The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, October 12, 1994 -- 3 4Program 'breaks' the spring ,tradition By LISA BAGLEY For the Daily While at college, Ben Reames didn't sun on Myrtle Beach or Cancun with his buddies during Spring Break. He spent his time helping others while participating in the University's Alternative Spring Break program. ,ut he doesn't think he's missed any- ing. Rather, the fourth-year RC stu- dent feels satisfied. "The first time I did this was the best experience I had at college," Reames said. "I worked with Save Our Sons and Daughters in Detroit and it was intense." Alternative Spring Break is a week of sharing experiences, a chance to live and breathe as part of a group. * allows students to experience and learn from the problems in communi- ties in the United States and Mexico. This is the sixth year for Alterna- tive Spring Break, which started in 1989 with two sites. This year there will be 21 to 23 sites in the United States, with one site in Oaxaca, Mexico, with 40 site leaders. Among the American site loca- ons are Chicago, New York City, ew Orleans and Miami. Opportuni- ties include working with AIDS pa- tients, homeless people, Haitian and Cuban refugees, and dealing with is- sues such as domestic violence and environmental problems. "This will be a different experi- ence from last year," said LSA junior Abe Bates. "This is a year-long expe- rience. It has a different focus then *st year. It isn't just one week and then it's over. When we come back, we continue to give back to the com- munity. It's a two-way process." Participants meet with their groups a few times during the fall and winter semesters before spring break. Dur- ing this meeting, they learn about the environment and issues they will con- front on the site. They will meet about n hour or two every two weeks. ,, Mostgroupswillmeetafterthe break to apply the lessons to their communi-. ties. All participants must attend a Multisite Reflection in early March. "I'm really excited. I think it's going to be a great experience," said Tovah Calderon, an LSA senior. "I've never done this before and I always wanted to get involved." There is a meeting today for all *terested in Alternative Spring Break at 8 p.m. in the Union. Applications are also available in the Project Serve office, 2205 Michigan Union. Smith, Ireland return to court on assault charge MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily This allosaurus is looking for a home with some loving student, family or organization - for a low price. For Sale:.'U musumsofer dinosaur 'vo""bones at .low pricees MOUNT CLEMENS (AP) - A man and a University student in a custody dispute that hinges on her use of day care for their 3-year-old da ugh - ter faced off in another court yester- day over charges that he assaulted the woman two years ago. The dispute drew publicity when a judge ordered Maranda Ireland-Smith removed from her mother's custody and given to her father in part because Jennifer Ireland, 19, an LSA sopho- more, placed her in day care when she attended the University. Steven Smith, 20, said his mother would care for Maranda if he got custody. An appeals court blocked the July custody order while it re- views the decision. During the custody dispute, the Macomb County Prosecutor's office revived a 1992 assault case in which Ireland said Smith grabbed and choked her at her family home in Harrison Township. That case went to trial yesterday. In opening arguments. defense attor- ney Sharon Edwards said the case would turn on Ireland's honesty. "She is a liar. She lies about big things. She lies about little things," Edwards told the jury. "Steve Smith is going to testify. He is going to tell you what really happened, and he is going to tell the truth." Assistant Prosecutor David Portuesi said Smith attacked Ireland on Dec. 24, 1992 after an argument over visitation. Smith put his arms around lrelansd' neck and then refused to leave her house, Portuesi said. Smith then grabbed her and lifted her off the ground. he added. Ireland testified that she pulled Smith by the arm after he refused her order for him to leave the house. Ire- land said the attack left her with bruised arms and neck. Under a harsh cross examination, she denied giving different accounts of the incident at different times. Taking the stand in his own de- fense. Smith denied choking Ireland and said he grabbed her arms only because she was hitting him. "I grabbed her to get her to stop because I was getting beat up," he said. Smith's mother, Deborah, testi- fied she once listened as Ireland made up a story about car trouble in order to get out of a traffic ticket. "She said she was going to play on the judge's sympathy. She was going to say her car was overheating and she didn't want to get stranded," Mrs. Smith said. The defense was expected to wrap up its case this morning, followed by closing arguments and jury delibera- tions. In July, Macomb County Circuit Judge Raymond Cashen ruled that Maranda would be better off in Smith's custody. The misdemeanor assault charge carries a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail and a $100 fine. He