Students for a Democratic Society national convention
August 4-7, University of Chicago

Friday, August 4: ARRIVALS & OPENING PLENARY

Noon-5 pm:
Registration (Reynolds Club, 5706 S. University Ave.). Showing DVDs at the registration table.

6-9 pm:
Plenary 1 (Biological Sciences Learning Center [BSLC] room 109, 924 E. 57th St.)
Facilitator- Millicent Hadjivassiliou (Tacoma, Washington)
Introductions- Pat Korte and Al Haber
Local Chapter Reportbacks, Short Written Statements from Chapters Not in Attendence
Conclusions- Tom Good

Saturday, August 5: TOPIC: VISION

Cobb Hall, 5811 S. Ellis Ave.
9am:
Registration, Breakfast (Cobb Hall room 119)

9:30 am - 11 am: Workshops (Cobb Hall)
--"Starbucks Workers Union Organizing"- Starbucks Workers Union, Amanda Worth
--"The Student Syndicalist and Unionist Movement"- Geoff White; and Missouri Students United! - Adam Jung, & Jared Wight
--"Understanding the Corporate Takeover of Higher Education"- Ben Manski, Liberty Tree
--"New Orleans: Organizing to Rebuild" - Rob Korobkin, Leijia Hanrahan, Lauren Giaccone
--"People's History of Your School"- Matt Muchowski, DePaul Students Against the War

11:15 am - 12:45 pm: Workshops (Cobb Hall)
--"The New Free Speech Movement" - Brian Kelly, Lauren Giaccone, Alison Van Doren, Phil Jasen, Uruj S, John C, Patrick Edelbacher (Pace, Central Florida, and Tacoma SDSers)
--"White Privilege" - Melinda Power
--"Organizing from the Bottom Up" - Paul Krehbiel
--"Environmentalism Workshop" - Tom Burgess
--"Creating and Sustaining a Continuing Anarchist Revolution" - Rugrat Kaaos

1 pm - 1:50 pm: Working Commitee Lunch (Cobb Hall)
–Chicago Caucus meeting for Chicago SDS
--Viewing of Lauren Giaccone's New Orleans Documentary (Pace & NYC SDS),
--Working Lunch on Ad Hoc Committees for Issues
–Other informal caucuses or lunch

2 - 3:45 pm: Plenary (Hutchinson Commons, Reynolds Club, 5706 S. University Ave.)
--"Participatory Vision and Economics" - Michael Albert, Z Magazine

4 - 5:45 pm: Workshops (Cobb Hall)

--"Legal Defense Panel" - Tom Good, Melinda Power, Bruce Rubenstein (includes a viewing of Where We Stood, a documentary about Civil Disobedience in Chicago).
--"Student Media & Future Directions in Media Activism" - Paul Krehbiel, Mitchell Szczepanczyk
--"Students and Non-Students, Youth and Non-Youth, in the New SDS/MDS" - Written Statement from Jeffrey H. ("Cloudy"), Al Haber
--"Class Privilege: a Burden or a Tool?" - Leijia Hanrahan
--"DePaul Students Against the War: Proposal for Action" - Matt Muchowski, DePaul Students Against the War

6 - 7 pm: Saturday Night Protest (Henry Moore sculpture, Ellis Ave. Between 56th & 57th St.)
--Hiroshima Day Commemoration and Protest - Hands Across the U.S.

7 pm:
--Dinner (On Your Own)

7 - 8:30 pm: Casual Presentations
--"Students in Revolt: SDS and the Global Student Movements of 2006 and Beyond" - Adam Sanchez, Presentations, Freewheeling Discussion (outside, U of C quad near Cobb Hall)
--"Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS) Business Meeting” - meet at International House, 1414 E. 59th St.

Sunday, August 6: TOPIC: STRATEGY

9:30 am: Breakfast (Cobb Hall 119)

10 am - 11:20 am: Workshops (Cobb Hall)
--"Building the Palestine Solidarity Movement" - Doug Viehmeyer, Pat Korte, Brian Kelly, Chicago Palestinian Solidarity Activists
--"Radical Education Project" - Paul Buhle, Jay Jurie, Thomas Good
--"Direct Action on Campus" - Ben Manski, Liberty Tree
--"The FDR Four Freedoms Club and Early SDS" - James Zarichny
--"Counter Recruitment" - Nick Kreitman, Amil Meyers, Chicagoland Coalition Opposed to the Militarization of Youth

