USF International Education Week, Dr. Allan E. Goodman IIE; Global Education Quiz

After the breakfast honoring USF Fulbrighters (see previous post), Dr. Allan E. Goodman spoke to students and faculty in an impressive lecture hall in the new Patel Center for Global Solutions building.

Dr. Goodman gave us all a quiz -- a Global Education Quiz. It included questions such as

*What is the approximate population of the earth?

*Approximately what percentage of the world's population lives on less than $1.25 a day?

*What percentage of the U.S. Government budget is devoted to foreign aid?

*Which country is the leading seller of military arms and equipment?

I suggest you take a few minutes to take the quiz online and see how you score:

"Think You Know Our World? Take the IIE Global Education Quiz"

http://www.iie.org/Students/Tabs/US/Global-Knowledge-Quiz

USF World Fulbright Medal

USF World recently honored the USF Fulbright scholars at a Celebration Breakfast. Dr. Allan E. Goodman, President & CEO of the Institute for International Education, which oversees the Fulbright program, was on hand as we were awarded USF World Fulbright medals (to be worn at Commencement).

Speakers included USF System President Judy Genshaft, Vice President for Research, Innovation & Global Affairs Karen Holbrook, Betty Castor (former President of USF and current member of the Fulbright Board), Dr. Allan Goodman, and two USF Fulbrighters.

I must say that I was humbled by the faculty presentations. I was truly inspired by Dr. Darlene DeMarie's efforts to open a day care center in South Africa and by Mr. Michael Foley's work that transformed a dance company/theater in Mexico.

After the breakfast, we moved to the new Patel Center for Global Solutions to listen to Dr. Goodman's International Education Week presentation. (More to follow about this in my next post.)

Pictured with me are USF System President Judy Genshaft, former USF President Betty Castor (who currently serves on the Fulbright Board), Dr. Allan E. Goodman (President of the Institute of International Education, which oversees the Fulbright program) and Dr. Ralph Wilcox (Provost and Executive Vice President of the USF System).

For more information about USF World, see

http://global.usf.edu/

365PeaceandFriendship

I contributed a short piece about our USM-USFSP Joint Research Project regarding Human Trafficking and the role that Peace Corps Volunteers played in that effort to the Peace Corps newsletter in Moldova. The PCVs helped us to understand the work that is being done in Moldova to combat human trafficking.

Here is a link to the site where you can learn more about the impressive work being done by PCVs in Moldova and how you can support their work:

http://www.365peaceandfriendship.com/

And here is an excerpt from my post:

November 12th - International Collaboration Researching Human Trafficking
posted Nov 20, 2011 12:59 AM by Post Event

http://www.365peaceandfriendship.com/events/pcv-events---november/november12th-internationalcollaborationresearchinghumantrafficking

During the Fall 2011 semester, I collaborated with Professor Svetlana Suveica at the American Studies Center at Moldova State University in Chisinau to create a joint project where my students from my Women and the Law class could work together with her students. (We developed the idea for this project when I was teaching in Moldova as a Fulbright Scholar in 2010 (see www.jainmoldova.blogspot.com); Professor Suveica was a Fulbright Scholar to the U.S. (Stanford University) in 2009-10.)

The objective of the assignment, as we described in our handout for the students, is as follows:

"This group research project will give students from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and Moldova State University to work together on research projects regarding human trafficking. We will have several videoconferences with our colleagues in Chisinau/St. Petersburg during the course of the semester. In these meetings we will discuss common readings, hear from guest speakers in Moldova (NGOs and Peace Corps Volunteers) and in Tampa Bay (non-profits, prosecutors, law enforcement officials), hold a conference to present research findings, and enjoy a celebration event at which each student will be presented an edited volume that contains copies of each group’s research paper.

"While working on this assignment, students will learn about a wide range of issues related to human trafficking: the role of NGOs and non-profits in combating human trafficking in Florida and in Moldova; U.S. and Moldovan partnerships and coordination with other nations and international agencies and treaties designed to combat human trafficking; prevention programs in the U.S., Florida and in Moldova; prosecution of human trafficking in the U.S., Florida and Moldova, government agencies in the U.S., Florida, and Moldova responsible for combating human trafficking; U.S., Florida, and Moldovan anti-trafficking legislation (e.g., U.S. Trafficking Victim Protection Act 2000), and international responses to human trafficking (e.g., the U.N. Protocol against Trafficking in Persons (2003) and the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings).

