World Hunger and Food Crisis talk on 11/17

IPE Professor Emelie Peine will be giving a talk entitled “World Hunger and the Food Crisis: vulnerabilities in the global food system” tonight at 7:00 in the Murray Board Room. This talk is part of a series of events planned by the office of Spirituality, Service and Social Justice in recognition of National Hunger Week.

Alumni Report: T-Shirts in Kenya

Katie Darlington (IPE '09) is in Kenya, volunteering with an NGO, the Indeginous Fisher Peoples Network. You can read about her experience on her blog at http://katieinkisumu.blogspot.com/

I thought IPE students would be interested in this recent post:

Travels of a T-Shirt in a Global Economy

The other day on my way to work, my matatu passed a man wearing a Boulder, Colorado sweatshirt. I chuckled to myself at the reminder of my home state and wondered if the wearer had any idea where Boulder Colorado is. I suspected he didn’t get this on his most recent ski vacation with the fam. It got me thinking about the book Travels of a T-Shirt in a Global Economy that you can hardly make it out of the IPE department at UPS without reading. The book tracks the politics and economics of the lifespan of your average cotton t-shirt. Most of the book speaks of the ridiculous legislation that governs cotton production, t-shirt manufacture, and textile importing in the US. The most interesting part, though, is what happens to your t-shirt after you are done using it. Most of us would assume that after we drop off our black trash bag of unwanted and outdated fashion at the local Good Will, our old t-shirt travels no farther than the vacation it may take with its budget conscious new owner. Wrong. Second-hand stores only sell a fraction of the cast-offs they get dumped at their back door. The ones you actually seeing hanging on the racks are the cream of the crop. Where do the rest go?

Africa! The next time you see footage of the “poor starving child” from some ambiguous African country wearing a shirt with your university’s logo, consider for a moment that it probably wasn’t donated by some do-gooder, but rather purchased at the local market. Here in Kenya, the trade in clothing is dominated heavily by second-hand wear (consequently, many Kenyans tend to sport a slightly 80s-fabulous look). Seeing bales upon bales of used clothing arriving to the market everyday is slightly shocking. How could we rich people discard so many perfectly good items? However, it is also encouraging to see that someone (actually, millions of someones) is making use of our fickle and materialistic shopping habits. Despite the overdose of shoulder pads, synthetic fibers, and screen prints from that 10K you ran in 1998, there are a fair amount of decently new items to be found. The trick is finding them.

This weekend, I thought I’d try my hand at the Kenyan version of a trip to the mall. I realized the last time I bought jeans was nearly two years ago, and they’re starting to wear through. I also was thinking of picking up some professional business wear for when I get back to the states and have to apply/interview for real jobs. Why not get it done at a fraction of the price? So optimistically I set out for Kibuye, Kisumu’s largest open-air market that comes to life on Sundays. As soon as I stepped foot into the chaos, I suddenly remembered that I hate shopping. A Saturday mall crowd is nothing in comparison to the hustle-bustle of this place. And sifting through the bargain racks at Macys is comes nowhere close to navigating stall after stall of reject clothing. At least I didn’t have to worry about the gross humming of florescent lights!

I challenge any one of you thrift store junkies to try your luck at an outdoor African market. This is no Value Village (although, on my most recent trip to the market, I did spot a pair of jeans with a Value Village tag still attached). First, you must bear the beating equatorial sun as you stroll down dirt paths, avoiding piles of smoldering garbage as you go. Shopping around doesn’t work so well since the slightest glint of interest indicates to the Kenyan salesman that you will make a purchase with them. Don’t get distracted. There are endless alleys of people trying to sell you their wares. “I’m selling spoons!” one cries. “Mzungu! Come, come,” another yells as he ushers you towards his stand of plastic wash bins. Don’t get trapped by the roaming hawker offering brightly colored flashlights, key chains, and nail clippers. You might want to pause at the man with the flip-flops made from recycled rubber tyres, but don’t stop for too long, or you’ll never make it out.

