O F F IC E O F E N G AG E M E NT
15 East Peace Street ▪ Raleigh, NC 27604-1194
Tel 919.508.2043 ▪ Fax 919.508.2332
www.peace.edu
April 20, 2015
Thank you for your interest in coordinating an Alumni Book Club. For the 2015-16 academic year, William
Peace University has chosen “Where Am I Wearing? A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories and People That
Make Our Clothes” as this year’s selected reading for incoming First-Year students and the campus community.
Chosen for its ethical dimension by the student leaders and faculty, Where Am I Wearing? is written by Kelsey
Timmerman, a journalist who travels the world to trace the origins of our clothes. When Mr. Timmerman wanted
to know where his clothes came from and who made them, he began a journey that would take him from
Honduras to Bangladesh to Cambodia to China and back again. Where Am I Wearing? intimately describes the
connection between impoverished garment workers’ standards of living and the all-American material lifestyle.
By introducing readers to the human element of globalization – the factory workers, their names, their families
and their way of live – Where Am I Wearing? bridges the gap between global producers and consumers.
New content includes: a visit to a fair trade Ethiopian shoe factory that is changing lives one job at time;
updates on how workers worldwide have been squeezed by rising food costs and declining orders in the wake
of the global financial crisis; and the author's search for the garment worker in Honduras who inspired the first
edition of the book.
Kelsey Timmerman speaks and universities around the country and maintains a blog at
www.whereamiwearing.com. His writing has appeared in the Christian Science Monitor and Condé Nast
Portfolio, and has aired on NPR. Enlightening and thought-provoking at once, Where Am I Wearing? puts a
human face on globalization. For more information on the book and author, visit his website at
www.whereamiwearing.com.
To help you get your book club going with other alumni in your area, we have enclosed a “tool kit” of
information that will help you plan and implement a successful event. Whether you prefer to email, mail or
phone fellow Peace alumni about your book club, what matters is that you are engaging and connecting our
alumni to their alma mater. Something to consider before you get started: Would you like to hold a preplanning meeting with a select group or would you prefer to just set the date and send invitations to your area
alumni? The approach is up to you. Enclosed you will find everything you need to get started.
We hope that your book club event will entice alumni to participate in campus events throughout the upcoming
academic year. In conclusion, we ask that you collect an email address from each former classmate you
connect with. Please forward these email addresses to the Office of Engagement and keep us informed of your
plans. Good luck.
With Peace Spirit,
Allison Leggett Woolard ’01
President, Alumni Board
2014-2016
Julie E. Ricciardi
Vice President, Office of Engagement
Enclosures (4): checklist; event confirmation form; sample letter; discussion questions.
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O F F IC E O F E N G AG E M E NT
15 East Peace Street ▪ Raleigh, NC 27604-1194
Tel 919.508.2043 ▪ Fax 919.508.2332
www.peace.edu
PLANNING CHECKLIST
Alumni Book Club
Below is a “checklist” to help you think through ways to organize your event and make it successful.
Throughout this project, you serve as an ambassador to Peace each time you connect with fellow alumni.
The best way you can help the university is to collect updated information (i.e. emails, addresses and class notes)
for every alumni you speak with and share the information with the Office of Engagement.
 Collect email addresses. We love spending time with alumni in cyber-space, so be sure to get those
emails from your Peace classmates.
 Recruit your fellow Peace classmates to join in on the fun. If you live in a large community, consider
forming a small committee to assist you in making phone calls. For example, five alumni can each call
20 other alumni to help you make 100 phone calls in your area. In addition, this committee will be
helpful to you when it comes time to entertain the book club group.
 Save the Date. Selecting a date, time and place for your book club event is the first step. The next step
is communicating this information to alumni and inviting them to participate.
 Email is the best. Create an email distribution list in your email address book for easy, quick
communication to area alumni. You may also want to send out an E-vite. Visit www.evite.com for
directions on creating and sending invitations. They are a fun and easy way to communicate with the
entire group and keep track of who is coming. For those that don’t have an email address, consider
sending them a letter or calling them.
 Send a letter/invitation. Refer to the enclosed “sample book club letter” as a guide to wording your own
personalized invitations. Or, if you wish, you can plug your information into the sample letter and email
it to the Office of Engagement at Engagement@Peace.edu. We will format, print and mail the letters for
you.
 Share your signature with us. If you would like to include your signature on these letters, sign your name
three times on a blank sheet of paper and fax it to 919.508.2332. We will scan your signature into your
letters before mailing them.
 Collect RSVPs. Once you’ve sent your invitation with an RSVP deadline, let the Office of Engagement
know who you expect to attend. We can then mail you essentials like blank nametags and copies of
discussion questions and know the levels of interest alumni have for future programs like this!
 Complete, sign and return your book club event confirmation sheet to the Office of Engagement.
Remember, we are here to help you make your book club event fantastic.
Julie Ricciardi, Vice President for the Office of Engagement, will follow-up with you to answer
your questions or concerns. You may also contact her at
919.508.2362 or by email at: jricciardi@peace.edu.
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O F F IC E O F E N G AG E M E NT
15 East Peace Street ▪ Raleigh, NC 27604-1194
Tel 919.508.2043 ▪ Fax 919.508.2332
www.peace.edu
BOOK CLUB EVENT CONFIRMATION FORM
To:
Julie Ricciardi, Vice President for the Office of Engagement
From:
Today’s Date:
I gladly agree to host a regional book club in
date and time:
(city/state) on the following
.
I plan to
include alumni in surrounding regions (for example, Raleigh may wish to involve Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, or
Knightdale alumni, etc.):
.
The address and location of the book club event will be:
.
The following alumni or friends have agreed to help me coordinate the event:
.
