Little contributes to Centre in a big way
Blood Mobile questions and answers
Dr. James Bill addresses March ‘Middle East’ Madness
Student reacts to Pastors for Peace and School of the Americas
By Ashley Vinsel
Special to the Cento
Latin American Awareness Week was recognized on campus March 20-24. Public demonstrations, a letter writing campaign, and a convocation proved that activism is alive and growing on campus. Led by CentrePeace, students sought to heighten student awareness of what is going on in the world outside of Centre College.
Despite the often heard complaint that Centre students do not know what is going on in the “real world,” last week it became clear that this is not entirely true. Through the efforts led by the CentrePeace organization, students encountered demonstrations of labor-intensive sweatshops during lunch and dinner next to Cowan, culminating in a convocation entitled “Clean Clothes,” featuring activists from Duke and Transylvania University explaining how students can make a difference in the fight against factories exploiting cheap labor and providing poor working conditions for their employees.
The representatives from other universities described the ways in which much of the athletic apparel worn by college students is produced. Sweatshops where workers are beaten for not producing enough or working quickly enough are the norm for even the most well-known clothing companies. Quantity of production is the focus of these factories, above quality of product or physical/mental health of its workers. The students described boycotts of athletic apparel producers and letter–writing campaigns as critical steps that students can easily take to end the silent acceptance of these companies’ actions.
The sweatshop demonstrations by Centre students had them sewing clothes inside wire fences with signs describing typical workers’ conditions, such as beatings inflicted upon them and the effect of these conditions on their families. Other students handed out pamphlets and fliers about the anti-sweatshop campaigns. Many students were shocked by their lack of awareness at the actual conditions of these sweatshops.
“The means by which the students protested sweatshops was very effective. It was not only educational, but moving as well,” commented Lindsey Blackwelder ‘03.
Recent efforts have focused against a company dear to Centre’s hearts and wallets: Wal-Mart. While the company is generally respected as one of the most USA-friendly employers, astounding amounts of its clothing lines are actually produced outside of the United States: 89 percent of Kathie Lee’s line and 96 percemt of its McKids label. Most of its factories are actually in Mexico and Indonesia, where workers are paid 50 and 9 cents an hour, respectively. It makes at least 8000 percent profit from its pants line in Honduras, and children and women are kept in dirty, crowd-ed dorms with gruel for meals. Opponents of these types of practices have organized several actions such as vigils and protests, trying to educate others about sweatshops.
The debate continues of how involved we should be in these factories based in other countries. Some will say that those countries’ economies are far different from ours and we should not judge them according to our standards. The students from Duke and UK would most likely counter that it is an issue of basic human rights. Whatever position students may take, they were definitely offered a strikingly realistic demonstration of activism emerging on our campus last Thursday. Back to top...
Little contributes to Centre in a big way
By Amanda Richardson
Cento News Editor
Monday, March 27, a press conference was held in the lobby of the Norton Center to announce the generous donation of $500,000 from the esteemed philanthropist Lucille Caudill Little. Her gift, which was matched by the college, will fund the O. Leonard and Lillian H. Press Lecture Series at Centre set to begin Sept. 25. The first speaker for the program is renowned historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Arthur Schlessinger.
President Roush described Little as a woman who has never retired. “If there were a game where you multiplied your energy level times your age, Lucille would have the highest score,” said Roush.
Little began her work in the arts very young. “My parents gave me a pathway to this sort of thing,” said Little who has enjoyed singing since her childhood. She recalls a place where she used to go and sing as loud as she wanted, making up the words as she went along. She grew up in the hills of Kentucky, “Acoustically it was great,” she said. Little went on to sing professionally and continues to take center stage at every opportunity. “I talk so much now because I don’t hear well,” she said.
Little has a mission statement which stresses investment in, “education in the fine arts to develop creativity.” Through her leadership, many organizations and groups have had the means and the opportunity to help in the implementation of Little’s mission.
Nearly all of Central Kentucky has been touched by the generosity of Little, including Morehead State University, Transylvania University, Midway College, the University of Kentucky, the Kentucky Horse Park and KET (Kentucky Educational Television).
Money is not the only way Little has contributed to the arts in Kentucky, for she also founded the drama department at Morehead State, as well as the Lexington Children’s Theatre and Studio Players.
