UConn Free Press Oct. 2006

8/21/2019 UConn Free Press Oct. 2006

1/12

Te Woodlands Housing Project, set in the

heart o the poorest part o Algiers, LA,

is the Common Ground Collective’s most

recent and largest project. Malik Rahim,co-ounder o Common Ground, sat down

with us on a Saturday afernoon to dis-

cuss plans or rebuilding both the physical

buildings and, more importantly, the com-

munity that resides within and around the

300 unit apartment complex. In the spirit

o Common Ground’s mantra, “Solidarity,

not Charity!,” Rahim and partner, Sharon,

moved into a Woodlands apartment, Ra-

him hopes that his physical presence in

the complex will demonstrate Common

Ground’s commitment to enacting change.

As we sat with Malik in his newly painted

living room, the vision or the WoodlandsHousing Project came to lie.

Beore Katrina devastated New Orleans,

said Rahim, the “[Woodlands] community

was a community that could have been

nothing but what it was; it was a commu-

nity that was completely inundated with

crime.” Algiers had ten times the nationalaverage o murders, and most o the mur-

ders were committed somewhere in the

Woodlands neighborhood. here was a

70% unemployment rate, and the largest

economic anchor in the community was

the drug trade. According to Rahim “For

the last six years, Algiers has been in a drug

war; a drug war much larger than the city

would ever admit to, because they thought

it would be bad on tourism. Also, it was

mostly ex-offenders killing ex-offenders,

and most o them were black.”

Understanding the severity o the situ-

ation, Rahim and other visionaries havedeveloped a comprehensive, community

oriented plan. Within our miles o the

Woodlands is the highest concentration

o poor children in the greater New Or-

leans area. O utmost importance, Rahim

noted, is helping these children overcome

poverty. Tus, the first project taken-on byCommon Ground has been to provide a

daily breakast program coupled with a bi-

weekly community event entitled, “Unity

in the Community” in which neighbor-

hood children and parents are invited to

enjoy a barbeque and entertainment. Ac-

cording to Rahim, “by making the Wood-

lands Housing Projects the nucleus o the

community, it becomes possible to address

problems with a holistic approach.” Know-

ing that the uture o this community is in

the hands o its youngest members, Malik

spends most o his days talking with young

people, discouraging drug and gang activ-ity, and promoting and exempliying civic

responsibility. Additionally, a program has

been set up which takes teens on prison

inside issueinside issue

15

the issue is not the issue Issue 15. October 9, 2006

on the Rise Te Woodlands Housing Projects Become Home to Sustainable Community Project

by Clare Rowland

15The MagicKingdomlooses itslustre.pg. 12

Cyborgscontinuegiving usadvice.pg. 8

TheUneditedStudentRights Guide.pg. 5

ATrueStudentUnionpg. 10

Source Photos by Clare Rowland


2/12

Dear

Abbie(Hoffman)

Licensed leftist psychic

mediums channel Abbie

Hoffman’s responses to

your sociopolitical woes.

Send questions to Abbie:

[email protected]

First and oremost, I wish not to die

o peritonitis. (Incidentally, also Edith

Liddell’s atal illness.) I just got home

rom my monster ten-hour workday

not more than thirty minutes ago, ex-

pecting to devour my dinner in peace.

But I think I might have accidentally

ingested some o the miniscule shards

afer dropping one china plate on the

floor and shattering it (out o mental

eebleness brought on by exhaustion, I

expect) and then eating the ood thus

spilled on the floor anyway (because

I am disgusting). So i I don’t live to

see next spring in my own person, I

hereby will all o the ollowing to my

next o kin.

Nathan Jenden’s pom-pom dress

with stripy shoes would be perect or

spring picnicking in the Elysian Fields

(where I hope to go afer my peritoni-

tis runs its deadly course).

On the other hand, what i I was

to go the other way? Vena Cava’s dia-

bolical velvet number would be sure

to keep me looking chic as my entrails

are torn out by hideous birds with

women’s heads.

I admire Zac Posen’s willingness

to risk his immortal soul or ashion.Most o the items in his spring show

would look ideal on a human figure,

but one gown stood out rom the rest

o the mortal crowd. Tis gown was

clearly designed expressly or the

devil’s wie. Can’t you just picture that

train on the giant ass-bow dragging

unsinged through the red-hot coals o

deepest Dis?

I hope that when I die, someone

takes a memorial photograph o me

stretched out in my coffin in my une-

real splendor... like, or example, Zac

Posen’s antastic si lver and cream satin

suit. I think it really says, “Whatever

oul sins I may have committed, je ne

regrette rien.”

Meanwhile, or swanning around

with a harp and eathery wings, Erin

Fetherston’s angel minidress looks a

treat.

Nothing says, “I’ve attained the ur-

thest reaches o infinity” like the crazy

mathematical properties o a ractal.

Either I was channeling a aint premo-

nition o my own shard-spurred de-

mise when I had a brie craving a ew

days ago or some o the Mandelbrot

set, or I have some sort o hive-mind

with Treeasour, and was thus men-

tally orewarned o their ractal-heavy

collection. Treeashivemind?

I I somehow escape death only to

linger on in a permanent persistent

vegetative state, I’d like to speciy in

my will that my handlers maneuver

me into dresses by Mr. Mukherjee

Sabyaschi. Asexuals everywhere (my-

sel included) rejoiced at the big black-

ramed glasses and clompy masculine

shoes Mr. Sabyasachi’s stylist choseto pair with his man-get-thee-back

spinsteriffic outfits. Nothing says “I’m

asexual, hold your fire” quite like this

etching combo. (In the interest o ull

disclosure: I wear outfits like this basi-

cally every day. Hence why I’m con-

stantly battling off the menolk with a

giant lead pipe.) Once my world has

narrowed to the strict confines o my

own sickbed, I’d like to continue on in

my accustomed style.

Death Imitates FashionAt Least In New York, At Least For Spring 2007

by Dora Wilkeneld

Dear Abbie,I keep hearing all this stu abouttorture being “wrong”, but i JackBauer has a hostage that knows thelocation o a bomb about to go off ina big city some time in the next 24hours, shouldn’t he be allowed to dowhatever it takes to get the inorma-

tion rom him?- Absolutist Asole Dear Absolutist,he scenario that you describe hasnot only never happened, but mostlikely never will. It is simply absurdto base laws which will be acted onconstantly upon such an extreme andunlikely event. Te reality o anti-tor-ture legislation is two old. First, theremust be some degree o internationalunderstanding (Geneva conventions?)as to what constitutes undamentallyunacceptable and inhumane suffering.

Second, there must be an internation-ally understood standard or the wayin which WE will treat prisoners andthereore expect our soldiers to betreated. I not, then aren’t we justasking or heads to be chopped off?I you want to wait until Jack Bauerhas a hostage with vital and time sen-sitive inormation, then please do sowhile being water boarded. And besure to note all the pigs flying over arozen hell.- Abbie

Dear Abbie,Tis may be out o context but Presi-dent Bush said “It is unacceptable tothink…”Is irony dead?- ender Viddles Dear ender,Irony is hardly dead, even i the Bushadministration isn’t quite as 1984about things anymore. Just last week

the “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin,a man who has spent his lie work-ing with and trying to raise awarenessand caring or animals, was killed bya stingray’s barb through his heart.Now there are reports that people inAustralia are killing stingrays by thedozens, obviously not what the good

hunter would have wanted. Also veg-ans around the world drink Silk soy-milk which is owned by Dean oods,the world’s largest dairy producer.So every time they buy Silk they aregiving money to a company carryingout widespread actory arming andanimal cruelty. Irony still pervadesour day to day lives, you just have toknow where to look. You can’t expecta “hug the tar-baby” to all into yourlap everyday.- Abbie

Dear Abbie,

Why do the voices tell me to startfires?- Daisy Whoopsie Dear Daisy,Probably because you’re subjected toso much mental insanity on a dailybasis. We live everyday walking liter-ally shoulder to shoulder, yet no oneknows one another and will do any-thing in their power to ignore eachother. We consume, waste, sit idly,react, allow ourselves to be herded andproselytize our G-ds, all while tens othousands o people die every single

day. Every single day. Is that mentallysound? Hardly. Need a little moreconvincing?Head on,apply directly to the orehead.Head on,apply directly to the orehead.Head on,apply directly to the orehead.- Abbie

2


3/12

Gay Blood Ban Continues Tird Decade o Discrimination

Blood screening procedures, like

many modern medical practices,

originally consisted o components

relecting both science and super-

stition. For instance, blood was not

originally categorized by the vari-

ous antigens present on the donor’s

cells, but by the race or religion o the

person it came rom. Tose practices

were (grudgingly) abandoned about

hal a century ago, but anyone who

has donated blood recently won’t find

it difficult to remember the multitude

o questions they were required to an-swer beorehand.

he Blood Donation Eligibility

Guidelines at redcross.org list 50 di-

erent categories that must be con-

sidered beore blood donation can be

allowed, including everything rom

the method by which a piercing was

received to what sub-Saharan coun-

tries one has been visiting recently.

