You know the history. You have likely attended in the past. This has probably inspired you to get more involved in PACS. Now, the time has come.

The 2011-2012 PACS Executive, in collaboration with your 2012 PACS Conference Directors, are calling for 2013 PACS Conference proposals.

After the incredible success of this year’s conference, the Society would like to ensure that  conference directors and potential coordinating committees have the time to meet, create and  propose an engaging conference topic that is both unique, but in-step with the interdisciplinary  nature of our Peace and Conflict Studies program and student community.

This is an opportunity to define your PACS experience more directly. Honing skills as a leader, project manager, fundraising expert and witty interlocutor with notable academics and practitioners (local and international), all that is needed to succeed is a great idea, the thoughtful development of the theme, the careful selection of conference team, and a short, catchy, and original proposal. These proposals are due FRIDAY, MARCH 16th by 11:59pm. Please email them to the current PACS President.

All completed proposals should include the following elements:

• I. The conference topic
• II. The relevance/link to PCS
• III. List of Proposed speakers/panelists (You don’t have to get them all, but include those you
• believe best suited to speak on the topic)
  IV. The basic format of the conference – e.g. A draft schedule including details on how best to communicate your vision of the conference. Will you incorporate lectures, student presentations, roundtable discussion etc? Will there be banquets, dances or pub nights?
• V. Draft Budget and fundraising strategy. Assume that the conference’s various parent organizations (Trudeau Centre, Munk School, and PACS) can provide a seed of no more than $7000.)
• VI. Conference team. This should include a maximum of three individuals designated as ‘Directors’ and a list of PACS students who have agreed to be part of the organizing committee.
• VII. Any other details about your conference that you think would be valuable for students to know.
• VIII. A one-page executive summary/handout for distribution in classes. After proposals are submitted, all eligible entries will be emailed the PACS student body for review. The ‘Directors’ noted on these proposals will then be asked to present their submissions to each of the PCS classes. These presentations will be held on March 21, 22, 23, 2012. The short presentations will be held at the end of class, followed by a class vote. The tallied votes, noted and recorded by a member of the PACS executive, will determine the winning selection. (Please note, an alternative voting event will be arranged for those in PCS but not currently enrolled in a PCS course. This event will likely take place in the afternoon of Friday, March 23.)

N.B. Students graduating this spring will not be allowed to serve as conference directors or serve on an organizing committee. In addition, ‘Directors’ of the selected proposal will not be eligible to serve as the 2012-2013 Peace and Conflict Society (PACS) President(s).

Hello Friends,

So. Hart House is THIS WEEKEND. Needless to say it will be life changing. Here are the bullet points:

WHO: PACSers. You and all your friends.

WHAT: Forging friendships, being pretentious PACSers, enjoying the weather, eating more food than we thought was anatomically possible, having the time of our lives.

WHEN: 11 am October 15th (meet outside the real Hart House, 7 Hart House Circle) – 3 pm October 16th (back to the real Hart House)

WHERE: Hart House Farms, Caledon (about an hour away via a big old school bus)

WHY: Because you love fun

HOW: By paying an exec member $20 BEFORE THURSDAY AT NOON (Ian will be in the PACS lounge on Thursday from 10-12, find him and save your $5), after that $25 until the day of, $30 on Saturday (seriously, you’ve had forever)

BRING: Snacks if you want (might get hungry on the bus), a change of clothing essentials (but not much, you’re not there long), tooth brush, a bathing suit (there is a sauna!), sleeping essentials (sleeping bag/blanket, pillow) and beverages you may wish to indulge in (your choice, no pressure).

So there you have it. Read on for more details if you can afford too (we know you’re busy)!

We’re meeting at 11 am in from of Hart House (7 Hart House Circle) this Saturday, October 15th. It’ll take roughly an hour to get us to our destination in Caledon. A magical day of exploring, learning, and bonding will ensue, culminating in a vegan dinner prepared by yours truly, the exec (plus anyone willing to help!). In case you haven’t been paying attention, this dinner will involve perogies, garlic toast, coleslaw, and more. The real fun happens after dinner, though. We won’t give away all the details, but we will tell you that it involves a sauna. And, importantly, smores. So you won’t want to miss it. Breakfast will consist of vegan pancakes and eggs with potato hash browns. Then we will be on our merry way back to Toronto by the afternoon. We’ll be back before 3.

This trip, one of the more exciting things we do as a society all year, is only $20 if you pay soon. For the amount of food, fun, and transportation you’re getting, we can’t emphasize how much of a steal this is. You can give any one of the exec (including your class rep!) $20 at any time this week up until Thursday. On Thursday, if you drop by the lounge between 10 am – noon, Ian will be waiting patiently to accept your money. After noon on Thursday, the price goes up by $5 -so don’t delay! Someone will be waiting in the lounge until noon on Friday to accept your $25, or you can pay the morning of for $30- though this is discouraged. Pay early and save your cash!

Last, but not least, bring a bathing suit if you’re interested in hitting up the sauna at night. Also bring any beverages that you see fit to bring. Have a good week, we’ll see you at the farm!

