Read the official Students for a Free Tibet Brochure

Read the history of the SFT movement

2000-2001 Elected Officers

The James Madison University chapter of Students for a Free Tibet was founded in March 1998. Mark Sullivan, the organization's first President, had several goals in mind. First, to educate the JMU student body and the community of Harrisonburg, Virginia about the ongoing oppression of the Tibetans by the government of the People's Republic of China. JMU Students for a Free Tibet takes an additional step by leading these concerned students and citizens to action through massive letter writing campaigns and petitions to the U.S. Congress, President, and international corporations concerning pending legislation and U.S. involvement in aiding political prisoners.

JMU Students for a Free Tibet have brought many events to the campus, each raising awareness for the cause in its own way:

• Numerous concerts featuring local and regional talent
• Human Rights Fairs
• A performance from the Nuns of the Klachoe Ghakyil Nunnery
• A week long stay by the Monks of Dreprung Loseling Monastery featuring a performance of "Sacred Music, Sacred Dance," and a display of the Sand Mandala ritual
• Public talk with Liu Nianchun, an internationally recognized Chinese Democracy Activist who played key roles in both the Democracy Wall and Tiananmen Square movements
• Public talk by Palden Gyatso, a Tibetan Monk who had been wrongfully imprisoned by the Chinese Government for over 30 years
  (***more information and pictures of these events in the "Past Events" section***)

JMU Students have displayed their dedication to the Tibetan cause off campus as well, some examples:

• A number of letter writing campaigns
• Tibet marches in Washington D.C.
• JMU SFT has raised Thousands of Dollars for a Tibetan Children's village
• JMU SFT members volunteered for over 100 hours combined at the 2000 Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington D.C., which featured an exhibit titled "Tibetan Culture: Beyond the Land of Snows"
  (***more information and pictures of these events in the "Past Events" section***)

James Madison University:

JMU rests on a beautiful campus tucked away in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Many of our speakers and guests have been quick to notice the many striking qualities of our home. The Monks of Dreprung Loseling Monastery even chose Newman Lake for the closing of their Sand Mandala Destruction ritual.

(For more information about James Madison University, please visit www.jmu.edu)