The CGO was excited to attend a talk on  “Numbers and Nerves: Addressing the Arithmetic of Compassion and the World’s Most Urgent Issues” by Paul Slovic (Professor Psychology at UO and President of Decision Research) and Scott Slovic (Professor of Literature and Environment in the Department of English at the University of Idaho). The talk, which was held in association with the Global Justice Initiative, explored how information about political, economic, and environmental crises is presented and perceived, from the current refugee crisis in Europe, to climate change, to genocide, and more. Our inability to comprehend the numbers of people involved in these crises and our desire to avoid dealing with their suffering limits our response; yet when we hear the stories of individuals we tend to feel more compassion and are more likely to act. The Slovics explore this contradiction in their new book, and the CGO was invited to engage the authors in Q & A after their remarks to a standing room only crowd in the Knight Library.  Carnegies impressed the authors and the audience with their insightful and probing questions.

CGO members Anisha Adke (’18), Namratha Somayajula (’17), Keene Corbin (’18), and Nina Greene (’17) with authors Paul and Scott Slovic

University of Oregon Police Department’s chief of police, Carolyn McDermed, served as a police officer for about 30 years.  She originally wanted to be a veterinarian and got a degree in animal tech.  However, she changed her mind when she followed through with a “dare” from her ex-husband to join the police.  She as surprised when she was accepted and subsequently earned a job. She grew to love working as an officer, first in Sand Diego and then here in Eugene.

One of the first topics of discussion was about the realities of being a woman on the force, and subsequently a chief. Chief McDermed was forthright in saying that she was treated differently, and she was not seen as an “equal” among male peers and partners.  She shared a few stories of early partners who left her in very vulnerable situations on the job, and how they had to deal with those in a time when talking openly about sexism could get you in trouble.

There was also a discussion of racial profiling, both with regards to the UO campus, but also questions about how this topic is playing out in departments in response to the high-profile shootings and protests in Ferguson and Baltimore (among other places). Chief McDermed is a trainer for the State of Oregon in racial profiling, and how to recognize it and avoid it. She said that it’s rare for someone to see a person of color and say “That person is black. I was to shoot them.’ Instead, we need to recognize the unconscious ways that racism operates in our society. Only then can we address the issues raised by these recent and tragic events.

This led to a discussion of the important of treating people with respect and trying to take individual situations at face value. At times, police are constrained by the law, but in some situations, they can give leeway for people in difficult situations. She emphasized repeatedly that people should be treated respectfully, and anybosy, but espcially the police, should resist making quick judgement about people. It is important to recognize power and how it effects different people, both those who have it, and those who don’t.

As chief, she felt that the police department was supposed to value the different cultures on campus and where people are from. She also felt that suggestions and open-mindedness from the students were good ways to better the police department so everyone could feel safer. She seemed very excited about the prospect of having more of her department visit with student groups, and we made some connections with her to hopefully bring them in as guests. Some of the challenges she faced were with her own officers.  She wanted them to interact with the students, but also hold themselves accountable and to know their authority.

UPDATE:

On February 29, 2016, the UO announced on the police department’s page  that Carolyn McDermed had retired.  As the article says, “UOPD has evolved significantly in recent years, and Chief McDermed has played a significant role in managing that change.” One subject that was not covered in the talk with former Chrief McDermed was the controversy in her department about the late-night joke where the police officers had a list of people they didn’t like (bike-riders, the mayor, etc.). There were accusations of harassment and retaliation by the whistle-blower who made this public. Chief McDermed had been under fire for not having good management of her officers, and there is much speculation on her sudden retirement and the settlement with the plaintiff in the case.

As we prepare for this year’s PeaceJam, we have a reflection from Namratha Somayajula about last year’s guest, 1992 Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum.
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“What I treasure most in life is being able to dream. During my most difficult moments and most complex situations I have been able to dream of a more beautiful future.”

Rigoberta Menchú Tum

Several CGO members of PeaceJam pose with Nobel Laureate Tum

On April 17, 18, and 19^th of 2015, several Carnegies had the exciting opportunity to act as mentors to middle and high school students participating in the annual PeaceJam conference, held for the first time that year at the University of Oregon. Speaking at the conference was 1992 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum of Guatemala, whom the youth and mentors had the chance to learn from and meet.

PeaceJam is an international organization–with a branch in the Pacific Northwest and several others across the United States–that connects middle and high school youth with Nobel Peace activists and other inspiring community leaders. In the fall of that school year, Eva Kor, a strong advocate of forgiveness who survived the

Kate and Alison, ’15s, and their PeaceJam group, with November keynote speaker Eva Kor

Holocaust as a child, came to the UO to speak at a smaller PeaceJam conference, for which many Carnegies had also acted as mentors. The goal of PeaceJam is to encourage youth to engage with social justice issues from a young age, and to learn from the stories of these activists to effect change in the future. College students help lead the youth in engaging with the issues brought up during the conference, and in the process learn from the speakers and youth alike.