"In addition to learning more about the issue of human trafficking, this assignment will give students the opportunity to
• foster intercultural understanding through learning and communication
• develop oral and written communication skills through the communication with a counterpart from U.S. and Moldova - across cultures and beyond borders
• make students aware of the interconnectedness of local/regional/global social issues
•expand students’ opportunities in using technology in communication, learning and research
•make students curious and interested in acquiring more knowledge about U.S. and Moldova and their peoples
•make students work virtually, outside homes, outside the country, through an on-line cooperation
•overcome stereotypes about a “privileged” American student in terms of research opportunities, non-academic cooperation, individual and group work
•make students reconsider possible preconceived ideas about big and small countries and the problem these face
•get in contact with a non-academic environment, e.g. NGOs, Peace Corps volunteers that are involved in solving the issues that are explored in the classroom
•make students share and learn from the experience of the other in terms of study and research
•overcome language barriers for those who were not able to communicate with a native speaker"

During our third videoconference/joint class meeting (on 20 October 2011), students heard from guest speakers working on combating human trafficking in Moldova. Presenters included a representative from the NGO LaStrada as well as Peace Corps Volunteers.

The LaStrada presentation was very insightful and full of information to assist students as they got their research projects underway. For more information about LaStrada, see www.lastrada.md

The joint classroom also heard from 3 Peace Corps Volunteers working in Moldova. While these volunteers do not work directly with victims of human trafficking, they work on a number of economic and community development projects aimed at prevention (and getting to the root causes that lead to trafficking).

PCVs Keith Johnson and Leigh Stenberg discussed their work with the TIP program, which is designed to connect volunteers with resources available to them for their work in the villages.

As described in an article by Melissa Stuart on this site (365peaceandfriendship.com) on April 28, "MoldovaTiP is the Peace Corps committee dedicated to human trafficking and migration issues in the Peace Corps Volunteer community. Primarily, we work as a conduit between eager PCVs and our counterpart organizations in the larger cities. Most of our partner organizations have a plethora of resources ready to distribute, and they rely on us to spread these resources throughout the country using the widespread, rural PCV network. Education is the key when it comes to avoiding instances of human trafficking and safely migrating from Moldova. Thus, the most common form of collaboration between our partner organizations and PCVs is seminars offered by our partner organizations. Our partners visit PCV classrooms, youth groups, and communities offering seminars and workshops on avoiding human trafficking, internet safety, and entrepreneurship. These events are free and are often taught by the organizations’ volunteers. Hence, our Moldovans partners really do most of the work on behalf of other Moldovans, we simply help facilitate the correspondence."

PCV Emily Getty discussed her work with GLOW -- Girls Leading Our World -- which has a variety of initiatives all aimed at empowering young women. Emily described a number of programs and initiatives she organizes to help empower young women in Moldova so that trafficking is not seen as the only way out of poverty in the village. You can see the GLOW Moldova facebook page for more information.

Not long after my students heard from the Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Moldova during this skype videoconference, many of them attended an event with the USF Peace Corps Recruiter when she visited our campus.

The insights gained from the PCV presentations not only informed my students understanding of issues to be addressed in combating human trafficking but also inspired them to consider serving as a PCV after graduation.

I am grateful that the PCVs could take time out of their busy schedules to join our "global classroom"!

Global Classroom: Independent Group Work

A key component of the work in the joint project between USM and USFSP students was to work independently within the eight groups to conduct the research and to draft a paper. Students at USFSP were offered the opportunity to record their experience of working closely with their USFSP and USM colleagues throughout this project as an extra credit assignment.

Here are a few excerpts:

“Over all my thoughts about this assignment are positive. I feel that it was a unique opportunity to work with students both in our class and in Moldova. … I have learned more about Human Trafficking through my own research, and it’s all because of this project. … This project also allowed me to make new friends out of classmates, and I truly hope those friendships last.”
- KM

“[I was] very surprised and happy about the work Elizaveta has contributed… she’s very intelligent in her writings.” – CC

“I made a Facebook group to strengthen the communication between the five of us [in the group].”
– LG

The students utilized social networking and online programs such as Skype, Facebook, and Dropbox in order to facilitate communication with group members at USFSP and USM.

