(The quote "We fight a lot, but we get along alright" is something Camille Hamilton-Doyle said at a Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference board meeting. Sums up the neighborhood, in my opinion.)
Greetings! My name is James Withrow and I've lived in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago since 2001. I sat on the board of the Co-op grocery store and I'm still on the board of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference, chairing its Transit Task Force.
I'm a computer support technician for the University of Chicago and (as of November 2009) my clients have included many high-ranking executives on the University side. In the interests of full disclosure, I'd like to outline the extent to which I'm compromised by my employment.
First of all, the University of Chicago and its surrounding neighborhoods share many common interests. Often what's good for the University is good for Hyde Park and vice-versa. At times, interests may collide, pitting the University against residents. However, the University community overlaps with its nearby residential communities, so an argument described as a University/neighborhood spat could just as accurately be described as an argument among members of the University community.
And lively discourse is a central element of the University of Chicago's core mission, as evidenced by a 20oct2009 e-mail from President Robert J. Zimmer and Provost Thomas F. Rosenbaum to the University community after the Ehud Omert visit: "This culture of inquiry and informed argument is a cherished hallmark of the University of Chicago. It flourishes in an environment where what matters is what you say, not who you are. We believe that in the open clash of ideas, progress is made and understanding emerges."
So, absent some future (impossible) employment as a University spokesperson, I plan to continue to critique the University's projects much as I have in the past. However, I've always maintained a couple simple rules because my work sometimes crosses information not meant for the public at-large. First, if I notice a file or folder name that arouses my interest, I look away, no matter how much I really want to read it. Secondly, if I come across information known only to people in my work area and those owning the work, I consider that privileged. If the information is known within the larger University community, I consider it public. Naturally, there are gray areas and these rules haven't protected me completely. It's fair to say I'm compromised at times.
