Etcetera

- - - AGENDA is interested in receiving items trom you tor etcétera. Press clippings, press releases, summanes of local events and any other ideas or suggestions are welcome. Just mail them to: Etcétera Editor, AGENDA, 220 S. Main St, Ann Arbor, Ml 48104. Volunteer with SOS Crisis Center The SOS Community Crisis Center and Prospect Place Family Shelter are seeking volunteers to assist individuals and families struggling with personal and family stress, hunger, homelessness, suicide and substance abuse. The volunteer roles are Crisis Line Counselors, Food Distribution Aides, Housing Crisis Resources Aides, and Child Care Aides. Training begins the first week of June. To receive a training packet or to find out more about these volunteer opportunities, cali 4858730. Guatemala Human Rights Phone-ln Day June 5 is the date designated by the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA) as the "National Cali for Truth." To particípate, citizens concemed about human rights in Guatemala are urged to cali the White House Comment Line at 202-4561111 (9am to 5pm EST) or send e-mail to president@whitehouse.gov. Stress the following points in your message: The U.S. must make a definitive break with the Guatemalan Army. The policy of "constructive engagement" has failed. The U.S. must proactively support proposals for demilitarization in the peace process and support the proposal to establish civilian authority over the military. The U.S. should immediately disclose information to facilítate the prosecution and purging of military officers involved in human rights violations. This campaign comes in the wake of recent revelations about the ClA's relationship with a Guatemalan officer accused of the murder of U.S. citizen Michael Devine and of Guatemalan insurgent leader Efrain Bamaca, the husband of U.S. citizen Jennifer Harbury. Both of these crimes have pointed to U.S. complicity in human rights violations in Guatemala. For more information contact NISGUA at 202-223-6474; e-mail: nisgua@igc.apo. org. Campus Organizing Guide Available The Center for Campus Organizing has recently published the "Campus Organizing Guide for Peace & Justice Groups." It covers topics such as: how to start a group; meetings and group process; planning an event; publicity techniques; media and press releases; building your membership base; and much more. The organization states: "There is a rich tradition of organizing for peace and justice on U.S. college campuses, but too often students have no access to the wealth of experience and skills accumulated by previous generations of activists... The purpose of this guidebook is to provide a missing link, to get campus activists of the '90s starled more quickly, building upon the work of their predecessors and of students at other campuses. This 1 6-page booklet costs $1 . To purchase one, contact UCPCenter for Campus Organizing, Box 748, Cambridge, MA 021 42. Michigan Pride Maren Set for June 25 "JoiningTogetherforJustice"isthetheme of the 1 995 Michigan March for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Rights. The march begins at 1 1 :30 am in Lansing and culminates in a rally at the Capitol Steps. Following this will be the annual festival at Riverfront Park. The event will pay tribute to Michigan lesbians, gays and bisexuals - a group with a proud history of social, cultural and politica) change. Michigan Pride, the sponsoring organization, needs help in the form of donations and volunteers. If you can help, or would like information about organization booth rental orcarfloat registration, cali 51 7-482-8656 or write: Michigan Pride, P.O. Box 16191, Lansing, Ml 48909. The Wobblies are Here! The Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.), popularly known as the Wobblies in labor unión history, have opened their new international headquarters at 103 W. Michigan Ave. in Ypsilanti. The office is open from 10 am-6 pm, Mon. through Fri. The office also houses the I.W.W. Workers' Education Center, which provides an extensive library of books and periodicals on labor, political and social issues; networking with advocacy groups; and labor support services such as unemployment counseling, union organizing, and strike support. Weekly events at the Wobblies office include a labor film and video series on Tues. evenings, a discussion series on Thurs. evenings, and an open venue coffee house on Sun. evenings (all events at 7:30 pm). The I.W.W offers their facilities to democratie advocacy groups and individuals grounded in progressive issues. For more information cali 483-3548. Landowner Conservation Guide Available The Potawatomi Land Trust (PLT) has recently completed a brochure directed at landowners who wish to protect the conservation values of their property. Entitled "Conservation Options: A Guide forWashtenaw County Landowners," the brochure outlines several methods by which a property's natural, agricultural or open space features may be protected. The two basic "tools" groups like PLT use to protect property are Conservation Easements and Transfers in Fee Title. Conservation Easements are legal agreements reached voluntarily between a landowner and a land trust that protects conservation values, permanently limits certain rights of current and future landowners, and keeps property in private hands. By donating some or all of the development rights to a qualified, tax-exempt organization like PLT, the landowner may be eligible for certain tax benefits. Easements can even be designed to allow for a few caref ully placed housing sites. Land trusts sometimes purchase or receive donations of land outright, also known as "fee title." If the property is purchased at a below-market pnce or is donated, the landowner may be eligible for certain tax benefits. The Guide goes into greater detail on how Conservation Easements and Transfers in Fee Title are developed and completed, and describes how the tax benefits are determined. The Guide is printed in an easy-to-read, question-and-answer format and is available free of charge from PLT at P.O. Box 130122, Ann Arbor, Ml 481 1 3-01 22, or by calling 810231-4375. Equity Audit Committee Seeks Members The Equity Audit Committee (EAC) of the Ann Arbor Public Schools is presently seeking a broad spectrum of interested community members to serve on the greater committee and on its various subcommittees. EAC's major function is to monitor the school system's progress in attending to its equity needs, commitments, and plans of action, to ensure that they are in keeping with the Board of Education's Mission Statement and goals and are in line with state and federal iaws. Since its inception five years ago, the Equity Audit Committee has reported on and made recommendations with regard to such issues as: racial and gender compositionof schools; the "achievement gap"; sex bias within the Cheerleading program; multicultural curriculum and resources; the discipline policy; staff affirmative action; and concern for "at-risk" students. The various topics are studied by three main subcommittees: Achievement Gap (focusing on race, gender, and national origin disparities on achievement test scores, and on methods of overcoming these); Special Needs (examining the progress of students who are "falling through the cracks"); and Policies and Procedures (currently analyzing the new "Rightsand Responsibilities" handbookto make sure that it is applied consistentty and protects students' rights and well-being). Because of Equity Audit Committee monitoring action, an increased percentage of minority staff has been hired, the Discipline Policy has been revised, "Strategie Plans" for carrying out Achievement 2000 (plans for recognizing and overcoming inequitable school practices by the year 2000) have been developed, and the Board has renewed its commitment to improving all students' achievement. Community members who would like to join the Equity Audit Committees and work on equal opportunity issues for students and employees should contact the Equity Office at 994-2240 for an application. The entire committee meets on the fourth Monday of each month, and the subcommittees set their own schedules, with meeting and work time totaling about eight hours per month. All interested persons are welcome, but there is a special need for representatives from the Asian-American, NativeAmerican, Hispanic, Arabic communities, as well as advocates for disability issues, to reflect the actual diversity of our community.