“I spoke to Elena on Skype this morning. … I learned that Elena is actually a Russian & Russian Literature major not American Studies like I originally thought. I was very interested to find this out and our conversation about the project quickly transgressed into a discussion about the writings of one of my favorite authors, Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It turns out that Elena wrote her thesis on Dostoyevsky.” – AB

“Our group came together quite well, with each person knowing what they had to do for the group and contributing their best efforts. … Overall, I found it to be a very beneficial project and I hope that this book can be of benefit to people by highlighting some of the issues with the horrors of human trafficking. – YK

Guest Speaker from Romania: Women and the Legal Profession

On Thursday, November 17th, the lecture topic in my Women and the Law class was "Women and the Legal Profession."

This usually means "Women and the Legal Profession in the U.S."

This semester, since my students are working in groups with students from Moldova on their legal research papers (about human trafficking), I thought it would be appropriate for students to hear from a woman lawyer in the region.

We were so pleased that Diana Neagu, a partner of the law firm of Vernon|David (offices in Bucharest, Romania and Chisinau, Moldova) and head of its Banking and Finance Division, was able to speak to our class -- skyping with us from Bucharest, Romania.

We asked Diana to speak about her decision to become a lawyer, legal training in Romania, what it is like to practice law as a woman.

After covering these topics, Diana answered quite a broad array of questions about the kinds of cases she works on, how law firms are structured, the health care system in Romania, the EU (and what kinds of changes took place in Romania following its accession into the EU in 2007; the relationship between EU and national law), government and politics (and issues of corruption) in Romania and in Moldova....

When it came to issues such as family and medical leave, students were shocked to learn that women can take a year of maternity leave with 85% of their salary (and an additional year without pay without losing their jobs) -- and that people who are sick can go to the doctor, under the national health care system -- and that university students do not pay tuition.

Learning more about women and the legal profession in Romania (along with other political and legal issues) was a wonderful complement to the assigned readings and lecture material that focused exclusively on the U.S.

You can learn more about the law firm of Vernon|David at www.vdalegal.com

USM-USFSP Joint Classroom - 10 November 2011 Conference -- Photos from ARC

These are photos taken at the American Resource Center of the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau of students participating in our joint seminar on 10 November 2011. At this meeting, students presented their research findings about their topics related to human trafficking.

(These photos were some of those posted on the ARC facebook page.)

Previously I posted photos from this class meeting taken in our USFSP classroom (at the Poynter Library television studio).

USM-USFSP Joint Classroom--Student Presentations -- part 2

USM-USFSP Joint Classroom --Student Presentations -- 10 November 2011

On November 10th, our classes met together for the 5th time. During this joint seminar, the students (each of the 8 groups)presented their preliminary research findings.

During this class session, we met in new locations. The students in Professor Svetlana Suveica's seminar at the American Studies Center of Moldova State University met in the American Resource Center of the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau. My students met in the distance learning studio at the Poynter Library. The staff at the library recorded the presentations, and soon I will be able to share with you on this blog.

USM-USFSP Joint Classroom

On Thursday, 10 November 2011, the students in my Women and the Law class at USFSP and the students in Professor Svetlana Suveica's class at the American Studies Center at Moldova State University will share their preliminary research findings.

Students from Florida and Moldova have been working together in groups researching topics related to human trafficking this semester.

More about the project and our course meetings throughout the semester will be shared on this blog.

Peace Corps Info Session at USFSP

The USF Peace Corps Recruiter (RPCV Kazakhstan)came to USFSP for several information sessions on November 8

I was pleased to see so many of my students from Women and the Law in attendance at the event.

I am looking forward to reading through the Post-Test Surveys (to be administered on the last day of class) to learn more about the ways in which this class (and the group assignment with students from Moldova) has affected my students' understanding of what it means to be a "global citizen."

