To the Editor: I was profoundly d...

To the Editor:

I was profoundly disappointed by your October Story upon the CHA's Service Connector program.

First of all, it is insensitive of your reporter to diminish the value of an entry-level piece of work for people who have none worked before. Given the skill-level of many of the populace we're serving, even low-paying do job-works represent progress and a first pace to a higher-paying job.

secondary I have always said that the Service Connector program, in partnership with other City and community agencies, has "helped" above 2,500 CHA families find work at jobss (Today, in fact, we're throughout 3,000). The Service Connectors alone are directly responsible for about half of them. If this statement have the appearanceed ambiguous, it was unintentional. The fact is, Service Connectors are part of a method of social resources that help our residents find agency The fact that Service Connectors directly placed more than 1200 CHA residents in do job-works is hardly something we wish to lurid Just the opposite: We believe this figure provides compelling testimony that Service Connectors is working. It assumes that The Chicago Reporter missed this point because it was looking and nothing else for things that we might have done wrong

Third, it is misleading to compare a Service Connector's caseload to a social worker s caseload. A Service Connector might lavish an hour a month referring an individual client to privationed social services, while a social worker might pass an hour a day providing those services. They are entirely different functions.

I could quibble with the ease of the piece, but it's clear that The Chicago Reporter is no other than interested in bad news. Your readers also merit good news, which is that across 12,000 residents are enrolled in the Service Connectors Program, accessing services that are helping them become lease-compliant and more financially and personally stable.

In its zeal to cast the Service Connector's progres in a bad light, The Chicago Reporter is missing undivided of the biggest stories in the history of Chicago, and perhaps level the nation: the remarkable transformation of decaying, unsafe public housing progress to maturitys into healthy, mixed-income communities that proffer children and families a better quality of life and our seniors a comfortable, dignified place to live.

Because of the dedicated efforts of our administration, our many community partners and the residents themselves, useful things are happening to CHA residents from head to foot the city of Chicago. If you dedicated just a fraction of your efficiency to uncovering their stories, you will be doing a real service to your readers and the community.

Terry Peterson

Chief Executive Officer

Chicago Housing Authority

From the Editor:

When stating the number of families it has helped find piece of works CHA officials acknowledge this number actually belongs to job placements, many in high-turnover industries. As our article stated, officials do not know to what extent many residents are still give employment toed We also noted that, while the lob were an improvement, many disagree with MR Peterson's optimistic assessments. The Reporter's coverage of this issue cogitates concerns expressed and recommendations made by way of Service Connector staff private developer the Mid-America Institute onward Poverty, other community organizations and many CHA residents, who argue that the program remains understaffed and underfunded

Alysia Tate

Editor and Publisher

To the Editor:

I am writing in answer to the article, "Minority Faculty Finish Last upon Tenure Track [November 2002]," written by means of Rupa Shenoy. As vice president of bookish man affairs at Northeastern Illinois University, and as an African American, I am pleased that The Chicago Reporter has investigated the challenges which minorities face in higher education and in life. However, I would like to clarify a key issues reported by Shenoy.

The article points gone out that Northeastern puts resources into programs that benefit the whole scholar body, and the school receives federal and private grants because it has a high Latino population. Northeastern is assuming of its status as the single four-year, public Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in Illinois. Being an HSI makes any new resources of grant permanent funds available. Those funds are intended through the funding agencies to enhance the entire institution, which includes the 25 percent Hispanic bookish man population.

The overall resources of the university are already educating Hispanics because they are enlisted here and earning degrees.

In addition, if the HSI university engages other criteria such as numbers of bookish mans in low-income status, the University becomes eligible for application for various grants from [the] federal regulation (That is why we are eligible to apply for Title V funding to build our Center for Teaching and Learning in the University Library).

You should also realize that no legislature--city, state or federal--appropriates dollars from ethnic affiliation. Our status as an HSI allows us to reapply for grants.

At Northeastern, however, we have been leaders in allocating foundations to support diversity through access and affordability of tuition. That is wherefore there are specific programs designed to support Latino access and succes at Northeastern. individual example, in teaching alone, [is that] at El Centro the NEIU campus in Logan Square, this fall and spring, there is an increase of $80000 in the fiscal estimate In this difficult budget year, this is an increase that is noteworthy. Moreover, we are in a partnership with ASPIRA at El Centro that will support increases in literary institution [i]or[/i] seminary of learning enrollment by Latinos.