Posted on 11/27/2005 5:33:39 PM PST by Thunder90
Disciplinary Hearing Launched Against Anti-war Group The University of Wisconsin-Madison has launched a disciplinary investigation against the UW anti-war group, Stop the War, due to a complaint filed in relation to our group’s demonstration against the Army ROTC on Nov. 2. If the Dean of Students determines that members of Stop the War violated University Codes, there will be a disciplinary hearing which could result in probation, suspension or expulsion for Stop the War members.
We are asking everyone who believes in the freedom to protest to contact the administration and urge them to cease punitive measures against Stop the War.
See below for more information on the protest of Nov. 2.
Yolanda Garza, Assistant Dean of Students and the Investigating Officer in the complaint (608) 263-5700 ygarza@bascom.wisc.edu
Lori Berquam, Interim Dean of Students (608) 263-5702, lmberquam@bascom.wisc.edu
John Wiley, Chancellor (608) 262-9946 jdwiley@bascom.wisc.edu
The complaint alleges Stop the War “jeopardized the safety of several individuals of the Military Science Department. It is alleged that attempts were made by your membership to gain entry to the building by pounding on doors and windows and attempts to destroy university property.”
These charges are absurd.
- Stop the War was unable to even approach any member of the Military Science department. The doors of the building were locked, and no member came in or out.
-Although there were students knocking on the door, none of them were members of Stop the War. There was a large contingent of local high school students there, who are unaffiliated with Stop the War, who did most of the pounding on doors.
-No member of Stop the War made any attempt to damage university property.
The facts are these:
-Stop the War called a demonstration against the war in Iraq, military recruitment and ROTC on Nov. 2. After a rally attended by about 200 people, we marched around campus, eventually arriving at the Army ROTC building with about 100 people. The vast majority of these people were not Stop the War members or had ever been to a Stop the War meeting.
-The protestors chanted slogans, held signs and marched around the building. A few spoke through a bullhorn. Some people, none of them Stop the War members, knocked on the door.
-The only contact anyone had with members of the Military Science department was spotting them through a window. With the exception of the UW Police detaining a 14 year old high school student for throwing a penny at a window, there was no physical confrontation of any kind.
-Although the letter says that charges could be brought against “you and your leadership members,” I am the only member who has received a letter or been named. The only explanation I can think of for this, is that I am the primary contact person on our student organization registration form. In other words, I am being singled out because I happened to be the one who filled out some paperwork a couple of months ago.
-Furthermore, although this complaint was filed on the day of the protest, Nov. 2. I did not receive notice until Nov. 22. The University is giving me ten days to respond, but they waited three weeks to send me this e-mail at 3:30pm the day before the four day Thanksgiving break.
We ask that everyone who believes in the right to free speech contact the people listed above, and tell them to cease all punitive measures against Stop the War and its individual members.
solidarity, Paul Pryse UW Stop the War
Here's the contact for the scumbags: http://www.campusantiwar.net/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=3
or: info@campusantiwar.net
My copy says freedom of speech, not freedom to protest.
It's nice to see the UW investigating this group, but I'm not holding my breath that anyone gets expelled over this.
Keep an eye on this one for us, would you? And count on these "Stop the War Now" pukes to claim FULL CREDIT for when we start pulling out next year, which is the plan anyway. *Rolleyes*
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