USM-USFSP Joint Classroom -- 27 October -- Students Against Slavery

On October 27th, our classes met together as a joint seminar (via videoconference)and learned from speakers from NGOs in Florida that are working to combat human trafficking here and to assist survivors of human trafficking.

First, we heard from a human trafficking survivor who is now President of chapter of Students Against Slavery where she attends law school.

This young woman showed a tremendous amount of courage as she re-lived the horror of her experience and recounted for us how she got trapped into slavery (a terrifying tale that began in a Tampa strip club) and the methods that were used to get her into this situation and to keep her there. While listening to this personal story it became obvious that there needs to be more training of law enforcement and other professionals (e.g., ER staff in hospitals) so that HT can be identified and stopped.

It is estimated that 20,000 victims are trafficked into the U.S. from other countries each year. And Florida is one of the top destinations in the U.S. (along with California and Texas).

However, the survivor who spoke to us is a U.S. citizen who grew up here, went to college here, and in many ways lived a life very similar to the students in my classroom. It really brought the story of human trafficking "home" for us. (Her story also literally brought the story "home" -- insofar as many of the places where she was forced to work were houses right in the neighborhoods where we live.)

This is not a problem that affects only people overseas -- it is a problem that affects all of us.

Several students in my class are interested in starting a chapter of Students Against Slavery on our campus. I'll follow up with more information about the group in a future post.

Students Against Slavery has a facebook page where you can go for more information about the group.

You can also find more information on the website of the International Association of Human Trafficking Investigators (IAHTI): www.iahti.org

We also heard from Donna Lancaster of the Zonta Club of Pinellas County http://zontaclubpinellas.org/

Zonta works closely with the International Association of Human Trafficking Investigators (IAHTI) and the Clearwater Area Task Force on Human Trafficking. See http://www.catfht.org/

We know that there are "more strip clubs than McDonalds in Tampa." While many of the activities that take place in these clubs are legal, the women who work at these establishments often become targets for sex traffickers.

Our speaker talked about how the traffickers find their victims, often as young as Middle School aged girls.

Ms. Lancaster discussed the education, resources, and legislative changes that are needed to combat human trafficking in Florida.

She used the recent Treasure Island case as an example. The arrests were likely made only because the officers received HT training 2 weeks earlier.

USM-USFSP Joint Class Project -- 20 October 2011 -- LaStrada and PCVs

During our 3rd videoconference (on 20 October 2011), students heard from guest speakers working on combating human trafficking in Moldova.

Presenters included a representative from the NGO LaStrada as well as Peace Corps Volunteers from the U.S.

The LaStrada presentation was very insightful and full of information to assist students as they got their research projects underway.

For more information about LaStrada, see

www.lastrada.md

The students also heard from 3 American speakers, Peace Corps Volunteers working in Moldova. While these volunteers do not work directly with victims of human trafficking, they work on a number of economic and community development projects aimed at prevention (and getting to the root causes that lead to trafficking).

One such program is called GLOW -- Girls Leading Our World -- which has a variety of initiatives all aimed at empowering young women.

You can see the GLOW facebook page for more information:

Girls Leading Our World (GLOW), Moldova
Community Page about Female Empowerment in Chisinau, Moldova

Other Peace Corps Volunteers talked about Moldova TIP, which is designed to inform volunteers of resources that can be used in the villages.

Human Trafficking Assignment -- IAHTI Dinner

On 6 October, several of my students and I attended a dinner hosted by the International Association of Human Trafficking Investigators. The event was designed to raise awareness. The 8 speakers did exactly that.

We heard from representatives of faith-based organizations (what churches and NGOs can do to help, e.g., make facilities available to victims), from law enforcement trained in narcotics awareness (and how prescription drugs are used to control victims), from a victim herself (and her efforts with the organization Students Against Slavery), from a special agent with Homeland Security, and also from the leadership of the IAHTI with more about their organization and what we can do to help.

For more about IAHTI, please see

www.IAHTI.org

It was an incredibly informative evening, and I am glad so many of my students could attend.

