URGI Minutes 3/15/10

Theme this month: Democratic Republic of Congo

Upcoming Events:
• Water for Sudan: March 18th in Sloan from 7-8pm
• Zev Kedem (Holocaust survivor): March 18th in Strong Auditorium at 7:30 pm (tickets are $3)
• Saturday Volunteering: starts March 20th at 10 am – (if interested, contact Suresh)
o **Meet at ITS at 9:30am **About 2 hours
• Emergency Volunteering: March 20th at 11 am at the field house
• Elections: March 29th at WC 122 at 9pm- positions on CCC website and below.

AGENDA

• Next Douglass Advocacy event- Thursday 03/25
o Wall of paper- Bridget and Ke! lli
o Reserve projector and get visuals- Brinda!

• String Bracelets – Elena and Adrienne
o Demonstration- braiding! All bracelets will be the same colors- two shades of green and black.
o Money? – Luke!
o Flex? – Bridget- April 26th-30th reservation.

• Fundraising ideas – Dmitriy

• Refugee CAMPus – Joe and Kelli
o Committee: Adrienne, Elena, Bridget, Suresh, Robert, Julia, Brinda – head?
• Meeting next Monday after regular time to discuss what we need to speak with Stacey about.
o Meeting with Stacey March 26th at 5:30 pm in her office
o Ideas from last time:
• Have it in the afternoon (3-9pm?) in Hirst on Thursday (4/22)
• Reservation is made ☺
• No go on the tents
• Invite Greeks to j! oin (have representatives)
• Have fun activities! Woot!

• World Water Day co-sponsorship
o Luke!

• Freshman Orientation Volunteering?
o Email Joe/Kelli if interested in coming, benefits: move-in early!

• Reminder: Elections March 29th
o Get the word out! – Elena on facebook/CCC
o Fliers – Danielle! By Monday 1/4 sheet.
o Positions: Pres (2 co- or pres and vp), Secretary, Awareness and Advocacy (2), Social and Fundraising (2), Business manager, Webmaster, Banaa Chair

• Newsletter
o Luke-money!
o DR Congo on this month’s
o Upcoming events
o Will flier on Monday

• Awareness Discussion on DR Congo: Bridget
o Violence against women: widespread rape, limbs cut off, sold into sexual slavery, forced to eat flesh of dead relatives (also doing auto-cannibalism now, making them eat their own hands-perhaps as another form of degradation)
o Court system isn’t good- there is much corruption and women cant afford to pay legal fees (huge issue), many times its people in the militia and police who are committing these crimes and women are therefore less likely to charge them. (often occurs during clashes with political rivals) – one of the solutions is education, gives women self-respect as well as respect from others.
o Why is rape used as a weapon? Perhaps to instill fear, rid of invading groups, for the brutality itself (for power) in a system with no infrastructure/organization
o 7 soldiers arrested for raping 2! 00 women, but then set free after that.
o If Democratic Republic of Congo had a unified government, it would be one of the wealthiest nations due to natural resources.

Side notes:
→Kiva.com- does micro-loans given out to farms/individuals. Possible donations for the future?
→Workshop on 26th for policital activism 3:30 Friday all day Saturday
- On the UR website- dean of students part- RwolrdRvote.com
- Email Joe for more information

Ongoing projects:
• Banaa.org – Bridget and Joe and Luke