Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton, move over. Ditto for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. The  has its own version of a “power couple” – but the two truly represent “power for suffering people.”

The man is 38-year-old Ashok Gladston, dean of 23 departments comprising 350 teachers at one of the most prestigious universities in India, . Based on assessments by India’s national accrediting agency and the media outlet India Today, Loyola-Chennai – founded in 1925 by the Jesuits (just eight years after 91¶ĚĘÓƵ opened) – ranks among the top three of 35,000 liberal arts colleges in India.

In a normal day, running 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Gladston says he meets with about 70 people, always maintaining an open-door policy. He supervises 160 post-graduate students, plus seven full-time doctoral students. His egalitarian philosophy: “There’s no time to hate, no time to hurt, only time to work and love.” He also believes in practicing what one teaches – in getting his hands dirty, as he puts it.

The woman is Florina Benoit, chief zonal officer (CZO) for , for which she oversees CASA’s work in the four southern states of India, comprising 50 staffers in 10 offices addressing needs in 1,000 villages, encompassing 7 to 10 million people. At age 40, she is the youngest CZO ever employed by CASA.

“CASA’s focus is on poverty alleviation and political awareness and empowerment of the oppressed classes, particularly the dalits, tribals, women and backward castes,” Benoit says. She is on the road about two-thirds of the month. CASA also organizes emergency and disaster responses, often being the first organization to step in after crises like major floods and landslides.

Gladston and Benoit knew each other before coming to CJP, but they were not married and had no marriage plans when each applied separately for a Fulbright scholarship to study conflict transformation at CJP. That each beat countless competitors to be Fulbright Scholars testifies to their respective abilities and accomplishments. Just before arriving at CJP in the fall of 2002, they married and became a couple of dynamos for the next two years in Harrisonburg.

They presented street theater to CJP and embraced additional techniques offered by playback theater. They were in the first group to do fundraising field trips on behalf of CJP to Pennsylvania, where they helped cook an Indian banquet and where they posed in Amish garb borrowed at an Amish-themed museum. They could be counted on to attend any peace-themed talks or conferences on 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s schedule. They did everything required for academic excellence, and then more.

As soon as they returned to southern India, they plunged into advocating for, and doing trainings with, suffering minority groups in their own region around Chennai as well as in nearby Sri Lanka. Applying themselves seven days a week, sunup to bedtime, they both also managed to earn PhDs – he in social work from Loyola and she in social work from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India.

Ten highlights from their lives since 2004:

1. Benoit and Gladston arrived back in southern India on January 1, 2005, soon after an undersea earthquake that precipitated a tsunami that ranks as one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history. By the following day, Gladston was organizing a state-level survey to be conducted by 1,500 social work students of the affected areas.

2. Over the next several years, both Gladston and Benoit worked frequently in devastated regions of Sri Lanka and in refugee camps in India among people who had fled from both the tsunami and civil war in Sri Lanka. They published results of studies of social needs gleaned from 178 sites, while simultaneously doing hands-on trainings, usually under the auspices of .

3.ĚýTheir trainings covered conflict transformation, dialogue for peacebuilding, trauma resiliency, community development, relief and rehabilitation, advocacy for justice, and women’s empowerment. Their system was to train trainers – dozens at a time – to prepare the trainers to go further into the field and cover as many regions as possible, training hundreds of field staff. The field staff then extended the trainings to the grassroots. Thus Gladston and Benoit were able to reach tens of thousands of affected people with information and skills helpful for improving their situations. (Part of this work was funded by .)

4. Meanwhile both held “day jobs” – Gladston as a senior faculty member in social work at Loyola College-Chennai, Benoit as the associate director in charge of practice at the Henry Martyn Institute: International Center for Research, Interfaith Relations and Reconciliation.

5. For three years, they were based at institutions 400 miles apart, until Benoit finished her PhD in 2008 in Hyderabad and resigned from the Henry Martyn Institute to return to Chennai. (At the time, both posted online remarks about missing each other when apart and relishing being in the same location again as a happily married couple.)

