Run
for Student Government September
3
There will be elections for Frosh Reps and at-large (any class)
representatives next week. To run for office, pick up a petition
at the WSA office. The following is an excerpt from an article
by Jon Isaccs of the USSA
on why progressives should run for student government office.
To read about progressives who ran for office last semester, visit
here.
I can hear your snickering already, "Student
Government? Is he kidding? Student government is for sell outs, resume
builders, and wan-a-be-politicians! Student Government? Tell me one
I haven't heard!" Well, I will tell you three. UCLA, Temple
University, and most recently, University of North Carolina - Chapel
Hill. These are all schools where an inclusive
and progressive slate of candidates took over their student government-
and have since turned them into outlets for social change activism.
At each of these schools, a coalition of students
of color, queer students, progressive Women, and activist organizations
took control of the vast (by college campus standards) resources available
to student government, and used them to promote progressive grassroots
organizing and pay for services students badly need.
At UCLA, the progressive slate called "PRAXIS" has won five
student government elections in a row. At Temple, the Progressive
Unity slate swept their SGA elections last year, and have since become
one of the most activist student governments in the country. And just
this spring, a coalition of progressive organizations at UNC led by
an organization called ACCESS, won control of their student assembly
and Presidents office. "We were tired of watching the student
government spend $10,000 to bring Charlton Heston to campus.",
said Erica Smiley, one of the organizers of the progressive slate
at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Unfortunately, these kinds of victories are rare on
college campuses today. The question I ask is why? Why don't more
progressive student activists organize to take back one form of organized
government we can realistically use for good purposes instead of evil?
Lets face it. On most college campuses, power
over student organizations, and, most importantly, funding of student
groups, is consolidated in the student government, This is
why college administrators spend so much time attempting to co-opt
student government leaders, and for the most part, discourage activists
from getting involved with the SGA. Further, SGA often functions much
like Congress… slowly and full of internal political nonsense,
leading students who "just want to get good things done"
to conclude that they should put their energy elsewhere education
and leave the incestuous Pool of SGA insiders to their squabbling.
But where does this energy go? It goes into organizations who survive on shoe string budgets with enough money for
one or two events a year. I've met progressive activists who have
maxed out credit cards or used their financial aid checks because
their organization had either little or no money available.
Meanwhile, the student government is spending its budget of hundreds
of thousands of dollars on concerts, dances, or even worse, putting
it into a huge surplus reserve because they couldn't think of anything
to spend it on. In many cases, this is done on purpose by conservative
college republican types who spend their time thinking of ways to
cut funding for student groups and services in order to bring right-wing
speakers to campus. (The Charlton Heston example above really happened.)
What about important services like escort vans for women, child care,
free legal services, health care, rape and sexual assault education,
lesbian, gay;, bisexual, and transgender advocacy, and student academic
advocacy? What about, not just adequate, but
quality funding for student of color groups, womens' organizations,
queer student groups and services, environmental groups, peace organizations,
and other activist organizations? What about brining programming to
campus that challenges the way students think and perceive the world
instead of promoting fear, hatred, and greed? Why can't this
be the role of student government? Why can't student government resources
be used to help get rid of clothing that is made in sweatshops?
Why can't student government lead the fight for a more accessible
campus for students of color?
Official
Col289 Statement September 3
It looks like the case has a twist. Bennet apparently
believed that COL289 was withdrawn before the last review took place.
A bit odd that it would have been withdrawn, as Professor Weissman
stands by the course as do many of her collegues. Here is the
official statement:
President Bennet has completed his
review of COL 289 and reported to the
faculty. President Bennet's understanding throughout the review was
that
the COL 289 had been withdrawn. If that
is not the case, the faculty's
normal procedure for approving each year's course offering
would presumably
apply. President Bennet does not expect to address COL 289 further
and is
confident that the faculty will address the educational issues raised
in
his June 23, 1999, report.
Bennet
Caving on Col289? September 3
On Wednesday, the Hartford Courant published an update
about the status of Wesleyan's famous pornography course, COL289.
This course was originally approved two years ago, but it seems that
in order to return, it will have to go through more scrutiny.
This is not the standard practice of Wesleyan University, and the
course had already been reviewed at Bennet's behest last semester.
It seems that the course has lost its status as an active course.
Bennet has not yet elaborated on this matter. Here is a quote
from the Courant article:
If the class is to be offered
in the future, university President Douglas Bennet said this week,
he would expect it to undergo a faculty review just as any
new course would.
That review could be more
rigorous than the one that first approved the pornography
class two years ago.
Here is a link to the full article.
US
News Is A Joke September 3
Excited about Wesleyan's rise in the US News rankings?
Don't be. Salon magazine ridicules the arbitrary ratings here.
...with the U.S. News rankings there is
no
objective way to know which schools are
winners before you begin your analysis. In fact,
determining the winners is the point of the
exercise. So you sit around and brainstorm about
whether faculty resources (class size, faculty
salaries, etc.) or student graduation rates, for
instance, are more important to educational
"quality." Right now, U.S. News gives the two
characteristics equal weight, which seems
reasonable. But if you told me that faculty
resources are twice as important as student
graduation rates, that would seem reasonable too.
