This email is to inform you of the progress of the 1st International Encounter of Students in Defense of Public and Free Education convoked by the General Strike Council of UNAM-México. In this communiqué we will try to answer some of the questions which have been made by several of the participants. In case this message arrives to you and you have not received the previous messages and are interested in more details about the Encounter, please send us an email asking for additional information. Also, let us know if you want to be erased from our mailing list.

1. ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS.- Without counting the CGH representatives, up to the moment we have the confirmed participation of 143 people from the following countries: Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Switzerland, Greece, Spain, Italy, Canada, United States, Venezuela and México. There are, in the process of confirmation, compañeras and compañeros from Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Panamá and El Salvador. >From México compañeras and compañeros have confirmed from Chiapas, Yucatán, Baja California, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Tamaulipas, Querétaro, Coahuila, Veracruz, Jalisco, Sonora, Oaxaca and the D.F.; and are waiting to confirm from Zacatecas, Querétaro and Guanajuato. We have not discussed the representation of the CGH which if it were ten per school we would be talking about 350 CGH members.

2. ABOUT THE DEADLINE TO ANSWER THE PARTICIPATION QUESTIONNAIRE.- From various places we have been asked to extend the deadline in order to answer the questionnaire (expires March 31st). In other instances they have argued the problems of finances for the transportation. Attending this petition we will extend it until April 10th, with the acknowledgment that, for questions of organization, we will not accept any participants after this date.

3.-ABOUT THE DATES OF THE EVENT.- The event starts Thursday April 20th at 10:00 A.M. and will end Monday the 24th at 8:00 P.M. The program will be ready on April 11th and will be sent out to all the participants.

4.-ABOUT THE IMMIGRATION REQUIREMENTS.- No body should get a special visa. In the case of countries that do not require visas, come as tourists with a tourist card. For those nationalities that do require a visa and are having problems getting one, it is URGENT to send us immediately, along with the name of the solicitor, the city in which the Mexican consulate that you went to petition is located. In these instances we are taking measure so that those visas be authorized and be sent to their respective consulates. It is important to send the name as it appears on their passport. For those of you who have sent in your names, we are taking steps but we need you to please not wait until the last minute.

5.- It is ratified that the site of the encounter be the National Autonomous University of México.

6.- There will be translators but we need you to specify who many people will be needing this assistance and the the appropriate language.

7. Everyone that has sent in their questionnaires has been accepted. For this reason we have not sent anyone any confirmation. Nonetheless, we will do so on April 11th when we will have a final count of all the participants. In case you have not received a confirmation by April 12th, please write to us. No one is being excluded but there might be some technical problems, like if the computers become "possessed by the devil" then possibly someone would not be accounted for.

8.- For those of you who are traveling by airway and need to be picked up from the airport, please send us the date and time of arrival, airline company and flight number which will arrive at the México City airport. This also applies to those of you who are traveling by roadway and require the same assistance.

9.- In the April 11th information packet we will send you a program of events, addresses, telephone numbers, so that there may be no problems in establishing contact.

10.- For those of you that require an invitation in order to make arrangements, it is important that you send us the name of the person who is wanted to be invited.

11.- During these dates the climate is warm (above 70 Fahrenheit).

12.- About the event's programs which include: plenary, tables of discussion, gatherings, cultural acts, etc. Remember that we will accept any suggestions until April 5th, so that we may send out by April 7th the first proposal. In respect to this, anyone can make suggestions even if they do not attend the Encounter.

13.- We are discussing the possibility of transmitting the Encounter over the Internet.

We hope to have answered any doubts.

Fraternally

International Commission of the CGH-UNAM