Also running the gamut is a plethora

o questions related to SIs (sexually

transmitted inections.)

Mr. Blood Donor, “have you had

sexual contact with another male,

even once, since 1977?” I the answer

is yes, then you’ll be shown the door,

and most likely not be allowed ree

cookies or orange juice. Former part-

ners o IV drug users or ans o illegal

steroids, however, will be let right in,

provided the sexual contact occurred

at least 12 months ago.

Assuming these individuals at “high

risk” or HIV are being honest about

their sexual histories, it’s not difficult

to see the hypocrisy o the FDA’s banon blood rom male homosexuals,

which has been in place since 1985.

Gay men in committed, monogamous

relationships, who use protection and

have been tested and shown negative

or HIV, are automatically excluded

rom donation or the rest o their

lives. Alas, people who engage in

much riskier behavior, such as having

sex with heroin addicts, are clear afer

12 months without showing signs o

inection. Something’s rotten at your

local blood bank, and it’s called ho-

mophobia.

Adding insult to injury is the act

that all donated blood is screened or

SDs beore it ever reaches the trau-

ma-room ridge (that is, i we trust

that an agency recent fined millions

by the FDA or screening violations

is doing its job.) Te FDA justifies it’s

screening by pointing out that sex be-

tween men accounts or the majority

(38%) o HIV inections; but that sta-

tistic does not reer to how many male

homosexuals actually have HIV.he ban is based on inherently

prejudiced ideas that gay men are

promiscuous and unhealthy by de-

ault, and the promotion o these ideas

by a governmental body discourages

homosexuals rom coming out in soci-

ety. Tis in turn means that obtaining

an accurate figure reflecting the true

percentage o gay men with HIV is im-

possible, and the ban continues.

Te FDA has discussed changing

the policy a multitude o times o the

past decade, and the Blood Products

Advisory Voted (BPAC) met to discuss

the issue in September, 2000. Te ban

was upheld by one vote, but numer-

ous advocacy groups or gay rights are

petitioning or a change to the policy.

Citizens writing to the FDA, telling

others about the situation, and cam-

paigning or a change stand the best

chance when it comes to changing the

vote in avor o reorming the policy

when the BPAC votes again.

As someone who was born with a

heart deect, and would not be alivetoday i donated blood hadn’t allowed

corrective surgeries to be completed, I

would like nothing more than to repay

the debt I owe to the blood banks. Te

gay blood ban does not make sense

when we hear everyday about how

blood supplies are dangerously low. In

the end, however, the restrictions so-

ciety puts on its members don’t always

make sense, and all that I and many

others can do or now is wait.

by Joshua Faucher

tours in which inmates discourage il-

legal behavior. Another program takes

them on tours o positive employment

possibilities, such as the town hall.

o address the broader economic

problem, Common Ground plans to

build a sel-sustaining business com-munity within the complex. Tough

there are 350 units, only 250 will be

available or rental. Te remaining 100

units will be used or small businesses

and social programs. Already up-and-

running are a construction coopera-

tive and a landscaping cooperative.

he construction cooperative a-

cilitates sustainability by combining

classroom and on-site training to its

employees, as well as putting them to

work. Tus, afer participating in the

training program, Woodlands resi-

dents will be skilled and semi-skilledlaborers. Specifically, one hour each

work day is devoted to classroom

training, involving tool identiica-

tion, measurements, ractions and

construction techniques. he other

five hours o the day, employees work

on-site to rebuild their city.

he landscaping cooperative was

started by six individuals residing

in the Woodlands Housing Project.

Common Ground showed their sup-

port by inancing the purchase o

riding lawn mowers, and by offering

the landscapers their irst contract:

mowing the thirteen acres o Wood-

land property. Additionally, Common

Ground is promoting sustainable busi-

ness practices by educating the coop-

erative on the basics o business man-

agement, including applying or small

business grants. Te grants will go to

purchasing tractors that will allow the

cooperative to take on more contracts

and eventually, more employees.

Tough the Woodlands Project is

still in its first stages, Rahim inormed

us about the many cooperatives that

he expects to sprout up in the coming

months and years. All programs andbusinesses will be based on the needs

o the community, and will be engi-

neered to bring positive economic,

individual and community growth.

A pest control cooperative is in the

process o being started. A radio sta-

tion and recording studio will serve

the purpose o expression and skills

training. Tese media centers will also

attract hip-hop and up-and-coming

artists, which Rahim believes will

make the Woodlands more attractive

to the community, thus increasing its

“nucleic” quality. Tere are also plansor a community grocery store and

security cooperative. As Rahim said,

“anything that the development needs,

we intend to train and hire residents to

resolve and satisy those needs.”

A myriad o social programs are

also in the works in order to serve

the needs o the Woodlands commu-

nity. wo units will be devoted to a

Women’s and a Men’s center or home-

less individuals. A drug treatment

program will be set in place to help

community members with substance

abuse difficulties. In addition, a mini

health clinic will be built to provide

basic health care.

Ater our time with Rahim was

through, we walked out into the New

Orleans heat and joined the “Unity

in the Community” estival. Swarms

o children jumped in the inflatable

castle, smiles stretched across their

sweaty aces. Others gathered as one

volunteer brought in boxes o blue

crabs he caught on Bayou Chauvin.

Still more children assembled around

the cooler, playing in the ice to cool

down. A little girl announced that a

band was about to play, and soon eightteenagers stood in the shade o a tree

and lent some great New Orleans jazz

to the Saturday afernoon estivities.

As we prepared to leave, a young

man o about seven jumped into our

car and begged us to take him home

with us. he reality o the situation

hit us hard. However, reaching back

to a ew hours beore, I remembered

Common Ground’s vision. “Tis is my

home,” Rahim had said, “and when we

rebuild, I would like New Orleans to be

a greater city than it ever was, one that

every person, regardless o skin color,

or craf, or educational backgroundare oered the same opportunity.”

Tough the Woodlands is not there

yet, these young people are at the heart

o Common Ground’s operation, and

may someday enjoy the many ruits o

a sustainable community.

New Orleanscontinued from page 1

3

Photo by Clare RowlandAn Algiers boy plays in the summer heat.


4/12

Got Law?

