GlobeMed at Northwestern’s
GlobeMed Quarterly Volume 7, Issue 2 | Winter 2013 www.globemed.org/northwestern www.globemednu.org
Editor: Nicholas Wang
What Do You Believe All People Deserve?
globemed at northwestern celebrates World Day of Social Justice with a social awareness campaign By: Dhwani Jain
February 20th was World Day of Social Justice (WDSJ), and the Northwestern chapter of GlobeMed did a lot to celebrate. John Galyas, Jenna Zitaner, and I planned and executed activities that showcased how Globemed wanted to raise awareness for WDSJ. The first part of the planning was to come up with a question to ask Northwestern students. In our weekly meeting, the chapter brainstormed many ideas and in the end we agreed upon, “All people deserve blank” and people could fill in the blank with whatever they believed fit. We went all around the Northwestern campus and asked students what they thought and took pictures with them holding up their answers. We were able to get over 50 students to pose for us and we got a great range of answers from shelter and food to love.
Parul Kathuria, Rachel Spann, and Emily Bauersfeld share what they believe all people deserve for World Day of Social Justice The second part of World Day of Social Justice was to ribbon all along Sheridan Road. The ribbons were meant to be a way to spread awareness to the Northwestern student body and provide them a way to see how our campus is making a difference. We used purple ribbon for Northwestern and had different signs on each tree such as, “World Day of Social Justice 2013” or “#WDSJ @GlobeMedNU”. I believe through the signs, ribboning, and photos we took, Globemed at Northwestern had a successful World Day of Social Justice.
2012-2013 Exec Board: Presidents: Emily Bauersfeld Kalindi Shah
Global Health U: Tade Mengesha Katie Singh
Communications: Jerry Luo Bryana Schoen
Community Building: Parul Kathuria Rachel Spann
Campaigns: Alex Baum Sasha Jones
Individual Giving: Ragini Bhushan Teresa Caya
Finances: Shruti Zaveri
GROW Trip: Matt Zhou
Newsletter: Nicholas Wang
Contributors: Emily Bauersfeld Kalindi Shah
Alex Baum Avra Shapiro
Sponsored by Northwestern University International Program Development and the Global Health Studies Department
Presidential Questions, ft. Emily Bauersfeld and Kalindi Shah
outgoing co-presidents emily and kalindi may be ready to hand over the reigns, but they will never be finished talking about their love for globemed, so they took some time to ask each other questions to find out about their passions for global health among other interests and fears! Questions for Kalindi
What are you most afraid of in the world? My official answer is apathy. I am so afraid of people who are disconnected and apathetic, and I fear becoming apathetic as well. The biggest drive in my life is curiosity. People who are curious push themselves to see, solve, and experience the world in different ways--it is how innovation occurs. No curiosity. No change. No movement. However, my real answer is voice changers. You know in films how they make people’s voices deeper and scary? IT IS SO FRIGHTENING!! When I was little, I accidentally (not an accident, I knew exactly what I was doing) walked in on my parents watching The Exorcist when they expressly forbade me. I think it was the creepy voice and the heightened experience of doing something I wasn’t supposed to that feeds my fear. What has been your favorite part of GlobeMed so far? I will say it. Sometimes meetings can be rough, especially during Winter Quarter. It is freezing outside. It is dark. All this Florida girl wants to do is hibernate in bed and watch Downton Abbey. But, every so often, we have amazing small-group discussions. Someone will say something so insightful or you will just have a killer conversation. It is times like these that are so inspiring; they get my brain tingling. Favorite ice cream? Favorite ice cream? What kind of question is that...too many to be honest. It depends on my mood. On really hot Florida days, my friends and I go to this gelato place at the mall (because we are classy). The mango and mixed berry gelato is UNREAL. However, in Evanston, the best remedy for Winter malaise is an Andy’s Kids Cup with either hot fudge or raspberries. (Emily’s response... KID CUP!?) Where will you be on December 31st, 2020? Ahh, Emily, you are so cheesy. Well, I will probably be in a time machine, traveling back to this moment, so I can accurately answer it. Hey! It’s possible. If they just confirmed Higgs-Boson (the God Particle) exists, I believe anything is possible. What is the wildest campaign idea you have for the chapter? Hmm, this one is a doozy, which is probably why I am not a brilliant Campaigns coordinator like Sasha or Alex. The wildest campaign idea I have would be partnering with other social justice groups and academic departments to bring Arcade Fire (or other relevant artists) to campus. Also, this isn’t really a campaign, but I think it is completely possible to sponsor a TedX event at Northwestern. Because we are such a driven, engaged campus, I think there are really cool topics we could develop. If GlobeMed was able to make that happen, I would drop whatever I was doing and fly to Evanston in a heartbeat.
