Thank you for sharing the following opportunity with your students, letting them know how they can make an immediate impact on the lives of kids growing up in low-income communities. By joining Teach For America, outstanding seniors and recent college graduates have the opportunity to use their leadership ability to improve student achievement in low-performing schools, to gain the insight needed to effect long-term change, and to position themselves for success in any field by building transferable skills.

To help ensure that as many students as possible are aware of this opportunity, Im asking for your help in 2 quick ways:

1. Share the following deadline announcement with your students. Its been effective in the past when faculty and staff have personalize the e-mail by adding a brief sentence of support before sending to students

Respect Mississippi

Mission:
Respect Mississippi is a student organization designed to educate students at the University of Mississippi about past and present issues of diversity and inequality. In both learning about and effecting change for greater tolerance, three “pillars of mission” shall be established:
1. Inquiry and Dialogue
2. Service
3. Policy

Structure:
For the 2007-2008 school year, Respect Mississippi’s short-term structure will be as follows:
1. A three-member executive group to be designated “Directors” will be elected by the general membership of the group.
2. General membership shall include attendees of Respect Mississippi dialogue meetings as well as students active in the planning and execution of Respect functions.

New Location: Nutt Auditorium

New Time: 6 p.m., Wednesday

Hello everyone! I hope y'all are having a grand semester. I know it's been a long time since we held a meeting, but several student volunteers have been busy working behind the scenes to set up a new constitution for Respect Mississippi (RM) so we can have an official student group with official positions to get some official work done. I've included the notes we've made from our meetings over the past few weeks to let you know what we're talking about specificially. Nothing is set is stone, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Below is the letter to the editor that I just sent in:

Dear Editor,

While I hope the cartoon on Tuesday, October 16, 2007, by Mr. Reed was meant as a satirical view on the relationship between Christianity and GLBT people, I feel that it was not completely clear in its message. Because of this, I must as adviser to the Gay-Straight Alliance and administrator of the ALLIES Program take offense as the cartoon is seeped in homophobic stereotypes that make it harder for GLBT members of the university to not only be accepted but to even feel safe on campus.

The first stereotype is the clothing, language and stance of “Lance.” While few members of the GLBT community would wear clothing depicted in the cartoon, the artist also depicts him as limp-wristed and prissy, false stereotypes of the gay male as effeminate.

I believe most people who were participants in the inaugural OMazing Race, or were associated in the planning and coordination of the event, would consider it a huge success. This was the first time any event of this sort was ever attempted at the University of Mississippi. Never before on this campus have so many diverse people gathered and shared their personal experiences with issues involving race, religion, and ethnicity. On Friday evening, during the team testimonials, I saw an amazing thing taking place. I saw a movement beginning to form and a group of students with the potential and desire to sustain this cultivation of acceptance among our student body. This event provided most participants with an experience they will never forget. Many of them left with friendships they may never have experienced, had they not participated in the event. There is a tremendous opportunity for you all to influence your peers by sharing your experience with them. It was such a blessing for me to be a witness to the beauty and harmony that was expressed during the weekend. Thank you all for sharing your lives and experiences with me. There was a young African student who made the most fitting statement on Friday and I'll close with his words. " After you leave this event, don't 'talk, talk, talk'. You need to 'do, do, do."

The meeting began with brief introductions of the approximately fifteen in attendance at the library’s Writing Center. In addition to providing names and hometowns, participants described their personal reasons for getting involved in Respect Mississippi. Answers varied from hoping to overcome the social segregation on campus to quite literally having been dragged off the street and into the meeting. Nevertheless, everyone in attendance possessed a common goal: to help Respect Mississippi affect positive change.

Any attempt to create a brighter future requires the inspiration and guidance of those who have laid foundations in the past. With this thought in mind, the group watched a video montage honoring the late Robert Kennedy, overlaid with the eulogy delivered by his brother Ted Kennedy at Bobby’s funeral in 1968. The clip can be watched (or rewatched) at the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiCLi9ddqlM

Discussion for the night focused on two topics: the then-upcoming OMazing Race and the Jena Six controversy (for those unfamiliar, its Wikipedia page can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jena_Six.) Instead of assigning guilt or judgment in the Jena Six case, Respect Mississippi is concerned with ensuring all parties involved, white and black, receive their right to due process. Therefore, we are looking for ways to help raise money for the defendants’ legal fund. Feel free to contact us with any comments or suggestions on this or any other matter.

Please keep an eye out for the announcement of our next meeting.

The Respect Mississippi Team

Update:
We will be meeting in the Sara Isom Center for Women. The meeting will commence at 7:30. THe Isom Center is across the street from the institute and features a ton more space.

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Our first Respect Meeting is this Sunday Night the 20th we will meet again. This meeting will be open to everyone. We are still trying to figure out where the meeting, but it will not be in the Winter Institute because it is too small and we are too big for the institute.

I would like to invite Respect Mississippi to the International Welcome Reception this Friday at 4:00 to 6:00 at the Southern Breeze. Contact Tim Woodard 662 801 4194 .

thanks,
Patrick Weems