October 24th UPPSA President’s Roundup

Hello,
Below are this week’s announcements from UPPSA. If you enjoy interesting lectures, this is the week for you.
• MPA Sponsors Annenburg Speaker and Reception-The Department of Public Administration is excited to sponsor several events on campus to heighten student awareness and interest in careers with the Federal government. On Tuesday October 26th, Kimberly Ainsworth, Executive Director of the Federal Executive Board for the Greater Boston Region, will be the featured speaker throughout the day in various locations. There will also be a webinar for all interested students on how to apply for jobs in the Federal sector. The day will culminate with a reception featuring Director Ainsworth and her fellow directors from the Chicago and Minneapolis regions of the Federal Executive Board. For further information contact Margaret LaPorte at mlapor1@uic.edu
• SUPA Lecture Series- Please join us for the first installment of the SUPA Lecture Series, where speakers from three different field of planning will be speaking about any past or present projects, as well as professional work with their respective organizations. The speaking time will be 10 minutes each followed by a short Q/A. The panel is focused on city planning, and the theme is "Diversity in Planning." It is scheduled for October 28th(Thursday) at 4:30pm in CUPPAH room 110, sandwiches and snacks will be provided. Please RSVP by emailing sviran3@uic.edu the 25th (Monday) to RSPV for the event.
• Great Cities Institute Forum, Friday November 4th from 3-4:30pm- GCI will host Manuel Albers for a discussion on the Production of the Financial Crisis in New York City. This event will take place in GCI on the 4th floor of CUPPAH. For more information search for Great Cities Institute on Facebook.
• Real Estate Group Real Estate in Real Life Series- Come hear Rux Currin, Senior VP of Mesirow Financial, talk about the experience of building a skyscraper. The event will take place in Lincoln Hall (the cool one) room 210 from 4-6pm on October 27th. To learn more and RSVP visit www.UPPSA.org
• Masters Project Forum- Based on this past Friday's UPP Next event during which UPP faculty and former students presented on the MUPP masters project, we thought it would be a good idea to begin an on-going discussion board for students to put their ideas out into the MUPP community, learn about resources and find people for collaboration. One of the ideas that came up was the disconnect between completing a solely individual masters project and then working in careers that will almost never involve purely individual work. Us this thread as a forum for collaboration. Feel free to post 1) your idea for a masters project 2) requests for information, sources or people to connect with 3) provide feedback to others and 4) begin the process of pursuing a collaborative masters project. To view it go to http://www.uppsa.org/forum.html
• Academic or Assistantship Advocacy- Any MUPPs with concerns about department-wide academic issues are encouraged to contact UPPSA at UPPSAinfo@gmail.com with your feedback about the program. The Board of UPPSA meets regularly with the UPP department and the Dean of CUPPA. Let us be your advocate. Also, for those students with assistantships, UPPSA President Bob Fuller is also the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) steward for CUPPAH. If you feel you have been treated unfairly in your assistantship (Teaching, Graduate or Research) feel free to contact him at rfulle5@uic.edu to get connected with the GEO’s grievance resources.
• Halloween Critical Mass- Get your bike on and show your style: Halloween Critical Mass (http://chicagocriticalmass.org/about/whenwhere). Like always, Critical Mass takes place on the last Friday of the month and in October it is all about Halloween. Celebrate everyone’s favorite holiday and bring awareness that bicyclists are traffic too. This month’s critical mass is the most fun. Riders will gather down at Daley Plaza (around the Picasso Sculpture) and leave at 5:30pm. Yes, 5:30. So try not to be late. And don’t forget your costume. If you are interested in attending, email Sara Amaral @ samara2@uic.edu.
• Early Voting/Grace Period Voting- In case you are busy on Election Day, Tuesday, November 2nd, you can vote ahead of time at locations throughout the City of Chicago starting Tuesday, October 11th. To learn more and find the closest early voting polling place visit http://www.chicagoelections.com/page.php?id=9,
If you didn’t already register to vote, you still can by visiting the Chicago Board of Elections where you can still register until October 26th, but you’ll have to vote when you register. For more information visit http://www.chicagoelections.com/page.php?id=14
• If you have important news for fellow MUPPs and you would like it included in the President’s Weekly Roundup and/or on the UPPSA website email UPPSAinfo@gmail.com by 2 p.m. each Sunday.