For extra credit, I invited students who attended the event to draft short papers about what they learned from the speakers at the event. Here are excerpts from one student's paper:

"Human trafficking always occurred to me as something that was not prevalent in the United States, or at least not in the picturesque Tampa Bay area. I was especially surprised to learn that human trafficking could so negatively affect a normal, college-educated, American citizen such as me....I learned that Florida has one of the highest instances of human trafficking in the country. The Tampa Bay area makes a prime destination location for human trafficking because of its abundance of resort hotels and strip clubs. I never realized that human trafficking also affected the hotel and restaurant industry. I soon realized that people like me were one of the biggest problems facing the prevention and prosecution of human trafficking. Because many people don't realize what human trafficking is and how frequently it occurs in the United States, they are unable to take the necessary steps to identify and save the victims....This lecture made me realize the importance of the research project that the class is about to undertake...My biggest hope for the project now is that I will be able to educate at least one person as to what human trafficking is and what simple steps can be taken to prevent it."

Here we are pictured with the emcee, Jennifer Holloway from BayNews9.

(I made a donation to IAHTI and ended up winning door prizes! My husband and I promptly used the gift certificate for Cafe Ponte to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary that weekend.)

USM-USFSP Joint Class Project -- Human Trafficking -- 6 October 2011

During our 2nd videoconference, we met to go over the group assignments as well as to discuss our common readings.

Students were broken up into 8 groups; each group includes students from USFSP and USM. The 8 groups will research the following topics:

(1) The role of NGOs and non-profit organizations in combating human trafficking in Florida and in Moldova.

(2) U.S. and Moldova partnerships and coordination with other nations and international agencies and treaties/laws designed to combat human trafficking.

(3) Prevention programs in Florida and in Moldova

(4)Prosecution of human trafficking in Florida and in Moldova

(5) U.S, Florida, and/or Moldovan government agencies responsible for combating human trafficking

(6) U.S., Florida, and/or Moldova anti-trafficking legislation (e.g., U.S. Trafficking Victim Protection Act 2000)

(7) U.N. Protocol against Trafficking in Persons (2003)

(8) Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Begins

USM-USFSP Joint Class Project -- Human Trafficking -- 29 September 2011

During the Fall 2011 semester, I collaborated with Professor Svetlana Suveica at the American Studies Center at Moldova State University to create a joint project where my students (from Women and the Law) could work together with her students.

The objective of the assignment, as we described in our handout for the students, is as follows:

This group research project will give students from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and Moldova State University to work together on research projects regarding human trafficking. We will have several videoconferences with our colleagues in Chisinau/St. Petersburg during the course of the semester. In these meetings we will discuss common readings, hear from guest speakers in Moldova (NGOs and Peace Corps Volunteers) and in Tampa Bay (non-profits, prosecutors, law enforcement officials), hold a conference to present research findings, and enjoy a celebration event at which each student will be presented an edited volume that contains copies of each group’s research paper.

While working on this assignment, students will learn about a wide range of issues related to human trafficking: the role of NGOs and non-profits in combating human trafficking in Florida and in Moldova; U.S. and Moldovan partnerships and coordination with other nations and international agencies and treaties designed to combat human trafficking; prevention programs in the U.S., Florida and in Moldova; prosecution of human trafficking in the U.S., Florida and Moldova, government agencies in the U.S., Florida, and Moldova responsible for combating human trafficking; U.S., Florida, and Moldovan anti-trafficking legislation (e.g., U.S. Trafficking Victim Protection Act 2000), and international responses to human trafficking (e.g., the U.N. Protocol against Trafficking in Persons (2003) and the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings).

In addition to learning more about the issue of human trafficking, this assignment will give students the opportunity to
• foster intercultural understanding through learning and communication
• develop oral and written communication skills through the communication with a counterpart from U.S. and Moldova - across cultures and beyond borders
• make students aware of the interconnectedness of local/regional/global social issues
•expand students’ opportunities in using technology in communication, learning and research
•make students curious and interested in acquiring more knowledge about U.S. and Moldova and their peoples
•make students work virtually, outside homes, outside the country, through an on-line cooperation
•overcome stereotypes about a “privileged” American student in terms of research opportunities, non-academic cooperation, individual and group work
•make students reconsider possible preconceived ideas about big and small countries and the problem these face
•get in contact with a non-academic environment, e.g. NGOs, Peace Corps volunteers that are involved in solving the issues that are explored in the classroom
•make students share and learn from the experience of the other in terms of study and research
•overcome language barriers for those who were not able to communicate with a native speaker


Here are photos from our first videoconference on 29 September 2011. Here you can see the students at the American Studies Center at Moldova State as well as how they looked on the big screen projector in our classroom at USF St. Petersburg.

