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Campus Groups
To update your student group information, email studentalliance 'at' ciis.edu. To introduce a new student group, fill out the Campus Groups Registration Form and bring it to the Student Affairs Office on the fourth floor.
AWARE – Awakening to Whiteness and Racism Everywhere
The "White People Working Against Racism Group @ CIIS" is open to students, faculty and staff who want to participate in a process towards unlearning racism, examining their experience of white social privilege, confronting histories of silence, shame, and complicity, and moving towards alliance-building with people of color for racial justice, at CIIS and beyond.

Out of respect for people of color, we are meeting as a caucus group of white people. We consider it very important that we don't impose on people of color the role of "teaching us how we are racist" or the need to care-take people who might be at various stages of their own consciousness around racism and oppression.
Contact: Laurel Carangelo, no2racism 'at ' gmail.com
Campus Coalition for Sexual Literacy
CCSL will connect students, professors, researchers & advocates conducting sexuality research, education or working on sexuality related policy issues in order to advance sexual literacy.
Contact: Crystallee Crain, crystallee.crain 'at ' gmail.com
CIIS Community Process Group
The CIIS Community Process Group offers professionally facilitated, experientially oriented community forums that bring together students, faculty, and staff who are interested in actively exploring ways to relate with transparency and authenticity in a diverse community context. We strive to make room for various and competing views, tensions, feelings, styles of communication, and modes of inquiry and exploration, while encouraging an awareness of unconscious biases and power relationships. We provide opportunities to engage in personal and communal explorations of what the CIIS commitment to the ideal of diversity really means to us as a community.
Contact: Shirley Strong, sstrong 'at ' ciis.edu
CIIS Urban Permaculturists
CIIS students working to change the landscape of the urban environment. By actively participating in a relationship with the land around the SF Bay Area we move toward a move fulfilling way of life. This will allow us to more creatively express the nature of the emerging human consciousness. Please contact: Jim Dickas or Sean Kelly
Contact: Jim Dickas, jimdickas 'at ' yahoo.com
CIIStories Project
This project is intended to gradually develop an anthology of stories by students, staff and faculty in which are related extraordinary experiences they encountered that led to their arrival at CIIS, or which developed since they came here, or both. This project is predicated on the thesis that CIIS is more than just another graduate school. As stories accumulate, a portrait will begin to emerge of our school as not only an innovative leader in such revolutionary concepts of the academic world as integral education and the latest vision of transpersonal theory, but also as an alchemical retort wherein the awakening and transformation of human beings take place.

The CIIStories Group has been formed to monitor and administer the CIIStories Project, so that the Project can be perpetuated over time. The Project has the character of a literary effort, so the Group will function as an editorial board. They are responsible for first, selecting the stories that clearly exhibit the characteristics which evoke amazement and provoke thought; second, proofreading; third, possibly proposing minor editing of the stories to the authors with the aim of highlighting or clarifying the special character of the stories; and finally, archiving and – with the author’s permission – presenting the stories.
Contact: Adrian Auler, adrian 'at ' techwerke.com
Integral Dialogue Group
This group explores the teaching of Sri Aurobindo, The Mother, and Dr. Chaudhuri both formally and experientially through meditation.
Contact: Jonah Saifer, jsaifer 'at ' ciis.edu
Integral Ecology
To cultivate a CIIS-based community of inquiry and practice around the idea of Integral Ecology.
Contact: Elizabeth McAnally, elizabeth_mcanally 'at ' yahoo.com
Interdisciplinary Dialogue Group
To engage interdepartmental frameworks to address complex issues and ideas held by the various departments represented at CIIS. To expand upon specific academic training through multi/transdisciplinary problem-solving and inquiry. Please contact: Adam Robbert or JJ Cunnington
Contact: Adam Robbert, arobbert84 'at ' gmail.com
International Students and Friends
International Students and Friends is created for the express purpose of providing peer support for the international student community, through organizing and hosting cultural and social events, as well as of raising awareness on campus about the specific needs of international graduate students. The campus group will also take part in creating social and cultural activities that will empower international students and create a support network. The international students group will also facilitate the International Playback Theater Company, which will creatively engage in international student stories and perform at different CIIS, and possibly Bay Area, events.
Contact: Roni Alperin, ronialp 'at ' gmail.com
Nierika Platform
Having the Axis Mundi or Cosmic Tree as its guiding symbol, NierikaPlatform focuses on the vertical axis of education, on the trunk of the tree as it were, that uncovers a sort of deep embodied wisdom. Consequently, the mission of NierikaPlatform is to explore and engage in participatory learning by facilitating multiple ways of knowing from an intuitive, creative, and heart-centered perspective.
Contact: , adrianvg7 'at ' gmail.com
People of Color Group
The People of Color Group is open to faculty, staff, and students of color. The group meets weekly to discuss issues of diversity at the Institute and to provide ongoing support to the community of color at CIIS. A major goal of the group is to promote cultural diversity and awareness in the CIIS community.
Contact: Shirley Strong, sstrong 'at ' ciis.edu
Queer@CIIS Group
Queer@CIIS is a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and intersex members of the CIIS community, and our allies,

