Tija Krneta, Michael McAndrew, Lisa Reo and Rebecca Wright received the honor in the master鈥檚 division, competing against a nationwide field of teams. , assistant professor in EMU鈥檚 program, served as their faculty mentor.

Only four teams were recognized at the master鈥檚 level this year. First through third place honors went to Northeastern Illinois University, the College of William and Mary and Neumann University, respectively. Winners, along with links to each team鈥檚 project, will be published in the ACA magazine Counseling Today.

鈥淭o receive honorable mention is a great recognition, because many teams participate in this competition across the country,鈥� Koser said. 鈥淥ur team consisted entirely of students in their first year, so it is quite likely that next year we will have another strong team.鈥�

The competition consists of a case study involving a specific ethical dilemma, often with multiple layers and facets.

鈥淭his year, the case involved a number of situations that related to issues faced by clinicians working in rural settings,鈥� Koser said. 鈥淥ur team worked through the dilemma utilizing the Code of Ethics of the American Counseling Association, as well as additional research into the ethical principles that undergird the codes.鈥�

Specifically, the ethical dilemma focused on 鈥渄ual relationships,鈥� defined by the American Psychological Association as occurring when a therapist 鈥渋s in a professional role with a person and at the same time is in another role with the same person鈥� or 鈥渨ith a person closely associated with or related to鈥� that person. Examples might include a friend, family member or student of the therapist, which the APA says could compromise objectivity or effectiveness.

Reo said this year鈥檚 dilemma was 鈥渃omplex,鈥� but said the team came together quickly even during 鈥渁n academically stressful part of the semester.鈥�

The faculty mentor cannot assist the team in any way with its research or in writing the response of up to 15 pages. According to the ACA website, each team must clearly identify the perceived dilemma, the action they would take, justification for those actions, and a description of the model they used to arrive at their decision. ACA Ethics Committee members serve as judges.

鈥淭his competition was one of the biggest challenges of my semester, even more so than the class projects,鈥� said McAndrew. He said the rural focus of this year鈥檚 study was particularly apt in the team鈥檚 Rockingham County context. 鈥淥ur project was very collaborative, and I think the final product reflects the best of all our thinking about contemporary ethical issues in counseling.鈥�

Students to present research

Three graduate students听 will present at Virginia Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (VACES) Graduate Counseling Student Conference Feb. 27 at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.

Jordan Leahy, in 鈥淭he Effects of Poverty and the Implications for Counselors,鈥� will look at the effects that poverty can have on individuals who experience it, examining it as 鈥渁n outside force that impairs the individual鈥檚 ability to function at their best and highest capabilities.鈥� He recommends that poverty be added to the list of Adverse Childhood Experiences documented in earlier studies and looks at what this issue means for counselors.

Philip Schulte, in 鈥淯sing Evolutionary Wisdom to Understand Mental Illness and Create Change,鈥� will highlight the importance of the mind/body connection. 鈥淪pecifically, diet, exercise, community and connection with nature provide excellent ways for individuals to both prevent and decrease struggles with mental health,鈥� Schulte writes.

Alex Mitchell, in 鈥淭he Relationship between Trans-Generational Trauma and Diagnosis Rates of Personality Disorders in Minority Populations,鈥� will examine whether trans-generational trauma (trauma transferred from one generation to the next) is misdiagnosed as a personality disorder in some groups.

How far removed are you from that war?

How has war impacted your work?

These simple questions are the substance of 鈥�18 Stories of War,鈥� a film project with an international cast: members of the (CJP) community at 草莓社区 (EMU) from current students and recent graduates to faculty, staff and family members.

Filmmakers Mikhala Lantz-Simmons and Mohammad Rasoulipour curated hours of interviews into short segments 鈥� the longest is seven minutes 鈥� that can be viewed in the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery at the Hartzler Library through Jan. 28. [For library hours, click .]

Everyone knows of war

In their selection of interviewees, the duo drew no limitations, as much interested in those who had been in the thick of battle 鈥� in Guatemala, Congo, Libya and Iraq, among other wars 鈥� as in those whose experience was limited to the shared memories of relatives. A Canadian-born man of Korean ancestry speaks of his father鈥檚 experiences in the Korean War. A Filipino woman remembers her grandfather fighting against the Japanese in World War II.

