PARADE WILL KICK OFF BACK TO SCHOOL FOR CHICAGO STATE

The fall semester for the nearly 3,000 students at Chicago State University begins Aug. 26, 2019 and the four-year university will kick off the new school year with a back-to-school parade. Photo credit: By Wendell Hutson
The fall semester for the nearly 3,000 students at Chicago State University begins Aug. 26, 2019 and the four-year university will kick off the new school year with a back-to-school parade. Photo credit: By Wendell Hutson

Parade will kick off back to school for Chicago State

BY WENDELL HUTSON

Contributing Writer

For the second consecutive year, Chicago State University will sponsor a back-to-school parade to kick off fall classes at Chicago’s only four-year, public university on the South Side.

Fall classes begin on Monday, Aug. 26, which is the same day the one-hour parade kicks off at 8 a.m. starting at 95th Street and Martin Luther King Drive Jr. and ending five blocks away at the university’s front entrance, 95th and St. Lawrence Avenue.

And the Grand Marshal will be Andrea Zopp, former president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, who now serves as board of trustees chairman at CSU.

“Chicago State University is an important asset to the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois,” said Zopp. “As chair of the Board of Trustees, I am thrilled to provide leadership to support the renewal, transformation and elevation of CSU.”

The purpose of the parade, according to Zaldwaynaka “Z” Scott, president of CSU, is to connect students, alumni and the community with one another.

“It’s an opportunity for all of us to come together and celebrate a new year,” said Scott, who started the parade in 2018 as CSU’s newest president. “Some people may think having a parade on a Monday is odd but not me. I think having it on the actual day classes begin is a wonderful way to start the school year off.”

Unlike the annual Bud Biliken Parade, which celebrated its 90th season this month, where more than 100 floats lined the street, the CSU parade will consist of the school’s marching band, academic departments, faculty, and students. There are no sponsors to help pay for the parade, which Scott said cost less than $3,000.

“We’d rather have sponsorship for some of our academic programs and internships than a parade,” added Scott, a former federal prosecutor.

After the parade, there will be an outdoor gathering at the school’s rotunda where Scott said she will welcome students and talk about some new things underway at the school, such as a new Masters of Business Administration program and a Sept. 28 cannabis expo and job fair on campus.

While no elected officials, such as Mayor Lori Lightfoot, are scheduled to participate, Scott said many were invited, and “hopefully their schedules will allow them to attend.”

One person who does plan on attending is William Barfield, 76, a longtime West Chesterfield resident, who lives near CSU at 95th Street and Vernon Avenue.

“I grew up in this neighborhood and I try to be a part of everything that goes on here,” said Barfield. “Chicago State is a part of this community and I try to support the school as best as I can. Having this parade is a wonderful way to bring the community together.”

Nearly 3,000 students attend CSU, according to Scott, who said her goal is to continue increasing enrollment by building stronger relationships with local high schools.

“We want to make sure our neighboring schools know we offer STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers,” added Scott. “We are number one in the Midwest when it comes to graduating African Americans in STEM, and our College of Pharmacy has been recognized as being one of the best in the country.”

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