Author: Brynn Boyer

Esfuerzo de Amor is having a holiday sale!  We need to clear out our inventory so that we have a reason to buy more products when we return to Honduras this January.  Our gifts are perfectly priced for the holidays, with six priced under $10!

The following items are available in the UMW Bookstore or online at http://host1.sequoiars.com/ePOS?store=313&form=shared3%2findex.html:

Bobby Pins: $3

Headbands: $5

Earrings (Straight): $6

Earrings (Hoops): $7

Clutches (XS): $7

Clutches (S):  $9

Clutches (M): $11

Clutches (L): $15

Clutches (XL): $26

They make great stocking stuffers and are perfect for gift-exchanges with friends and co-workers, for your babysitter, for your mail carrier…the possibilities are endless!

Each Esfuerzo de Amor product is hand-crafted in the homes of our artisans out of discarded chip bags and soda labels.  When you buy an Esfuerzo de Amor product:

• You generate needed income for our Honduran artisans and their families who live below $2 a day.
• You support our microloan program in Honduras which is funded by the profits from every purchase.
• You support a UMW student-run social enterprise.

Esfurezo de Amor products are gifts that give back. Happy Holidays!

LEARN MORE: http://esfuerzodeamor.org/

LIKE US on FB: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/ESFUERZO-de-AMOR/238912846163408

Message from Shawn Humphrey, associate professor of economics

Emile Lester, assistant professor of political science, has an article in the December issue of Kappan. In the article, “Teaching for Religious Tolerance in Modesto: Just Enough, But Not Too Much,” Lester argues that the Modesto school district’s required world religions course should be a model for schools across the country.

In addition, Lester’s research on religion in public schools is the focus of the article “Teaching Religious Literacy in California’s Bible Belt” in a recent issue of Miller-McCune.

Mary Beth Mathews, associate professor of religion, wrote an op-ed that appeared in the Friday, Dec. 9 issue of The Free Lance-Star. The article, “U.S. Voters Do Care What Candidates Believe,” argues that American voters are interested in political candidates’ religious beliefs and practices.

Chris Foss, associate professor of English, had an op-ed piece published in the Friday, Dec. 9 issue of The Free Lance-Star. In the article, Foss discusses the ways in which the rhetoric surrounding Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol perpetuates stereotypes of individuals with disabilities.

Charles J. Shields, associate director of the Chappell Great Lives Lecture Series, is featured in the Monday, Dec. 12 edition of The Washington Post. The article, “Charles J. Shields’s ‘And So It Goes’: Excellent Biography of Kurt Vonnegut,” is a review of Shields’ book, “And So It Goes: Kurt Vonnegut, A Life.”