“She [Little] measures the institution by the people,” said Len Press, one of the lecture series’ namesakes, who has also contributed largely to the education of Kentucky as the founder and first executive director of KET. “Lucille is for all times and all places,” said Len Press.
“This gift brings together two of the most prestigious institutions in Kentucky, Lucille Little and Centre College,” said Lillian Press for whom the lecture series is also named. Lillian Press believes the donation will, “open windows to the world to the students of Centre College.” Lillian Press has opened her fair share of windows in her role as the founding director of the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program. Not long before the press conference was held did she complete her reading of over a thousand Scholar application essays. Lillian also serves as a member of Centre’s Board of Trustees.
Lillian Press summed up the general feeling when she said, “The thing that says it all for us is “Thank you so much.” Back to top...
Blood Mobile questions and answers
Compiled By Danielle Kelley
Special to the Cento
Are boys queasier than girls?
9 The nurse said that the bigger they are, the queasier they are. Males are typically worse than females when it comes to queasiness.
What is the favorite food to eat after giving blood?
9 Nutty Buddies and Little Debbie Oatmeal pies
How much do you have to weigh to give blood?
9 110 pounds
Have more girls or boys given blood today?
9 The workers said that they had noticed more females coming in to give blood.
What should students know before giving blood?
9 It is important to eat before and after you give blood. Back to top...
Dr. James Bill addresses March ‘Middle East’ Madness
By Susan Courtwright
Special to the Cento
“Will there be peace in the Persian Gulf? I hope but I’m not optimistic.” These are the words of Dr. James A. Bill, the speaker at the March 23 convocation, “The Politics of War and Religion in the Persian Gulf.”
Dr. Bill explained that the Middle East chaos is, “like March ‘Middle East’ Madness. We are still in the first half of the game, and the U.S. has already changed coaches five times. The Middle East has the home court
advantage.” Flustered by all the complications of the game, the U.S. has just bailed before half time. But just because the U.S. went home, the game is not over, nor has it been won. In fact, Dr. Bill eventually expects some overtime in this game because the Gulf conflict is far from over.
Why? For the simple reason that seventy percent of petroleum oil is located in the Middle East countries of Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. With American gas prices sky-rocketing, we are all feeling the consequences of the March “Middle East” Madness. And because of these high stakes, the U.S. will be back in the game full force before long.
Dr. Bill also provided all the ‘stats’ of the players. “Iran is the elephant in the bathtub in the Persian Gulf.” And it just keeps growing.
Then there is Iraq’s Saddam Hussein who “makes Bobby Knight look like a boy scout.” Together, the six traditional Islamic states provide a twist in the U.S. game plan.
On the other team, U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright seems to be the star player. She plays a fundamental role in the bombing campaign which has killed and injured thousands of Iraqis costing billions of dollars but says, “We think the price is worth it.”
It is hard to predict who is going to win the game. However, Dr. Bill did make one thoughtful prediction, “the twenty-first century will not be kind to the Persian Gulf.” Back to top...
Pope reaffirms Christian presence in the Holy Land
By Thom Kelly
Cento News Columnist
Forty years ago, a young Polish priest made his first pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The priest, now Pope John Paul II, made a return pilgrimage to Israel in a trip seen as a large move forward by the Catholic church and the aging pontiff. But unlike millions of other Christian pilgrims who journey to the places where Jesus walked and taught, the pope’s frail health, tight security and a carefully calibrated schedule have meant less opportunity on this trip for him to enjoy quiet personal contemplation and silent prayer.
In making this trip, the pope said he was following the footsteps not only of Jesus but also of Moses. He deliberately started his pilgrimage at Mount Nebo, where Moses died after glimpsing the “promised land,” in pursuit of a kind of spiritual “promised land” to convey a crusading moral message to those in the region and for future pilgrims to follow. It has been a message of harmony and reconciliation.
The pope has celebrated major Masses in different parts of the Holy Land: in Jordan, in Palestinian Bethlehem and in Galilee in northern Israel. These Masses have been aimed at emboldening local Christians and attempting to revive spirits and dwindling numbers of a minority faith. His presence is intended to reaffirm a Christian presence in the Holy Land.
