Although the group has not yet secured funding, suggested sources include the AFL-CIO and socialist organizations such as the Haymarket People's Fund.

Although speakers frequently brought up thecampus activism of 30 years ago, Kucewicz saidthere were some important differences between 1969and 1999.

"SDS was high on participation and low ondefinition. Nowadays, student activists havereversed that," he said.

"The politics are also different. A critique ofcapital isn't front and center," he added.

In addition, he said he did not believe the neworganization would have the same potential forupheaval as SDS, which participated in campusuprisings across the nation in the 1960s,including the 1969 student takeover of UniversityHall.

The labor conference that accompanied theformation of the alliance featured talks by some30 union leaders and labor activists. Paneldiscussions and workshops focused on labor issuesand corporate abuses in general, as well asspecific outlets for student activism.

While panel discussions were initially wellattended, attendance wanted as the conference drewon. The featured panel discussion yesterdaymorning--"Student Labor Activism: The Union SummerProgram and Beyond"--was so poorly attended thatit had to be rescheduled.

However, the opportunity to meet with youngactivists drew representatives from a broadspectrum of labor organizations. Daisy M. Rooks,who is in charge of campus recruiting for theAFLCIO, urged students to attend "Union Summer," aprogram which teaches organizational skills andencourages students to become labor activists oncethey return to school.

Right down the hall, a table run by theUniversity of Massachusetts Socialist Club and theLabor Militants party was piled high with leafletsurging passers-by to "fight for communism!" andencouraged students to ally with munitions workersto "cut off supplies to NATO."

"We base ourselves on Trotsky," said Anthony F.Cianciolo, referring to the Russian leader whoadvocated the export of communism to othercountries. "Democrats and Republicans are bothparties for corporations. We say workers need anindependent Voice.