Each person鈥檚 reference point is important, the filmmakers say. War, unfortunately, is a part of human consciousness.

鈥淓very single person we interviewed had a powerful connection to war, whether they were in a battlefield or not, whether that memory was constructed in their minds by their grandfather. That was crazy to me,鈥� said Rasoulipour, a native of Iran who earned a and currently interns with the at EMU.

Lantz-Simmons, a second-year CJP student, said the exploration comes an opportune time: “Stories are really powerful and in the current climate as people are talking about war without understanding what it entails and how lives are destroyed, it鈥檚 essential that we humanize these stories, that it鈥檚 not 鈥榖oots on the ground,鈥� but people鈥檚 day-to-day experiences of holding their children, having your security ripped away from you.鈥�

It鈥檚 important, too, that we listen and learn from the memories passed down through generations, she adds.

Choice of language accesses different war experience

Though the two filmmakers didn鈥檛 interview themselves 鈥� and in retrospect, they both wish they had joined their project as interviewees as a symbol of both solidarity and honesty 鈥� both also have personal perspectives on war.

Rasoulipour says that if he thinks about war in English, he immediately thinks of World War II, which he has studied with interest because of its long-term effects on his native country of Iran.

鈥淏ut if I think of war in Farsi, I think of the Eight-Year War, which is also known as the Iran-Iraq War,鈥� he says. Rasoulipour鈥檚 father was injured in a chemical weapons attack; one of his three uncles was killed.

Lantz-Simmons says her grandfather fought in Germany and France during World War II, and was among the first American soldiers to liberate the Dachau concentration camp; she only knows about this because her father pressed for this information for a college research paper that she ultimately read. 鈥淥therwise, he never talked about it.鈥�

A ‘healing element’

The project started with a conversation about war, in which the graduate students involved, all of whom were planning careers in some aspect of domestic or international peacebuilding and conflict resolution, arrived at a startling realization: they each had different perceptions and relationships to the experience and concept of war itself.

鈥淲hile one person had experienced it firsthand, another person was four generations removed. We also noticed that we each cited different wars as reference points,鈥� said Lantz-Simmons.

The duo, who were married this summer during the last stages of the project, were intrigued enough by the conversation and the questions it posed to apply for a CJP Arts and Peacebuilding grant.

Originally intended to include members of the Harrisonburg community, the project narrowed to CJP peacebuilders and their families when the filmmakers realized the depth of stories available.

In their first two interviews, with veterans Michael McAndrew (a CJP student) and Ryan Faraci (an EMU undergraduate), they came away with four hours of footage.

鈥淲e realized there was so much there and we needed to have more of a shape to what we were asking,鈥� Lantz-Simmons said.

鈥淭here were times when I was trying to cut material, to edit, and I just couldn鈥檛 take out what they were saying,鈥� Rasoulipour said. 鈥淚 would have to ask Mikhala to come and do it for me.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檇 like to collect more,鈥� Lantz-Simmons said. 鈥淭here is a healing element to telling your story and we know there are so many more in our community with experiences of war. We had people who learned about the project who reached out to us, right around the time we were done, who wanted to tell their story.鈥�

After the show closes, the two hope to find new exhibit space and to look for opportunities in local classrooms or among community organizations to talk about their work, facilitate discussions about war and to hear experiences of others in the Harrisonburg community.

鈥淲e sought to bring together a cross-section of restorative justice practitioners, theorists and innovators,鈥� said , co-director of the Zehr Institute and the project鈥檚 leader. 鈥淪ome of the invitees were world-recognized in the restorative justice field, but others were invited to ensure that diverse and often-unheard voices would be represented.鈥�

One-third of the 36 participants were from populations that are under threat socially and economically in their regions of the world. The genders were equally represented. One person was under age 21, though two other young adults had been expected to attend.

Conversing about RJ’s ‘revolutionary intent’

The idea behind the unusual mixture of invitees was to foster provocative conversation about the possibilities for restorative justice (RJ), particularly for addressing structural injustices, said Stauffer.

