Pace Paw Print

Pace University's student organizations dedicate their time and put in the effort to provide outstanding programming and events for not only Pace students, but also for the Pleasantville community. For some years now, Freedom Through Knowledge (FTK), a student organization whose mission is to raise awareness and take action on a multitude of social justice issues, has hosted many educational and extraordinary events. Big events such as spring 2007's The Lock-In where students were locked in the Goldstein gym from 1 am until 6 am as a fundraising event, was one of the organizations biggest successes.

FTK ended last spring, and has since merged with members of a short lived group known as The Movement to form The Center for Peace and Social Justice (CPSJ).

Former president of FTK Gabriel Tanglao graduated last spring and became a graduate assistant in the Student Development for Campus Activities. As president, Tanglao had the opportunity to recruit some of the strongest and most dedicated student leaders on campus to be a part of the executive board. "When we left it seems the heart and soul of the organization left with us," said Tanglao.

Despite the tragedies occurring around the world, Tanglao suggest that students at Pace take the opportunities they have to made a difference. "We have a responsibility to voice for the tens of millions voiceless human beings we share this world with," he said.

In remembrance of FTK and its success, Tanglao decided to develop a unit within the Student Development and Campus Activities to further accomplish FTK and The Movement's goals. CPSJ was Tanglao's new idea. Tanglao and CPSJ helps organizations and student leaders develop ideas and plans events that serve to either raise awareness or take action on social justice issues. The events are designed to be creative, enjoyable, cost-effective, and fulfilling experiences for all. Tanglao spends his time planning events for CPSJ and other organizations. This semester, CPSJ is launching a campaign called "Back to Basic's Month."

"In a world where complex and controversial issues tend to lead to a breakdown in conversation or turn people off to paying attention, I wanted to emphasize the things we, as human beings, all share in common," said Tanglao. With the help from organizations like Psychology Club, RHA and NIC, they are going to effect that positive change through some past and soon-to-come events.

Back to Basics Month consists of five themes: Food, Water, Shelter, Air, and Nature. Here are some upcoming events that Tanglao has planned:

Social Issues Dinners (Food)

Sponsored by Residence Hall Association (RHA)

Monday-Wednesday, March 10-13th, 9:00pm-11:00pm, Butcher Suite

Description: In American society today freedom is a word that is often thrown around without understanding the essence of its meaning, and has become cliché. We mustn't take for granted our freedom of thought and expression. We are free to discuss things that you could be persecuted or even killed for in other countries. On the first night we are going to facilitate an exercise called the Privilege Line, which brings to the forefront the various forms of subtle and obvious privilege, followed by a dinner and discussion. The second night, there will be a demonstration at dinner that is modeled off of the "Village of 100" that aims to illustrate the disparity of wealth around the world, and followed by the world champion Pace Pleasantville Model United Nations team. The third and final night a series of film clips will be shown during dinner where participants will break down and analyze each scene. Take advantage these thought provoking dinner and discussions.

Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life (Water)

Sponsored by Student Development & Campus Activities (SDCA)

Monday-Thursday, March 24-27, 12:20pm-1:15pm, Dining Room A

Description: Freshwater is the most basic human need next to air, and is becoming increasingly scarce. So, on the micro-level, we as human beings need it to sustain life, to grow crops, but on the macro-level, wars are and will soon be fought over this resource. It's important to start to bring attention to this issue and begin the dialogue on how to address it. One step we can take is to screen this documentary following a popular cultural icon in his visit to the United Nations in his attempt to affect change, so we will screen MTV's Diary of Jay-Z: Water for Life, during common hour from Monday-Thursday.

Float on 4/20 (Nature)

Sponsored by North-American Inter-Fraternity Conference (NIC)

Sunday, April 20, 11:00am-5:30pm, Kittatinny River (Delaware Water Gap)

Description: Nothing helps to de-stress more than time outside, with friends, food, having fun. We will go floating down the Kittatinny River on a Sunday afternoon, passing by the beautiful scenery of the Catskill Mountains and appreciating nature in its splendor. Bring your own food, drinks, and come float on 4/20.

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