6. In early 2009, as the Sri Lankan government grimly and bloodily brought the rebel force known as LTTE to its knees, Gladston and Benoit were alarmed at the situation of 250,000 people trapped with the LTTE. “The government in the name of surgical strikes is shelling the civilians,” wrote Gladston. “There are no words to describe the situation of the civilians,” adding: “We keep crying out loud so that the world’s attention will be attracted.”

7. When the war was officially over, the suffering was not. For the last five years the twosome has devoted their weekends and vacations to volunteer work among the displaced peoples. Early in their work, Gladston wrote:

I am filled with a lot of uncertainties and concerns: All the materials are in English and the training is in Tamil. How do I contextualize what I learned? How do I adapt the training methods to this situation? How do I include the indigenous ideas and methods of conflict transformation? I am braving the effort of going ahead with the workshop and will learn lessons from it. I hope to consider this as an extension of CJP.

8. In addition to the manuals and printed training materials typical of peacebuilding workshops, Benoit and Gladston frequently organize experiential activities designed to reduce conflict – interactive dramas, sports across conflict lines, cooperatively run preschools, and shared activities like basketmaking and gardening. In one mixed Tamil-Sinhalese village in Sri Lanka where the couple had been working, says Gladston, Sinhalese families hid their newly made Tamil friends when government forces came searching for Tamils to arrest.

9. Responding to widespread requests for help – especially by fellow CJP alumni – both Benoit and Gladston have done consultations in three dozen other countries in the last 10 years.

10. In the spirit of the , Benoit used to run an annual workshop at the end of October and beginning of November at the Henry Martyn Institute.

“Until now, I have seen a top-down approach for solving problems,” Abou said in a May 2011 interview with Peacebuilder.

Abou comes from the Tuareg ethnic group, who traditionally live nomadically in the Saharan interior of North Africa. The famous Berbers of Morocco are part of this same group.

Though Abou was raised with family members who continue to lead the nomadic life in the dessert – to this day, his mother herds her own camels, goats and sheep across a vast territory – Abou went a different route. He pursued higher education and became a high-ranking police officer at age 27, initially based in Mali.

By 2008, he was deputy director of the National Policy Academy in Mali. He was one of the leaders of the civilian police force dispatched to the Darfur area of Sudan by the African Union from 2005 to 2007. As a police instructor and trainer, he has worked with the United Nations. He has been a consultant and facilitator at the Pearson Peacekeeping Centre in Canada.

Despite his impressive credentials, Abou does not present himself as someone who “knows it all”— that is, as someone who prefers issuing commands rather than listening thoughtfully. Instead he seems like the type of kindly and thoughtful person that anyone would want as a neighbor, friend, father, or brother.

Abou speaks of walking 10 to 15 miles to attend a French-language school as a child and of being 11 when he lost his father, an army soldier, to sickness.

Abou explains that after Mali started shifting to a democratic political system in 1990, its police force began to open itself up to minority peoples. Abou was one of the first Tuareg persons to rise to a senior police position.

At CJP, Abou says he is trying to gain a deeper understanding of the roots of conflict – and ways to mitigate it, short of using force that contributes to the cycles of violence. “I want to be a peace officer in the future,” he says. “Our prisons are full – the police and courts cannot guarantee stability and peace.”

“The AQMI [Saharan terrorists inspired by al-Qaeda] are recruiting lots of our youths because they don’t have jobs. We need to address the causes of terrorism and solve problems from the bottom up.”

Abou has seen a society that represents, for him, the worst possible social degradation. It was in Darfur. There for a while, Abou was the acting chief of police operations under the African Union, serving  a vast refugee population and supervising almost 1,000 officers from about 25 African countries.

He dealt with killings, rapes, and other crimes on a daily basis. He saw children growing up without families, and tens of thousands without real homes. “I witnessed the consequences of war – I don’t want this to happen to any community or country,” he says in a soft-spoken voice.

Last year, Jerry Holsopple spent his days teaching in the visual and communication arts department at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ. These days, he’s still teaching – but he’s doing it at LCC International University in Lithuania.

Jerry Holsopple is captured on a photo expedition by one of his students at LCC International University.

Holsopple, 52, is in Lithuania for the duration of the 2009-2010 school year on a Fulbright scholarship, a grant that allows academics to engage in global intellectual pursuits. The application process is extremely competitive; Holsopple is one of just two scholars in Lithuania this year. He’s based at LCC International University, where he teaches photography, film and culture and religious art classes. He chose the country for his studies for a number of reasons.

