Rebecca Schliefer, an attorney and researcher with the Human Rights Watch HIV/AIDS program, will be the keynote speaker at a student symposium on global citizenship to be held at Hawai‘i Pacific University’s windward Hawai‘i Loa campus from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Saturday, April 22, 2006. Schliefer will speak on the experiences that led her to make choices in her life as an engaged citizen in a global context.
The symposium will also feature a panel of HPU faculty from a range of disciplines (international business, psychology, and anthropology) who are involved in a variety of projects that help them conceptualize their own place in the larger global community. With more than 100 countries represented in its student population, HPU students will have the opportunity to voice their opinions and provide perspectives on their definitions of what it means to be a global citizen.
“This event is part of a series of activities that provide intellectual tools and opportunities that encourage students to develop a working concept of global citizenship that will shape the choices they make in their everyday lives, and, hopefully, into their working careers after HPU,” said Dr. Micheline Soong, event organizer and assistant professor of English at HPU.
In years past, the symposium has hosted hundreds of students on HPU’s windward Hawai‘i Loa campus to engage in in-depth discussions on globalization, global citizenship, and global leadership.
“It is a wonderful opportunity for students to get their voices heard,” said Dr. Jeffrey Philpott, vice president of Student Affairs at HPU. “With such a diverse student body, it seems natural for HPU to look at defining global citizenship since many or our students are living it. We are exploring the concept of whether it is possible to both identify with one’s own culture and at the same time share a spirit of belonging in a larger global context.”
The concept behind the symposium is that, in spite of differences in background, life experience, value system, and culture, people do share the common thread of being human. Attendees will demonstrate the first step in beginning to create a working awareness of what it means to be a global citizen – to step outside of oneself momentarily and be attentive to what it can mean to be someone else who is different.
Established in 1978, Human Rights Watch is the largest human rights organization in the United States. HRW researchers conduct fact-finding investigations into human rights abuses in all regions of the world. HRW publishes those findings and meets with government officials to urge changes in policy and practice. HRW is based in New York, with offices in Brussels, London, Moscow, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tashkent, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.
Ms. Schliefer will also lead a discussion following the HPU Viewpoints Film Series screening of Stephanie Castillo’s documentary, “Simple Courage,” a look at how Hawaii dealt with the leprosy epidemic in the 19th century and the parallels that can be drawn to how AIDS/HIV is being handled today. This event will be held from 5:30-8 p.m., Friday, April 21, 2006, at Warmer Auditorium (1060 Bishop St., Penthouse).
Please note, these events are open to HPU students, faculty, and staff only. Members of the media are encouraged to attend.