Finally, you’ve located the perfect stall of used clothing. Most specialize in something—jeans, blouses, jackets, bags. Now you can take the easy way out and pick your way through the pre-sorted clothes that have already been put on hangers and hung all over the makeshift stalls. These are the nicer items and the price is elevated to correspond (the equivalent of the most expensive outfit placed on the mannequin in the window). Or, you can be brave and opt for the bottomless piles of tops, skirts, pants, underwear, socks, and bras. This is the African bargain bin, and while most of it is there for a reason, there are rumors of hidden gems. Even when you’ve found something you like, good luck knowing it fits. Dressing rooms don’t exist. If and when you’ve finally made your selection, you still have a few minutes of haggling over the price (what probably amounts to 50 cents, but you’ve forgotten this in the intensity of the fight for a “fair” price) before you can leave victoriously.

This time, I did not come out victoriously. My search for cheap, yet stylish, newish jeans was foiled within the first few minutes. The thought of trying on a blazer and long sleeved shirt in 90 degree weather was too much to even consider. But once I gave up on my pursuit to actually buy something, I did enjoy browsing the folds of brightly colored traditional fabrics and wandering through the maze of vegetable vendors.

Nov 18 IPE Brown Bag Seminar -"The Port of Tacoma: A Local Connection to the Global Market"

Bring your lunch and join Evette Mason from the Port of Tacoma for a lively discussion about the Port and its relation to the global marketplace. The Port of Tacoma is a leading North American seaport and handles more than $36 billion in annual trade.

The talk is on November 18th from 12-1pm in WSC 101 , all are welcome to attend.

Oaxaca Study Abroad Meeting 11/17

Oaxaca, Mexico

Fall Semester Abroad 2010
Tuesday Nov. 17
Wyatt 326
4:00pm
Application Deadline: February 15th
Sponsored by International Studies and Foreign
Languages and Literatures Programs, Latin American Studies

Come learn about the study abroad program led by UPS Prof Monica DeHart (CSOC), including:
Spanish language immersion, indigenous culture, colonial architecture, great food and art, inspiring study trips, & local internships.

Greg Groggel '06 and the Vancouver Olympics

Greg Groggel (IPE '06) is making a career out of covering the Olympic Games. Greg worked as a photographer at the Turin and Athens Olympics while still a student and traveled the world studying the lasting effects of the Olympic Games for the host cities as a Watson Fellow. Since returning from his Watson year he has worked for Major League Soccer and then with NBC at the Beijing games.

Now he is gearing up for the Vancouver games, which start in 100 days. Greg writes that ...

Here's a rather informal preview I wrote for the various NBC platforms: http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-features/news/newsid=366627.html This time I'm working on the editorial, television side of things -- currently in Montreal to do short track speed skating research.

Stay tuned for more news feeds from Greg this winter, including a planned article in Arches magazine.

Spring 2010 Model United Nations

IPE students should consider taking Model United Nations (IPE 191) in the spring semester. Students will research the topics to be debated at an MUN simulation in order to represent the positions of their selected countries. The class will likely attend the Los Angeles Model UN conference hosted by UCLA, April 16-19. (visit http://www.bruinmun.org/college_conference.asp)

MUN is a .25 unit activity and will meet once per week, Wednesdays 2:00-2:50. Please note that some fees may be required. The costs of conference registration and lodging are typically covered by Puget Sound but students will likely have to pay for their transportation to LA and food expenses.

No prior experience with Model UN is necessary to take this course.

Is Inequality Making Us Sick?

UNNATURAL CAUSES: Is Inequality Making Us Sick? A National PBS Rebroadcast

Episode 5: Place Matters / Presented by the students of UW Community Oriented Public Health Practice Program

Tuesday November 3rd @ 6:30 PM in Wheelock 101

The screening will be followed by an open discussion on health and inequality in our communities. For more information, please see the series website www.unnaturalcauses.org or contact cassalyn@gmail.com

History Department Enters the Blogosphere

The Puget Sound History Department has entered the blog world. We've added their feed to the right-hand column of this page, right below the very active and interesting Politics and Government blog feed.

Check out the History Dept blog at
http://www.upshistory.blogspot.com/

Francisco Goldman to talk about "The Art of Political Murder" on Oct 28th

On Wednesday Oct 28, 4pm in Wyatt 109, Francisco Goldman will will discuss the assassination of a Guatemalan bishop Msgr. Juan Gerardi, whose bludgeoned body was found just days after he and a team of human rights investigators announced the publication of a 1,400-page report blaming Guatemala’s security forces for a 30-year reign of murder, torture, massacres, and disappearances.

