LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Monday, January 29, 1996 - 3A Leadership award seeking nominaions The Office of Student Activities and Leadership is asking members of the University community to nominate stu- dents and student groups for Michigan Leadership Awards. The awards, formerly called Student Recognition Awards, are intended to recognize students and student organi- zations for their outstanding accom- plishments in co-curricular activities and service to the University and sur- *ounding community. Michigan Leadership Awards are given to student leaders, student orga- nizations, the adviser of the year, pro- gram of the year and an outstanding new member of an organization. In ad- dition to the awards, the Student Alumni Council will give $500 stipends to five Outstanding Student Leader nominees. To nominate a student or group, any- one in the University community may *ilI out an official form at the Office of Student Activities and Leadership. In- formation may also be sent over e-mail to salead@umich.edu or a form can be filled out on the Internet at: http:// www.umich.edul-salead. Nominations are due Feb. 2. The Office of Student Activities and Leadership is located in the Michigan Union, Room 2209. For more informa- tion, call 763-5900. .rIsis line needs volunteers The Domestic Violence Project/ SAFE House is looking for volunteers to answer its 24-hour crisis line, pro- vide 24-hour response after arrests for domestic violence and work with the women ad children staying at their shelter. Training begins toward the end of anuary. Call 995-5444 to schedule an interview. The Domestic Violence Project/ SAFE House is a United Way agency. 'Dark Embrace' exhibit on display at museum An exhibition titled, "Dark Embrace: Images of War, Death and the Apoca- ;ypse," is on display at the Museum of rt until March 17. The exhibit is in conjunction with the Program on Studies in Religion and the University's theme semester of"Death, Extinction and the Future of Human- ity." Book says scholarship funds go unclaimed With confusion over federal student rant approvals, direct government stu- dent loans and changes in college fi- nancial aid guidelines, students may have difficulty identifying and under- standing their aid options and may miss out on receiving assistance that could be available to them. The National Academic Funding Administration says there are more than 375,000 scholarship and grant sources .available that do not have to be paid *ack. According to NAFA, more than 80 percent of these scholarships do not depend on family need or exceptional grades, but are awarded based on fac- tors such as the student's interests, hob- *bies, academic focus, age, heritage and parent's work or military service. According to the National Commis- sion on Student Financial Aid, more than $6 billion of funding goes uncol- lected each year simply because stu- lents are not aware of it and do not apply for it. NAFA, in an attempt to help students locate financial aid, has published abook for 1996 that provides ,.updated scholarship information. To receive NAFA's 1996 Scholar- ship Guide, send a No. 10 self-ad- dressed, double-stamped envelope and $2 for handling to: NAFA, 815 Middle St.,Suite 1400, Portsmouth, NH 03801. -Compiled from Daily staff reports. SNRE students: Environment key to '96 election By Anita Chik Daily Staff Reporter Recognizing the importance of rais- ing environmental awareness in the 1996 election, environmental groups and students in the School of Natural Resources and the Environmental or- ganized a three-day conference last weekend called "The Greening of Poli- tics." Conference organizer Christian Sinderman, a second-year graduate stu- dent, said progress begins with educa- tion. "Theyearof 1996 is most important for environmental issues. Lobbying, writing letters and making phone calls to the current Congress do not get us anywhere. We have to educate voters on environ- mental issues," Sinderman said. Chuck Barbieri, director of the Ann ticipants, invited local politicians and environmental activists such as Sierra Club Political Director Dan Weiss and U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers (D-Ann Arbgr) to help students organize a strategy for the 1996 presidential election, Sinderman said. -. "The Greening of Politics" opeped with a speech by Rivers, who urged students to get involved. "You must participate. We all h ye to roll up our sleeves and get in- volved," Rivers said. "It makes a dj- ference who is in the White House because people are making decisions about pollution, the air, the endap- gered animals." Rivers told participants to "make a statement" in the 1996 election cam- paign. She said the most powerful way to influence environmental decisions in DIANE COOK/Daily On Guard! David Ross of The Society for Creative Anachronyism practices medieval fighting with fellow member David Hoomstra in the Michigan Union yesterday. The group will be demonstrating their craft at Eastern Michigan University's McKinniey Union next Saturday at 1 p.m. Indian Anerican students create new political network Arbor chapter of