There is a general misunderstanding that matriarchal societies are “ruled by women.”

According to modern matriarchal studies, these non-patriarchal societies are actually shown to be gender-egalitarian and consensus-based societies, actively creating peace and sustainability.

Dr. Heide Goettner-Abendroth, a philosopher and researcher on culture and society known as the founding “Mother of Modern Matriarchal Studies,” will present “Societies in Balance: Re-thinking Matriarchy in Modern Matriarchal Studies” 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8 in the Student Union Ingman Room.

The lecture will provide an outline of the deep structure of matriarchal societies, including economic, social, political, and cultural aspects, which have been gained from cross-cultural research on still existing indigenous matriarchal societies all over the world.

Goettner-Abendroth, who was born in Thuringia, Germany, earned her Ph.D. in philosophy of science at the University of Munich where she taught philosophy for ten years. She is the founder and director of the International Academy HAGIA for Matriarchal Studies and Matriarchal Spirituality in Germany.

In 2003, Goettner-Abendroth organized and guided the 1st World Congress on Matriarchal Studies in Luxembourg and in 2005 the 2nd World Congress on Matriarchal Studies in San Marcos, Texas.

She was elected in 2005 by the international initiative “1000 Peace Women Across the Globe” as a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The lecture is sponsored by Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at The University of Toledo.

In three days 152 pimps were arrested and 105 children victims forced into prostitution were rescued during a nationwide FBI operation to address commercial sex trafficking in the United States. 

“Child prostitution remains a persistent threat to children across America,” Ron Hosko, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, said at the time of Operation Cross Country VII in July. “This operation serves as a reminder that these abhorrent crimes can happen anywhere, and the FBI remains committed to stopping this cycle of victimization and holding the criminals who profit from this exploitation accountable.”

For the past decade Celia Williamson, UToledo professor of social work, and her International Human Trafficking, Prostitution and Sex Work Conference celebrating its tenth anniversary next week, have been working to raise awareness about and bring an end to the problem.

“It is imperative we build on this momentum to continue to make great strides in increasing awareness about trafficking and curbing the practice that continues to victimize far too many young people,” said Williamson, who also is the founder of Second Chance, a social service program located in Toledo that provides comprehensive services to victims of domestic sex trafficking and prostitution.

Williamson

“The efforts of the FBI, such as this latest operation, are essential. We continue to work toward stricter laws to punish pimps, additional services for victims and increased public awareness that collectively will help to end this horrific practice of sex trafficking.”

The 10th Annual International Human Trafficking, Prostitution and Sex Work Conference Sept. 27-28 at The University of Toledo will share the latest in research, advocacy and programs to stop the practice and aid the victims of it.

The event will feature a keynote address at 12:30 p.m. Thursday by survivors and activists Sarita Skagnes and Theresa Flores. Skagnes is the author of the book “Just a Daughter” that shares her story of being exchanged by her parents for a boy because they wanted a son and how she was left behind to work as a maid servant. Flores is the author of “The Slave across the Street” about her experience as a sex trafficking victim when she was a teenager living in suburban Detroit.

The conference will feature more than 45 presenters on topics such as recruitment in jails, how hotels and motels facilitate trafficking, transgender youth in the sex trade and more. International components include examining trafficking concerns in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Turkey.

For more information on the conference, visit www.prostitutionconference.com.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (Sept. 23, 2013)
WTOL 11, 13 ABC and WNWO (Sept. 27, 2013)

E.J. Dionne Jr., a political pundit and columnist for The Washington Post, will discuss his latest book at the Edward Shapiro Distinguished Lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4 in the Student Union Auditorium.

Published last year, Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent explains why U.S. politics are so rough-edged right now, according to Jon Richardson, instructor in the Jesup Scott Honors College and chair of the Shapiro Selection Committee.

Dionne

“Dionne’s book examines two deep currents in the American ethos: a strong sense of community on the one hand, and rugged individualism on the other,” Richardson said. “These ideas sometimes work well together and sometimes seem to be at loggerheads.”

Richardson and Dr. Jamie Barlowe, dean of the College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences, were instrumental in getting Dionne to speak at this year’s Shapiro Lecture.

Dionne writes a column twice a week for The Washington Post Writers Group, which appears in more than 100 newspapers worldwide, including The Blade. He also is a political commentator for National Public Radio, ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” and NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

For 14 years, he covered state and local government as well as national politics for The New York Times. In 1990, Dionne joined The Washington Post and reported on national politics. Three years later, he started writing his column, which was syndicated in 1996.