Have a great week,
Bob Fuller
President- UPPSA

UPPSA Notes from Community Development and Economic Development Concentration Meetings

Below are notes taken by UPPSA representatives at faculty concentration committee meetings this month. UPPSA has a welcome seat at the table for faculty meetings. Let us know at uppsainfo@gmail.com if you would like further information or are interested in representing students in your concentration.

October 12, 2010 Community Development Concentration Meeting

Main focus of the meeting was confirming classes for next semester and planning for summer classes and the 2011-2012 academic year. Some highlights:
• Classes confirmed for Spring 2011 as posted on CUPPA’s website with the addition of Professor Gills teaching 547 Community Organization Practice on Wednesday night from 6-9
o Teaching assignments for 506 were not discussed
• In addition to UPP 543 Health Communities, Professor Winkle will likely also teach a course on food system planning in Spring 2011
• Expecting two new faculty by Spring 2011, especially looking for people with methods skills who could teach 502
• Possible elective courses:
o Health and food system
o Public participation
o Banking
o Grant writing, more hands on practical experience

Tossed around ideas for seminar courses, particularly for PhD courses
• In the past have analyzed dissertations
• Ann Barnds noted that PhD students are interested in methods classes, need both qualitative and mixed method
• Professor Kawamura noted that they are planning on restructuring the PhD program generally

There was also discussion of restructuring the summer class structure
• Professor Betancur is concerned that classes suffer when students take two at a time
• Proposed a shift from the 4 week/8 week structure to 6 week courses
o This would mean meeting more frequently than an 8 week class
o Professors think it would mean students could be more invested in each class by eliminating any overlap
• Ann pointed out that more students are taking more classes in the summer, and overall
o Professors are concerned that learning, and readings in particular, get slighted when students try to overload
o Some professors are concerned that students are just trying to get a degree, understand economic pressures
• Ann is investigating with summer school options with the University, though they have to commit by the end of the month
o Looking for input

Classes have been affected by changes in student demographics
• This falls community development cohort had almost 35 students
• Students have also been younger with fewer practitioners
• Short discussion about increase attempts to draw in part-time students and practitioners in the future.


October Economic Development Concentration Meeting Notes
Minutes:

Oct 11th fall classes will go online for students to see in the 2 year plan
For Spring 2011
New adjunct faculty -Bridget Lane, owner of Business Districts, Inc.- will be teaching Commercial Strip Revitalization with Ivan Baker
Rachel Weber will not be teaching any courses
Nik Theodore will be teaching Planning for the Informal Economy
Phil Ashton will be teaching Development Finance

For Year 2011/2012
2 new faculty members, possibly taking on some of the core classes which would free up Econ profs to teach more classes
Possibility of bringing on Tom Snyder to teach a budgeting course, he is currently teaching UPP 514. It's his first year teaching here, and he is getting good responses.

CGI working with undergrad college to put on Cinema in the Cities, which could possibly create scheduling problems for Ashton and Weber
Possibility of offering Deal Making & Negotiation Strategies - best taught by practitioner
Ashton interested in teaching Community Reinvestment Course

Possible new courses in the future
Regional economics course
Innovation course
Effects of new Environmental concentration on ED
Environmental Economics course will be renumbered in the 570s, but will still also count as an ED elective.

Environmental Planning Curriculum and Goals Proposal - OPEN FOR REVIEW

The Urban Planning and Policy Department is adding a new concentration: Environmental Planning.

The department has asked for student feed back on the Curriculum and Goals. Please post your comments to the forum at uppsa.org. We will gather them all at the end of Business on November 1st and offer them to the Dean.

You can find the documents under the resources page, here. Please let me know if you have any questions.