Our primary mission is to provide a safe and enthusiastic environment for all students, faculty and staff that supports, affirms, encourages, and empowers us in sharing our lives and goals more fully and openly into the community, thereby enhancing the richness and relevance of the CIIS educational experience,

Our group produces exciting educational and social events to support, promote, and edify all students, as well as those in the community,

We believe that inclusivity is a primary ingredient for discourse, and camaraderie. Your ideals, ideas, stories, and support are most welcome and encouraged,

All Q@CIIS's meetings for Fall 2009 will take place in room 218, dates and times are as follows:

   ◊  Oct Tuesday 27th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm
   ◊  Nov Tuesday 10th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm
   ◊  Dec Thursday 3rd from 6:30 to 8:30 pm
   ◊  Dec Wednesday 16th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm

For information and/or to be added to the private Q@CIIS email list, please contact either: Lise M. Dyckman, Dustin N. Smith or jAms Clabecq
Contact: Lise M. Dyckman, ldyckman 'at ' ciis.edu
Species Alliance
Species Alliance is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that birthed out of the Sixth Extinction Support Group at CIIS. Our mission is to raise public awareness of the impending mass extinction and the threat to Earth's life support systems due to this loss of biodiversity. Through our films and other media, website, and outreach, we seek to ignite a new sense of community empowerment and purpose, in order to stimulate creative and effective changes in public policies and human behavior that will assure a healthy future for all life on Earth.
Contact: Chera Van Burg, (415) 847-0773, info 'at ' speciesalliance.org
Website: http://www.speciesalliance.org
Student Alliance
Student Alliance is a student-run organization that facilitates communication, sponsors events, and allocates funding to help students and student groups actualize the seven institute ideals. Listening to student voices, we build alliances, cultivate student leadership, and advocate for social change and transformation of existing power structures.
Contact: Shirley Strong, (415) 575-6171, sstrong 'at ' ciis.edu
Website: http://www.saciis.org
Theatre for Change
We are committed to using theatrical performance to give voice and representation to people of color; to open dialogue within the community on issues of race, racism, and equality; and to encourage our audience to fight inequality on a personal, institutional, and societal level.
Contact: Renee Emunah (Faculty Advisor) , remunah 'at ' ciis.edu
Transition Movement – Adam Hudson
To begin discussion and practical facilitation of a multi-faceted approach to the transition from a fossil fuel based economy/economy to post-peak oil society.
Contact: Adam Hudson, adamphudson 'at ' hotmail.com
UNITE!
To advocate for the building of alliances among diverse students. To actively promote and work toward social justice and diversity goals at CIIS.
Contact: Elijah Nella, piquantly 'at ' gmail.com
Zen Meditation Group
Giving the CIIS community an opportunity to explore meditation, relax, and ground ourselves at the beginning of the day.
Contact: Jared Michaels, jmichaels 'at ' ciis.edu
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