While a series of events is planned this week to stimulate school spirit at Western Michigan University, the Kalamazoo Peace Center is hosting Peace Week to bring together the progressive community in Kalamazoo, according to co-director Ben Ayer.
The Peace Center, “a progressive community center,” serves as a go-between between the campus and community, Ayer said.
Peace Week involves the organization of various Registered Student Organizations at WMU. “These are elementary events that are really easy to step into for the general public,” Ayer said.
On Monday, Oct. 19, Students for Sensible Drug Policy is showing “Know Your Rights…” which discusses constitutional rights in room 211 of the Bernhard Center from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
A healthcare simulation will be staged on Tuesday, Oct. 20 from 12:30 to 1:45pm in room 4010 of the College of Health and Human Services. Everyone in the classroom will be assigned incomes and health insurance plans. People will get “sick” and some will get treatment and others will not. “This is a fast-forward version of what happens in society,” Ayer said.
At 7:30 p.m., the Alliance for Socioeconomic Justice will screen “Unrepentant” at the Wesley Foundation.
The film, which documents the Native Americans and genocide in Canada, will be followed by a discussion.
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, a health care open forum and Letter Writing workshop will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Brown and Gold room of the Bernhard Center. “This is not a debate but a conversation,” Ayer said. “It will be a town hall meeting where people can go and voice their stories.”
The Peace Center will present their keynote speaker on Thursday, Oct. 22. Phyllis Bennis, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., will present a talk titled “Ending the Wars.”
“We worked a lot with Kalamazoo Non-violent Opponents of War to get her here,” Ayer said. Bennis is set to speak at 7:30 in the Fetzer Center’s Kirsch Auditorium.
On Friday, Oct 23, the Peace Center is holding a rally for health care reform march from the Wesley Foundation to U.S. Representative Fred Upton’s office downtown Kalamazoo at 1 p.m.
That night, Students for a Sustainable Earth is hosting an informational session at 5 p.m. on WMU’s proposed development of the Colony Farm Orchard property into an extension of the Business Technology and Research Park. Save the Enchanted Forest! will go through the processes of writing a letter to State representatives to vote “no” on House Bill 5207, which would allow WMU to expand the BTR park.
Following the letter-wiring campaign there will be a forest creature costume dance party from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, the The Interdisciplinary Development through Education and Art (IDEA) Association will be hosting an event to coincide with climate talks in Copenhagen, Denmark. The event will also mark the release of the 350 benefit album on Strutt Records which will attempt to raise awareness about C02 emission levels.
All of the events are free and open to the public.
