Monterey Focus
A Glance into the MIIS Community…Archive for Uncategorized
Semester Beginnings
Welcome back Monterey Institute students!!! (And welcome for the first time to incoming students!)
Here’s a small dose of news for the first week of class:
The Pathfinder – a conflict resolution journal featuring student content – published its first issue last month. Edited by Dr. Pushpa Iyer and alumnus Yasasvin Wijetilleke, the journal can be found at:
www.thepathfinderjournal.com
The Club Activities Fair will be held next Thursday February 12th from 12:00PM to 2:00PM at the Samson Student Center! Don’t forget to bring a pen so you can sign up for clubs like the Environmental Task Force, the Peace Corps Club, Friends of the Middle East, and the Yoga Club.
Kick-off the first Happy Hour of the Spring ‘09 semester this Friday February 6th from 5:00 to 7:00PM at the Samson Center. Conserve resources by bringing your own cup, and don’t forget your ID!
Institute Stories, Old & New
Back on Saturday December 6th, the African Club and Conflict Resolution Club co-sponsored an afternoon conference entitled “Recovering Mauritania,” which examined the political-economic situation of Mauritania in the aftermath of the August 6th military coup. Monterey Institute students had the pleasure of speaking via Skype with the democratically elected President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, at that time confined to house arrest in Lemden, along with his son Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, a Monterey Institute alumnus. For more current information on Maurtania from BBC News, click here.
Photos from “Recovering Mauritania:”
In other news, two Monterey Insitute students’ have participated in a film project called The Green Dragon, headed by filmmaker Caroline Harrison, about China’s emerging green movement and its ongoing environmental responses to rapid industrialization. To read more, click here.
For more coverage of J-Term Practicum experiences, check out the Cambodia students’ blog here.
Enjoy!
The Theory and Practice of Professor Jan Black
Littlefield Publications recently released Monterey Insitute professor Jan Knippers Black´s newest book, The Politics of Human Rights Protection. Professor Black – our esteemed professor of human rights – has published numerous books, including Latin America: It´s Problems and its Promises(2005), Development in Theory and Practice(1999), and Inequity in the Global Village(1999). Professor Black is currently spending her days in Santiago, Chile with her 20 practicum students, beginning to explore the situation (the problems and promise, if you will) of the indigenous Mapuche tribe under the enlightening guidance of Judge Juan Guzman. Stay tuned for more updates about the Chile practicum experience as we engage the material and
move south!
YouTube Features: It’s Off to Work Study We Go!
Searching for YouTube videos to watch over winter break with your copious amounts of free time?
Then, mosey on over to the Monterey Institute’s YouTube Channel and its Featured Videos section. Here, you’ll find our latest video series about students’ work study positions and learn how they’re making a difference in the Monterey community! Check out Rebekah Hunt’s position at Global Majority and Alexis Martinovich’s position with The Center for the Future of the Oceans at the Monterey Bay Aquarium among others.
Hope to see you there!
When in Rome, Stream the Graduation Ceremony!
Can’t make it to Winter Commencement in Monterey this year?
Fear not! Follow the link below, and on Sunday December 14th at 1:00PM PST, you can watch the graduation ceremony in real time!
Monterey Institute Commencement, Ustream.TV
Congratulations Winter 2008 Graduates!
Georgia-Russia Conflict Event!
For those of you (if any) looking forward to the second to last week of classes and/or continued opportunities for intellectual stimulation, click on the event flyer posted below!
Happy Thanksgiving, MIIS Community!
The First Annual MIIS Fall Carnival
The Monterey Institute of International Studies proudly presents the 1st Annual MIIS Fall Carnival to be held Saturday, November 22nd from 12:00PM-5:00PM at the Samson Center Courtyard. Highlights include a clothing swap in Samson Reading Room, a dunking booth (where you might find FGSIB Dean Scalberg), a community bake-off, and a Thanksgiving food drive! Read below for more details. Hope to see you there!
The 1st annual MIIS Fall Carnival is being put on to ease those stress levels back down while supporting the Food Bank of Monterey County! Please bring donations of canned goods!
Tickets will be on sale on the day of the event–$1 tickets sold in bundles of 5 and 10; 1 ticket gets you a game, a BBQ plate, a beer, and so much more!
Attractions include:
Sumo Wrestling Suits!
Wedding Booth!
Knock-Your-Head-Off Game of Strength!
Bungee Run!
Inflatable Madness!
Obstacle Course!
Music!
Cotten Candy!
Beer Garden!
Mulled Cider!
Bake-off!
Clothing Swap!
Be Sure to Bring the Following:
Student ID
Clothing for the Swap
A Donation of a Canned or Dry Good
Springing the MIIS Community Garden to Life
Located near the corner of Van Buren and Franklin Streets on the Monterey Institute campus, you’ll find a couple of tiled plots, the meager beginnings of our new MIIS Community Garden, which will provide fruits and vegetables for its members. Read about how to support Our Green Thumb’s gardening efforts by donating you time or money below:
Our Green Thumb presents:
$5 or 5 hours Fundraiser
Paint your name on the inside of our garden fence by donating at least $5 or 5 hours of physical labor! You too can be forever remembered by the visitors to our community garden!! Show your support!!
Come by and sign up for a donation or work hours between 12-2pm TODAY the 28th or Wednesday the 29th outside the Samson Center.
Our President Designate
In a few months, the reigns of the Monterey Institute will be passed to a new President, Dr. Sunder Ramaswamy. To learn about his life, aspirations, and future vision for the MIIS Community, check out this Foghorn newspaper article written by Amy Beck.
And if you’re in the Monterey area on October 21st, don’t miss the next Town Hall Meeting where you’ll be able to formally meet President Designate Ramaswamy! See details below in the Events Section.
Human Trafficking Awareness Week
Human trafficking. While it’s not the lightest subject in the world, it’s an incredibly relevant international issue. And it deserves the focus of this week’s “Spotlight on MIIS,” especially to highlight the efforts of the Monterey Institute’s STOP and Migration Club to give this subject the weight it truly deserves in the realm of international policy.
Human Trafficking Awareness Week commenced last Thursday with the on-campus screening of the film Trade and continued through the weekend with Bill Hillar’s Human Trafficking Workshop. Today a letter writing campaign – to persuade US representatives to extend TVPA legislation, which provides means to address human trafficking through advocacy and education – was held in the Samson Center Courtyard.
But that’s not all…Tuesday September 30th at 7:00PM STOP and Migration Club’s efforts culminate with a speaker panel of human trafficking experts in Irvine Auditorium. Read about the event details here, and don’t forget to show up if you’re in the area. Thanks for your time, and check back next week and the week after for more MIIS community news and events!