Did you know that it is illegal to sellmilk in a one-liter bottle in the Stateo Connecticut? Chapter 752, Section43-23 o the General Statutes o Con-necticut (revised to January 1, 2005)lists all o allowed bottle-sizes or thesale o milk in the state: none o them

are metric.Whether to find silly laws or to de-termine whether one is violating thelaw, knowing how to look up laws canbe useul. Although more useul, an-notated resources are available in thelibrary, most laws in the United Statesmay be ound online. A logical placeto begin is with the law o the land: theUS Constitution. Original copies maybe viewed at the National Archives inWashington D.C. For those who donot want to make the walk, a scannedcopy, along with amendments may be viewed online at the National Archive’sweb site: http://www.archives.gov/na-tional-archives-experience/charters/

constitution.htmlTe next logical step in the jungle o

U.S. law is ederal law. Where a ederallaw is to be ound depends upon thetype o law and how recently the lawwas enacted. Initially, all laws passedby Congress appear as unbound pam-phlets called “slip laws”. Tough piles othese slips may be ound hiding withinthe bowels o many libraries, the gov-ernment keeps an updated list o allcurrent slips online at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/plaws/index.html

Afer the end o each congressionalsession, all o the laws passed by Con-gress get put together into the latest

release o the Statutes at Large. Tepurpose o this publication is simplyto show all o the laws rom the lastsession o Congress; it is not to arrangethe laws in any readily searchablemanner. Given the number o lawspassed in a year, the Statutes at Largecan be huge. While all editions may beound at Federal Depository Libraries,the latest edition o Statutes at Largemay be ound online at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/statutes/about.html

At this point, one must differenti-ate between the two types o laws thatCongress passes: private laws and pub-lic laws. Private laws only affect cer-tain people. For example, a private

law might be used to grant a specificindividual citizenship who otherwisewould not have been able to attain it.Te Statutes at Large is the last stepo publication or private laws, whichmakes finding old ones rather diffi-cult. Public laws, however, go on tobe incorporated into the United StatesCode. Te United States Code containsthe current status o the amended laws

rom Congress and is published ev-ery six years. It is arranged by subject,which makes it one o the best placesto start looking or ederal laws. Itmay be viewed in Federal DepositoryLibraries and online at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/uscode/index.html

At this point, one might think thatthe expanse o ederal laws has beencovered, but besides laws specific toCongress itsel, there is another placewhere ederal laws are published.he executive branch has a limitedlawmaking power independent oCongress. For example, the presidentcan issue executive orders, and individual agencies, or instance the FAA

and FCC, can regulate many thingswithout direct approval rom Con-gress. Tis is also an area where thelegal waters become murky, since notall laws here are public. For example,the president has the authority to issuesecret executive orders. However, evenfinding non-secret laws passed by theexecutive can be somewhat difficult.Te place to start looking, however, is

in the Federal Register. A list o pub-lications o the Federal Register maybe ound online here: http://www.archives.gov/ederal-register/publi-cations/

Afer leaving the dreadul jungle oederal law, one makes their way intothe endless bog o state regulations.Tese can vary greatly. In general, thepublication o state laws takes place ina manner similar to the ederal system.For example, in the State o Connecti-cut the analogue to the United StatesCode is the Connecticut State Statutes.Tis is the place to start looking, whenpondering the legality o milk contain-ers. Te statutes may be browsed or

searched: http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/Statutes.asp

Below the level o state laws arelocal laws. Te best place to look orthem is in the relevant town hall. Notall towns have published their char-ter and ordinances online; however,the town o Mansfield has. Links torelevant documents are in the rightcolumn o the town’s web site: http://

www.mansfieldct.org/By going through the resourcesabove, can one ind all o the laws,rules and regulations that might applyto a person living in Mansfield, attend-ing the University o Connecticut? Teanswer is no. Aside rom secret laws inthe ederal executive branch, there aremany more places where regulationsmay be ound in states and towns.However, more importantly, ederally,and in all states except or Louisiana,there is also common law. Commonlaw is law that is derived rom judi-cial precedent rather than statute. Tatdoes not simply mean that commonlaw is a de acto law due to a judge’s

interpretation o a written statute.Many common laws were inheritedby the colonies rom Britain, and arenot based on any original document,nor are they enumerated in the UnitedStates Code, or other, similar catalogso law. One example o a common lawis the State Secrets Privileges, wherebythe government may put a stop to anycourt case i it deems that, i the casewere to go orward, it would reveal se-crets o national security. An article ona use o this privilege this year maybebe ound online in Wired, “Feds GoAll Out to Kill Spy Suit”: http://www.wired.com/news/technology/secu-

rity/0,70785-0.htmlSo, dear reader, i you are stillawake, you can see that knowing whatthe laws are in the United States canbe a daunting, perhaps superhumantask. Tus, one should always consulta lawyer, or perhaps a small army olawyers, beore attempting to do any-thing shady, or perhaps beore doinganything at all.

by David Crouse

“Censorship” Eric Drooker. drooker.com

M S. A daily comic by Drew and Natalie Dee. marriedtothesea.com

4


5/12

in a way that will actually draw attention

– because that distracts rom the learning

environment. Students are also encour-

aged to utilize the outside or their dissent,

as buildings are not included in the dis-

sent policy. When outside and engaging inthe act o dissent, students are reminded

that these activities may only take place in

designated ree speech zones.

UConn has the standard non-discrimi-

nation policy on the books, though they

are hard pressed to actually ollow it. Ex-

amples will prove this better than analy-

sis. UConn claims not to discriminate

on the basis o gender but how many o

the top level administrators are women?

One out o five. UConn has never had a

emale president. Te directors o all o

the cultural centers are women, a antastic

eat. But their boss is a male. Te board o

trustees has our women, one o which is

the secretary, out o twenty trustees.

Te Daily Campus, a student run paper,

has repeatedly reused to print letters to

the editor submitted by the Rainbow Cen-

ter staff. UConn has been proven to not

ollow up on discrimination complaints

filed based on sexual orientation.

Te University police have been docu-

mented time and again or targeting black

students on campus. When I was a resh-

men on campus, there was an inamous

occurence at the Arican American Cul-

tural Center. Te police showed up, with

drug sniffing dogs and pepper spray, to

a school sponsored get-together. his

same incident was seemingly ignored by

administrators(and students) on campus.

Although these incidents are not pub-

licized and may not even seem like a big

deal to some, they are clear indications

o discrimination. Te overt and institu-

tionalized discrimination against women,

blacks, homosexuals, and other minorities

on campus is shameul. But the univer-

sity would preer to ignore these problems

and ocus on the graceul wording o their

anti-discrimination policy and on making

flashy posters that include pictures with a

woman, a black person, and a person o

Asian descent.

MISGUIDED RIGH #4:

Students have the right to be ree rom

discrimination rom the university. Te

university is not responsible or other stu-

dents discriminating against their peers.

Nor are they responsible or the views o

organizations which they allow on cam-

pus. Sexual minorities are not included

in this policy. Nor are black students, nor

women. Te university police, the ROC

program, the Daily Campus, and univer-

sity administration are exempt rom ol-

lowing this policy. In act, the university

also reserves the right to preach this policywithout actually implementing the prac-

tice o anti-discrimination anywhere on

campus.

I you live in a residence hall on campus,

you were probably given a “students’ rights

guide” in the very recent past. I you are

not living on campus, you can access this

guide online at www.dosa.uconn.edu. Te

students’ rights guide which was compiledlast year, although detailed, is not compre-

hensive. Tere are some important issues

lef that the general student body should

be more aware o.

Te issue o ree speech on campus has

long been assumed a non-issue. Along

with ree speech ‘zones,’ the University

grants students the right to association,

the right to classroom expression, and

the right to dissent. However, these rights

come with stringent limitations.

Long live the rumor o ree speech

zones. Apparently, the Attorney General

is still deciding whether or not to allow

UConn students the right to ree speech

everywhere on campus. I it is decided that

there are ree speech zones on campus,

this implies that there are certain areas o

campus where the ‘right’ to ree speech

is not upheld. Perhaps UConn oicials

should re-read the Bill o Rights beore

making their decision.

On March 31st, 2006, the Building

and Grounds committee discussed insti-

tuting a “speaker’s corner” near the lawn

o the Student Union. One committee

member made a remark regarding ree

speech zones, and questioned whether

these zones existed around campus. John

Saddlemire, VP o Student Affairs, agreed

to check in with UConn’s Attorney Gen-

eral, Paul McCarthy, and would report

back to the committee. In all succeeding

meeting minutes, there is no report back

mentioned.

Te university has policies on the books,

but the literal meaning o these policies are

better explained as misguided. Tey are

misguided figuratively and literally. Lit-

erally, these “rights” are not included in

the new students rights guide in their true

sense. And figuratively, it is a misguided

idea to accord students the same rights as

chickens. Te true meanings o UConn’s

students’ rights are better described by

these “Misguided Rights.” So with that…

MISGUIDED RIGH #1:

UConn students have the right to ree

expression o speech, thoughts, and ideas

in special designated areas. When choos-

ing to express undesired opinions and

thoughts, it is imperative that students

remain within these areas. Should a stu-

dent choose to express themselves outside

o a designated ‘ree speech zone’ the Uni-

versity Police and administration may use

any means necessary to orcibly silence

and remove the student rom said loca-

tion. I all else ails the university can re-mind students that UConn has no official

policy on the right to reedom o speech.