11:30 am - 12:20 pm: Working Caucus Lunch (Cobb). Food in Cobb 119 provided by Food Not Bombs
--"Marxian Caucus" - Tom Burgess to facilitate
--"Queer/Trans Caucus" - Tristan Harlequin to facilitate
--"Anarchist Caucus" - Brendan Dunn to facilitate
--"People of Color Caucus"
--"Feminist Caucus"
--"Environmental Caucus"

12:30 - 1:45 pm: Workshops (Cobb)
--"Megiddo Peace Project" - Alan Haber, Odile Hugonot Haber - Using the Megiddo "Peace Table"
--"Modern Sex Worker's Rights Movement: 'Sex Workers Rights are Human Rights'" - M Betty Devoe, Tristyn Harlequin
--"Sir! No Sir! Uniting Students and Veterans to Resist Militarism" - Elliott Adams, Charles Warnke
--"People's Global Action: Should SDS/MDS Join the 'Movement of Movements'?" - Matt McLaughlin
--"Prison Abolition and Prisoner Support" - Aaron Petcoff
--"Democratizing Higher Ed: Uniting Campus Communities to Resist Corporatization" - Ben Manski, Sarah Turner, Carl Willians, Ashok Kumar, Liberty Tree Foundation

2 - 3:45 pm:
--"SDS National Structure" - Pat Korte, Millicent Hadjivassiliou, Kat Poe, Brian Kelly (Cobb 103)
OR
2 - 3:45 pm: Hiroshima Day Event (Henry Moore sculpture, Ellis Ave. Between 56th & 57th St.)
With Matthew Rothschild (editor, The Progressive magazine), James Thindwa (director, Chicago Jobs with Justice), Melissa Jennings (Illinois Peace Action), Barry Romo (national director for Vietnam Veterans Against the War), music by Dave Martin and Samantha Johnson.

4 - 5:50 pm: Workshops (Cobb Hall)
--"Parecon: Participatory Economics" - Michael Albert, Mitchell Szczepanczyk, Chicago Area Participatory Economics Society
--"Who's Dime is it Anyway?: The Price that Students and Workers are Paying" - Brandon King- UNITE HERE, Kat Poe, Aaron Petcoff
--"Defending Academic Freedom on Campus" - John Wilson and Douglas Giles
--"National Guard Civil Disturbance Techniques" - Robert & Skip
--"SLAM!: Lessons from Ten Years of Multiracial Organizing in CUNY" - Daniel Tasripin, Neha Gautam, Rodolfo Leyton

meet at 6pm outside Cobb Hall for carpooling to Heartland Cafe/No Exit Café (Free Parking in the Trilogy Building's Parking Lot, located at the corner of Estes and Glenwood, 2 blocks north of the Heartland Café. or take #55 & transfer to Red Line up to Morse stop).

7 - 11 pm: Dinner, Plenary, and Events at No Exit Café (6970 North Glenwood)
7 - 8 pm: simple meal (additional food and drinks can be purchased at the Heartland Cafe)
8 - 9 pm: "SDS Then and Now: Lessons and Frameworks for Winning a New World." Discussion between Original SDSers, MDSers and SDSers with Paul Buhle, Tom Good, Alan Haber, Jay Jurie, Michael Albert, Paul Krehbiel, and more.
9 pm: Entertainment options:
No Exit Café: Dave Lippman (davelippman.com) non-corporate comedy and satiric songs.
Heartland Café: The Deep Chicago Rhythm Owls (Jazz and Americana)
Red Line Tap (21 & over): Rock bands: BunnyGrunt, The Smittens, The Fake Fictions, and Neuva Cats.

Monday, August 7
9 am: Breakfast (Ida Noyes Hall, 1st floor lounge, 1212 E. 59th St.)

9:20 - 10:50 am: Workshops (Ida Noyes Hall)
--"Resisting Empire from Within: SDS and the Antiwar Movement" - Doug Viehmeyer, Pat Korte, Brian Kelly, Brendan Dunn, Leijia Hanrahan (Max Palevsky Cinema)
–“Technology and Society” - Jevon Pierson (Library 1st floor)
--"Left-Wing Authoritarians and Crackpots: How to Spot Them and Stop Them" - John K. Wilson (Lounge 1st floor)

11 am - 1 pm: Closing Plenary and Business Session (Ida Noyes Hall Max Palevsky Cinema)