President's Peace Commission

Wayne Romo, director of University Ministry, welcomes the audience and introduces Father Bernard Lee, S. M., who prays the invocation. Mr. Romo then introduces the three speakers for this panel discussion: Lynette Bernot of University Ministry at St. Mary's; Greg Camacho, a St. Mary's sophomore, who was recently sponsored by Catholic Relief Services to attend a training and workshop on fair trade in Seattle; and Rev. Ann Helmke, an ordained Lutheran minister and the animating director at the peaceCENTER. Lynette opens the panel discussion by talking about her childhood in Pittsburgh. Her father lost his job at the steel mill and she became consumed with materialism. She explained her transformation to living simply including a period living in a Peruvian shanty town. Greg then speaks about what led him to live simply and how his focus on helping others became more important than caring for himself. He is still learning to "love your neighbor as yourself" -- focusing on the last part: yourself. Rev. Ann Helmke then discussed her childhood growing up on a farm, on the verge of poverty. She insists that "in our culture, living simply is an act of civil disobedience." A question and answer session conclude this panel discussion. (71 minutes)

Dr. Céline Jacquemin, of the Political Science Department at St. Mary's University, serves as the moderator for this panel discussion. Dr. Jacquemin introduces the speakers: Charlie Peña, Chief of Police for the Edgewood Independent School District; L. Wayne Scott, director of Conflict Resolution Studies at St. Mary's, a law professor, and an attorney mediator; and Bill Wilkinson, a University of Dayton graduate and member of Board of Directors fo American Friends Service Committee (Quakers). Chief Peña, who's niece was recently killed by gangs, speaks of how he is trying to mitigate gangs within the Edgewood school district. Professor Scott speaks of mediation and how on campus approximately 35 to 40 mediators have been trained to help students, faculty, and staff resolve problems nonviolently. He also talks about how he teaches students in his classes about mediation. Mr. Wilkinson explains that the Quakers believe that God lives in eavery person, thus interpersonal violence is like attacking God directly. He expounds on the Quaker commitment to nonviolence by working with immigrants (both legal and illegal), electronic rights, prisoner rights, etc. A question and answer session concludes this discussion. (74 minutes)

Dr. Gary Ogden, of the Biology Department at St. Mary's University, serves as the moderator for this panel discussion and introduces the speakers: Dr. Jean Patterson, Chair of the Department of Virology and Immunology at Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research and Dr. Fernando A. Guerra, a pediatrician and the Director of Health, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. Dr. Patterson and Dr. Guerra speak about the difference between pandemics and epidemics and discuss the "Spanish flu" of 1918-1919. Dr. Patterson discusses current pandemic concerns and the avian flu. Dr. Guerra discusses AIDS, obesity, depression, and diabetes as examples. A question and answer period concludes this panel. (74 minutes)

Marcella Lesher, librarian at St. Mary's University, introduces the speakers and serves as the moderator for this panel discussion. Ms. Erica Benavides of the San Antonio Food Bank provides a local view of hunger. One in 3 children in Bexar County go to bed hungry. Approximately 20 years ago, San Antonio started a food bank; it was the first one in Texas. The San Antonio Food Bank now offers a variety of programs including a backpack program and Kids Café (an after-school dinner program); a seniors food program, where 30 pounds of food are delivered to senior citizens every month; cooking classes for diabetes and other diseases; Food Stamp Outreach Program, which provides assistance in the food stamp application process; and a community garden, 5 acres to teach how to grow your own fruits and vegetables. Texas is the most food insecure state in the nation, Ms. Benavides reports. Dr. Larry Hufford, professor of Political Science and International Relations at St. Mary's, then provides a more global picture of the food crisis, which The Economist has named a "tsunami." He reports on the damaging effects of free trade agreements, which encourages countries to grow a crop to export instead of feeding the farmer's family before worrying about exports. The food crisis is brought on by drought and global climate change. Dr. Hufford asserts that poverty is not God's will; it's political. Some countries (Vietnam, Thailand, and China, for instance) have stopped exporting food to prevent riots. A question and answer session concludes the panel discussion and includes topics of the Food Bank's community garden and the Angel Food Network. (49 minutes)

Lauren Sanchez, student member of the President's Peace Commission, moderates this session. Dr. Rafael Moras and Jonathan Michelon's High Technology and Society calls presents pros and cons of four technologies: genetically engineered food, edutainment, Internet, and YouTube. A question and answer period concludes this session. (50 minutes)

