We are a small but growing community of undergraduate students interested in theories and practices of peace, as well as explanations of violence and war. In all of these endeavors, our mission is to seek a more positive and just campus, community, and world. Our purpose is to disseminate knowledge of the peace process and the practice of peace and nonviolence. We act first and foremost as an inte
llectual forum for students interested in peace and conflict studies. Students considering careers in peace and conflict resolution, diplomacy, mediation, and peace building are encouraged to get involved. Throughout the academic year we aim to further our understanding of the peace process, as we discuss modern conflicts, theories, and movements, and invite speakers in from a variety of disciplines to explore the peace process. In addition to our academic pursuits, our organization aspires to use our understanding of the peace process to encourage positive social change and a just campus, community and world, through engaging in annual peace projects, and by honoring OSU students that are contributing to peace on campus and throughout the global community.
Our organization has several guiding principles that we aspire to uphold. They are: education, honoring, and inspiring peace. Educating
Our first principle is to disseminate knowledge of the peace process through diverse opinions and perspectives. Throughout the 2012-2013 academic year we will be hearing from peace scholars, policy and political professors, spiritual leaders, and international peace scholars. We aim to discuss hot topics and sensitive subjects with open hearts and minds. In the 2013 academic year we will be hosting a conference with David Cortright, Director of Policy, from the Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies. We are proud to welcome Mr. Cortright to the Ohio State campus on March 1st, 2013. Serving
In addition to being an academic organization we are also a proactive organization. This does not mean that we stage sit-ins or protests on campus ( for the record we do not condone any such activities) rather, we believe in putting our studies into action. This means that we generally seek to participate in at least one "peace activity" per year. We look for service projects, volunteering opportunities, et cetera that we may contribute to. This is our way of giving back to the Ohio State campus and the Columbus community. For 2013, we have focused our efforts on doing a bookdrive for Libraries for Liberia. This is a nonprofit organization based out of Westerville Ohio. It was founded by Zuulu Cooper, who was born in Liberia. He is attempting to build the first library in the country since the long lasting civil war ended there in the early 2000's. Zuulu has commissioned an architect from Ohio State to help design the library in the nations capital city of Monrovia. The building is an expensive undertaking, so we hope to do our part by donating some books and supplies for the year. Honoring
The Peace Society represents and supports students on campus who are interested in the path of peace. This is a lifestyle of nonviolence-one which builds stronger and more just communities, tolerates differences, fosters friendly co-existence, and advocates the "live and let live" philosophy. We honor and support those that are contributing to peace by breaking down barriers of injustice, intolerance, hate, and discrimination.
We worked hard throughout the 2012-2013 academic year to create the Undergraduate Peace Award at Ohio State. As far as we know this is the first award of its kind. This is a Peace Society creation that was inspired by our desire to support and honor students who are contributing to peace. During the 2013 academic year we will do our part to support the path of peace. We are proud to be sponsoring the first Undergraduate Peace Award at the Ohio State University! This award ( explained further on the Peace Award Application page) is open to ALL undergraduate students!