individual giving campaign results
GlobeMed at Northwestern raised $1,700 over winter break from our annual individual giving campaign. Additionally, the chapter raised $700 on March 13, 2013, which was Global Giving Bonus Day. A special thanks to everyone who donated to our cause, and please continue to support our programs as we enter into the final quarter of the year. You can donate online at our Global Giving website, http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/increase-public-health-andsanitation-in-uganda/ And also check out our new Web Thrift Store, http://globemednu.webthriftstore.com
Questions for Emily: What is the most important thing you learned in your three years with GlobeMed? There are so many talented students that are interested in saving the world. Talking about issues like poverty, global health and social justice week-to-week have given me so much to think about. I feel so lucky to have been able to contribute to such a powerful, motivated chapter these last few years. I can’t wait to see what is in store for the future. How will GlobeMed play a role in your future? I fully believe in public health equity. I can’t imagine not being involved in this movement in the future! I feel as though my involvement with GlobeMed has given me a personal responsibility to follow through on our chapter’s goals in the future. Winter Quarter 2017: What is GlobeMed doing? Hosting a killer benefit dinner, with Paul Farmer singing and/or dancing as the opening act. No, but really? A benefit dinner would be great, and I think the chapter totally has the capacity to pull one off in the future. Winter is the perfect time to make this happen! Who is your biggest celebrity crush? Adam Levine. Literally obsessed with him. I’m not usually a huge tattoo fan, but come onnnnn have you SEEN The Voice? (Kalindi’s response: Ew. Emily. Really?) What are you most afraid of in the world? Hands down, alligators. I’ve never even seen one in real life- I’m from New York, and now I live in Chicago- so why alligators? I really have no idea. It’s an irrational fear. Other fears I have? Not being able to do everything I want to in life. I have such big dreams for myself! I just want to be able to do as many of them as I possibly can.
Reflections: WDSJ and the Fallacies of the American Dream
reflections is a new op-ed style forum for globemed at northwestern members to reflect on the most current issues of the day and how it relates to public health here in america and around the world By: Nicholas Wang
World Day of Social Justice happened on February 20, and the National Office asked everyone in the chapter the question, “What do all people deserve?” It got me thinking about an op-ed published in the New York Times on February 16 by Joseph Stiglitz, a Columbia University professor and recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics. His article, entitled “Equal Opportunity, Our National Myth”, is a great read and I encourage you to find it online. In essence, he denounces the idea that the United States is the Land of Equal Opportunity as a complete myth in our modern era. Despite the advancements we’ve made in racial and gender equality, there are still noticeable differences in socio-economic status between white and non-whites, especially blacks and Latinos, and between men and women. And perhaps even more egregious, there is as little social mobility as there’s ever been in the history of this country, and is lower than in most of the other developed nations around the world. While racial and gender inequality decreased from the 1980s onward, economic inequalities increased. Stiglitz’s op-ed calls for a dramatic overhaul of our education system, especially with regards to how much funding public institutions receive. Take a look at this quote: “Unless current trends in education are reversed, the situation is likely to get even worse. In some cases it seems as if policy has actually been designed to reduce opportunity: government support for many state schools has been steadily gutted over the last few decades — and especially in the last few years. … Young people from families of modest means face a Catch-22: without a college education, they are condemned to a life of poor prospects; with a college education, they may be condemned to a lifetime of living at the brink. And increasingly even a college degree isn’t enough; one needs either a graduate degree or a series of (often unpaid) internships. Those at the top have the connections and social capital to get those opportunities. Those in the middle and bottom don’t. The point is that no one makes it on his or her own.” As Stiglitz says, the point really is, “No one makes it on their own.” America is a country founded by people with individualistic tendencies, traits that allowed people to excel at entrepreneurial enterprises and boldly go forth seeking their own prosperity and happiness. The history of the United States is filled with fantastic tales of people coming to this country building up their own business, working hard to support their family and themselves, and becoming successful. These are inspiring stories that touch upon some of the best qualities of Americans throughout history: hard-work-
ing and dedicated, innovative and creative, bold and resilient. But we live in a changing environment, where it simply is not possible to do what the pioneers did decades ago when they boldly set forth towards the West in search of land and freedom. The world is more interconnected and intertwined than ever before, and as a result people are more connected and engaged in something beyond themselves than ever before. This is not to say that entrepreneurial opportunities are not available anymore; on the contrary in fact. But it simply isn’t possible to do it purely by yourself anymore (it can be argued that it never really was possible, but that is more true today than ever before). American individualism made our country prosperous, but it is threatening to divide our country into those who have the freedom of opportunity, and those that simply do not. So if we are really to address this issue of social and economic inequality that continues to plague this country, if we are to really change the way things are and give people more opportunities, if we are really to work towards upholding the creed that America is the Land of Equal Opportunity, we need to have an honest and open discussion about this issue of American individualism, why it exists, what allows it to continue, and what sort of things we can do to try and tone it down. I recently finished reading a particularly engaging book entitled Outliers by journalist Malcolm Gladwell, who argues simply that in evaluating human potential we typically spend too much time focused on the individual in question, when we really should be looking at the forces surrounding the individual, such as where and when they grew up, what sort of household environment they were raised in, and the culture they were exposed to from an early age on. Gladwell draws attention once again to the simple fact that, “no one makes it on his or her own.” While Gladwell focuses on why certain people have become successful in our modern era, why not flip the equation upside down and look at how we can broaden the number of opportunities for people to become successful. Use what Gladwell’s research tells us, that cultural forces play a much bigger role than normally assumed in helping to determine who succeeds and who falls short, to devise a strategy to level the playing field, to allow more people to have the opportunity to be successful and move up the economic ladder into prosperity. Devise a strategy to create more outliers, rather than continue to stifle the few chances that limit most Americans already. Change comes slowly to those who wait. World Day of Social Justice came and went, and American consumerism and individualism rage on. So the challenge is to keep the conversations raging on. I encourage you to keep reflecting on the social justice issues facing our country today, and what we can do about it.
