Leslie Center for Peace and Justice: Student Groups: Welcome

MANY OF THE student groups at OWU are focused around peace, justice, activism, or service. In fact, many of those groups were initiated under the leadership of Dr. Leslie and the Christian call to social justice. The following list is not meant to be all inclusive, but rather the list of those groups and programs most closely related to the Chaplain’s Office, as well as those based elsewhere who regularly work collaboratively with us. For further groups, particularly those related to service, see the Community Service Learning Programs and Organizations pages.

Justice Groups and Programs

Jubilee Team

The Jubilee conference is a three day Christian conference with a unique approach to culture, leadership, and community responsibility. Jubilee also teaches students how faith and academic life can be integrated. The Jubilee Team at OWU prepares for the conference by discussing issues of social justice from a biblical perspective.

OWU National Capital Seminar: The Crossroads of the Powerful and Powerless, Washington D.C.

Participants explore power as it relates to poverty on a two week immersion experience in Washington D.C. This team spends time with both the poor and those working on the grassroots level to alleviate poverty, as well as lobbyists and politicians who strive to reduce poverty.

OWU Voices for Victims of Agent Orange

In March of 2005 a group of 10 Ohio Wesleyan University students traveled with two OWU faculty members to Vietnam to learn about the effects of Agent Orange. Thinking that they were prepared for what they might find, the harsh reality of the situation easily erased all of their innocent expectations. The issue of Agent Orange is not one of the past, but something that many Vietnamese and Americans are still dealing with today. Voices for Agent Orange Victims was established at OWU to raise awareness and educate people about this issue.

This student-led organization works with Fund for Reconciliation and Development (FRD), a not-for-profit organization based in New York. For the past 20 years, FRD has been working to address the consequences of war in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. For more information, contact Chaplain Powers.

School of the Americas Watch

The James Leslie Center for Peace and Justice is the primary sponsor for Ohio Wesleyan University’s students, faculty, staff, and alumni who participate in the annual fall School of the Americas Watch prayer vigil at Ft. Benning, Georgia. The SOA, frequently dubbed the “School of Assassins,” has left a trail of blood and suffering in every country where its graduates have returned. For more information, contact Chaplain Jon Powers.

Student Initiative for International Development (S.I.I.D.)

Students work to directly impact the quality of life for a person on the other side of the globe by working to empower others through small business loans. Learn first-hand how micro-credit is virtually changing the face of charitable giving.

STAND

Formerly known as “Students Taking Action Now: Darfur”, STAND was formed in 2004 in response to the atrocities taking place in Darfur. Currently, STAND’s campaigns focus primarily on ending the ongoing genocide in Darfur, Sudan. In addition, they actively encourage members to learn about other conflicts and the larger anti-genocide movement.

Vote Out Poverty—Sojourners

The OWU Vote Out Poverty campaign, in partnership with Sojourners, serves witness to the fact that poverty is not a liberal or conservative issue, but it is up to us to push both parties to address poverty and make this a bi-partisan issue. For information, contact Lisa Ho.

Collaborative Partners

Peace and Justice House

The Peace and Justice House is a small living unit (SLU) on campus that (unsurprisingly) focuses on justice issues in the world. This house has been a strong collaborator with the Chaplain’s Office and Chaplain Powers serves as one of its advisors. For more information, contact Julia Brooker in the Office of Residential Life.

Amnesty International

OWU Amnesty International is a campus chapter of Amnesty International—a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all. Our supporters are outraged by human rights abuses, but inspired by hope for a better world—so we work to improve human rights through campaigning and international solidarity. Amnesty International has more than 2.2 million members and subscribers in more than 150 countries and regions and we coordinate this support to act for justice on a wide range of issues. For more information, contact Chaplain Powers.