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October 17 , 2005
Classroom on Quad, State of University coming up, Oct. 19 & 25

BY Katherine Baust Lukens

This year’s Classroom on the Quad—scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 1 p.m. on the Quadrangle—will focus on human rights, and the event’s third iteration is expected to draw a large turnout with expanded offerings. Sponsored by the Student Government Association, last year’s Classroom on the Quad drew as many as 2,000 attendees.

The theme of human rights was chosen “because it transcends all boundaries within every division of the University,” according to Christine Reeves, SGA executive vice president and event organizer. “The event is for people to learn, to discuss, to inspire and to realize that apathy toward human rights is futile.”

The keynote speaker will be Gerald LeMelle, deputy executive director of Amnesty International. LeMelle’s speech is titled “Prisoners of Conscience.”

Following LeMelle, faculty and other members of the Emory Community will focus on a variety of subject in relation to human rights, including economics and politics, the environment, health and civil liberties, and justice.

Following is a list of speakers and their topics:
• Eric Reinhardt, political science, “Globalization and Human Rights: A Political Economy Perspective”

• Gordon Streeb, economics, “Is There A Right to Development?”

• Jack Zupko, philosophy, “Sustainability & Environmental Justice is a Human Right”

• Patrick Allitt, history, “Sustainability & Environmental Justice is not a Human Right”

• Dabney Evans, Institute of Human Rights, “Health as a Universal Human Right”

• Stanley Foster, CDC & Rollins School of Public Health, “10 Million Child Deaths per Year; Why? 6 Million
Child Deaths Preventable; Why Not?”

• Abdullahi An-Na’im, law, “Civil Rights and Human Rights for Local and Global Justice”

• Karin Ryan, Carter Center: Human Rights Peace Program, “Bridging Civil Liberties and Justice with Human Rights”

The event also will feature a debate between the Young Democrats and College Republicans. In addition to the speakers, there will be a poetry reading by religion’s Bobbi Patterson and psychology’s Marshall Duke, followed by music, singing and performance art. About 30 different religious, cultural and international organizations will set up booths around the Quad to share information and get people involved.

State of the University
Six days later, President Jim Wagner will deliver the annual State of the University Address, Oct. 25 at 4:15 p.m. in Cox Hall, followed by a reception.

Wagner said the time of the annual address was changed from last year, when it was held in the evening, to see if the community finds the late-afternoon slot a more convenient one. Depending on the turnout, the event may see a permanent schedule change next year.

The president added that, while it will be important to reflect on accomplishments and progress made over the last year, “it will be even more important to consider the challenges and opportunities facing us as we move toward the execution of our strategic plan and our financial campaign plan.”

“I hope to spend time during the address to remind all of us that the success of our strategies and campaign is not ultimately measured by meeting the milestones that we have identified as our goals and objectives,” Wagner said, “but rather by the degree to which Emory provides leadership as that destination university that values excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, health care and social action.”

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