Eithel Manrique's Thoughts on the Inaugural ILR/UCSP Winter Break Program

After two weeks of hard work, the CSR Program has come to an end. An incredible group of ILR and UCSP students partnered to explore the opportunities and challenges that Peru faces while promoting development and mining. Our approach to this complex context was simple: meet and listen to different stakeholders. We were able to talk to CSR officers from multinational organizations such as Freeport-McMoRan and AngloAmerican, civil society and political leaders, and beneficiaries of CSR programs. My main goal of this program was presenting different perspectives of the same reality: the promotion of mining projects in territories and its role on development. 

We hope that after this program ILR and UCSP students are better equip for their future academic and professional endeavors.

News from Joe Grasso in Peru

Excerpts from a message that Joe G. sent to ILR.

Left to right: Erica, Amy, Amanda and Giovanni.

The program has been great with Eithel Manrique, from Universidad Catolica San Pablo, bringing in very knowledgeable people to discuss corporate and social responsibility issues in the mining sector.  For example, he had a former Director of CSR at a Peruvian company talk about some horrendous problems in the north of Peru in Cajamarca.  She is an expert on CSR in the mining sector and is now working with the Canadian Embassy to improve things.  We then heard from a person who ran for the Governor of the State of Arequipa in November, but lost.  He was an anti-mining candidate and discussed public policy issues.  We then visited Cerro Verde’s Offices, the largest copper mine in the world, and spoke with the Director of CSR there.

ILR and TDTU students meeting with the Director of CSR

This mine is owned by Freeport McMoRan from Arizona, and they have some very good programs in place and underway to help the community (water treatment plants, schools, micro-finance programs for women, etc.) 

Each day the 5 Peruvian students get together with our 4 students to work on a policy brief in three areas of CSR (environment, economic, and social).  This policy brief effort has been a great way to have the Cornell and UCSP students get to know each other.  We have learned amazing things about Peruvian society, politics, economics, and culture.  This coming week, the group will continue to meet with experts, visit with other mining companies, and complete their policy briefs and present them to a CSR Director at a mining firm.

This weekend, Eithel took us to Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world.  We had a great time seeing this beautiful area and tried to see Condors at about 16,000 feet.  More importantly, we saw how poor, rural Peruvians live as subsistence farmers and how harsh the terrain is.  We visited a number of small towns and enjoyed the day and evening together.

Our entire Cornell group, Giovanni Sanchez, Amanda Maya, Amy Saz, and Erica Freeman, along with Eithel Manrique, have really enjoyed learning about Peru and CSR, getting to know the students from UCSP, and getting to know each other.  We’re grateful to ILR and UCSP for making this happen.

Hello from Arequipa!

Hello from Arequipa!

The program has kept us very busy so I haven’t had the time to blog, but I just wanted to check-in quickly!

First, I wanted to say that Arequipa is an amazing city and I am very grateful for the opportunity to be immersed in this hot bed of Peruvian culture.

Second, I wanted to say thank you to Eithel Manriquez for being a wonderful host! He has gone above and beyond to not only make us feel welcome, but also to ensure that we get the most out of our brief time here. He has designed an ambitious schedule for the program that has kept us constantly engaged.

So far the program has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. To begin with, the students from UCSP have been great assets for our learning process here. They have spoken about Peru in an open and forthright way in our daily discussions both in-and-out of the classroom. Next, the guest speakers brought in to speak to us about their perspective on the extractive industry in Southern Peru have been extremely knowledgeable and insightful. Finally, on top of the quality in-class instruction and dialogues, I love that we have been able to make visits into the field for a hands-on look at the topics we are exploring.

That’s all for now, until next time.

-Giovanni

p.s. A few photos you might enjoy:

Week 1

I've had an incredible first week in Arequipa. Everyone has shown us kind hospitality in helping us settle in and learn how to get around the city. We've had engaging lectures on topics such as the history of Peru, international development, and the mining industry from various perspectives. The students from UCSP have brought a lot of knowledge and passion to class discussions, helping to make this a truly valuable experience. Furthermore, the city is framed by the natural beauty of the volcanos, and the local cuisine is diverse and delicious!

One high point from this past week was visiting the head of corporate social responsibility for Cerro Verde mine, and learning about the various initiatives Cerro Verde is working on. These initiatives include providing clean water to the city, as well as investments in health & nutrition, education, and micro-finance for local people. It will be interesting to visit other mines this week, and compare their CSR efforts.

Our final project is to work in groups to create policy briefs for submission to mining corporations. I am part of the environmental policy team, and so our brief will propose a recommendation for a mine to improve its impact on the environment. The other groups are working on policy briefs regarding the economic and social impacts of mining. We are still in the process of researching and framing our topics, but we expect to have a finished product by this Friday. Time is flying by!