Francisco Goldman is a Guatemalan-American journalist, and award-winning novelist. He lives in Mexico City and Brooklyn, New York, and teaches at Trinity College in Connecticut.

Tiger Poo in Kathmandu

The morning post on Amanda Jacobsen's Facebook page reads

Life lesson of the day: to keep monkeys out of your yard put fresh tiger poop in a bag and hang it from a tree. Only in my life would I need to know this.

Amanda (IPE '99) lives in Kathmandu, Nepal with her husband Cort Weber (also IPE '99) and three children, where she is a Foreign Service Office with the US State Department. Cort and Mandy were previously posted in Togo. What do you do with an IPE major? Well, apparently you learn where to get fresh tiger poop!

Kerala Hise '09: Taking the DC Plunge

Here's a report from Kerala Hise on her decision to "take the plunge" and look for IPE-related work in Washington DC.

When I graduated this past spring, I had a job lined up at a summer camp that I figured would give me some extra time to figure out what I wanted to do. Unfortunately, by the time the job was over, I had nothing lined up and was preparing to go back to California to live with my parents. Before leaving Tacoma, I met with Professor Veseth to talk about my job hunt, to get some ideas and hopefully some connections to pursue. Mike's advice: move to DC, being there in person would give me a great advantage over all the other applicants. He gave me contact information for a couple of UPS graduates already there, wished me luck and sent me on my way.

Though I trust Mike, I was pretty wary about the idea. On Mike's advice, I met up with my old peer advisor who had recently returned to the Bay Area after working in DC for over two years. She said Mike had given her the same advice, and though she too had been skeptical at first, after missing out on a job because she couldn't be in DC for an interview immediately, she decided to go for it. Within a month she had found a job. She gave me information for some job listservs to subscribe to, and wished me luck. I bought a ticket and packed my bags.

I landed on a Sunday and by Monday was putting the finishing touches on my resume and sending it out. Though I wanted a paid job, I knew from talking to people that a internship was essential to getting paid position on the Hill, so I was applying to everything I thought I could get. On Tuesday I was lucky enough to find an opening for an internship in a Congressional office of a Washington state representative and the hiring staff member was a UPS graduate. Less than twenty minutes after I sent the email, I got a call from the office and we set up an appointment for the next day.

The interview went really well and I left feeling confident about getting the position. That evening, I got a call about another internship I had applied for at a small democratic fundraising firm based near the Hill and we arranged to meet on Friday. On Thursday I was offered the first position, but my Friday interview went so well that the woman proposed accepting the Congressional position part time, so that I could do both internships and thus gain that much more experience in only a few months; I called the Congressman's office back and they agreed to the arrangement.

Before I moved out here I had been applying to jobs and internships incessantly and never got so much as a call back. Now, I've only been in DC a week and already have one internship lined up and another probable one in the works. Clearly, Mike's advice was the right way to go, and I am all set up to gain some amazing experience that will help when I start looking for a paid position in a few months.

The experience I'll gain from these internships is one thing, but perhaps more importantly is the opportunity to connect with people that work all over the Capitol. Both on and off the Hill, having an existing relationship with someone in the office improves your chances of landing an interview dramatically. Just having a DC address on your resume is the first step, but being able to stand out from the other applicants because someone in the office knows who you are is a tremendous advantage.

Whether you know someone personally or were put in touch with them through a mutual acquaintance, having that connection is essential. It is nearly impossible to get a staff or legislative assistant position in a Congressional office without paying your dues as an intern first, and the exposure you gain and the related benefits more than make up for a few months of working for free.

Even if I don’t stay in DC for the long run, learning to network and cultivate those relationships is going to be helpful in any field, anywhere. So far, I feel pretty good about the path I’m on, as well as relieved that Mike’s advice worked out. Now, if only finding a cheap, conveniently located apartment was as easy…

Thanks for this Kerala. How does one make those key first connections? The ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge) Network is one great place. For IPE majors, joining the IPE at UPS! group on Facebook is another. Best of all is Kerala's strategy of talking with everyone and listening to their ideas.

