UNews - Anthropology Department

Five minutes well worth the time

trevor.kenney — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 20:28:10 +0000

Taking the time to apply for undergraduate scholarships pays off for Paul Klein.

As the end of another academic year draws near, Paul Klein has a lot on his mind. It is a time teeming with tests and term papers, but there is one deadline the third-year Anthropology major always meets – the May 1 Undergraduate Awards application deadline.

"I try not to forget the deadline because the application process is simplified to the point that it's basically a series of clicks that takes around five minutes to complete," says the Lethbridge native. "You have to invest such an insignificant portion of your time and the potential payoff is huge."

Undergraduate student Paul Klein has taken advantage of the many scholarship opportunities offered by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

Taking the time to fill out the online Undergraduate Awards Application certainly has paid off for Klein as he has received $3,000 over the last two years form the U of L Awards program. He seeks to become a lawyer, and through answering a question about future aspirations, received a scholarship sponsored by the Lethbridge Bar Association in 2011.

While he appreciates the recognition, he points out that scholarships and awards also have a real impact on his bottom line.

"I find they provide a nice supplement to my student loans and it helps to limit my overall debt as I can factor them in to my yearly budget," he says.

Klein also finds time to get involved with the campus community and holds down a part-time job as a student marker with the Anthropology Department. Balancing time between his job and being a faculty representative for the Students' Union, while achieving academic success, exerts considerable demands on Klein's time - which can induce stress. Here too, he finds the monies he has earned from scholarships helpful.

"Scholarships have provided me with some extra disposable income that I can spend on my social life when I'm looking to unwind. So I don't have to worry as much about fiscal stress – I can just concentrate on my academic stress," he says with a chuckle.

In 2011, 1,087 continuing U of L students shared over $1.1 million in undergraduate awards. The 2012 Undergraduate Awards application is currently open on The Bridge and will close on May 1. The U of L guarantees a scholarship to students who achieve a GPA of 3.5 or higher in eight semester courses (24.0 credit hours) over the preceding Fall and Spring semesters. Awards and bursaries are also available. In 2011, one third of all awards recipients had a GPA lower than 3.5.

Amnesty International's Neve highlights Global Justice Week

trevor.kenney — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:15:25 +0000

Battling for human rights has been a lifelong commitment for Amnesty International's Alex Neve. The insight he's gained from being on the front lines of that battle will form the basis of the lecture he'll deliver to a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge audience during Global Justice Week, Sept. 30 to Oct. 2.

Neve will cap the week with his lecture, Economic Insecurity, National Insecurity: Don't Lose Sight of Human Rights. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU), in collaboration with the Graduate Students' Association (GSA) and Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group (LPIRG), is hosting the three-day event. Neve's talk is Friday, Oct. 2, 7 p.m. in PE250.

"The purpose is to raise awareness of the fact that we live in an unjust world," says Alex Massé, ULSU VP Academic and organizer of the event. "It's so students living here, in the richest part of the world, don't take their position for granted."

Within the last year, economic uncertainty has been on the minds of many, from governments to average citizens. Neve, the Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada since 2000 and member of the organization since 1985, says that can't take away our focus from human rights.

"The message I want to convey is that we live in insecure times," Neve says. "We live in times of economic insecurity, especially in the last year."

Because of this, human rights often get pushed to the back burner in times of economic distress. Amnesty International is trying to put human rights back into the forefront.

Neve, who holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, a Bachelor of Laws Degree and a Master of Law Degree in International Human Rights Law, believes that security of any sort should be grounded in human rights.

Amnesty International has long advocated for fair trials to ensure justice, the proper handling of prisoners in Afghanistan, as well as improvements to Immigration Security Certificates (a legal mechanism used by the Government of Canada to detain and deport non-citizens). According to Neve, there are currently five Security Certificate cases in Canada in which Amnesty International is involved in various ways.

On the economic front, Amnesty International launched the "Demand Dignity" campaign, which looks at human rights violations that lead to and deepen poverty. This is a worldwide campaign that was launched in May. Neve explains that we don't often look at human rights in terms of poverty.

Amnesty International also highlights the plight of Indigenous people in Canada, particularly with regard to women's issues and the role of the economy in deepening poverty.

While Neve's presentation highlights Global Justice Week, a variety of other events will be taking place, including a talk by Joshua Key, author of The Deserter's Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away From the War in Iraq.

Events begin Wednesday afternoon as U of L professors take the podium at Galileo's Gallery, beginning at 3 p.m. Dr. Kent Peacock of the Philosophy Department presents, Justice in a Hungry World; Dr. Patrick Wilson of the Anthropology Department presents, Fair Trade and Global Economic Injustice: Opportunities and Obstacles; and Bruce MacKay of Liberal Education presents, Genocide: Never Again or Always.

What is community justice in Bolivia?

trevor.kenney — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:05:58 +0000

Imagine a form of justice delivered by your neighbours and the community that surrounds you, independent of governmental authority?

It may sound implausible and antiquated but it is a new reality in Bolivia, where in January, the people of Bolivia approved the text of a new national Constitution, whose provisions included official recognition of "community justice" as a means of resolving conflicts and adjudicating criminal offenses in indigenous communities.

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge will be hosting Rutgers ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ professor Daniel M. Goldstein Thursday afternoon, 3 p.m. in AH100 as he addresses this topic. Goldstein, a professor in Rutgers' Department of Anthropology, will be presenting "Community Justice and Citizen Security in Bolivia".

For some observers, the inclusion of community justice within national law is a recognition of the "traditional" juridical practices of indigenous Bolivians, and a vital affirmation of indigenous rights by the Bolivian state. For others, community justice represents the dilution of state authority and the incorporation into law of an unenforceable, arbitrary system, a discourse that is used to justify vigilante violence and other human rights violations.

Goldstein will discuss just what is community justice in Bolivia, and what is its relationship to efforts to create security for Bolivian citizens. This presentation explores the conflicts and contradictions that underlie this controversial moment in Latin American political and social life.

The event is co-sponsored by the U of L Anthropology Department with the Lethbridge Public Interest Research Group (LPIRG) and the President's Office.

UNews - Anthropology Department

Five minutes well worth the time

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Amnesty International's Neve highlights Global Justice Week

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What is community justice in Bolivia?

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