[Corporations] [DEN] National Higher Ed Strategy Meeting - NOTICE & APPLICATION (Extended Deadline - August 25th)

[Ben Manski]

calling students, faculty, and campus workers . . .
(Extended Deadline for applications - August 25th)



NATIONAL MEETING FOR CAMPUS ORGANIZERS
DEMOCRATIZING EDUCATION NETWORK
SEPT 22-24, 2006, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Greetings,

Two months from now, over the weekend of Sept 20-22, 2006, we will
gather in Chicago some 40-60 campus organizers from a score U.S.
colleges universities, to compare experiences, recent advances and
setbacks, and to plan coordinated action for the coming year.  You, or
people you work with on your campus, could be among those organizers.

Please take five minutes to read through this invitation.  Contents
include information regarding the Democratizing Education Network and
Liberty Tree, an initial meeting agenda, initial travel and lodging
logistics, and so on.  At the end is a short application due August 1st.
Lodging is covered, and we hope to be able to help with transportation
(donations for transportation scholarships gratefully accepted).
Please call or email immediately with any questions.

We are looking for participants from many campuses. Maybe you, or some
people you work with, would be ideal for this meeting.  We are looking for
participation from diverse campus communities, including especially
communities of color, undergrads and grads, and staff and faculty.  Gender
balance is also a priority.  The idea is to bring the campus communities
together, and get ready to fight for higher education, and a democratic
society, in '06-'07.


   For Education for Democracy!

   Carl Williams, Ben Manski, Pabitra Benjamin
   Liberty Tree Fellows ~ Democratizing Education Program
   Education at LibertyTreeFDR.org
   608 257 1606

p.s. ~ The next Democratizing Education Convention - less oriented to
planning actions, and more oriented to networking, skills, and issues
workshops, will occur in the Spring.

- - -

A.	ABOUT THE DEMOCRATIZING EDUCATION NETWORK

On October 20, 2005, several hundred undergraduate, graduate, campus
labor, faculty, and community organizers, hailing from nine states and
two Canadian provinces, met at the first Democratizing Education
Convention at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. In addition to
holding skills workshops, policy briefings, and comparing notes, the
convention created a new network of higher education organizers, the
Democratizing Education Network (DEN).

Since that convention, the DEN has served as a resource for campus
organizing drives across the country, and has inspired a series of new
student union organizing drives, campus solidarity actions, and a renewed
Tent State University movement.

The Democratizing Education Network accepts as its constituent
organizations any campus or community organizations dedicated to the
complete fulfillment of the goals detailed in the Democratic Higher
Education Charter.

Democratizing Education Network:
http://www.libertytreefdr.org/event.php?event_id=95
http://www.DemocratizingEducation.org

Liberty Tree's Democratizing Education Program:
http://www.libertytreefdr.org/democratizingEducation.php


B.	ABOUT LIBERTY TREE

The Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution is a non-profit
organization rooted in the belief that the American Revolution is a living
tradition whose greatest promise is democracy.  Our central purpose is to
build on the accomplishments of earlier American movements by launching a
new stage in the struggle for democracy.   Among our three chief program
areas is our Democratizing Education Program.  For more information, see:

http://www.LibertyTreeFDR.org/

C.	MEETING AGENDA

	Friday, Sept 22
		4pm – Check-In
		6pm – Dinner
		7:30pm – Campus Reports & Discussion

	Saturday, Sept 22
		8:00am – Breakfast
               9:00am – Organizing Updates & Discussions:
			 Militarization
			 Affirmative action
			 Student unionism
			 Campus labor
			 Tent States
			 Academic freedom
			 Internationalism in education activism
			 The GATS and higher ed
		Noon – Lunch
		2:00pm – Coordination for the Coming Year:
			 The Network
			 Survey of upcoming crises, events
			 Coordinated action(s)
		7:00pm – Dinner
		9:00pm – Social

	Sunday, Sept 23
		9:00am – Breakfast
		10:00am – The Democratizing Education Convention
		1:00pm – Goodbyes and Check-Out

D.	LODGING

	We will be staying at a conference center in Chicago.  The facilities are
dorms, and we will be meeting on-site.  Lodging will be covered for
retreat participants; however, should you or your organization be able to
pay for your lodging, we can apply the savings toward travel scholarships
for others.

E.	TRANSPORTATION

	Liberty Tree is prepared to provide some limited transportation
assistance for participants who need this assistance.  If you or your
organization is able to make a contribution to help others attend the
meeting, that would help a great deal.

- - - -

APPLICATION – CHICAGO DEN MEETING PARTICIPATION
Return to Carl Williams at Williams at LibertyTreeFDR.org by Aug 25th.

NAME:

EMAIL:

PHONE:

ADDRESS:

CAMPUS:

STUDENT/STAFF/FACULTY/UNION:

AFFILIATIONS:

PLEASE PROVIDE BRIEF ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1.	Why do you want to participate?


2.	What is your campus organizing and other organizing background?


3.	What will your participation add to the retreat?


4.	Will you be on campus next year?