"I chose Lithuania since I have brought 91¶ĚĘÓƵ students here for six-week experiences and really enjoy the students here," Holsopple said via e-mail. "I also wanted to study [religious] icon painting and connected on a previous trip with a Russian Orthodox priest who agreed to teach me if I came back for a year."

Holsopple first became fascinated with icons – broadly defined as religious works of art – on a trip to Bulgaria in the 1990s. "I visited several churches and a large gallery, which was where many were put in these countries during the Soviet era, and became fascinated by them," he said.

But rather than learning about the icon-painting process from a book, Holsopple wanted to try it firsthand. He studies with the priest who had previously agreed to teach him. The man "speaks primarily Russian and Lithuanian. I take LCC students along to translate," Holsopple said. "The conversations are about more than icons, [they’re] about life and the way we approach our work."

The duo have plenty of opportunity for conversation, because the icon-painting process is lengthy. It begins by roughing the surface of a quarter-sawn piece of wood and then applying coats of gelatin and water mixtures.

"After two or three layers of this, you soak a piece of linen cloth in the gelatin water and then smooth that onto the board," Holsopple said. Then, the board is coated with about a dozen more coats of gelatin water mixed with chalk; between coats, "you sand, gradually using finer and finer sandpaper," he said. This part of the process takes four to five weeks, he said, after which the board is ready for use.

For his icon, Holsopple chose the angel Michael, drawing inspiration from other paintings for his own etching. "I start with a very old one painted by Rublev, seeking to understand how he draped the clothing," he said. "Learning to do the eyes and the hands took the most time."

When Holsopple’s drawing was complete, he transferred it to the board using carbon paper and then scratched it into the surface with an awl. After that, he began painting and applying gold leaf. All that’s left is to finish painting and then apply a clear varnish to protect the image. The final step, Holsopple said, is to have the icon blessed.

"To be a full part of the tradition, the icon will need to be blessed by a priest," he said. He plans to bring the icon back to the U.S.

In addition to icon-painting and teaching, Holsopple finds time to explore Lithuania, camera in hand. Some highlights of his trip so far include taking a ferry across the Baltic Sea to Stockholm, buying wool socks and fresh fruit from "old ladies in little markets" and photographing a Lithuanian wedding. He’ll return to Harrisonburg at the end of June, a bittersweet conclusion to a rich year.

"I will miss Lithuania, especially the people, when I return, but it will also be good to be back with my colleagues at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ," he said. "I hope my year immersed in another tradition and type of work will allow me to evaluate in new ways my own tradition and work."

Dr. Jerry Holsopple

Dr. Holsopple will spend the 2009-2010 academic year as a Fulbright teacher at LCC International University in Klaipeda, Lithuania. While there, he will also devise an implementation plan for a communication concentration for the school.

Holsopple has led 91¶ĚĘÓƵ cross-cultural summer seminars to Lithuania in 2004, 2006 and 2008.

The 91¶ĚĘÓƵ professor expects to “build on relationships” made in prior visits while teaching courses in digital imaging, photography, popular culture and communication and related areas. He will also study Lithuanian religious images – “crosses and other symbols are seen everywhere,” he said – and wants to learn to paint icons in the Russian Orthodox tradition.

“Lithuania, and the other Baltic states, is a fabulous place to do photography, especially with old and new architecture intersecting with that of the Soviet era,” Holsopple said. “I envision writing a book on the cultural analysis of photography, helping persons better use this medium in learning more about another culture and people.”

Holsopple, who joined the 91¶ĚĘÓƵ faculty in 2000, completed a BS degree in Bible and camping, recreation and youth ministries from 91¶ĚĘÓƵ, received an MDiv degree from Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Ind., and earned a PhD from European Graduate School.

The Fulbright program, America’s flagship international educational program, is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas.

Since its inception, some 286,500 people – 108,160 Americans have studied, taught or done research abroad while 178,340 students, scholars and teachers from other countries have engaged in similar activities in the U.S. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.

Fulbright award recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement as well as demonstrated leadership in their fields.

