Students for a Democratic Society, the radical student activist group that occupied Susan Cole’s office last semester, held a retreat this past weekend to critically reflect on what happened last semester, share organizing skills, and make plans for the upcoming spring semester.
The retreat was successful according to all who attended. Justin Wooten said, “At the SDS Retreat, we discussed our organization's progress in bringing about authentic change to our campus and the world. We move into the Spring semester with renewed commitment to bringing true democracy to our society."
SDS members and visitors held workshops on writing press releases, navigating the bureaucracy, dealing with opposition, strategic planning, the importance of forming statewide and regional coalitions, the NATO/G8 meeting this May, and Occupy Newark.
SGA legislator and SDS organizer, Ken Watson said, “For SDS’s first retreat, it went smoother than I expected. Issues came to light that are important for students to stop ignoring and deal with.”
SDS decided to hold the retreat because they believe it is important for organizations to share their knowledge and have an extended amount of time to plan for their next semester. Although the SGA holds a retreat for all organizations, SDS chose to have their own as well to discuss issues that are closer related to student empowerment.
Lisa Grab said, “I think this retreat was great, and SDS should begin the tradition of having a retreat at the start of each semester. In the future, however, I would like to invite other organizations as well so we can collaborate more easily.”
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