocate that money towards care services for students and community members
Ensure accountability and transparency by demanding that UCPD policy changes are public and that the UChicago and South Side community has an avenue to voice concerns and grievances regarding these changes