Community Resource Directory
COMMUNITY RESOURCE DIRECTORY
Agenda Publications
P. O. Box 3624
Ann Arbor, MI 48106
(313)996-8018
Statement of Purpose
Agenda is a monthly newspaper that focuses on the concerns and activities of grassroots organizations in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area. The largest section of the paper, the "Community Resource Directory" (CRD), provides groups the opportunity to give basic information on their background and current work. The "Calendar" emphasizes meetings and community events and the "Readers Write" section is a forum in which individuals or groups can write in-depth about a concern or topic. Agenda's news and feature articles provide coverage of events that do not find their way into the local media on a regular basis.
One of the main goals of the publication is to increase participation in the available political processes. Voting is important but a lot of equally important work, which deserves more public attention and support, takes place outside of the voting booth. The Community Resource Directory (CRD) helps readers select where to get involved by providing details on each group's views, strategies, and focus. Groups are encouraged to consider their listing an ongoing conversation with the public and with their own members. Listings in the CRD are written by members of the organizations because Agenda aims to give the reader a view of current events right from the source. By listing a wide range of organizations, Agenda provides readers with many ways to become involved and make a difference in their community.
Another purpose of the publication is to increase public participation in the media. We do this by providing a credible forum in which nonprofessional writers can develop ideas, interests, or convictions into published articles. In general, the public at large is invited to write for Agenda, and many of our sections are designed to facilítate this participation: the "CRD," "Readers Write," "Letters," and "Graffiti" (new this month).
When the event calls for it, Agenda practices and experiments with our own journalism style, which we call "verbatim journalism." In some stories (such as the "Why are you here?" series), we present a variety of opinions by printing what a reporter tape-records in its entirety, believing that the reader can best draw his or her own conclusions. "Verbatim journalism" is an attempt at removing the reporter from the story and giving more weight to eyewitness accounts, participant motives, and in many cases, a speaker's style. In this same vein, we record and print speeches in their entirety.
Agenda prints articles that provide the information readers need to question, better understand what they read elsewhere, and spark action. We also publish government and media address directories, interviews with candidates, event chronologies, and articles written by the activist community.
Membership
Agenda has two full-time PublisherEditors (paid staff), Laurie Wechter and Ted Sylvester; a part-time Advertising Representative, Glenn Bering; and as of September, a Student Intern from the School of Natural Resources, Bonnie Nevel. Denis McBee is in charge of paste-up and art production, Jim Kirk is in charge of circulation and technical support, and Al Lozano is in charge of distribution and is our business consultant. Judy Brown, Andrew Boyd, Cinder Hypki, and Ellen Rusten write for Agenda. Gregory Fox and Peter Odom are Agenda's resident photographers. In addition to these volunteers, Agenda relies on many others for the day to day tasks of publishing, from transcribing to putting the paper in the mail and on the streets.
We welcome students, activists and community residents to help us with this enormous effort and are especially in need of: (a) advertising representativas (commission paid), (b) distributors to take half-hour to one hour routes every month, (c) writers, (d) proofreaders, (e) business experts, (f) computer experts, (g) outreach workers, (h) researchers, (i) law experts and (j) fundraisers. If you are a student, you can receive credit through an independent study or a field work assignment. Volunteers do not have to come to Agenda skilled. They just need to come with a desire to learn and we will train.
Current News
The September edition of Agenda is our sixth issue. We print and distribute 10,000 copies every month. Approximately 9,000 copies are distributed for free from over 120 locations in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area. The other 1,000 copies are mailed to subscribers, advertisers, and targeted readers. Financially, Agenda is supported through advertising revenues, paid subscriptions, donations, and loans.
Publishing a newsmonthly involves considerable capital and resources. We have made great progress at making Agenda a financially self-sufficient non-aligned publication, but are constantly in need of subscribers, advertisers, donations and loans to keep it up. Your help is greatly appreciated and helps sustain this important community resource. If you like us, please subscribe or volunteer.
We are always looking for news and feature articles, letters to the editor and more listings for the CRD. Don't forget to contact us about events or meetings that we should be covering. We depend on you for information as much as your readers do. Please do not hesitate to contact us and get your views into the news. We welcome all opinions.
September Schedule
Sat. 13: Deadline for Feature/News drafts.
Mon. 15: Deadline for ad space reservations.
Fri. 19: Deadline for CRD. If hand delivered, please call 996-8018 for our new address. Deadline for photos and graphics. Deadline for Calendar listings.
Sun. 21 : Camera-ready ads due.
Fall in general: We're considering throwing a rally on the Diag to introduce students and the public to the organizations listed in our publication. FSACC carne up with the same idea. If you want to help organize such a rally, call us at 996-8018 or Barbara Ransby at 769-8549. We are also trying to organize a dinner-benefit which would feature El Salvadoran food and Latin culture. If you are interested in working on that, please call us at 996-8018 immediately. Al Lozano will be coordinating the benefit.
ENVIRONMENT
The Ecology Center of Ann Arbor
417 Detroit Street
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104
761-3186
Statement of Purpose
The mission of the Ecology Center is to channel community resources into meaningful action on environmental issues. The Center pursues its broad aims through education, advocacy, demonstration, and service, all the while maintaining a balance between involvement at the local level and involvement on a broader scale.
Meetings
Meetings of Ecology Center groups, the Issues Steering Committee, Pesticides Task Force, Environmental Education Committee and others, take place at 3 to 5 week intervals. New volunteers are invited.
The Ecology Center has over 2,200 member households and businesses, mostly in the Ann Arbor area. Membership rates are $15 per household. Member benefits include a year's subscription to the Center's monthly newsletter; environmental alerts on critical local issues, discounts on Center publications, merchandise, energy visits, voting rights to elect board members, and invitations to member activities. Sponsorships, bequests, and special contributions are welcomed.
Community Services
Environmental Information and Referrals: By phone, Mon.-Fri., 9:30 am to 5 pm, and Sat., 9:30 am to 1 pm. The Environmental Library and Resource Center is open Mon.-Fri., 1 pm to 5 pm and Sat., 9:30 am to 1 pm. Presentations and slide shows are also available upon request. The "Michigan Household Hazardous Substance Handbook," is available for $15 at the Ecology Center. It is a new guide to precautions, alternatives, and safe practices n the home.
Recycle Ann Arbor: The Center provides set-scheduled monthly pick ups of recycleables on every city street. Trucks pick up newspapers, glass, tin cans, aluminum, used motor oil and batteries. Special pickups may be arranged for local businesses and institutions wishing to recycle. Call the Center for further information. The Center also operates a drop-off station at 2050 S. Industrial for nonresidents and those who just can't wait for their pick-up day (or missed it). The station is open Fri. and Sat., 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Home Energy Works: Starting up again in the first week of September, the Center's Energy Team offers free home visits to income-qualifiying renters and homeowners. A home visit is a two to three hour weatherization and energy education session in a resident's home. These services are also offered on a for-fee basis for renters, homeowners, and property managers.
Environmental Policy Programs: Involve research, policy analysis, and lobbying. Programs are primarily carried out by volunteers. Current project areas include: Household Toxics, Pesticides and Herbicides, Community "Right to Know" About Toxics, and the Environmental Education Outreach program.
Volunteer Opportunities: All program areas at the Ecology Center utilize the involvement of the local community. Individuals who would like to lend a hand, should contact the Ecology Center.
Current Events
Ecology Month (October) is just around the corner and the Ecology Center and cooperating organizations have a host of fun and fact-filled environmental activities in store.
Sept. 28: Indoor Composting Workshop from 11 am to 1 pm and Harvest Feast Open House from 1 pm to 4 pm, both at Leslie Science Center. At the Composting Workshop, a demonstration vermicomposting (indoor composting with the aid of worms) box will be set up.'The Harvest Feast, sponsored by Project Grow, will feature a workshop on root cellaring, displays of organic produce, a garden blueprinting activity and more. Both events are free. For information: 662-7802. Also, "The China Syndrome" will be shown as part of the Perry Bullard film series, $2.50, 7:30 and 9:30 pm, Aud. A, Angelí Hall, U-M, Ann Arbor.
Oct. 2: Groundwater Demonstration Display Construction Workshop, Leslie Science Center, 7 pm. For information: 662-7802.
Oct. 3 and 4: Tag Days. Help out by contributing to the Ecology Center. Volunteers will be at all major downtown Ann Arbor corners.
Oct. 4: The annual Household Hazardous Substances Drop Off Day is back! All residents are encouraged to bring unwanted household chemicals to Shadford Field, just east of Ypsilanti High School, 1779 Packard, Ypsilanti, 10 am to 4 pm.
Meeman Archive
1535 Dana Building School of Natural Resources University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Ml 48109
763-5327
Statement of Purpose
Established by the School of Natural Resources and the Scripps-Howard Foundation in 1982, the Meeman Archive preserves and makes available to the public outstanding newspaper journalism concerning conservation, natural resources, and the environment, lts computerized database, using over a hundred subject and geographical keywords covering a wide variety of topics and articles from many different newspapers, is available to anyone. It is of particular value to natural resource professionals, environmental groups, teachers, students, journalists, and the public at large.
The Archive receives articles from a variety of sources. The principal source is the national Meeman Awards sponsored by the Scripps-Howard Foundation, which honors outstanding coverage of environmental topics. Articles are selected from other sources as well. New articles on subjects such as hazardous waste, endangered species, energy conservation, water policy, soil erosion, Native Americans, occupational health, transportation, among others, are constantly being added to the Archive, thus expanding the available collection of environmental information.
Community Services
As a nonprofit information service, the Archive responds to information inquines from all across the country. To find out if the information you need may be found within the Archive, phone, write, or visit. The database allows us to search for articles, abstracts, or copies of the articles in our files. The only charge for the service is for postage and reproduction costs.
GAY RIGHTS
Gay Liberation c/o 4117 Michigan Union
Ann Arbor, Ml 48109
INFO: 763-4816 HOTLINE: 662-1977
Statement of Purpose
To provide information, counseling, and related social services for people concerned about sexual orientation: (1) maintain Hotline for crisis intervention, peer counseling, referral; (2) help provide factual information to offset prejudice and misinformation about lesbians and gay men; (3) work to obtain human and civil rights for lesbians and gay men; (4) consult and cooperate with other community groups and agencies; (5) help other lesbian and gay male groups organize.
Meetings and Membership
Our meetings vary according to purpose (counseling, education, civil rights, etc.). Call for information. Our organization includes U-M students, staff, and faculty, and people from the larger community. Currently there are approximately 50 members.
Organizational Structure
Gay Liberation has the executive offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. We also do a lot of work in subcommittees: Counseling, Group Workers, Education Workers, and Civil Rights Workers.
Community Services
Hotline: Crisis intervention, peer counseling, referral.
Education: Workshops and conferences on lesbian and gay male concerns, with an emphasis on how people in the helping professions and teaching professions can work positively with lesbian and gay male clients, patients, students.
Speakers Bureau: Call for information.
Civil Rights: Information and referral to help people who are being discriminated against because of their actual or presumed sexual orientation or gender characteristics; lobbying for human and civil rights.
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Community Organization: Information and help on organizing groups, setting goals and objectives, resolving interpersonal and group conflict.
Current News
Apologies are not enough! The U.S. Justice Department has apologized to Dr. William Haseltine, a researcher at Harvard University who has devoted much of his recent work to AIDS. The Department had erroneously quoted Dr. Haseltine as stating that the HTLV-III virus can be transmitted through casual contact or proximity to a person with AIDS.
Apologies are not enough because the Justice Department has ruled that employers can fire or refuse to hire people with AIDS merely because the employer fears spread of the disease in the workplace, although research has shown that AIDS is not transmitted through casual day-to-day contact.
The American Medical Association itself has filed a brief with the U. S. Supreme Court, arguing that a federal law on the rights of handicapped persons protects people with AIDS and people with other infectious diseases from discrimination based on irrational fear that co-workers might contract the illness.
The brief argues that employment decisions should be based on "reasonable, individualized medical judgements" about whether the handicap allows a person to perform a job and about the "nature, degree, and duration of risk" to co-workers.
