The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 7, 1995 - 11
Detroit artist discusses latest projects on Simpson, justice
By Usa Poris
Daily Staff Reporter
Tyree Guyton, famous for creating art
from abandoned houses and an old 1955 bus,
touched on his newest project - based on the
rise and fall of O.J. Simpson - last night in
the Rackham Amphitheater.
Guyton delivered the 1995 Harlow
Whittemore Lecture, mostly focusing on his
original work that symbolizes the many prob-
lems of society.
"I'm not trying to save the world, I just
I -
want some of the people to wake up," he told
the audience of about 75.
In 1986, Guyton, his wife Karen and his
late grandfather Sam Mackey, began the
Heidelberg Project in Detroit. The project -
called an "artscape" by its executive director,
Jenenne Whitfield - takes up two blocks of
the 3600 block of Heidelberg Street on
Detroit's east side.
Objects that most people would call litter
are used to decorate the two blocks. Broken
dolls, old sneakers and warped bicycles are
just a few of the items that adorn trees, lean on
houses and fill empty lots.
"I remember looking out across the street
one day at an empty lot ... and all I could see
was turning that empty lot into a work of art,"
Guyton said from behind a podium adorned
with a toy dump truck.
He also described the abandoned house next
to his own. "This house began to talk to me. I
could see objects placed all over this house, I
did it. I covered this house with objects."
Guyton's newest work is located on the
exterior of a different house and is titled
"Obstruction of Justice."
This work, like all the structures of art on
Heidelberg Street, are meant to make people
think about what is really important in life.
"We're so busy thinking about O.J.'s house, we
forget about our own house," Whitfield said.
Guyton cited the need for change as his
motivation for beginning the Heidelberg
Project. He was tired of seeing his neighbors
waiting for the government to come and assist
his area, which was afflicted by drugs, prosti-
tution and crime.
Guyton decided to work to bring about the
needed change himself. "For change you have
to first start with yourself," he said. "If you
wait for it to fall from the sky, it won't
happen."
Guyton's art has run into many problems
with the government, and in 1991 four of the
houses were destroyed by order of then- Mayor
Coleman A. Young. The dump truck on the
podium represented the dump trucks that car-
ried away the debris, he said.
Armenian
official
speaks of
democracy
By Maggie Weyhing
Daily Staff Reporter
In delivering the first Berj H.
Haidston Memorial Lecture, the Ar-
menian ambassador to the United
States described life before and after
Soviet rule to a group of about 100
people last night in Rackham Audi-
torium.
Rouben Shugarian told of Arme-
nia, which was declared a republic in
1990 and began its movement for
independence in 1988, during the
collapse of the former Soviet Union.
The republic was part of the former
Soviet Union from 1921 until it
gained its independence.
Shugarian immediately ex-
pressed his appreciation for the in-
vitation to give the lecture at the
University. He said that speaking in
auniversity setting has special mean-
ing because it represents freedom
and liberty.
"The years of Soviet rule of Ar-
menia were years of corruption and
moral decay," Shugarian said. "How-
ever, the most incorruptible places
during the time were the universities.
The universities were places where
there was the spirit of freedom and
independence."
Accordingly, Shugarian traced the
roots of the democratic and indepen-
dence movements in Armenia to the
intellectual community.
"The Armenian movement for
democratic independence was arevo-
lution of intellectuals. I would say
that one half of the leaders were
mathematicians, physicists, etc.,"
Shugarian said.
"It was also a democratic move-
ment against communism, against
70 years of Soviet rule, and a move-
ment against local communists," he
said.
The ambassador stressed that the
revolution was peaceful, consisting
of non-violent protests and sit-ins.
He also said that the movement
against communism had wide sup-
port among the people.
"Most of the people were always
skeptical aboutcommunism,"hesaid.
The spirit of collectivism and social-
ism has always been alien to this
country of individuals."
The Republic ofArmeniahas held
three elections since the democrats
came to power in 1990.
These include the parliamentary
elections, the referendum on seces-
sion from the former Soviet Union
and the elections for the president of
the republic. Shugarian said new
parliamentary elections will take
place later this year. The next presi-
dential elections are scheduled for
fall 1996.
Students receive
'U' awards for
service, activities
-UD - ITHrPER
Katrina Hagedorn displays the Internet Public Library at the School of Information and Library Sciences.
SISunveilson-lnelibrary
By Beth Echlin
For the Daily
The Internet, World Wide Web
and interactive television are not ex-
actly things you'd associate with your
friendly neighborhood librarian. But
the School of Information and Li-
brary Studies proves that not only do
they go together, they were made for
each other.
The Student Projects Showcase
gives SILS students a chance to break
out of the stereotypical mold by ex-
hibiting their technological prowess
in areas such as the Internet, video
editing, Web-page creation and other
computer applications.
"We spend more of our time in
front of computers than we do behind
a desk," said SILS Student Associa-
tion President Louise Alcorn.
The exhibits, which range from
interactive television shows to ani-
mated children's books, are more
reminiscent of a computer class than
library science.
One exhibit, which deals with dis-
tance independent learning, enabled
patrons to speak to students in Indi-
Showcase continues
The SILS Student Projects
Showcase continues today from
1-4 p.m. in the Ehrlicker Room
(411 West Engineering).
Internet Public Library: URL://
http://ipl.sils.umich.edu/ref/ (A
graphical browser is encouraged.)