Other information I would like to share with the Office of Engagement:
___________________________________
Signature/Date
Please sign and return this form to:
William Peace University
Office of Engagement
15 East Peace Street
Raleigh, NC 27604
Engagement@peace.edu
SAMPLE LETTER
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O F F IC E O F E N G AG E M E NT
15 East Peace Street ▪ Raleigh, NC 27604-1194
Tel 919.508.2043 ▪ Fax 919.508.2332
www.peace.edu
Date
Name
Address
City, State
Dear Name,
For the 2015-16 academic year, William Peace University has chosen “Where Am I Wearing? A Global Tour to the
Countries, Factories and People That Make Our Clothes” as this year’s selected reading for incoming First-Year
students and the campus community. Chosen for its ethical dimension by the student leaders and faculty, Where
Am I Wearing? is written by Kelsey Timmerman, a journalist who travels the world to trace the origins of our clothes.
When Mr. Timmerman wanted to know where his clothes came from and who made them, he began a journey that
would take him from Honduras to Bangladesh to Cambodia to China and back again. Where Am I Wearing?
intimately describes the connection between impoverished garment workers’ standards of living and the allAmerican material lifestyle. By introducing readers to the human element of globalization – the factory workers, their
names, their families and their way of live – Where Am I Wearing? bridges the gap between global producers and
consumers.
New content includes: a visit to a fair trade Ethiopian shoe factory that is changing lives one job at time; updates on
how workers worldwide have been squeezed by rising food costs and declining orders in the wake of the global
financial crisis; and the author's search for the garment worker in Honduras who inspired the first edition of the
book. Kelsey Timmerman speaks and universities around the country and maintains a blog at
www.whereamiwearing.com. His writing has appeared in the Christian Science Monitor and Condé Nast Portfolio,
and has aired on NPR. Enlightening and thought-provoking at once, Where Am I Wearing? puts a human face on
globalization. For more information on the book and author, visit his website at www.whereamiwearing.com.
The work has been chosen for its alignment with William Peace University’s Quality Enhancement Plan, Ethical
Decision Making. It will be referenced and used in various ways in each of the First Year Seminar courses on
campus, as well as throughout the campus community. Where Am I Wearing? will also serve as a community
discussion point throughout the academic year, and Kelsey Timmerman will be on campus to speak about his work.
(ENTER YOUR EVENT DETAILS HERE)
Please join me in participating as part of the Peace community and become a part of the <insert region or area
name>-area Peace Alumni Book Club. On <date here>, we will gather at <insert location/address> to plan our next
book club discussion/ get to know each other better as Peace graduates. Purchase your copy of Where Am I
Wearing? at your local bookstore. Even if you have not yet read the book, please join us still for lively conversation
and fellowship.
Finally, please send me your email address so that I may be in further contact over the next several weeks. Let’s
start reading and participate as part of the Peace community.
With kind regards,
Name
<REGION> Alumni Book Club Coordinator
Phone and E-Mail
P.S. I want to hear from you. Even if you are unable to make it on the <date>, I would love to hear your ideas and
interests about this new group.
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O F F IC E O F E N G AG E M E NT
15 East Peace Street ▪ Raleigh, NC 27604-1194
Tel 919.508.2043 ▪ Fax 919.508.2332
www.peace.edu
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
When you meet to discuss “Where Am I Wearing?”consider using the following questions to start the discussion.
1. Check the tag of your shirt. What country is it from? What brand is it?
2. Discuss the commonalities of each person’s shirt in terms of manufacturer and country of origin.
3. Kelsey writes (pg. 4): “Globalization was a foreign problem of which I was blissfully unaware, for the most
part. I did know that it was a problem and that I was against it. Everybody was.” What do you think he
meant by that??
4. Can you think of any positive or negative effects globalization has had in your community? How does
globalization impact you on a daily basis, does it change your day-to-day life?
5. What is the potential impact on a name/brand such as Kathie Lee Gifford or Disney having to admit to child
labor or sweatshop issues? How much personal/corporate responsibility do you think a company has for
such use by contractors or sub-contractors who use such manufacturing methods??
6. Timmerman describes his trip to Honduras as a failure. In what sense was it a failure? Are there ways in
which the trip could be deemed a success?
7. “Developing nations wanted our business and we wanted their cheap products.” (p. 9) In light of the
previous statement, discuss the relationship that the US has with China, and reflect on what changes to
that relationship may be occurring as China continues to grow economically.
8. What do you think the reaction of you, your family members, your peers, others would be if a stranger were
to approach you on the street as Timmerman did Amilcar and others in Honduras? Why?
9. Compare Dalton’s status in Bangladeshi society with Kelsey’s in American society. Thomas Friedman says
the world is flat, meaning that anyone with talent and ability has a shot regardless of what country in which
they were born. Does Dalton’s story support this?
10. What role did Kathie Lee play in the garment industry? Do you think that celebrities and athletes should be
held accountable for their product lines or the products the endorse?
11. Do you agree or disagree with Kelsey’s statement: “Not having children make out clothes does not
eliminate the reality that many children in Bangladesh must work, but it eliminates our guilt in the matter.”
Discuss why you think Dalton wouldn’t ask the ages of the children?
12. On Page 76 Kelsey writes, “Before I came to Bangladesh and met Arifa and visited the factories, I would
have been all for any bill that was against sweatshops and child labor. But the world isn’t black or white,
good or bad. The intentions of the bill seem good and, if carried out, could lead to the improvement of
working conditions worldwide, but it also could mean considerable job loss in Bangladesh.” In your
discussion, weigh job loss versus working conditions; weigh income loss today versus educational benefits
in future; and weigh loss of (decrease in) exports due to higher prices versus low standard of living.
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