A meeting devoted to interfaith dialogue turned into a debacle last Thursday when a rabbi and a sheik slugged it out, verbally, over rival Jewish-Muslim claims to Jerusalem. The pope put his head in his hands as his attempt at reconciliation crumbled.
The pope has deliberately waded into some current political controversies. He delivered a powerful personal plea for a Palestinian homeland, which left Yassir Arafat beaming. But the pope stopped short of what the Palestinian refugees had hoped to hear. The refugees never got an endorsement for what they call their “right to return” to homes they left 50 years ago inside what is now Israel.
At another stop on the pilgrimage, Israel’s Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, the pope paid a moving tribute to the six million Jews killed by the Nazis. His intense identification with the victims and especially the very human manner in which he related to survivors made many Israelis take him to their hearts. The survivors included many from Wadowice, his own home town in Poland.
Through a very strenuous agenda, the pope, who turns 80 in May, has surprised critics who said he might have lacked the stamina for such a trip.
The pope also appealed for Christian unity during a mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus’s crucifixion, death and resurrection. He called it “the most hallowed place on earth.” In his sermon, he prayed that Christians would be given the strength to overcome their divisions and strive together for reconciliation.
Religious rivalries and competing claims to Jerusalem have dogged the pope’s every step on his tour through the Holy Land in the path of Jesus’ birth, life and death. Palestinian officials accused Israel of keeping Palestinians away from the pontiff during his heavily guarded visits to holy sites in walled Old Jerusalem on Sunday.
There were no major incidents during the pope’s tour on Sunday despite fears of possible unrest. Police closed the majority of the city, the epicenter of the Middle East conflict, to the public.
On Sunday, the pope visited the holiest sites of all three major religions in contested Jerusalem: Judaism’s Western Wall, Islam’s Al Aksa Mosque compound and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where most Christians believe Jesus was crucified and entombed before his resurrection. The pope pleaded for forgiveness for historic Christian mistreatment of Jews at the great stone Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism.
Observing a Jewish tradition, the pontiff placed his plea in a crack in the wall that has served the Jewish people for nearly 2,000 years as a symbol of dispersion and suffering. The message, written on Vatican stationery, expressed profound sorrow over Christians’ past persecution of Jews and was addressed to the “God of our fathers.”
“We are deeply saddened by the behavior of those who in the course of history have caused these children of yours to suffer and, asking your forgiveness, we wish to commit ourselves to genuine brotherhood with the people of the Covenant,” said the note, hand-signed “Johannes Paulus II, 26.3.2000.”
In a reflection of the importance Israel accorded to the pope’s act of contrition, a government spokesman took the papal message from the crack in the wall to Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial. Back to top...
Student reacts to Pastors for Peace and School of the Americas
by Carrie Leslie
Special to the Cento
I chose to offer my services/capabilities in expressing thought through words solely because the events surrounding these two “causes” share a commonality of genuine concern for the human race.
Yes, that statement reeked of idealism, but it motivated several individuals to participate in the promotion of a caravan to Chiapas, Mexico, by the people who call themselves, rightly so, Pastors for Peace. In the same way, certain individuals wrote letters in an attempt to close the School of the Americas. Pastors for Peace are attempting to extend a hand of good intention to the people of Chiapas, Mexico. The campaign against the School of the Americas seeks to eventually hinder military atrocities in Latin American countries.
Perhaps my statements seem vague, merely skimming the surface. I have only glided across these issues, but with the intent that, as the reader, you will attempt to discern your own feeling surrounding these activities. Back to top...
Spanish department rocks the LAS Symposium
by Mary Daniels
Centre Professor of Spanish
(The Latin American Studies Syposium took place in Birmingham, Alabama, the weekend of March 17 and 18. Twelve students presented papers led by Mary Daniels and Phyllis Passariello, professor of Anthropology. The students who presented papers at this undergraduate confernece include Kelenda Allen ‘01, Brooke Andersen ‘02, Kelly Conrad ‘02, Susan Courtwright ‘03, Kevin Gibson ‘00, Caroline Kraft ‘02, Carrie Leslie ‘02, Adriana Melnyk ‘02, Brandy Roberts ‘02, Kristen Shepherd ‘02, Robin Westerik ‘01, and Rebekah Wolfram ‘00. The following is a piece written by Mary Daniels describing her feelings on Centre’s first trip to a Spanish conference.)
