DePaul’s President Will Join Class on Aug. 31 Bike Tour of South Side Communities

Bicycles and helmets might not rank with computers and backpacks when most students consider their school supply needs, but for freshmen enrolled in one political science course at DePaul University, a bike and helmet should be the first items on their lists. Biking and Politics will use bike rides and Chicago’s communities to illustrate how transportation influences politics. DePaul’s president, the Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, C.M., will join the class on Aug. 31 for a 35-mile ride through communities including Greektown, Little Village, Pilsen, Canaryville, Bronzeville, Bridgeport, Hyde Park and Chinatown. The outing will begin at 9:30 a.m. and leave from 2323 N. Kenmore Ave.

The course will explore how transportation influences political and social consciousness and how the political process generates policies that make biking more, or less, likely. It also will teach students how activism can lead to political change by encouraging them to bike the city’s lakefront and neighborhoods as they learn about the actions of leaders such as Daniel Burnham, who fought to preserve the lakefront for public use, and Mayor Richard M. Daley, who strongly supports bike lanes and secure bike parking.

“Bikes affect people’s sense of community,” said Harry Wray, a professor of political science and the architect of the course. “If we only see people from inside walls of glass and steel, as impediments in our way, that affects how we see them in other aspects of community life. Our bike paths and public places are what prevent us from becoming Houston.”

Students discover Chicago in courses like Biking and Politics during immersion week, which occurs one week before the regular academic quarter. It is part of DePaul’s novel, experiential learning program Discover Chicago, which is designed to acquaint first-year students with the city. Chicago serves as the classroom for students in the program to explore a topic that they will continue to study in a more traditional setting during the quarter. Students visit and learn about Chicago’s neighborhoods, cultures and issues in classes that tackle such topics as public art, homelessness, the environment, Chicago’s music scene and ethnic media.

Of the estimated 2,300 freshmen enrolled at DePaul for the 2005-06 academic year, more than 900 will participate in the 41 Discover Chicago course offerings this year.

Biking Chicago’s neighborhoods together will afford the perfect opportunity for students and Holtschneider to have an all around learning adventure. “What a great way to get to know some of our new students as they begin their college careers,” said Holtschneider. “I came to Chicago last year and I’ve loved biking the lakefront in the early mornings. I thought it might be fun to discover Chicago with students and learn about some of the neighborhoods I haven’t come to know yet. We’ll all be students of Chicago for a day.”

Note editors: Reporters wishing to cover the Aug. 31 bike ride should contact Valerie Phillips at 312-362-5039 or 312/330-3155 (cell).