WESUNITY-- Bringing the Community Together

Palden Gyatso Speech March 31
If you can only go to one of the Free Tibet events, this is the one. On Friday, April 2 at 8:00 PM, in the Memorial Chapel, Palden will speak about his life as a Tibetan monk, which includes 30 years in a Chinese prison. Here's a bit more info stolen from the Students for a Free Tibet website.

Palden was born in 1933 in a small Tibetan village. At the age of eighteen, he
was ordained a Buddhist monk at the famous Drepung Monastery. Eight
years later with the dawn of Mao’s Cultural Revolution, Palden, along with
thousands of other pious Buddhists, was imprisoned.

For 33 years, 1959-1992, Palden remained in prisons and labor camps,
enduring the severe physical and psychological suffering. A pillar of strength
and an inspiration to his fellow inmates, Palden withstood the oppression,
indoctrination, and torture to which the Chinese subjected him.

Upon his release from prison on August 25, 1992, Palden fled from Tibet
into India. Palden took upon himself the enormous risk of gaining possession
of various instruments of torture used in the prisons, and carrying them with
him to India, in order to reveal to the outside world the attrocities taking
place in Tibet.

Palden gave evidence at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in
1995, he has testified of his experiences in front of the U.N. and the U.S.
Congress, and on Tibetan National Uprising Day in 1996, conducted a 300
mile walk from the Chinese consulate in Washington, DC to the U.N. in New
York City.

SAWSJ Labor Conference March 31
April 16-18, at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut will be a major conference/teach-in with the labor movement. Be sure to join USLAC. Email uslac@wesleyan.edu for more info. Here are some topics for the conference, and some participants:

Topics:
Economics of the University
Organizing Graduate Students
Creating a Labor-Left Op-Ed Network
Undergraduate SLACs
Organizing the Health Care Industry
Organizing Clerical and Technical Workers
Alternative Models of Organizing
Becoming an Organizer
Living Wage Campaigns
Sweatshops
Community/Labor Coalitions
Union Democracy
Unions and Politics

Participants
Richard Trumka, secretary-treasurer, AFL-CIO
Barbara Ehrenreich, Hearts of Men, The Snarling Citizen
Andy Stern, president, SEIU
Katha Pollitt, poet, columnist The Nation
John Wilhelm, president, HERE
Representative Cynthia McKinney, D-Georgia
Bruce Raynor, secretary-treasurer, UNITE
Frances Fox Piven, Poor People's Movements
Adolph Reed, W.E.B. DuBois and American Political Thought
Elissa McBride, Recruitment Director, Organizing Institute
Steve Early, CWA
Mike Parker, Labor Notes
Phil Wheeler, UAW
Ellen Schrecker, Many Are the Crimes, No Ivory Tower
Jon Wiener, frequent contributor, The Nation
Ricardo Ochoa, pres. Univ. of Calif. grad student union
Kate Bronfenbrenner, editor, Organizing to Win
Nelson Lichtenstein, The Most Dangerous Man in Detroit
Maria Elena Durazo, president, Los Angeles HERE local
Richard Flacks, Making History, Youth and Social Change
Amy Dean, executive officer, South Bay Labor Council
Stephanie Luce, co-author, The Living Wage

Vegan Speaker Reminder March 31
Looking for some vegan food and a speaker to go with it? The
Wesleyan Animal Rights Network has the answer for you! Be sure to come to this speech and free dinner tonight at Eclectic. Here's some more info:

On March 31st at 7pm, Erik Marcus, outspoken vegan and recently published author, will be giving a lecture at Eclectic (200 High St) about veganism and about his book. Come if you are at all interested in rights issues (human or animal), an admirer of well-spoken speakers, or if you are a shameless rabble rouser itching to start a fight with an intelligent activist. You are also invited if you are an appreciator of fine free food, as there will be a vegetarian/vegan potluck before the lecture at the same location, beginning at 6pm. If you have any questions or offers of romance you may contact Lily at x4805.