The Justice Department ruling states that ability to transmit the AIDS virus does not constitute a handicap and therefore that the law does not protect people with AIDS from being fired because the employer fears contagion. The ruling is likely to reinforce discrimination not only against people with AIDS but also against people known or believed "to be gay."
In Michigan, the State House of Representatives is preparing for an early September vote on two discriminatory AIDS bills. Anyone arrested for gay sex, prostitution, or I. V. drug abuse would be required to take the AIDS antibody test and could be denied bail and jailed if the results are positive. Hemophiliacs, bisexual men, and I. V. drug abusers would be denied marriage licenses if they refused to take the test. Police would be encouraged to step up the enforcement of Michigan's laws forbidding gay sex. Employers would be encouraged to require the antibody test and to fire or refuse to hire people with positivo test results and people believed to be gay. The way would be paved for other discriminatory bills allowing insurance companies to refuse policies to people suspected of being gay and people testing positive. The State would be required to compile lists of all people testing positive and to investigate their sexual contacts.
To fight this proposed legislation we need to make our voices heard in Lansing. Please authorize MOHR (Michigan Organization for Human Rights) to send your legislators up to three telegrams in your name in opposition to these discriminatory bills. The telegrams will be sent just before key votes and will be charged to your home telephone at a charge of $4.25 each. Nothing in the telegram will imply sexual orientation.
Write to MOHR, 17520 Woodward, Detroit, MI 48203 authorizing telegrams in your name. Include your name, address, the telephone number to be charged and the name appearing on the telephone bill. For more information: 763-4186 (message tape if no answer) or 869-MOHR.
Health Issues
Wellness Networks,
Inc. - Huron Valley
(WNI-HV)
P. O. Box 3242
Ann Arbor, MI 48106
662-6134
Statement of Purpose
WNI-HV aims to educate the general public about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) as as to provide support and direct care to people with AIDS (PWA's), people with AIDS-Related Complex (ARC), and individuals concerned about AIDS. Our service area encompasses the greater Huron Valley area.
Membership and Meetings
Any individual is welcome to work with the organization as a volunteer andor board member. Current membership includes men and women from all walks of life: health care professionals, educators, therapists, members/representatives of high risk groups, and individuals from the general public.
General meetings are held the second Sunday of every month and are open to all. The next meeting is September 14, 3:30 to 5:30 pm, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Education Center, Ann Arbor. (Enter through out-patient entrance.)
Community Services
Education: Speakers available to address any group on all aspects of HTLV-III infection: transmission, testing, psychosocial issues, safe sex, etc. Written materials available.
Support Groups: Currently available for: those who have AIDS, ARC, or a positive antibody status; friends, family, partners of the above; high risk individuals concerned about HTLV-III infection. Others will be formed as needed.
Direct Services: Transportation, assistance with errands, home or hospital visitation, coordination of health care/social service benefits, whatever else is necessary for the person with AIDS.
Referral: To other health care, educational, or social service agencies.
Housing
Arm Arbor Tenants
Union
4001 Michigan Union Ann Arbor 48109
763-6876
Community Services
The Ann Arbor Tenants Union educational and counseling services are available to individuals and groups in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area. AATU's central service office is located in the Michigan Union. Tenants who work with neighbors towards a collective solution to shared problems have more strength than individuals. These tenants form Tenants Union locals where they live in order to bargain collectively with the landlord. AATU provides back up services for locals including research, graphics production, organizational and negotiating assistance and networking with other tenants.
Counseling services: Phone counseling is available Monday and Thursday afternoons. In-person counseling is available Wednesdays at 1 pm and 7 pm at the office in the Michigan Union (other times by appointment please). Please bring photocopies of leases, letters, anything on paper.
Published materials: "How to Evict Your Landlord" a manual of basic tenants rights is available for $3. "Fight Back! How to defend yourself in court when you're being evicted" helps you through the courtroom without an attorney. This book costs $4. Add $1 per booklet for mail order.
Membership
AATU memberships are available on a sliding scale to any tenant in the area. Membership is not mandatory to receive counseling but all contributions are needed and welcome. AATU is a member organization of the National Tenants Union, the Community Housing Coalition (Ann Arbor), and the Michigan Ad-Hoc Committee on Housing.
Current News
Appleridge Tenants Union: The seven-month rent strike at Appleridge apartments on Ann Arbor's west side has forced the landlords there to make numerous improvements. Rotten bathroom floors, leaky windows, kitchen sinks and other neglected items have been repaired. Tenants are pleased that a swimming pool that sat unusable and unsafe for six years has been filled in.
The Appleridge Tenants Union has filed an appeal of Housing Inspection Bureau errors alleging violations of the law by city bureaucrats. The bureaucrats improperly granted a certifícate of occupancy (the landlords license to collect rents) when numerous violations were known to still exist.
The average time for release of inspection reports is about two weeks. Some reports take as long as four months to release. After intense landlord pressure (as it has been repeatedly described by bureaucrats the Bureau mailed letters to tenants one day after an inspection. Bureaucrats have admitted that language in the letter telling tenants to end the rent strike was improper. A public hearing on these matters will be held on September 4 at the fire station. Interested tenants are encouraged to attend. I
Inspection fees changed: Ann Arbor housing bureaucrats recently proposed housing inspection fees which would have passed the financial savings of efficient city work on to the city's largest
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landlords. Owners of the largest buildings would have paid as little as 5% of the per unit cost to the city of the inspection operation. The fee for a building with only one unit in it would have been 200% of the cost to the city. The real cost to the city per month per unit is about $1.95.
AATU members and staff and other tenant advocates worked with Council members to redefine the fee structure. The fee structure which passed council accurately reflects the city's real costs and costs less than one half of one percent of a tenants rent. The per unit cost is based on units inspected rather than the political pull of the largest landlords. In addition the fee for rooming houses was reduced relative to other rents.
University Terrace: Contradictions abound in the continuing story of University Terraces. While the University is planning to tear down 193 units of worthwhile student housing, Regent Deane Baker has told the Michigan Daily that the University won't build any new housing unless there is a crisis shortage in current housing. The fact is, there is a housing crisis in Ann Arbor and the non-speculative construction of decent housing by the University would help reduce the problem. University destruction of decent housing will only aggravate the problem.
Inspection delayed by non-existant law suit: In May, the Housing Inspection Bureau issued a report on the notorious rooming house at 708 E. Kingsley. That report noted a reinspection would be needed after July 22. The bureau supervisor told the Tenants Union in early August that the city could not inspect because of a federal law suit which had been filed against the city, the AATU and various individuals. The AATU had never been served and checked with the city attorneys office. There was no record of such a suit there either. The HIB supervisor claimed the AATU had talked to the wrong city attorney and that a different city attorney knew about the suit. Not true. More phone calls from the AATU to the city finally prompted the scheduling of an inspection. Results n the October CRD.
Meanwhile tenants should be aware that when city housing officials claims sound fictional they may indeed be fictional. Do not take your public servants at their word if it seems questionable.
Midwest housing conference in Ann Arbor: Rent control, how to pass it and why, will be one of the featured topics at the National Tenants Union Midwest regional housing conference in Ann Arbor on October 25. Basic training sessions in Michigan tenants rights and tenants organizing will be offered for local tenants. Tenant experts and rank and file tenants from throughout the Midwest will be sharing experiences and expertise.
The Inter-Cooperative
Council (ICC) 4002 Michigan Union
Ann Arbor, Ml 48109
662-4414
Statement of Purpose
The ICC s a student owned and operated housing corporation that offers quality housing below market rates. The ICC owns 17 co-op houses near the U-M campus which house over 500 students. Unlike dorms and apartments which are controlled by landlords or the University, cooperative houses are owned and controlled by the students who live in them. Students decide everything from what color the house will be painted to what type of meals will be served.. Because each house member must do 4 to 5 hours of work per week around the house (cooking, cleaning, maintenance, etc.) and because no profiteering landlords are involved, co-ops are considerably less expensive and more fun than other housing options.
The economic alternative offered by ICC co-ops s only part of their attraction. A strong sense of community exists in co-ops; each house has has its own personality and members get to know each other very well by sharing work, meals, and fun. Almost each house hosts an ICC-wide party some time during the semester. Houses also host special events such as poetry readings, meet the candidates night, coffee houses, etc. The ICC is opening an education center this fall that will be a focal point for many of these activities and other events such as movie nights and classes about cooperatives.
The ICC promotes a system of housing that is based upon human worth as opposed to other housing systems that are based upon monetary worth, social standing, or how many goldfish you can swallow. We emphasize cooperation not only as a means to low cost quality housing but also as a way to self empowerment, economie democracy, and as a way of life!
History of Ann Arbor Cooperatives Student cooperatives in Ann Arbor began in the 1930's as impoverished students banded together in order to survive the Great Depression. Michigan Socialist House opened in 1932 and is said to have been the first room and board housing cooperative in the United States. The ICC was incorporated several years later in order to gain greater efficiency in common functions such as maintenance and new housing purchases. Michigan House Co-op enters its 55th year of operation this fall, continuing to thrive along with the 16 other ICC houses purchased over the years.
For more information about ICC cooperative housing, drop by the ICC office weekdays, 10 am to 4 pm, or drop by one of the houses anytime for a tour.
Current News
Our new houses have been renovated and we are currently planning programs for our education center. Any community issue groups that are interested in presenting workshops, teach-ins or other programs for ICC members should contact our office. We still have a couple of open spaces for fall/winter. For more information call 662-4414.
Labor
Industrial Workers of the
World (IWW)
Southeastern Michigan General
Membership Branch
42 S. Summit
Ypsilanti, Ml 48197
483-3478
Statement of Purpose
To promote the ownership and control of all means of production and distribution by the working class which creates all social wealth through its labor. In the short run, the IWW helps workers organize for increased democracy in the workplace, as well as for increased wages and benefits. The Union promotes its purposes through workplace organizing and education with an emphasis on direct action as the most effective means for workers to achieve their goals.
Meetings and Membership
Every Monday (except holidays) 6 pm, Room 4304, Michigan Union, 530 S. State, Ann Arbor. Observers are welcome.
Area membership includes the majority of the employees at: Ann Arbor Tenant's Union, People's Wherehouse, University Cellar, and several other employees, both employed and unemployed, homemakers and students who are in agreement with the Union's principles. The IWW has approximately 110 members n this area. The initiation fee is $5. Dues are $5 per month for workers making more than $300 per month, $2 per month for anyone making less than $300 per month.
Community Services
Labor-organizing: Members of the IWW are available to advise and assist anyone engaged in organizing which will promote worker control, regardless of whether the organizers ultimately desire affiliation with the IWW.
Current News
Plans are in the works for a series of educational events over the next several months to highlight the contributions of the working class to U. S. history. The first event will hopefully occur toward the end of September. Watch for posters around Ann Arbor announcing times and places.
Michigan Farm
Unity Coalition
P.O. Box 506
Howell, Michigan 48843
Phone 1-800-MI-FARMS
Statement of Purpose
The Michigan Farm Unity Coalition was organized for the purpose of returning economie stability to the family farm system of agricultural, through a farm program based on parity pricing with supply management.
The Coalition supports alternative agricultural legislation which provides parity pricing for a wide range of commodities, including dairy, with mandatory supply management. The coalition supports no proposal which would require farmers to produce any commodity for any market at below the cost of production. Due to farm foreclosures of epidemic proportion, the Coalition supports a credit program which provides for debt-management with a moratorium on foreclosures and repossessions. This would help stabilize land values until the pricing legislation would allow troubled farmers to become economically viable.
Because of the severe financial problems prevalent throughout rural America today, many farm families are without the bare essentials. The Coalition supports legislation which would provide survival assistance for those who need food, clothing, shelter or health care but do not qualify for programs already in place. In order to achieve these goals, members of the Michigan Farm Unity Coalition have been actively organizing grassroots membership groups for the purpose of educating and activating farm families in the art of changing agricultural policy.
The coalition has opened a hotline number for Michigan farmers in need of assistance. The number is 1-800-MI-FARMS.
Coalition members have participated in discussions with other major farm organizations and have come to a unified position regarding alternative legislation. It is now in the hands of our Congresspeople and Senators to pass legislation which will restore economic viability to rural America and in doing so, bríng prosperity to America.