Students are allowed to involve them-

selves in any student organizations they

wish and the University is obliged to

recognize all groups regardless o their

nature. However, we are not allowed to

make policy decisions regarding student

organizations. It is noted in the student

rights guide that students have the privi-lege o suggesting alterations to these poli-

cies that govern us.

Tis may not seem to be an important

thing, but it speaks volumes about the way

the University treats students. Students are

expected to act like adults but are not ac-

corded the same rights that come along

with this responsibility. Administrators

make decisions that affect the education

and wallets o students everyday, and they

do not even grant us the ability to govern

the policies that affect our own student

groups. Not to mention, students are not

allowed to use classrooms with computers

without a aculty member present.

MISGUIDED RIGH #2:

Students have the right to join any group

they wish. Tey do not have the right to

challenge policies and decisions affecting

those groups. Administration assumes ull

responsibility or governing the groups

which students are said to run.

Interestingly, there is no explicit right to

ree speech on campus. Tere is a strange

right to dissent that, when broken down,

says nothing about nothing. Students

have the right to ‘picket’ but only i this is

‘orderly,’ and to demonstrate only when

it is ‘peaceul.’ What does orderly mean?

Peaceul? Who decides what is orderly

and peaceul and what is not? (HIN: it

depends on what is being picketed). It is

also important to note that the university

restricts this right to the outside o uni-

versity acilities.

Te University can restrict the entrance

o certain people to university acilities.

he language in this policy allows or

police and other officials to interpret as

they wish. “Te presence o unauthorized

persons in such areas afer due notice to

vacate has been given, orally or in writing,

is not permissible, and it may be regarded

as interering with or obstructing a Uni- versity activity.” Again, it is important to

ask, who fits into this category o unau-

thorized? Who decides which persons are

unauthorized to enter certain buildings?

From these questions one can gather

that the policy and administration are

the ones making these decisions. hey

are able, because o the very specific and

careully chosen language used in writ-

ing these policies, to make these deci-

sions subjectively. Tey are able to apply

these restrictions to whomever they wish,

whenever they wish, without having to an-

swer to the question o why.

MISGUIDED RIGH #3:

Students have the right to dissent. Dis-

sent includes drawing attention, but not

Te UNEDIED Student’s Rights Guide

Freedom rom Discrimination

Te University affirms the right o

each student to be ree rom dis-

crimination on the basis o sex,

race, color, religion, national ori-

gin, ancestry, age, marital status,

sexual orientation, or disability. It

abides by the provisions o the Civil

Rights Act o 1964, itle IX o the

Education Amendments o 1972,

the Rehabilitation Act o 1973, other

existing Federal and State laws and

executive orders pertaining to equal

rights, and the University President’s

Policy on Harassment.

Freedom o Association

Te University recognizes the right

o any group o students to orm a

voluntary organization or any pur-

pose not orbidden by law.

Te acilities and services o the

University may be reserved or use

by registered organizations or their

meetings and programs based upon

policies governing such use (e.g.

staffing, maintenance, financial re-

sources, hours o operation, etc.).

Where applicable, responsibility or

costs related to such services will be

determined prior to confirmation o

the reservation.

All registered student organiza-

tions shall be given notice o Uni- vers ity poli cies that gover n their

activities. Tese policies shall be pro-

vided by the Department o Campus

Activities upon request.

All registered student organiza-

tions have the right to petition the

University or redress o grievances.

In addition, they shall be accorded

the opportunity to submit suggested

amendments and/or modifications

to University policies and regula-

tions that may affect them.

Freedom o Expression and the Right

to Dissent

Te right o expression includes the

right to dissent. Te University rec-

ognizes a undamental obligation to

protect this aspect o ree expression

on campus.

Dissent may involve expressions

or actions designed to capture atten-

tion in an effort to dissuade persons

rom embracing a perceived prevail-

ing viewpoint. Orderly picketing and

other orms o peaceul demonstra-

tion that do not hamper access to

or disrupt the normal unctions o

teaching and research are generallypermitted outside University acili-

ties and other areas specifically des-

ignated or University activities.

Entry into University buildings

may be restricted to those persons

engaged in the normal and scheduled

activities being conducted therein.

Te presence o unauthorized per-

sons in such areas afer due notice

to vacate has been given, orally or

in writing, is not permissible, and it

may be regarded as interering with

or obstructing a University activity.

Exerpts from the official

UConn Students’ ights

5


6/12

Five ons o Flax! nORd Ignotum Per Ignotius.by Episkopos Scott Hastings POEE. LDD. KSC. PoD.

Did you know that God’s name is Eris

and that He is a girl? Well she is…

Look around you. See the chaos?

Te discord? Te base level o conu-

sion? Tese are the work o Eris, the

Greco-Roman Goddess o Chaos,

Conusion, Strie and Hodge-Podge.

Upon irst encountering His High

Reverance Malclypse the Younger sheintroduced hersel thusly: “I am chaos.

I am the substance rom which your

artists and scientists build rhythms. I

am the spirit with which your children

and clowns laugh in happy anarchy.

I am chaos. I am alive, and I tell you

that you are ree.” And so like no other

religion Discordianism espouses an

ideal o happiness. For only the most

disorganized o organized religions

can cope with the chaos o the world,

allowing you the reedom to live your

lie without ear or obligation.

Remember:

King Kong Died For Your Sins

YOU! Yes YOU! Are a genuine and

authorized Pope. You were yesterday

and now that you know it you can eel

ree to carry on in the same manor,

confident in the knowledge that you

can invoke inallibility at anytime.Furthermore you have the authority to

redefine the Erisian church as you see

fit. Tis includes but is not limited to

appointing Saints and excommunicat-

ing, de-excommunicating, re-excom-

municating and de-re-excommunicat-

ing yoursel and others.

Καλλιστι

o guide us in lie Eris has given

us the Sacred Chao At first glance it

appears to be the aoist ying-yang.

In Discordianism one side represents

Hodge and the other Podge. Instead o

a bit o Hodge in the Podge side there

is a Pentagon, which represents An-

eristic orces o order, and rather then

a bit o Podge in the Hodge side there

is a Golden Apple, which represents

the Eristic orces o disorder. Tusly

when viewed as a whole it encom-

passes all which is worth knowing,

with anything unworthy o knowing

being symbolized in the empty space

all around.

It is my firm belie that it is a mis-

take to hold firm belies.

So do not lament at the disorder

that is ound around you! Do not

despair when you enter your room

and gaze upon the mess therein. No!

Merely utter a “Hail Eris!” and get on

with lie. Feel ree to order the world

as you please but never eel obligated

to do so! For order is merely a state

o mind. We may be trained to see

pictures in the stars but the constella-

tions are nothing more than arbitrary

order imposed on chaos. Reality is the

original Rorschach.

Tis article provided on behal o:

Te Bureau o Eristic Affairs and Te Adminis-

try or Te Unenlightened Eristic Horde

House o the Rising Hodge

Paratheo-Anametamystikhood o Eris Eso-teric

Much material blatantly stolen rom “Principia

Discordia or How I ound the Goddess and

What I Did to Her When I Found Her” and

http://jubal.westnet.com/hyperdiscordia/

All o which are “ All Rites Reversed – Reprint

What You Like”

HAIL ERIS!!!!! ALL HAIL DISCORDIA!!!!!

6


7/12

I you’re looking or a song or two towalk you off the beaten path, allow metell you about a band that has thrivedin obscurity. I am talking about a quar-tet by the name o Asobi Seksu thathas somehow won passionate supportin its own small realm and otherwiseflown under the radar. Despite its name(Japanese or “playul sex”) the bandis almost wholly American and rootedmost firmly in the New York indie-club scene. Frontwoman Yuki Chiku-date is the clear Japanese influence, aact that the band decided to play upon its 2006 album release Citrus. Herrole comes through most clearly inrequent lyrical jumps between lan-guages, and there is a strongly exotic vibe underlying the rock overtones.

