Nader and Arias to Debate Globalization at Guilford

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Consumer advocate Ralph Nader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Oscar Arias will debate globalization as part of Guilford College's yearlong speaker series entitled "Human Rights: Global and Cross-cultural Perspectives."

The debate is March 21 at 7:30 p.m. in Dana Auditorium on campus. Admission is free.

A limited number of advanced seating passes will be available to the general public March 19 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in the lobby of the auditorium. Otherwise, seating will be on a space-available basis beginning at 7 p.m. the night of the event.

The event is sponsored by the Bryan Distinguished Visiting Professorship in the Arts, Humanities and Public Affairs. The Professorship is funded by Guilford trustee Joseph M. Bryan Jr. '60 and the former Kathleen Price Bryan Family Fund.

Nader, honored by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential Americans of the Twentieth Century, was instrumental in creating the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Laws he helped draft and pass include the Safe Drinking Water Act, the meat and poultry inspection rules, and the Freedom of Information Act.

Working to empower the average American, Nader has formed numerous citizen groups, including the Center for Auto Safety, Public Citizen, Pension Rights Center, the Coalition for Universities in the Public Interest, and the student public interest research groups (PIRGs) that operate in more than 20 states. He was a U.S. presidential candidate representing the Green Party in the 1992, 1996 and 2000 elections.

Nader has written numerous books, from Unsafe at Any Speed in 1965 to Crashing the Party: How to Tell the Truth and Still Run for President in 2001.

Arias was elected president of Costa Rica in 1986 and through negotiations drafted the Arias Peace Plan, which called for internal dialogue, cease-fire, freedom of speech, and free elections in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. This initiative culminated in the signing of the Esquipulas II Accords, or the Procedure to establish a Firm and Lasting Peace in Central America, by all the Central American Presidents on August 7, 1987.

Arias was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987. He used the monetary award to establish the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress. Under the auspices of the Foundation, three programs were established: The Center for Human Progress to promote equal opportunities for women and gender equality; the Center for Organized Participation to strengthen the participation and action of civil society in Central America; and the Center for Peace and Reconciliation to work for demilitarization and conflict resolution in the developing world.

Larry Schooler, reporter for WFDD-FM radio in Winston-Salem, N.C., will serve as moderator for the debate. In addition to his reporting, Schooler hosts afternoon newscasts for the National Public Radio affiliate.

The public is invited to submit questions for Nader and Arias through the college's Web site. Some questions may be used to shape the debate and others may be used in the question and answer session following the debate.

March 21, 2002