Mad Anarchist Bakers March 31
Not yet a Wesleyan group, but an interesting bunch nonetheless. Make pies, not war.

MABL is calling for the u.s. to start the process of disarmament
immediately. We will be joining with teams of citizens who
would like to assist in this process. We will be seeking entrance to all areas related to anything related to the war
machine in the u.s. -from underground bunkers full of weapons of
mass destruction to presidential love nests. If the
corporations and government of the u.s. won't comply with our
teams, they will leave us no choice but to rain pie upon the
heads of those who gain profit from the destruction of others from
the board of directors at Raytheon to the halls of congress
and beyond. (how many pies do you suppose can be carried into
the visitors gallery in the congressional chambers?)
the Mad Anarchist Bakers' League
We Bake with Love
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/4635

International Cafe March 29
Asian American Awareness Month began yesterday with convocation in Downey House. This Thursday, there will be a slideshow called "Linking the Histories of People of Color" at 7pm in the Woodhead lounge, on Friday, come to the Triad Party at PsiU (Free if you're Westonecoldsober!) and definitely make it to the International Cafe on Saturday from 5:30 to 7pm in the WestCo Cafe for food and performances. Look for the full calendar of events online soon.

B-GLAD Days March 28
Bisexual Gay Lesbian Awareness days begin this Monday. Look for Michelangelo Signorili's speech on Monday at 8 in SC 150. Here's more info:

This Monday is the kickoff date of B-GLAD: Bisexual Gay Lesbian Awareness Days. B-GLAD calendars will be distributed soon, but the first event will be the keynote speech by Michelangelo Signorile, prominent gay rights and AIDS activist, and current editor-at-large of The Advocate magazine. A somewhat controversial figure in the queer community, Signorile played a major role in ACT-UP activism in the 80's and gained fame for his of outing prominent public figures.The speech will be Monday, March 29th, at 8:00 pm in Science Center 150.

Environews March 28
Looking to improve your skills as a leader? Want to learn more about politics? Campus Green Vote is holding a SUMMER TRAINING ACADEMY this June. If you're interested in media work, check out the Environmental Journalism Academy. Finally, if you're looking for funds to support your good deeds, apply for a $10,000 grant. This news came from the excellent Center for Environmental Citizenship.

ECO-CHALLENGE
YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD.
The annual Do Something BRICK Award for Community Leadership
honors and financially supports the best young leaders in America
who are building a better world every day. The awards honor outstanding
leaders under the age of 30 who are taking action to strengthen
their communities. Winners are awarded a grant of $10,000 to support
his or her community work, and the national grand prize winner receives
a grant of $100,000. Awards involve a national ceremony, and great
local and national media coverage. Applications are due by May 5th
FOR MORE INFO: http://www.dosomething.org

STA ANNOUNCEMENT
Want to make the WORLD a BETTER place? Apply to the SUMMER TRAINING
ACADEMY nearest you!
Campus Green Vote and the League of Conservation Voters Education
Fund are once again co-sponsoring Summer Training Academies (STAs)!
Scheduled for June 1999 there will be SEVEN regional Academies
across the country to encourage political/environmental leadership.
Summer Training Academies are FREE 4-day crash courses focusing on
political skills to protect the environment.
FOR MORE INFO: Joshua Feldmesser, STA Director, 202.234.5996,
sta@envirocitizen.org. An online application is available at
http://www.envirocitizen.org/sta_main.htm. Admissions are rolling,
and the final deadline for STA applications is April 30, 1999.

EJA ANNOUNCEMENT
The National Environmental Wire for Students (NEWS) announces
the 1999 Environmental Journalism Academy (EJA). EJA is a 5-day
training event for student journalists interested in learning the
skills needed to cover environmental issues. The training will take
place from June 14-19 at American University in Washington, DC.
The cost of the Academy is $25; limited travel scholarships are
available.
FOR MORE INFO: Jessica Call, EJA Director, eja@envirocitizen.org,
202.234.5993. Further details and online applications are available
at http://www.envirocitizen.org/news/html/eja.html. The deadline
for applications is April 29, 1999.

