 "Photo: Photo courtesy of Mark waters")
 "Photo: Sloane Davis")
 "Photo: Sloane Davis")
 "Photo: Sloane Davis")
 "Photo: Sloane Davis")
NEWS
Candace Brewer will possibly be making the most important move in her academic career on Wednesday, Feb. 24, but it won’t be happening in a classroom. She’ll be sitting in a basketball arena with thousands of other students listening to a speech made by the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize laureate — the Dalai Lama.
The Dalai Lama, who has spent much of his life in a nonviolent struggle to free his beloved Tibet, has received more than 84 awards, written 72 books and been to 62 countries on six different continents, is making his first visit ever to Palm Beach County.
“Seeing the Dalai Lama speak will be amazing,” said Brewer, a sophomore English major. “It’s something I never thought I’d be able to do.”
As part of the Peace Studies Program’s Expressions of Peace Week, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama will be making a stop at The Burrow on Feb. 24 to make a public address on “Compassion as a Pillar of World Peace.”
1,500 tickets have been allotted to students who have signed up for the lottery on FAU’s Web site. 400 tickets will go to faculty and staff, and about 3,000 of the 5,000 seats of The Burrow are expected to be filled by students, faculty and paying citizens of South Florida alike. Tickets were on sale to the general public for $50 to $70, depending on the seats, but the event is now sold out.
Expressions of Peace Week will begin with a piano performance and public lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 17, and will conclude with a tree planting by Mission Green Student Association the afternoon of the Dalai Lama’s speech.
“We decided to have a tree planting closing ceremony in the Dalai Lama’s honor,” explained Alex Van Mecl, the founder and president of Mission Green Student Association. “We hope that attendees to the lecture will also participate in the ceremony the same day shortly thereafter.”
The days between those Wednesdays will be chock full of events that will help the students of FAU move toward a more peaceful world.
“We have [more than] 32 events for Peace Week, on three different campuses,” said Noemi Marin, director of the Peace Studies Program. “There is Poetry of Peace on February 18th, Peaceway on the Breezeway on February 22nd, and an important panel on the Nobel Peace Prize laureates on the 23rd. I think that’s a really interesting one.”
Faculty members like Josephine Beoku-Betts, the interim director of the Women’s Studies Program, recognize the importance of Peace Week and the message brought by the Dalai Lama.
“When we put peace and compassion at the center of our own lives, we develop new ways of viewing the world and making a difference in the lives of others,” said Beoku-Betts.
Specifics on proper behavior and attire for the event will be available to students when they pick up their tickets. However, Stacy Volnick, the interim assistant vice president of Financial Affairs, has a few suggestions for students in attendance.
“I would expect that the behavior students demonstrate would be that which is appropriate when in the presence of such an important figure, and behavior that would make the university proud,” explained Volnick. “While there is no dress code for the event, I think that students should use this as an occasion to dress in a manner suitable for the occasion. Being a part of the audience, for many, will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
For more information on His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, visit www.fau.edu/peaceweek.
Who: The Dalai Lama
When: Wednesday, Feb. 24, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Where: The Burrow of the Boca campus
How well do FAU students really know His Holiness?
“His Holiness is often referred to as one of the top three most recognizable people on the planet.”
- Stacy Volnick, the interim assistant vice president of Financial Affairs
Poll: 50 random students about FAU were polled.
They were asked this question: “Do you know who the Dalai Lama is, or what he does?”
Out of that 50, 26 said yes, and 24 said no.
Here are some of their answers:
Garrett Braddock, sophomore theater major:
“I don’t know; does he save people?”
Luke Norby, sophomore business major:
“I don’t really know. He’s important, I guess …”
Dwayne Morrison, sophomore engineering major:
“Some Indian guy who is helpful.”
Sudi Kamose, sophomore psychology major:
“He’s from Tibet. It’s a divine right selection. He’s going to different countries, spreading the word about living in peace and harmony.”
Some even crazier answers (these were so bad, the students wouldn’t let their names be printed):
“The Indian pope”
“An animal? Something Arabian”
“An Indian preacher”
“A llama with a dolly”
“An animal like a camel”
“One of the head guys in India”
“An assassin sent to kill the president of the United States”
“What is that?!”
How well do you know the Dalai Lama?
1. What does “Dalai Lama” mean?
A. “He Who Moves Mountains with His Mind”
B. “Ocean of Wisdom”
C. “Awesome One”
2. How old was His Holiness when he was selected to fulfill his destiny as the 14th Dalai Lama?
A. 17
B. 12
C. 2
3. What is the Dalai Lama’s birth name?
A. Lhamo Dhondop
B. Tenzin Gyatso
C. Thubten Gyatso
Answers: 1. B, 2. C, 3. A
“An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful.”
- His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
The Peace Studies Program, along with a committee of faculty and students, has coordinated several events for FAU’s first Expressions of Peace Week. These events will take place on the Boca campus and occur before and after the Dalai Lama’s visit:
1. Forgiveness, Compassion and Justice: Masterworks of Western Music
Date: Feb. 17
Time: 1 to 2 p.m.
Location: Arts & Letters 247
A piano performance and public lecture by Heather Coltman that will examine how great composers deal with moral issues like humans harming humans and finding hope and peace.
2. Loving Humanity with Locks of Peace
Date: Feb. 18
Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: Queen Palm Room of the Student Union
Students Advocating Volunteer Involvement is asking students to donate their hair to Locks of Love, a national organization based in West Palm Beach that makes wigs for children with cancer.
3. The Peaceway
Date: Feb. 22
Time: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: The Breezeway
Student and community organizations that represent the Dalai Lama’s ideals will be in the Breezeway to promote peace and humanitarian efforts.
4. A Night of Peace and Tranquility
Date: Feb. 22
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Majestic Palm Room of the Student Union
Black Student Union & Multicultural Programming will host an event that will combine peace dancing, yoga and guided meditation. This event is meant to emphasize the beliefs and values that the Dalai Lama holds.
5. Showing of the documentary Dalai Lama Renaissance
Date: Feb. 23
Time: 6 to 9 p.m.
Location: Grand Palm Room of the Student Union
There will be a screening of a documentary that depicts the Dalai Lama’s meeting with 40 Western thinkers who want to change the world and solve its problems. Students can also stay afterward to hear a lecture about the film.
6. Tree Planting
Date: Feb. 26
Time: 2 p.m.
Location: Between the Social Sciences and Nursing Buildings
Mission Green Student Association and Peace Studies Student Association will be planting a live oak tree to commemorate the Dalai Lama’s visit. This tree will be the beginning of a larger project that will include a meditation and habitat restoration area.
[Source: Alex Van Mecl]
For more information about the Expressions of Peace Week events, visit www.fau.edu/peaceweek/event.php.
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