OLIVET, Mich. Scott Ritter, former chief weapons inspector for the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) in Iraq, will speak as part of Olivet Colleges Lecture and Symposium Series Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m. in the colleges Mott Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

That same day, the college will hold a panel discussion from 11 a.m. to noon in Mott Auditorium on the history, culture and heritage of the Middle East, specifically Iraq. Scheduled to participate are James Goode, Ph.D., professor of history and coordinator of the Middle East Studies Program at Grand Valley State University; and Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, chair of the Congress of Arab American Organizations and the Arab American Political Action Committee.

Ritter conceived, carried out or participated in 30 inspections for weapons of mass destruction. In 1998, this culminated in him being labeled a spy by Iraqi officials and banned from weapon sites. That same year, he resigned from UNSCOM, determining that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction. Four years later, Ritter became an outspoken opponent of United States policy as it geared up for the current war in Iraq. He served as a military intelligence officer in the 80s and as a ballistic missile expert during the Gulf War.

Ritter is the author of numerous books, including Iraq Confidential: The Untold Story of the Intelligence Conspiracy to Undermine the UN and Overthrow Saddam Hussein, and Endgame: Solving the Iraqi Crisis. His latest book, Target Iran, was released in September.

Rounding out Olivets 2006-07 Lecture and Symposium Series are Francis Bok on Wednesday, Jan. 31, and Kathleen DeBoer on Wednesday, March 21. For 10 years, Bok lived as a family slave in the Sudan. He was forced to sleep with cattle and endure daily beatings, before escaping in 1996. Examining differences in values and fears, conversations, behaviors and psychological adjustments, DeBoer will define how genders differ in both competitive work and athletic environments.

For more information, call (269) 749-7164.

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