Vancouver Part 3

Well, the Program is coming to the end. This Friday is the last day of classes, and final exams are scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday. For me, it has been a wonderful few weeks, with a great group of students this year. I thought I would highlight a few of the program's most recent activities...

Today, the program was pleased to have Ms. Kuniko Ozaki as our 2008 Distinguished Guest Speaker. Ms. Ozaki arrived in Vancouver from Japan, literally minutes before speaking with the group. She is the Director for the Division of Treaty Affairs at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Before assuming the Director position, she was heavily involved in UN work, and was previously at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her distinguished career includes serving as the Director of the Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her talk was quite interesting, and described the UNODC's work to combat terrorism and other crimes.

Yesterday, Prof. Markel had a guest lecturer come to his class, Prof. Curt Griffiths. Prof. Griffiths is a professor in the School of Criminology and Coordinator of the Policy Studies Program at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. He has been a Visiting Expert at the United Nations Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and Treatment for Offenders in Toko, and a Visiting Fellow at the American University in Cairo and Tokiwa University in Japan. He spoke with the students about restorative justice.

But the program is not all about guest speakers. Students have been getting out and exploring. Rumour has it that last weekend's trip to Whistler was spectacular. Students have said that if you hunt on Facebook long enough you can find some great pictures of Vancouver students white river rafting, zip-treking, hiking, and even bungee jumping! Other students went back to the Grouse grind, while still others kicked-back on campus.

I suspect this weekend may not be quite as enjoyable, as exams are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. But then on Tuesday night, we're off to a farewell dinner at a Brazilian restaurant. It should be a good way to celebrate the end of finals! And then for many, it is back to Los Angeles.

Until the next post....