Member Organizations
American Agriculture Movement, Michigan Agenda, Michigan Catholic Conference, Michigan Community Action Agency, Michigan Democratie Agriculture Committee, Michigan Education Association, Michigan Farm Borrowers Association, Michigan Farm Justice Coalition, Michigan Farmers' Union, Michigan Land Improvement Contractors, Michigan League of Rural Voters, Michigan Organic Growers Association, Michigan State AFL-CIO, Save America's Farming Environment, National Farmers Organization, Oakland-Livingston Human Services Agency, United Auto Workers, Women for Survival of Agriculture in Michigan.
Officers
Richard K. Stout, President; DeVere Noakes, Vice President; Merrie Kranz, Secretary; Neal Rogers, Treasurer.
LATIN AMERICA
A2MISTAD
Construction
Brigade
802 Monroe
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104
761-7960
Statement of Purpose
The A2MISTAD Construction Brigade, a project of HAP-NICA, was organized for the purpose of building a soil and water analysis facility on the campus of the Autonomous University of Nicaragua. By working with Nicaraguans to help build a stronger, more independent agricultural economy, A2MISTAD (Ann Arbor-Managua Initiative for Soil Testing and Development) hopes to create lasting ties between Nicaragua and Ann Arbor, showing solidarity with the Nicaraguan people as they attempt to implement the goals of their revolution.
A2MISTAD is part of an international effort involving not only the Ann Arbor based brigade, but modern equipment donated by the Italian government, a $20,000 donation from the Dutch government, and training provided by Canadian technicians. The brigade, which will begin construction in January, is currently raising $20-30,000 for the purchase of materials. Other current focuses include recruiting skilled workers to assist in the project and collecting needed tools from the community.
Meetings and Membership
A2MISTAD's meetings are open to all, Sundays at 7:30 in the Michigan Union. Ask for the room at the information desk. A2MISTAD is composed of 20-30 students and permanent community members. Although some skilled workers are already involved with the brigade, experienced plumbers, masons, electricians, and carpenters are still needed for the construction of the lab in Nicaragua. In addition, a health care worker and fluent Spanish speakers are needed.
Current News
A2MISTAD would like to thank all those who helped out at the July 19 Bash at West Park and the food booth at the Art Fair. Your much-appreciated assistance helped us raise about $4,500.
Two upcoming events in September, a phone-a-thon and a canvass, will also require a great deal of effort from the community if they are to be as successful. Any volunteers who are able to give a few hours at either of these fundraising events would be more than welcome. Please call or stop by if you are interested in helping out.
September Events
Weekend of 13th: Canvass for collecting donations and tools.
Wed. 17 to Thurs. 18: Phone-a-thon to solicit donations and tools.
Fri. 26: Bowl-a-thon at Colonial Lanes to help raise funds for tools and materials.
Central America
Education/Action
Committee
604 E. Huron
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
663-1870
Community Services
Phone tree to lobby Congressman Cari Pursell and others against the continued militarization of Central America (leave name, phone, and address at ICP office, 663-1870).
Speakers' Bureau and slide shows related to Central America (cali ICP to schedule, 663-1870).
September Events
We are still collecting materials for Betania Refugee Camp in El Salvidor, the mission of Fr. Jim Feliz in Paiwas, Nicaragua, and the Border Witness: blue jeans, t-shirts, cotton clothing, and shoes for children, tennis balls, frisbees, garden trowels, sewing scissors, sewing machines, hammers and drills. All in good condition and not in need of mending can be dropped off at the ICP office.
Wednesdays, 6 to 7:30 pm: Beans and Rice Dinners: All proceeds beyond the costs of the dinner go towards material aid projects in Central America. Sponsored by LASC and Guild House. $2/adult and $1/child age 6 to 12 suggested donation. Guild House, 802 Monroe, Ann Arbor.
HAP-NICA
802 Monroe
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104
769-1442
Statement of Purpose
HAP-NICA is a nonprofit organization conducting a national campaign of aid for Nicaraguan agriculture. Our goal is to help the Nicaraguan people achieve economic development and self-sufficiency. Toward that goal, we work with the Nicaraguan Union of Small and Mid-sized Farmers and Ranchers (UNAG), the Farmworkers Union (ATC) and the Higher Institute of Agricultural Science (ISCA), through our full-time coordinator in Managua. When we accept a development project proposed to us by one of these organizations we work to raise funds for it or to arrange for other groups across the country to take responsibility for raising all or part of the necessary money. We are a project of the Guild House Campus Ministry of Ann Arbor (an ecumenical ministry devoted to principles of human justice) and the New World Agriculture Group (NWAG).
Meetings
HAP-NICA meets on alternate Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. at the Michigan Union. Meetings in September will be September 4 and 18.
Services
"Seeds of Hope", an 18-minute slide-tape documentary about agriculture in Nicaragua, is now available for interested groups and individuals. This documentary describes the exemplary progress Nicaraguans have made in working toward an ecologically, economically, and socially just system of agriculture. We learn how the contra war, the trade embargo, and Reagan's propaganda campaign have
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HAP-NICA (cont. from previous page) "sowed the seeds of discontent" in Nicaragua. We learn that "progress s possible" and what we as citizens of North America can do to "sow the seeds of hope" and "contribute to peaceful cooperation between our two countries."
HAP-NICA is looking for opportunities to show "Seeds of Hope" to church groups, union groups, women's groups, solidarity groups, colleges, and other groups both in Ann Arbor and other communities in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. If you can provide contacts in other communities, please contact HAP-NICA at the address listed above. We can provide the slide-tape documentary with or without a speaker from HAP-NICA. "Seeds of Hope" can be rented for $20 or purchased for $85. HAP-NICA can also provide brochures, newsletters, literature about agriculture in Nicaragua, and colorful "Let Nicaragua Farm" t-shirts.
HAP-NICA condemns Senate vote to aid contras
On August 13, the U.S. congress gave $100 million dollars to further destroy the progress Nicaraguans have made in agriculture, education, and health care. We are acutely aware of how the contra war diverts precious financial and human resources from the progress of the revolution. In the face of this iIlegal and immoral act of agression, we are committed to working harder to speak out against U.S. acts of war and to work in solidarity with the Nicaraguan people by providing support for agricultural projects which Nicaraguans identify as important for establishing their economic independence.
Lifestyles
Alternative Career Center
P.O. Box 7682
Ann Arbor, Ml 48107
Background
The idea of an Alternative Career Center (ACC) was first conceived on the campus of the University of Michigan in December, 1985. It was inspired by the overall success of the annual Alternative Career Fair. The founders of the Alternative Career Center (ACC) felt that more counseling, resources, scholarships, and support was needed for students desiring to pursue non-traditional areas of employment.
Through the winter of 1986, the concept of the ACC was expanded. Counselors for the 1986-87 academic year have been recruited and an office has been secured within the Residential College. That office will be made available on a daily basis, or as staffing permits and the Center will operate as a pilot project during the coming year.
Statement of Purpose
The ACC aims to educate students about the full range of available career options by providing them with counseling and informational resources regarding internship and employment opportunities with non-profit, community-based educational and charitable organizations throughout the United States and abroad.
By informing students about a wider and more comprehensive range of career options, the ACC overcomes the limitations of traditional counseling programs. The ACC thus serves as a channel through which committed and self-motivated students may find challenging and meaningful employment.
It is our belief that many students would choose to enter more progressive and community-oriented fields f information about such work was made more accessible.
Services
The ACC provides literatura and counseling about graduate programs, internships and careers in the following fields: peace and disarmament, natural resources and the environment, media and mass communications, health and human services, agriculture, appropriate technology, vocational ministries, union organizing, and community organizing and social change.
The ACC also provides a forum for representatives from a variety of organizations and institutions to interact with students on campus through guest lecture programs, follow-up discussions and informal exchange. It is the objective of the ACC to secure funding necessary to provide students with scholarships and stipends for summer internships.
Structure
The ACC will function under the direction of a 12-member board of directors, selected from the academic, civic, religious, and professional community. A smaller, nine-member Advisory Council has been formed incorporating community activists and organizational leaders from around the United States. Advisory Council members will serve largely in an honorary capacity.
Current News
We are currently in the process of expanding our resource library, fundraising, organizing the ACC office, and recruiting volunteers. If you are interested in helping to staff the office or to work in any other capacity, please contact Phillis at 764-0175.
New Dimensions Study Group
P.O. Box 2664
Ann Arbor, Ml 48106
971-0881
Statement of Purpose
The New Dimensions Study Group is a volunteer, nonsectarian organization dedicated to helping people in their search for deeper meaning in life. It operates without formal structure, charges no dues and follows no master. Rather, it functions as a forum for the presentation and discussion of ideas, information and techniques, and as a networking resource for those who want to put those ideas, information and techniques into practice. The group hosts speakers, mini-workshops, round table discussions, and from time to time, taped lectures or videos. The range of topics involved is broad, but generally concerned with the development of human consciousness and with the expression of human spirituality. Thus, the group has presented material ranging from a lecture on "Quantum Physics and the Human Mind" to an evening workshop on "Native American Medicine Wheel Spirituality." Topic schedules are compiled quarterly, and the scheduling meetings are open to all. If you have material to present, or know someone who does, please feel free to attend the scheduling session, or send any relevant information to the address above.
The NDSG draws its inspiration from a nationally broadcast radio program, "New Dimensions," produced by the New Dimensions Foundation of San Francisco. The program airs locally on WUOM, 91 .7 FM, Sundays at 7 pm and on WDTR, 90.9 FM, Wednesdays at 6 pm and Saturdays at noon. The broadcast schedule through September 14th appears in the NDSG newsletter.
Meetings
The group meets at the Yoga Center of Ann Arbor at 205 E. Ann, Ann Arbor every other Wednesday night. The building becomes available at 8:05 pm and programs start by 8:30 pm. Meetings are open to all interested parties and are free, although small donations are welcome to help defray the nominal cost of the meeting space.
Wed., Sept. 10: "An Introduction to the Medicine Wheel," Lynn Michalik, NDSG co-founder and student of Native American teachers Bill and Judy Wahlberg, presents an overview of the "Powers of the Four Directions in Medicine Wheel Practice."
Wed., Sept. 24: Video: The Global Brain." NDSG Detroit coordinator Torn Lincoln hosts a video based on the Gaia hypothesis, that the Earth is a living organism, and arguing that humankind's emerging information society can be seen as Gaia's central nervous system. $2-$3 admission.
PEACE AND DISARMAMENT
Ann Arbor War Tax
Dissidents U.S. Peace
Tax Fund
c/o 1427 Broadway
Ann Arbor, Ml 48105
662-2838
Statement of Purpose
Ann Arbor War Tax Dissidents (AAWTD) works for passage of the U.S. Peace Tax Fund bill (a law permitting people morally opposed to war to have the military portion of their taxes allocated to peacemaking), and provides counseling and information resources for persons conscientiously opposed to payment of war taxes.
AAWTD is affiliated with the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC) and with the National Campaign For a Peace Tax Fund (NCPTF). AAWTD is of an informal nature with a diverse membership and a volunteer coordinator.
Meetings
AAWTD generally meets the third Saturday of each month in the Pine Room, Wesley Foundation, 602 E. Huron, Ann Arbor.
Community Services
AAWTD provides the community with a speakers bureau, workshops, forums, information hotlines (contact appropriate number listed below), and Taxes for Peace" (a slide show). For general information about AAWTD, contact: Mary Lou Kerwin at 662-2838, David Bassett at 662-1373 about the U.S. Peace Tax Fund bill, Fran Elliot at 663-2655 about war tax resistance.
September Events
The response to our booth at the Art Fair was exciting and stimulated a lot of discussion. Come to our regular meeting to plan further dialogues and develop strategies for the coming year. Saturday, September 20, 12 noon to 3 pm, Wesley Foundation Lounge, 602 E. Huron, Ann Arbor.
