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Show NEWS APRIL 08, 2013 SUPREME COURT from Al that are otherwise given to traditionally married couples, which the Defense of Marriage Act does. "I'm very uncomfortable with the Supreme Court defining marriage since society has already done that for thousands of years," Kennedy said. The Defense of Marriage Act, also referred to as DOMA, is a federal law passed by Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996 that requires states to recognize only traditional marriages for federal benefits. Today, there are over 1,100 federal marriage benefits. In the case of Windsor v. U.S., Edith Windsor wed Thea Spyer in Canada in May 2007. The couple later moved to New York, which legally recognized same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. After the death of Spyer in 2009, Windsor was required to pay over $363,000 in federal taxes on inheritance of her wife's estate because her marriage, though recognized in New York, was not recognized under DOMA. If DOMA treated their samesex marriage equally as traditional marriages, Windsor wouldn't have paid taxes. Windsor filed a petition asking the Supreme Court for an immediate review of the case to expedite the proceedings and obtain a final decision. Justice Anthony Kennedy warned that DOMA has a "real risk" of breaching the long-held tradition of the states defining marriage. Utah House Representative Kennedy questions whether the Supreme Court has jurisdiction to be hearing such cases. "I don't see that as a problem when we extend the same benefits equally," Rep. Kennedy said. Justice Sonya Sotmayor had similar concerns with the federal government being involved in marriage. "What gives the federal government the right to be concerned at all about what the definition of marriage is?" Sotomayor said. In 2008, California citizens voted for Proposition 8, an amendment to the state constitution to read: "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." In 2012, the Federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the law as unconstitutional. Proponents of Proposition 8 appealed to the Supreme Court. "I think people should have the right to do what they want as long as they don't hurt others," said Scott Carrier, adjunct professor in UVU Communication Department, "Should we allow same-sex marriage? I don't see why not." CNN reported last month that 38 U.S. states have banned samesex marriage, either through legislation or constitutional amendments. Eight states and the District of Columbia allow samesex marriages. During the next couple of months, the Supreme Court will deliberate on arguments for both cases, with a ruling expected in June. A5 TYLER DEAN MUNDY/UVU REVIEW The Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases involving same-sex marriage last month. A ruling is expected this June. Tele • erformance Transforming Passion into Excellence NOW HIRING! INBOUND TECHNICAL SUPPORT. INBOUND CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENTS. With over 250 call centers and 88,000 employees PHOTO COURTESY OF CHELSIE CLARK Student Claudine Kuradusenge will head to George Mason University this fall. in 42 different countries, Teleperformance is the worldwide leader in customer service solutions. Opening the door to dialogue International student plans to return to Rwanda and transform the way conflicts are resolved By Mallory Black News Editor, @mblack47 Nearly three years ago, international student Claudine Kuradusenge moved to Utah from Belgium and enrolled at Utah Valley University. She was just six years old when she moved from her home country of Rwanda to Belgium, only a few months after the 1994 Rwandan genocide began. Now graduating this spring with a bachelor's degree in communication and with minor degrees in peace and justice studies and criminal justice, the 24-yearold wants to return to Rwanda to help promote conflict reconciliation and peace-building among both tribes involved in the genocide: the Hutus and the Tutsis. "I'm into peace and justice and conflict transformation because nobody should live what I've been through," Kuradusenge said. "I remember how my baby sister died; nobody should be living that. I hope that I can try to help people. What I really want to do in the field would be [conflict] reconciliation, because we really talk about the aftermath of genocide, the fact that both tribes have to reconcile and live together. The theory and the practice are not the same." An estimated 200,000 people perpetrated the Rwandan genocide between April and July 1994, according to the United Human Rights Council, which resulted in the deaths of more than 800,000 men, women and children. After years of tension between the two tribes, the plane of Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana was shot down on April 6, 1994 above Kigali International Airport, according to a report by the BBC News. Habyarimana was Hutu, and a French judge accused Rwandan President Paul Kagame, a former leader of a Tutsi rebel group, for the attack at the time. Kagame denied having any involvement, and those responsible have yet to be named. Violence between the tribes instantly erupted following *Hadyarimana's murder, and Kuradusenge was moved to Belgium in summer of 1994. "I remember everything from the genocide, but memories before it are really blurred," Kuradusenge said. "I remember places and feelings, but I cannot picture anybody's face before the genocide. I cannot see their face." Kuradusenge's father died when she was two, and before the genocide began, her younger sister became sick and subsequently died from illness. Tutsi soldiers killed her mother in 1997. She said her experience from living in Rwanda has influenced her decision to pursue a career in conflict reconciliation. Michael Minch, director of the Peace and Justice Studies department at UVU, has no doubt Kuradusenge's determination to learn and her understanding of the conflict reconciliation will help her to heal her native Rwanda. "She has demonstrated a driven, passionate, deeply engaged commitment to conflict transformation and peace building in the classroom, and a dogged determination to learn everything she can so that she will become a powerful agent of peace and reconciliation in her home country and elsewhere," Minch said. "This is to say that she has coupled her intellectual hunger with a moral passion, and this tenacious hunger for both knowledge and practical peace building skills will serve her very well as both a graduate student and as a professional peace builder." ENTRY LEVEL PAY UP TO $1 1.00 AN HOUR WE OFFER: • Flexible Schedules! • Paid Training • Awesome Advancement Opportunities • Fun, Casual Work Environment • Immediate Positions Available (Lindon, Ogden, Salt Lake City IF YOU ARE INTERESTED PLEASE GO TO OUR WEBSITE TO APPLY WWW.TELEPERFORMANCE.COM I'm into peace and justice and conflict transformation because nobody should live what I've been through ... I hope that I can try to help people. CLAUDINE KURADUSENGE International student. Recently accepted into the George Mason University graduate program for conflict analysis and resolution this fall, Kuradesenge is eager to apply what she's learned so far. "I know I won't be able to fix everything, but at least I want to create a path of dialogue where people feel safe to sit at the same table and express their opinion without feeling like they're going to have soldiers behind them listening to whatever they're saying," Kuradusenge said. "In the longterm, I'd like to open a school of dialogue and reconciliation, not just for Rwanda, but for the whole East Africa area." *Corrected from Apr. 1 issue With a reputation for a fun and social atmosphere, we invite you to come visit us, and stay for the 2013-2014 Semesters! Rent rates starting as low as: $225! 556 N. 400 E. Provo, UT 84606 Office: 801-374-7900 • (801) 374-7900 Contracts on sale now! Shared Rooms available! ChooseLiberty.com |