Tag Archives: student rights

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Students Publish Disorientation Guide to Activism at Wes

 

disorientation

So maybe you’re a freshman, nervous and overwhelmed by all the information coming at you about classes, housing, what to bring from home – and are feeling like you can’t even begin to think about bigger issues on campus. Or maybe you’re a senior and feel like you’ve gotten this far and never really involved yourself in any social/political engagement on campus, so now it’s way too late and where would you even begin if you wanted to. Wherever you might stand, activism at Wes can seem like a huge, widespread and unnavigable thing.

Thankfully, some very committed students are trying to change that sentiment and make activism within the Wesleyan world an approachable and cohesive community. This past week, the Disorientation Guide was released through the University Organizing Center site to bring together the wide-ranging issues affecting us into one document. The entire Disorientation zine can be downloaded here, and I strongly recommend that everyone take a look at it.

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Beta-Gate Continues: It’s gettin’ hot in here

“shit just got serious”

– ACB, post 18

In case you’re not in the loop about the whole Beta-gate thing, check out here and here.

Since I last wrote on the issue, new developments have come about. Most notably, FIRE – the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education – has shot off a letter to President Roth, indicating their grave concern about…

…the threat to freedom of association posed by Wesleyan University’s new policy banning students from “participating in social activities” on any property “owned, leased or operated by private societies that are not recognized by the University.”

FIRE,  founded by UPenn history professor Alan Charles Kors and attorney Harvey A. Silverglate, is a non-profit group that seeks to clamp down on university administrations that gravely limit the civil liberties of their students. From a brief flick through their Wikipedia entry (thank gawd for the wikis), they appear to be an outfit who knows what they’re doing. (For evidence, see here and here and here.)

You can check out their views on the case here.

Will their warning bring about a positive outcome? We’ll see. (I sure do hope so, though.)

In other news, it appears some folks are planning something Wesleyan-like to have their voices heard. (For more details, go here.) As one poster very correctly puts it,

This is not a Beta protest. This is a student rights protest. Let’s make that clear.

– ACB, post 1

Well, Wes. It’s your move.

PS: Thanks to the anonymous tipster on the FIRE development!