[van-announce] Mon., Jan. 10 * Gaza donation and by-election meeting for Social Justice Centre UBC

[Alissa W]

* Please forward this info to all UBC students and social justice allies! *
 
SOCIAL JUSTICE CENTRE UBC - Important By-Election and Meeting: Monday January 10th
 
The Social Justice Centre (SJC) is holding a by-election meeting to elect a new Administrative Coordinator and discuss the contested humanitarian aid donation to the Canadian Boat to Gaza on Monday, Jan. 10 at 4 pm at UBC (Student Union Building 245).
 
All progressive UBC students are encouraged to attend (please invite your friends and allies)!  If you are a current UBC student (member of the AMS) then you are eligible to vote in this by-election, so bring your student ID (or your student number).  All UBC students have full and equal voting and participation abilities in the SJC (so it will come down to which side can bring out the most supporters).  Please attend this extremely important meeting to ensure that the integrity and autonomy of the SJC and our support for human rights and free speech is upheld.
 
The Administrative Coordinator position will only be temporary as all four SJC coordinators will be elected for the next year at an AGM in February (date TBD).  However, that position may be influential during the developments around the Gaza flotilla humanitarian aid donation.  The Administrative Coordinator position is NOT a leadership role and holds no greater voting weight than any SJC participant (opponents of the SJC have referred to it as the "President" but no such position exists in the non-hierarchical structure of the SJC).  The duties are entirely administrative and bureaucratic in order to facilitate successful and productive meetings and events.  Interested parties should be prepared for a time commitment to accommodate these duties.
 
There will also discussions around the $700 donation to humanitarian aid through the Canadian Boat to Gaza and the multiple slanderous, political and procedural efforts ongoing against the SJC. It is crucial that members and allies of the SJC who approve of the donation and/or the freedom of the SJC to support controversial causes attend this important meeting.  The issue is still developing and new demands and concerns are raised often, so each meeting until the funding is settled is vital!  Please show your support for the aid donation and for candidates who are active SJC members that defend this donation and our social justice mandate.
 
Where: SUB Room 245 - Resource Groups' space (may be moved to a larger room if required), 2nd floor Student Union Building
When: Monday, January 10th, 2011 at 4 pm.
Who: You! All UBC/AMS students are voting SJC members (encourage your UBC friends and allies to come to this extremely important event)
Why: For human rights, free speech and political integrity (and free pizza in the solidarity of other radical and progressive students)
 
Facebook event info:  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=119344434801224&num_event_invites=0
 
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* Please forward this info to all UBC students and social justice allies! *
 
On behalf of the Social Justice Centre of UBC (SJC) we ask for your support and endorsement to protect the autonomy and integrity of this important resource. It is in urgent peril and needs your help now, especially as there are increasing threats from some of the AMS Council (student government), frivolous procedural complaints and the Israel Awareness Club (and others) against the humanitarian aid donation to the Canadian Boat to Gaza, the SJC and all of the other Resource Groups at UBC.
 
Thank you for your time and attention to this urgent matter.
 
HOW TO HELP:
 
1)  ** Attend the January 10th, 4pm by-election and February annual coordinators election of the SJC (date TBA) and encourage UBC students to participate. We need all UBC students to come out and vote in order to maintain the donation and the progressive mandate of the SJC.  (All current UBC students have equal voting powers in the SJC.)  **  SJC meets in the Resource Groups' space - SUB 245 (2nd floor of the Student Union Building).
 
2)  ** Attend the AMS Council meeting which will address the supposed 'terrorist' connections with the Canadian Boat to Gaza project (and the future of our donation) and discuss the continued existence, funding and structure of ALL of the Resource Groups (including SJC) on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. **  AMS Council meets in the Student Union Building in Council Chambers (2nd floor) (or the main floor Norm Movie Theatre if an overflow crowd) at 6pm.
 
3)  * Send individual letters addressed to the AMS Council to socialjusticecentre.ubc at gmail.com so we can get them to Council, please indicate if you are a current or former UBC student, employee or community member - though all letters are needed.
 
4)  * Or send your personal or group endorsements of the below statement to socialjusticecentre.ubc at gmail.com as soon as possible:
 
"UBC AMS Council –
We support the integrity and autonomy of the Social Justice Centre - UBC (SJC) and believe it is an important part of the UBC and Vancouver communities. We defend the right of SJC and other Resource Groups to fulfill their political mandates without unjustified interference by the AMS or other student groups. We reject the dishonest and inaccurate complaints and actions taken against the SJC and its members and urge the AMS Council to take appropriate measures to protect the SJC."
 
5)  Join our Facebook group “UBC Social Justice Centre” or our mailing list sjc-ubc at lists.resist.ca (low-traffic, moderated) at https://lists.resist.ca/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sjc-ubc to stay updated.
 
6)  * Write letters to the editor of Vancouver and national newspapers and especially the main UBC paper The Ubyssey, which has printed some critical and inaccurate stories about SJC and the Resource Groups; email feedback at ubyssey.ca to have your say there.
 
7)  There is a petition available (only to UBC students) by the UBC student group Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights to support the SJC and our humanitarian donation and object to the apparent violations of the AMS policy and maliciously inaccurate allegations used against us. It is at: http://www.petitiononline.com/SPHRGAZA/petition.html
 
8)  * Spread the word to all UBC students and forward this message far and wide to the social justice community.
 
Thank you all for your continued support!  SJC-UBC