Coalition for Arms Control,
2nd District
1015 Church Street #5
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104
663-4897
Statement of Purpose
After working together on an informal basis on arms control lobbying (the MX, Star Wars, chemical weapons) for the past 3 years, a number of groups have formally coalesced. It is hoped that the coalition effort will make weapons issues more visible in the media locally and will increase our ability to edúcate the public on these issues.
The current focus of the Coalition for Arms Control is on the need for a nuclear warhead testing moratorium and a Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
Meetings
The Coalition for Arms Control meets once every 3 to 4 weeks on Saturdays at 9:30 am. If your organization is
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interested in joining the Coalition, please call 663-4897 or send a representative to the next Coalition meeting Sunday, Sept. 7 at 7:30 pm , 310 S. Ashley, Ann Arbor.
If you are an individual interested in working on arms control lobbying efforts, please join one or more of the organizations involved in the Coalition (see below) or join one of the working committees of the Coalition: Events Committee, Publicity Committee and Computerization Committee. You will be greatly appreciated.
Membership Profile
The Coalition for Arms Control includes the following organizations: Hillsdale Center for Peace Awareness, Common Cause, Gray Panthers, Guild House, Interfaith Council for Peace, Lawyers' Alliance for Nuclear Arms Control, Michigan Alliance for Disarmament, 1000 Cranes, Physicians for Social Responsibility, SANE, Women's Action for Nuclear Disarmament, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and the Western Wayne Peace Resource Center.
September Events
The Coalition has developed a flyer on Congressman Carl Pursell's voting record on arms-related issues. The plan is to distribute it as widely as possible throughout the congressional district. If you would like to help with the distribution effort, please cali Tobi Hanna-Davies at 662-7869 or the Coalition at 662-4897.
Michigan Alliance
for Disarmament (MAD)
410 W.Washington
Ann Arbor, Ml 48103
313/995-5871
You can make a difference. In 1969, a large anti-war demonstration forced President Nixon to call off plans then in place for a nuclear attack on Vietnam, as Nixon admits in his memoirs. In 1963, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. signed a partial test ban treaty stopping above-ground testing, a victory President Kennedy attributed to popular organizing for peace. In 1950, the U.S. decided not to make a first strike against the Soviet Union because the people would not stand for it, according to NCS-68, a top secret report to President Truman. In the 1980s, a revived peace movement has forced Congress to cut the number of MX missiles by 260, from 300 to 40 and is pressuring Congress to reduce funding for Reagan's Star Wars.
What you do can make a difference! But you have to do it. The U.S. builds 8 new nuclear warheads a day to pile on top of the 32,000 it already has, which are already enough to blow up the planet dozens of times over. These weapons are likely to be used in foreign interventions in the Mideast or elsewhere, triggering World War III. But the Soviets have stopped testing nuclear weapons and are pressing for total nuclear disarmament by 2000. If we act, we can force our government to take these offers seriously and achieve a nuclear free world in our lifetimes. But only if we act. Join MAD and help us build a world with a future.
Who We Are. MAD is a 4 year-old Ann Arbor group working on disarmament, nonintervention, and social justice. Our 500 members include students, professors, University staff, and many members of the Ann Arbor community. We come from diverse backgrounds and points of view but share a commitment to breaking the deadly connections among nuclear war, U.S. intervention, and social oppression. MAD is the Ann Arbor affiliate of the national Mobilization for Survival.
What We Do. In the past, MAD has sponsored a city-wide ballot initiative to make Ann Arbor a Nuclear Free Zone and participated in organizing nonviolent civil disobedience at a nearby cruise missile plant. MAD's monthly journal,777e Connection recently received national recognition in The Nation. Our pamphlets on Star Wars, the "Soviet Threat," and Deadly Connections, and U.S. Nuclear Threats have been used in college courses throughout southeastern Michigan and by activists and interested citizens. We have organized three major conferences.
Our fall schedule is quite active, and we need your help to carry it through. We are helping to bring the Women's Collective from The Great Peace March to the campus in early September. MAD is spearheading activities around the national boycott of General Electric, the nation's number three nuclear weapons contractor (led nationwide by INFACT, the organizers of the successful Nestle's boycott). An action around "civil defense" and "nuclear war preparedness" ideas heavily promoted by the government, is being planned. MAD is also working on Dean Baker's campaign for Congress and helping to plan a conference on University Military Research in the fall.
Meetings.MAD's General Meeting for the fall, will be Thursday, September 25, Michigan Union, 7:30 pm. Professor Daniel Axelrod and Janis Michael, MAD's chair, will give keynote talks and we will discuss activities for the fall. Be there or be square! The Connection Committee meets every Wednesday, normally at MAD offices, 7:30 pm. There will be Connection organizing meetings at the Michigan Union on Wednesday, September 17 and 24, 7:30 pm. Anyone interested in writing, graphics, or journalism should come. An organizing meeting for the GE boycott committee will be held at the Michigan League, Wednesday, September 10, 7:30 pm.
Membership. Memberships are $10 a year, $5 for students, seniors, and unemployed, and waivable on explicit request. Send check made out to MAD to our office, listed above.
United
Campuses
to Prevent
Nuclear War (UCAM)
3909 Michigan Union
AnnArbor, MI, 48109
763-3241
Statement of Purpose
This is the first UCAM chapter to be organized on U-M campus. UCAM has joined Campuses Against Weapons in Space (CAWS) to become one organization. Under UCAM affiliation, CAWS has national connections. Furthermore, CAWS has broadened its concern about Star Wars to the overall militarization of our campus, our nation and our lives. Our purpose is to increase awareness of the military-industrial complex and to organize against it and thereby effect change in the University and national policies that perpetuate it. UCAM is working for a University able to perform research free from government manipulation and militarization. UCAM is also working to create a society free from the fear of nuclear war.
Meetings
General meetings are Monday evenings at 8 pm in the Michigan Union. Check the front desk for the room number.
Community Services
Speakers from UCAM are available for any group on request. Information on Star Wars and other kinds of
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UCAM (CONT. FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)
military research are always available at the Michigan Student Assembly. We also have a hotline (763-3241) to answer any questions during office hours, 9 am to 5 pm.
Current News
Our main concerns at present are the review of guidelines for classified research at U-M and the huge increase in the amount of military research being performed on campus. The current guidelines were enacted in 1972 in response to the University's role in the Vietnam War. At that time, U-M was one of the leading performers of military research and was known as the "Eyes of the Army". The guidelines for classified research are as follows:
1) "The University will not enter into any contract...the clearly foreseeable result is destruction of human life". 2) "The University will not enter into any contract...that limits publication of results beyond one year." 3) Three University bodies will review projects for compliance with the guidelines: The faculty and student composed Research Policies Committee and Classified Review Panel, along with the Vice President for Research.
However, in August of 1985, the University Regents passed a resolution calling for an executive committee to review these guidelines. This committee has just come out with ts recommendations. Their proposed guidelines have no ban on research destructive to human life, thereby eliminating any moral stand made by the University. Moreover, the committee's proposed guidelines eliminate the three bodies for reviewing research. With no enforcement mechanism, there will be no University discussion of the appropriateness of different kinds of research and professors will be allowed to perform classified research. Taken together, these two recommendations by the committee would increase classified war research to the level the University held during the Vietnam War.
Already there have been enormous increases in military research at U-M. The University just received three large grants to establish Pentagon centers on campus under a new program called the University Research initiative (URI). There would be an exchange of equipment and personnel between the University and the Pentagon. There is a strong possibility that the research performed at the centers will become classified; already foreign graduate students will not be able to participate in the program. These centers have been funded by the Department of Defense for at least $15 million and as much as $32.4 million over the next five years. In 1985, U-M performed $7.7 million worth of Department of Defense research and with the URI grants alone this number could double for the next five years. During the Vietnam War such Pentagon centers existed on the campus, but were forced off due to student and faculty insistence. UCAM believes this can happen again.
In September of 1985, the Regents voted to "encourage" Star Wars research on campus. This was the first time they had ever endorsed a specific research program. The University is currently performing $700,000 worth of Star Wars research, with another $7.4 million in proposals pending. The amount of military research at the University could increase enormously in the next year. UCAM is working to see that this does not happen.
September Events UCAM will be hosting a contingent of marchers from the Great Peace March September 4, 5 and 6. Workshops will be held on the Diag on Thursday, Sept. 4, from 1 to 5 pm. On Friday, Sept. 5, we will hold a rally at 12 noon and then march with the peace marchers to the north campus building that will house the new Pentagon centers. Once there, we will have a "die-in." On Friday night, beginning at 5 pm, we will have a potluck dinner on the Diag and after a women's peace encampment Saturday morning there will be more workshops. All are welcome to join in the fun.
Washtenaw
County Women's
Action for Nuclear Disarmament,
Inc. (WAND)
P.O. Box 1815
Ann Arbor, Ml 48106
761-1718
Statement of Purpose
Washtenaw County WAND was formed in December 1984 by 12 individuals and became affiliated with the national WAND organization which was founded in 1980 by Dr. Helen Caldicott. The local group currently has around 400 members and affiliates. There are more than 20,000 national members.
WAND's primary purpose is to educate ourselves and the public about the dangers of continued weapons production and to influence our congressional representatives by informed lobbying. An overall goal is to empower women personally and politically, and to broaden the constituency of individuals who are working towards the elimination of nuclear weapons.
The local WAND is a fully functioning organization which includes an Executive Committee, a Coordinating Committee, and ten active committees which reach out to others with public speaking, lobbying, sales, publicity, coalition-building, and political action, while strengthening the group with educational programs, fundraising, a newsletter, and membership services.
Meetings and Membership
Meetings are on the second Sunday of the month at St. Aidan's Episcopal/Northside Presbyterian Church, 1679 Broadway, Ann Arbor. Doors open at 7 pm for conversation and sales of WAND items, the meeting begins at 7:30, the program at 8:30 and discussion follows at 9 pm. Babysitting is provided. All are welcome.
Membership is open to anyone interested in stopping the arms race. Current paid membership is around 200. Men are welcome and encouraged to join. Membership fees are $25 per year with scholarships available for those unable to pay the entire amount. Membership benefits include the local monthly newsletter and the national quarterly WAND
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Bulletin, voting rights at the annual meeting, and alerts from the coalition phone bank as key votes come up in Congress which require immediate lobbying. For more information: 971-9249.
Previous and Ongoing Activities
During its first year and a half, WAND sponsored the Mother's Day Festival of Peace in West Park twice, had an Art Fair booth twice, gathered 5,000 anti-nuclear signatures on petitions to send to the President, participated in two commemorations of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, produced an informative local brochure and various items for sale, sent representatives to national peace conferences, participated in Peace Week at Huron High, sponsored several speaker-training workshops, helped found the Second Congressional District Coalition for Peace, and was the beneficiary of Rock for Peace, a concert of rock and heavy metal by four young local bands whose members were concerned about nuclear issues.
Anyone can call our Information Hotline at 761-1718 to hear a 3-minute message announcing important lobbying information, meeting times, and upcoming community events.
Our speaker's bureau provides trained speakers who will address small informal groups, classes, public forums and rallies on a variety of issues. Contact Jean Carlson at 426-2232.
Current News
Sunday, September 16 is our next monthly meeting. Ann Arbor City Council Member Kathy Edgren will be discussing Federal policies and local response. She will discuss the effects of Federal policies on people in Ann Arbor. In turn she will offer suggestions on how WAND members and others can effect change on the local level by participating in local activities.
Recently WAND gathered 600 petition signatures and participated in a phone bank to encourage voters to contact Congressman Pursell about votes on three important defense issues: SDI funding, adherence to SALT II, and a ban on nuclear testing. The petitions were sent to Washington and presented to him there by representatives from the WAND Legislative Office just before the first vote.
The WAND National Office in Boston sponsored a Speaker Training workshop which was attended by sevèral local members. They are now qualified to lead Speaker Training workshops in the fall in Ann Arbor and other communities; these are open to anyone who is interested.
Laura Schieb-Biedron from WAND was one of the speakers at the HiroshimaNagasaki commemoration at Gallup Park on August 6.
Members are still appearing at the Farmer's Market every week to hand out lobbying materials, the WAND brochure, and the flier with Congressman Pursell's voting record.
