H 23°, L 4° | Tomorrow: 
H 21°, L 6°After months of confusion, hoopla, pleas and concern, Saturday’s Mifflin Street Block Party was, by all accounts, a ravishing success. For this, we have city officials, campus leaders and revelers themselves to thanks.
In particular, kudos are clearly due to Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Ald. Mike Verveer, who represents Mifflin’s district on the City Council, for expending no small amount of time studying the conflicts of a proposed party on the University of Wisconsin’s study day, dedicating themselves to listening to both sides of the issue and then working their political might ensuring UW students could follow in the school’s grand tradition of studying hard and partying hard.
Indeed, students owe these city leaders a debt of gratitude, and we can think of no better way to repay the city of Madison than doing a very simple thing: spending Saturday in the library. Or your dorm room. Or your apartment. Or the Terrace. Or your friend’s house. Or a seedy motel somewhere in southern Idaho. Just don’t spend it partying on Mifflin Street. The party came, fun was had by nearly all and now it is time to show city leaders and residents alike that students appreciate their flexibility (which came at a substantial price) and aren’t interested in taking advantage of this unique calendar fiasco.
Mayor Cieslewicz should also be thanked for coming through strong for students’ interests when he rejected a letter signed by 11 alders requesting the block party be billed to the Associated Students of Madison. Despite the inherent absurdity of this request and its dangerous First Amendment implications, political pressure was sufficient to make at least one noted city leader cash in his 30 pieces of silver. But we are glad Mayor Cieslewicz stood up in the face of such pressure and did the right thing for students and the City of Madison alike.
So, with one marvelous day of partying now behind us, it is time to look ahead to one hellish day of studying. And we all ought to be grateful that we go to school in a city where both of these activities are equally permitted.
IP hash: 991ed6bb
Mike Verveer is my hero!
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There is no need for this article. No one will be partying on Mifflin this weekend.
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PICKETERS NEEDED!!!
URGENT!!!
TERRORISTS PLAN TO MEET ON OUR CAMPUS NEXT WEEK!!!
SEE http://www.endtheoccupation.org/article.php?id=1100
Draft Agenda
Friday, June 24 Grainger Hall of Business Administration, University of Wisconsin 975 University Avenue
7:00-8:30PM Beyond Chutzpah: The Misuse of Anti-Semitism and the Abuse of History
Dr. Norman Finkelstein, Professor of Political Theory at DePaul University, and author of Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict, will present a keynote address that is free and open to the public.
Saturday, June 25 Grainger Hall of Business Administration, University of Wisconsin 975 University Avenue
8:30-9:30AM Registration and breakfast
9:30-10:15AM Welcome/Ice-Breakers and About the US Campaign
Members of the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project will welcome conference participants to Madison and review conference logistics with attendees. Kymberlie Quong Charles, US Campaign Membership Outreach Coordinator, will introduce the US Campaign, its goals, membership criteria, organizing strategy, taskforces, days of action, etc.
10:30AM-12:00PM Skills-Building Workshop Session #1
Workshops will be practical, hands-on, skills-building sessions that will increase the effectiveness of conference attendees' activism. Conference attendees will choose three out of four workshops. For the media and grassroots advocacy workshops, conference attendees will be encouraged to plug into national taskforces facilitated by the US Campaign. Scheduled workshop facilitators are:
Divestment: Mohammed Abed, al-Awda Wisconsin, Mark Evenson & Nancy Turner, Faculty, UW-Platteville, and The Association of University of Wisconsin Professionals Sister City Projects: Jennifer Loewenstein, George Arida, Jim Goronson, Kathy Walsh, Madison-Rafah Sister City Project Grassroots Advocacy: Josh Ruebner, US Campaign Legislative Task Force Media: Rima Mutreja, Palestine Media Watch/US Campaign Media Task Force
12:00PM-1:30PM Lunch & informal caucuses/affinity groups
NOTE: Lunch is not being provided at the conference. Conference attendees will be directed to low-cost food options near campus.
Conference attendees will organize themselves into informal caucuses/affinity groups in order to network and strategize by common interest. Examples could be by religious, ethnic, racial, professional, or geographic identity.
1:30PM-3:00PM Skills-Building Workshop Session #2
3:00PM-3:30PM Break
3:30PM-5:00PM Skills-Building Workshop Session #3
5:00PM-5:30PM Conclusions & Evaluations
Conference organizers will facilitate a discussion on lessons learned from the conference and encourage people and groups to plug into the work of the US Campaign. Conference attendees who are willing to circulate their contact information can do so and will be encouraged to fill out conference evaluation forms before leaving.
The Crossing, 1127 University Ave.
5:30PM-7:30PM Social Hour/Dinner
The conference will move across campus to The Crossing, a campus religious center, for a social hour and Middle Eastern dinner. Both conference attendees and the general public are invited to the dinner, which will cost $10.
7:30PM-9:00PM Rebuilding Homes, Rebuilding Hopes in Gaza
Cindy and Craig Corrie, the parents of Rachel Corrie, a US peace activist who was killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip, and Khaled and Samah Nasrallah, family members who lived in the house that Rachel tried to prevent from being demolished when she was killed, will present the story that links their families together. The panelists will be introduced by Joe Carr, a member of Christian Peacemaker Teams, who will also peform a spoken word tribute to Rachel Corrie. The panelists will speak about their involvement with the Rebuilding Homes Alliance and there will be a fundraiser for the US Campaign and the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project. The event is free and open to the public.
Sunday, June 26 The Crossing, 1127 University Ave.
9:00AM-9:30 AM Breakfast
9:30-12:00PM Strategizing Session
Conference attendees will group themselves by geography (local, regional, state-wide) in order to strategize and develop a plan of action for their area in an informal setting. Strategizing sessions will be facilitated by conference organizers to encourage the formation of new groups where none exist, to strengthen existing groups, and to create local, regional, and state-wide coalitions that are plugged into the work and organizing strategy of the US Campaign.