A Book Discussion March 28
Comrades, there is a provocative new book gathering interest on college campuses. If you would like to give it a read and discuss it with other leftist students,contact Tim Craine.

Capitalism's World Disorder: Working Class Politics at the Millennium, by Jack Barnes, national secretary of the socialist workers party. It is, in my opinion, a "must read" for anyone who is trying to figure out what lies behind the war on Iraq, the conflict in Yugoslavia, and the economic crisis faced by workers all over the world--and most important, what can be done about it. Last weekend Meetings be set up on campuses for people who are interested in talking about some of these issues. I was wondering if you and some of your friends who were active in the M. Albright protest might be interested in having a member of the Young Socialists in Boston come to campus for such a meeting -Tim Craine.

Calendar for April March 26
Because the maintainer will be going to the www.neactivism.org conference at MIT today, this page will not be updated again until Monday. Here are highlights for the next few weeks to hold you over.

March 27 - Feminist Majority Anti-Taliban Pro-Women March
Monday March 29- B-Glad Michelangelo Signorile Speech
March 30 to April 2- SFT Tibetan Awareness Week
Wed.       March 31- WARN Speaker and Dinner
Saturday April 03- Asian Awareness Month Internat. Cafe
Sunday    April 11 - E3 sponsored cleanup of Miller's Pond
Monday   April 12 - Peace Action Day of action vs School of Americas
Saturday April 17 - WestCo Zonker Harris Day
Thursday April 22 - E3 Earth Day Celebration
Saturday April 24 - CSADP Mumia March in Philadelphia
Saturday April 24 - Peace Action Nuclear Abolition Conference
Sunday    April 25 - E3 Earth Week Carnival

I'm sure I'm missing something important (Asian Awareness Month?).
Email your events to wesunity@weselyan.edu

Taliban and Women March 25
The Feminist Majority is staging a silent protest this Saturday in support of women oppressed under the rule of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Here's some more info:

On Saturday, March 27th, the Feminist Majority is organizing a silent protest for the violation of women's human rights in Afghanistan. Under the Taliban, an extremist militia group currently controlling Afghanistan, women are prohibited from working outside the home, attending school, receiving medical treatment, walking around without an accompanying male, etc. Come walk to support these women on Saturday at 12:00 noon on the steps of Olin. For any questions, contact Lindsay at 5689 or Angie at 4668.

Annie Dillard Profile March 25
I thought this might be of interest to Wesleyan students. Salon Magazine just ran a fairly eccentric profile of our very own Annie Dillard. Check it out here.

Annie Dillard is nature girl. A bookworm. A
Hasidic Christian. An erudite eccentric. One of
the most coldblooded horror writers of the 20th
century. She may also be out of her mind.

Get on the Bus for Mumia! March 24
On April 24, people from all around the nation will be converging in Philadelphia to protest the sham trial and imminent execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Wesleyan's very own Connecticut Students Against the Death Penalty will be sending at least one school bus there. Join activists from around the state, and GET ON THE BUS. To sign up for the limited amount of seats, or more info, email hgladstein@wesleyan.edu or visit www.peoplescampaign.org

On April 24, in Philadelphia, there is going to be a huge rally for Mumia Abu-Jamal. Connecticut Students Against the Death Penalty is going to put together a bus (or several) of Wesleyan students. Ideally,we'd also like to get a big showing of students from all over Connecticut. If any of you want to go, or if you havecontacts with other student groups at other schools that might be interested, or if you want to help organize, please get back to me; you can reach me by e-mail or at x6715.

History is Bunk March 23
Do you know your group's history? Do you know what campaigns they fought, what battles they won, and what alliances they made, BEFORE you got to Wesleyan? Didn't think so. Join with WESUNITY, the University Archives, and PRIMER to keep this amnesia from reoccurring. Save your documents, research your past, post the results on the web where everyone can see them, and give a copy to the university archives. What happens if you don't do this? You might just end up relinquishing your hard-won gains the year after you graduate. Read this upcoming WESPEAK by Roger Smith to find out more.

