The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 26, 1995 - 3
A!rtists are
favored by
evolution,
prof. says
By KATIE HUTCHINS
Daily Staff Reporter
Richard Alexander, a University
professor of evolutionary biology,
applied Darwin's theory of evolution
to humanity's appreciation of the arts
in a lecture yesterday afternoon.
"Both performers and apprecia-
tors of performances are really favor-
ing elements which reflect underly-
g social changes," he told the eager
audience, which flooded the aisles
and stood patiently in the doorways
of Rackham Amphitheatre.
Alexander related his idea of so-
cial selection to the ultimate obstacle
in evolutionary theory. "This big
mountain is in front of you and you
have to figure out a way to climb it
one way or another," he said.
People who excel in the arts are
more likely to possess the valuable
trait Alexander refers to as "social
cleverness," and more likely to be
selected as mates, said senior biology
concentrator Renee Stokes.
Stokes, former student of
Alexander's, explained his message
in a nutshell: "A lot of what natural
selection has to do with is the fact that
'eople who are more artistically in-
ined are more looked at as, 'Wow."'
The lecture, "Evolution and the
Arts," was the 19th of the Distin-
guished Senior Faculty Lecture Se-
ries, which began in 1978 to recog-
nize outstanding University faculty
members, said LSA Dean Edie N.
Goldenberg, who opened the program.
Alexander said Darwin's theory
claimed hostile forces - such as para-
*tes, pathogens and predators - were
responsible for filtering out the most
desirable and productive traits in a
species.
Alexander extended this view to
encompass human social activity.
"Humans have created a circumstance
in which social selection has become
... essential in evolution," he said.
"Social cleverness could also be-
-ome the primary criterion of overall
tness," he added. If this is true, then
it follows that those who are socially
clever will be selected as mates,
Alexander added.
He finally extended this view to
encompass not only human social
activity, but also humanity's appre-
ciation of the arts.
"I'm still skeptical," said SNRE
,junior Jessica Hellmann. However,
*e said she enjoyed the lecture.
"I think in biology the concept of
applying evolution to humans is very
popular right now, and certainly Dr.
Alexander is regarded as our local
expert," Hellmann said.
I'LL TAKE THE HIGH ROAD
Latino groups
will bring 70
teens to campus
SI EPHANIE GRAG LIM/Daily
graduate Matthew Durflinger reads his book on a Burton Bell Tower staircase yesterday afternoon.
University'
18 students win writin awards
Workshops to give
Latino high school
students Incentive
to attend college
By MAGGIE WEYHING
Daily Staff Reporter
Prompted by the low numbers of
Latino students that attend college,
Sigma Lambda Beta and Allianza
are planning an on-campus infor-
mation day.
"We're trying to get Latino stu-
dents from across the state and give
them incentive to come to college,"
said Roberto Arocha, member of
Allianza, a Latino student associa-
tion. "We'll give them a tour of the
campus, show them the fundamentals
of the University and show them what
to expect."
Leo Sanchez, president of Sigma
Lambda Beta, a Latino fraternity, said
that on March 11, approximately 50 to
70 low-income Latino students from
high schools in Detroit, Ida and Adrian
will be bussed to the University to
tour campus and attend workshops.
Sanchez said the workshops are
designed to encourage the students to
attend college by showing them the
admissions process.
"The Latino community has prob-
lems making it to college, as well as
finding the motivation and the know-
how as to how to apply," Sanchez
said. "Many Latino high school stu-
dents don't even know that financial
aid exists."
He added that another reason
Latino high school students do not go
to college is because many of their
parents did not attend. Parents do not
encourage or know how to help their
children to apply Sanchez said.
Sanchez said that there will be
three workshops, each designed to
cover different aspects of college and
college life. At the first workshop,
students will learn about financial aid
opportunities and the application pro-
cess.
During the second workshop, the
students will be taught about the col-
lege admissions process and will go
over applications and how to fill them
out.
The final workshop will consist of
a college student panel made up of
Sigma Lambda Beta and Allianza
members who will answer any ques-
tions. The panel will also discuss rac-
ism on campus and how to deal with
it if it occurs.
Arocha said last year he and a
group of Latino students visited a
high school in Bay City, Mich., to talk
about college.
