Academic Freedom is Every Where

What the Pope says about Academic Freedom

I found this while I was bored at work, and was so surprised.

Thoughts? Comments?

Pictures from the "-ISM" Presentation at NYU

-ISM Gala Poster on the lower level of the Kimmel Center









The "gang" (minus Molly Bernard)









A general survey of "Academic Freedom"









Ashley's words on "The New McCarthyism?"









15 Minute Presentation


Congrats on a great presentation tonight! We're off to a good start. Thank you to the NYU Office of Multicultural Education (Tonesha and Ben) for putting together such a special event! Regardless of the random fire drill, it was a great evening and a valuable start to our work on this project. Our next presentation will be on May 6th or 7th (waiting on exact details) on the 6th Floor of the Tisch Building at NYU.

Next meeting will be held this Sunday at 7:30 pm at Tisch. We will be picking up with the writing/editing process that we left off with before we started putting together our 15 minute presentation.

Our first presentation on April 23rd, 2008

Hey guys!

We'll be looking over the 15 minutes that we're performing tomorrow. Below, please find more information. There is a 3:00 pm tech time.

New York University's Center for Multicultural Education and Programs Presents:
New York University's "-ISM GALA"
Wednesday, April 23rd 2008,
6:00 pm Kimmel Center,
Eisner and Lubin Auditorium (4th Floor)
60 Washington Square South

For more information visit cmep.nyu.edu

Remember, we're meeting at Tisch at 6:30 pm tomorrow. See you soon!

Academic Freedom Conference at NYU

Hey guys!

I just spent the entire night transcribing 2 interviews...

Today I spoke with a representative from The David Project. She was very informative and brought a great (and different from my other interviews) perspective to the table. I did the interview over the phone so I have (thankfully) everything on my computer already.

I also transcribed one of my personal favorite interviews (I love her beliefs in the important role that the arts play in cultivating peace and dialogue) with a MA Candidate from NYU's Arts Politics department. Definitely looking forward to hearing the group's thoughts on her interview. She makes some very thought provoking comments about the arts and dialogue that she connects with Academic Freedom.

I found some information about an upcoming Academic Freedom Conference that NYU will be holding (I will definitely be going to this one since I found out about the previous one 4 days after it ended)...

New York University's Frederic Ewen Academic Freedom Center present:

Academic Freedom in the Age of Permanent Warfare

April 3 - 4, 2008

For more information visit www.nyu.edu/library/bobst/research/tam/ewen.html

To RSVP e-mail RSVP@library.nyu.edu or call 212 992 7052

I didn't realize that NYU has a center for Academic Freedom. My MA Advisor sent me some information on another NYU affiliation- Scholars at Risk. We're still trying to connect for a meeting. I will definitely contact the Frederic Ewen Academic Freedom Center this week and see if they would be willing to speak with us or have any valuable insight.

Shannon and the Young Republicans Club

I showed up at 6:00 on Thursday at room 909 in Kimmel to interview people fom the Young Rebulicans club. I walked in the room and was like "is this the Young Republican's Club?" to the fifty faces that stared at me anagonistically.
"Yes, what do you want?"
"Umm." I stammered, realizing that I probably should have gotten the name of the person Ashley talked to, "someone... someone said I could come in today and do interviews for a documentary theater project."
"We don't know anything about that, wait until Hamilton gets back." The young man behind the table turned back to the group.
"Ok, yeah." I said, "But in the mean time does anyone else want to be interviewed?" And this one kid, David, raised his hand. Thank God.

2.25 of my interviews (one was really short) I got this way, it was great because people who volunteered had alot to say. Unfortunatly most of the information they gave were talking points, facts and stances of the Republican party. But I did hit on an interesting idea, which was that for these kids the Young Republicans Club is a support group on a liberal campus can almost be equated with a GBLT club at a southern State school

...

So yeah yay! Interviews!
Today I'm going up to Cooper Union to try to find more. I'm not looking forward to transcribing all this, but it will be worth it. I hope everyone else is doing as well.

-Shannon

Curious

How'd everyone's week go?

I was able to have an interesting interview with the person I spoke about during the meeting and was just curious as to how everyone else is finding their interviews, if you have been able to schedule any.

I came across this article today, and just wondering if anyone has any thoughts, comments, reactions. 

http://www.cnn.com/2008/us/03/14/anti-semitism/index.html

Looking forward to hearing from everyone.

Lauren

Interview Opportunity at Left Forum next weekend

Below please find the information for Left Forum this coming weekend. It would be great if a few of us could check it out and try to collect some interviews, or at least make potential contacts for people we could speak with. I know that we're looking for a few more articulate speakers from the "left" to speak with us. I highlighted the workshops in red that I think would best fit some of the themes that we're dealing with and certainly feel free to make suggestions.

Let me know your thoughts.

For info on the conference:
http://www.leftforum.org/leftforum2008/leftforum_2008.html

RACKS IN THE EDIFICE

Each spring in New York City, Left Forum gathers intellectuals and activists from around the world to address the burning issues of our times. The theme for 2008 is "CRACKS IN THE EDIFICE". We will examine the context of an empire in the throes of collapse and discuss the possibilities for social movements to build a better world in its place.

