Hello UpSTANDers!
I hope everyone is not too stressed with finals and is taking time to enjoy the winter weather. Here at Clark University (Worcester, MA) we have had a very busy semester. We have been working on the semester long process of getting our administration to pass the Conflict Free Campus Resolution. After months of petition signing, awareness events and class presentations, we are finally nearing the end of this rewarding journey. We have received feedback from the President of Clark University requesting to meet with us about the resolution. This process has been incredibly uplifting, and we have all learned the value of being a small step towards a larger change!
All of this is very exciting, but we want to make sure we stay actively aware of all of the conflicts, so for our last event of the semester we hosted an Advocacy Night! Since it is the week before finals, we lured students in with free pizza from a local organic pizzeria: Flats Pizza. We offered a slice of pizza in exchange for a phone call or written letter to Secretary Hilary Clinton urging her to immediately appoint an ambassador-level diplomat for Darfur. Since we have been so busy with the initiative, we took time during this event to have out informational literature about Sudan and Burma, in order to keep the Clark community informed on all of the current incidences of genocide.
We also participated in Lisa Shannon’s (author of “A Thousand Sisters”) virtual rally outside of the State Department between December 6 and 10 demanding a comprehensive plan for Congo. Since we couldn’t be there in person, we took pictures of our STAND members holding signs urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to make peace in the Congo a priority and posted them to the Outcry for Congo Facebook page.
The event was a big success! We had a turn out of about 40 students and wrote a collective 200 letters! At the event, we provided scripts for calling 1-800-GENOCIDE and for writing letters to Secretary Clinton. The photo campaign was a big success as well! All and all, Advocacy Night was a delicious and relaxing way to end a productive semester and participate in the 12 Days of STAND!!
Love,
Clark University