During this meeting, Professor Suveica and I discussed the research project assignment, and students introduced themselves to each other.

La Multi Ani, Chisinau!

Today is Chisinau's 575th birthday. Wishing all our friends a happy Chisinau Day!

Posting a photo from last year's celebration.

First U.S. Ambassador To Moldova Reflects On Pace Of Change

Radio Free Europe

First U.S. Ambassador To Moldova Reflects On Pace Of Change

On August 31, RFE/RL spoke to Mary Pendleton, Washington’s first ambassador in Chisinau (1992-1995), on the sidelines of an event at the National Endowment for Democracy called "Moldova’s Transition: 20 Years of Challenges and Successes.

See this link for the article:

http://www.rferl.org/content/first_us_ambassador_to_moldova_reflects_on_pace_of_change/24315307.html

Ziua Independentei

Wishing all of my friends in Moldova a Happy Independence Day! This is the 20th anniversary of Moldova's independence.

Radio Free Europe article: "The Post-Soviet Generation Looks To Future In Europe's Poorest Country "

The Post-Soviet Generation Looks To Future In Europe's Poorest Country

Moldova is the poorest country in Europe, with a per capita GDP of about $3,000 and a population of about 3.5 million.

August 18, 2011

By Vasile Botnaru, Paul Hodorogea, Alla Ceapai

CHISINAU -- Moldova turns 20 years old next week.

For the full story, see this link:

http://www.rferl.org/content/post_soviet_generation_looks_to_future_in_moldova_europes_poorest_country/24300987.html

3D Univeristy Design (ULIM) High quality render (By Fares Hussini)

Bringing Eastern Europe to USFSP

On several occasions while teaching and lecturing in Moldova I was able to bring in guest speakers from America (e.g., speakers for the virtual "roundtable" discussion about the 2010 mid-term elections in the U.S.) to Chisinau.

This summer (for the first time!) I was able to bring in a guest speaker from overseas into my classroom at USFSP, via a skype videoconference.

My friend Chuck Vernon, Managing Partner at Vernon|David (with offices in Bucharest, Romania and Chisinau, Moldova)spoke to my Law and Politics class about how he ended up practicing law in Eastern Europe, what it is like to manage a law firm, the kinds of transactions he negotiates, and much more. My students (and I) learned a great deal from the presentation and Q&A session. How cool is it that we could bring someone with this kind of expertise right into our classroom in St. Pete?!

This example is the first (of many, I'm sure!) that demonstrates how my Fulbright experience will benefit my students in Florida.

For more information about Vernon|David, see

http://www.vdalegal.com/charles-vernon/

WDC for Pre-Departure Orientation 2011, part 2

It was great to be back in Washington, DC. I was able to squeeze in visits with old friends on Capitol Hill and the Supreme Court around my sessions at the State Department's Eurasia Pre-Departure Orientation.

Pictured here, visiting with my favorite U.S. Senator: Jeanne Shaheen

I picked up more prizes for my Supreme Court Bingo game (that we play on the first day of my public law courses) while at the Supreme Court's gift shop. There I stumbled across this amusing sign: "Please Do Not Strike the Gavels." The Curator's Office just installed a fabulous new exhibit. Pictured here, part of the Bench from when the U.S. Supreme Court met in what is now the Old Senate Chamber in the U.S. Capitol.

One evening I went to dinner in Georgetown, where I wanted to see the Ukrainian Embassy. I did not realize, until reading Ross Baker's (one of my mentors from Rutgers) book Strangers on a Hill: Congress and the Court that the Ukrainian Embassy was once William Marbury's home! Yes, the William Marbury of the landmark Marbury v. Madison (1803)case.

http://www.amazon.com/Strangers-Hill-Congress-Ross-Baker/dp/0393978567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312198975&sr=8-1