RECEIVING AGENDA IN THE MAIL? A note from the publishers: As part of an outreach effort, Agenda has been sending promotional copies to a mailing list provided by WAND. If you have been receiving Agenda in the mail the last two months and you are not a subscriber, this issue is the third and last one that you will receive. We hope that you have appreciated our efforts. You may continue to receive Agenda in the mail every month by purchasing a one-year subscription for $10.
Send check to:
Agenda
P.O. Box 3624,
Ann Arbor, Ml 48106.
Ypsilanti Peace
Fellowship (YPF)
co 539 Maple Ct.
Ypsilanti, Ml 48198
484-4365
Statement of Purpose
The Ypsilanti Peace Fellowship first organized in June of 1985 to link Ypsilanti area churches in co-sponsoring a 40 year Hiroshima anniversary "Commemorative Service" in Ypsilanti. Subsequently, the group has sponsored several peace education programs and events, including an annual Mothers Day peace celebration in the newly decorated Edith Hefley Peace Park n Ypsilanti.
The group is made up of Ypsilanti residents representing several city church and peace organizations. Acknowledging that peace issues need to be addressed where we live, the fellowship defined the following purposes and aims for its activities in Ypsilanti:
(1) To maintain personal and inter-organizational communication, ties, and networking, by meeting together throughout the year. (2) To be available for collaboration on peace projects with other groups/individuals in the community. (3) To be available as a sponsoring or co-sponsoring organization for such events. (4) To plan and sponsor for annual peace observances and events on HiroshimaNagasaki Anniversary, Veteran's Day, Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, and Mother's Day.
Meetings
All are welcome to join us in our meetings and in working together to bring public peace observances to Ypsilanti. Cali 484-4365 for information.
POVERTY AND HUNGER
Bread for the World
706 Dwight Street
Ypsilanti, MI 48198
487-9058
Statement of Purpose
Bread for the World (BFW) is a citizen's lobbying organization that deals with hunger and health related legislation. It's a national group with chapters in the local area. Although it does not send any direct aid itself, BFW, through its members, has given crucial support to domestic and international hunger programs since being founded in 1971. Members are encouraged to contact their legislators on hunger issues and are kept informed through newsletters, background papers, and informational meetings about pertinent legislation.
Meetings
Bread for the World is organized by Congressional Districts. In the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti area there are two chapters. In Ann Arbor (2nd District) meetings are held at the First Presbyterian Church, 1432 Washtenaw, Ann Arbor, on the second Thursday of the month at 7:30 pm. For information cali Jim Rutz at 668-4064. In Ypsilanti (15th District) contact Robert Krzewinski at 487-9058.
Current Events
Every year BFW sets many goals, with one major project that, if successful, would help millions of people who are affected by hunger throughout the world. In 1986 the major project is passage by Congress of the Universal Child Immunization Act which would attempt to immunize all the world's children by 1990 working through programs established by UNICEF. At the same time, BFW is working to pass other legislation such as a national nutrition monitoring program, famine-relief reserves for África, tax relief for the very poor, and other hunger related concerns. For more information about programs, BFW can also be contacted at their national office: Bread for the World, 802 Rhode Island Ave. N.W., Washington, DC20018.
World Hunger
Education-Action
Committee
(WHE-AC)
4202 Michigan Union
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
663-3560
Statement of Purpose
WHE-AC focuses on the causes of and solutions to world hunger. lts objectives include educating the community through reading groups, films, speakers, presentations, research, and group actions. WHE-AC is dedicated to understanding the complex social, politica!, economic, and environmental forces that create and promote world hunger, and advocates self-determination and long-term development as viable solutions. The group supports and works closely with Oxfam America and the Institute for Food and Development Policy. The group has various resources available, including newsletters from Food First and Oxfam America.
Meetings
The tentative time for our weekly meetings this fall will be Mondays at 6:30 pm. Check at the front desk of the Michigan Union for the room location.
Current News
WHE-AC member Sandra Steingraber has recently returned from a 10-week tour of the Sudan where she recorded oral histories of Oromo refugees who have fled Ethiopia. She went at the request of the Oromo Relief Association, a grassroots organization that assists Oromos displaced inside their own country and those who seek refuge in other countries. Ms. Steingraber is currently finishing her report which will be published on its own and as part of a book about Ethiopia, cailed "The Orchestration of Famine."
The Institute for Food and Development policy in San Francisco gained a great worker in the person of Mindy Williams, a former WHE-AC member. Mindy left our group to begin an internship with the institute after a long and dedicated involvement with WHE-AC.
When school begins in September, everyone will be anxious to hear stories from Siri Striar, a WHE-AC member who travelled to Nicaragua this summer after completing her proficiency in Spanish at the Residential College.
September Events
Look for us at Festifall on the Diag, Friday, September 12. The group will be planning a full schedule of activities for the coming semester. We are looking for people to help us with fundraisers, bake sales, postering and planning. As usual we'll be sponsoring the Oxfam America fast on the Thursday before Thanksgiving. We look forward to Sandra's presentation on Ethiopia and hope to train speakers to help with various educational activities.
PROGRESSIVE RELIGION
B"nai Brith Hillel
Foundation
1429 Hill Street
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104
663-3336
Statement of Purpose
The B'nai Brith Hillel Foundation at the University of Michigan is not only for Jewish students at the U-M but is also a central resource for the entire Ann Arbor community.
Community Services
Hillel's extensive cultural arts program, including the Celebration of Jewish Arts and the Hill Street Forum lecture series, brings some of the best music, drama, writers, singers and lecturers to the University of Michigan campus. Already booked for the 1986-87 season are writers Kurt Vonnegut, Amos Oz and Joseph Heller, as well as San Francisco's Traveling Jewish Theatre and singer Chava Alberstein. Hillel's student-run film co-op, Hill Street Cinema, presents feature length films three evenings a week and features an Israeli or Jewish interest film every other Sunday. The Hill Street Players, Ann Arbor's newest student-run theatre program, will be staging one production each semester in the Hillel auditorium.
Hillel sponsors a wide array of speakers throughout the year and also coordinates the Israel Conference Day and the University's annual Conference on the Holocaust. lts Jewish Learning Center offers afternoon and evening courses open to the entire community on subjects ranging from Bible and Talmud to Jewish ceramics, Hebrew, Yiddish, Jewish history and Jewish thought. Hillel also houses the Jewish Elderly Outreach program which pairs University students with Jewish elderly in the community. Israeli dance instruction is offered Sunday evenings, followed by two hours of open dancing.
Hillel provides housing and support for over 20 independent student organizations. These range from the United Jewish Appeal to the Progressive Zionist Caucus to the Soviet Jewry and Ethiopian Jewry Action groups. This year will also see the formation of a Jewish feminist group, as well as a speaker series entitled "Women in Judaism." Consider , founded by Hillel in 1983, is the University's weekly issues forum dedicated to presenting opposing viewpoints on a variety of topics.
Individual professional school organizations as well as a general Jewish gradúate group schedule lectures, parties and potlucks throughout the academic year.
Hillel offers Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox services during all of the major holidays as well as every Friday night during the academic year. For more information on any of Hillel's programs, please call 663-3336.
September Events
Sun. 7, 14, 28: Israeli Folk Dancing. One hour of instruction followed by open dancing. For beginning and advanced students. 7:30 pm, Hillel, 1429 Hill.
Sat. 13: The Ensemble for Early Jewish Music. Jewish music of the Medieval Renaissance periods, including Sefardic/Ladino music, performed on authentically reproduced historical instruments, 8:45 pm, U-M Museum of Modern Art. Tickets available at Hillel, Beth Emeth, and Beth Israel.
Sun. 14: Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry. Mass meeting for all those interested at 7 pm in the Michigan Union. For more information, call Phyllis at 761-3121.
Tues. 16: Hill Street Players, Hillel's student-run theatre company. Meeting at 7 pm in the Michigan Union, Wolverine Room. For more information, call Mark at 996-8131 .
Sun. 21: A Traveling Jewish Theatre (TJT) presents "Berlín, Jerusalem and the Moon," a comedy-drama that brilliantly explores the contradictions of Jewish identity using Germany of the '30s and today's Middle East as its backdrop. The company presents ambitious theatre that weaves music, mime, masks, puppetry, storytelling, stand-up comedy and strong individual performance into powerful contemporary drama. Sponsored by Hill Street Forum and Common Ground Theatre Ensemble, 8 pm, Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre. Based in San Francisco, TJT is one of the finest traveling theatre companies in the world. It has performed to critical acclaim throughout the U.S. and Europe since 1978 and has received numerous awards in direction, production and performance. Tickets are available at Ticketworld and Hillel.
Wed. 24: Student United Jewish Appeal Campaign. Mass meeting, 7 pm, Hillel.
Interfaith Councíl
for Peace (ICP)
604 E. Huron
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104
663-1870, 9:30-5:00
Statement of Purpose
Interfaith Council for Peace (ICP), a nonprofit educational organization, believes in the possibility of a world where every woman, man, and child has the opportunity to live in freedom, peace, and without fear. Begun in 1965 by a small group of area clergy and lay, ICP focused on protesting U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Over the past 20 years Interfaith's work has expanded to address justice concerns related to hunger and agriculture in addition to the ongoing work for peace.
ICP, a local chapter of the national Clergy and Laity Concerned (CALC), has worked to educate and promote action on these issues. We act as a clearinghouse for peace and justice activities in local religious congregations and in the community at large. Interfaith raises moral questions about disarmament, hunger, the U.S. food system, economic justice, and Central America. Donations are gratefully accepted at the above address.
Organizational Structure
ICP's membership includes 60 area congregations and approximately 3,100 individuals. A Steering Committee oversees the work of the staff and the work of three task forces:
Land, Food, and Justice Committee: Presentations to concerned groups, public tours of local farms, support of direct-marketing projects (e.g., farmers' markets and pick-your-own operations), and production of a seasonal/regional cookbook. The committee also works with groups involved in preserving agriculture land near urban areas, encourages support of local
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farmers through more seasonal eating, and supports legislation favoring small and moderate size farms and sustainable agricultural practices.
Hunger Task Force: The annual CROP/Hunger Walk, educational presentations to school and other groups on domestic and international hunger, support of local free meal programs, and exploration of related economie justice issues and legislation.
Disarmament Working Group: Educational presentations to interested groups, sponsorship of speakers and public events, suggestions for life-style changes which will help to make our society a less violent one (e.g., boycotting war toys and examining issues related to parenting), discussion with the University community on the impact of defense-related research on campus, and support for arms control legislation.
Community Services
ICP publishes a monthly newsletter, maintains a lending library of both written and audio-visual materials on peace and justice concerns, and has a speakers bureau which includes both staff and taskforce members.
"Covenant for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons" kits are available from the ICP office for $5. The kit lists nuclear weapons contractors, the consumer products they manufacture and non-nuclear alternatives. The second edition of "There is a Season," a 117 page seasonal cookbook is available from the ICP office for $6. Drop in and visit us soon. The ICP office is located in the basement of the First United Methodist Church (corner of State and Huron).
September Events
Tues. Sept 9: Recruitment rally potluck for the 12th annual Washtenaw County CROP Hunger Walk. The potluck will be followed by the film "Roots of Hunger, Roots of Change" and discussion of how to recruit others to particípate in the Hunger walk. The rally will be held in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring a dish to pass, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, First Baptist Church, 512 E. Huron, Ann Arbor. For more information:663-1870.
New Jewish Agenda (N JA)
2208 Packard
AnnArbor, Ml 48104
662-9217
Statement of Purpose
New Jewish Agenda (NJA) is comprised of Jews from a variety of backgrounds and affiliations who are committed to progressive human values and the building of a shared vision of Jewish life. Our history and tradition inspire us.
We believe that Jewish experience and teachings can address the social, economic and political issues of our time. Many of us find inspiration in our people's historical resistance to oppression and from the Jewish presence at the forefront of movements for social change. Many of us base our convictions on the Jewish religios concept of tikun olam (the just ordering of human society and the world) and the prophetic tradition of social justice.
We are committed to building an inclusive Jewish community and therefore place particular importance on addressing issues which traditionally exclude many Jews.