No More Arctic Oil March 23
Do you remember E3 tabling about the proposed oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? All the signatures gathered by E3 went to students who organized a rally on British Petroleum Headquarters in New York. Here's another neat part of the movement: GREENPEACE just took over an oil tanker. That's right, it's not going to deliver any oil anytime soon. Here's some more info, for the curious:

RICHMOND, CA, March 23, 1999 - On the eve of the tenth anniversary of the nation's worst oil spill, Greenpeace activists this morning boarded a BP Amoco-operated tanker off the coast of Richmond near San Francisco Bay. The activists have hung a banner on the Marine Columbia reading "Exxon 1989 - BP Amoco 1999. Hands Off Arctic Oil."
For the full copy of today's press release,
see:http://www.greenpeaceusa.org/media/releases.htm

Animal Rights Speaker March 22
Looking for some vegan food and a speaker to go with it? The
Wesleyan Animal Rights Network has the answer for you! Be sure to come to this lecture at Eclectic. Here's some more info:

On March 31st at 7pm, Erik Marcus, outspoken vegan and recently published author, will be giving a lecture at Eclectic (200 High St) about veganism and about his book. Come if you are at all interested in rights issues (human or animal), an admirer of well-spoken speakers, or if you are a shameless rabble rouser itching to start a fight with an intelligent activist. You are also invited if you are an appreciator of fine free food, as there will be a vegetarian/vegan potluck before the lecture at the same location, beginning at 6pm. If you have any questions or offers of romance you may contact Lily at x4805.

Westonecoldsober March 21
Try to pry the bottle out of your hands long enough to enjoy a Seinfeld marathon, party at WestCo, dance workshop and more. Westonecold sober is returning from April 1-4. If you are in a student group, make your events part of this program (hint: it's free publicity). Want more details? Email Caroline King.

We are looking for any student groups that would like to co-sponsor
an event for the weekend. We want as many non-alcoholic activities
as possible and are willing to help (time or some financial) groups to
organize events that are non-alcoholic during that weekend.
We are also looking for support from the Wesleyan community
and from student groups in signing a pledge of sobriety for that time,
if anyone can help us reach out and get more people to pledge, that
would be EXCELLENT

Tibetan Awareness Week March 21
Get set for culture from Tibet. From March 30 to April 2,
Students for a Free Tibet is holding a Tibetan awareness week.
Highlights include slides, a movie, dancing, and more.
Click here for details.

Enjoy the Break! March 5
WESUNITY hopes you enjoy your two weeks off. Go volunteer somewhere. We'd like to leave you with a hot rumor:

Have you ever wondered why MOCON has so many windows? Are you aware that the tint makes them impossible to see out of at night? The psychology department is rumored to be conducting experiments on MOCON patrons, and observing them through the one-way glass. This would explain the varying quality of food, and the unusually long lines on some days but not others. If you can confirm this, please email wesunity@wesleyan.edu.

New England Activist Conference March 4
Want to meet activists from around New England? Interested in labor, the environment, human rights, sweatshops, or other progressive causes? Are you stuck in a rut with activism at Wesleyan? Do you want to learn what other groups are doing? WESUNITY will be carpooling to this conference the weekend AFTER spring break (March 26-28), and would love campus activists to join us. This event is sponsored by the Center for Campus Organizing and the Student Environmental Action Coalition and will be taking place at MIT. Visit the NEACTIVISM webpage here.

Over 25 groups from across the nation will be represented at the conference, These groups include the East Timor Action Network, Campus Green Vote, Amnesty International, United Students Against Sweatshops, the Campaign on Contingent Work, the AFL-CIO's Organizing Institute and Union Summer Program, the Young Democratic Socialists, Jobs with Justice, Just ACT, and many others. The keynote speaker will be Susan Comfort, Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Citizenship in Washington, DC. Entertainment will also be provided on Friday and Saturday night, including folk activism singer David Rovics and lyrical student guitarist jaQ Andrews. Finally, and most importantly, there will be over a hundred student activists like yourself!

