Story 2

Former aid worker speaks about genocide in Burma

Retired professor discusses crisis, ways students can help

Thomas Van Dyke, executive director of Heroes Serving Humanity, speaks to OU students about detained Nobel Peace Prize winner and Burma National Leage of Democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi

You won’t find the UN, Red Cross, or even Doctors Without Borders in the Free Fire Zones of Burma, a humanitarian aid worker told OU students and others Tuesday in Dale Hall.

Thomas Van Dyke, executive director of Heroes Serving Humanity, said Burma’s ruling military regime, the State Peace and Development Council, is committing systematic genocide against the various ethnic groups in the country.

Heroes Serving Humanity is a non-profit humanitarian relief and development organization focused on aiding victims of crimes against humanity in areas that are overlooked by the international aid community, according to its Web site.

“For 20 years, the Burmese military has been waging a slow genocide and up to a million people have been displaced,” Van Dyke said.

Van Dyke worked on the ground in Burma with the Free Burma Rangers, an aid organization that operates unknown to the Burmese government.

He said the Burma army uses various tools of repression, such as forced labor, torture, and forced relocation, against ethnic groups to exert ethnic dominance and control over the territory’s natural resources.

“Anyone who says this is occasional violence or civil war is sorely mistaken,” Van Dyke said. “This is the systematic destruction of people.”

Van Dyke said the U.S. sanctions are not enough to destabilize the military regime, which remains strong because of its control over the population. Since 1995, the Burma army has destroyed more than 3,500 villages of different ethnic groups, he said.

“There’s really no [U.S.] government activity in Burma simply because we don’t have a dog in the fight,” Van Dyke said. “There’s no oil, no Muslim terrorists, not a compelling national interest, except a humanitarian one.”

He said the U.S. has only used military intervention for humanitarian reasons during the Bosnian War in 1994. He said the U.S. was pressured to intervene because of media attention given to the conflict and the fact that Bosnians resembled Americans in appearance.

“Politicians will only take action against genocide when the cost of inaction is greater than the cost of action,” he said.

Van Dyke encouraged students to contact Congressmen to support aid organizations in Burma so the Free Burma Rangers can bring on more volunteers.

"We always have people who want to help out, but we don't have the financial resources to bring everyone on board," he said.

Burma’s military regime seized power after widespread pro-democracy demonstrations in the country in 1988. The military regime rejected the victory of the National League of Democracy, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, during the free elections of May 1990. Suu Kyi is currently under house arrest in Burma, where she has remained for the past 20 years.

OU’s chapter of STAND sponsored the event. STAND is the student-led division of the Genocide Intervention Network, an international anti-genocide coalition, according to its Web site.

Cynthia Kao, vice-president of STAND, said she felt a connection to Burma when she learned about it at a recent STAND conference in Washington, D.C. because of her Taiwanese background.

“When I saw pictures of what’s happening in Burma, I felt this special connection like I was related to these people,” Kao said.

The discussion session after Van Dyke’s presentation concerned how the U.S. should respond to the situation.

“If I had my way, I’d love to drop the 82^nd Airborne in there and put an end to this,” Van Dyke said. “However, there is a possibility of a successful uprising among the people, and external forces should aid those people.”

A member of the Genocide Intervention Network, attending the event said the U.S. has many resources to advance human rights in other countries, but military intervention is not always the best solution.

“We can’t force democratic nations to come into existence, because often Americans don't know how other cultures operate,” said Genocide Intervention Network member, Marty Michelson.

Kao said students should get involved in humanitarian organizations because it is easier to learn about injustices across the world than ever before.

“The world is so much smaller now than before,” Kao said. “And if students don’t feel called to get involved on an international level, there are people in need even at a local level.”

Van Dyke retired last year from his teaching position at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro to work full time raising support for humanitarian organizations in Burma through Heroes Serving Humanity.

“I’d love nothing more than to be an expatriate living in Burma, led by Aung San Suu Kyi,” he said.

