Message from UW Madison Stop the War:

The University of Wisconsin Dean of Students Office has ended its investigation of Stop the War citing lack of evidence of wrongdoing. The University sent me a letter shortly after another STW member and I appeared on local public access television explaining our plight and
appealing for solidarity.

During the investigation, the DOS office was bombarded by "calls from
all over creation" according to Internim Associate Dean of Students
Elton Crim.

Crim was the one who sent me the letter announcing the end of the
investigation and added "the University of Wisconsin Madison has a
long history of being a champion of free speech, student participation
and shared governance. We are hopeful that with a better understanding of the University policies, STW can continue to exercise their rights to free speech and work on the issues they believe in a peaceful and safe way."

Crim was also the one who took me into his office during the investigation and told me that if the complaints did not stop coming into his office, he would charge me with harrassment.

Right now STW is enjoying some much deserved R&R and we'll be ready
for a new semester of activism.
all the best in the New Year,

Paul Pryse
Stop the War, University of Wisconsin

We are asking everyone who believes in the freedom to protest to contact the administration and urge them to cease punitive measures against Stop the War.

See below for more information on the protest of Nov. 2.

Yolanda Garza, Assistant Dean of Students and the Investigating Officer in the complaint
(608) 263-5700
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Lori Berquam, Interim Dean of Students
(608) 263-5702,
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

John Wiley, Chancellor
(608) 262-9946
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The complaint alleges Stop the War “jeopardized the safety of several individuals of the Military Science Department. It is alleged that attempts were made by your membership to gain entry to the building by pounding on doors and windows and attempts to destroy university property.”

These charges are absurd.

- Stop the War was unable to even approach any member of the Military Science department. The doors of the building were locked, and no member came in or out.

-Although there were students knocking on the door, none of them were members of Stop the War. There was a large contingent of local high school students there, who are unaffiliated with Stop the War, who did most of the pounding on doors.

-No member of Stop the War made any attempt to damage university property.

The facts are these:

-Stop the War called a demonstration against the war in Iraq, military recruitment and ROTC on Nov. 2. After a rally attended by about 200 people, we marched around campus, eventually arriving at the Army ROTC building with about 100 people. The vast majority of these people were not Stop the War members or had ever been to a Stop the War meeting.

-The protestors chanted slogans, held signs and marched around the building. A few spoke through a bullhorn. Some people, none of them Stop the War members, knocked on the door.

-The only contact anyone had with members of the Military Science department was spotting them through a window. With the exception of the UW Police detaining a 14 year old high school student for throwing a penny at a window, there was no physical confrontation of any kind.

-Although the letter says that charges could be brought against “you and your leadership members,” I am the only member who has received a letter or been named. The only explanation I can think of for this, is that I am the primary contact person on our student organization registration form.

In other words, I am being singled out because I happened to be the one who filled out some paperwork a couple of months ago.