“the other press

leen Velthuis pws Editor

ar in Iraq and tensions all over e globe have done little to ake some students believe that pace is a possibility anytime bon. But one group, The Peace alker Society, a Gibsons, BC hsed not-for-profit, thinks that bllectively, we can make it hap- en. They are hosting five aring Peace workshop ses- ons to discuss global peace. The first workshop was held arch 20, and the topic was ppular Media and Counter ulture. Guest speaker Deborah ampbell, who was sponsored y the Campaign for Press and roadcast Freedom, discussed assroots movements, organiza- ons for peace, and other purces for information, along ith her book This Heated ace.

The next workshop is on hursday, March 27 at 7p.m.,

ennifer Henderson lantic Bureau

LALIFAX (CUP)—War in Iraq d the potential for future ter- brist attacks in North America rem to have done little to ampen the interest of anadian students in studying broad. “Tt hasn't had an effect,” said ary Somers, communications hanager at Dalhousie Iniversity. “We're up this year. Ve usually have 30 to 40 stu- ents apply for university- ministered exchanges. This ear we have around 100.” Somers attributes the growing opularity of the university’s change programs to several ctors. “We're doing a better job of blicizing them and they're not b new standing anymore. | ink it’s a sign of the times. A bt of students realize that a tm abroad may give them a leg p in the job market.” Although she says the univer- ty hasn't made any changes to exchange program to reflect e likelihood of international med conflict, Somers credits Dalhousie’s _ pre-established ergency protocol as provid- hg a sense of security for stu- ents studying abroad. The pro-

and involves The Compassionate Listening Project’s film Children of

Abraham, a story of American Jews travelling and speaking with Jews and Palestinians. The principles of compassionate lis- tening and how it helps healing will be discussed.

At 7p.m. Thursday, April 3 and again on Thursday, April 10, the 2002 film Crossing The Lines will be shown in two parts. The film is a series of interviews with Jews and Palestinians about the current situation in the Middle East. After the film Compassionate Listening tech- niques will be applied and dis- cussed.

May 1 at 7p.m., an open plan- ning session will be held where participants can discuss the world situation and brainstorm ideas for cultivating a peaceful

xchange Programs Still Popular Jespite Growing Global Tensions

ar could hurt profits say Travel CUTS rep

tocol includes an initiative to provide students with an emer- gency contact card with which they can make a direct call to the university in case of an emergency in their country of study. Even though the protocol has been in place since 2001, Somers admits it provides an extra cushion in light of the cur- rent international climate; a fact she says isn’t lost on less-pre- pared schools.

“We were already well down the road when September 11 hit. The other universities have been ringing our phones off the hook because they didn’t have anything in place,” she said. While many students are still planning to venture overseas for academic reasons, pleasure or work-related travel hasn’t lost its lustre either.

“We're up 20 percent on our programs. We expected to see a downturn after September 11, but we didn’t,” said Christine Pivetta, deputy director of Travel CUTS’ Student Work Abroad (SWAP) program. SWAP allows to students to travel to designated countries for short-term work stays.

Pivetta feels, that for many

‘Section Editor: Eileen Velthuis

eileenv@telus.net

orkshop for Peace

culture. Society members will also have a chance to have their say in future Peace Walker events, and by the end of the session a plan for the Society’s 2003 activities will be estab- lished.

With war happening right now, student Jane Thompson thinks something needs to change.

“I feel like nothing we do, protesting or otherwise, can help the situation. Bush is deaf to anyone except himself,” she said. “I would like to know, however, if there is anything I can do that would actually make a difference.”

Hila, one of the founding members of the PeaceWalker Society thinks students like Thompson should have a say in how we work towards peace.

“T believe students are the next

young Canadians, the desire to absorb other cultures outweighs the potential risks of travel.

“It’s showing, in general, that students still want to go abroad and the global climate is not affecting that. Also, there is some security to going with an organization that has an estab- lished history like the SWAP program,” she said.

However, Diane Clarkson, Travel CUTS marketing direc- tor, acknowledges the volatility of the travel industry and pre- dicts that the firm’s good for- tunes may suffer now that war has broken out.

“We were prepared for the possibility, but right now we're not experiencing a change in bookings. We expect that may change in light of the global cli- mate.”

At least one school, however, has noticed a change in the demand for its exchange pro- grams.

“Tm seeing that there hasn't been as great an interest in studying abroad as there used to be,” said Kay Nandlall, interna- tional student advisor and CIDA coordinator of the Exchange Abroad Office at the

and

should be involved in shaping our society,” she explained. “These work- shops deal with the situation in the Middle East, but are exam- ples of how to deal with conflict resolution in general, how to be engaged in a constructive dia- logue and learn that we all have a power and we all can make a difference working for peace.” All of the Sharing Peace Workshops will be held at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver, 950 W 41st Avenue. The cost is $10 for non-members, or $20 for a membership that allows you access to all the workshops. For more information about the Peace Walker Society or the workshops contact Hila at 604- 868-3758 or go to

<www.peacewalker.com>.

generation

University of New Brunswick (UNB). “Students seem to stick more to countries that they know about, like the UK I think people are cocooning. They feel more safe at home or in places they know.”

Nandlall says UNB has modi- fied its orientation for students planning to study abroad to reflect the new realities of global conflict.

“Orientation is very different. Rather than a general orienta- tion we now have more discus- sions with students to see what their fears are and to see if there are answers we can provide. I think there’s a lot of fear and people are feeling insecure about what's going on in the world. We need to address that,” she said.

While students may modify travel plans and take extra pre- cautions when venturing beyond Canada’s borders in the next few months, Clarkson says that we shouldn’t expect them to remain at home.

“Students are a pretty resilient group. People are still hoping for the best and planning for the trip of a lifetime.”

March 26, 2003

President’s Writing Contest on Diversity Presents

its Winners

Kerry Evans Culture Editor

On March 20 a group gathered in the foyer of the fourth floor. In attendance were the winners of the third annual writing contest, held during Diversity Week at the col- lege. There were three judges in total, but Micah Waskow from the Developmental Studies department was the representative. “It is a sad day to be celebrating diversity,” said Waskow, in reference to the current American-Iraqi war, “but it is neces- sary to be working towards a diverse world.” She spoke about the stu- dent’s writing and quoted a few lines from each sample.

There were 17 winners in total. They ranged from West Indian to Caucasian to Asian, and represented many walks of life. Some wrote about diversity in the workplace, diversity in the educational institu- tions, and the personal stories of individual experiences.

Susan Witter, President of Douglas College, was in attendance and shook hands in congratulation with all the winners. The group gathered for a group shot and also took individual shots with each of the winners. The mood was light, and the students were thrilled by their accomplishment. For many, this was their first published piece of work.

The writing is featured in a lovely 8 x 10 booklet. Each winner was presented with several copies to give to their friends and family. Gift bags were also handed out and included a shirt, a copy of Event magazine's 30th anniversary issue, a notepad, and key chain. The real perk is hav- ing the writer's words on diversity be available for the enlightenment of others to read.

After the presentations there was a raspberry punch served alongside a generous share of fruit and veg- etable platters. The winners and fac- ulty were talking amongst them- selves and in my view, people who have never met because of either language barriers or social circles were given the opportunity to make

new friends. page 3 ©