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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Education for Palestinian- Israeli Coexistence Conference held at UIUC in April |
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by Courtney Faith Stover, UIUC Political Science
Email: www.epic2001.org for more info (unverified!) |
26 May 2001
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When tensions mounted early this year concerning the Middle East conflict, students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign collaborated to form a meaningful conference called EPIC 2001. The conference, Education for Palestinian- Israeli Coexistence, was created with the intent of providing an un-biased look into the conflict. |
When tensions mounted early this year concerning the Middle East conflict, dedicated students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign collaborated to form a meaningful conference called EPIC 2001. The conference, Education for Palestinian- Israeli Coexistence, was created with the intent of providing an un-biased look into the conflict. Held on April 1st, 2001, EPIC was free and welcome to everyone.
This year, members of the local Amnesty International, Muslim Students Association, Hillel Student Board, Jews On Campus, and Students for Palestine collaborated to host EPIC 2001. Party affiliations were put aside as this diverse group of students combined to form a powerful team to orchestrate EPIC.
The idea behind EPIC was to raise awareness about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and how it affects those overseas as well as those here at the University. The concept of EPIC was sparked by controversial chalkings, concerning Israeli occupation in the Middle East, on the quad. It was obvious that the Middle East conflict affected many students on campus, however few students had a workable knowledge of the issues behind the conflict.
EPIC coordinators waned to provide a comprehensive look at the multi-faceted conflict. Dave Dash, EPIC coordinator, said, "The issue is very complex. We wanted to create something that would help students understand all of the issues involved." The conference addressed different aspects such as women’s issues, the media, economics, and politics of the region to give attendees a broad perspective of the conflict’s origin.
EPIC commenced with a historical overview of the conflict, followed by keynote speakers from each perspective. In addition to panel discussions and lectures led by respected professors, journalists, and religious leaders, the conference ended with small group discussions. Trained members of Amnesty International and Campus Mediators led the discussions to help minimize conflict. However, despite the initial fear of tension, the small groups proved to be conflict-free. These discussions were an integral element of the conference, as they provided an open dialogue amongst students concerning the future of the conflict.
Overall, EPIC was a huge success. Despite a few glitches in the logistics of the conference, the feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Students felt that EPIC allowed people from both sides to come together and open the lines of communication concerning the heartfelt conflict. Coordinators felt that these lines of communication could be used to help students gain perspective on the issue.
Unfortunately, the conflict remains front-page news. About three weeks after the conference, tensions flared again on campus when pro-Palestinian students united to protest the celebration of Israel’s 53rd birthday. This non-violent demonstration affirmed the severity of the ongoing conflict overseas and on campus.
Although EPIC did not intend to provide solutions for the problems of the world, EPIC worked to expand student’s knowledge of the conflict. Mike Bullerman, president of the campus Amnesty International said, "I think EPIC did something good for this campus. By encouraging people to become more educated about the issues that feed the Middle East conflict, it raised the overall awareness of the students here." Considering the positive response to EPIC, coordinators have discussed the future of EPIC on campus. Such efforts include discussion groups for students and a tentative statewide EPIC 2002. More information concerning the conference can be found at HYPERLINK "http://www.epic2001.org" www.epic2001.org . |