PAST EVENTS ORGANIZED BY

THE PEACE AND HUMAN RIGHT COMMITTEE

2008   October 2, 2008 - A panel, Gandhi's Legacy of Ahimsa was presented by         six scholars: two from India, one, Gandhi's Great Granddaughter,

 from south Africa, one from the University of Chicago, one from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, and one from Eastern, Professor Hope Fitz.

2008    March 12-13 Professor Ashok Malhotra of SUNY Oneonta spoke at The University Hour about his Ninash Foundation which build

 schools for Children from what used to be called Harijan (untouchable) class.  

2007    December 3 – 9, two Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Namhyal Monastery (home of the Dalai Lama in North America) will be coming

to our campus.  They will create a sand mandala for Peace in the Akus Gallery all week and will demonstrate and discuss it during Wednesday’s

University Hour. Gail Gelburd has organized this series of events.  The University Hour is sponsored by the Peace and Human Rights Committee.

2006    October 19, an event sponsored by Dr. Charles Prewitt and the Peace and Human Rights Committee.  China Keitetsi, a child soldier in

Uganda for eleven Years who was forced to fight and endure sexual abuse, spoke as an advocate on behalf of child soldiers worldwide.

2006    October 4-5,   Dr. Shugan Jain, Director of the International Summer School for Jain Studies, ISSJS, India, lectured on ahimsa, basically

non-harm and compassion, to Dr. Fitz’s classes.  Dr. Fitz took part in the Jain study during June and July of 2006. Also, a small reception, which

 was funded by Dean Carmen Cid, was held for Dr. Jain.  This allowed those professors who might be interested in applying for the scholarship to

 study Jainism in India in 2007, or later, to speak to Dr. Jain.  Three professors have expressed interest: Andrew Nilsson, Mary Curran and Gail

 Gelburd.  In fact, Andrew (Andy) Nilsson has submitted an application for the 2007 ISSJS. Also, students from Dr. Fitz’s course on Ahimsa: a

Way of Life, and a few members of the Peace and Human Rights Committee

attended the reception.

2005        Dr. Amii Omara-Otunnu, UNESCO Chairholder and Executive Director of the Institute of Comparative Human Rights at the University of

 Connecticut, was on a panel with several of our eastern students who asked him questions about human rights. Three of the students were PHRC

 members.  They were Matt Mucci, Adam Brzozowski and Jason Taraskiewicz.  Another student who took part was Nicole Dutram.  This event

 was funded by Vice President Dimitrios Pachis who also paid for a lovely dinner for Dr. Omara-Otunnu, the students who took part in the panel

 discussion and the PHRC members at Zinny’s Restaurant in Storrs.

2005          Dr. Simar Samar, Chair, Independent Afghanistan Human Rights Commission spoke at the University Hour.  His presentation was entitled,

 “Human Rights in New Afghanistan.”

2005    Haiti,” an account of life in Haiti, by Alyx Kellington, a photojournalist who has lived in and visited Haiti, off and on, for years.  Kellington’s

 work has been published in major newspapers, magazines and books.  Funded by an Eastern University Hour Grant.

2004  “Love and Pain,” an account of the people in Chiapas, Mexico, by Alyx  Kellington (the photojournalist mentioned above) who lived and worked

there during the time of the Zapatistas.  Sponsored by PHRC and  the ECSU Women’s Center)

2004        Dr. Asma M. Abdl Halim, who had a one year appointment at the University of Connecticut in Women’s Studies, visited the Peace and

Human Rights Committee to speak on the conditions in Sudan.

 2003        Take a Note: This musical event was organized by Dr. Charles Prewitt  in order to raise funds for the Peace and Human Rights Operating

 Fund and the Virginia and Charles Prewitt Peace and Human Rights Endowment Fund.

            2003     “The Environmental and Social Effects of War,” by Dr. Bart Gruzalski, Director of the Institute for Sustained Living, California.

            Dr.Gruzalski spoke at the University Hour.  He was invited to speak by Professors Mary Curran and William Salka for the PHRC.

2002     Most of the work of the PHRC members was dedicated to the Peace Conference which took place on Saturday, November 9, 2002.

2001    December 5, “Understanding Different Traditions in This Time of Crisis” This was a Forum for Students to speak of their feelings about the

Iraq war and the profiling of people from the Middle East.  The facilitators were: Professors Vasillopulos and  Fitz.

2001        “International Perspectives and the Recent Tragedy,” a Forum on International Perspectives as They Relate to the Recent Bombings in

the  U.S.  Speakers: Professors: Bill Salka; Katie Lynch; Charlie Prewitt and Hope Fitz. 

2001      “Our War and Islam,”  A talk by Dr. Charles Prewitt, was given in the Betty Tipton Room.

2001        Brendan McAllister, Director of Mediation,  Northern Ireland University,  spoke at the University Hour.  His topic was “Politics, Police and

Reconciliation in Northern Ireland.”

1998    Michael Klare, the head of the Five College Program in Peace and World Security Studies spoke at the University Hour, sponsored by the

Peace and Human Rights Committee.

1997    A Panel discussion on Human Rights.  The panel members included  Professors: Catherine Lynch (Eastern), Henry Rosemont (St. Mary’s,

Maryland) and Sumner Twiss (Brown).   This was held in the Webb Hall Auditorium.     

In addition to the foregoing events, there were a number of films on Peace and Human Rights shown in the Fall of 2003.  The persons in charge of these films were:

Mary Curran, Katie Lynch and Charlie Prewitt.  A list of the films were: Dr. Strangelove; Bowling for Columbine; a film on Cambodia; a film on Latin America;

South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission; and The Mouse that Roared. 

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