For information on other
projects: http://
www.sils.umich.edu/
ana who made up the other half of a
jointly taught class via a long-dis-
tance phone call and "C U See Me," a
video-conferencing system complete
with small camera mounted atop the
monitor.
"It's going to change our whole
society. Resistant learners will catch
on ... that there is so much out there,"
Marilyn Larson said as she watched
the grainy video. "This is for people
who don't take to the conventional
way of learning."
Another highlight of the exhibit is
the Video Notepad, which is a video-
indexing system using a laptop and a
camcorder.
A crowd favorite was an animated
storybook about a fisherman and his
wife, which was adapted by SILS
student Patrick Misterovich. The
project was for a computer animation
class and took 50 hours to complete,
Misterovich said.
But by far the most highly publi-
cized project was the Internet Public
Library, which has been praised by
Abbot Chambers, the editor of the
Whole Internet Catalog as "a fasci-
nating project, because it recognizes
that the Net is a community of people
in need of the personal attention and
assistance traditionally offered
within the walls of the local public
library."
The whole virtual library was cre-
ated in only four months, with one
minor setback.
"At the end of Febuary we totally
redesigned the presentation to make
it more approachable and reliable.
We still had all the information, but it
was stressful," said Pauline Harris, a
first-year SILS student and the head
librarian in South Quad.
By Jennifer Fried
For the Daily
More than 250 people attended a
ceremony honoring outstanding ac-
complishments in co-curricular ac-
tivities at the 16th annual Student
Recognition Ceremony yesterday.
The program, co-sponsored by the
Office of the Vice President for Stu-
dent Affairs and the Student Alumni
Council, began with a speech by
Maureen A. Hartford, vice president
for Student Affairs, who said that she
is pleased to honor these students, as
she feels that work outside of the
classroom is not recognized enough.
The Buick Motor Division pre-
sented the 1995 Buick Spirit Awards
to one alumnus, one faculty member
and three student volunteers for their
contributions to the campus and com-
munity.
"It's nice for us to recognize those
efforts which pretty much go unno-
ticed," said Cecilia Alarcon, the Ac-
count Coordinator for Volunteer Spirit
Award.
The winners received a plaque and
shares of General Motors stock.
Next, the law students who orga-
nized Community Service Day re-
ceived the 1995 Saturn Teamwork
Challenge award. This group received
a trophy, $1,000 and the opportunity
to compete for a $5,000 prize for
"their initiative, creativity, ingenuity
and entrepreneurial spirit."
Steven Shannon, the director of
Consumer Marketing of the Saturn
Corporation, said that for Saturn,
"teamwork is one of our key values."
Five students received a certifi-
cate and a $500 stipend for Student
Achievement Awards, which were
based on commitment to the Univer-
sity or community.
Lit's nice for us
to recognize those
efforts which
pretty much go
unnoticed."
- Cecilia Alarcon
Award coordinator
Finally, students and organizations
received Student Recognition Awards
in five categories: Outstanding Stu-
dent Leader went to three students,
Outstanding Student Organization to
two groups, Program of the Year to
Alternative Spring Break, Outstand-
ing New Member to three students
and Outstanding New Organization
to WOLV, the University television
station.
"It's truly an honor to be recog-
nized for our hard work and effort,"
said Danny Schwab, the president of
WOLV, who was also named one of
the outstanding student leaders.
LSA first-year student Makaiya
Brown, nominated as an Outstanding
New Member, said the awards are "a
good way to get people involved in a
lot of things."
In addition to the award recipi-
ents, the program recognized the
nominees and students who hold para-
professional and community service
roles in the campus and community.
Even some who did not win said
they enjoyed the experience.
"I'm personally really excited,"
said Engineering junior Julie Munger.
"It's kind of neat to be nominated for
an award at such a large university."
Pre-law fraternity grows in membership
Join the Daily confer: confer mich-daily
By Rachel Lasky
For the Daily
After lagging interest forced Phi
Alpha Delta to close in the fall of
1993, the pre-law fraternity has re-
opened with a dramatic increase in
membership.
Ethan York, the current president,
worked with the national office and
was able to reorganize the chapter in
the spring of 1993. He recruited 15
members last year, and this year the
membership has grown to 70.
York said the organization has a
lot to offer to any potential law stu-
dent. Members receive reduced prices
on test prep classes, organize law
conferences and access to other inter-
ested students. "Reducing this school
to any smaller size is beneficial," York
said.
Introduced to the University in
1988, Phi Alpha Delta was reduced to
four members and, due to lack of
interest, was forced to close.
Lawyers,judges and Law School
review personnel are invited to speak
to the Phi Alpha Delta membership
throughout the year. The group also
offers scholarships to members un-
able to afford test preparation
classes.
Members also said they feel that
they get a lot out of being part of Phi
Alpha Delta. "I have come in contact
with students with similar interests. I
have access to information about law
school that I never had before," said
Tracey Rogers, a current pledge.
There is a pledge period, like any
other fraternity. The pledges are re-
quired to interview active members
as well as learn about the history of
the organization.
Phi Alpha Delta was first estab-
lished in 1902 and has grown to in-
clude more than 170 chapters in the
United States and Europe. Its motto is
"service to the student, to the law
school, to the profession, to the com-
munity."
York said that as with any organi-
zation, members get out of it what
they put in. "If you have to make
sacrifices, you're going to be more
dedicated," he said.
M r
" Best Selection
* Lowest Prices
Stop in Saturday, April 8, and meet
the Doc Marten representative,
When your fellow graduates
try to impress you with what
they drive to work...
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