In the prospectus for the three-year project submitted to the funder, , the organizers wrote: 鈥淥n the social margins, there is growing research and experimentation with RJ as a tool for addressing structural harms and injustices. This project will explore and document these emerging practices in order to recapture the revolutionary intent of RJ.鈥�

The organizers called attention in their prospectus to what they viewed as the danger of RJ settling into a 鈥渟ocial service practice鈥� centering on 鈥渞epair at the micro-interpersonal level.鈥� Instead, they wished to highlight the ways that RJ can 鈥減rovide a coherent framework for transforming macro-social structures that cause harm.鈥�

Aware that many of the 36 attendees at the first consultation would not have prior relationships with each other, the organizers devoted about half of the five days to exercises and facilitated conversations designed to establish trust and a common basis for exploring future possibilities. Senior graduate students at EMU鈥檚 served as facilitators for the process.

Tough questions

First, the attendees prepared a history line of RJ, then they explored identity, power and privilege in the field. On the third day, they embarked on a discussion of best practices.

鈥淲e accepted the challenge of bringing together a highly diverse group, especially given that many of the participants are international leaders in the field, [being] accomplished researchers, authors, practitioners and facilitators in their own right,鈥� Stauffer said.

鈥淭he challenge was heightened because the group grew beyond the original envisioned size of 20 to 25,鈥� he added. 鈥淲e needed to go well beyond 25 to have a true cross-section of voices, but it was difficult to develop coherence among three dozen people with strong opinions, especially in only five days.鈥�

Yet the participants were largely positive in their final evaluations, he said, indicating that they had not regretted investing a workweek in wrestling with each other over tough questions, such as the extent to which RJ should be viewed as a social movement, as opposed to simply a set of restorative practices.

Stauffer did not pretend to be neutral on this last point. In his opening remarks to the group, he referred to the U.S. penal reform movement having been 鈥渃o-opted.鈥� In contrast, he said he hopes RJ continues to grow into a social movement in North America, with the aim of 鈥渢ransforming deep structural conflicts and injustices.鈥� Toward this end, North Americans have much to learn from their international brothers and sisters about 鈥渓arge-scale applications鈥� of RJ, he said.

Agreement on RJ’s core values

For a social movement to be successful, Stauffer told the group, it requires political opportunity, resource mobilization, a framing message, and critical mass (or a 鈥渢ipping point鈥�).

On the last day, in a final small-group presentation, a participant observed that the 36 attendees had largely agreed during the week on RJ鈥檚 core values, but not necessarily on how to practice restorative justice.

This first consultation will be followed next year by a public conference attended by up to 120 people. Next time, Stauffer said, his organizing team will work to create a conference format that moves participants more quickly into discussions on the future of the field, with a view of moving into a research and writing phase in the final year of the project.

Participants in the consultation

The 36 participants were:

1. Aaron Lyons, Fraser Region Community, Justice Initiatives, Canada
2. Ali Gohar, Just Peace Initiatives, Pakistan
3. Barb Toews, University of Washington Tacoma / Designing Justice+Designing Spaces, USA
4. , Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, EMU
5. Brenda E. Morrison, Centre for Restorative Justice, Simon Fraser University, USA
6. Carl Stauffer, Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, EMU
7. Carolyn Boyes-Watson, Center for Restorative Justice, Suffolk University, USA
8. Catherine Bargen, Restorative Justice Coordinator Crime Prevention and Victim Services Division, Government of British Columbia, Canada
9. Dan Van Ness, Center for Justice and Reconciliation, Prison Fellowship International, USA

10. , Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, EMU and Atlanta (Ga.) consultant, USA
11. Fania Davis, executive director of Restorative Justice for Oakland (Calif.) Youth, USA
12. Cameron Simmons, youth worker with Restorative Justice for Oakland (Calif.) Youth, USA
13. Gerry Johnstone, University of Hull, UK
14. , Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, EMU
15. Jeanette Martinez, Circle of Justice LLC, New Mexico, USA
16. Jennifer Graville , Community Conferencing Program, KBF Center for Conflict Resolution (Md.), USA
17. Jodie-Ann (Jodie) Geddes, Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, EMU
18. Josh Bacon, James Madison University (Va.), USA
19. , 草莓社区
20. Katia Ornelas, Independent Consultant, Mexico
21. , (STAR), EMU
22. Kay Pranis, Circle Trainer, USA
23. Kim Workman, Stout Research Centre for New Zealand Studies, Victoria, University of Wellington, New Zealand
24. Linda Kligman, Vice President for Advancement, International Institute for Restorative Practices, USA
25. Lorenn Walker, Hawai鈥檌 Friends of Restorative Justice, USA
26. Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, Mennonite Central Committee, USA
27. Mark Umbreit, Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking, University of Minnesota, School of Social Work, USA
28. Matthew Hartman, Clackamas County Juvenile Department, Restorative Justice Coalition of Oregon, NW Justice Forum, USA
29. Mulanda Jimmy Juma, Africa Peacebuilding Institute, St. Augustine College of South Africa
30. Najla El Mangoush, Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, EMU
31. Robert Yazzie, Chief Justice Emeritus of the Navajo Nation, USA
32. Seth Lennon Weiner, Porticus, New York, USA
33. sujatha baliga, Impact Justice, USA
34. Susan Sharpe, Advisor on Restorative Justice, Center for Social Concerns, University of Notre Dame, USA
35. Theo Gavrielides, The IARS International Institute and the Restorative Justice for All Institute, UK
36. , Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR), EMU

The facilitators were led by project manager , and included CJP graduate students Janine Aberg, South Africa; Michael McAndrew, USA; Jordan Michelson, USA; Mikhala Lantz-Simmons, USA; and Ahmed Tarik, Iraq.

The context she鈥檇 been immersed in as a graduate student in the with the (CJP) at 草莓社区 (EMU) was very different than the context of the institute at Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania.

鈥淭he term 鈥榩eacebuilding,鈥欌�� she said, 鈥渋s used frequently at PKSOI, but primarily to refer to activities done 鈥榩ost-conflict鈥� during 鈥榬econstruction,鈥� not to refer to activities all through the scale of different stages of conflict. This can make it challenging for stakeholders from dissimilar backgrounds to have productive conversations.鈥�

Monitoring semantics was just one of many skills Gehman practiced during what she calls a 鈥渃ultural immersion鈥� in the military environment. With her specific interest being the military-peacebuilding nexus in the Middle East and North Africa, Gehman was matched with a project covering the African Union Mission in Somalia. She worked under the supervision of retired Colonel Dwight Raymond, an expert on the protection of civilians in mass atrocities.

The experience gave her a better knowledge of the multi-dimensional, powerful stakeholders who engage in operations of war and peace: the U.S. military, U.S. government agencies, and multinational coalitions.

鈥淚 now have a basic familiarity with the principles and processes of United Nations peacekeeping, including issues like mandate implementation, force generation, and logistics for troop-contributing countries,鈥� Gehman said.

The CJP Capstone Project

When it came time to choose her practicum experience, Gehman said applying to PKSOI was a good option to pursue her academic and professional interests. She had previously conducted interviews with veterans, participated in a workshop called 鈥�,鈥� and joined veteran and fellow CJP graduate student Michael McAndrew .

Gehman also benefited from CJP鈥檚 connections to the institute. Her advisor, professor, had taken students to visit the institute. Additionally, CJP research professor has been a guest lecturer at the U.S. Army War College.

鈥淥ur faculty have strong connections with peacebuilding organizations around the world,鈥� said program director and professor. 鈥淭his helps our students find placements that fit their particular interests, and build skills and networking contacts.鈥�

Students in CJP鈥檚 practice-oriented graduate program in conflict transformation culminate their coursework in one of three options for a capstone project. The organizational practicum, of which Gehman鈥檚 experience is an example, requires a 2-4 month commitment. A second option is the research-based practicum, which results in production of an article, book, exhibit or other project. A third option allows full-time CJP students to write a thesis. Students must make a presentation to the CJP community about their project.

