Get Involved :: Write to the UC President
Hard copy:
Electronic: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Action Center: http://capwiz.com/wagingpeace/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=6270511 Electronic: Dynes' Desk: http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/president/desk.html
BACKGROUND "100 Letters, 100 Days Campaign"* From October 2nd , 2003 through January 9th, 2004, the Foundation's UC Nuclear Free campaign and partners welcomed Robert Dynes, the University of California 's newest President, with over 100 letters during his first 100 days in office. An exercise in both coalition-building and grassroots education, this letter-writing campaign helped the Foundation identify and educate new allies as well as communicate diverse opposition to UC's role in nuclear weapons development at a critical juncture.
Numerous important developments occurred over the course of the letter-writing campaign. Dynes appointed Admiral Robert Foley, former assistant Secretary of Energy for Defense Programs under President Ronald Reagan, as the UC Vice President of Laboratory Management. UC student fees were increased by 30%. A rare Regents meeting at UCLA turned violent. The Academic Senate announced plans to poll faculty later in the year regarding whether or not UC should continue managing the nuclear weapons laboratories. The Regents approved the creation of a national laboratory advisory council and encouraged Dynes to seek corporate partnerships that would improve UC's capacity to bid successfully to continue managing the nuclear weapons laboratories. Also, the Regents of the University of Texas allocated $500,000 to prepare initial plans for a bid when the UC contract comes up for renewal. Campaign partners, Urs Cipolat (Program Director, Middle Powers Initiative) and Jackie Cabasso (Executive Director, Western States Legal Foundation) hand-delivered the 100 th letter during the public comment session of the UC Regents meeting on January 15, 2004. The Associated Press, Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle, UCSD Guardian, and the News University at UC Irvine all mentioned the letter-writing campaign in their coverage of the Regents meeting.
Larry Pack, Student
Madge Strong, Alumna
Marc Pilisuk, Professor Emeritus *An excerpt from Waging Peace, Spring 2004. Get Involved :: Write to the UC President |
As president of the University of California, Robert Dynes is responsible for maintaining UC's consistent ranking among the top of national and international institutions of higher education. On the job for less than one year, Dynes faces numerous challenges, e.g., the state budget crises, a new gubernatorial administration, bad press due to a series of security scandals at the national laboratories, and the first-ever competitive bidding process to maintain the multi-billion dollar nuclear weapons development contracts. Dynes is accountable to all the various stakeholders in the UC community: students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members. Toward resolving these dilemmas, he needs to hear from each and every one of us regarding these important issues. Write him today! Please send us a copy of your letter. 
UC alumni, community members, students and parents of UC students, UC faculty and staff all contributed to the success of the “100 Letters, 100 Days” campaign. Many authors expressed close ties with the university dating back multiple generations. While US citizens penned 64 of the total letters (57 of whom are current California residents), the campaign would not have been successful without input from our allies overseas who wrote the remaining 36 letters. These allies hailed from Argentina , Austria , Amsterdam , Bahrain , Germany , India , and the UK. Authors of the letters referenced various reasons for UC to get out of the nuclear weapons business including: international law, human rights, education and ethics, environmental protection, and sustainability. 
a project of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation | www.wagingpeace.org