Activities
NJA meets regularly around issues of political, social and cultural importance. We have a monthly Friday night (Shabbat) pot-luck dinner. We gather together and celebrate many of the Jewish holidays. We have Middle East, Feminist and Central American Interest groups. NJA publishes a monthly newsletter and the Steering Committee meets monthly. Our activities are open to all and we hope those of you with some interest in NJA will join us.
September Events
Tues., 9: Central America Interest Group meeting, 7 pm, 711 Wesley, Ann Arbor. Information: Judy 995-5210.
Sun., 14: Steering Committee Meeting, 5 pm, 1736 Glenwood. Information: Gary 971 -5382.
Mon., 15: Speaker: Gideon Spiro, Israeli Peace Activist "The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Movement: Confronting the 'Iron Fist' in the Occupied Territories," co-sponsored by LASC, ICP, Rackham Student Government, Office of Ethics and Religión, FSACC, MAD, and the Ecumenical Center. 7:30 pm, East Conference Room, Fourth Floor, Rackham, Ann Arbor.
Wed., 17: RSVP for Potluck on September 19, 994-8052.
Fri.,19: Shabbat Potluck, bring a veggie dish to pass and be prepared to have fun with nice people. Al Fishman of Detroit NJA will show slides of his trip to the U.S.S.R., 7 pm, 1302 Gardner, Ann Arbor.
Thurs., 25: Feminist Interest Group, 7:30 pm, 1208 Chapel Ct., Ann Arbor. Information: Judy 665-2825.
The Poseidon Foundation
c/o Shaman Drum Bookshop
313 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104
Statement of Purpose
The Poseidon Foundation offers educational programs in various areas of spirituality for students, faculty and staff at the University of Michigan as well as for people in the larger Ann Arbor community. Poseidon is founded on the belief that the spiritual dimension of life can be experienced directly. The foundation operates on an independent, non-profit basis and is not affiliated with any other spiritual or religious organization. Funding is contributed by those who support its work. Poseidon's programs draw on intuition, imagination and inspiration. They use wisdom from sources as far away as Exupery's "The Little Prince" who tells us, "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly: what is essential is invisible to the eye."
Community Services
The Poseidon Foundation sponsors talks, workshops, classes, publications, and service groups, and also makes resource referrals. These activities are of interest to people who are seeking one or more of the following: opportunities
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Poseidon Foundation
(CONT. FROM PREVIOUS PAGE) for service as a spiritual path; a connection between politics and spirituality; integration of their masculine and feminine dimensions; a spirituality outside of any one religious tradition; a worldview which is more personally and socially enriching than our present culture offers. The foundation is directed by Jonathan Ellis who has worked on such issues for the last 17 years on the University of Michigan campus and elsewhere. For more information, you may write to the Poseidon Foundation at the address above, or call Jonathan Ellis at 665-0248.
September Events
The Poseidon Foundation will sponsor two classes beginning in mid-September and running through October. The first class is on "Politics and Spirituality" and will consider the deeper resources people have within themselves for collective political action. The second class, called "Imagination and Intuition," will give people a chance to use their ability to imagine to develop the ability to have intuition. Both classes are led by Jonathan Ellis and meet once a week, for two hours, for six weeks at a weekday evening time to be arranged. For information about how to join these Poseidon classes, call 665-0248 as soon as possible.
The Zen Lotus Society
Zen Buddhist Temple-Ann Arbor
1214 Packard Road
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104
761-6520
"We are what we think
All that we are arises with our thoughts
With our thoughts we make the world
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart"
the Dhammapada
The Zen Lotus Society, a nonprofit religious organization and North American Buddhist Order, was founded by Samu Sunim in the late summer of 1967 in his flat in Manhattan, New York City. tt was established with a view to spreading Buddhadharma in America through teaching the practice of Zen and promoting Buddhist culture.
Zen Buddhist Temple-Ann Arbor was established in 1981 and now serves as the U. S. office of the Zen Lotus Society.
Programs
A Buddhist Service from 4:45 pm to 6:30 pm on Sundays is open to the public. Guidance is provided for newcomers. On Sunday morning there is a service for Korean members. There is also morning and evening meditation practice for members and visitors. The. temple schedules regular introductory talks on Zen Buddhism, usually at 7 pm on the first Saturday of each month. Beginners Weekends and a weekly beginner's course (six Thursdays) is offered to provide instruction in the basics of Zen Meditation and practice.
Zen Lotus Society Handbook, which is available from Zen Buddhist Temple-Ann Arbor, describes the activities of the Zen Lotus Society in detail. It includes: The autobiography of Samu Sunim; history of the society; the teachers; training programs for Buddhist priesthood, for Dharma teachers, for Dharma workers and for Zen artists; membership; retreats and summer training; beginners and visitors programs; Buddhist Institute of Canada and Summer Lecture Series in Ann Arbor; Buddhist events and observances; and Buddhist services and ceremonies.
September Events
Sat. 6: Introductory talk, "Zen Buddhism in North America: History, Philosophy, and Practice", 7 to 8 pm, Zen Buddhist Temple, 1214 Packard Road, Ann Arbor. For information: 761-6520.
Sept. 11 to Oct. 16: Beginner's class. Six Thursday evenings, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, Zen Buddhist Temple, 1214 Packard Road, Ann Arbor. For information: 761 -6520.
Oct. 17 to 19: Beginner's Weekend Retreat with Samu Sunim. For information: 761 -6520.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
New World Agriculture
Group (NWAG)
4096 Natural Science Building
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Ml 48109
313/764-1446
Statement of Purpose
Much of the work currently being pursued by members of the New World Agriculture Group (NWAG, pronounced New Ag ), centers around helping the people of Nicaragua find ways of developing an independent system of agriculture. Achieving independence in agricultural development entails, among other things, reducing the country's dependence upon expensive foreign agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. Such a task is not easy considering the level to which Nicaraguan farmers in the Somoza era had become dependent upon pesticides, many banned in the United States, but actively marketed in countries like Nicaragua by U.S. corporations. In the mid1970's Nicaragua was one of the world's leading users of DDT. A rapid and continuous increase in the degree of pest resistance to these chemicals resulted in an "arms race" between farmer and pest with farmers spraying their fields as many as 30 times per season!
Since the Sandinista revolution in 1979, however, there have been major changes in the country's pattern of pesticide use. Much of the success in reducing Nicaragua's chemical dependency can be attributed to the regulatory policies adopted by the Sandinista government.
The government has lowered by 45% the volume of pesticide entering the country, banning dangerous Chemicals such as DDT, BHC, endrin, dieldrin, Phosvel, and DBCP.
The National Pesticide Commission (CNP), composed of members from the public and private sectors, was established to oversee pesticide imports and to protect the health of workers. The CNP has developed a system of color coding the labels of pesticide containers so that workers who cannot read the labels will know the potential hazards they face.
In 1980, the Ministry of Agriculture (MIDINRA) instituted a program of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which emphasizes the integration of a variety of biological pest controls, such as naturally occurring predators and parasites, to be used instead of chemical controls. The IPM program is a huge success because insecticide use has been reduced to a record low of 16-17 applications per season, saving farmers up to $2.92 million in 1982-83.
The government of Nicaragua has made grower participation in the IPM program mandatory, and subsidizes and insures farmers against additional costs and financial losses.
NWAG recognizes the new system of agriculture in Nicaragua, where the government and farmers work together to feed the country yet also protect workers and the environment, as a model for Third World agricultural development. This is why NWAG members are so eager to lend a hand to the government and people of Nicaragua.
Membership
NWAG consists of social and natural scientists, plus many non-academies, all with interests in agriculture, who are dedicated to assist in finding alternatives to contemporary agricultural production that are neither socially nor ecologically destructive. There are approximately 100 NWAG members dispersed across the continent. The largest chapters are in Ithaca, NY, Ann Arbor, Ml, Berkeley, CA, and Champaign-Urbana, IL In addition there are active members located in Massachusetts, Vermont, North Carolina, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Canada, and Nicaragua.
NWAG has a steering committee consisting of a member from each of three regions: East, Midwest and West. There is also a Nicaragua Coordinating Committee. Beyond this there is relatively little structure, although regional and international meetings are conducted in a formal manner.
Local Meetings
Interested persons are welcome to attend our meetings and should call the NWAG-Ann Arbor office (764-1446) to find out the place and time meetings occur.
SENIOR CITIZENS
Housíng Bureau for
Seniors, Inc.
1010 Wall Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
763-0970
Community Services
The Housing Bureau for Seniors provides peer counseling for senior citizens and their families about housing choices in Washtenaw County. Volunteers staff the Bureau's main offices which are now located in the Kellogg Eye Center, 990 Wall Street, Ann Arbor, or in Outreach sites in Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, Whitmore Lake, Chelsea, Saline, and the Burns Park Senior Center. To arrange for a free interview to discuss your housing situation, contact the Housing Bureau at 763-0970.
September Events
Training sessions for new volunteers will begin on September 22. The training will feature workshop sessions in which new and continuing counselors develop ways to defuse crises, sharpen their listening skills and become effective interviewers. Also, effective information about housing for seniors in this area will be presented.
Volunteers will be exposed to a wide variety of available senior housing in this county through several field trips to facilities in this area.
An informational tea reception for prospective volunteers will be held September 11 , from 3 to 4:30 pm in the second floor conference room of Turner Clinic. If you are curious about the Bureau's activities and would like to learn more about becoming a volunteer housing counselor, cali 763-0970. Arrange to come to the tea, or ask for an interview with Carolyn Hastings, executive director, or Carole Lapidos, volunteer coordinator. Informational interviews will be held the week of September 15.
Adult Child Workshop: Adult children of senior citizens are often placed in highly stressful situations when their parents face housing crises. Coping with a parent's age-related disabilities, reduced financial circumstances, or dependent or unstable emotional state can force many adult children to feel lonely or panicky. This in turn, may interfere with whatever housing decisions may be contemplated or necessary.
"Where will home be next for mom and dad?" is a workshop designed to help the adult children of senior citizens deal with this new phase in their lives. The workshop will be held Wednesday, September 24, 7:30 - 9 pm in the Burns Park Senior Center, 1320 Baldwin, Ann Arbor. The workshop is free. To register, contact the Housing Bureau for Seniors at 763-0970.
Ann Arbor Coors
Boycott Committee
1537 Mclntyre
Ann Arbor, Ml 48105
995-5767
Statement of Purpose
Over the past several years, the Adolph Coors Brewery has expanded distribution of Coors beers into the midwest. Coors beer is now available in many local bars, restaurants, and stores. Many people are aware that Coors has been the object of a nationwide boycott by labor, minority groups, and environmentalists. The purpose of the this local boycott committee is to institute an effective boycott of Coors beer here in Ann Arbor. We are just getting organized so our meeting times are irregular. Please cali for more information.
Reasons to boycott Coors beer
1. The Coors company has broken 19 unions of Coors workers in the last 20 years. Coors requires its workers to submit to mandatory lie detector tests and physical examinations are carried out on demand by company police.
2. In 1984, Coors chairman William Coors publicly stated that blacks "lack the intellectual capacity to succeed." Many Coors workers have charged the company with racism and Coors has lost or settled out of court several suits involving charges of discriminatory hiring practices.
3. Joseph Coors founded the Mountain States Legal Fund in 1977, a pro-nuclear group which also represents companies attempting to extract natural resources from wilderness areas. James Watt was the organization's first president. Coors also boosted Ann Burford, Reagan's disastrous EPA chief , to national prominence.
4. The rise of the religious right has been aided by Coors donations. Recipients include the Moral Majority, Campus Crusade for Christ, the John Birch Society, and the Committee for Survival of a Free Congress.
5. The Coors family owns all of the voting stock and 90% of the non-voting stock of the company. Thus every dollar of profit serves the family's own right-wing political agenda. The national boycott of Coors beer begun in 1977 by striking Coors workers has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO, the National Education Association, NOW, the National Congress of Black Trade Unionists, the Mexican American Political Association, and gay rights and consumer groups across the country.
