“Going into the military is no joke. I feel my Hispanic community is being targeted, in terms of recruiting young people at schools, especially in poorer communities. We have a duty to tell truth when it comes to recruiting, and I feel that duty isn’t being met. I want to take action in letting kids/parents know the truth. ” — Anarely, Santa Maria High School student.
Steering and Advisory Committee:
Patrick McHugh has published more than twenty academic articles and delivered dozens of professional presentations in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, on topics ranging from literature and philosophy to environmental rhetoric, business communication, and the craft of teaching. He is currently working on projects related to writing, ethics, and civic engagement.
Michael Cervantes, Veterans for Peace Ventura Chapter # 112 member, is a Vietnam War veteran, and an alternative recruiter in the Oxnard Union High School District (OUHSD). He worked successfully to have an opt out form provided to families by the OUHSD and has regularly tabled in the Oxnard and Santa Barbara schools. He has expertise guiding high school senior students on how to withdraw from their military Delayed Entry Program (DEP) agreements, a fact little known to students and their families.
Monisha Rios, U.S. Army veteran and social justice activist.
John Douglas, community organizer, musician, and activist.
Lane Clark, member, Santa Barbara Friends Meeting.
Kate Connell is the founding director of Truth in Recruitment as well as the parent of two students who have attended Santa Barbara schools. She is a member of the Religious Society of Friends, Quakers. Along with other parents, students, veterans and community members, she successfully led the effort to implement the recruiter policy in the Santa Barbara Unified School District. She has served as a military counselor for personnel who sought discharge from the military and is trained as a draft counselor, as a facilitator with Alternatives to Violence Project, and in conflict resolution and mediation. She is a resource for information on alternatives to military careers, on students’ and families’ privacy rights, and drafting school policies regulating recruiter access to students.
Past Steering Committee and Active Volunteers:
Gilbert and Joy Robledo, Ismael Ulloa, David Melendrez, Joanna Barrera, Randall Day, Hugo Valdovinos, Lorena Pike, Mariah Miller, Elizabeth Colon, Michael Meredith, Stephen Pope, Nancy Lynch, Caroline Alcorn, Matt Marguiles, Fred Nadis, Rose Nadis, Saul Nadis, Kelly Biswell, Al Williams, Daniel Seidenberg, James Robertson, and Lynnette Arnold.
Past Staff:
Aryeh Cohen, Lisha Pacheco, Fernando Cornejo Faundez, Kenya Palacios, Zulema Aleman, Angel Lopez, Alan Morales, Doug Walker, Juls Neel, and Adonay Lorenza Moreno.
High School Interns:
Anarely Martinez, Selina Perez, Zander Moreno, Jenny Angel, Alicia Vasquez, Achante Smith, Osiel Ocampo, and Katrina Rodriguez.
University of California Santa Barbara Interns:
Kelsey Sword, Douglas Walker, Angelica Quintana, and Joanne Hernandez.
truthinrecruitment.org 