As our nation becomes more technologically focused, there has been much discussion of a growing gap between affluent and poor communities in terms of access to technology and technology education. This "digital divide" has been proven and lamented. But there has been little attention paid to efforts at remedying the problem.

DePaul University believes the answer can be found at the neighborhood level, and that has been the focus of numerous university initiatives aimed at closing the gap and putting lower-income communities on equal footing with their wealthier counterparts in technology availability and training. From an undergraduate classroom to a basic computing class at a neighborhood social services center, to an e-business training course, the battle against the digital divide is being waged by DePaul on several different fronts in Chicago.

"All of the communities and schools being assisted by DePaul’s digital divide efforts fall under the umbrella of 'have-nots,'" said Margo Tomaras, senior project director of the university’s digital divide outreach. "They are mostly high-poverty areas, where the gap in technology is greatest. This program seeks to make sure that children from less privileged backgrounds have a chance to be as technologically advanced as students in wealthier areas."

There are a wide variety of individual initiatives that are part of the university’s effort, including:

· A technology outreach program with 14 schools located in disadvantaged Chicago communities. The program, funded by a grant by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, enables DePaul to purchase computer hardware, software and Internet connectivity for schools in the program. The program also provides training for teachers, so they can instruct their students on how to utilize the technology across different disciplines.

· An undergraduate course in the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems (CTI), in which students spend one quarter studying the not-for-profit technology sector and spend the next quarter working on a computer software project tailored to meet the needs of a local community organization. Several students who have taken this course have bypassed expected careers in corporate technology for jobs in the non-profit sector.

· The establishment of two neighborhood technology centers. DePaul launched, with the funding from a federal Community Technology Center grant, two centers in Logan Square and Humboldt Park to provide access to technology and education for those neighborhoods. More than 1,000 local residents have used the centers so far, taking part in workshops, tutoring programs and job-training technology seminars.

· An e-business certificate program for at-risk teens and young adults in Chicago through the Egan Urban Center at DePaul. Funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant, the initiative provides participants with the technology skills and training to transform a traditional small business into a Web-enabled e-business operation. It is designed to help transition these young people into the information technology industry.

· DePaul CTI established the Center for Community Technology Support (CCTS), which furnishes a variety of support services, including Web site design, computer networking, software development services and training workshops to local non-profit organizations.

According to Tomaras, the different programs have been appreciated by the communities and schools – particularly by the students.

"The students have been more excited and more engaged, while teachers are able to teach their pupils various software programs and operations," she said. "It’s not just about buying computers, it’s about using the resources a computer can provide in a creative and effective way. The entire process is what bridging the digital divide is about."

DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the United States and the nation’s eighth-largest private university. A richly diverse student population of 23,227 attends classes on two city and six suburban campuses. DePaul was founded in 1898 by the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers (the Congregation of the Mission), a Roman Catholic religious community that continues the mission and values of Vincent de Paul, the 17th century French saint known as the "Apostle of Charity."