Jennifer Butler, Forensics Director at St. Mary's University serves as the moderator for this panel discussion and introduces the speaker. Robin Schneider is the Executive Director of The Texas Campaign for the Environment. Ms. Schneider speaks about the toxic chemicals found in electronics, such as the mercury bulbs found in many laptops. She advocates for the manufacturers to be in charge of the proper disposal of discarded electronics because then the companies would realize the impact the chemicals are having on the environment. She and her organization have worked to influence the ability of free recycling to consumers through Dell, Apple, Sony, Samsung, and more. She reports that 16 states and New York City have passed "take back" laws, requiring the manufacture to take back discarded electronics and properly dispose of them via recycling. She strongly advocates the use of the TakeBackMyTV.com and TexasRecyclesComputers.org web sites to properly dispose of electronics, particularly as the February television broadcasting switch to digital approaches. An estimated 30 million new televisions will be sold by the end of 2008, in preparation for the digital switch. In San Antonio, Corona Visions will accept discarded computers, televisions, and electronics equipment. (47 minutes)

Álvaro Zapatel, student member of the President's Peace Commission, introduces the speakers and moderates this panel discussion. Dr. Steve Neiheisel, Political Science professor, spoke first about the different aspects of public good: service benefit (such as public education), non-divisible goods (such as clean environment), and infrastructure (such as roads). He also discussed how the non-profit sector, the for-profit sector, and the public sector each serve to provide good governance and the strengths of each. Mr. William O'Keefe, Senior Director of Advocacy Department at Catholic Relief Services, spoke about Catholic social teaching and the ways in which his organization works globally to provide for the common good. A question and answer session concluded this discussion. (47 minutes)

This documentary profiles the courageous Father Christopher Hartley, a Spanish priest who travels to the Dominican Republic to stop a modern-day slavery operation. Thousands of Haitian men are forced to work in inhumane conditions to harvest sugar cane for the wealthy. Includes commentary by Father Hartley. (90 minutes) Also available at YouTube.

David Zapata, student member of the President's Peace Commission, serves as moderator for this panel discussion.Dr. Matthew Gilley, Bill Greehey Chair in Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, speaks first about what corporate social responsibility is and how being socially responsible is actually good for business. Ms. Jennifer Moriarty, Community Development Officer at Wells Fargo Bank, speaks next about how Wells Fargo's corporate responsibility program and how it encourages volunteerism among its employees, with matching donations and "sabbaticals" for volunteer work with full pay. She explains that the Community Reinvestment Act regulates banks and stipulates that they must meet community needs by investing locally. A question and answer period concludes this session. (61 minutes)

Alfonso de la Torre, student member of the President's Peace Commission, moderates this panel discussion. Greg Pardo, St. Mary's alum, spoke about his recent volunteer mission to Bangladesh and explained how micro-credit was empowering the poor. Janie Barrera, founder of Acción Texas and its current President and CEO spoke about how microloans have been made in Texas and across the country. Acción Texas is now the largest micro-lender in the United States. Acción Texas lends to customers who can't get a loan from "traditional" banks. Ms. Karen Dlugosz, Individual Development Accounts Manager in the Family Economic Success Program, Department of Community Initiatives for the City of San Antonio, spoke about how the city is helping empower the poor to break out of poverty. A question and answer session concludes this discussion. (75 minutes)

Wayne Romo, Director of University Ministry at St. Mary's University, moderates this panel discussion. Imam Mustafa Safak, an Islamic theologian and a graduate theology student at St. Mary's, speaks about how his religion, Islam, celebrates nature and how the Koran prohibits over-consumption. Muslims are told to work on Earth toward peace and seek not the opportunity for mischief. Dr. Ruth Lofgren, of the peaceCENTER of San Antonio, spoke about growing up in Utah and roaming through nature. By the age of ten, she felt nature was her religion. While at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, she joined a Quaker group. She explained that Quakers believe each human is precious and that the poor of the Earth suffer the most. Since 1922, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a lobbying group, has had as its motto "We seek an Earth restored." She shared how the Quakers are renovating an historic building in Philadelphia to become green with a garden on the roof, a rain water collection system which will use the rain water to flush the toilets in the building, and the use of geothermal energy to heat and cool the building. A question and answer session touches on overpopulation and birth control and concludes this discussion. (71 minutes)