October 10th UPPSA President’s Roundup

Good morning,

Happy Columbus Day/Canadian Thanksgiving! Before you pour gravy from your gravy boat, the Santa Maria, onto your Poutine, check out the news for this week. Mmmmmm.
Below are important news items for the coming weeks:

· GA/TOD- The next UPPSA General Assembly/Transit Oriented Dining will be Friday, October 15th starting at 6pm. The meeting will take place at the TOD location-
Marrakech Cuisine- 1413 N. Ashland Ave. Chicago, IL 60642 (773) 227-6451 http://www.marrakechcuisine.com
Directions from UIC: Walking/Cycling/Driving -- Take Halsted north for about 1 mile until Milwaukee Ave. Take a slight left onto Milwaukee Ave. and go until Ashland Ave. (just past Division). Hang a right on Ashland for 2 blocks.
CTA -- Take the Blue Line northwest (towards O’Hare) until the Division stop. Then walk 2 blocks on Ashland Ave.
To RSVP for the social event, please go to www.uppsa.org before Wednesday, 13-OCT so we can get a rough head count to make our reservation. Please let me know if you have any other questions. We hope to see you there!

· UPP Next: Professional Development Series
The second "UPP Next" event of the year will be on the topic of Planning Your Master's Project. Professors and past students will provide tips on how to successfully plan and complete your final master's projects. UPP Next: Planning Your Master's Project-- CUPPA Hall, room 110
Friday, October 15th, 2010 from 1:00pm-2:00pm

· Bike Tour- Saturday October 16th, 11am - meet at Buckingham Fountain and enjoy a casual ride along the blvds of this fair city, with adequate stops for rest and drinks. Dress accordingly, and bring a packed lunch. To RSVP and check out the bike route visit www.UPPSA.org

· CUPPA Intramurals- UPPSA member Ian Ludwig is organizing intramural Dodgeball and Volleyball teams for the upcoming season. All levels of skill and commitment are welcome. To learn more and sign up visit www.UPPSA.org

· APA-IL First Year Representative- There is still time to submit your application to become UPPSA’s representative to the American Planning Association of Illinois. Not only is this a great networking and leadership opportunity, but the First Year Rep has a voting membership on the APA-IL board and the UPPSA board (put that on your resume). For further information reply to this email with “First Year Rep” in the subject line, and the application can be found at http://www.uppsa.org/uppsa-documents.html .

· Dues and Membership Extension- UPPSA dues and membership forms can still be submitted until the October 15th General Assembly meeting. Those who missed the October 1st deadline are still welcome to association membership. The membership document is available at http://www.uppsa.org/uppsa-documents.html and checks or money orders should be written to UPPSA. Those who already paid their dues, please note there will be a mass-deposit of checks on the 16th so be aware of that for your accounts.

· MPA Sponsors Annenburg Speaker and Reception-The Department of Public Administration is excited to sponsor several events on campus to heighten student awareness and interest in careers with the Federal government. On Tuesday October 26th, Kimberly Ainsworth, Executive Director of the Federal Executive Board for the Greater Boston Region, will be the featured speaker throughout the day in various locations. There will also be a webinar for all interested students on how to apply for jobs in the Federal sector. The day will culminate with a reception featuring Director Ainsworth and her fellow directors from the Chicago and Minneapolis regions of the Federal Executive Board. For further information contact Margaret LaPorte at mlapor1@uic.edu

· SUPA Bake Sale- The Students of Urban Planning and Public Affairs (SUPA) will be holding a bake sale in the SCE: by the student resident halls between the food shop and elevators on Oct. 18th from 1 pm to 5 pm. The funds raised through this bake sale will support a lecture series in CUPPA’s undergraduate program.

· Academic or Assistantship Advocacy- Any MUPPs with concerns about department-wide academic issues are encouraged to contact UPPSA at UPPSAinfo@gmail.com with your feedback about the program. The Board of UPPSA meets regularly with the UPP department and the Dean of CUPPA. Let us be your advocate. Also, for those students with assistantships, UPPSA President Bob Fuller is also the Graduate Employee Organization (GEO) steward for CUPPAH. If you feel you have been treated unfairly in your assistantship (Teaching, Graduate or Research) feel free to contact him at rfulle5@uic.edu to get connected with the GEO’s grievance resources.

