URGI Minutes 10/6/09

HIGHLIGHTS
- This SUNDAY Night 10/11 at 8pm MEET IN HIRST to help flier for newsletters
- This FRIDAY 10/09 from 12-2pm in Douglass, come sign petition for divestment from companies investing in DR Congo


Rochester Refugee Women’s Network
- Halloween party 4-5pm 10/31 at Lake Ave. Baptist Church, play games/ give out candy and hygiene products ( purell, Kleenex, toothbrushes, toothpaste) email BRINDA If interested in attending or helping out!

October Event
- Name? URGI’s Big Show! (Students support Sri Lanka as subheading)
- 6:30 pm tomorrow Sub-committee Meeting outside of Starbucks- delegating responsibilities and forms that need to be filled out

STANDfast Week
- Start off the week with a party! DU?
- Make t-shirts (glow in the d! ark paint)- skip line into party!
- Activities at the party ( games- corn bag toss, Kan Jam)
- Food at the party to sell ($1 a slice)
- Can collecting
- Education day ( art student?- making a movie about refugees in Rochester- whats in the community and whats going on right now)
- Visual representation (something that grows that makes a point- ribbons on a tree, chalk marks on the Wilson Common wall, numbers on white wall in Pit)
- Sports tournament ( D’lions/RAs/freshman halls involved)
- Danforth- get ethnic food night/performance/awareness night (performance by local community members such as Burmese dancers) , collaboration with PASA (MARIUS!)
- Documentary/ Speaker

Can Collection Idea
- Once a month- designate one fraternity to donate cans from a! party weekend directly to us. Anyone willing to head up this project? email ELENA!(webmaster)

Newsletters
- Fliering party? Go to designated place and flier the bathrooms
- Sunday Night? 8pm MEET IN HIRST! (flag room in Wilson commons)

Douglass Tabling Events
- Oct 9th- companies to divest from Congo ( minerals that go into electronic products- profits go to rebel groups, violence, etc.) – get people to sign petition in Douglass
- THIS FRIDAY 12-2pm. BRING COMPUTERS!
o 12pm-1pm Megan Rucker and Ruth Lindemann
o 1pm-2pm Adrienne Hloderwski and Haley Wynne

Pledge to Protect conference
- funding to allow 4 people to go. If you sign up in the next 2 day cost of going is $100 minus $25 = $75.
- held on Capitol Hill in D.C- stay at Hyatt Regency, November 6th-9th. !
- Conference has workshops, seminars on DR Congo, Burma, social mediating, activism skills, Networking events- share practices and ideas. HUGE lobbying day.
- speakers: Susan Rice, Hilary Clinton, members of Congress.
- email JOE!!! If you are interested!
o Luke, Suresh, Marius, Joseph, Cassie

Toop co-sponsorship
-The opposite of people-theater performance group. Presenting a play on dawning of Holocaust. Want URGI to host/ co-sponsor and getting involved when they talk about NOV 18th-22nd
- URGI willing to co-sponsor and lead a discussion? YES!

FASA’s drive
Do what you can to help those affected by natural disasters in the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and the Samaon Islands. Donate the following goods in residence halls or designated collection areas around campus (Corner Store, Common Connection, Hirst Lounge):

Food items! : Rice, noodles, canned goods, sugar, iodized salt, cooking oil, monggo beans and portable water.

Medicines: Paracetamol, antibiotics, analgesic, oral rehydration salts, multivitamins and medications to treat diarrheal diseases.

Non-food items: Bath soaps, face towels, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, plastic mats, blankets, mosquito nets, jerry cans/water containers, water purification tablets, plastic sheetings, and Laundry soap.

Ongoing Projects
- Volunteering- Adrienne Hloderwski and Joseph Gardella
- Kenya school building- Suresh (suresh@math.rochester.edu)
- Banaa Project- Joseph Gardella
- Family Refugee Pairing- Adrienne Hloderwski
- Author of Memoirs of a Child Soldier to UR