Studying Perils of Water Privatization

Having traveled across the globe through four study abroad experiences, Brendan Rivage-Seul ’05 has witnessed the negative consequences when water becomes a privatized commodity in impoverished areas. The double major in international affairs and Spanish examined the issue in an honors thesis guided by James DeVault, associate professor of economics and business.

“The increasing levels of unregulated water privatization in developed and undeveloped countries alike represent a direct threat to the lives of the nearly 2.2 billion people worldwide living in absolute poverty,” says Rivage-Seul.

His interest was piqued by an eight-month program that took him to England, Tanzania, Oman, Singapore, India, New Zealand, and Mexico, where he saw firsthand what happens when people are denied access to clean drinking water.

“I came away from the experience convinced that water has become the new oil, and will be the hot topic of the 21st century,” he says.

Rivage-Seul was chair of the Programming Committee, student director of Lafayette’s Kids in the Community program at St. Anthony’s Recreation Center, student associate with the Landis Community Outreach Center, and representative for the College’s study abroad Spanish program. He also was a member of the junior varsity basketball team, the varsity golf team, Students for Social Justice, Investment Club, International Students Association, and the Kirby Government and Law Society. He was a resident adviser and Residence Hall Council liaison, assistant fitness trainer, intramural basketball referee, student representative on the faculty Wellness Committee, writer for The Lafayette, and member of the orchestra.