Environmental
Contacts Updated September
1
E3's environmental contacts have been put online. Care
about the local environment? Then give it a look. If you
have any additions or corrections, please email
E3. Here is the link.
Alum Remembers
Wesleyan August
29
Not really newsworthy, but the Courant has a little piece from
a Wesleyan alum who now works with them. See if you agree with
his politics. Read it here. (link
fixed)
Guide
to Effective Activism August
29
Thinking about joining a campus activist group? Know
anyone who is? Be sure to check out this guide to what to expect
from campus activism and how to avoid common pitfalls. Either
pick up the latest copy of the Hermes (great intro to life at Wes),
or click on "Activism - Don't
Waste Your Time" by Roger
Smith.
WESUNITY Has Needs,
Too August
28
To remain a resource for activism at Wesleyan for this
school year, Wesunity needs 2 things:
1. A New maintainer for this page.
You must be interested in finding out what's going on with activism
at Wesleyan, and then telling it to the world. Experience with
the internet is not required, but you must own a PC and be willing
to update this news site daily (it's not hard or time-consuming).
Interested? Email WESUNITY.
2. Essays. We actually want
to read anything you're written for classes (or fun) about student
activism, the CT political scene, local environmental issues, labor
issues, race issues... We will post anything that would be a
good resource for student groups on the web. Look for a new
section on our main page for these papers soon.
DemocracyWorks
Wants You August
28
DemocracyWorks is a new organization that promises
to improve democracy in Connecticut and around the nation by empowering
citizens. They are particularly intersted in assisting student
activists, and want to have a conference with representatives from
every school in CT next spring. If you would like to attend
or to help plan the conference, email Rebekah
Harriman and Andy Copleman, Student Activism Coordinators,
at democracyworks@home.com, or bounce
this idea off of your fellow Wesleyan activists by emailing the Wesunity
activist listserve. Here's more info in their own words:
DemocracyWorks has been founded as an advocacy
center and energy center on issues central to making our democracy
work as fairly, inclusively, and vibrantly as possible here in Connecticut
and nationally as well. An important contributing factor in a successful
democracy is the involvement of young people. In recognition
of the importance of youth involvement, we have conceived of a project
to inventory, discover, and assist in new
efforts at youth activism by Connecticut’s young people, on college
campuses, in high schools, and other venues.
DemocracyWorks
21 Oak St., Suite 208
Hartford, CT. O6106
Tel: (860) 727-1157
Fax: (860) 727-1089
Site Update June 16
WESUNITY never rests. Check out new pages for our partners,
the Community Learning Network, a current transportation project, an updated history
of WESUNITY, an expanded media contact
guide, and more.
STARC
Planning June 8
On June 5 and 6, over 30 student leaders from around the nation
met at Columbia University in New York to continue planning for the
STARC conference this November at Yale.
STARC is the Student Alliance to Reform Corporations, and is a coalition
of student-based groups that includes SEAC,
USAS, and MDE180 (formerly Democracy Teach Ins). The purpose
of STARC is to reform corporate policy by placing restrictions on
university investments, and by forcing universities to engage is "shareholder
activism" by supporting proxy votes on unethical corporate policy.
Several Wesleyan students attended, including Rose Cahn and
James Wong of USLAC, and Roger Smith of WESUNITY. For more information
about this campaign, visit www.corpreform.org.
Graduation June 2
The class of 1999 has gone, but fought for their beliefs right
up to the actual graduation. In the Middletown
Press :
The only sign of controversy at the graduation
ceremonies became evident when a handful of students calling themselves,
Students For Administrative Accountability, handed out a one-page
statement with seven demands, including the hiring of more minority
faculty and an end to the university review of a class on pornography.
As part of the student's demands to stop the university
review of the porn class, half of the school's students have signed
a protest statement and some graduates handed university President
Doug Bennet hand-written comments instead of contributions to the
Senior Class Gift when they received their degree. The students
say only 36 percent of them have contributed to the Senior Class
Gift compared to 83 percent last year.
The students also want the university to establish
an ethnic and homosexual studies curriculum.
In the Hartford Courant :
Wesleyan's reputation for progressive politics
and student activism was highlighted both in the remarks of speakers
and in an airborne protest of a personnel dispute during the conferring
of teaching awards by Alumni Association Chairwoman Bonnie LePard.
A small plane circled the field pulling a banner
that declared, ``impeach Bennet - rehire Cutler.''
The banner referred to university President Douglas
Bennet and Cheryl Cutler, a veteran professor of dance who resigned
in February after a dispute with the administration. Cutler, who
established the university's first dance program, was removed by
Bennet as department chairwoman after she objected to a tenure settlement
with another dance instructor.
Faculty tenure issues prompted a brief occupation
of Bennet's office on May 14 by students protesting a denial of
tenure to Jeffrey Kerr-Ritchie, an assistant professor of African
American studies in the history department. The dispute involving
Cutler also was cited by students at the protest.
Amartya Kumar Sen, the 1998 Nobel Prize Laureate
in economics, praised Wesleyan and other liberal arts colleges as
``a breeding ground of questioning and doubting'' in his commencement
address. ``There can be little doubt that a good college education
can make a dramatic difference to human abilities and achievements,''
he said.
Here are the two articles on the subject.
Courant full text
Middletown Press full text
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