Date: 1/28/2012
Minutes:
Occupy University
Subgroup of Empowerment and Education (E&E) – Working Group of Occupy Wall Street (OWS)
Next Meeting: 2pm-6pm; 66 5th Ave, Room 818
In attendance: Zane, Ingrid, Ben, Chris, Jay, Matthew, Bob, Karen, Joe, Randall, Jason W, Yukiko, Ruth, Cynthia
Facilitator: Ingrid
Stack: Jason W
Time-keeper: Karen
Minutes: Chris
Action Items:
1) All: bring 2-3 ideas about March 1
2) All: research online course materials (blackboard, aaaaarg, etc.)
3) All: research funding ideas, possibilities
Proposals:
1) OccU will plan some kind of event for March 1: CONSENSUS
2) Everyone bring 2-3 ideas for March 1 to next meeting: CONSENSUS
3) After group conflicts, we will take one minute of silence: CONSENSUS
4) Next week we will devote 2 hours to pedagogy and curriculum: CONSENSUS
Other items discussed:
Course Form:
Add statement about vetting process?
Use separate forms for students & teachers?
ADD CONTACT INFO!
Should it be longer or allow for detailed syllabi?
Include section on how it relates to OccU’s mission?
Website Video:
Should we have user-submitted video on home page?
Some feel video is best as compliment to text home page
All agree it is good to have multiple voices on home page
OccU Launch:
Recap of original launch idea w/ Brian Holmes
Much discussion – too many things unclear to have launch so early
What can we actually organize for March 1?
Should we be more dynamic and fluid?
Suggestion: launch website, course form, video, etc. on March 1, along with discussions about education/university throughout city
All agree that it is important to work out course form and vetting process soon!
All agree on planning some kind of event for March 1
Finances:
Volunteer labor is unsustainable
Many/most don’t want students to pay fees!
How can teachers be supported?
Would we apply for grants?
How does free education happen?
Free education is a capitalist welfare enterprise!
We don’t want this – we want sustainable, non-capitalist education
But this is long term goal – what about the transition?
We do need some dough now – how best to get it?
How to build community/co-op in and through education?
Idea to have course proposal form include economic component (does it meet at local business, exchange goods, etc.)
Pedagogy:
When will we talk in detail about pedagogy?
We need to be careful about our language
Subgroup is actively exploring new forms of learning
Do we want to offer an alternative learning structure? How will we do so?
Zane’s Report Back:
(sorry this is short Zane, I got tired!)
Alt Banking wants to give course
How will learning/teaching happen in their course?
Guy from WhOwnSpace (and Miguel’s co-teacher!) wants to give course
Does he teach too vertically?
Can these people wait a few weeks, to give us some time to work out our process?
Zane visited lots of POPs
Miguel expresses that he will block any form of vetting that rejects or vetoes course ideas!
Instead, we need to filter and frame the courses in other ways
Next week:
Facilitator – Joe
Agenda:
-Pedagogy and curriculum (2 hours)
-Discuss the discussion (about process)
-March 1 ideas
-Tech: course materials, blackboard, etc.
-Course proposal form
-Website language