en- tered an innocent plea on July 27. By MATTHEW SMART For the Daily For those students not interested in purchasing Barney toys to satiate their questfordinos, the University ofMichi- gan Exhibit Museum of Natural His- tory is putting a real dinosaur on sale. The Exhibit Museum is having a "Buy a Bone" project to raise the $20,000 needed to put a Deinonychus skeleton on permanent display. But don't sell those furry, purple friends yet. The dinosaur bones are not actually for sale. People can sponsor parts of the Deinonychus for varying amounts of money. Sponsors will receive a per- sonalized certificate and get their names on a plaque to be put on permanent display with the dinosaur skeleton. "The Museum hasn't had a new (dinosaur) display in 30 years," said Daniel Madaj, administrative associ- ate at the Exhibit Museum. Madaj also said the Museum hasn'tchanged much in many years and this is the beginning of "new and exciting changes." The skeleton will not be made of real dinosaur bones ,but replicas made from an actual Deinonychus skeleton. Using fabrications instead of real bones helps to prevent damage to the original artifacts. These replicas will be lighter and cheaper than real dinosaur bones. The light weight combined with the rela- tively small size of the dinosaur, ap- proximately 14 feet tall and 9 feet long, will make the exhibit more mobile for various poses, Madaj said. The prices for sponsoring a bone range from $5 for a tooth to $1,000 for the skull. This makes the programavail - able to many types of interested indi- viduals and groups such as families, classrooms and businesses. Madaj says his personal favorite is the "Terrible Claw." "For $50, you get this weapon of destruction," Madaj said. The fund-raiser began in mid-Sep- temberand is planned to extend through January and possibly February. The museum hopes to have the skeleton mounted by early February, when it will have a grand opening. The exhibit will be on the second floor of the Natural History Museums building. Other exhibits, including an Allosaurus and an Edrmontosaurus, are currently open for viewing. Coinciding with the planned skel- eton, the display area is receiving a facelift. New lighting is being added and otherimprovements are being made. . The "Buy a Bone" project is an unique fundraiser, Madaj said. The Exhibit Museum, however, is one of only a few to attempt this sort of thing. The first museum to solicit spon- sors for bones was the Field Museum in Chicago. Madaj said this project is a fun way to get people involved and doesn't require coercing the public to give money. The Exhibit Museum receives fund- ing from the University in the form of an operating budget. The University also pays the employees' salaries and owns and maintains the building. But as with many departments on campus, funding is spread thin, re- stricting the addition of new exhibits. To supplement the operating budget, the Museum offers school tours, plan- etarium shows and runs a gift shop. Nonetheless, admission is free for the more than 80,000 visitors to the Museum each year. The most expensive bone sponsored so far has been the $100 femur. Madaj said many parents and grandparents have purchased bones for their chil- dren because then they can visit the museum together and locate his or her "own" bone. When asked why he believes people are fascinated with dinosaurs Madaj responded, "They're big, they're fero- cious and there are none around." U For more information or to sponsor a bone, contact the Exhibit Museum of Natural History, 1109 Geddes Ave., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109- 1079, or call 764-0478. Students go abroad for fun , experience Conference to highlight conservative views By TRACEY ROGERS For the Daily Hundreds of students interested in going abroad filled the Union Ball- room yesterday to meet students who have lived in exotic locales ranging from London, England to Accra, Ghana. At each table, students were given specific information about the coun- tries involved in the University's study abroad program. Summer, semesterand academic year programs are available in nearly 25 different countries. Carole Dickerman, the director of' the Office of International Programs (OIP) for the past two years, feels that the annual Study Abroad Fair continu- ally proves to be successful. Making students aware of their op- portunities and helping them to go abroad is the main objective of the OIP. Last year, approximately 300 students went abroad through the OIP. According to Dickerman, this is not enough. "If I had my way, every stu- dent would know about the programs abroad, and every student would be able to afford it." Students who have gone abroad in the past were eager to help and offer advice and information to prospective students. LSA sophomore Stacy Heenan said, "I am planning on going abroad next year and I found this fair to be very informational. The students are responsive and interested in my ques- tions." The OIP makes several efforts to help students financially. It is policy of the University to extend financial aid abroad and offer a variety of scholar- ships. Also, the OIP will CRISP