                                                 View of Chachan Volcano from UCSP
                                           

                                                      Town square illuminated at night
       

Weekend trip to Colca Canyon

Meet the 2015 ILR-UCSP Team!

(This page will be updated as the bios are submitted).

The ILR Members:  

My name is Erica Freeman, and I am a senior in ILR. 

My academic interests include international development, poverty elimination, and workers' rights. After graduation, I hope to pursue a graduate degree in public policy. This program is a great opportunity for me to learn about how corporate social responsibility initiatives can impact employees and communities. I am thankful to be here in Arequipa, working with and learning from the excellent UCSP students and staff! 

From Giovanni Sanchez's bio:

"Giovanni wants to live in a world filled with justice for all, cheaper whey protein and a force field around his keyboard that repels coffee and peanut butter. He aspires to pursue a career in the legal field advocating for workers' rights. 

A senior in the ILR School, he transferred into Cornell University from Navarro College (Midlothian, TX) where he graduated Summa Cum Laude as a recipient of the Brilliance Scholarship. He has 8 years’ experience as a soccer referee, ranging from youth to professional at the state, regional, and national levels. Over the summer Giovanni took part in the Leadership Development Program at Burger King Corporation where he worked as part of a three-person team tasked with designing an optimal supply chain and procurement strategy for the Latin America & Caribbean region. 

When he’s not studying or refereeing soccer, you can find him lifting (he lifts), hitting things to make them work or (allegedly) winning political debates on Facebook.”

 

My name is Amy Saz and I am a junior transfer at the Industrial and Labor Relations School.

My career goal is to protect worker's rights,specially those who are at a greater disadvantaged in the United States and abroad by working in the public or non-profit sector. U.S. companies who do business abroad should assure the respect and integrity of workers and the affected communities. Initiatives such as Corporate Social Responsibility can be a tool to help developing countries, such as Peru, achieve sustainable development and maintain positive labor relations.

My name is Amanda Maya and I was born and raised in sunny Miami, Florida! 

I am a senior at the ILR School and I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Labor Relations.  Last semester, I studied "abroad" at the Cornell in Washington Program and had an amazing semester in Washington, D.C. I was an undergraduate intern at the Disability Rights Section at the Department of Justice and was given the opportunity to work with several attorneys at the DOJ, which was an incredible and wonderful learning experience. I had also the opportunity to go to Panama, with the Cornell Global Law Brigades, during the spring semester of my sophomore year, and assisted pro-bono attorneys in conducting legal clinics.I am particularly interested in corporate social responsibility because I want to be an attorney. My main goal is to help companies institute sustainable development programs and help design policies to treat workers fairly. I am truly excited to be having the opportunity to collaborate with UCSP students and work on our policy brief! It has been a thought-provoking and enlightening experience that has shed much light on sustainable development and corporate social responsibility. 

The UCSP Members:

Hello, my name is Andrés Delgado, I’m 23 years old and I just finished Law School at UCSP. I was born and raised in Arequipa.

 I am really excited to be part of a joint program with Cornell University students. I hope we can discuss and design effective policies to improve CSR policies in Peru, but more specific in Arequipa.

I expect this program will give us a broader view about how the mining industry can improve, through effective CSR policies, to help maintain not only economic stability to the stakeholders but a solid social peace.

As extracurricular activities I enjoy bowling, running and reading historic novels.

 

Hello! My name is José Manuel Pastor Prado, I'm a current student of Industrial Engineering (UCSP) and Production Engineering (PUC Rio), from the top fifth. 

 I'll be graduating hopefully at the end of this year. On 2014 I've been working and traveling earning some experience in Engineering and Project Management. Also, I have some studies based on the methodology of the PMBOK and Earned Value Management. Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese and English. My interests are in energy projects regarding sustainable development. Also I play guitar for almost 12 years and had a very successful band here in Arequipa.

Hello!! I’m Lucia Urteaga, I´m 24 and I´m a graduate of the Law School at USCP. I was born in the amazing and beautiful Arequipa, where I was also raised. 

I´m enjoying everything about this program with Cornell University students. They´re always asking us things about our country and we´re always learning of the USA and the way of thinking they have. CSR is one of my biggest interests in the professional field and I strongly believe that this program will take me closer to where I want to be on the future. I´ve been working in sustainable development for the past 3 years in Arequipa and I know for sure that the best way to give a rise to sustainable development is through effective CSR policies, seeking collaboration with government, civil society and the private sector.

As extracurricular activities I enjoy reading, movies, social labor and cooking.

My name is Daniela Vásquez, 20 years old. I study Business Administration, starting my 4^th year.

 

 I was born in Arequipa, Peru. I enjoy being with my family and friends, studying foreign languages. I think it is a very helpful tool to communicate with different people around the world.

I´m very interested in international business and human resources, my plan is to do my master in United State and hopefully return to Peru to work in Lima.