2015 CJP Capstone Projects

In addition to Gehman (from Morton, Illinois, and a graduate of Wheaton College), the following graduate students presented capstone projects during the 2015 spring semester. All were awarded their degrees during the April 26 commencement ceremony.

Matt Bucher (Harrisonburg, Virginia; Messiah College, EMU MDiv ’15) researched Anabaptist responses to Christian Zionism and sought to find Christian theology that is good news for Israelis, Palestinians, and Americans. Additionally, he worked at the in Harrisonburg, connecting with local church leaders and working to understand where and how ministers have developed their ability and skills for addressing congregational conflict. Project title: Pursuing Good Theology and Best Practices: Christian Zionism, Empowering Church Leaders and Self-Reflection.

听Ray Garman (Ocean City, New Jersey; Haverford College) conducted independent research on the role that meaningful productivity plays in post-traumatic growth. Project title:A Predicament of Being

Fabrice Guerrier (Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Florida State University) worked in the Advocacy Unit of the United Nations Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (). He focused on research and supporting numerous outreach and advocacy strategies essential to OHRLLS’ implementation of its programs of action, as well as mobilizing international support for the most vulnerable countries. Project title: Advocating for Vulnerable Countries in the 21st Century

Tony Harris (Annapolis, Maryland; Goucher College) worked as the global education graduate associate at the . His primary responsibilities included curriculum development and program design/implementation. He was also involved in planning special events and worked on various projects related to organizational development. Through his practicum, Harris also explored explicit and implicit theories of change specific to the organization. Project title: The Global Education-Peacebuilding Nexus: Pedagogies, Programs, and Possibilities

Jacob Kanagy (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania; Eastern University鈥�) served as a congregational consultant and member of a church governance reference team at a community mediation center. His experience led to exploration of the overlap and complexities of serving in both a secular and religious peacebuilding context as a mediator or facilitator. Project title: The Intersection of a Community Mediation Center,听Congregational Conflict, and a听Church Governance Project

Diane Kellogg (Staunton, Virginia; Geneseo State University) 鈥媍ontributed to the development and implementation of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding鈥檚 (WPLP). Confident that WPLP was making a greater impact in the participants鈥� home communities than most people were aware of, Kellogg explored how that impact could be measured and evaluated. Her video production introduced the program and its participants, and reported on the community-level impact of the women鈥檚 participation. Project title: Evaluation and Promotion of the Women鈥檚 Peacebuilding Leadership Program

听Bridget Mullins (Hudson, Ohio; University of Notre Dame) explored the role of theater in visualizing the roots of conflict and听re-discovering voice, body, self and the other.听In the process, she witnessed communities, both in Harrisonburg and in occupied Palestine, rehearsing the change they want to see in themselves and the world. 听Project title: Beautiful Resistance:听When Words Fail, Art Speaks听

Nate Schlabach (Millersburg, OH., Ohio State University) worked in the , an organization based in Washington, DC, that promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States and the Asia-Pacific region. He was involved in writing, researching, and editing several of the center鈥檚 newly released publications on Japan and Australia, and he provided news and analysis for the 鈥淎sia Matters For America鈥� website. Project title: The U.S.-Asia Relationship:听Why It Matters to America

Some closed their eyes and others gazed at the dog tags hanging from the maple tree at 草莓社区. The group was there for Thursday鈥檚 closing ceremony of a project known as the 鈥�.鈥� Each oblong necklace dangling from the tree鈥檚 branches represented a veteran who took his or her own life.

鈥淎t first when we hung them up, there weren鈥檛 enough to chime,鈥� project co-organizer Katrina Gehman, 25, said of the tags, which were added to the tree daily. 鈥淭he more it grew throughout the month the more we would hear that music. Hearing the music, it鈥檚 like a beautiful representation [of their lives].鈥�

As Gehman鈥檚 fellow organizer, Michael McAndrew, 28, says, the tags represent 鈥渁 lot of people鈥檚 stories.鈥�

Each day throughout November, McAndrew and Gehman, both graduate students in , hung 22 tags on the tree. That鈥檚 the number of veteran suicides that occurred each day in 2010, according to a study.

By the end of the month, 660 dog tags hung on the EMU tree.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge epidemic really [and] we just don鈥檛 think that people should be silent about it,鈥� he said.