Cheers,
Your PACS Exec

Hello Old and New Friends,

Hope you’re all enjoying the final dregs of summer. This is just a reminder that you have a reason to look forward to the first week of school ? PACS Frosh! The time of year is nigh, and your exec has quite the week lined up for you:

Sunday, September 11th @ 4 pm: PACS at Snakes & Lattes! (600 Bloor St. W), Come enjoy a latte (or a beer), board games, and spend some time with your fellow PACSers. If you’re new to PACS, this is a great way to get to meet your peers. And if you?re a PACS veteran, then you know how much fun Snakes & Lattes is already.

Thursday, September 15th @ 2pm (until 4pm): PCS Welcome Back Reception (South House Lounge, Munk School of Global Affairs). Always a good time, the Welcome Back Reception is a place to mingle with professors, listen to Ron talk a whole lot (oh, how we love him), and hang out with your fellows. Also, there?s always free food.

Friday, September 16th @ 8 pm: PACS Pool/Pub Night! We’ll be going to the Annex Billiards Hall (on Bloor between Spadina and Bathurst). All ages are welcome there and we’ll order some food and play pool! But, if you have any other suggestions for places, feel free to let us know!

Saturday, September 17th @ 2 pm: PACSnic! A PACS picnic, cleverly enough. Come to the backfield (the one off of harbord) to enjoy an afternoon of outdoor food, fun, and sports – on what will probably be one of the last days of nice weather. Take advantage of it!

Anyhow, that’s it for now. Stay tuned for info on class-representative elections that will be happening in a few weeks time!

If you?re an avid facebook user, you can stay posted on all the PACS news here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peace-and-Conflict-Society-2011-2012/213837892006508. We also have all this information up on our website: peaceandconflict.ca

We are looking forward to seeing all of your lovely faces at our frosh events! Enjoy the rest of the week!

Cheers,

Olivia, Sima, Hillary, Alex, Ian and Nessa

Hello everybody!

We hope you’ve all had an amazing summer! Your Peace and Conflict Studies exec has already been working hard and we’re excited to meet all the new 260s and hear about everyone’s summer adventures!

So, we have some really exciting things planned for this year – from socials, to human rights events, free breakfasts to pacs volunteering, but you’ll hear more about all of this in a few weeks. We also have a really fun PACS froshweek starting with a night at Snakes and Lattes on September 11th, a welcome back reception at the Munk Center and movie night on September 15th, and a pub-night September 16th.

But we’ll send out an exciting email about all of this soon and update the events page. For now, we just wanted to introduce you to this website. We’ll be using it a lot more this year to keep everyone updated with PACS, U of T, and Toronto events, internship opportunities, information about the program, class discussions, and just other cool stories.

Looking forward to seeing everyone in less than two weeks!
- PACS Exec

ps – some highlights from last year’s events

Today marks the end of the 2011 Peace and Conflict Studies Conference: Mapping Local Landscapes: Community Approaches to Peace.

I still remember being contacted by our esteemed conference directors – Zannah Matson, Aaron Kates Rose and Peter Wills – almost 10 months ago. At that time, the message was clear: “We have a great idea.” What is most impressive, is that the ensuing days, weeks, and months of preparation, have paid off in the most spectacular of ways.

Overheard conversations, animated discussions and the sense of participant satisfaction made it clear that participants were impressed, intrigued and inspired by this weekend’s events; the lack of complaints owed surely to the tireless efforts of volunteers and the ever-capable trifecta of triumph (ZAP – I’m talking about you).

Most importantly, this year has lived up to – and arguably exceeded – the calibre, professionalism and preparation witnessed in conferences past, and a most deserved congratulations goes out to the directors, staff and the carriers of boundless energy that made this event such a phenomenal success.

So, it is my pleasure, on behalf of the 2010-2011 PACS Executive – and myself in particular – to thank everyone for the incredible work done over the past 10 months. Your success will remain a testament to our program and creed. Indeed, great ideas, passionately pursued, motivate change.

Today, once again, I am proud to be a member of this ‘radically interdisciplinary’ community.

Get some sleep!

Adam McCauley

YOU NEED TO KNOW THE FOLLOWING:

Time/Location of Departure:

Arrive by 11AM, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2010
Leaving from: 15 Kings College Circle (that’s right in front of University College – we’ll be the ones with the bus)

Lunch! We will be serving Dinner on Saturday, and perhaps light snacks, but you should bring your own food. Any additional snacks you want to bring to share is would be delightful.

Packing List

• Toiletries for overnight
• Personal Medication
• Change of clothes [?]
• [please note: there is no shower, and it's only one night anyways. Embrace it]
• Sleeping Bag/Pillow – mattresses are provided but there is no bedding.
• Additional treats:
• Swimsuit for Sauna
• Cards/Games (ideas for games or physical games, both welcome)
• Flashlight
• Ipod/Music (there will be a loud i-dock speaker system courtesy of Kerry)
• Warm Clothes/Layers (weather may get cold in evening)
• Rain Jacket? (may rain occasionally on Saturday)
• Alcohol

Additional notes:

PACS folk are pretty much the most exciting people around. As a result, please come prepared to share any group game/activity ideas you might have. We’ve got a few in mind – one including, but not limited to, giants, wizards and elves (face-meltingly incredible, despite the sophomoric undertones) – but any new additions are more than welcome.