7/14-18: "Bored of Regents" UC-Wide Convergence

July 14-18, 2008
UC Santa Barbara


Please join the Coalition to Demilitarize the UC at the UC Santa Barbara campus for a UC-wide convergence taking place from July 14-18, 2008. The "Bored of Regents" convergence will coincide with the bi-monthly UC Board of Regents meeting occurring at the same time on the UCSB campus.

The UC Board of Regents is the governing body of the University of California. The individual members are appointed by the Governor of California. They are not elected by the people of California nor the students at the core of the University of California, yet they are able to make decisions which alter and impact the lives of millions, on areas ranging from student fees, to worker's rights and wages, to major development projects on UC campuses and in their surrounding communities, to the design and production of nuclear weapons at the nation's two premier nuclear weapons laboratories. Students have immense power to determine university policies, yet we currently lack the degree of organization and solidarity necessary to fully and concretely realize our power.

This convergence will offer a space in which organizations and students across the UC system can come together to meet with each other and form connections across areas of concern and campus boundaries. As we act cohesively and in solidarity with each other's movements for social and environmental justice, our pursuits as individuals and issue-specific organizations will strengthen exponentially. We plan to focus on the many ways which movements for demilitarization and disarmament converge with other social and environmental movements. The goals of true environmental and social justice cannot be realized without a simultaneous focus on demilitarization and disarmament. This is a space in which we, as organizers and engaged students, may challenge ourselves to build power through solidarity and honesty and where we can meet new friends and reunite with old friends in struggle.

Furthermore, this convergence is largely about experiential diffusion. For students especially, the university's four year tenure leaves precious little time for an adequate degree of collaboration on the spectacular challenges we face. Many organizers across the UC system have just graduated or will be graduating soon, and there is a vast array of knowledge and experience which needs to be imparted to current students who wish to perpetuate these movements. We encourage organizers with all levels of experience to participate so that the highest degree of knowledge and experience sharing may occur.



About the Coalition to Demilitarize the UC:

The Coalition to Demilitarize the UC, active in organizing the "Bored of Regents" convergence, was founded in 2002 to provide a framework for collaboration among the campus and community organizations working to challenge the UC's involvement in the design, research, testing and production of nuclear weapons at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).

The Coalition currently consists of students and student organizations at six UC campuses, as well as four community organizations in California and New Mexico.

Current strategies include grassroots education, lobbying & advocacy, non-violent direct action, and the subversive utilization of creativity and humor. Our core group of students and community organizers is working to build a mass movement across California to demilitarize and democratize the UC system, as well as to build momentum within the larger peace and nuclear abolition movements.

More info is available at http://www.ucnuclearfree.org

Likely Discussion/Action Planning groups:



* What is the UC Student Department of Energy Laboratory Oversight Committee (DOELOC) and how can you start or strengthen a DOELOC branch on your campus?



* Starting and facilitating a "UC and the Bomb" class



* Meeting facilitation: how to run a democratic meeting and form consensus around our political goals.



* UC Demilitarization Coalition strategic planning



* Student-worker solidarity



* Counter recruitment



* Education: Student access, diversity, and affordability



* Contextualizing campus struggles in the local community



* Ecological sustainability: What is it really going to take? What's happening already?



We are still looking for ideas and facilitators. Do you have a discussion/action planning group that you think needs to be on the agenda? Would you like to facilitate these or any other discussion/action planning groups? Let us know at boredofregents [at] gmail.com



Plus:



* Bike Tour of the Goleta Valley: a bicycle ride led by Darwin touring the Goleta Valley's history and geography from an anti-imperialist perspective. The tour visits important sites in the Valley's past and present and links issues of racial oppression, militarism, ecological destruction, and community identity.
* House parties, day and night hikes, picnics, beach camping, art projects, games, and acoustic music throughout the week!
* Come dance and have fun at the BIKO garage on the night of Friday July 18th at 9pm with "BOAT" (Seattle), "Alright Class" (Oakland/SF), and "Franklin For Short" (Ventura). This show will be super fun!



Logistics:



* Bring a sleeping bag, pillow, and towel for yourself and a tent for your group if you have one. We'll take care of the rest, i.e., couches, floors, back yards, and beaches.
* Lunch and Dinner will be provided by Santa Barbara Food Not Bombs
* A more detailed calendar will be sent out and posted online in the coming weeks as discussion/action planning groups and facilitators are confirmed. Plan to arrive on the afternoon of July 14th. We will also post more information to http://www.ucnuclearfree.org in the coming days and weeks.
* We can help out with some gas expenses, but our resources are limited. Please carpool as much as possible. Email us for more details about reimbursement once you confirm your group's travel arrangements.
* You can keep in contact with the "Bored of Regents" UC-wide Convergence organizing group by emailing boredofregents [at] gmail.com. Email us with any questions, concerns, or suggestions, and someone will get back to you right away!
* Please let us know as soon as possible if you plan to attend and participate in the convergence.