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Drug
Policy
Campus
Activism
Conference
3/12/99
Marc Brandl,
[email protected]
On the weekend of March 5-7,
over 40 students, representing 10 universities, met to learn more about
activism, leadership, and to discuss ideas. Aaron Wilson, long-time
campus activist and organizer of the conference, said "While small, as
the first ever inter-campus gathering of student drug policy reform activists
it was a significant event. The level of inter-campus communication
and cooperation has risen quite a bit, with several collaborative projects
already underway. I think the event did a lot to solidify the participants'
commitment to activism on the issue and provided political skills they
need to be more effective. I am sure the next event will be even
better."
The conference, titled "Student
Drug Reform Activism: 1999 Advanced Leadership Conference," was held at
the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and was hosted by the nation's
longest running campus marijuana reform group, the Amherst Cannabis Reform
Coalition (UMACRC). The conference focused on activism, with sessions
and panels were held on subjects such as event organizing, Higher Education
Act reform, and effective political public relations. The focus of
all the conference events was activism and not theory. The conference
also allowed student activists a chance to meet face to face and share
ideas, experiences and plans for the future long into the morning hours.
Michael Thelwell, one of
the original founders of the Student Nonviolent Campus Coordinators (SNCC),
now a professor of literature in the Afro-American Studies department at
Amherst, was the event's keynote speaker. His speech inspired activists
with memories of the civil rights movement. "He inspired me to think
more about the struggle and the heart behind what we do instead of simply
tactics and knowledge," said Troy Dayton, who was a communications and
rhetoric trainer at the conference.
Tentative plans are being
made to have a similar event in October at George Washington University
in Washington. Shawn Heller, president of GW Students for a Sensible
Drug Policy (SSDP) said, "Hopefully a conference at GW next semester will
improve upon the trend set up by this conference, and will bring together
all drug policy student activists in the country." Funding for the
conference came, in part, from a small grant from the Drug Policy Foundation
and several contributions from private donors. Aaron Wilson would
like to thank everyone who made the event possible and contributed to its
success, including Liz Rising (UMACRC), who did much of the work of reserving
hotel rooms, making arrangements for food and other thankless tasks.
-- END --
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Issue #82, 3/12/99
Announcements | Internet Campaign Convinces Congress to Condemn "Know Your Customer," Battle Not Yet Over | George Bush Jr. Hires Private Eye to Dig Up Own Past | Report: US Anti-Drug Forces Corrupted | Alaska Bill Introduced to Amend State's New Medical Marijuana Law | Drug Policy Campus Activism Conference | Washington State Bill Would Increase Judge's Discretion in Drug Cases | Judge Denies California AIDS Patient's Urgent Plea for Medical Marijuana | Federal Judge Allows Medical Marijuana Class Action Suit to Proceed, Questions Why Government Supplies Medical Marijuana to Some Patients, Not Others | Events | Online Petitions
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