Author: ccarolan

The 19s have arrived……..

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The new incoming CGO FIG members, the 19s, have arrived on campus and they are settling in nicely. We had a busy Week of Welcome. We did our usual  fun CGO inaugural activities ; cake decorating and  watching the movie “The Three Kings”.  Please note that Shaul was very objective in his judging of cake decorating skills. But we also had a rather more serious discussion about the summer assigned reading “The Sunflower” which I think we need to revisit later in the term.

Claire being meticulous while icing a cake as Xander and Mikaela watch and learn from her technique.

Claire being meticulous while icing a cake as Xander and Mikaela watch and learn from her technique.

 

Shaul Judging Cakes

On Saturday of WOW we introduced the 19s to the city of Eugene. We hiked up Skinner’s Butte so that they could see where the university was located in the wider Eugene area and then let the students loose at Eugene’s unique Saturday market.

Eugene-Springfield-20150926-00895

Mark Hackett CEO Operation Broken Silence

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by Erin Willahan

This past Fall term, CGO students Christine Mathew and Erin Willahan became involved with the University of Oregon initiative: Genocide and Mass Atrocities Responsibility to Prevent. They were appointed to the steering committee charged with the task of bringing speakers and activists to campus to inspire and inform students and the community about human rights issues globally. In January, the committee invited founder and CEO of Operation Broken Silence (OBS), Mark Hackett to come to the UO. OBS is a human rights organization that seeks to utilize multimedia in combating mass atrocities. It is currently focused on ending the genocide occurring in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan.

As part of his visit to Eugene, Mark Hackett spent an evening with the CGO discussing his work in the Nuba Mountains, his organization, and his documentary “Across the Frontlines” Ending the Nuba Genocide.” After interacting with Mr. Hackett, Christine and Erin drafted a proposal to the initiative steering committee seeking support in attending the Sudan Emergency Action Summit in Washington D.C. in March in order to more actively engage in the issue. The committee unanimously approved their proposal and they were accompanied by genocide scholar Dr. Paul Slovic as representatives of the UO at the summit. While there, they learned more about the conflict and possible resolutions and heard from a diverse array of perspectives including that of countless Sudanese refugees. They also participated in lobbying Congress to support more U.S. involvement in ending the genocide and mass atrocities occurring in Sudan.

 

 

Brian Dougherty M.B.E.

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On Wednesday February 20th the CGO welcomed Brian Dougherty to our weekly class. Brian is the Director of St. Columb’s Park House in Derry / Londonderry Northern Ireland . St. Columb’s Park House seeks to contribute to peace-building and social inclusion in Northern Ireland through a range of programs that promote civic participation, human rights, and democratic pluralism. Brian was visiting the United States on a Winston Churchill Traveling fellowship to learn about community organizations in the United States.

Brian discussed his work with young people in Northern Ireland,  including young members of political parties. As a result of this work Brian received a Master of the British Empire award from Queen Elizabeth II of England, who he met in person. He shared with us some stories about his day at Buckingham Palace and his time with the Queen.

Ira R. Byock, MD: Mortality, Morality, and the Meaning of Life. Negina Pirzad CGO 16

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 Dr. Ira Byock visited the University of Oregon on January 24th to talk about understanding and dealing with the human condition. His lecture contributed to CGO’s talks on ethics considering how physicians are regularly faced with dilemmas when treating their patients. One major topic of concern is assisted suicide and whether it is ethical for doctors and nurses to perform it.

Ira focused on palliative care and how it is not the same as assisted suicide. As a doctor himself, Byock explained that for him, “Preserving life is the ultimate goal.” When faced with a patient who wants to end his or her life as quickly and as painless as possible, should a doctor help make that a reality? Should euthanasia be legal in the United States?

Byock went into how a common Western mechanism is to deny the obvious and suppress the idea of death. Patients who have this sort of mindset have countless opportunities when at the end of life. Ira listed off items that people should do at this time including resolving relationships, reviewing life and exploring its meaning, and going into the spiritual realm of life. He believes that people should “Live in the light of death.”

Lecturing to a city that has proven to stand very liberal with the topic of assisted suicide, Ira was the minority that evening in Eugene. The question still floats around in our heads: is it ethical for a doctor to end one’s life, instead of allowing for nature to take its course?