[image 1]“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
On November 2, a large group of NVC faculty and staff participated in the “Conflict Management: Methodologies and Practical Applications” employee training, facilitated by conflict resolution experts, Greg Meyer of La Fayette College (formerly at James Madison University) and Chris Ehrhard from James Madison University. This event is part of our Non-Violent Culture Project, coordinated by Humanities faculty Carlos Lopez and other Peace and Conflict Studies program faculty.
The guest facilitators are engaged at their institutions in providing leadership and intervention with students through what they call “Restorative Practices.” Carlos sees this model as a key to resolving conflict by developing our capacity to see beyond the wrongdoing or potentially harmful act/behavior that caused the conflict. By listening to all the parties involved and learning and understanding what their needs are for resolving the conflict, we can begin to discover how we can use restorative practices to create more positive outcomes.
The workshop is a step in creating a solid foundation on which to build a culture of non-violence in our NVC community. The goal is to bring more workshops in the future to not only build our skills in restorative practices but to begin to build the concept into our academic curriculum. So far, we have included a conflict resolution component in courses in Criminal Justice, Humanities, Geography, English, Speech, Philosophy and Sociology.
As we discover our capacities to address conflicts and learn to determine the “needs” and “obligations” of everyone involved, we will hopefully contribute to the creation of a peaceful NVC community and provide our students with skills to lead and serve in the larger community.
For additional information on restorative practices, follow this link: http://www.jmu.edu/judicial/restorative/.
[image 2]New NVC Business Council
On Nov. 2, a newly formed Northwest Vista Business Council, chaired by Ted Terazza, a local entrepreneur and former NVC adjunct faculty member, met for the first time.
The purpose of this group of community business leaders is to support students in business and related programs by sharing their expertise and helping to enhance funding for scholarships. At this kick-off meeting, I introduced them to our college as well as our mission and vision.
[image 3]NVC student Brian Hendriksen talked with the group about his background and goals, about our student-centered faculty and staff, and about the assistance scholarships have provided him in pursuing his dream.