For the fall semester 2010, Women in Public Policy was successful in bringing a number of distinguished speakers to campus, such as Gerald Steinberg from NGO Monitor and Nigel Ashford from the Institute for Humane Studies. These speakers provided their expert insight on international issues, such as the role of NGOs in the international community and neo-liberalism in the global economy.

In addition, WPP was active in operations of the Pacific Coast Council on Latin American Studies Annual Conference held at the beginning of November. The conference provided the opportunity for scholars, experts, and students to present their perspectives and research on a number of important issues facing the Latin American community, such as immigration, drug trafficking and other illicit activity, culture and demographics, gender issues and politics, just to name a few.

Women in Public Policy also hosted a few social events for Fall 2010. In August, WPP hosted “Mingle on Main St” as a way to inspire social interaction among first and second year SPP students. We also hosted the “Annual Pumpkin Carving” at Drescher Apartments Commons, where we cooked hotdogs and craved pumpkins to get into the Halloween spirit. These events were a lot of fun and helped to build relationships within the SPP student body.

In addition to these events, WPP was also a registered group for “Step Forward Day 2011,” where we embarked on a local service project to document the location and condition coastal access passages in the city of Malibu. The project was a great success and students and faculty came out in record numbers to engage in the day of service.

We plan to continue this trend the next semester by staying true to our mission to inspire academic enrichment on Pepperdine Campus as well as motivating the SPP student body. With that being said, we plan to invite a variety of speakers to campus to discuss the various roles of public service, as well as topics pertaining to international security.

WPP is also in the process of sponsoring a deployed United States soldier through the non-profit HeroBox.Org. If anyone is interested in donating or receiving more information in general, feel free to contact any WPP Executive Board member.

As always, Women in Public Policy is interested in any suggestions for possible speaker topics or contacts, as well as recommendations on service projects. It has been a great semester, and we look forward to the Spring semester!

Women in Public Policy has a number of interesting and fun events planned for October. This is the tentative calendar for the month of October.

On Thursday, October 21st, Nigel Ashford from the Institute of Humane Studies will be presenting at 12pm in Room 179. Please stop by to hear his expertise on the political economy and the free society.

We will also be having a Pumpkin Carving on Tuesday October 26th at 5pm at the Circle at Drescher Apartments. We will have food and pumpkins for carving to help you get into the Halloween Spirit. If you are a dues paying member, then your pumpkin and food are free. If you are not a dues paying member, it will be $5 to carve a pumpkin and eat. It will be a great time, so you should stop by and join in the festivities.

We hope to see everyone at these events. Thanks for reading!

October

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 from 10:00 A.M to 4:30 P.M.

The Graduate Schools of Public Policy and Public Affairs at the Pardee-RAND Graduate School, University of Southern California, University of California-Los Angeles, and Pepperdine University will be hosting their Annual Policy Symposium on Tuesday April 6th, 2010 at the RAND Campus in Santa Monica.

Schedule of events:

Ximena del Carpio is an excellent example of what Pepperdine students aspire to.  After her graduation from Seaver, SPP, and MBA programs, she attained her PhD. from USC in economics.  She describes herself as, “a Pepperdine person at heart.”  After receiving three degrees from Pepperdine, it is hard to question her dedication.

Currently, Ximena works for the World Bank promoting human development in Asia and Latin America.  Ximena described how her work pursues sustainable development in low-income countries.  The World Bank partners with local communities to create and implement projects that improve human well-being.  Ximena structures grants, education initiatives, and infrastructure projects so the World Blank is accountable to the people they serve.

Professor Blanco, advisor to WPP, arranged for Ximena to have an intimate discussion with students before her lecture.  Ximena gave invaluable advice about how to have the most valuable experience:  Take advantage of opportunities like the Pepperdine Public Policy Review to hone writing skills and create a valuable product to present to future employers.  Participate in opportunities like the WPP debate series to practice oratory and analytical skills.  Ximena credited her exposure to SPP classes like Great Books and Capstone for teaching her analytical reading, research, and oration skills.

WOMEN IN PUBLIC POLICY WILL BE TEAMING UP WITH WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL TO HOST AN EVENT CALLED “JOIN ME ON THE BRIDGE” ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, MONDAY, MARCH 8: On Monday, March 8th, from 12 Noon to 2 PM at the Joslyn Plaza on the Seaver Campus, WPP will be hosting “Join Me on the Bridge” with Women for Women International in celebration of International Women’s Day.  We will be having readings of inspirational stories of the women Women for Women International works with, women speaking on their experiences working with other women in the developing world, Ana Guarjado of UCLA speaking about women’s issues and activism in Ciudad-Juraez, and Human Rights Watch Los Angeles Director Tiffany Siart who will be speaking on the LAPD Rapekit Backlog and Human Rights Watch’s efforts to bring the issues of women’s rights and sexual violence to light in Los Angeles.

For full schedule in PDF format, please click here IWD_Schedule_3

In addition to our program of speakers and performers, we will be handing out information on the Adopt-a-Sister program sponsoring a women in a developing country with W4W.  There will be a message board at the event where you can post your messages of peace and support for women around the world (the messages will be forwarded to the women in the developing world the Women for Women International works with).

Mama’s Hot Tamales–a co-op  supporting women fleeing domestic violence in Mexico and Central America and providing job training and support services for these women– will be providing free food for the event.

For any questions regarding programming, please email Morgan Beach, WPP President at morgan.beach@pepperdine.edu, or Katy McAfee at kathleen.mcafee@pepperdine.edu. You are welcome to deliver personal messages of hope, peace, or any pieces of performance art (poetry, dance, etc.) at the event.  Please contact us in advance if you wish to participate.

Women for Women International provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies. To honor the resilience of these and the millions of other women survivors of war around the world, Women for Women International is hosting a global campaign – “Join Me on the Bridge” – which will unite women all over the world in a global women’s movement showing that women can build the bridges of peace and development for the future.  Pepperdine University and Women in Public Policy will be hosting one of these gatherings.

Women in Public Policy (affiliated with Pepperdine’s School of Public Policy) aims to serve the community through charity events, promote leadership, and foster enlightened political discourse. We are endeavoring to empower women in public service and promote an ongoing dialogue of women’s issues in our community.

Volunteering for the Midnight Mission is a wonderful experience!

If you love TV game shows and want the opportunity to win prizes and be seen on TV, then please take this survey and let us know if you are interested in attending a taping of The Price is Right!

Thanks!