Food Service Worker Contracts March 3
The venerable Argus has the details about the new food service contracts with good old ARAMARK. It looks like they got a pretty good shake, thanks (in part) to support from over half the campus and the organizational skill of USLAC.
Read the whole thing here.

The increase in pension benefits is significant. For each year of the new contract, workers will receive a 30 cent pension raise each March and September. The 60 cents an hour they receive now for pension will be up to 82 cents by the end of the third year.

Five workers jobs were expanded 40 hours in the new contract. While most of those increases in hours were slight, one worker saw her hours raised from 30 to 40. No jobs at all were lost, and no hours were reduced.

President Bennet Wespeak March 3
In an unusual move, President Bennet wrote a wespeak about issues of unity and diversity at Wesleyan, addressing points made in last Friday's wespeaks by Roger Smith of Wesunity and Alea Mitchell of UJAMAA. Definitely worth a read. Here's a sample:

We believe diversity in the student body and in the faculty are essential to excellence in education. Because of our independence, we will continue to admit a racially and economically diverse student body using a set of long-established criteria...
This will require frank and open communication across the campus, a real willingness to be self-critical about our shortcomings, and an impatient but civil dialogue about how to strengthen Wesleyan...
Our purpose, of course, extends beyond Wesleyan. By strengthening Wesleyan in these ways, we will provide a rallying point for other institutions. We will also build a platform from which Wesleyan students, while on campus and after graduation, can grapple effectively with broader global issues

Read Bennet's WESPEAK here, Smith's here, and Mitchell's here.

Do you think "academic excellence" is the way to ensure diversity and to "grapple effectively with broader global issues"? Does diversity end once we have a reasonable number of minorities teaching at and enrolled in Wesleyan University? Is our "impatience" best channeled into dialogue, rather than dialogue combined with direct action?

Let the dialogue begin here. Write WESPEAKS, meet with Bennet during his office hours (every Friday at 4:00PM), and email Bennet, Smith, and Mitchell. Let's make Wesleyan the school we've always wanted it to be.

Public Transportation SUCKS March 3
Having trouble getting to a train station? Don't like the pitiful bus service on the weekends? Wonder what you would do when the shuttle service to Bradley gets cut back? Don't feel bad, everyone at Wesleyan, and many residents of Middletown feel the same way. And we're fighting back. Come to the next meeting on April 6 at 5:30 PM at 161 College St to help formulate our battle plan. Here's an excerpt from the E3 weekly email.

This has the potential to be the largest and most meaningful project E3 has done in YEARS. E3, the North End Action Team, as-of-yet unnamed campus Student of Color groups, and Catherine Johnson, who works on architecture and urban planning issues have all teamed up to improve public transportation in Middletown. At a meeting last Tuesday, we divided up research assignments to figure out what sort of transportation is currently available for Wesleyan students and Middletown residents. The lack of frequent, affordable, convenient service to Meriden, New Haven, Hartford, local shopping centers, etc, hurts those who can't afford cars, or who can't drive. Those who do drive sacrifice their own quality of life, having to wait in traffic jams, and having to breath the massive amounts of air pollution caused by cars. Once we get the research together, we will present proposals to the local transit services, the local DOT, the Mayor, and anyone else who can improve ridership around Middletown. This will probably have to become a major grassroots movement, involving local organizations, churches, etc. Want to get involved? Come to the next meeting of E3 (every Tuesday at 10PM in Pac 002) and/or email Roger Smith at rsmith02@wesleyan.edu or call x4993.

Site of the Week March 3
This website is dedicated to all the teachers who told me I'd never amount to nothing and to all those who said it couldn't be done. WESUNITY is site of the week at Wesleyan. I feel up-close and personal to Robin Leach. Now you know.

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