Cheney

Dear friends and family!
Hello! The following is a letter concerning the upcoming events
surrounding Dick Cheney speaking at BYU. My friends and I are
organizing an alternative commencement which you can read about below,
or check out the website at: www.byualternativecommencement.com
I am writing to ask you to help support this effort in whatever way
you can. Monetary contributions are greatly appreciated, as well as
coming and participating in the event. If 700 people donate $20 each we can make it!!! That's not so bad. . .c'mon! Be a part of history in the making!
Thanks so much!
Zina


I am writing to ask for support for a cause that is very important to
me. Last month, Brigham Young University invited Vice President Dick
Cheney to speak at the school's April commencement. Because many
students, faculty, alumni, and community members feel that Cheney
represents neither their standards nor those of the university, we
have formed a group called BYU Students for Alternative Commencement
comprised of graduating seniors, current students, faculyt, alums, and
friends.


The purpose of BYU Students Alternative Commencement is to voice our
dissent in a constructive way by having an additional ceremony after
the official commencement on April 26th 2007. Our alternative
commencement will not be about opposition, but about
alternatives–-creative, democratic alternatives to the problems facing
our country and government. As such, we've chosen speakers for our
event who embody these principles: former Amnesty International
director Jack Healey, former U.S. Senate candidate Pete Ashdown, and
citizen activist Ralph Nader.


By having these speakers at our alternative commencement, we seek to
promote a spirit of political optimism and ingenuity. We also hope
that this event will counter cynicism and wholesale criticism by
encouraging discussion and empowering graduates to search for positive
solutions to daunting problems. We believe that preparing students to
make this kind of visionary, creative change is what commencement
should be about.


Sponsoring a large event with distinguished speakers on such short
notice is very time-consuming and costly. In order to bring our
speakers out to Utah and secure a venue we have to raise $18,250 in
less than ten days. Through hard work and many generous donors we've
already been able to secure a significant amount in a few short days,
but we still need your help. Please support us by making donation
through Paypal* at www.byualternativecommencement.com, or by sending
cash or check payable to the "Gene and Charlotte England Education
Fund" at Zion's Bank, 1060 North University Ave. Provo, UT 84604. A
donation from you of $50, $100, or $250 will make it possible for us
students to accomplish our goal and 100% of it will directly support
this event.


Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions,
ideas, or if you know anyone who might be interested in contributing.
We also encourage you to learn more on our website, tell your friends
about the alternative ceremony, and attend on April 26th. Thank you so
much for your consideration and for helping make this event possible.