Today@Sam Article

Week To Feature Techniques For Resolving Conflicts

Oct. 2, 2015
SHSU Media Contact: Jennifer Gauntt

This article was written by Gene Roberts. 

Sam Houston State University’s Student Legal and Mediation Services will equip students in “The Art of Conflict” by arming them through a series of presentations Oct. 12-15 with useful insights and tools to effectively resolve disputes.

“Conflict is inevitable within any relationship or community—friends, roommates, coworkers, and even between governments,” said Gene Roberts, SLMS director. “The key is having the knowledge and tools to address conflict in a healthy and productive way, and that is what our office hopes to provide with this lineup of events.”

The third annual Conflict Resolution Week will include lively and interactive activities for the SHSU community, starting on Monday and Tuesday, when students will be able to create a spontaneous mural demonstrating their stories and the intensity of conflict and resolution.

The activity will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on both days in the Lowman Student Center Mall Area.

On Wednesday, Joey Cope will give the week’s keynote address, “Beyond Settlement: The Art of Peacebuilding,” beginning at 6 p.m. in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Room 110.

The executive director of the Duncum Center for Conflict Resolution at Abilene Christian University, Cope has trained thousands of mediators and peacemakers in Texas, throughout the United States, and in Africa.

On Thursday, SLMS will present a documentary exploring concepts of violence and peace in Northern Ireland through murals painted on buildings with a screening of “Art of Conflict,” beginning at 6 p.m. in CHSS Building Room 120. Following the film, there will be a short discussion, and food and drinks will be provided.

Conflict Resolution Week is one of the many initiatives sponsored by the Office of Student Legal and Mediation Services as part of its ongoing commitment to serving SHSU students by providing them with high-quality legal advice and equipping them with techniques to resolve disputes so they can focus on their educational goals.

“This week helps us to focus on responsible ways to resolve conflicts. Students will learn that effective conflict resolution techniques are vital in not just some areas of our lives but in virtually every environment in which we find ourselves working, living, and getting along with other human beings,” said Roberts, who is also the immediate past-president of the Texas Association of Mediators and serves on the Council of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section for the State Bar of Texas.

“Our hope is that this year’s attendees will encounter new ideas and tools that they can take with them and use to create better, stronger relationships with their coworkers, classmates, roommates, family members, and friends,” he said.

For more information on Conflict Resolution Week, visit bearkatlaw.com or shsu.edu/legalservice; follow the office on Facebook, at facebook.com/bearkatlaw, or on Twitter, at @Bearkatlaw, or contact SLMS at 936.294.1717 or slms@shsu.edu. 

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