MSU SDS sent five representatives to a conference at Rutgers New Brunswick, titled “A Practical Guide to Changing the World: The Student Empowerment Project.” The conference was held by Rutgers University Student Assembly (RUSA) and Rutgers Student Union. The Rutgers Student Union is an active student group known for hosting its annual tent state university (the original “Occupy” encampment, founded in 2003), organizing a student walk out and later occupying their president’s office, and achieving the lowest tuition increase this year of all the public universities in New Jersey.
The conference featured keynote speaker, Angus Johnston—a recent PhD graduate from CUNY who specializes in the history of social movements. Lectures were conducted by professors, union organizers, and student activists. Lectures included “Running Effective Meetings,” “Navigating the Bureaucracy,” “Social Media,” “Publicity,” “Strategic Planning,” “Holding Press Conferences,” “Dealing with Opposition,” “Grassroots Organizing Tactics,” and “Fundraising.”
In attendance were Maya Curry, Lisa Grab, Jon Husarik, Esha Kallianpur, and Mark Ludas. It was important that SDS attend the conference because the lectures passed on valuable information about organizing for change that is often overlooked. According to Lisa Grab, “the student empowerment project was an event that should happen more often, that everyone should attend because it gives insight into how to collectively work to bring about change. If everyone knew how to organize effectively, the world would be a different place.”
The representatives from SDS will pass on the information they learned to other members of SDS and anyone else who is interested in getting involved with activism.
Written by: Lisa Grab
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