[FLPERMACULTURE] [Fwd: Wells College hosts 6th annual Activism Symposium on Friday, March 2]

[Steve Gabriel]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WELLS COLLEGE PRESENTS 6TH ANNUAL ACTIVISM SYMPOSIUM	
"Engage Conflict" is the theme of this year's student-run event

Aurora, N.Y. - Wells College continues its tradition of academic excellence and student leadership with the presentation of the sixth annual Activism in the Academy Symposium on Friday, March 2, 2007. Under the direction of Associate Professor of Sociology Laura McClusky, students have organized the campus-wide event, entitled "Engage Conflict." The symposium is free for the Wells community. A fee of $10 for all others, payable at the door, includes a deli lunch with vegetarian options available. Interested parties are strongly encouraged to pre-register online at http://aurora.wells.edu/~symposium.

The day will begin with a keynote address from Marc Rodrigues, co-coordinator of the Student/Farmworker Alliance (http://www.sfalliance.org). The group is a national network of students and other young people whose aim is to eliminate sweatshop and slave-like conditions in the U.S. agricultural industry. The group recently partnered with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) in Florida to mobilize a nationwide boycott against Taco Bell, which ended in March 2005 when the fast-food company agreed to work directly with the CIW to improve farmworkers' wages and working conditions. His talk will take place at 9:00 a.m. in Phipps Auditorium, Macmillan Hall.

(Wells students previously worked with the CIW and Student/Farmworker Alliance during a 2005 alternative spring break trip to Immoklaee, Fla., where they helped renovate the CIW's future office and community center and participated in workshops on migrant farmworker issues, racism, and activism.)

The day continues with more than 20 workshops, lectures, demonstrations, and break-out sessions; individuals may attend one or all. Following Rodrigues' talk, participants may choose from two morning sessions (starting at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m.) and three afternoon sessions (at 2:00, 3:00, and a wrap-up at 4:00 p.m.). The sessions will address a wide variety of activist-related topics, including accessible health care, "post-peak oil living," non-violence training, 'zines, graffiti, transgendered rights, and the permaculture movement.

Symposium attendees may also view a new exhibit, "Faces of Liberty," a traveling display of black-and-white photographs that tells the stories of several New Yorkers' experiences with civil liberties and the Bill of Rights. The exhibit, which runs in Long Library from March 1 through 27, is sponsored by the New York Civil Liberties Union and Wells College.

This year's lunchtime speaker, Deborah Case, is a military veteran's advocate and a member of Women Organizing Women (http://www.vetwow.com). The theme of her talk, which takes places at 12:30 p.m. in the Chapel, Main Building, is "Military Sexual Trauma: The Assault and Rape of Women in the Military." Case, a military veteran herself, has also served as a member of the board of directors of Survivors Take Action Against Military Personnel (STAMP). 

Started by the Collegiate Association (student government) in 2002, the purpose of the student-centered symposium is to promote civic engagement, encourage critical thinking, and find links between the academy and the world at large. One objective of the day is to empower Wells and local community members to use the College as a resource for advancing social justice and community development through interdisciplinary study. As a liberal arts institution, Wells College recognizes the value of service and activism as part of the experiential learning process.

For more information about the Activism Symposium, please contact Associate Professor McClusky at 315/364-3252 or symposium at wells.edu, or visit the symposium's official Web site at http://aurora.wells.edu/~symposium.

Wells College is a nationally recognized private coeducational liberal arts college located in Aurora, New York, on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake. It was established in 1868 by Henry Wells, founder of the Wells Fargo and American Express companies. The College is known as an exceptional value, pairing top-quality academic programs with affordable tuition. Wells boasts small class sizes, an extensive experiential learning program, cross-enrollment with Cornell University and Ithaca College, and a wide range of off-campus study options. The academic program allows students substantial freedom to create individually unique educational experiences. The College is currently strengthening its off-campus study programs and introducing new initiatives in its Book Arts Center. A new strategic plan has recently been endorsed by the college community, and Wells broke ground last spring on a new 45,000 square-foot science facility.

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NEWS CONTACT: Chris Pollock, 315/364-3209, cpollock at wells.edu

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