Student Alliance @ CIIS

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. There are a number of student-run groups on campus. These include UNITE!, CIIS Urban Permaculturists, People of Color, Queer@CIIS, AWARE-Awakening to Whiteness and Racism Everywhere, Coniunctio, TIDSA- Transformative Inquiry Distance Student Advisory Group, International Student and Friends, Zen Meditation Sitting Group, American Buddhism, Integral Ecology, Nierika Platform, Transition Movement, CIIS Chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Campus Coalition for Sexual Literacy, Theatre for Change. If you are interested in creating a new student group that is in keeping with ideals of CIIS, the Student Affairs office can help. Some groups are more temporary and become more or less active depending on the momentum, time and enthusiasm of the current student body. Other groups are more permanent in nature. In summary, there is enough flexibility and support for like-minded students to start something on their own and have support for their endeavors.
American Buddhism
The group is dedicated to promoting the benefits of Zen Buddhism, meditation, yoga, and related Buddhist practices as a pathway to Self-Realization and the harmonious blending of the material and spiritual in contemporary American Society. The group encourages the study and practice of these disciplines so that Americans with a Western mind set may come to appreciate these ancient gifts of Eastern thought, and utilize them in a way that is relevant to American cultures and values.
Contact: Hui Tai, htai 'at ' ciis.edu
Website: http://www.FrederickLenzFoundation.org
AWARE - Awakening to Whiteness and Racism Everywhere
The AWARE group 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 or oppression.
Contact: Maggie Burkle, sweetieburkle 'at ' yahoo.com
Campus Coalition for Sexual Literacy
CCSL will connect students, professors, researchers and 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 Chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy
SSDP is an international grassroots network of students who are concerned about the impact drug abuse has on our communities, but who also know that the war on drugs is failing our generation and society. SSDP mobilizes and empowers young people to participate in the political process, pushing for sensible policies to achieve a safer and more just future, while fighting back against counterproductive drug war policies, particularly those that directly harm students and youth.
Contact: , druglawreform '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 Partnership Leaders Group
The CIIS Partnership Leaders group will consist of current and/or former students of CIIS partnership courses who wish to meet online on a designated website to share ideas and successes in the implementation of partnership in their communities, as well as support each other in further projects, and ongoing learning and living the partnership mission. (The mission of the Center for Partnership Studies is to advance human development by accelerating movement to partnership systems through research, education, grassroots empowerment, and policy initiatives. The partnership system supports our enormous human capacities for consciousness, caring, and creativity. CPS is dedicated to building a culture of gender and racial equity, economic justice, and a sustainable environment.)
Contact: Kimberly Lagenbach , kimlang12 'at ' gmail.com
CIIS Urban Permaculturists
CIIS Urban Permaculturists students are 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 or Sean Kelly , 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
Coniunctio
An Astrology Study Group dedicated to the support and growth of an astrological community of learners at CIIS, fostering an approach to the discipline of astrology which is creative, imaginative and intellectually rigorous. All knowledge and skill levels are welcomed in our topic-based approach, which emphasizes peer learning and mentoring. This will be a great way to connect with students of astrology at CIIS and access resources to further your studies.
Contact: Artemis Jones , Coniunctio.CIIS 'at ' gmail.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: Jody O’Connor, (415) 575-6157, Joconnor 'at ' ciis.edu
Nierika Platform
Having the Axis Mundi or Cosmic Tree as its guiding symbol, Nierika Platform 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 Nierika Platform is to explore and engage in participatory learning by facilitating multiple ways of knowing from an intuitive, creative, and heartcentered perspective.
Contact: Adrian Villasenor-Galarza , Adrianvg87 'at ' gmail.com
People of Color Group
The People of Color group is open to faculty, staff and students of color. The group meets every two weeks 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: Atiba Rougier, Atibarougier 'at ' gmail.com
Pranahuti Aided Meditation (PAM) Group
PAM's mission is to facilitate and promote the education, research, training and on-going support of the practice of PAM for the community. This includes offering introductory courses, research projects, seminars and events in collaboration of external non-profit organizations. PAM teaches a unique meditation system based on Pranahuti or Yogic Transmission of pure Consciousness by a capable person to a willing seeker for the individual's spiritual uplift and self-transformation; it teaches a new Way of Living that is essentially an integral, holistic and balanced living for a modern person to achieve total transformation. Happiness, balanced living, and universal harmony through spiritual cooperation are some of the main objectives and gains of this path called the Natural Path. All on-going courses and support are free of cost. Please contact wendy.zeng 'at' gmail.com for Introductory Course registration details. Check out the upcoming events The next Pranahuti Aided Meditation 2-Day Introductory Course: Nov 6-7, 2010 (Saturday & Sunday): 9:30am - 5:30pm both days.
Contact: Wendy Zeng, wendy.zeng 'at ' gmail.com
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.
Contact: Lise Dyckman, (415) 575-6181, 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, Studentalliance '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, (415) 575-6231, remunah 'at ' ciis.edu
Transformative Inquiry Distance Student Advisory Group (TIDSA)
TIDSA acts as an integrated and collaborative, sustainable voice for graduate students enrolled in all distance programs within CIIS. Its mission is to coalesce and provide CIIS administration, community and faculty with an open-society based framework that allows the distance student to actively participate in, and support, the academic experience while at CIIS.
Contact: Frank Strona , Strona 'at ' mac.com
Transition Movement
To begin discussion and practical facilitation of a multi-faceted approach to the transition from 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, actively promoting and working towards social justice and diversity goals at CIIS.
Contact: Elisa Haro, Eharo 'at ' ciis.edu
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, Michaelsjared 'at ' yahoo.com