News

A '70s reunion on Zoom seems deliberately ironic. Afterall, most of us graduated from university before personal computers were even on our radar.  Typewriters were our thing! Nonetheless, the group of Grebel alumni who gathered on June 5 had obviously kept up with the times. Screens on, muted – or not, breakout rooms and chat were all just part of the pandemic fun. The major bonus, of course, was that no travel was required so it was great to see remembered faces while also meeting some new ones.

Today, we join with millions across Canada who are mourning the loss of the 215 children found buried at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in an unmarked mass grave. We honour the memories of these children who were stolen from loving parents and families, and we offer our respect and our prayers for healing to the Tk'emlúps te Secwe̓pemc community, and to all residential school survivors.

Today, Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) and Mennonite Central Committee Canada (MCC) announced a finding of sexual misconduct against Frank H. Epp (1929-1986) following an investigation by the two organizations. 

COVID-19 hit the world by surprise last year, and since then, numerous Grebel employees have remained on campus to keep the residence running smoothly. Working on-site throughout the pandemic has been stressful, but thanks to Grebel staff, the College has remained a safe and functioning environment for students living away from home.

Exactly one year ago in this column, I suggested that living during a pandemic is like being lost in a forest at night. If you are calm and patient, your eyes can adapt. You begin to “see in the dark” and find your way.

A Restorative Justice (RJ) worldview is central in the undergraduate, graduate, and professional courses of study in Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) at Grebel. Here are some of the ways RJ has grown in PACS programming with each passing decade.

I first encountered Restorative Justice in a Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) class in 2010 at Grebel. The class stood out because it was taught in a way that reflected restorative values. Today, I can see how that learning environment drew me into the Restorative Justice field as much as the framework itself.

Conflict occurs every day, all over the world, and it is important to have the skills necessary to resolve it. The concept of the Conflict Management Certificate Program at Grebel sprang from a Peace and Conflict Studies Department strategic visioning session that occurred in the late nineties.