for those students abroad and all students are guaranteed in-residence credit. Students who do not want to go abroad just to study found out that they have other options. The University In- ternational Center also offers work and travel programs. According to Bill Nolting, a repre- sentative from the center, "These pro- grams offer opportunities for all stu- dents, not just undergrads to have an experience abroad." The Peace Corps and teaching En- glish are some opportunities grad stu- dents are offered. Eurorail passes, stu- dent International ID discount cards and Youth Hostel memberships are available through the center. This is the fifth year that the OIP has held the Study Abroad Fair to help students acquire preliminary informa- tion about the programs offered through the University. Follow up meetings will be held about specific programs so that the students can talk not only to students who have gone abroad, but to faculty and staff as well. These meetings will be held from 5 to 6p.m. from Oct. 17 to Nov. 30. There are still some spaces open for students wishing to study abroad this winter. For more information, contact the OIP in their new location on the ground floor of the Union, next to the International Center. By JONATHAN BERNDT Daily Staff Reporter In an effort to rally the troops and lighten others, two groups are bring- ing a cast of conservatives to campus. The second Conservative Confer- ence will examine national and Uni- versity issues through the eyes of sev- eral prominent speakers. The event kicks off this afternoon with former U.S. Rep. Phil Crane (R-Ill.) speak- ing on cultural dilemmas at 5:15 p.m. At 7 p.m. Richard Ebeling, an Wonomics professor at Hillsdale Col- lege, will go into what he terms the failure of big government philoso- phies, specifically "Clintonomics." "We picked these specific speak- ers because we felt that they gave us perspectives on the varying aspects of conservatism," said College Re- publicans Chair Mark Fletcher, add- ing that this was "a perspective rarely heard around here." College Republicans and Students for America are sponsoring the event. The conference's highlight should be U.S. Rep. Nick Smith (R-Addison). He is expected to emphasize propos- als in the Contract for America Friday at 6 p.m. Smith will also relay some of his experiences as a first-term mem- ber of the U.S. House. Tomorrow night, Ron Robinson, president of the Young America Foun- dation in Washington D.C., will urge young voters to get involved in poli- tics beginning at 7 p.m. "Whether you are interested in social issues, economics, or election '94, there should be many speakers that will interest the students on this campus," Fletcher said. Smith joined about 300 Republi- cans in signing the contract last month. It promises to take action on a bal- anced-budget amendment, tax cuts, an anti-crime package, welfare re- form and other social issues. While Democrats have called it irresponsible and a "gimmick," the GOP sees an opportunity to win 40 seats they need to control the House for the first time in 40 years. Fletcher said he hopes the confer- ence will not only educate students in conservative principles, but also en- courage them to take leadership roles and motivate other students as well. All the talks will be in the Henderson Room on the 3rd floor of the Michigan League at 911 N. Uni- versity Ave. I a -1 Group Meetings Q Gargoyle Magazine Mass Meeting, 763-0303, Student Publications Building, Room 104, 6 p.m. U Hindu Student Council, 764- 0604, Michigan Union, Pond Room, 8 p.m. Q Rainforest Action Movement, 662-0232, Dana Building, Room 1040, 7:30 p.m. U U-M Cycling Club, 764-7814, Angell Hall, Auditorium C, 6 p.m. U U-M Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do Club, beginners welcome, CCRB, Room 2275, 8:30-9:30 p.m. U U-M Students of Objectivism, 913-5530, Modern Languages Building, Room B122, 7:30 J. Bard, Chemistry Building, Room 1640, 4 p.m. U "Explaining Unexplained Infer- tility in Humans: From Voo- doo to Science," Dr. John F. Randolph, sponsored by U-M Research Club, Michigan League, Kalamazoo Room, 4-5 p.m. U "New Student Study Break," sponsored by Hillel, 7:00-9:30 p.m. U Lord of Light Eversong, Luth- eran Campus Ministry, 801 S. Forest, 7 p.m. U Michigan Conservative Confer- ence, Rep. Phil Crane and Dr. Richard Ebeling, sponsored by U-M College Republicans and U-M Students for America, Michigan League, Henderson U Syntel, Inc Info Session, spon- sored by CP&P, Michigan League, Hussey Room, 6-8 p.m. U "Transformation and Recon- struction of Jewish Identity i Post-Communist Russia an Ukraine," Professor Zvii Gitelman, Lane Halt, Commonsl Room, noon Student services U 76-GUIDE, peer counselin phone line, 7 p.m.-8 a.m. U Campus Information Center, Michigan Union, 763-INFO; events info 76-EVENT oi UM*Events on Gopherblue U Law Day, Michigan Union, spon- sored by CP&P, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. U Law Day: Admissions Deans Panel, Michigan Union, spon4 o o Oyy S o For all you love-sick puppies- SWEETEST DAY IS APPROACHING! But this year, forget the flowers, the candy, the card, the expensive & crowded restaurant. I I I