Discussion about flower workers in Colombia is Oct. 20

Flower workers and the U.S. free trade with Colombia will be discussed at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, in the Common Room. All are invited. The event is hosted by Modern Languages, the First Generation Initiative, and the Political Science Department.

Flowers are one of Colombia’s biggest exports  (with 76 percent imported to the U.S.)–and a priority sector in the Labor Action Plan created as part of the U.S. Free Trade Agreement

The workers, 65 percent female, have few protections. They are often forced to take pregnancy tests and birth control to avoid the common birth defects.

Workers are exposed to 127 different pesticides, three of which the World Health Organization has labeled as extremely toxic, and pesticides are sometimes sprayed directly on to workers.

During the busy season, workers can be forced to work 12-16 hour days, six days a week.

Cactus is a Colombian advocacy organization that encourages women flower workers to fight for their rights by offering legal advice and support programs.

Two representatives of Cactus will speak:

• Josefa Gomez is a former flower worker who spent almost a decade in the industry. She became involved in Cactus through its outreach programs, and she eventually joined the organization’s administrative team. With her experience as both a worker and organizer, she brings a unique perspective to the analysis of the current situation.

• Leonardo Luna Alzate is an expert on territorial issues and social movements. As the leader of the Cactus program directed toward building solidarity among women flower workers, their families and youth of the savannah, he offers an analysis of the benefits and challenges of creating a unified movement in the face of powerful economic interests.

Rodgers presents at political science conference

Dr. Jim Rodgers, Social Science Department, gave the closing presentation to the Minnesota Political Science Conference at St. Cloud State University on Nov. 9 on “African Corruption, Instability and Counterterrorism.” The opening presentation at the conference was given by Saint Mary's alum Shoua Yang, who is currently an assistant professor of political science at St. Cloud. The conference was attended by political scientists from around the state, as well as state and local government officials.

Presentation about U.S. religious landscape is Oct. 23

Saint Mary’s will host a public presentation titled, “The U.S. Religious Landscape: Continuities and Some Change” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23.

Guest speaker Clifford Grammich, Ph.D., the chairman of the 2010 Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, will discuss the fact that recent religious data shows many remarkable patterns of stability over the past century, including the Catholic Church as still the largest religious body in the U.S.

The event will be held in the Common Room and is sponsored by the SMU Departments of History, Political Science and Theology.

For more information, contact Dr. Richard Tristano at rtristan@smumn.edu.

Presentation about U.S. religious landscape is Oct. 23

Saint Mary’s will host a public presentation titled, “The U.S. Religious Landscape: Continuities and Some Change” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23.

Guest speaker Clifford Grammich, Ph.D., the chairman of the 2010 Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, will discuss the fact that recent religious data shows many remarkable patterns of stability over the past century, including the Catholic Church as still the largest religious body in the U.S.

The event will be held in the Common Room, located on the third floor of Saint Mary’s Hall, and is sponsored by the SMU Departments of History, Political Science and Theology.

For more information, contact Dr. Richard Tristano at rtristan@smumn.edu.