Conrad Grebel to issue first honorary doctorate

Conrad Grebel University College will confer its first honorary doctorate to John Paul Lederach at its Convocation ceremony on April 13.

John Paul Lederach is Professor of International Peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, and concurrently Distinguished Scholar at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisburg, VA. Previously he served as Professor of Sociology and Conflict Studies at EMU where he was the founding director of EMU’s Conflict Transformation Program and its associated institute for Justice and Peacebuilding.

At Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute, where he has taught for 13 years, Lederach also directs the Peace Accords Matrix. He is the author of 22 books, most recently When Blood and Bones Cry Out: Journeys through the Soundscape of Healing and Reconciliation (with Angela Lederach). He holds two other honorary doctoral degrees from Elms College and Bluffton College.

An internationally recognized figure for his pioneering work in conflict transformation, Lederach is involved in conciliation work in Colombia, the Philippines, and Nepal, plus countries in East and West Africa. He has helped design and conduct training programs in 25 countries across five continents. In August 2013, Lederach was appointed director of the Peace Accords Matrix, the Kroc Institute's unique source of comparable data on all comprehensive peace agreements that have been signed since 1989. He has held guest appointments at seminaries: Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana and large research universities ranging from Oxford and Barcelona to Syracuse and Colorado.

“Lederach is an exemplary scholar and innovative peace practitioner on the world stage,” said Susan Schultz Huxman, president of Conrad Grebel. “He is a natural fit for Grebel’s first honorary doctoral degree because he embodies the best of our signature academic areas in peace and conflict studies, religion and theological studies and music and the creative arts, emphasizes the importance of Anabaptist/Mennonite education, and is an inspiring teacher and storyteller.”

Appropriately, Lederach will offer the address at this year’s convocation ceremony as the College celebrates the first graduates from the new Master in Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) at Conrad Grebel and the University of Waterloo. Degrees will be conferred to Master of Theological Studies graduates at this ceremony and undergrads from the Grebel residence, Music and PACS programs, who receive their degrees at the University of Waterloo convocation services, will also be recognized.

A public forum with Lederach will also be hosted at Conrad Grebel on April 12.

 

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Knowledge Integration eXhibition next week

The students of the Barcelona cohort in the Knowledge Integration program are inviting the community to experience the culmination of their third-year design project: The Museum Course.

They will do so at KI-X 2014, the Knowledge Integration eXhibition, which is billed as a "convergence of disciplines, teaching methods and creative minds in an exhibition of topical, object-centric displays.

After spending ten days in Barcelona last April and May, Knowledge Integration students returned to Waterloo in September ready to implement some of the design features they examined on their trip, working in teams to produce exhibits.

"In building our exhibits, we have moved beyond the traditional projects and assignments typical of an undergraduate experience," writes Kim Boucher. "The creation process allowed us to be self-directed and enabled us to incorporate skills from many different disciplines. The result is an exhibition that showcases our knowledge of museums and their design methods, as well as our teamwork and dedication to something that is a little out-of-the-box."

KI-X 2014 is taking place in the the Environment 1 Courtyard on Monday, March 10 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 11 from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Wednesday, March 12 from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

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From Solitary to Solidarity

Waterloo's Drama department is presenting a new project that explores issues of mental health in the context of the troubling story of Ashley Smith, a teenager who died at Grand Valley Institution for Women in 2007. The inquest on the circumstances surrounding her incarceration and eventual death recently declared her death a homicide.

From Solitary to Solidarity: Unravelling the Ligatures of Ashley Smith uses a collaborative performance approach to try to understand the life and death of Ashley Smith. Rather than a recreation and performance of the life of Ashley Smith, it is an investigation of the social and political consequences of "broken correctional and mental health institutions" that addresses "the evolving perceptions and assumed objectivity of the media."

The play was conceived and directed by Professor Andy Houston and written by Waterloo alumna Melanie Bennett in collaboration with Waterloo Drama students. The creation of the play was a multi-year process, beginning in 2011 with a Dramaturgy class assignment, and more recently was the focus in a Devising Theatre course.

Says the promotional material:

"Differing from docudrama, which creates the illusion of silent authorship and realism, From Solitary to Solidarity is auto-ethnographic, a form of research and writing that connects the personal to the cultural. Auto-ethnographic performance does not claim to  present ‘the facts’, but instead represents truth as always mediated, unstable, and entangled in politics and personal interests. It is a method of performance that allows the artists to approach the subject with unapologetic empathy and/or dissent – which in turn invites the audience to do the same. This auto-ethnographic performance incorporates the personal perspectives of the students who perform – students who are roughly the same age as Ashley when she died."

The play will be performed on March 19, 20 and 22 at 8:00 p.m. in the Theatre of the Arts. Tickets are $17 general admission, $13 for students and seniors, and $5 for eyeGo.

In addition, a pair of events are being staged in support of the production: an interactive exhibition entitled "Small Acts of Repair Toward Mental Health: A Space for Engagement" from March 6 to March 22 in the ML Gallery, open 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, and until 10:00 p.m. on performance days. A symposium, "Small Acts of Repair Towards Mental Health: Information and Conversation" will take place on Friday, March 21 in the Theatre of the Arts and ML Gallery from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

For more information, check out the Drama and Speech Communication website.

 

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Dinner and a show and other notes

In honour of International Women's Day (which falls on Saturday, March 8), the Women's Studies department, the Office of the President, University Relations, and the Federation of Students' Women's Centre are hosting a dinner at the University Club tonight. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with the program beginning at 6:00 p.m. President Feridun Hamdullahpur will be providing welcoming remarks, and the guest speaker is Pearl Sullivan, Dean of Engineering.

The Federation of Students is hosting Waterloo’s Got Talent today at 4:00 p.m. in the Student Life Centre Great Hall. "Everyone is invited to attend the show, which will feature gifted undergraduates from a number of faculties," writes the federation's Jacqueline Martinz. "In addition to the contestants, attendees will see live performances from Sarah Smith (2013 Best Songwriter at JRMAs, 2012 Best Singer/Songwriter at London Music Awards, #1 Album of 2012 by London Free Press) and The Reklaws (2013 Boots and Hearts Sirius XM Emerging Artists Winners, CCMA Discovery Program Artists)."

At the end of the show, one contestant will be named the winner. More information about the special event is available online.

The Federation of Students would also like to remind all undergraduates that the deadline to submit agenda items for the upcoming Federation of Students’ March General Meeting is 4:30 p.m. today. The general meeting will be held on Monday March 24 at 11:30 a.m. in the SLC's Great Hall. More information is available online.

And somehow it doesn't feel right with so much snow on the ground, but it's that time of year again: Daylight Saving Time goes into effect in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, March 9. So don't forget to "spring forward" and move your clocks ahead one hour.

Here's today's Nutrition Month "myth vs. fact" provided by Health Services dietician Sandra Ace:

Myth:  Probiotic yogurt is the healthiest kind to buy.

Truth:  Probiotics are actually "good" bacteria that, according to some research, might have health benefits such as improving digestion. They are found naturally in the gut and may be added to foods such as yogurt. However, in order to remain “live,” these bacterial cultures need to be added after heat processing.  Many brands of yogurt sold in Canada contain probiotics but check the label to be sure, looking for “live cultures” or “active cultures” on the ingredient list. Yogurts without added probiotics are also healthy choices.  Here are more tips for buying yogurt.

 

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