6. The boycott is working. Since 1977, Coors has dropped from 3rd to 7th place among beer producers nationally. Coors has also gone from having the lowest advertising budget (per barrel of beer) to the highest advertising budget in the country.
Democratic Socialists
of America
Ann Arbor Local P.O. Box 7211
Ann Arbor, Ml 48107
Statement of Purpose
The Democratic Socialists of America formed in 1982 by a merger of the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, a remnant of the old Socialist Party, and the New American Movement which grew out of the New Left of the1960's.
DSA draws its members from many Left traditions. We cultívate an open and pragmatic political style that enables us to work in and with all the main progressive movements - labor, feminist, peace, anti-racist, and so on.
We try to help the progressive forces in American society form a powerful coalition to achieve peace, economic democracy, and racial and sexual justice. We believe that this task must at least begin within the Democratic Party.
Membership and Structure
Membership is open to anyone committed to democratic principles and progressive change. National dues are $35.00 per year ($15.00 low-income) and local dues of $10.00 ($5.00) are voluntary.
The main Ann Arbor local has a steering committee, but most major decisions are taken at monthly membership meetings. These are open to all and any DSA member may vote. For more information about meetings, see our bimonthly newsletter or call Greg Scott, 665-5652. The Youth Section meets weekly during the school year and also gets together to socialize on Friday afternoons. For more information, call Paul Meyer, 996-5950. The Local also has an affiliated political action committee, SOCPAC, that endorses candidates for public office and donates small amounts of money.
Current Events
DSA will hold its annual Fall outreach meeting Tuesday, September 16. Jim Shoch, National DSA's Political Director, will be there. For time and location, call Greg Scott, 665-5652.
This fall DSA is organizing a general conference of the local Left to work out a common agenda in city politics. The conference on "New Directions for Ann Arbor" will be held Saturday, October 11. For more info, call Eric Ebel, 662-4497.
DSA members are also working with various groups to get the city to study comparable worth in city employment. For more on this, call Greg Scott, 665-5652.
New Democratic
Movement (NDM)
P.O. Box 3527
Ann Arbor, Ml 48106
996-8408
Theory
Any viable strategy for change in America today must reckon with the cultural ascendancy of capitalism. This is a central fact of our social existence and must be met head on.
By means of the mass media the education system, popular culture, and bureaucratized and alienating methods of production, the capitalist State has "colonized" civil society, and confused and weakened working class solidarity. The corporations thus rarely need to use overt violence to enforce their rule. To overcome this complex and often subtle form of domination we must build and nurture a nation-wide counter-cultural trend that reaches into all spheres of society. Only out of such a movement can we then develop a "democratic" or "majoritarian" process of change.
Cultural (and counter-cultural) power is not limited to the narrow field of "arts and leisure" but extends throughout our entire society, molding value systems, social networks, learned behaviour and ritual. It comprises not only the mental aspect of culture but its material aspect as well: the implementation and realization of values in concrete institutions.
Strategy
How can the cultural ascendency of capitalism be overcome? How can the counter-cultural power of working and oppressed peoples be constructed? What are the proper methods of struggle? What are effective strategies and correct tactics?
We must simultaneously challenge power and deliver services. To do only the former would be oppositional; to do only the latter, reformist. We must create our own institutions and seize footholds of power in existing institutions. We can expand these footholds; we can use them to shield and nurture our own projects. The power and resources are out there. In unions, in cooperatives, in churches. Even the State is not monolithic. The community, city and state levels and even some courts and some parts of the federal bureaucracy enjoy a relative independent which is subject to influence and pressure from working people. We can exploit contradictions here. We can find openings here. Eventually, local power bases can serve as a "springboards" for national power. Reagan and Nixon catapulted into national power from their local California power base - we can do likewise from ours. Think of it in terms of guerilla warfare: we are building a network of "liberated zones" and "base areas" in an institutional/cultural space.
Our strategic targets are the corporate monopolies and in particular the federal government policies and structures that serve them. However, merely opposing corporate America does not deal with alternatives or with the reality of the U.S. system. The people of America will seek new leadership among those who have presented a vision, and have constructed living examples and working models of that vision. Competent leadership must be visible and demonstrable.
We can not wait for an economic catastrophe. We can not only protest, oppose and delay. We must contend.
Program and Meetings
Our program is not a list of shrill demands or a utopian blueprint. It is a comprehensive plan of action around which local and national organizing efforts can be structured. It is transitional. It deals concretely with the trends, problems and opportunities of the present period of crisis. It is nonsectarian and pluralistic. It speaks to the majority of Americans and strives to unite members of different classes and sectors around their common economic interests. For more information on the program, attend the NDM September monthly meeting.
Sun., Sept. 21: Monthly Meeting/Introduction to NDM, public welcome, 4 pm, Michigan League, Room D, 3rd floor , Ann Arbor.
SOUTH AFRICA
Free South Africa
Coordinating Committee
(FSACC)
c/o Michigan Student Assembly
8309 Michigan Union
Ann Arbor, Ml 48109
971-7994 or 769-8549
Statement of Purpose
Formed in the spring of 1985, FSACC is a multi-racial campus-based group which is committed to opposing the brutal system of Apartheid in South Africa as well as racism in this country. FSACC produces literature and organizes educational events which examine Apartheid and expose ways in which U.S. institutions (including the University of Michigan), underwrite that system.
FSACC is also involved in grass-roots efforts to change the policies and practices of our government and university which provide direct support to the Apartheid regime or reflect insensitivity to the aspirations of the majority of the country's disenfranchised Black population.
Meetings
FSACC meets every Monday night at 7 pm in Room 111, West Engineering Bldg. (corner of S. University and E. University). At each meeting we have a brief update about the week's activities in South Africa. Call for more information.
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FSACC
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Current News
Last academic year FSACC organized and initiated five major events and campaigns to educate the campus and Ann Arbor community about the South Africa issue and to help pressure the university administration to take a stronger anti-Apartheid stand. (1) FSACC coordinated a mass petition orive (2,000 names) to bolster the nomination of S. African leader Nelson Mandela for an honorary degree. (2) When the University Regents refused to honor Mandela and handled the nomination in a secretive and undemocratic manner, we organized a 24 hour sit-in in the Administration Building, involving more than 100 students. (3) In May we held an alternative commencement ceremony to honor Nelson Mandela. The event was attended by nearly 400 people with U.S. Congressman George Crockett delivering the keynote address and a representative of the African National Congress accepting the honors for Mandela. (4) In March we built an anti-Apartheid shanty in the Diag as a symbol of the suffering in S. Africa and as a reminder of the actual conditions under which Black S. Africans live. Despite attacks by local vandals, the shanty has endured and will remain standing until Apartheid is abolished. (5) On April 4, the anniversary of Martin Luther King's assassination, we joined forces with dozens of campus and community groups to sponsor a Freedom March against Racism and Apartheid.
We have also hosted numerous films, panels, and speakers, including a 3-day teach-in last October. We have held several candlelight vigils in memory of the victims of the violent Apartheid system. Over the summer a small corps of FSACC members met weekly to prepare literature and make preliminary plans for Fall activities. We also successfully pressured the local authorities to prosecute a shanty vandal caught by campus security last term.
Coming Events
We have four major campaigns planned for the upcoming school year: (1) Build an even broader and stronger campaign in support of the nomination of Nelson Mandela for an honorary degree in May, 1987. (2) Launch a material aid drive to collect funds and supplies for the Solomon Mahlangu Freedom School for South African refugees and political exiles in Tanzania. (3) Initiate dialogue and a petition drive with other progressive and minority organizations to develop an anti-racist agenda for the campus. (4) Organize a very broad coalition of organizations in preparation for the 2nd annual Freedom March Against Racism and Apartheid, April 4, 1987.
Fri. 12: FSACC will have literature, posters and T-shirts at our Festifall booth on the diag.
Mon. 15: Mass meeting to discuss the current situation in Southern Africa and to give an update on campus anti-Apartheid activities. We will also tell others how they can get involved in the Free South Africa Movement. 8 pm, Ampitheatre of the Rackham Bldg. (Washington St., across from MLB).
Frl. 26: Rededication ceremony for the anti-Apartheid shanty. The ceremony will include songs, speeches, poems and drama and will begin at 8 pm on the Diag.
Sept. 26-Oct. 11: Signup of teams to staff the shanty around the clock to kick off this year's anti-Apartheid campaigns. Oct. 10: The national day of solidarity with S. African political prisoners. Noon rally on the Diag, followed by a symbolic "breaking the chains" ceremony at several sites around the city. Oct. 10-11: Dr. Manning Marable and journalist Alexander Cockburn will be keynote speakers to kick off an all-day conference on Oct. 11 , "Critiques of U.S. Intervention in Central America, South Africa and the Middle East," sponsored by FSACC, Latin American Solidarity Committee, November 29 Committee for Palestine, and New Jewish Agenda. Details will be announced.
International Possibilities
Unlimited (IPU)
South African Political Prisoner
Bracelet Program
P. O. Box 2542
Ann Arbor, MI 48106
973-2016
Statement of Purpose
International Possibilities Unlimited (IPU), the organization conducting the bracelet program, is a nonprofit corporation with staff workers and a board of directors. The South African Political Prisoner Bracelet Program staff operates in four committees: the Orders, Network, Publicity, and Education Committees.
The purpose of the South Africa Political Prisoner Bracelet Program is to educate the public about the plight of political prisoners in South Africa and to increase the public's awareness of the continued racial and social-economic oppression of the people of Southern Africa.
Each bracelet bears the name of a South African political prisoner serving a life sentence. The bracelet should facilitate the development of a personal bond between the wearer and the prisoner named thereon and his or her family. To that end, we provide addresses where participants can write a particular prisoner. In addition, a portion of the funds generated through the sale of the bracelets is contributed to other organizations whose central goals are consistent with IPU's.
Meetings and Membership
Meetings are held every Monday at 5 p.m. at 2501 Braeburn Circle. Please cali 973-2016 to confirm the location. IPU presently has seven working members. We carry out all aspects of the bracelet program and therefore we are a task-oriented organization. This program offers numerous rewards to anyone who has the courage and commitment to take the challenge of creating a viable international program "against all odds." We need people who are excited by that type of challenge.
Action Alert Every month in this section we will give you information about anti-apartheid campaigns or efforts that need your immediate attention and support. This month we will highlight Senate Bill S2701 and a new anti-apartheid PAC.
A bill that imposes economic sanctions on South Africa was passed by the Senate, August 15th. S2701, introduced by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), bars most new investments in, and loans to South Africa, prohibits the importation of coal, uranium and steel (with diamonds banned if there is no progress in 12 months) and severely restricts U.S. landing rights for South African aircraft.
Since the Senate bill falls short of the comprehensive sanctions contained in HR 997, the bill which passed in the House in June, a House-Senate conference committee was appointed. This committee will begin negotiating a compromise bill when Congress returns from summer break September 8th. It is imperative that you contact Congressman Pursell and Senators Levin and Reigle to express your support for the comprehensive sanctions delineated in the House bill.
A political action committee has been established to assist candidates running for federal office who are "committed to vigorous action" in support of majority rule in South Africa and independence for Namibia. Americans Against Apartheid, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, offers money and volunteer support to congressional candidates and works in coalition with other anti-apartheid organizations. Contributions or information requests can be made to: Americans Against Apartheid, P O Box 65004, Washington, DC 20035-5004 or (202) 822-3131 .
Current Events
To date, IPU has sold 1 ,600 bracelets to people in 30 states and in five countries. The bracelets and the 27 page resource brochure which accompanies them are available in two stores (Collected Works in Ann Arbor and the Shrine of the Black Madonna in Detroit) or through the mail at the above IPU address. They are $6.76 each ($6.50 + $0.26 state sales tax).
A National Anti-Apartheid Student Conference will be held at Howard University, Saturday, September 20th. The goal of the conference is to develop a strategy for nationwide, campus-based, anti-apartheid activism. Written proposals for activities from student groups will be accepted prior to the conference and voted on at the conference. Voting will be democratically based in the sense that there will be one vote per campus, if you are interested, please contact Ms. Ona Alston of the Howard University Student Association at (202) 636-7007.