Putting Asobi Seksu’s sound into

words is pretty tough, which speaks

well o their originality. Tey are ofen

tossed into the “Shoegaze” genre, but

the fit isn’t quite right there. By ori-

gin “Shoegaze” is a late-eighties British

phenomenon, generally marked by the

work o the My Bloody Valentine and

now considered a bygone. Asobi Sek-

su’s transcends the genre by running

an inimitably oriental current throughtheir work - essentially reworking a

style that is, in itsel, a reworking o

western rock. Even beore you con-

sider the Japanese lyrics, Chikudate’s

vocals take James Hanna’s distorted

guitar to distant heights and set a rel-

atively standard backbeat apart rom

the mainstream.

Citrus is also a work o “Dream-

pop,” in light o its quick catchiness

and ethereal lightness. While calling a

group o indie rockers “pop artists” is

generally not complimentary, it makes

sense to think o the title in terms o

Andy Warhol’s pop art. Even when it

was all about Campbell’s soup cans,

it was an outsider’s play on the main-

stream. On a not-too-unrelated note,

the band has crafed an impressive vi-

sual aesthetic to match their presence.

It is a finishing touch worth noting.

Asobi Seksu is 100% art, 100% vision,

and never the pusher o cookie-cutter

work.

It is important that you dive into

these guys right. “Lions and igers”

and “Tursday” are catchy tracks and

Artist Profile: Asobi Seksuby Chad “Bourner” Denton

definitely a good place to start. Fromthere the peak moments o “I’m Hap-

py But You Don’t Like Me” and older

tracks “Goodbye” and “Walk on the

Moon” will burn more brightly. Fi-

nally, give the epic “Red Sea” a thor-

ough listen. For me Asobi Seksu is all

about the eeling that I’m running ree

through a city somewhere on the other

side o the globe. Hopeully the vibe

lands you somewhere just as resh.

ACROSS

2. Most Famous victim o orture

4. Christians, native to Lebanon

5. Senator; ortured in Vietnam, Voted to legalize torture by Americans

6. 7th President, Beat would-be assassin with cane

8. Sang, “I you go where the Huskies go, you better not eat that Yellow Snow”

10. Government Sponsored Kidnapping13. Newspaper Heiress, Urban errorist or the SLA

14. Te French Pox, Suffered by Al Capone, Howard Hughes, Idi Amin, Chairman Mao

and Columbus

16. Te White Plague, Consumption, Wasting Disease, Flourishing in Russian Prisons

17. Disease, rumored to have killed Osama

18. Cuban Bay, American Prison Camp

DOWN

1. Called Out the Devil at the UN

3. Grants cartoon sailors immense strength, but might give you E. Coli.

7. I the Glove Don’t fit, You must acquit

9. Bombed out city; Popular Party Game

11. Roman Method o torture/execution

12. Spicy green horseradish

15. Slang, or money10. War Crime, committed in secret CIA prisons

14. 12th president; Died o arsenic poisoning

UCONN FREE CROSSWORD

asoterworld.com

gapingvoid.com


8/12

A Radical Perspective on Abortion

I want to propose a radical solution to

the well publicized ever popular abor-

tion debate. I contend that we ratio-

nal thinkers have not considered all

the options. Tis complicated moraldilemma has needlessly polarized the

USA at a time when we have many

more important issues to deal with.

We need to be able to find common

ground, a solution based on conser-

vatives’ and progressives’ mutual sel

interests. Since either side’s position

is inherently mutually exclusive o

the other’s, finding common ground

means satisying both camps through

a third way. In this case, I think our

third path is through the conscious

investment in certain technologies.

Te “sae alternative” as I see it is theprospect o artificial uterine technol-

ogy.

In the coming years, humans will

find more and more ways to enhance

themselves and transcend the con-

straints o their biological existence. It

is probable that one o the fist advanc-

es will be the use o these “artificial

uteri” in order or inertile women to

avoid the need or surrogate mothers.

Shortly ollowing this advancement

will there will come genetic selection

or “best” offspring which will be avail-

able to “normal” women who wish to

avoid the agony o childbirth. Parents

can abort “sub-humans” such as those

etuses with genetic abnormalities.

Eventually, I think all children could

be born this way.

Just because we can perorm these

“miracles”, should we? Tis political

question has sent philosophers into a

tizzy. Many progressives like me have

bee with the act that i social con-

servatives really cared their culture o

lie they wouldn’t be willing to spend

such large sums on military technol-

ogy that effectively does nothing but

end it. Conversely, conservatives have

bee with people who call themselves

progressive and support human rights,

but are ok with a narrow definition owho gets to have those rights. Like it

or not, technologies are on their way

which will challenge us to expand our

definition o humanity, and we need

to consider their moral implications

in the abortion debate o today. I our

concept o “human” does in act need

to be greatly expanded then I’m sorry

to say that eventually we will need to

consider human embryos part o our

deinition - i and only i there is a

sae alternative to normal gestation

and delivery.

he debate over the morality oabortion generally comes down to the

definition o “human”. Defining what

is considered to be human is impor-

tant but never easy. Te slippery slope

o this definition led to such widely

denounced practices as chattel slav-

ery in the USA and genocide in Nazi

Germany. Te United Nations stepped

in afer the holocaust and defined the

rights o humanity, but not what hu-

manity is. It is critical to know this in

order to correctly apply these rights.

For now, the most agreed upon defini-

tion is that humanity consists o the

set o individuals with human DNA

who’ve been “born” – that is, who’ve

lef their mother’s uterine and encoun-

tered sensory stimuli in the air breath-

ing world.

Te problem with drawing the le-

gal line between inanticide and le-

gal abortion at “air breathing” (or in

some cases, slightly beore) is that it

is inflexible in the ace o the uture

evolution o technology. For example,

what i a machine could so successul-

ly simulate a human being that it was

completely indistinguishable? What

about so-called “human-vegetables”

that cannot even breathe on their

own? Are “human vegetables” more

human that a hypothetical “humanrobot” or even a etus? What about

people who’ve incorporated Cyborg

technology (such as Cyborg Yakov-

leff) to such a great extent that they

are more machine than organism?

What about the possibility that people

will be able to “upload” themselves to

computers and exist in total sentience

as a computer program? Would they

still retain their “human rights”? Tese

questions have a high degree o rel-

evance to the real problems o human

societies today.

I propose that congress pass a billwhich requires abortion to be a legal

option up until the point where an

independent scientiic body recog-

nizes that artificial uterine technol-

ogy has advanced to the point where

it presents a clear, superior alternative

to abortion. In order or the technol-

ogy to get to this state o readiness as

quickly as possible I propose a “war on

abortion” in which massive amounts

o public resources are directed into

the field o cybernetic research. Giv-

en how passionately the majority o

congress eels on the issue they’d be

hypocritical not to. Once the techno-

logical eat has been accomplished it

should be recognized a legal duty o

the state to nurture and raise in some

sort o kibbutz-like communal system

all “unwanted” humans. From there

they can enter into service to the state,

or example or military service as in

Sparta. Possibly, they could even be

incorporated into mainstream society,

and given that they’d be raised accord-

ing to the most advanced developmen-

tal psychological principals o the day

they would be as well adjusted as you

and I – i not more so.

Beore you jump on my back about

how “inhumane”, “idealistic”, or “ex-

pensive” it is to support a measure thatwould increase the human population

o Earth it is important that you con-

sider the overall moral imperative to

seek technology which improves hu-

manities lot in lie. Te goal to bet-

ter humanity is consistent with both

socially conservative Christian val-

ues and with progressive liberal val-

ues. First, it is a mortal sin to murder

onesel or others – and that’s exactly

what’s going on through the lens o

Christianity when it views either abor-

tion or military spending – especially

when there is massive deprivation oresources society needs to increase du-

ration and quality o human lie. Non-

investment in ranshumanist artificial

uterine type technology is tantamount

to suicide and thus the gravest o sins

in the eyes o the Christian god. Fur-

thermore, progressives who value hu-

man rights and their own rational sel

interest should recognize the moral

imperative to develop these technolo-

gies. Te seemingly intractable abor-

tion issue will all by the wayside o the

ever-improving status o humanity in

the context o its urther evolution at

its own technological hands. Whether

God’s will or not, it’s up to us to build

a better world – or ourselves, and or

our species. I or one will be thrilled to

live in this brave new world that with

such people in it.

