Students bring Amnesty International back to campus

by Linsey Heiser nior Azeen Keramati, last year the death penalty and gay and Jesstaff writer there was no interest. bian rights, each group must pick

"I made a commitment to myself one issue to focus on and send it to Amnesty International is a this year to get it started again," the national chapter. Cabrini's worldwide campaigning move- Keramati said. Amnesty International plans to ment established in the 1960s that "Since Cabrini is a service-ori- focus on Latin American issues works to promote human rights. It ented school, we thought Amnesty because most of the group's conis now respected internationally. International would be appealing tacts deal with these issues.

The main goal of Amnesty Intert,,1 to many students," sophomore Because Amnesty International national is to help free people who Melissa Shannon said. is a new organization, the budget are wrongly imprisoned based on One of the important things that is minimal. However, they wrote a their race, gender, religion, or po- zation. tised by putting up flyers. "We want to get people educated on these issues," Keramati said. "We want students to gain knowledge for themselves and others and to grow in respect for all walks of life."

They also hope to attend a rally in Fort Benning, Ga., from Nov. 19 to 21 against the School of Americas, which some say is training Latin American soldiers in torture tactics, which the soldiers are using against people in their own countries.

•.~Amnesty International does is proposal to the Student Govemlitical beliefs.

• -hvrite letters to the goveffiI11-ent. _ ment Association asking for some

Since the inception of Amnesty' .~embers write the letters· in de- • funds, which the group will be reInternational, there have been •-fense of the prisoners· who have ceiving. around 44,000 individual cases of 'been wrongly accused in hope that Also, the group hopes to raise people being wrongly imprisoned the government will free them. some money for the causes by and about 40,000 of them have "Writing letters is a peaceful fundraising. been either solved or closed. way for us to get our voices The members of Amnesty are

After a failed attempt last year, heard," Shannon said. planning some activities, but they Cabrini students are bringing While every Amnesty Intema- need permission first. They hope Amnesty International back to tional group deals with many is- to attend a conference in Boston campus as a club. According to ju- sues, including women's rights, on how to run an Amnesty organi-

Cabrini's chapter of Amnesty International is trying to make contacts with other chapters. Members have gone to a meeting at Wayne's Amnesty chapter.

Also, some members of Amnesty went to a vigil in Philadelphia against the School of Americas held by Cabrini graduate Linda Panetta, who will be speaking on Cabrini Day.

Keramati and Shannon are trying to get more involvement from Cabrini students, and have adver-

Shannon agrees with Keramati. "We want to raise campus awareness about Amnesty issues," Shannon said. "Amnesty is a relaxed environment where students can discuss issues and agree or disagree with each other."

If you are interested in finding out more about Amnesty International, the meetings started Oct. 17 and will meet every other Sunday at 8:30 p.m. in the Library board room on the second floor. Also, you can visit the Amnesty International Website at http://www.amnesty.org/.

• Speaker: Sean from MTV's "Real World: Boston;• 9 p.m., Grace Hall Atrium

• Women's volleyball at PAC tournament, TBA

• Men's socter .:vs. Catholic University, 3:30 p.m.

• Haunted Trail, 811 p.m.

• Haunted Trail, 811 p.m.

• Women's soccer at PAC finals, TBA

• Women's volleyball at PAC tournament, TBA

• Halloween

• Feast of All Souls

• Mass, 7 p.m., Brockmann Chapel of St. Joseph

• Tamburitzins, 7:30 p.m., Dixon Center

• Mass, Brockmann Chapel of St. Joseph, TBA

• Election Day • Bingo, 9 p.m., Widener Center Gathering Area

• Mass, 4:45 p.m., Brockmann Chapel of St. Joseph