|
NEWS
BRIEFS
SIS students celebrate International Affair 2006
More than 150 people came out on Friday, March 3 to celebrate the annual International Affair. The SIS Graduate Student Council sponsored the event, which was held in Hotel Monaco’s Paris Ballroom located in downtown Washington, DC. Students celebrated until midnight dancing to hip-hop, salsa and swing music and eating a diverse selection of food inspired by cuisine from around the world (e.g. Greek spinach-phyllo parcels, vegetarian sushi, quesadillas and spring rolls).
SIS students network, sharpen skills during Uganda youth summit Alvis and Campbell-Patton, master’s students in the International Peace and Conflict Resolution program, were among 23 American and Canadian college students and 25 Ugandans who participated in Global Kimeeza, a summit organized by Global Youth Partnership for Africa. During the trip, from Jan. 2 to 14, the students discussed peace-building strategies, enjoyed cultural activities, and rafted down the White Nile. “I learned a lot about myself and just how complicated peace building and conflict resolution really is,” said Alvis. “The people in Uganda are doing really amazing work; I was moved by their commitment to the problem,” said Campbell-Patton. “I feel like [in the U.S.], we don’t get much of a picture of the local efforts there. The trip helped me realize that they need support from us, but they’re also doing really great things on their own.” While in Africa, both students also developed friendships and professional connections. “It was great to meet people with similar interests,” said Alvis, who aspires to work with youth in conflict-ridden areas. “I’m already working with Global Youth Partnership for Africa on another project.”
AU continues Peace Corps
tradition
AU’s 34 volunteers represented .58 percent of the university’s undergraduates, placing the school above Brown, George Washington, Yale, and James Madison. Georgetown was the top medium-sized school (defined as having between 5,001 and 15,000 undergraduates) with .87 percent. AU has a long history of providing the corps with volunteers. Since it was founded in 1961, 663 AU alumni have joined the organization, making the university the 53rd-largest producer of volunteers. Robert Pastor, AU’s vice president of international affairs and a former Peace Corps volunteer in Malaysia, said the university is extremely proud of the contribution its students and alumni have made. For the 20th year
in a row, the University of Wisconsin took the top overall spot, with
104 volunteers. The University of California at Berkeley continues to
be the all-time best producing school, with more than 3,000 volunteers. |