WOMEN'S ISSUES
National Organization
for Women (NOW)
Ann Arbor-Washtenaw
County Chapter
1917 Washtenaw Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
995-5494
Statement of Purpose
The National Organization for Women is committed to taking action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising full rights and responsibilities in partnership with men. NOW works to support the private choice of every woman to control her own reproductive life, to support each person's right to be free from discrimination based on one's sexual preference, and to include the Equal Rights Ammendment in the Constitution of the United States of America. The NOW Political Action Committee gathers information about political candidates and their positions on feminist issues and may choose to endorse candidates that support women's issues. Further, NOW works on many issues that affect women: fair insurance practices, nuclear disarmament, minority rights, homemakers' rights, day care, pay equity and so on; wherever women's lives are affected.
Meetings
The Ann Arbor-Washtenaw County chapter of NOW meets the second Tuesday of each month at the Unitarian Church, 1917 Washtenaw, Ann Arbor. A topic of general interest is presented at 7:30, preceded by a social halfhour. Free child care is available during the meeting, and the public is always welcome. A portion of each meeting is devoted to writing letters of support or critique regarding current issues to the people involved and the government officials concerned with their resolution .
September Events
Fri., 26: "Women in Politics-1986." A fund-raising celebration to honor and support local women politicians. Senator Lana Pollack; Commisioners Merilou Murray, Catherine McClary, and Mary Egnor; and Councilwomen Doris Preston, Kathy Edgren, and Bev Fish will be among the honorees. Your $25 donation will go to the Ann Arbor NOW-PAC. 7:30 -10:30 pm, 1781 Arlington, Ann Arbor. For information: 995-2532.
Tues., 9: "Positive and Negative Images of Women" will be the topic for the general meeting, with the emphasis on images of women in the local area. The meeting will be open to anyone wishing to share personal experiences and for ideas on how to work to improve the image of women. 7:30 pm, 1917 Washtenaw, Ann Arbor.
To Be Announced: "Feminist Friday" Monthly get-togethers to meet other feminists and discuss whatever is on your mind in an informal atmosphere. Information: 662-6429.
Women's International
League for Peace and
Freedom (WILPF)
619 East University, A-1
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104
971-4702
Statement of Purpose
Since its founding in 1915, WILPF has united countless
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WILPF (CONT. FROM PREVIOUS PAGE) women working for peace and freedom. Currently, there are approximately 120 members in the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti branch. As an international organization with official representation in the United Nations, WILPF is committed to the U.N. as a strong force for settling disputes among nations. WILPF has always affirmed that peace and freedom are inseparable, two sides of the same coin. The organization continues to be a multi-issue, multi-race group, emphasizing the connections between war and poverty, racism and economic exploitation, and sexism and violence. The group stands for the equality of all people in a world free of racism and sexism, the building of a constructive peace through world disarmament, and changing U.S. government priorities to meet human needs.
Meetings
WILPF holds monthly program and action meetings to plan events, discuss issues and determine what actions the Ann Arbor-Ypsilanti branch will take regarding those issues. Call for specific times and places.
Community Services
Since education for peace is a major part of WILPF's program, the group has a lot of literature available on the subject. Art work, T-shirts, posters, buttons and books are also available for moderate donations. Members will speak on current issues and special topics, such as U.S. policy in Central America, war tax resistance. Also available are children's books on peace, disarmament and social justice
September Events
WILPF Ypsilanti-Ann Arbor branch will have its first meeting of the fall on Tuesday, September 16, at 7:30 pm, Fellowship Room of Friend's Center, 1420 Hill Street, Ann Arbor. The purpose of the meeting is to greet new members and explain the program for the year. The public is welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served.
OTHER
Amnesty International (Al)
U.S. Group 61
Ann Arbor, Ml
761-1628 or 761-3639
Amnesty International (Al) is a strictly nonpartisan worldwide movement of people working for the release of prisoners of conscience, for fair and prompt trials for all political prisoners, and for an end to torture and the death penalty in all cases. Al defines prisoners of conscience as men, women, and children who are detained anywhere because of their beliefs, color, sex, ethnic origin, language or religion provided they have neither used nor advocated violence. Al is independent of all governments, political factions, ideologies, economic interests, and religious creeds. lts mandate is based on the United Nation' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For its work, Al was awarded the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize.
One of the key guidelines of AI's approach is to work on behalf of individual prisoners. Members of Al send Communications on behalf of the imprisoned to officials. Members organize public meetings and arrange special publicity events, such as vigils at appropriate government offices or embassies. Members collect signatures for international petitions and raise money to send relief, (and often greetings and words of support) to the prisoners and their families. The hope and encouragement that this provides prisoners is reflected in the words of a former prisoner in Taiwan: "I can never forget how I was moved to tears when unexpectedly I was handed in a solitary cell a brief letter from Amnesty International."
Since it was founded in 1961, Al has intervened on behalf of more than 20,000 prisoners in over 100 countries. A key to AI's effectiveness is its scrupulous research and documentation of prisoners' cases. AI's International Secretariat in London has a research department which collects and analyzes information from a wide variety of sources and Al representatives go on missions to collect on the-spot information. The accuracy of AI's findings is recognized throughout the world.
Membership and Activities
Al is a volunteer organization with 500,000 members and supporters in more than 150 countries. One of the most (CONT. ON NEXT PAGE)
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
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popular ways of becoming involved in Al activities is to join an Adoption Group, which consists of 10 to 30 members and works on behalf of individual prisoners whose cases have been researched by the International Secretariat. The Ann Arbor group, AIUSA Group 61, holds official meetings on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 pm at the Michigan Union, lts primary work is letter writing to foreign countries on behalf of the group's "adopted" prisoners until those prisoners are released.
It is often asked whether writing letters does any good, particularly in countries with dismal human rights records. At the very least, letters help prevent a prisoner from getting lost in the system. Prisoners who have been released have reported that their treatment in prison improved significantly once letters began to arrive. With regard to torture, many governments who use it "officially" condemn it, and are embarrassed at being exposed as practitioners. In the absence of diplomatic pressure, letter writing is sometimos the only way such abuses are exposed. Group 61 requires its members to write a minimum of two letters per month, one on behatf of each of its two adopted prisoners.
Group 61 members also staff Iiterature tables at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market and the Art Fair, and coffee and literature tables in the Fishbowl and Modern Languages Building at the U-M. Members also work on publicity and fundraising.
To learn more about AIUSA programs, contact the national headquarters at AIUSA, 322 8th Ave., New York, NY 10001, (212) 807-8400. To join the U.S. Urgent Action Network, contact AIUSA, Urgent Action Office, P.O. Box 1 270, Nederland, CO 80466, (303) 440-0913.
Current Events
Presently, Group 61 works on the cases of two adopted prisoners, Tatyana Velkanova of the U.S.S.R., and Ahmet Isvan of Turkey. A third prisoner, A. Vettithasan of Sri Lanka, whose case is still under investigation, may be adopted by Group 61 in the coming months. Group 61 also needs help staffing an information booth at the Saturday Farmer's Market from 9 am to 1 pm. The group is presently organizing a September or October event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Al. There is also an urgent action group in Ann Arbor which works on Latin American cases. Call 668-0249 for more information.
PIRGIM
4109 Michigan Union
AnnArbor, MI 48109
668-6515; 662-6597
PIRGIM (Public Interest Research Group in Michigan) is the state's leading consumer environmental organization. PIRGIM'S 15,000 citizen members and thousands of student members nationwide have combined to win victories for consumers by lowering telephone prices, and for residents by reducing the dangers from toxic chemicals. For example, PIRGIM efforts last year led to state and county laws giving citizens and workers the right to know about toxic chemicals. We challenged Michigan Bell three years ago and won over $318 million in telephone cost savings for consumers. Our activities include voter registration campaigns, women's safety in Ann Arbor, and passing the federal Superfund law.
Structure and Membership
PIRGIM is effective in changing state and local policies because of a unique partnership between students, who run the organization, and its citizen members. The Board of Directors is elected from student PIRGIM members. The Board then hires a professional staff of lawyers, lobbyists and organizers who run a Citizen Outreach Campaign to work with citizens to pass important legislation.
PIRGIM always welcomes volunteers. Projects for volunteers include producing consumer buying guides, working on the newsletter, researching for a study on problems with the food stamp program, and researching on toxic waste sites. Contact Andy at 662-6597.
Current Activities
PIRGIM's 1986-87 "Consumer Guide to Banking in Ann Arbor" will be available September 4. Also watch for our "Guide to Food, Spirits, and Entertainment" and the new newsletter.
The Citizen Outreach Project is kicking off its fall campaign to enact environmental enforcement legislation. Full and part-time paid positions are available with the campaign. Contact Jenna or Woody at 668-6515.
PIRGIM's campus activities: toxic cleanup, women's safety, world and domestic hunger relief and more begin in September. Watch for posters and announcements, or call Andy at 662-6597.
Alcohol
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will never be willing to accept the unacceptable: alcoholism is killing us.
Admitting that we cannot control what the alcoholic and drug dependent among us do is the first step we need to take in order to help them. And for no less than one quarter of us, taking this step allows us to begin the path from addiction. The first step in our recovery is to admit that we live in a community which has a serious alcohol and drug problem. After giving up our denial, we need to determine which recovery program will work best for us. If we discover that we are part of the 2 to 40%, we need to become active in Alcoholics Anonymous. As long as we persist in our self destructive behavior, we cannot help advance ourselves or our community. Drunks make poor revolutionaries.
Ann Arbor is fortunate to have gay/lesbian meetings of AA. But, gay AA will not keep any of us sober. It is the program of Alcoholics Anonymous which keeps us sober. Gay/lesbian meetings are an added bonus; a bonus that often helps newly sober alcoholics learn the basics of the program without fear of rejection by the larger AA community.
If we are co-dependents (and who in the gay/lesbian community is not affected by an alcoholic?) we need to go to Al-Anon. Based on the same Twelve Step program as Alcoholics Anonymous, members of Al-Anon learn how they are affected by the "disease" process of alcoholism and what they can do to gain some sanity in their lives.
If we are to be a healthy community, we need to begin working on ourselves; for unless we are healthy how can we expect to help others become healthy? And unless we are self-accepting, how can we expect others to accept us?
After beginning work on ourselves, we need to establish chem-free space in our community. In making this claim, I do not advocate that we rush out to join the ranks of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Alcohol is not the enemy and the problems of alcoholism will not be eliminated if alcohol is made illegal. What we must do, however, is to give up that all too prevalent notion that everyone drinks. And we need to quit using the gay and lesbian bars as a scapegoat for our addiction. Recent research concerning substance abuse in the gay male community indicates that homosexual alcoholics drank alcoholically even before they entered their first gay bar. Bars do not cause alcoholism.
A few years ago, I had my last alcoholic beverage. Yet, today, I enjoy meeting students and members of my department at our favorite East Lansing bar. While there I drink my soda and lime and enjoy the company of my colleagues while we chat and share joys, excitement, disappointments, and successes. Because I am able to get my non-alcoholic drink, there is no reason for me to avoid this particular bar. (In fact, the soda and lime is not only readily available; it is also free.)
Sadly, I cannot say the same thing about the majority of gay functions which I attend. Frequently, those of us who choose not to drink - and I should point out that not all of us are alcohol or drug dependent - fïnd it difficult to obtain nonalcoholic beverages at gay functions. Even when non-alcoholic beverages are available, they frequently are not as available as alcoholic ones. For example, the last time I went to a gay bar, I found that I could purchase a well drink for $1.00. Yet, because it did not contain alcohol, my customary soda and lime cost $1.35.
When we set aside chem-free space at our events and make sure that non-alcoholic beverages are equally available and desirable at our functions, we begin to help people understand that it is okay not to drink. This, of course, is not the same as saying that it is not okay to drink. Being drunk is not a requirement for being a politically correct homosexual. And, as Bob Kus from the University of Iowa has documented in his research with recovering gay alcoholics, sober sex - and social intercourse in general - is far more fulfilling than the "God was I drunk last night" syndrome made famous by The Boys in the Band. Is the escape from reality that alcohol and drugs bring worth the risk of our health and, quite probably, our lives?