Editor’s note – Alternatively, we could provide

better planning & birth control so people don’t

end up in the situation requiring an abortion

in the first place. (Cyborg Yakovleff scoffs at

such a suggestion, because “the puny humans

are obviously terrible planners”)

by Cyborg Yakovleff

Artists in the Country Musical Showcase

Hidden in the woods o Northeast

Connecticut, lies a space that gives

artists, musicians, and other perorm-

ers o all ages, a venue to share their

work with others, and a place to de-

velop connections and a community.

It is called “Artists in the Country”.

In Mid-September they hosted an artshow that exhibited the art and music

o local artisans, and raised money or

the Eden Institute’s camp or children

with Autism. Tis event attracted over

1,000 people looking or a setting that

allows or creative energies to flow.

On October 15th, this amily-owned

estate, will be hosting another event,

this time the ocus is less on visual art,

and more on giving people an envi-

ronment where they can listen to loud,

vibrant music, and get up and dance.

Tis is Artists in the Country’s third

Musical Showcase. It will be an all day

event, running rom 11:00 a.m. until

6:00 p.m.

Tis estival will be eaturing the

talent o local Connecticut bands.

Te event will start off by getting the

audience energized with music by“he Electric rains”, a group rom

Willimantic that sings train songs.

Next, “he Black Burns” who are

also based in our neighboring town

o Willimantic, will bring us back in

time with some classical rock, which

will have the audience singing along

to some o their old avorite songs.

“he Black Burns” will be ollowed

by some San Francisco Blues, jump

swing, which will be played by “Te

Kingpins”. At the end o the day, ev-

eryone should be on their eet, and

ready to get tired out, as they dance

Ugandan style, to “Echo Uganda”, a

band that plays traditional olk music

rom Uganda (although these “Ugan-

dans” are ar rom traditional). Lastly,

the “River City Slim and the Zydeco

Hogs”, a Hartord band, will be per-orming music that brings you all o

the way rom Arica to Southwestern

Louisiana.

Te Artists in Te Country Musi-

cal Showcase, costs $18 i you buy the

tickets ahead o time and $20 at the

door, and children under 12 are ree.

I know that this is expensive or most

college students, but you get a ull day

o estivities, and you get to support

your local musicians in a beautiul,

outdoor setting. Artists in the Coun-

try is located at 52 County R. West

Woodstock, C. For more inormation

about the place or the event, you can

go to www.artistsinthecountry.org.

Anyone who ollows these bands

should be sure to continue to stalk

their music by joining us there. And

those who haven’t heard o these bandsat all, as I’m sure is more o the case,

as people are rarely exposed to music

that isn’t played on mainstream radio,

this is a great time to get introduced to

new styles, and to support the work o

those around you. You can spend the

day with your riends, lying out on the

lawn, eating a picnic, sipping a Hos-

mer soda, meeting new people, and

discovering new talents. Be listening

to WHUS, the week beore this event

to win some ree tickets.

by ara Kurland

8


9/12

Te Facts behind the Most Magical Place on Earth

It is no secret that most college in-

ternships end up being menial work

with little exposure to the real-world

experience students seek. Flashy post-

ers and outlandish claims ofen dis-

guise the truth. An internship should

be a chance to become immersed in

an environment that is an additional

component a student’s three or our

years o sweat and labor. It should not

be a low-paying job with a couple o

perks, stamped internship.

Te Walt Disney World Resort in

Orlando, Florida is one o the largest

entertainment employers in the Unit-

ed States. Year round, students jump

with the opportunity to be a part o

the “happiest place on earth.” Since

1981, the Walt Disney World College

Program has employed over 45,000students.

Tis is the story o one student.

Presented with a standard-issue

Power Point presentation by a re-

cruiter rom Orlando who traveled to

New Haven where she attends school,

Christine was given an overview to the

program (produced by WDW, not the

recruiter; the same one is shown to

all students.) Along with the “count-

less benefits…or the uture” and the

“lessons you learn while participat-

ing,” remarks Al Weiss, President o

the Walt Disney World Resort andPresident o Worldwide Operations

or Walt Disney Parks and Resorts,

come the rewards. Tese included ree

park admission, 50% off resorts, 30 to

40% off merchandise, and access to

Cast Connection, where Disney work-

ers—known as cast members—have

access to highly discounted Disney

merchandise that is unfit or sale.

Christine, a 21-year-old communi-

cations major at Southern Connecti-

cut State University, was part o the

program or the minimum 4 months

rom mid-January o this year to theend o May. She decided to apply or

the WDW College Program, believ-

ing the interaction with guests would

expose her to the experiences she was

ater. Walt Disney’s ailiation with

ABC and ESPN, located in Bristol, C,

also offered the opportunity to have

proessional connections. Christine

remarked, “…knowing I’d be affiliat-

ed with such a well-known, powerul,

and global company was my biggest

selling point.” And sold she was.

But Christine was in or something

quite different rom what she imag-ined. Upon arrival, Christine was im-

mediately disappointed. She had ap-

plied or a position working in one o

the resort lodges, but instead worked a

turnstile—collecting tickets and greet-

ing guests at the park’s entrance. When

she ound out she would be doing this

or all our months, she said she was

ready to pack up and leave, eeling

embarrassed and upset. She was trou-

bled by the act that she spent a ull

semester’s time and money working

at a turnstile rather than working on

credits toward her major back home

in Connecticut.

A normal workweek or Christine

was 25 to 30 hours at $6.00 per hour.

She was working up to 60 hours a week

during the busy vacation periods in

February and April. Christine was not

provided with meals at work, orcing

her to grocery shop or meals both on

the job and at home. She recounts hav-

ing to ofen ask her mother to deposit

money into her account because she

never seemed to have enough to buy

the even the necessities, due to the

constraints o her paycheck.

Each week, a total o $83 was taken

rom her check in order to cover the

rent o the apartment she lived in.Her apartment was part o a complex

specifically or students involved in

the College Program. With its private

pools and a lake, inely manicured

landscaping, the complex looked more

like a lavish living community or the

active elderly.

by David Huck

Christine walked away rom the

program eeling that part o her ex-

perience was sugarcoated. “I think

they use the perks in order to pin us

and have leverage in order to keep

kids coming back…because the jobs

simply suck…hours suck.” She is sorry

she never took advantage o all the op-

portunities surrounding her, such as

visiting beaches or going to Univer-

sal Studios or any o the water parks,

due to over exhaustion. Te lietime

riends she created all eel the same

way: exhausted, cranky, and wanting

more money.

It wasn’t all such a sour ending.

Christine elt honored to have worked

on Main Street U.S.A., part o the most

requented theme park in the word.

She learned a lot about hersel, just asthe program promised. She learned

to read people and how to approach

specific situations involving the needs

o guests.

It was a sad day when I learned

that the company that had produced

so many memories, inspired many

dreams, and made us wonder about

the world in our youth, had manipu-

lated some o the same people years

later or use as second-rate labor. I

the program intends to use the same

practices with its college students,

then the name must be changed or

a clear understanding o the system

must be more available. It should not

be a dull program that robs students

merely to fill positions with low wages,

all to keep the most magical place on

earth shining.

Sources:

http://www.hotlpjobs.com/newdesign/view_

profile.php?id=42

http://www.wdwcollegeprogram.com/sap/its/

mimes/zh_wdwcp/index.html

“Jay Babcock” by May Babcock.

9


10/12

Profile o a Student Union:Quebec Federation o University Students

What is a student union?

A student union is an organized as-

sociation o students, analogous to a

labor union, which advocates at the

institutional and governmental levels

on behal o the interests o students.

Student unions dier rom student

governments in that the latter are

quasi-governing bodies which pass

legislations affecting students within

pre-defined boundaries. For example,

a student government divides student

unds among various student organi-

zations on campus. It does not lobby

on behal o students to stop tuition

increases. Student governments typi-

cally make only those decisions that

are not already dealt with by more

powerul bodies. Tey are thus very

limited.

On the contrary, a students’ union

fights actively or student interests be-

ore, during, and afer their university

education. Students’ unions work on

issues pertaining to affordability, ac-

cessibility, accountability, quality, and

diversity in higher education. he

power o a union is in its numbers.

