The Valpo Core

The Conversations Project will be hosting an event on environmental justice.

Greener Pastures: A New Era of Environmental Policy?

The event will take place on Tuesday, April 7th, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Christopher Center Community Room.  Panelists will discuss U.S. environmental policy in connection the movement towards international environmental regulation including the Kyoto accords.  Panelists will share their views on policy options on the national level as well as their experiences regarding the effects of environmental regulation on Indiana.

The panel will include: Dana Dobosz, a second-year law student and a former Park Ranger at the Indiana Dunes; Marty Irwin, director of Indiana’s Center for Coal Technology Research; and Kim Ferraro, a graduate of the Valparaiso University School of Law and the Executive Director of the Legal Environmental Aid Foundation of Northwest Indiana.  The discussion will be moderated by two second-year law students; Nathan Vis and Joshua (J.J.) Hermes.  J.J. is also the leader of the Valparaiso’s Environmental Law Society.

CONVERSATIONS PROJECT TO DISCUSS THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN AND THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE

The Valparaiso University Conversations Project will continue its programming on February 19th, 2009 with “Big Government Fights Back: Responses to the Economic Downturn.” The event will begin at 7 p.m. in the Valparaiso University Christopher Center Community Room and is free and open to the public. Panelists will start a conversation exploring the impact of the recent economic downturn on different sectors of the economy.

Professor Alan White of the VU School of Law will focus on credit and housing markets. Professor Emeritus James Bernard of the VU Economics Department will address the labor market, providing an overview of the industries that have been most adversely affected, the sectors that are still growing and therefore hiring, and the prospects for job creation in Indiana. Mark Lopez, the District Director in the office of Congressman Pete Visclosky, will focus on the fiscal challenges facing Indiana and governmental responses to those challenges, including the stimulus package recently passed and its expected impact on the Indiana economy. Professor Niru Devaraj of the VU Economics Department will moderate the event.

A reception following the public discussion will allow audience members to continue individual conversations with one another and the panelists.

The goal of the Conversations Project is to promote mutual education, understanding and political reconciliation through dialogue, while at the same time forging connections between the University and the Northwest Indiana community. The program is supported by Valparaiso School of Law and the Valparaiso Project on Civic Reflection.

The final Conversations Project event of the 2008-2009 academic year, “Greener Pastures: A New Era in Environmental Policy?” will focus on energy policy and environmental justice.  It will take place on April 7, 2009 from 7-9 p.m. in the VU Christopher Center’s Community Room.

For more information about the Conversations Project: http://www.valpo.edu/organization/conversation.

The Conversations Project will be hosting an event on the Valparaiso University Crusader mascot:

What’s in a Name? The VU Crusader Mascot

The event will take place on Monday, November 17th, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Christopher Center Community Room.  Panelists will start a conversation exploring the appropriateness of the Crusader mascot given current controversies regarding the cultural legacy of the Crusades as well as the importance of maintaining VU’s traditions.  Audience members are encouraged to share their own views regarding how we should think of the right to vote.

The panel will include: Alan Holderread, a VU senior majoring in Civil Engineering; Professor Tim Tomasik, Assistant Professor of French in VU’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures; and Johnna Venuto, a VU sophomore majority in International Business.  Mark LaBarbera, VU’s Director of Athletics will serve as moderator.

Poster: VU Crusader Mascot Panel

Press Release: VU Crusader Mascot Press Release

The Conversations Project presents:

Voting: Privilege, Duty or Obligation?

The event will take place on Wednesday, September 24th, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Christopher Center Community Room. Panelists will start a conversation exploring the history and significance of voting rights in the United States. Audience members are encouraged to share their own views regarding how we should think of the right to vote.

The panel will include: Professor Jennifer Hora, VU Department of Political Science (moderator); Mayor Jon Costas, Mayor, City of Valparaiso; Jane Henegar, State Coordinator, Project Citizen; and Zora Ludwig, Librarian, Hammond Public Library.