ASK Career & Networking Night on 11/5

This just in from our friends at Career and Employment Services (CES):

Dr. Phil Gardner, the national expert on the college job market recently visited campus. He emphasized two important issues that students need to know as they prepare to enter the job market:
1. “Building and maintaining professional networks is an essential skill required by employers.”

2. “The primary way employers are hiring is through networking.”

So, you’ll need effective networking skills to find a job. And, once you are employed, you will be expected to network as part of your job. Now is the time to build your professional networks.

Practice your networking skills, and make valuable connections with Puget Sound alumni at:

Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK) Night 2009
Thursday, Nov. 5: drop by anytime between 7:00 and 8:30 p.m.
Wheelock Rotunda

Light snacks provided.

ASK Night is an opportunity for students to:

· Make contacts/network with alumni professionals in a wide variety of careers

· Connect with and seek advice from alumni

· Hear about what others have done with their Puget Sound education

About ASK Night • List of participants • Networking tips

Veseth to Lecture on Hairballs 10/29

IPE Professor Mike Veseth will talk about "The Creative Enterprise (or the Trouble with Hairballs)" at 7pm on Thursday Oct 29 in the Trimble Forum.

Veseth's talk is part of Mortar Board's "Last Lecture" series. Everyone is invited.

IPE Brown Bag Oct. 28th-“Growing Food, Growing Communities”

Bring your lunch and join IPE summer research grant recipient, Kendle Bjelland, as she presents her summer research on sustainable urban food systems. The talk is located in Wheelock Student Center Room 101 from 12-1pm on Wed. October 28th. All are welcome to attend.

Background: Kendle has previously led research on the interconnectedness of local and international food systems. Below is a description of her past work, including a link to the documentary that Kendle and her colleague, Joseph La Sac, produced:

“In the midst of a global recession and increasing hunger, eating locally and supporting regional food self sufficiency may do more than improve your health. Local filmmakers Kendle Bjelland and Joseph La Sac bring an international perspective to our local food movement, illustrating not only how we can participate in more sustainable consumption, but also why. In this short documentary, national food policy is deconstructed and we are shown how each individual can participate in a healthier lifestyle and the revival of food culture in Pierce County."

“Eating Locally in Pierce County”
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNw8hynhNE8

WORLD FOOD DAY TELECONFERENCE 10/16

A conversation with leading experts in the field of food and hunger policy.

When: October 16th, Noon-1:00 and 2:00-3:00
Where: Library 020
What: In recognition of World Food Day, The University of Puget Sound will be participating in a teleconference addressing current issues in food and hunger around the world.

The theme for 2009 is: “Recession’s Impact on World Hunger”

Panelists:
Max Finberg, Director of the USDA Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), co-chair of the National Hunger Caucus
Joy Phumaphi, Vice president of the World Bank

Schedule:
12-1: Panel Discussion

2-3: Question and answer session with the panelists. Teleconference participants can prepare and email their questions to be addressed by the panel.

“Crisis in Iran: What Lies Ahead” - Oct. 14th IPE Brown Bag Seminar

Bring your lunch and join IPE Professor Brad Dillman and a guest as they give an interesting presentation on Iran’s political turmoil and how the U.S. can respond.

The talk will be take place in WSC 101 from 12-1pm. All are invited to attend.

Environmental Fellowships & Internship!

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as part of its Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) program, is offering Greater Research Opportunities (GRO) undergraduate fellowships for bachelor level students in environmental fields of study. The deadline for receipt of paper applications is December 10, 2009 at 4:00 PM and December 10, 2009 at 11:59:59 PM ET for submittal of electronic applications to Grants.gov.

Subject to availability of funding, the Agency plans to award approximately 30 new fellowships by July 30, 2010.

Eligible students will receive support for their junior and senior years of undergraduate study and for an internship at an EPA facility during the summer between their junior and senior years. The fellowship provides up to $19,250 per year of academic support and up to $8,000 of internship support for a three-month summer period.

For all information on how to apply visit: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/rfa/2010/2010_gro_undergrad.html

National Center for Environmental Research
1200 Pennsylvania AV NW
Washington DC 20460