Kaela Thomas lighting a candle with Rigoberta Menchú Tum

The PeaceJam weekend in the spring was filled with unique events and experiences. On Friday, April 17^th, Carnegies met Ms. Tum at the Many Nations Longhouse on campus. There, we shared lunch and learned from Ms. Tum about her thoughts regarding the role of youth in advocacy and justice, and the importance of community and identity. The years she has spent leading her community in Guatemala and advocating for indigenous rights throughout the Americas have given her experience in addressing and dealing with the variety of ethical issues that have confronted her. We were very fortunate to be able to listen to such an inspiring international leader, and we could keep in mind what we learned from her that first meeting during the upcoming weekend.

CGO mentors and UO UNICEF members with the students who participated in the workshop on privilege

In the areas surrounding MacArthur Court on Saturday and Sunday, the mentors led the youth in team-building activities, service projects, and conversations about leadership, social justice, and change. After hearing from Rigoberta Menchú Tum on Sunday morning, the youth signed up for workshops dealing with social justice issues in their communities.

Carnegies and UO UNICEF members teamed up to lead a workshop focusing on “privilege” with a group of about 20 middle and high school students. Beginning with an interactive role-playing activity, and ending with a TED Talk and discussion during which the students engaged well and shared their thoughts, the workshop was fun and allowed the PeaceJam participants and mentors alike to think critically about the issues of inequality and privilege.

Claire and Namratha, and their PeaceJam group doing a team-building activity during the April conference

All in all, the Carnegie mentors enjoyed spending the PeaceJam weekend together, one that was filled with learning, energy, and music. Reflecting on her experience, Negina Pirzad, CGO ‘16 says, during that weekend “two of my favorite things came together, peace and working with kids, so participating in PeaceJam last year was satisfying for me to say the least. It was great how much responsibility we got as Mentors to the visiting students and how much exposure we all got to the Nobel Laureate, Rigoberta Menchú. I think my favorite part of the entire PeaceJam weekend, though, was the talent show at the end. Students had so much courage to share with everyone and their performances ranged from heartfelt, emotional pieces to funny and entertaining.”

The end of a very lively weekend at PeaceJam!

We’re We’re looking forward to an equally positive experience for all as the PeaceJam conference approaches this year.

By Kate Goldsworthy & Pierre Haou

Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Reubenstein certainly made some powerful impressions Wednesday night. She has recently been appointed the head of Temple Beth Israel Synagogue in Eugene. She is originally from Saratoga Springs, New York, and she has spent most of her time on the east coast. Rabbi Ruhi was born within a family of the Reconstructionist Movement within Judaism, and both of her parents are rabbis.

Her husband, Jacob Siegel, joined Rabbi Ruhi in our discussion. He is currently in rabbinical school, although he is a modern orthodox student while Rubenstein represents the Reconstructionist movement within Judaism. This brought up a discussion about the differences between these ways of approaching the practice and philosophies of Judaism. Siegel explained that Orthodox Jews are more conservative in their interpretation of religious texts than the more liberal Reconstructionists. This brought up a lively discussion about specific issues, and how both Reubenstein and Siegel interpret and handle those issues.

When applying for jobs, Rabbi Ruhi admitted that she had applied to Temple Beth as a practice for other application, as she was looking for employment on the east coast, a little closer to home. When she was offered the job, however, she realized she was drawn in by Eugene’s close-knit communal feel. During the conversation she would often come back to the importance that she and her husband place on community.

Rabbi Ruhi said one of her main goals coming to Temple Beth Israel is community building, which is something the Reconstructionist movement considers important. She also emphasized the importance she places on the environment. Eugene appealed to her because she is certain that when the earth starts to have environmental catastrophes, which she says swill happen in the next fifty years, she can take comfort in being able to hunker down in a small town with her community.

She takes this sense of community very seriously and this is what struck students most about her visit and discussion. Arguably one of the most poignant things she said regarding community was “We are all responsible for each other and the entire world. The world can only be saved by local communities.” This was stated in the context of climate change and peak oil. Her belief in the preservation of the world was really inspiring.

She talked a lot about compassion too. In particular, she spoke on compassion as a prerequisite for a functional society and said “Love your neighbor, but don’t let them get out of control hurting people.” She also brought up an example from her father when she said “the more annoying a person is, the more pain they’re in.” One of her self proclaimed greatest struggles is having compassion when people come to her with short sighted or selfish issues. In reference to this, she said “I do a lot of sharing of values.” As Rabbi, she explained that it is not her role to decide whether or not someone’s struggle is valid– her only duty is to show compassion for their struggles, no matter how small and no mater what her personal opinion of their struggle is.

In terms of ethics; she raised some interesting issues. Do we value what is ethical over what is pragmatic? Are the two synonymous? She best expressed her stance when she said “it is pragmatic to care for everybody.” In our discussion with her we delved into the issue of action versus intent, and often in our discussions intent wins out as the more ‘ethical’ frame; however she put an interesting spin on the issue. “In Jewish tradition, you don’t have the right to choose not to give. Giving isn’t charity, it’s an obligation.” In my mind, this seems entirely ethical, and action demonstrates much more intent to do good than someone who sits around all day and discusses all the good they want to do. I feel that the greatest thing she left us with, though, is a more ethically minded perception of pragmatism.