"When we visited the students at
the high school, they were a bit hesi-
tant at first, but as we got to know
them better, they got a little bit more
excited because we let them know
that it is possible to go to college,"
Arocha said.
Sanchez said, "If we can have one
person that decides to go to college
who wasn't planning on going before
the program, we'll consider ourselves
successful."
By TIM O'CONNELL
For the Daily
At a ceremony Tuesday night,
eight University students received
Hopwood Underclassmen Awards
totalling $3,400, while 10 students
won $4,975 in other contests spon-
sored by the Department of English.
Brian Dempster, a graduate stu-
dent in English, was one of the night's
biggest winners, taking home $500
for the Roy W. Cowden Memorial
Fellowship, $175 for the Bain-
Swiggett Poetry Prize and $100 for
the Academy of American Poets
Award. Dempster, who has received
two Bachelor's degrees from the Uni-
versity of Washington, plans to con-
tinue writing, perhaps pursuing an
Ph.D. in English with a dissertation in
creative writing.
Vanessa E. Giancamilli, LSA first-
year student, won $300 in the
Hopwood underclassmen essay cat-
egory for "Going Home." She en-
tered the contest at the urging of her
English 125 instructor, Joel Lovell.
Erin Schwartz won $350 in the
Hopwood underclassmen fiction cat-
egory. Schwartz is pursuing a degree
in the School of Music combined with
a B.A. in English. "I'm going for the
B.A. too because it seems more stable,
or so my mom says," Schwartz said.
RC senior Carmen Bugan won
$400 in prizes. Bugan, who has trans-
lated poetry of Allen Ginsberg into
Romanian, said her husband is en-
couraging her to spend the money for
English seminars. "I think I might use
it to pay my credit card bills, though,"
Bugan said.
Other award winners include LSA
sophomore WilliamJ.Citrin; RC sopho-
mores Michael T. Hsu, Victoria
McKenzie and Seth R. Meisels; LSA
senior Jacob M. Guiser; and English
graduate students Caroline J. Kim, Kate
E. Glahn, Margaret B. Price, Christo-
pherW. Schweda and Patricia A. Ward.
Multiple awards were given to
Tilney L. Marsh, LSA sophomore; Bich
M. Nguyen, an LSA Junior; and Holly
W. Spaulding, an RC sophomore.
44 . Bentley program restores historic documents
By SARABETH MILLER
For the Daily
The constitution is alive and well thanks to
James Craven, document conservator at the
University's Bentley Historical Library. Cra-
ven recently completed the restoration of the
Michigan constitution.
Craven accepted the challenge of repair-
ing the very first 1835 constitution and its
later 1850 version about two years ago. The
process, which took more than six months to
complete, was done at the Bentley, and the
documents are now safe at home in the state
Archives in Lansing.
The documents suffered from a condition
that Craven called "materials failure deterio-
ration." The leather coverings on the consti-
tutions had deteriorated and the bindings were
broken.
To bring the dying constitution back to life,
Craven and his assistants first sprayed a pen-
etrating magnesium-based commercial product
called Wei T'o onto the pages of the volumes.
This neutralized the acid in the pages. Craven
paralleled the effects of the process to "taking
Milk of Magnesia for an upset stomach."
Along with the neutralization of the acid, the
bindings were repaired by mounting the pages
on a new guard, and the book was entirely
resewn. Gilding also was applied to the guards.
Finally, Craven found Niger goatskin leather
identical to the original and refurbished it with
a dye and a 60/40 mixture of Neat's foot oil and
anhydrous lanolin.
Craven's job does not end with the constitu-
tion, as he continues to save history through
other works he preserves at the Bentley. The
Bentley is home to over 4,500 archival collec-
tions, 1.5 million photographs and more than 50
million manuscript items.
These collections represent each of
Michigan's 83 counties and consist of papers
from governors, former University officials,
prominent cereal magnates, and material from
the Detroit Urban League, Taxpayers United,
churches, businesses, political parties, immi-
grant groups and individuals.
According to the Bentley's reference de-
partment, its visitors are an equal mixture of
University students and the general public.
Among the student visitors, not all are history
majors.
