The Valpo Core

Jus Vitae presents:

Is it Always Wrong to take a Human Life? A Discussion about Abortion, War, Capital Punishment, Assisted Suicide and what it Means to be Pro-Life

November 10, 2009, 5 pm

Harre Union, Ballroom A

It’s often said that a person cannot be Pro-Life if he or she supports a war or execution.  Conversely, is someone authentically Pro-Life if he or she opposes war and capital punishment but favors legalized abortion and euthanasia?  Hopefully this discussion will provide some answers. This will be a candid discussion about sensitive issues that encompass morality and the law. Our panelists include: Dr. Rachel MacNair, Professor Geneva Brown, Professor Derrick Carter, and Professor Ed Gaffney.

A free dinner will be served.

All students, faculty, and interested members of the community are welcome.

Thursday, April 16, 12:30-4:00 pm

Huegli Hall, Lumina Room

12:45-1:30: Comparative Perspectives on Law and Social Justice

1:45-2:15: Breakout sessions

•    The Law School Admissions Time-Line

•    Surviving the First-Year of Law School

2:30-3:30: Legal Practitioners Panel on Career Paths in the Law

Panel includes a US Federal Judge, a JAG Corps Attorney, a Public Defender, and a Civil Litigator

Networking Reception to Follow

Sponsored by: Prelaw Society, Office of Graduate Studies, and
College of Arts and Sciences

Flyer: Law Day

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.

FACULTY/STAFF/STUDENT WORKSHOP

“SEXUAL ORIENTATION: MAKING VU A MORE WELCOMING PLACE”

Harre Union, Ballroom C (East)
Friday, April 3, 2009
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

WHAT WILL I GET OUT OF THIS?
•    Increased awareness of and information about sexual orientation
•    Some practical ideas on how to address sexual orientation both in and outside the classroom
•    Training for those who want to post the “Safe Space” triangle at their workstation

AGENDA

3:00     Plenary Session for Faculty/Staff/Students            Ballroom C
•    View President Heckler’s Videotaped Message
•    Panel Discussion:  How Can We Make VU a More Welcoming Place?
•    Q and A with the Panel

3:50    Introduction to Small Group Sessions for Faculty/Staff

3:55    Break

4:00     Small Group Sessions for Faculty/Staff

Choose one of the following three sessions:                Locations TBA

1.    Sexual Diversity in Your Classroom: Curriculum/Pedagogy/Students
2.    Sexualities, Silences, and Schooling: What the Research Tells Us
3.    Making your Workstation a “Safe Space”*

4:40    Final Plenary Session: Share Ideas from Small Groups        Ballroom C

Coffee, Tea and Snacks will be provided.

TO RSVP FOR THIS EVENT: Email Cynthia.Rutz@valpo.edu or Call 219-464-5960

(Be sure to include the name of the small group session you would like to attend.)

Sponsored by:  The Diversity Concerns Committee, The Teaching Resource Center, ALLIANCE, The Education Department

*Those taking this session will receive a “Safe Space” triangle to post at their workstation

Agenda for Workshop

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.