When organized, students seldom lose

a battle over policy.

What is the Quebec Federation o Uni-

versity Students (FEUQ)?

Te Quebec Federation o University

Students (FEUQ) developed in oppo-

sition to the lifing o the tuition reeze

in Quebec in 1989. It consists o 17

member associations and more 140

000 student members, and defines as

its mission “to deend the rights and

interests o students with govern-

ments, education stake-holders and

civil society actors.”

Its objectives include:

Representing Quebec university stu-

dent associations and their members

in relevant decision-making bodies in

order to promote their positions;

Favoring and acilitating the aca-

demic progress o Quebec university

students and files capable o improv-

ing the quality o teaching and super-

vision offered;

Making accessible to Quebec uni-

versity student associations and their

members the most complete inorma-

tion possible on current files and is-

sues, and available means o action, so

as to better their living conditions;

Promoting the unity o the Quebec

student movement.

Its primary areas o concern are

Quebec policy, health and security,

tuition ee reeze, and issues pertain-

ing to international students. In addi-

tion to addressing areas important to

current students, the FEUQ ocuses

on the interests o recent graduates.

For instance, the Federation perorms

research on the integration o univer-

sity graduates into the regional job

market.

How does FEUQ work?

Te most important decision-making

body o the Quebec Federation o Stu-

dents is its annual general assembly,

which determines the major goals o

the Federation each year, and elects

the body’s executive council. All de-

cisions are voted by 2/3 majority in a

congress, although unanimous con-

sensus is preerred where possible. Te

FEUQ consists o three commissions,

University Affairs, Sociopolitical A-

airs, and Institutional Affairs. Tese

deal with issues o education quality,

policies/financial issues, and internal/

organizational issues, respectively. Te

Quebec Council or Graduate Studies

o the Quebec Federation o Univer-

sity Students (CNCS-FEUQ) discusses

issues pertaining to graduate students,

namely subsidized research, the status

o student-researchers, and so on.

What has the FEUQ done or stu-

dents?

In 2004, the provincial government

in Quebec converted $103 million in

tuition bursaries rom grants to loans,

in effect doubling the debt burden en-

dured by Quebec’s poorest students.

Students immediately began to lobby

parliamentarians to reverse the deci-

sion. In February and March 2005,

over 200,000 students rom universi-

ties and CEGEPs (two-year pre-uni-

versity or technical schools), outraged

by the government’s attack on univer-

sity affordability, declared strike and

demonstrated or the reinstatement o

the grants. Afer five weeks o ofen

militant protest, students negotiated

with Quebec’s government an agree-

ment that the government would rein-

state the unds in ull, and additionally

invest $482 million in financial assis-

tance programs.

he strikes in Quebec were or-

ganized through students’ unions,

and FEUQ was a central orce in the

fight.

Most liberal people would agree that

everyone throws around claims o anti-

Semitism much too loosely these days.

Te basic causes o all this anti-anti-Se-

mitic talk are pretty easy to see. Te US

is at “war” with traditional enemies o

Israel, and the ideological component o

the war is naturally going to evolve into

a pro- or anti-Israel conflict. O course,

this has evolved in a ridiculous way, so

even suggesting that Israel overreacted

to Hezbollah provocation gets people

shouting that you are against the Jews,

want Israel to be pushed into the sea

– what is it with that metaphor? -- etc.

Te people who react to these es-

sentially harmless remarks with such

horror are the victims o a vicious circle.

When anti-Semitic remarks are e-

ectively censored rom polite society,

this kind o thing is bound to happen.Consider: Person A says “kill all Jews”.

Te opinion-makers react with justified

horror, and Person A will never work in

this town again. Person B, taking the les-

son o Person A, says something more

mild, e.g. “imprison all Jews”. Tis is

also not a decent opinion, and Person B

is also shut out o public discourse. But

moreover, people assume that Person B

means “Kill all Jews” but is araid to say

it because o what happened to Person

A.

Tis continues with Person C who,

taking the lesson o Person B, says “reg-

ister all Jews”. Likewise, people assume

he means “kill all Jews” or “imprison all

Jews” but is just araid to say it. We can

continue inductively to Person Y who

says “Israel should not bomb civilian

targets in Lebanon.” Now it may be the

case, and it probably is, that Y merely

means, “Israel should not bomb civilian

targets in Lebanon.” However, since this

is currently on the ringes o acceptable

discussion about Israel, it may be the

case that Y means “kill all Jews” but can’t

get away with saying anything stronger

in public. You can’t tell, and that makes

people nervous. So next time the debate

on Israel starts up, the edges o thedebate will be pushed back to Person Z,

who says “Israel should not deliberately

kill Lebanese civilians,” or something

like that. And so on orever.

Tis is kind o ridiculous. More im-

portantly though, I don’t see what you

can do about it. We definitely do want to

exclude A, B, and C rom public debate.

Tey aren’t helping. But it doesn’t seem

like we can ostracize them without in-

exorably ostracizing Z. Tis is a pattern

that happens in all kinds o controversial

topics: race, sex, homosexuality; anti-

Semitism is just the most important and

obvious right now. I’m not sure how you

break the cycle.

An important thing to note is how

mild all the anti-Semitic discourse actu-

ally is. I don’t want to deend any race-

baiting, but you seldom hear anything

more preposterous than “Jews control

the government” (world banks, the me-

dia, the UN). o be sure, this is danger-

ous rhetoric, in a way. It osters resent-

ment against Jews. But it is a long way

in conceptual space rom A’s demand

to kill all Jews. Compare: “Christian

conservatives control the government.”

Tis is a statement I think everyone

would agree with (except perhaps thosewho think Jews run it), yet demands

or outrageous violence against con-

servative Christians have not ollowed.

Maybe demands or violence against

particular Christians, George Bush

or Dick Cheney, but never (as ar as I

know) against evangelicals in general.

Tat some people believe Bigoted Idea

1 should not suggest that lots o people

believe Infinitely-More-Bigoted Idea 2.

I can honestly say I have never heard

anyone express a desire to kill all Jews.

I know someone is reading this and

saying, but Alex, you’re ignoring the

history o grotesque violence that Jews

have suffered. Pogroms and holocausts

seem to suggest that there is something

about Western society that expresses

itsel in spontaneous outbursts o Jewish

murder. Tat has definitely been a pat-

tern, although it doesn’t seem to have

held up or the last 60 years. Tere are

lots o reasons to think that things have

changed. Increasingly open societies,

lower levels o religiosity (especially

among liberals), the memory o the

Holocaust which is not likely to ade

anytime soon, and the accompanying

shame, all argue against any more huge

outbreaks o anti-Semitic violence inWestern society. Tere will always be

nuts o course, but nuts can only do so

much. So can’t we just have an open

conversation? A, B, and C won’t even

show up, and nobody’s going to get hurt;

I promise.

Mistaken Claims o Anti-Semitism Stifle Debateby Alexander Kobulnicky

10


11/12

September 17, 2006, was the official

date o worldwide rallies urging the

United Nations (UN) to send peace-

keepers to Darur. Te Arican Union

(AU) has peacekeepers already in

Darur, but they are required by their

mandate to leave at the end o Sep-

tember. Rallies urging UN interven-

tion were held in London, Cairo, Par-

is, Kigali, Phnom Penh, Melbourne,

Seoul, oronto, and several other

cities around the world. In New York

City, tens o thousands o individu-

als swarmed into the East Meadow

o Central Park. Tey crowded them-

selves around the rally stage sport-

ing blue hats (representing the blue

caps o UN peacekeepers) and “Save

Darur” -shirts. Tere were chants

(“One wo Tree Four, Stop the

Genocide in Darur!”) and home-

made signs (“200,000 Innocent Civil-

ians Have Died in Darur—Who Will

Die omorrow?”).

Te speakers included Madeleine

Albright, Samantha Power, Chris

Smith, Joey Cheek, and Mira Sor-

vino, representatives o Christianity,

Judaism, and Islam, as well as lead-

ers o national Daruri organizations.

Te entertainment included Nsen-

giyumva & the Vang’Inanga drum

troupe, as well as bands such as Citi-

zen Cope, Big and Rich, and O.A.R.

