President's Peace Commission

Father Rudy Vela opens the first session of the Spring 2010 President's Peace Commission with a prayer. Jordan Thomas moderates this panel discussion featuring Carol Ann Brodersen, San Antonio Deaf Dance Company; Anthony Flores, Grand Slam Champion, Puro Slam; Cristina Gonzalez, student at St. Mary's University, and Charles Peters, band member of Mojoe. The panelists respond to questions, such as "Do you believe the mass media is responsible for the marginalization?", "How do you each use art to address such marginalization?", and, "If you were in a position to change policy, how would you use art to address media marginalization?" A brief question and answer period concludes this session. (60 minutes)

Keily Rivero moderates this panel session, which is co-sponsored by the Women's History Month Committee. Kirsten Grardener, Ph.D., History, UTSA, begins by sharing the story of Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. Maathi was the first female Ph.D. in East and Central Africa and she began the Greenbelt Movement, which replants trees in Kenya and Africa.Annie Hubbard, Ph.D., Sociology, St. Mary's University, spoke next about the evolution of the perception of women. Teresa Van Hoy, Ph.D., History, St. Mary's University, concludes the panel presentation by discussing female as darkness. She quotes philosophers who said women are "bad." And, she shares her experience with the Rhodes Middle School students. A question and answer session concludes this presentation. (72 minutes)

Krystina Irvin begins this session by introducing the guest speakers: Rhonda Rapp is the Disabilities Coordinator at St. Mary's University; Gordon Hartman is the founder of Gordan Hartman Foundation and is the father of a daughter with mental disabilities; and Alice "Ali" Meyer is an International Relations student at St. Mary's University and was diagnosed with dyslexia in the second grade. Ms. Rapp spoke first about the Americans with Disabilities Act and other requirements to not discriminate based on disabilities. Mr. Hartman discusses how he had built homes for years, but when the opportunity came to sell his company, he seized the opportunity. He explains how his daughter inspired him to create Morgan's Wonderland, a theme park created specifically for children and people with mental disabilities. Ali Meyer then explains what it has been like to be a student with four different learning disabilities including Irlen's Syndrome with Dyslexia. A question and answer session concludes this presentation. (75 minutes)

Brother Brian Halderman serves as the moderator for this panel presentation. He introduces the speakers: Jessica Ramirez is a 2009 Alumna of St. Mary's with a Bachelor's degree in English Communication; Nieves "Snow" Montemayor is a 1998 International Relations Alumn who is working at Preferred Landscapes and Lighting in Design and Sales; and, Father Eddie Bernal is a pastor at St. Benedict Catholic Church, who also graduated from St. Mary's with a B.A. in 1972 and an M.A. in 1979. Jessica begins by explaining how and why she founded Pride Alliance (later renamed Union Support) at St. Mary's University. She envisions this group as being a group of people who support people regardless of differences. "Snow" explains that while at St. Mary's he wasn't "out." It wasn't until he had graduated that he realized his orientation; he explains how his family handled the news. Father Eddie shared experiences of teenage gays who are often disgusted with themselves partially due to the televised religious programs that often present gross misunderstanding of scripture. A question and answer period concludes this session. (49 minutes)

Dr. Rafael Moras of the Engineering Department at St. Mary's University and Khushbu Patel of the Political Science Department at St. Mary's University moderate this session which features students from their High Technology and Society class. The students present vignettes asking if we are trying to prove we're superior or trying to make everyone equal through the use certain technologies, such as prenatal screening, sex selection, eugenics, stem cell research, cloning, xenotransplantation and animal testing, and genetically engineered food. A question and answer period concludes this session. (49 minutes)

James Hopkins, a St. Mary's University student, moderates this panel discussion with guest speakers Punit Bhakta, a Hindu; Lorna Cruz, of no particular faith tradition; and Vi Nguyen, a Buddhist. The panelists are asked to respond to the following questions: In daily life on campus, how often does religion impact you?, To what extent do you feel accepted on campus? ; Do you feel comfortable expressing your beliefs on campus? ; and, What do you think would help to promote dialogue on campus? A brief question and answer period concludes this session. (48 minutes)

Christian Ekleberry moderates this panel, which features Elsa Ybanez from the St. Mary's University Human Resources Office and Luther "Luke" Ortega Luper from the Minority Business Enterprise at the UTSA Institute for Economic Development. Each speaker discusses a variety of difficulties that minorities faces when seeking employment. (45 minutes)

David Zapata moderates this discussion featuring Hisham Batar, who was born in Sudan, but now lives in San Antonio and works for Catholic Charities' Refugee Services, and Jonathan D. Ryan, Executive Director of RAICES [Refugee and Immigration Center for Education & Legal Services]. Both speakers address the life of a refugee when coming to the United States. A question and answer period concludes this session. (104 minutes)

Krystina Irvin moderates this panel presentation by three St. Mary's University faculty: Dr. Barbara Hardin of the Counseling & Testing Center; Dr. Sherra Theisen of the Philosophy Department; and Dr. Celine Jacquemin of the Political Science Department. The panelists discuss how scape-goating can lead to persecution. They discuss what it was like to grow up in a time of desegregation. It appears to be human nature to respond to ignorance with fear. Ways to prevent violence are also discussed. A brief question and answer period concludes this session. (71 minutes)

Marcella Lesher and Brian St. John introduce and present the Art of Peace Award to Terri Hendrix, a folk singer and songwriter. After a brief acceptance speech, Ms. Hendrix performs a brief concert. (27 minutes)