We are living in a time of economic and political meltdown. Even once-stable governments in the advanced capitalist nations are not immune from decay, while in other parts of the world war and genocide have become the rule. The disintegration of the social fabric has brought insurgencies, some presenting a progressive alternative to corrupt regimes but others led by religious fundamentalists.

The U.S. President -- with the collaboration of both parties in Congress -- has pursued an agenda heavy on imperial interests despite the myriad domestic problems we face. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and U.S. military and civilians have been killed in this oil-soaked war, but the urgent needs of the majority of our own civilians remain unfulfilled.

How can we address and challenge such catastrophe when our collective voices often seem weak and our alternatives underdeveloped? Left Forum provides a unique space for the generation of ideas crucial to theorizing and building a resurgent Left. This year the Forum will include participants from all corners of North America, as well as Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. It will truly be a rare opportunity for a global left dialogue.

The primary questions are as critical as they are classic: What is the nature of the current conjuncture, and how can the Left intervene effectively?

The Left Forum 2008 will feature over 100 panels on topics including:

Remembering 1968
Crises In Africa
China, India, & A World In Transition
Proliberalism & Nation-States
Political Satire In a Serious World
Social Movements & Electoral Politics
The Latin American Right
Anarchism In Theory & Practice
The Solidarity Economy
Palestine, Israel & Chaos In the Middle East
The Saga of New Orleans Continues
Mainstreaming Racism & Professional Sports
The Housing Meltdown
Anti-Capitalist Movements From the Left & Right
Global Labor Unions & International Solidarity
Building a Better Feminist Movement
Homelessness & Resistance In New York City
Literature & Politics
Utopian Visions For the 21st Century
Ecology & Catastrophe
Puerto Ricans in Diaspora
New Student Movements
War In Iraq & the Struggle to End It
Activism Across Generations
Fighting Gentrifi cation In the Global Barrio

-----> Click here to view and print the 2008 Left Forum brochure

Here we go.

I am not a journalist I am a theater maker. Collecting interviews for me is not about collecting the facts (though facts are important) it's about getting an impression, a vibe, a sense of someone's being that informs their beliefs.

I've been thinking a lot about documentary theater. I have done the Vagina Monologues for two years, and recently I just saw a production of Body and Sold, a show by Deborah Lake Fortson about child prostitution in America. And I thought what was missing from both of those pieces were "The Other Sides". I don't mean that in a polarizing kind of right/left up/down black/white mentality. The Other Sides aren't necessarily opposing viewpoints, rather they are variations on the theme.

Eve Ensler interviewed hundreds of women about their vaginas, and founded V-DAY to encourage empowerment of women and end abuse. This is wonderful but to not allow men to be involved in the production? I believe that when men repress women they impede the advancement of the society as a whole. But that's a two way street. If the gender perspective were to switch, we would be equally screwed.

In Body and Sold, the audience hears heartbreaking stories from young women and men who worked as sex slaves. Not a single pimp's story is heard. Initially that makes sense, pimps are the violent ones, the attackers, the "bad guys." But this isn't a play in the classical sense, this is documentary theater, real life translated to the stage, and we all know in real life there is no such thing as a "bad guy." Imagine the childhood of a boy who grows up to become a pimp. What are his strongest memories? Who was his mother?

And so, it's The Other Sides that need to be heard, which is why I am SO excited to interview Sarah Chambers, former president of the NYU Young Republicans Club. Her beliefs and values are probably so different than mine. But we are both humans, who have hair growing out of the tops of our heads, toenails that need to be clipped, and lungs that expand when we breathe in. This is what I hope to remind myself before each interview I do, for if I remind myself that I am talking to another human being, maybe I can elucidate something that I would miss if I just went in with the thought that I am going to talk to a Republican...

I guess Republicans are people too?

Theater is about the human connection first and foremost. When you see a play, you watch human interaction. And humans have hundreds of sides to examine. And I guess that is my focus in this documentary theater project.

Joining Up

Ashley asked me if I wanted to join up with her Master's Thesis Project, and gave me a brief overview of the topic.

I'll be honest: I was lost. I had no idea what we were doing. I was just excited to be in another show.

I went home and researched Academic Freedom a bit, and now I think I know what's going on. I think the group looks interesting, and I'm excited to see the final product. I know that's a long ways off, but I'm still anticipating it.

I haven't started my interviews yet, but I plan on doing so soon. I need to get a recording device of some kind.

Here goes!

Positive Energy

After our meeting Sunday, I felt rejuvenated and really excited about our new team members.

It's been an interesting process so far and I'm learning a great deal.

But I think it's awesome that Michael and Shannon have joined us without really knowing anything about the topic.  Because that how I was a few weeks ago.  Ashley's passion and just knowing that I was going to be a part of creating something like this, and being able to have the opportunity to learn and interview is what drew me to it.

Now my main concern is doing the topic justice, getting the message out there and doing it in the most unbiased way possible to provoke thought, discussion and hopefully action in others.

I am looking forward to more interviews and hearing how everyone else's experiences are.

Getting the ball rolling...

Just to get the ball rolling...

Any immediate thoughts on tonight's meeting? What are your preconceived notions about Academic Freedom? Any concerns about interviewing particular students, staff, faculty and/or organizations? How have your interviews been so far?