UNIVERSITY
Peacekeepers to teach ‘respect’
By Tammy Basey
Emerald Associate Editor
Respect Singer Aretha Franklin wanted it and
University students will lie taught how In give it
through a new ( lass this fat! relied the Plans
keeper Program
Peacekeeper Program Instructor Thom Alberti,
a stall member of l.ugune Pem eWorks, said the
class will leach students how to deal with ton
flit t peacefully and how to rirsprx t the opinions
of others.
"Often when we deal with tonflictive situa
tions, vve tend to disrespect the opposing group or
individual," Alls rli said "if there was one word
to dost rihe this i lass, it would Ixi 'res|» c l ' If you
respect other people's ideas, you’re starting off on
the right loot "
No matter how peaceful students are. they're
liounil to encounter conflict, Alberti said The
i lass will instruct students on how to deal with
all sorts of ronfliet-filled situations, from a riot to
an argument with a roommate
Tilt; t lass will require a high level of participa
tion. Allx-rti said It will include role playing ses
sums, guest speakers and two weekend work
shops
(aiitilin Twain, ASUO safety affairs coordina
tor, said she first had the idea of t reating a peace
keeper class after the Kugeno riot that followed
the acquittal of four white Los Angeles police of
ficers in the treating of black motorist Rodney
King
Following the riot, 20 students and administra
tors tixik a crash course in peacekeeping Twain,
who look the crash course, said it was "insight
ful" and taught her ubout the dynamics of the re
lationship between police and students
"Wo thought it would lx; a good idea il we
could decrease the role of police," she said
Thu iiic.i al students taking on the role of
'peacekeepers came from Kugene Peat :i Works
During the Gulf War. 75 jurat ekeepers from the
organization kept a 24 hour watch at the Federal
Building to make sure tensions didn't explode
into violent e. Alberti suit!
Peacekeeper Program members will confront
Ihxtlr own racism, homophobia and sexism.
Twain said
"I feel like (lie class won't i>e successful with
out a really diverse, group of students,” she said
"Clearly, it we have a bunch sif any one group,
it's not going to come off right because the com
munity is diverse *
Police officers, peace activists and ethnic stu
dent union members are among some of the peo
ple who will speak to the class. Twain said
Twain saul she hopes < lass members will use
the peace keeping skills they learn to help defuse
conflict at parties and student activities
Polue will know the names of students who ve
taken the ( lass and will recognize they're there to
help in conflict situations involving students.
Twain said
The Office of Public Safety is funding the class
OPS Director Carey Drayton said he likes the idea
of students learning to deal with conflict
"1 think it's great,” he said "It's a fantastic way
of doing business I hear ail the time that society
could police itself, hut I've been in tills line of
work 15 years and I've never seen it happen ’’
Students have until Friday to register for the
peacekeeper class through Duck Cull. The two
i rrdit class is taught pass/no pass and begins Sat
urday. Oct 24 Usual meeting times are Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 3 30 to 5 p m
The ASUO department of safety affairs, Univer
sity mediation program and the Office of Public
Safety are sponsoring the Peacekeeper Program
Researchers develop
social skills programs
By Demian McLean
Emerald Reporter
While Measure 5 may
have reduced the Universi
ty's education department,
education remains a strong
theme among researchers at
the University's ('.enter for
Human Development.
Professors, graduate stu
dents and undergraduate
students work daily at the
center to teach people with
developmental disabilities
ways to function more inde
pendently in the communi
ty.
Developmental disabilities
can include mild to severe
retardation, speech or hear
ing impairments, and abu
sive home environments.
Running mainly on federal
funds since 1(171, the center
is a research institute with
the mission of increasing tho
independence and produc
tivity of people with devel
opmental disabilities.
Researchers at the center
approach this goal with a
wide range of strategies and
apply them to people of all
ages, from infants to adults.
Professor Robert Horner
heads the center's Special
ized Training program,
which deals with adoles
cents and adults who are i
moderately to severely men
tally retarded.
"These are kids that have
been excluded in past den
udes," Horner said of his
subjects, who often behave
anti-socially, biting class
mates and eating harmful
objects such as coins.
"The solution used to bo
to put them in an institu
tion,” Horner said. “In the
past 10 years, we've seen
that strategy has failed.
When you exclude kids from
their peers, they don't
learn," he said.
Along with graduate stu
dents and other professors,
Horner devises ways for
these people to develop so
cial skills inside society.
This includes holplng
schools deliver the educa
tional support a disabled in
dividual needs.
These are steps in what
Horner says is the larger
goal: to enable these people
Turn to RESEARCH. Page 9
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