He is the author of Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith & Politics After the Religious Right (2008), Stand Up Fight Back: Republican Toughs, Democratic Wimps, and the Politics of Revenge (2004), and They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives Will Dominate the Next Political Era (1996).

Dionne also is a University Professor at Georgetown University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

The lecture is a free, public annual event made possible by the Shapiro Endowment. Dr. Edward Shapiro, professor emeritus of economics, retired in 1989 and left the endowment so the University could bring world-renowned speakers to Toledo.

“Dr. Shapiro believed that bringing a speaker who possessed a good deal of public recognition as well as intellectual gravitas was a great way to bring the University and the city closer together,” Richardson said.

Past Shapiro Distinguished Lecture speakers include Elie Wiesel, Oliver Sacks, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Toni Morrison and Wynton Marsalis.

“We have had great success,” Richardson said. “The Shapiro Lecture is one of the most important intellectual events during the school year.”

Doors will open at 6 p.m. for this free, public event. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Click here to download a photo of Dionne.

University of Toledo economics professor Gbenga Ajilore is available to discuss October unemployment numbers released today.

The unemployment rate of 7.9 percent is essentially unchanged and provides more evidence of the economy producing slow growth, according to Ajilore.

He is available until 3 p.m. today for interviews. Contact Meghan Cunningham at 419.530.2410 to schedule.

Click here to read the U.S. Department of Labor news release.

Shaheen

Dr. Jack G. Shaheen, internationally acclaimed author and media critic, will discuss images of Arabs and Muslims in popular culture during a free public lecture Sunday at The University of Toledo.

Shaheen will present “Images of Arabs and Muslims in Popular Culture: Problems and Prospects” at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7 in the Richard & Jane McQuade Law Center Auditorium on the UT Main Campus. It will be the University’s 12th annual Maryse and Ramzy Mikhail Memorial Lecture.

“The purpose of the Mikhail Fund is to support an annual lecture dealing with Arab culture, literature, history, politics, economics or other broadly defined aspects of life in the Middle East,” said Dr. Samir Abu-Absi, UT professor emeritus of English and member of the Mikhail Memorial Lecture Committee. “The committee is very excited about this year’s program as it addresses some very timely issues related to the proliferation of negative images of Arabs and Muslims in the media and popular culture.”

A committed internationalist and a devoted humanist, Shaheen is a Pittsburgh native and former CBS news consultant on Middle East Affairs. His lectures and writings illustrate that damaging racial and ethnic stereotypes of Asians, blacks, Native Americans and others injure innocent people. He defines crude caricatures, explains why they persist, and provides workable solutions to help shatter misperceptions.

Shaheen is the author of five books and more than 300 essays in publications such as Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. He has given more than 1,000 lectures and has consulted with numerous entities including the United Nations.

The Mikhail Lecture is made possible through the Maryse and Ramzy Mikhail Endowment Fund, established in 2000 by the Mikhail family.

Click here to download a photo of Shaheen.

For more information, contact Dr. Samir Abu-Absi at samir.abu-absi@utoledo.edu.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Oct. 5, 2012)

The University of Toledo Center for Religious Understanding will present a panel discussion to help the Toledo community understand the protests and conflicts surrounding an anti-Islam film made in America and cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammad in a French magazine.

Anjum

The brown-bag teach-in called “A Closer Look at Anti-American Sentiment in the Muslim World” will take place at 12:30-1:45 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25 in Memorial Field House Room 1910 on the University’s Main Campus.

“Through this teach-in we will be able to provide information to our community about why this conflict is occurring and GIVE some context TO the media reports,” said Dr. Ovamir Anjum, UT Imam Khattab Chair of Islamic Studies. “It is important to promote education and religious understanding at all times, but especially when there is violent conflict going on around us. In addition to understanding, we want to discuss ways to build on the positive. There are demonstrations throughout the Muslim world that arecondemning violence and are sympathetic to the deceased ambassador.”

Anjum, the author of Politics, Law and Community in Islamic Thought who also was a guest on the Leading Edge with Jerry Anderson on Sunday talking about the same topic, is one of the panelists.

The other panelists are Dr. Edmund Lingan, director of the University’s Institute for Performance and Spirituality and eyewitness to the destruction of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, and via Skype, Dr. Todd Green, assistant professor of religion at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa with expertise in secularization and Islamophobia.

The free event will include time for questions and discussion. Visitors can park in Lot 13 and the West Ramp for the event.

For more information contact the UT Center for Religious Understanding at 419-530-6187 or cfru@utoledo.edu.

Nearly 200 anthropologists are expected to attend the Central States Anthropological Society annual meeting this week hosted for the first time by The University of Toledo.

