On November 6, 2003, Dr. Maria Helena Moreira Alves, one of Latin America's leading political scientists and political activists, spoke to more than 100 students from the University of San Diego and the University of California, San Diego at UCSD's Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies (CILAS). Addressing the theme "Is a New World Possible? The Challenges of Lula's Government in Brazil," Dr. Alves offered her assessment of President Lula's social and economic policies. The event was co-sponsored by USD's Department of History, the Ahlers Center for International Business, the Enhanced Student-Faculty Interaction Initiative, Phi Alpha Theta, the Committee on Academic Initiatives, and CILAS.