“Feeling my own awkwardness in the role of formality-missing my cargo pants and approaching a subject of meaning standing before minds with notions established-usually cross legged discussions-discovering more and more that being a work in progress is not inferior to a presentation of perfect poise.” -Carrie Leslie
“I could not find any blacks participating in the academic portions of the conference, but I saw plenty working in service positions.” -Kelenda Allen
“Will we make a difference tomorrow?” -Brooke Andersen
What better way to celebrate my 34th birthday than having a fever of 102.5, lying in a budget hotel bed, and listening to a dozen students practice and practice and then practice some more for their upcoming presentations in the Latin American Symposium in Birmingham, Alabama. (Where else would I get a personalized birthday limerick, “There was a professor called Mary, who took all students she could carry/ to Georgia, to Birmingham and even to Quito/ Crammed in hotel rooms, mentoring girls at her feet-o, Big Mary had ideals that were scary.) All I really wanted was some white rice. I finally found it by ordering out Chinese-which Phyllis and I force fed to the students, having no way of knowing we had found the worst Chinese food in Birmingham and that the already nervous students would have seriously upset stomachs by the time they were actually presenting.
Only one student was so nervous that each time she tried to practice her paper (which she was presenting in Spanish) she burst into tears. However, when I saw her poised, unapologetic presentation the next day, I knew that dragging myself to that conference, fever and all, was the best decision I had made in a long while. When I watched Rebekah look straight into the audience, and unflinchingly read her paper- finally reading it carefully and slowly, looking up at appropriate times, polished-I knew that I was seeing a transformation. Sometime, in the wee hours of the night between the time she left my room sick from nerves and Chinese food, and the time of her paper, she had blossomed.
I witnessed it; winning the lottery of teaching, getting to see the students move beyond their class work and fly. I experienced this high not once but twelve times as each student presented her/his research to an audience of undergraduates and professors. They moved from a very unsure bunch to the hit of the conference.
The students (correctly) realized that they had the hippest papers of the conference, presenting on such diverse topics as Motown sounds and rap music in US latino movies, a field-study on homosexuality in Ecuador, the construction of the latino/mestizo culture, a student-produced documentary about the protest against the SOA in Ft. Benning, Georgia, to presenting their own art work as a manner of demonstrating “women’s artful ways of being in Ecuador.” They represented Centre well. We couldn’t have asked for 12 better ambassadors for the school, with their professionalism, their energy and their earnest (very earnest) interest in Latin America.
I am proud of our students, not only for their outstanding presentations, but also for their esprit de corps. They all attended each others papers, making for 2 very long days. They never complained; they just encouraged, engaged, and, well, laughed.
Perhaps Phyllis Passariello summed up the experience best in her statement:
“From Latin American reversals of the paradigm of impossible love (ain’t it the truth) to the human rights abuses perpetrated by one America against another, the weekend shook me to my bones. The personal is the political: as a teacher, as a human being, I internalize and personalize and even appropriate the experiences and emotions of others. To see our students confident and prepared, deliver strong, corroborated, meaningful analyses, ideas, and messages is the teacher’s golden dream. Spending a weekend in close physical and psychic proximity to a baker’s dozen of energetic young persons is like a jolt of white lightening. ‘We laughed, we cried, we learned, we taught, but mostly we laughed.’ We shared our love of Latin America-and we still radiate with the glow of experiential human growth. The Centre presentations were the best, the self-proclaimed best of the best, and, I might add, ‘...as usual.’”
“Will we make a difference tomorrow?” Brooke asked. I think that in fact, Brooke and Susan’s video presentation did make a difference; it certainly generated lots of discussion (as did freshman Susan Courtwright’s outright questioning of the keynote speaker, who is the Minister of Finance of Mexico, about the abuses of the SOA). But to answer Brooke, yes, they made a difference. Kelenda Allen may not have seen black academics presenting, but she was there: everyone else saw a black woman reading a damn good paper in Birmingham, Alabama.
Moreover, those twelve students made an indelible change in my life: our 14 lives now linked from a strange, eye opening experience in funky Birmingham: listening, interacting, being available, self, loss of self, being truly one’s self when not self aware-pieces of lives coming together for a weekend-pieces of lives coming together for a lifetime.
It’s the only way to celebrate a birthday. Back to top...