Fulbright award recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement as well as demonstrated leadership in their fields.

It is the second year in a row for an faculty member to be selected for the Fulbright honor. Mark Metzler Sawin, associate professor of history at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ, spent the 2008-09 year teaching courses on “constructing identity: teaching and the cultural work of history and literature” at the university in the capital city of Zagreb, Croatia.

An 91¶ĚĘÓƵ professor has been awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture at the University of Zagreb in the central European nation of Croatia during the 2008-09 academic year.

Mark Metzler Sawin, associate professor of history at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ, is focusing on themes related to “constructing identity: teaching and the cultural work of history and literature” at the university in the capital city of Zagreb from September 2008 through June 2009.

The Fulbright program, America’s flagship international educational program, is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program was established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas.

Since its inception, some 286,500 people – 108,160 Americans have studied, taught or done research abroad while 178,340 students, scholars and teachers from other countries have engaged in similar activities in the U.S. The program operates in more than 155 countries worldwide.

91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding has welcomed more than 60 Fulbright fellows into graduate programs in conflict transformation, peacebuilding and trauma healing since 2000. The program continues to enroll one to three Fulbright-funded scholars each year.

Fulbright award recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement as well as demonstrated leadership in their fields.

Sawin, who joined the 91¶ĚĘÓƵ faculty in 2001, completed his undergraduate work in English at Goshen (Ind.) College and earned MA and PhD degrees in American studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

He is the author of the forthcoming book on Arctic explorer Elisha Kent Kane, “Raising Kane: Dr. Kane and the Consequences of Fame in Antebellum America” (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 2008).

Metzler is active in researching local African-American history and is president of the Mid-Atlantic American Studies Association.

More information on the Fulbright Program is available at .

It’s an inside look at the effects of traumatic experiences through the eyes of crime victims and life-sentenced prisoners.

“A Ladder Without Rungs,” an exhibit opening Sunday, Nov. 6, in the at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ, features photos, paintings and prose by , Judah Oudshoorn and Manas Ghanem of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP) at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ.

The display will open with a reception for the artists 2:30-4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, in the gallery.

Dr. Zehr is co-director of the and professor of restorative justice at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ. Judah Oudshoorn and Manas Ghanem are both students in the program at 91¶ĚĘÓƵ. Oudshoorn is a Canadian who is currently doing his practicum in Ontario, and Ghanem is a human rights lawyer and Fulbright scholar from Syria.

Zehr has written “Doing Life: Reflections of Men and Women Doing Life Sentences” (1996), which is based on about 75 interviews with people sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole. Another book, “Transcending: Reflections of Crime Victims” (2001), is based on interviews with some 50 people who experienced violent crimes. Both include black and white portraits of the interviewees and are published by Good Books.

The project originated when Oudshoorn and Ghanem did paintings to explore metaphors of trauma used by victims in the book “Transcending.” This project was exhibited in a number of settings, on some occasions accompanied by a meditation based on victims’ stories that Zehr often uses for workshops. Positive responses to these presentations encouraged them to develop the project further.

Originally the presentation only represented victims’ perspectives and experiences. This exhibit brings together both victim and offenders perspectives by exploring metaphors used by victims and lifers to describe their thought processes and how they deal with their own trauma.

Through this exhibit, Zehr hopes that “others will gain a better understanding of victims and offenders and what they experience and will be able to connect in some way.

“This exhibit depicts what CJP is all about – working in and training persons to be well-equipped practitioners in conflict transformation, restorative justice and trauma healing,” Zehr said.

The exhibit, on third floor of 91¶ĚĘÓƵ’s Hartzler Library, will be open daily during regular library hours through Dec. 9. Admission is free.

Hartzler Library (and art gallery) operating hours:
Mon.-Thur. 7:45 a.m.-11 p.m.
Fri. 7:45 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Sat. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Sun. 2 p.m.- 11 p.m.

An 91¶ĚĘÓƵ program is aiming to turn the world around and make it a much more boring place.

Students are hoping to reverse anger and aggression through the .

The program hosted its annual open house on Saturday. The event serves as a fund-raiser, said program co-director Ruth Hoover Zimmerman.

But it