· Early Voting/Grace Period Voting- In case you are busy on Election Day, Tuesday, November 2nd, you can vote ahead of time at locations throughout the City of Chicago starting Tuesday, October 11th. To learn more and find the closest early voting polling place visit http://www.chicagoelections.com/page.php?id=9, If you didn’t already register to vote, you still can by visiting the Chicago Board of Elections where you can still register until October 26th, but you’ll have to vote when you register. For more information visit http://www.chicagoelections.com/page.php?id=14

· If you have important news for fellow MUPPs and you would like it included in the President’s Weekly Roundup and/or on the UPPSA website email UPPSAinfo@gmail.com by 2 p.m. each Sunday.
Have a great week,
Bob Fuller
President- UPPSA

UPPSA President's Weekly Roundup- September 26th

Greetings from "the new" Normal! This past week 11 UIC MUPPs attended the American Planning Association Illinois Chapter state conference in Normal, IL. It was a great chance to network, learn about what’s hot in Illinois planning, match wits in a geography-heavy pub quiz and explore many of Normal’s interesting features, such as the extensive Constitution Trail. Conference presentations should be posted to http://www.ilapa.org/ by Monday, September 27th.

Please peruse this week’s UPPSA news and action items:·

• APA-IL conference attendees should submit related receipts to Jackie Scanlan jscan14@uic.edu as soon as possible.
• Applications to become the new APA-IL student representative are due on October 15th. Further information about the position and the application are available at http://www.uppsa.org/uppsa-documents.html
• UPPSA dues and membership forms are due to Ann Barnds by October 1st. This document is also available at http://www.uppsa.org/uppsa-documents.html and checks or money orders should be written to UPPSA.
• A 30-mile bike tour of Chicago is planned for Saturday, October 16th. Join UPPSA members on a fun way to see the city and enjoy that fall air. RSVP at www.uppsa.org
• MUPPs involved in UIC’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders were featured in the UIC Alumni Magazine http://www.uiaa.org/uic/news/uicalumni/1009c.html
• Great Cities Insitute is hosting a speaker event: New Urban Development Looking Back to See Forward, with Claude Gruen from Gruen Gruen + Associates. This Friday, October 1, 20102:00pm – 3:30pm at The Great Cities Institute, 412 S. Peoria St, 4th FL, CUPPAH 400. Please RSVP at www.uppsa.org
• Friday, October 1st, UPP and UPPSA bring you the first event in "UPP Next: A professional development series" with a mentorship roundtable with APA-IL and CUPPA Alumni, from 12-1 in Room 110 of CUPPA Hall.

If you have important news for fellow MUPPs and you would like it included in the President’s Weekly Roundup and/or on the UPPSA website email UPPSAinfo@gmail.com by 2 p.m. each Sunday.

Have a great week,

Bob Fuller

President- UPPSA

President's Roundup- September 14th

Happy September!

This new semester is off to a busy start. The UPPSA board hopes to keep all MUPPs well informed. We will institute a weekly update of all UPPSA news and as always our http://www.uppsa.org/ is your one-stop shopping for association news, documents and discussions. If you miss a General Assembly meeting, notes from each meeting will be posted on the websited.

UPPSA Membership-
UPPSA Membership Applications, Renewals, and Dues are due by October 1st, 2010. You can download an application from www.uppsa.org (it is attached to this email too) and turn in your application and $15 check (made out to UPPSA) to Ann Barnds' or directly to Jackie Scanlan or any UPPSA board member. If Ann's door is closed, you can slip your documents under the door.
UPPSA members will recoup their $15 dues when they apply for reimbursement for any APA Conference. While all MUPPs who apply for reimbursements receive funds, depending on the amount of applicants, UPPSA members may receive additional reimbursements on top of the total determined for all MUPP applicants!