News Story 1

Students lobby at Capitol to help incarcerated women

OU student filming documentary to raise awareness about Oklahoma's high incarceration rate

Cleveland County's detention center houses on average 185 prisoners a day.

OKLAHOMA CITY - To improve the situation of incarcerated women in Oklahoma, one OU student is filming a documentary.

Women’s and gender studies senior, Amina Benalioulhaj, led a small group of students from the Women’s and Gender Studies Student Association to the state capitol Wednesday to get footage and meet with lawmakers.

“It was a kind of last minute decision, but all-in-all I think we had a productive day,” Benalioulhaj said.

Women’s and gender studies graduate, Sandra Criswell, said she and other students met with Sen. Constance Johnson, D-Oklahoma County, whose bill, Senate Bill 2329, intends to decrease Oklahoma’s extremely high rate of incarcerations.

“[Sen. Johnson] was really open to feedback, and she’s really interested in collaborating with students,” Criswell said.

Benalioulhaj said Senate Majority Whip, Anthony Sykes, R-Moore, refused to let the bill be heard because it concerned prison reform.

“Most of these lawmakers just don’t want to appear soft on crime, and that’s not the way politics should work,” Benalioulhaj said. “Whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, you should consider all sides, and you should hear out any bill thoroughly.”

Criswell said e-mails were sent to other student organizations on campus, and encouraged them to call Sen. Sykes and request he allow Johnson’s bill to be heard on the Senate floor.

“If no one calls the lawmakers and tells them what they support, lawmakers will vote however they want,” Criswell said. “They’re ultimately held accountable by their constituents.”

Benalioulhaj said the high incarceration rate of women is a human and fiscal issue.

“It’s really a waste of our money and it’s a waste of our state’s resources,” Benalioulhaj said.

According to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Web site, Oklahoma has the highest per capita female incarceration rate in the nation, and fourth highest male incarceration rate.

A press release issued by Johnson reports Senate Bill 2329 could save the state $125 million establishing alternative placement programs for non-violent offenders.

Benalioulhaj said she was inspired to make a documentary after reading her women’s studies professor’s research on the issue. Her professor, Susan Sharp conducts the annual Oklahoma

Study of Incarcerated Women and Their Children, which is a survey of women prisoners that examines their childhoods, mental health problems, substance abuse histories, criminal histories, and their children.

“This is an issue that affects us all as humans,” Sharp said in an e-mail. “We lack the understanding that many of these women need help, not punishment, and certainly not rejection.”

Sharp said her research revealed that most incarcerated women are low level drug offenders and property offenders, whose histories of abuse are linked to why they began using drugs, and ending up in prison.

“Many of those children will end up dealing with their own emotional pain by using drugs and ending up in prison,” she said.

Other state initiatives suffer, Sharp said, partly because of the high cost spent on incarcerations.

“Money goes to corrections rather than to education, health, social services, road maintenance, etc."

Criswell said the Women's and Gender Studies Student Association is planning another lobbying day at the capitol to take place in early April.

Listening Exercise

My Location - Barnes and Noble Booksellers, in the café area

Time and date - 2:30 pm, February 14, 2010

1.

The difficulty to hear the noises around me varied by proximity. As I listened to sounds within six feet of me, I picked up on a number of noises, because people were sitting all around me. The Barnes and Noble Café is usually pretty packed on Sundays as people come to relax and read books and magazines after church, or because they have nothing else to do. High school students can always be found in the store on a Sunday afternoon because they have probably put off their homework for most of the weekend and come to the café because it is away from distractions at home.

As I expanded the area that I was trying to pick up sounds, I heard quite a bit of racket. The noise of baristas making coffee for customers accompanied with the soft chatter of other people sitting around and accented by the store music provided much noise within 20 feet of me. Trying to listen for sounds within the whole store was much more difficult because the café is where the noise is most concentrated. I picked up on noises that were maybe 35 to 40 feet away, but the rest of the store is treated much like a library because it is a bookstore. Thus I doubt I heard any noise emanating from the music and movies section at the back of the store.