McAndrew, who served for four years in the Navy, came up with the idea for the project to raise awareness about the isolation, mental strife and other difficulties veterans can have as they try to ease back into civilian life upon returning from service.

He counts himself as 鈥渙ne of the lucky ones鈥� 鈥� a member of the military who did not fight depression or face other barriers upon ending his service. McAndrew served in various foreign countries, but never in combat zones.

鈥淚鈥檝e known a lot of people who struggled with depression, PTSD, alcoholism [or] divorce,鈥� he said. 鈥淏eing [at EMU] and making the transition from a military environment to a peacebuilding environment made me want to practice what I was learning.鈥�

Gehman was also interested in the issue, and invited McAndrew to join her in an EMU seminar called Journey Home from War. That seminar was specifically about veterans鈥� transitions back to civilian life. She then joined McAndrew on the project.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a symbolic way of saying, we as a community are acknowledging what they鈥檝e gone through,鈥� Gehman said. 鈥淭he physical [and] moral injuries in their spirits; this project was just to make that visible because it鈥檚 invisible in a lot of ways in our society today.鈥�

The duo also received help and support from local churches, fellow classmates and a nonprofit organization known as Veterans for Peace.

鈥淚鈥檓 really grateful that so many people could come together with us to share their stories and just really honor the dignity of these men and women,鈥� said McAndrew.

Courtesy Daily News Record, Dec. 16, 2013

Two graduate students, Michael McAndrew and Katrina Gehman, began hanging 22 dog tags per day at the beginning of November, marking the average number of U.S. military veterans who commit suicide every 24 hours, culminating in 242 tags hanging on Veterans Day.

鈥淚 wanted to open a line of conversation between the world that I was in and the world I鈥檓 in now,鈥� said McAndrew, who completed his service with the U.S. Navy earlier in 2013 and began pursuing a at EMU this fall.

McAndrew said the idea of covering a tree with dog tags occurred to him after he heard some male students at the EMU gym talking about how awesome it would be to be a Navy Seal or to go to a war zone. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥楾hese guys don鈥檛 know anything.鈥� I wanted to do something to show the real cost of war.鈥�

Raised differently from McAndrew, with a pacifist Mennonite family background, Gehman鈥檚 knowledge of veterans was acquired through interacting with friends after college who returned from military service and reading about the reintegration of veterans into civilian society. She also conducted interviews with veterans this fall as part of her graduate research at EMU’s .

鈥淧eople who have been hurt and who are suffering within the military community need to be shown compassion and support, values that Mennonites have, 鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to bring attention to veterans who don鈥檛 feel they are being seen.鈥�

McAndrew and Gehman found common cause in a program in September called the Journey Home From War, a specialized workshop under . It鈥檚 designed for veterans and people in their families, communities or congregations looking for ways to support them.

Gehman, who is a classmate of McAndrew鈥檚 in CJP, has a strong interest in the invisible wounds, 鈥渢he moral injury,鈥� borne by many returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq 鈥� wounds which don鈥檛 get as readily acknowledged and treated as do physical wounds.

鈥淚鈥檓 one of the lucky ones,鈥� said McAndrew. 鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 a combat veteran. I have a wife with whom I have a strong relationship, and the day I got out I immediately integrated into a new community [at EMU]. I care about the ones who aren鈥檛 as lucky.鈥�

In a gathering at EMU鈥檚 coffee house on Veterans Day evening, CJP professor spoke up about the disconnect veterans often feel between the constructed meaning of their military service and life apart from that construct. 鈥淧eople have to find meaning in community, meaning within themselves.鈥�

Gehman gave a presentation in the coffee house on the myriad reasons for veterans鈥� loss of meaning and difficulty reintegrating into civilian life. She stressed the need for communities to play an active role in meeting their needs and supporting their reintegration. In response, an audience member recommended the , consisting of volunteer efforts in communities across the nation in support of veterans, military members and their families.

Veterans Day at EMU concluded with about 30 people holding candles in a circle around the tree bearing 242 dog tags, soberly acknowledging the loss of many lives to war and its aftermath.