The following was sent out to the SSEC listserv. The organizer of this mediation is the faculty liaison for the _Undercurrent_. The most important problem to be addressed is the _Undercurrent_'s currently problematic relationship with the progressive and liberal communities on campus. The time for the event has been changed from 1:PM to 2:PM. Please notice the change If you want to be heard, if you want to help end the current problems involving the editors and editorial stance of the newspaper which claims to represent the progressive/liberal communities, if you want to return the _Undercurrent_ to its original mission of representing openly the voices of all the communities (the _Undercurrent_ used to be so open a forum that it featured a regular column by a conservative) instead of its practice this semester of representing only the particulars of its editorial stance, you need to e-mail your thoughts to the clemencia rodriguez and to the _Undercurrent_, expressed as thoroughly as you can so that no misunderstanding is possible. I was originally going to attend the meeting since I have heard from a number of people who are afraid to speak up and I had wanted to represent their views for them, but I work until 5:PM that day, and my efforts to have the time changed have failed. The time and day were chosen by one person for the _Undercurrent_ and one person for everyone else, and he tells me he hadn't had time to consult with any other progressives/liberals about what time would be good for them and that he'd voiced concerns about having it the Monday directly following Thanksgiving Break with so little notice for anyone one else but had been informed that no other day would be workable. Since the time will not be changed, all of you will have to speak up, and speak up loudly and thoroughly, if you really care about the only newspaper alternative we have to the _Fountainhead_. Since I can not make it, this time I'll have to listen to Phil Dow and let people express their frustrations themselves instead of expressing it for them as I had earlier. I hope many of you attend and send e-mails as our progressive/liberal communities are so worthy of! yours, W. Everett Chesnut ---------------------------------------------------------- Dr. David Carnevale and I have organized a mediation process for SSEC and The Undercurrent. Dr.Carnevale is a professional mediator with a long history of serving as a mediator for all types of organizations, especially unions. To look into mediation to resolve the dispute involving the Undercurrent, SSEC, and other student organizations in the area was my idea. My own interest in mediation stems from my realization that no matter how old, or wise one is, good conflict resolution skills are as useful as they are rare, and this is particularly true among progressive organizations, leaders, and people (why? maybe because conservative organizations allow very little room for dissent?). In more down to earth terms: it is quite depressing to see how urgently needed coalitions and alliances among progressive organizations collapse because the only perceived way out of conflict is aggression followed by distance. The goals of this mediation process are: 1. To settle issues and disputes between the Undercurrent and SSEC. The idea is to eventually bring in the student organizations from other campuses involved; 2. To establish clear procedures and by-laws that can prevent future disputes and misunderstandings; 3. To learn how to deal with disputes, differences, conflicts, etc. in a way that can lead to win-win resolutions. The mediation sessions are planned as follows 1st Group Mediation Session Monday, 11/26 1-4pm Burton Hall 204C Undercurrent Caucus Tuesday, 11/27 8pm Undercurrent/SSEC office-OMU, Conoco Wing Rm 384 SSEC Caucus TBA 2nd Group Mediation Session Friday, 11/30 1-4pm Burton Hall 204C I hope to see you there. Also, could SSEC please set a time and place for the SSEC caucus? If your weekly meeting is Thursday at 7:00pm, could we use part of your session for this purpose? Please e.mail any concerns, questions, or complaints to [log in to unmask] Clemencia Rodriguez Associate Professor Department of Communication University of Oklahoma 610 Elm Ave Norman, OK 73019 (405) 325 1570 Fax (405) 325 7625 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! GeoCities - quick and easy web site hosting, just $8.95/month. http://geocities.yahoo.com/ps/info1