AnarchistU Meeting--Tues, Aug 5, 2003

Attending:

Rob, Luis, Mohammed, Helena, Clifford, Alan, Erik, Andrew, Sam

Topics to discuss:

• Website & email
• Space
• Flyers
• Launch
• Other free education efforts
• Anarchist U (Wiki) web-editing tutorial
• Class fascilitator workshop
• Possible coverage in Now Magazine

Website & email

• How do people sign up for courses?
  • Should people email the instructor of the course they want, or should they email a main email address?
    • Pros for emailing the instructor:
      • More direct.
      • No single person is stuck with all the email.
    • Pros for a single email address:
      • A single initial administrator can act with more consistency in response with things such as adding people to a mailing list.
    • Andrew thought that there could be a standard header at the bottom of all AnarchistU emails telling people how to sign up to the mailing list.
    • Erik proposed that the website could give information relevant to joining the mailing list, and joining it would be completely seperate from joining classes.
  • Decision: Each instructor should post their email address on the website, and the site will instruct people to email the instructor in question. No final decision was made regarding how people were introduced to the mailing list.

• Should we have a mailing list?
  • Alan was opposed to the idea of an open-discussion mailing list. In his experience many flamewars come up, which would have been avoided had the issues been brought up in face to face meetings.
  • Decision: Instead of an email list, Alan will BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) interested people. Only upcoming events and meeting minutes will be in these BCC emails.

Space

• What is the status of having classes in community centres?
  • Rob worked at trying to get space at 519 Church. The organization is very bureaucratic, and it is taking time to get there. However, it seems reasonably hopeful.
  • Luis is going to talk to Art Metropole and the Gladstone Hotel.
  • Sam has begun talking with OPIRG on Spadina, which books groups free space at U of T.
  • Decision: stutus incomplete

Flyers

• Rob handed out 400 new flyers he photocopied for the group.
• Should the next generation of flyer be different in any way?
  • Helena and Erik argued that defining AnarchistU as teaching "social science and the humanities" was too limiting a defintion. They would both be interested in other science type courses. They also thought that saying "And many more!..." after the list of the current classes didn't seem right since there currently are no other classes offered, and may well still not be in September.
  • Decision:
    • Specifying classes as being on "social science and the humanities" will be changed to "arts and sciences".
    • The phrase "And many more [classes]!" at the bottom of the flyer will be removed.

Launch

• Do we legally require a permit to have the launch at Trinity Belwoods Park?
  • Decision: Sam will look into the required procedure for having events at Trinity Belwood park.

• What food should we have?
  • Alan suggested a potluck meal with veggie dogs as a base. Veggie dogs are inexpensive.
  • Previously, Erik asked Lilian from one Food Not Bombs group if their group would like to host Food Not Bombs. Although Lilian express an interest he didn't hear back from her. He suspects she wasn't able to get commitment from enough people in her group.
  • Alan previously emailed Konan from the other Food Not Bombs, but never got a reply. He suspects Konan is busy with other things.
  • Decision: Erik will follow up with Lilian regarding whether Food Not Bombs would like to host the AnarchistU event. Otherwise we will have a potluck picnic with veggie dogs as the staple.

• What entertainment should we have?
  • Decision: We will use Alan's stereo.

Similar Movements

• Andrew presented the group with two other free education groups in Canada.
  • University of the Streets Cafe project
    • This is an activist alumnai project of Concordia University. As part of their degree, graduates in certain programs agree to run non-diploma courses in cafes
  • Andrew is also putting together a program in which twenty people get together, and help each other work out and achieve ambitious life goals over the next three years. Seven of these people are street people.

Web Editing

• Erik gave a brief tutorial on editing Wiki software right after the meeting

Other topics discussed

• When should definate class times be decided upon?
  • Fascilitators who were there gave some tentative times of when they might be available:
    • Rob: Tuesdays or Thursdays from 6pm to 8pm
    • Luis: Tuesdays
    • Alan: Mondays
  • Decision: Definate class times should be established in two weeks time.

Deferred until next class:

• Class fascilitator workshop
• Possible coverage in Now Magazine