Shortly afer these worldwide ral-

lies, but not necessarily because o

them, the AU lengthened its man-

date so that its peacekeepers can

remain in Darur until 2007. Te

government o Sudan has reluctantly

supported this mandate, as long as

the UN does not interere with the

unctioning o the AU. Te UN has

also expanded its mandate in Sudan,

and is still considering acting on its

August resolution to send 17,000 UN

peacekeepers to Darur, an action to

which the Sudanese government is

strongly opposed.

According to the speakers at the

rally, this move by the AU and UN is

a significant step towards ending the

genocide in Darur. Yet, how effec-

tive will these peacekeepers be i they

are not allowed to fire back? Surpris-

ingly, this issue was not discussed at

the rally.

Te rally speakers, when they were

not discussing the necessity o UN

peacekeepers in Darur, explained

Rally or Darur

that the situation in Darur must be

seen as a humanitarian issue, not a

political one. Tey spoke in the very

simplistic terms o “common human-

ity” and o “good and evil.” Yet, all

o the solutions they proposed were

complex political solutions, which

they did not attempt to describe in

depth: the involvement o the UN,

increased pressure on China, broad-

er sanctions on Sudan, and the in-

sistence that Sudan comply with the

International Criminal Court.

Why would these speakers, who

are inormed on the issues pertaining

to the genocide in Darur, reuse to

share their knowledge with the peo-

ple at the rallies, people who clearly

wish to be involved? Why would they

choose to speak to the people in such

broad, simplistic terms?

Rallies are not about education or

complex ideas. Rallies are about gath-

ering and reinorcement. Tey are

useul to a certain extent, but must

not be viewed as the tipping point

in their targeted issue. I change is

to come, it must be able to unction

on the political level. Rallies provide

recognition o a necessary support

group, but political action must de-

rive rom the organized motivation

o individuals.

SOURCES:

www.savedarur.org

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?New

sID=19982&Cr=sudan&Cr1=

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2006/

sc8838.doc.htm

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/ex-

eres/59009526-9D8E-45C4-91BB-

C02B52B40477.htm

by Katy Laguzza

A new organization named StudentsUnited has ormed at UConn to ad-dress issues close to home or students.Te group, which hopes to expand tobecome relective o the universitycommunity, has organized around tenkey principles, which orm the chartero the Democratizing Education Net-

work, an emerging, loosely structurednational coalition:

1) Full Public Funding or PublicHigher Education2) Free Access to Higher Educationand Abolition o uition3) Affirmative Action to End Institu-tionalized Racism and Sexism4) Full Recognition o the Right o Stu-dents and Workers to Organize5) Democratic Sel-Government oHigher Education6) Service to the Public Welare, Notto Corporate Profits7) Free Speech and Academic Free-dom8) Debt Forgiveness o StudentLoans9) Civic Education or a DemocraticSociety 10) Education, not war. Schools, NotJails.

uition has nearly tripled in the pasttwo decades. In terms o real wages,average amily income has actually de-clined during this time. According toMeasuring Up’s National Report Cardon Higher Education, which givesConnecticut an “F” or affordability,the percentage o annual income re-

quired to cover the net cost o collegeat UConn is 85% or the poorest fifho C residents.

Cost aects diversity. Adminis-trators love to talk about “campusclimate” as the reason or sub-parminority retention rates. Climate isimportant, surely, but it is a smallpiece o the puzzle. Says Nellie Mae,the nation’s largest non-profit studentloan provider, 69% o black studentsnationwide who do not graduate citemounting debt as their reason or leav-ing school, as opposed to only 43%o white students. With each tuitionincrease, the university perpetuatesa not-so-subtle orm o institutionalracism.

In 1991, state support constituted50% o UConn unding, a figure whichwill decrease to 35.4% in 2007. Teburden created by the steady disman-tling o public support or higher edu-cation has been placed squarely on thebacks o students, who now provide

nearly a third o the university’s bud-get, as opposed to just 17% in ‘91.

Tose who govern the institutionare neither elected nor accountable.he university’s highest decision-making entity is the Board o rust-ees, and is comprised primarily oC business leaders appointed by the

Governor. Te Chairman and ormerCEO o the Aetna Corporation, JohnW. Rowe, serves as Chairman o theBoard o rustees. Te chie executiveo GE Capital serves as Chairman othe Joint Audit and Compliance Com-mittee o the Board. And so on. Teseindividuals are beholden neither tothe university community nor to thetaxpayers o Connecticut, but ratherto the bottom-lines o the inancialinstitutions they lead. Teir interestsare not hidden. For example, in No- vember 2000, beore he was appointedrustee by ex-Governor and convictJohn Rowland, Nayden decribed hiscompany’s intentions or UConn’sE-Business Lab: “GE Capital associ-ates working with UConn studentsand UConn aculty on real live, everyday, e-business projects that will comeout o this acility that we’re going toimplement in my twenty-eight com-panies.” He added in the UConn Ad- vance, “GE Capital will benefit rom

Students Unitedthe projects and we hope to take advantage o the direct talent pipeline totomorrow’s e-business leaders.”

he university community, com-prised o students, staff, and aculty,should run the university in the publicinterest through participatory demo-cratic processes.

Students United hopes to become abroad-based association that providesa mechanism through which studentscan organize to exert pressure on in-stitutional leaders and government o-ficials. I you are concerned with thedirection o higher education - eveni you are just outraged at the campusparking situation and your inability toaffect it - get involved.

[email protected]

Sources“Te roublesome Decline in Arican-Ameri-can College Student Graduation Rates.” TeJournal o Blacks in Higher Education, No. 33.(Autumn, 2001), pp. 102-109.

“GE Invests $11 Million in E-Initiatives, Diver-sity.” UConn Advance. November 20, 2000.

http://board.uconn.edu/

http://www.budget.uconn.edu/

Measuring Up: National Report Card onHigher Education, 2006. http://measuringup.highereducation.org/

“Music vs. Military” Eric Drooker. drooker.com

11


12/12

8:30-9:30 pm

thru Oct 13

6:00-7:30pm

1:30 - 3 pm

7 - 8:30 pm

7:30-9:30 pm

7 - 9 pm

thru Oct 15

12 - 1 pm

6 - 7:30 pm

All Day

4 - 5 pm

7 - 8 pm

Mondays

Oct 9

Oct 10

Oct 11

Oct 11

Oct 11

Oct 12

Oct 13

Oct 16

Oct 17

Oct 18

Oct 19

Oct 19

Between Women - or women who love women.

Clothesline Project

SOS - Aromatherapy

“Te Face o Gay Puerto Rico”

WRAAP: Te Political Process

Sex(ism), Identity & Intimacy in a Pornographic Culture

Te Political Process…

Worker Co-op Conerence. www.usworker.coop

Conronting the Myths o Domestic Violence

SOS – Massage

9th Annual Love Your Body Day

Hidden Narratives: Te Black Freedom Movement ...

Movie – CHISHOLM ‘72: Unbought & Unbossed

Women’s Center

Student Union

Women’s Center

Te Rainbow Center

Arican American Cultural Center

Student Union Teater

Arican American Cultural Center

New York City

CUE Building, Storrs Campus

Women’s Center

Everywhere

Class o 1947 Room, Babbidge Library

Women’s Center

events

CO N TR I B U TOR S

Andrew BaconJoelle CohnDavid F. CrouseChad “Bourner” DentonJoshua Faucherim GorinKatie Gregory Episkopos Scott HastingsDavid Huck Salmun KazerounianAlexander Kobulnicky ara Kurland

Katy LaguzzaNorm MoghtaderiBryan Murphy Clare RowlandScallopJohn SchreiberRachel SpearsCassie UptonAmy VanheuverzwynAshley WidteldtDora WilkeneldCyborg Yakovleff Damon Yakovleff

UConn Free Press is an alternative student-run newspaper. We arean anti-profit weekly publication serving the university and localcommunity. We are dedicated to carrying out the tradition o partici-patory democracy through staff consensus in all matters concerningthe paper. Open meeting times are available on the website.We welcome article and art submissions via www.uconnreepress.orgor [email protected]. Consider, criticize, and debate.

Untitled, by May Babcock.

Documents

UConn Free Press Oct. 2006