Free and open to the public.

Food and drinks to follow.

More information: Official press release

Poster: Voting poster

In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., The Conversations Project is sponsoring a panel discussion and community conversation:

Forty Years Gone: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Many Guises of Prejudice.

The event will take place on Thursday, April 3rd, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Christopher Center Community Room.  Panelists will start a conversation exploring the history, social dynamics, and impacts of both diversity and prejudice on American society.  Audience members are encouraged to share their own knowledge and experience concerning prejudice and how it affects us all.

The panel will consist of four members of the Valparaiso University faculty: Larry Baas (Political Science), Angela Jackson (Psychology), Gregory Jones (Theology), and Lissa Yogan (Sociology and Criminology).

The event is free and open to the public and refreshments will be provided.

LINK to event poster: Conversations Project: Forty Years Gone

LINK to official press release: Forty Years Gone Press Release

From the Conversations Project official press release:

In advance of the presidential primaries on “Super Tuesday,” February 5th, The Conversations Project is sponsoring a panel discussion and community conversation:

Super Tuesday Spin Doctors: Lessons of the Presidential Primaries

The event will take place on Wednesday, January 30th, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Christopher Center Community Room . Panelists will start a conversation exploring the history, purpose, pros and cons of the current presidential primary system. Audience members are encouraged to share their own knowledge and experience of that system.

LINK to complete CP Super Tuesday Press Release

LINK to CP Super Tuesday Poster

From the Conversations Project official press release:

Valparaiso University and the Project on Civic Reflection, working in conjunction with two student organizations: Voices for Reproductive Freedom (VOX) and Jus Vitae, are pleased to present a panel discussion and community conversation:

Commemorate or Commiserate:
35 Years of Roe v. Wade

The event will be held in the Christopher Center Community Room from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, January 22, 2008.

This special program will explore the continuing significance of this controversial ruling by the Supreme Court, the legal construct of privacy, and the implications of judicial decisions on the social valuation of life.

LINK to Complete Version of Press Release

LINK to Poster

The Conversations Project

Valparaiso University and the Project on Civic Reflection are pleased to present a panel discussion and community conversation:

Honoring Our Veterans:
Theory and Practice

 The event will be held in the Christopher Center Community Room from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, November 7, 2007.

The program will explore the experiences of veterans returning from the various fronts in the war on terror. Panelists will address the problems faced by returning veterans, including coping with physical and mental injuries and reintegrating into civilian society. Audience members are encouraged to share their own experiences relating to returning veterants, to raise questions relating to the challenges of supporting our currently deployed forces, their families & veterans who have returned home.

These issues and others will be addressed by a panel including Earl McDowell, a veteran of the Vietnam conflict and member of the Portage Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Captain Nathan Harlan of the United States Army and Jill Carley, Director of Programs for the Illinois & Indiana Veterans Administration Clinic. The presentations will be brief and are intended to provide perspectives that will spark audience discussion.

The main purpose of the Conversations Project is to promote mutual education, understanding and political reconciliation through dialog. The intention is to forge connections between Valparaiso University the wider Valparaiso community, and throughout Northwest Indiana.

All Conversations Project Events are free and open to the public. The conversation will continue following the event during a reception at which food and drink will be provided.

The Conversations Project presents:

“Living Out Loud (LOL): The Eroding Division of Public and Private Lives” – A Panel Discussion and Community Conversation

Featuring Rev. Jim Wetzstein, Moderator (VU Campus Ministry); Prof. Jennifer Hora (VU Dept. of Political Science); Prof. Aaron Preston (VU Dept. of Philosophy)

Tuesday, October 2, 7 pm in the VU Christopher Center Community Room.

This event is free and open to the public. Food and drinks to follow.

Sponsored by the VU School of Law and the Project on Civic Reflection.

This event is approved for Core 5th-hour credit. 

Living Out Loud Press Release