APA-IL Conference -
Just because the conference registration date has passed, doesn't mean you have to miss out on the event! You can sign up for the event on the day of, by paying cash, check or credit card, either for the individual day or for the whole conference! There are a bunch of great events planned, such as a 5k on Thursday morning, economic development with promotion a wineries, bike tours, an international film festival, and a wind farm tour. If you are still interested in attending the conference AND have not already sign up, please email uppsainfo@gmail.com so that we can get a head count

And if you are worried about the cost of the conference, dont be! UPP has agreed to pay for the student's registration cost(up to $90). In addition, UPPSA will be giving up to $50 to students who have paid their membership dues by the date of the conference, and APA-CMS has offered some more money to offset the costs, is you are an UPPSA member as well. So get your dues in on time!

First Year Representative Application -
The APA-IL 1st year Student Representative application is now online (http://www.uppsa.org/uppsa-documents.html). Applications are due to UPPSA by October 15th electronically. If you need more info about what the APA-IL rep does, you can download UPPSA's Constitution at the same link, or contact Sara Amaral at samara2@uic.edu .

Park(ing) Day –
On Friday, September 17th students from the Department of Urban Planning and Policy, the Urban Planning and Policy Student Association (UPPSA), and the Office of Sustainability will collaborated to transform 4 metered parking spots into miniature parks on the UIC Campus. Students and passersby are invited to use the parks located in Parking Lot 4 at the corner of Halsted Street and Polk Street to the east of Student Center East. Take the time enjoy an urban sustainability brown bag lunch discussion at noon, toss some bags, or just lounge in the landscaped setting while enjoying bike valet or a basic maintenance provided by your local campus cycle shop, Rapid Transit.

PARK(ing) Day is an annual, worldwide event that inspires city dwellers everywhere to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good. PARK(ing) Day was first conceived of by an art and design studio named Rebar out of San Francisco to invite civic participation in shaping our public space, and to question how we are using our public streets. In particular it intends to get people thinking about how much of our public landscape is dedicating to parking and automobile use. More info can be found at http://parkingday.org
We are looking for volunteers to help organize, set up, clean up and man the site during the day as well. If you are interested, please visit UPPSA's website at www.uppsa.org, or send an email to samara2@uic.edu

In addition, MUPPs and community volunteers from the Edgewater community will be having a satellite PARK(ing) Day at 5838 N. Broadway on Friday from 11am-1pm and Saturday from 9:30am-12 noon. The focus of our PARK will be on-street bicycle parking and will feature a bike valet. Stop by and join us if you are in the neighborhood.

General Assembly/Transit Oriented Dining-
Following PARK(ing) Day we will hold the September GA meeting and TOD at the Twisted Spoke, 501 N. Ogden Ave, at 6pm. Join us for further discussion of UPPSA events and news, and to have a good time.We hope you can join us for the General Assembly, the TOD or both.

See you there,
Bob Fuller- President

Sept 17th - General Assembly meeting & TOD - In one location!

Hello everyone.

We hope your first few weeks of class are going well. Please come out to the 2nd general assembly of the year for all MUPP students, hosted once again by your favorite graduate student board, UPPSA.

You will be receiving another email shortly about the terrific Parking Day event happening on Friday afternoon. After the event, the student assembly meeting will start at 6:00 at a nearby bar/restaurant in the upstairs patio:

Twisted Spoke

501 N. Ogden Ave.

Chicago, IL 60642

(312) 666-1500

http://www.twistedspoke.com

Directions: Walking/Cycling/Driving -- Take Halsted north for about 1 mile until Grand. Go West on Grand for a half-mile until the intersection with Ogden Ave.

CTA -- Take the Blue Line north until the Chicago stop. Then walk 3 blocks southwest on Ogden towards the intersection with Grand Ave.

To RSVP for the event, please go to www.uppsa.org before Thursday 9/16 so we can get a rough head count to make our reservation. Please let me know if you have any other questions. We hope to see you there!

