CONFERENCE: Study War No More
Rich Cowan
The University Conversion Project (UCP)
Box 748 o Cambridge, MA 02142 o (617) 354-9363 and
KSU Progressive Student Network
c/o Campus Activities o Kent State University o Kent, OH 44240
announce a...
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National Planning Meeting & Mini-Conference on
Campus Peace Activism and the Role of Universities after the Cold War
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at Kent State University, January 16-17, 1993
(Kent is located 20 minutes from Akron and 1 hour from Cleveland, Ohio)
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George Bush is finally on his way out. The next six months will be our
best opportunity so far to get out our message about demilitarizing
education and converting our universities. Bill Clinton's election is
bound to effect some positive change. But hidden and powerful forces are
working to make sure that universities continue to serve the military
objectives defined for them during the 1980s. We must bring this debate
into the open and foster a stronger student movement to counter their
influence and make our schools affordably educate people to serve genuine
social needs.
For the past six weeks the University Conversion Project (UCP)
Steering Committee has consulted with our advisory board and decided to
put together a National Planning Meeting and Mini-Conference to fight
campus militarism. Kent State's PSN chapter has agreed to cosponsor the
gathering, the first on this issue since July 1991. We anticipate an
attendance of 40-100 people from all parts of the country. The educational
mini-conference will facilitate dialog and education with many groups and
individuals who share a common interest in redirecting educational
priorities.
We invite you (and everyone you know except the Young Republicans) to
join us beginning at 11am, Saturday the 16th at Kent State. Registration
is on the first floor of Satterfield Hall -- see the map with directions to
Kent and housing information. If you pre-register (sliding scale fee of
$15 - $5), you will receive a more detailed pre-conference mailing.
Questions? Call (617) 354-9363. The preliminary agenda follows:
Saturday, January 16 -- 11am-6pm
9am
Advisory Board & planning meeting -- space limited; call (617) 354-9363.
11am-12:05am
Mini-Conference Registration at Satterfield Hall, Kent State Univ., Kent, OH
12:15-1:30pm
Agenda discussion; Panel on Campus Activism (6 brief presentations)
* Prof. Jean Douthwright, CIA Off Campus Coalition, Rochester Inst. of Tech.
* Erin Bush, Student, University of Pittsburgh Students for Peace
* Carey Eskridge, Student, U of Houston Students for University Conversion
* Brad Green, People Opposing Weap. Research, Univ. of Michigan
1:30-2:30pm
Keynote Speeches on Conversion and the Role of Universities Today
* Marion Anderson, conversion expert, Employment Research Assoc. (invited)
* Prof. John Saberling, Univ. of Akron and ex-Congressman (invited)
2:30-3pm
* UCP steering committee & Advisory Board introduce working group topics:
Campus Conversion, Military and Environment, Right Wing on Campus, Social
Responsibility in the Curriculum.
3:15-4:30pm
Panel on links to related student and faculty activism
* J Burger, INSTEAD, Minneapolis, MN
* Reps, NatUl Campaign to Demilitarize our Schools
* Participants invited but not yet confirmed from: Teachers for a Democratic
Culture, Education for the People, Young Koreans United, US Student
Association, SEAC, Global Exchange, Fellowship of Reconciliation.
4:45pm-6pm (workshops)
* Local Activism: Member, Rutgers Students for Educational Rights
* Investigative Journalism: Martin Boer, UC Santa Barbara
* Fundraising: TBA
* National Networking/Campaign: Rich Cowan, University Conversion Project
9pm Party, location TBA
Sunday, January 17, 10am-4pm
10am-11:15am
Working Groups Meet (4 topics listed above)
11:30-12:30pm
Student and Faculty/Staff Caucuses
12:45-2:00
Plenary: Working Groups present on Key Issues
2:00-4:00pm
Nonviolence video & panel on Martin Luther King
* Keita Sa'id, Black United Students, Kent State
* Other student and civil rights activists.
4:30-7:30pm Planning Meeting & dinner :
UCP 1993 PLANNING MEETING
Proposals to be discussed:
% 1993 Outreach Campaign.
% SDI 10th Anniversary actions.
% Responding to 'Anti-PC' movement
% Fundraising and hiring issues.
% AAAS Actions. Clinton Watch.
% Other items, to be proposed.
To contribute to and to receive the final agenda, please call (617) 354-9363.
Housing, Directions and Questions:
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Hotel Accomodations: The University hotel (Tel. 216-678-0123) is about $40
per night. Free Housing: "Sleeping bag housing" (with other students) will be
provided to anyone who notifies us by January 12; after that there will be
an additional $5/night housing fee. For questions or to reserve, call Sue
Jeffers at (216) 823-3112 or Tom Albanese at (216) 678-7326. Airport
pickups are available if you arrange well in advance!
Other questions, volunteers for the conference, suggestions for the agenda
or for students, faculty, groups to invite: Please call the office ASAP
from 10am-6pm weekdays beginning Jan 4 at (617) 354-9363.
Mission Statement
The University Conversion Project is a catalyst and resource clearinghouse
for campus-based research and action against militarism, with contacts on
over 100 campuses. We provide organizing resources, networking
assistance, Freedom of Information Act and power structure research
advice, and lists of military contracts to activists working to transform
academic and national priorities. We work with many other academic and
activist networks.
The project is currently focusing on the 700 campuses which host ROTC
programs, conduct military research, or maintain peace studies programs.
We encourage people to 1) expose and creatively confront how their
campuses are still geared up for war in all its forms, and 2) encourage
conversion to peaceful priorities and practices, at the national,
institutional, and personal level. Funds saved by a 50% or more reduction
in military spending could easily provide for a reversal of recent
scholarship cuts and tuition increases. We advocate industrial policy
which provides ample, productive employment and a new research agenda
which serves human, environmental and economic needs.
UCP Steering Committee: Tom Albanese, Erin Bush, Rich Cowan, Jennifer
Hammer.
UCP Advisory Board: Professors Jean Douthwright (RIT), Mel King
(MIT), Vera Kistiakowsky (MIT), Bob Rutman (UPenn), Charles Schwartz (UC
Berkeley), Joni Seager (UVM), George Wald (Harvard), Paul Walker (Holy
Cross), Joe Weizenbaum (MIT), students Carey Eskridge (UHouston), Katy
McCabe (UPenn), Kelly Moore (UArizona), Joel Patenaude (UWisc), Michael
Worsham (Texas A&M)
Our War Research Info Service newsletter is now mailed to project members,
sister organizations, and key campus contacts. Please send $25 for an
annual membership which includes four issues (Students -$20, low income
-$10) or $3 for a sample copy to UCP, Box 748, Cambridge, MA 02142, (617)
354-9363 (Voice or Fax). All contributions are tax-deductible.
P.S. If you can't come to Kent State University on January 16-17, please
send us names and numbers of students and professors now, who might want
to attend or join UCP, or e-mail those addresses to ko...@ai.mit.edu.
P.P.S. A new e-mail list is forming to discuss issues of redirecting
university priorities and federal education funding (scholarships,
research and development, fellowships) away from the military. Anyone
interested in discussing this issue is invited to participate. To
participate, you must be willing to be on our mailing list, so that we
can send you materials that other on the list are receiving, such as a
sample of our publication with subscription info, annual reports, etc.
To be added to the list, please send your full name, address, and
phone number to ko...@ai.mit.edu. The mailing list will begin on
January 10, 1993.
And Have a Happy New Year!