Quick Hits: Miscellaneous Chapter News a related global health event benefiting another ugandan community By: Avra Shapiro
Dr. Elizabeth Feldman hosted a powerful fundraiser held for a Ugandan health care NGO, RAIN-Uganda, started by the Abayudaya (Jewish Ugandan) doctor, Dr. Samson Wamani, to perform HIV and cervical cancer screening and treatment in rural villages. RAIN-Uganda had been getting $5000 annually from the AIDS Foundation of Chicago for their work, which was stopped this year due to funding shortages. The event took place at Lighthouse Yoga on January 27, and began with a yoga class, followed by food and music from a live band known as “Blueglass.” Afterwards, we skyped with Dr. Wamani from Uganda to hear about the important HIV work and cancer screening they are doing. Dr. Feldman then screened a documentary, “Delicious Peace Grows in a Ugandan Coffee Bean (www.deliciouspeacethemovie.com), which shows the inspiring work of Abayudayan coffee farmer Joav (JJ) Keki and his Muslim and Christian neighbors, as they set up an interfaith fair trade coffee coop to improve the lives of their families. It was a powerful experience that shows how important strong relationships and partnerships are to facilitating positive and meaningful change.
globemed documentary screening By: Alex Baum
On the evening of March 6th, GlobeMed teamed up with Pura Playa, a plastic waste reduction advocacy group at NU, to present the screening of Green. Green is a short film that depicts the struggles of families living in “Cancer Alley,” the area between New Orleans and Baton Rouge that is home to 150 petrochemical plants. Prior to the screening that evening, Pura Playa hosted a blind water testing station in which participants tried to tell the difference between different types of water, including tap water and bottled water. GlobeMed held a bake sale alongside. Despite a modest turnout, the event was a success. Green addressed issues relevant to both organizations. Many plastic products are produced from chemical plants such as those in the film, and unfortunately become much of the waste that Pura Playa works to reduce. The chemicals released by these plants affect families in their surrounding area and create the very health inequities that GlobeMed was created to combat. In post-screening discussion, students reacted by sympathizing with the suffering families. They also acknowledged, however, that waste generation is a complicated issue, and neither side of the debate should be “villainized.” GlobeMed and Pura Playa each left the evening newly inspired in their efforts to alleviate global health inequities and to reduce plastic waste at Northwestern.
Alyssa at Adonai!
To the left is Aloysious Luswata, the Director and Founder of the Adonai Child Development Center
alyssa smaldino, the national office director of partnerships, visited adonai and a number of other globemed partners in east africa; here are some of the photos she took of our new partner!
Building a generation of global health leaders Since our chapter’s founding, hundreds of students have become members of GlobeMed at Northwestern. These members, along with other students from universities all over the country, have participated in GlobeMed’s high-impact programming. In addition to providing students with the knowledge and skills to address issues of global health, these events have mobilized participants to join in the movement for global health equity.
How to donate
Donate Online Visit our global giving page online to make a donation: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/increase-public-health-and-sanitationin-uganda/ Or visit our new Web Thrift Store: http://globemednu.webthriftstore.com Donate By Mail Please make checks payable to “GlobeMed at Northwestern” and send to: GlobeMed National Office 620 Library Place Evanston, IL 60208 GlobeMed is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. www.globemed.org/northwestern www.globemednu.org
Former co-president Tiffany Wong walks with children from Ho, Ghana across a soccer field to where future crops of soybeans will grow.