Brian Wilson, a Bentley employee, said many
students at both the graduate and undergraduate
level will use the Bentley solely for historical
research. Yet students of other majors find the
Bentley's material equally valuable. For ex-
ample, School of Education students will soon
use the library to research the history of higher
education.
The Bentley Historical Library, ranked
among the finest state historical collections
in the United States, is open Monday-Friday,
8:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. year round, and on Satur-
days, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., From September to
April.
- For more information about the Bentley
Library and its collections call (313) 764-
3482.
.J V ~I I
Jim Craven frames a vellum illuminated
manuscript written to James I of England.
Correction
Three former employees of the University's Dental School have not filed a $1-million lawsuit against the University.
This was incorrectly reported in yesterday's Daily.
jhe terrorist bombing was outside Tel Aviv, Israel. This was incorrectly reported in yesterday's Daily.
I.
Group Meetings
Q Bible Study and Fellowship,
sponsored by ICM, 763-1664,
Baits II, Coman Lounge, 6-8
p.m.
Q Eye of the Spiral, informal meet-
ing, 747-6930, Guild House
Campus Ministry, 802 Monroe,
8 p.m.
Q Haiti Solidarity Group, 971-
8582, First United Methodist
Church, 120 South State, Pine
Room, 7:30 p.m.
Q Intervarsity Christian Fellow-
ship, 764-5702, Dana Build-
ing, Room 1040, 7 p.m.
Q Japan Student Association,
general meeting, 213-0639,
Michigan Union, Anderson
Room, 7:30 p.m.
Q Math Club, Mason Hall, Room
3442, 4 p.m.
Q Muslim Students' Associa-
tion, halaqa meeting, "Mar-
riage in Islam," 913-6908,
Michigan League, Henderson
Room, 7 p.m.
Q Queer Unity Project, meeting,
763-4186, Michigan Union, 10
p.m.
Q Schulchan Ivrit (Hebrew
Table), sponsored by Hillel,
American Movement for Israel.
Events
U "Career Pathways With a B.A.
in Psychology," sponsored by
Career Planning and Placement,
Michigan Union, Kuenzel Room,
6:30-8 p.m.
U "Epipaleolithic and Recent Din-
ing in China," brown bag lec-
ture, sponsored by Museum of
Anthropology, Ruthven Museum
of Natural History, Room 2009,
12 noon-1 p.m.
U "Excited State Dynamics and
Electronics Relaxation in So-
lution," special CUOS and physi-
cal seminar, sponsored by De-
partment of Chemistry, Chemis-
try Building 1640, 4 p.m.
U "How One Asian American
Fought for Empowerment For
All," sponsored by Office of Aca-
demic Multicultural Initiative,
Rackham Amphitheatre, 7 p.m.
U "Michigan Union 4th Floor
Renovation Meeting," spon-
sored by Michigan Union Board
of Representatives, Michigan
Union, U-Club, 6:30 p.m.
U "Politics and Bribery in Japan:
A History," sponsored by Cen-
ter for Japanese Studies, Lane
Hall Commons Room, 12 noon
d- "Prgnnrina fnr the M eical
cil of the Medical School,
Medical Science Building,
Room 5330, 12 noon-1 p.m.
Q "TV Night,"sponsored by Hillel,
Hillel Building, 8-11 p.m.
Q "Underrepresented Minority
Pre-Medical Peer Academic
Counseling Program," infor-
mational meeting, sponsored
by Comprehensive Studies Pro-
gram, South Quad, West
Lounge, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Q "University Symphony Or-
chestra Mozart Birthday
Concert," sponsored by
School of Music, Hill Audito-
rium, 8 p.m.
Student Services
Q 76-GUIDE, peer counseling
phone line, 7 p.m.-8 a.m.
Q ECB Peer Tutorial, Angell Hall
Computing Site, 747-4526, 7-11
p.m., Mary Markley, 7-10 p.m.
Q Campus Information Center,
Michigan Union, 763-INFO;
events info 76-EVENT or
UM*Events on GOpherBLUE
Q North Campus Information
Center, North Campus Com-
mons, 763-NCIC, 7:30 a.m.-
5:50 p.m.
Q Northwalk, 763-WALK,
ursleHv all. R-11:30 n m
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