The conference, Thursday, March 22 through 24 in the Park Inn Hotel in downtown Toledo, will include a number of presentations by anthropologists about their research and the latest news of their field, including five UT faculty members and eight UT students.

“The conference provides a wonderful opportunity to introduce The University of Toledo and the city of Toledo to anthropologists from across the central states,” said Willie McKether, UT assistant professor of anthropology and local arrangements coordinator for the annual meeting. “Hosting the conference in Toledo gives our students the opportunity to attend so they can meet leaders in the discipline and discuss their own research with future colleagues.”

The annual meeting will begin with an opening reception 7-9 p.m. sponsored by the UT College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences. The evening will include welcoming remarks from UT President Lloyd Jacobs, food, and entertainment, including an Irish dance troupe and The Murphys jazz band.

The conference will include a documentary film screening of The Natural State of America, “A Century of Fighting Racism” panel discussion and a publisher’s exhibit, in addition to numerous research presentations.

The Central States Anthropological Society, founded in 1921, is a section of the American Anthropological Association focused on promoting anthropology in the heartland and beyond.

The UT Center for Religious Understanding, in collaboration with the Hindu Temple of Toledo, will hold a lecture on Jain traditions Tuesday, March 20, 7 p.m. in the Law Center Auditorium.

“This is the second lecture on Eastern religious traditions with collaboration, which is being organized as part of an effort for creation of endowed chair on Hinduism at The University of Toledo,” said Dr. Sudershan Pasupuleti, UT associate professor of social work and member of the advisory board of the UT Center for Religious Understanding, who also served as the past president of Hindu Temple of Toledo.

“The goal of the endowed chair on Hinduism is to add richness to diversity and create opportunities on Eastern faith traditions at our university and for our students and community at large,” Pasupuleti added.

“From Mahavir to Mahatma Gandhi: The Jain Traditions of India” will be delivered by Dr. Pankaj Jain, assistant professor of anthropology, philosophy and religion studies at the University of North Texas.

Jainism is an Indian religious tradition that strongly supports a path of nonviolence for all people and is separate from but similar to Hinduism. Pasupuleti added that Jain has done considerable academic work onJainism and Hinduism.

“There is a lot of religious diversity in our community with about 13 or 14 different religions represented in the area, so it’s important for the community to learn about different faith traditions.”

“The Jain Traditions of India” will be presented as the Annual Lecture on Eastern Religious Thought in the Center for Religious Understanding lecture series. The free, public lecture is co-sponsored by the Hindu Temple of Toledo.

Contact: Toledo-Lucas County Health Department,  ?419.213.4100.

The fish consumption advisory — with the exception of carp — for the Ottawa River in Toledo, including the portion that flows through The University of Toledo, has been ordered lifted by the Ohio Department of Health and the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.

This advisory originally was issued by the Ohio Department of Health in 1991. It resulted from the decades of manufacturing activity and improper waste disposal of hazardous substances in the Ottawa River and its watershed. 

The “do not wade or swim” contact advisory previously was lifted for the western half of the Ottawa River, which includes the portion that flows through The University of Toledo Main Campus, in 2010. An advisory to not eat the carp in any section of the Ottawa River remains in effect.

Officials with the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, The University of Toledo and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency will gather at 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29, to remove an existing yellow warning sign located on the north side of the Ottawa River by the footbridge behind Carlson Library. In the event of rain, the press conference will be held in Student Union Room 2582.

“The Ottawa River that flows through The University of Toledo Main Campus is an important part of our university, and we are pleased to see the health of the river improve and the advisories lifted,” said Dr. Patrick Lawrence, UT professor and chair of the Department of Geography and Planning, and chair of the UT President’s Commission on the River. “The University is committed to enhancing the waterway and retaining the valuable natural resource for future generations.”

The UT President’s Commission on the River plans events annually for Celebrate Our River Week that includes joining the community-wide Clean Your Streams campaign with volunteers pulling trash from the waterway.

“This is a major success story for safe clean water in Lucas County but more importantly it has provided better health and well-being for Lucas County and its residents,” said Dr. David Grossman, Toledo health commissioner. “This endeavor has taken over a decade to be celebrated and could not have happened if not for the work and commitment of numerous individuals and groups. However, in Lucas County there is much more work to be done on improving water quality.”

The University is in the process of an Ottawa River restoration project funded with grants from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The project will use natural materials to create changes to the river flow that will enhance the aquatic habitat. Restoration plans are expected to be finalized in April with improvements beginning this summer.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11, 13 ABC and WNWO (March 1, 2012)
The Independent Collegian (March 1, 2012)