APA-IL Reimbursement

As the APA-IL State Conference approaches, many of you may be curious as to how the reimbursement process will work. The Conference is September22-24. In short, it will be necessary for you to either scan in or forward your conference receipt showing your payment on or before **SEPTEMBER 15, 2010** to uppsainfo@gmail.com. After the 15th, no more receipts will be accepted! UPPSA will then be able to assess how many students have requested reimbursement against the exact amount of funding for reimbursement, at which time we will calculate the amount that will bereimbursed per student.

Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Sara at samara2@uic.edu

Urban Planning and Policy Student Association
2010 APA Illinois State Planning ConferenceReimbursement Policies and Procedures
Reimbursement Guidelines

a ) Funding for reimbursement of conference-related expenses is being provided by theChicago Metro Section of the APA and is being supplemented by UPPSA funds. UPPSAhas agreed to take on the responsibility of administering all reimbursements.
b ) The amount of subsidy that an eligible student will receive will depend on the amount offunds available as well as the number of students submitting receipts. Therefore, finalsubsidy amounts will not be known until at least two weeks after the final date of theconference.
c ) Where UPPSA funds are used to supplement reimbursements, the subsidy amountallocated to UPPSA Members will be greater than that allocated to non-members. Thedifferential will be $15 at a minimum, which is the cost of UPPSA membership.
d ) It is not anticipated that there will be sufficient funds to cover the full cost of registration.
e ) Sufficient funds are not available to cover any other cost of attending the conference (forexample, food, incidentals, etc.).

Eligibility
f) All MUPP students who have submitted a receipt for 2010 APA Illinois State PlanningConference registration by the deadline of September 15th to uppsainfo@gmail.com willbe considered eligible for reimbursement.

Additional Notes
g ) Receipts can be submitted as soon as they are available. Please use “APA-IL ConferenceReceipt” as your e-mail subject line.
h ) Receipts as well as questions and concerns should be sent to the UPPSA Board atuppsainfo@gmail.com.

"Transportation Design: Expanding the Frontiers" Conference

Transportation sector is a BIG part in the new world equation, where everything is in a state of change, local and global. All the facets in this world of motion share this space, the trucks, the railways, the ATV's, the buses, the bicycles, the metros, the motor homes, the motor bikes... But can they work together? Can they build upon each other, are there any overlaps?
Let’s see the future of mobility. How things may evolve for transportation. What might be the needs of the emerging cities? Let’s see the world from the people, who are designing the next of these mobile worlds, let’s see how they perceive the future. Let’s see how they study the next trends and how vehicles are designed and developed to cater to the unmet needs of the end users, let’s see how the world can be greener and sustainable.
Let’s see how we can, together, strive for a better world…

Conference micro site: www.midesignexchange.com When: 2010 Sept 17, Friday, Full day event Where: Michigan State University, Troy, MIExpected Audience: About 300Mix: Designers, Students, Educators, Creative Professionals, Design Studio Vendors...Conference Chair: jeevak.badve@ascglobal.com

http://midesignexchange.com/Please register by sending an email to : jeevak.badve@ascglobal.com

Graduate Student Oppotunities!

Graduate Student BBQ:

*GSC & GC 2nd Annual Graduate Student BBQ*
*Date/Time: *Thursday, Sept 16 2010, 4pm-6pm
*Location:* SEO Field (corner of Taylor + Morgan St.)
Sponsored by the GSC and the Graduate College.
Mark your calendars for an afternoon of food, fun and games!

See the flyer http://www2.uic.edu/stud_orgs/gsc/documents/GSCBBQ-2010.pdf.

Open to ALL graduate students but you *must* show a print-out of this
ticket http://www2.uic.edu/stud_orgs/gsc/documents/GSCBBQ-ticket.png

2) Call for Student Participation:

*SIGMA XI Annual Meeting and International Research Conference: Call for
Student Participation*

The 2010 Annual Meeting will be held at the Raleigh

Convention Center in Raleigh, North Carolina on November 11 - 14 with
Student

Conference events on Friday the 12th and Saturday the 13th.

Registration is currently online at www.sigmaxi.org. Abstracts should be
submitted by October 15, 2010.

Awards will be given for outstanding student poster presentations in all
fields of science and engineering.