Hearing beyond the boundaries of the store wasn’t too difficult because I was sitting next to a window. Outside was the parking lot, and the cars driving by provided noise I was able to pick up on if I listening as hard as I could. The sounds of smaller objects being blown past by the wind were most difficult to hear.

2.

I wasn’t expecting to hear an older lady complaining to someone about her relatives, (probably her grandkids judging by the sound of her voice) and family trips. I heard her mention her grandkids disliking the idea of “visiting Aunt Patsy’s house in the spring.” I wouldn’t think someone would complain about such a subject with so many people within close proximity. However, she was talking quietly, and given the amount of noise generated within the café, and the fact that the lady probably wasn’t expecting someone like me to start focusing on her conversation, it’s not too surprising that I picked up on this.

Unless I had listened as closely as I was, I probably wouldn’t have picked up on the subject of math that the two students behind me were discussing. I heard them mention various terms such as “the quadratic formula” and “x squared” numerous times, leading me to believe they were discussing either algebra or calculus.

As I expanded the area I was listening to, I heard someone say “that small one right there” and guessed they were either pointing at something in a magazine or selecting an item from the various product displays in the café. Also, someone was guilty of ordering a vanilla latte, as I heard one of the baristas call out to a customer that this drink was ready.

My favorite noise that I probably wouldn’t have caught if I hadn’t been listening for it was the deep humming of the various appliances within the café. When you enter a café, you usually aren’t thinking about the machinery surrounding you. You can expect to hear baristas noisily brewing coffee or blending ice for frappucinos, but the humming of refrigerating appliances probably escapes most people who aren’t listening for it.

I also didn’t think I would be able to tell the difference between the turning of a regular book’s pages and the turning of magazine pages. Crackling noises are emitted from the pages of magazines when people turn the pages and the pages bend.

An extremely deep rumbling sound accompanied by vibrations rolled past me every now and then and I could tell that it was coming from outside. I would usually take noises such as these for granted on any normal day.

3.

When I looked around, I discovered that my assumptions of the sources of the noises were correct. At the table in front of me was an elderly couple. The old lady was doing most of the talking and complaining as the old man, who I presume is her husband, sat and muttered in conditioned agreement periodically. Behind my table, two female students, probably in high school, were talking about algebra or calculus homework. While college students also study algebra or calculus, given the location of the Barnes and Noble I was at, the nearest college campuses are quite far. The nearest college is most likely UCO, and the drive from there is at least 15 minutes. The numerous high schools and neighborhoods surrounding the area led me to believe the students were in high school.

The other customers provided the noises of squeaking chairs and shuffling feet on the tile floor. Blenders, brewing machines, and aerosol cans filled with whipped cream provided the noises for the baristas as they made various delicious coffee drinks. The food in the deli area is served on plates, which led to the eventual rattling of dishes being cleaned off.

The speakers in the ceiling were playing the acoustic guitar music. It sounded similar to a CD of acoustic guitar music I bought while I was in Venice two years ago. The rustling and crackling of papery material indeed came from the magazine isle, which lies right before the entrance to the café. The screaming children could be found in the children’s area, which lies just outside the northern end of the café area.

A refrigerated display containing cold bottled drinks was the source of the low humbling, as the cooling mechanism started up every few minutes. Displays containing Godiva chocolates, water bottles and coffee cups were probably the reason I heard someone nearby say “that small one right there.”

Cars, trucks and SUVs rolling past the window provided for the deep rumbling noise that rolled past me periodically. Leaves and trash accounted for the barely audible scraping noises I heard just outside my window.

Sense of Place

Mercy Hospital stands empty on a cold Sunday as Oklahoma anticipates another winter storm.

Portrait Without a Person

Portrait Without a Person

Dog Picture - Story to Follow