Greenpeace and co-organizer of the conference, said, "1996 may be the last chance to change things around because the 104th Con- gress has de- stroyed many en- vironmental laws for decades." Barbieri said many students lack the knowl- edge to practi- cally carry out their environ- mental concerns. The three-day workshop helped It makes a difference who is in the White House because people are making decisions about pollution, the air, the endangered animals3" - U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers (D-Ann Arbor) Congress is to par- ticipateinpolitics. Weiss said with humor, but in an urgent tone, "Environment. is an issue about fu- ture, children, values and char- acter. If each of you talk to 100 voters, that'll-hbe 1,0 oes"Weiss urged the participants to get their views into news and otherpo- litical media pro- grams, including calling radio talk shows and news- paper. By Katie Wang Daily StaffReporter Last year, the University's Indian American students did not have a po- litical organization that solely repre- sented the political issues they confront on a daily basis. This year, that void has been filled with the formation ofthe Indian Ameri- can Political Awareness Network-an organization that offers Indian Ameri- cans the opportunity to become politi- cally active. "There is a serious problem in that many Indian Americans of this coun- try are politically unaware of the is- sues that affect them," said Probir Mehta, an LSA sophomore and mem- ber of IAPAN. Citing racism, sexism and lack of representatives in government as is- sues that IAPAN plans to address, Mehta said the group is "solely dedi- cated to political awareness." A group of students laid the founda- tions for IAPAN last fall when they decided the campus needed an organi- zation to concentrate on political issues involving Indian Americans. On campus, the Indian American Stu- dent Association concentrates on social and volunteer work, Mehta said. "I decided to join (IAPAN) because it's something different from IASA," said Shafali Dua, an LSA sophomore. "It's for issues that Indians face that Prisons overcrowded; Engler says crisis near LANSING - Michigan prison boss Ken McGinis has not taken to wander- ing the streets of Lansing with a sign warning, "The end is near." But he has triedjust about everything else to persuade lawmakers the state faces an impending prison overcrowd- ing crisis. Trouble is, his warnings have yet to come true. And that makes skeptical lawmakers even more reluctant to heed his warnings and find money for more prison beds. "That's created a credibility problem with the Legislature," said Rep. James McNutt (R-Midland), who chairs the House budget subcommittee on correc- tions. Department of Corrections spokesper- son Warren Williams said it may look like McGinnis is crying wolf, but he's not. "Absent affirmative action on the part of the Legislature, there is going to come a time when we are at least figu- ratively going io need to put 'No Va- cancy' signs up in front of our state correctional facilities," he said. Gov. John Engler's administration began the warnings in 1995 when he asked for $205 million to build four more prisons. McGinnis told lawmak- ers Feb. 9 of that year that the prison system would run out of prison space by the end of last March. "The reality we've been talking about for three years is coming to bear," McGinnis said. But March came and went without the state having to turn away prisoners. On May 2, McGinnis had a new tar- get date for doomsday. The prison sys- tem had only 103 empty beds and would exceed its 39,002-person capacity by July 15 unless lawmakers authorized 5,500 more beds. "Within the next 12 weeks every available state prison bed will be occu- pied and there will be no acceptable options left for the housing of addi- tional prison inmates," he said then. But July 15 came and went without the state having to turn away prisoners. McGinnis then pushed the dooms- day date to October 1995. But October came and went without the state having to turn away prisoners. Last week, McGinnis gave a new date - the end of 1997 - by which time "Michigan's prison system will literally burst at the seams with nearly 1,600 more prisoners than prison beds." Williams said the saturation point will be reached even sooner, by April 1997, even with the 2,500 additional beds approved by lawmakers last year. Earlier predictions were wrong, he said, because courts sent fewer people to prison than expected. Felony convictions also leveled off and paroles increased. you can't find in social things." Harprit Bedi, former president of IASA, said he welcomes IAPAN. "It builds a route for issues that need to be discussed - it's good that it's here," Bedi said. He added that he thinks it's reason- able for IASA to focus on social and community events. IAPAN made its debut in late Octo- ber when members participated in a boycott of the Nectarine Ballroom. Members are planning a conference that will focus on political awareness and the dual identity of Indian Ameri- cans. IAPAN meets Mondays at 10 p.m. in East Quad's Madrigal Lounge. f3 years ago lin the Daily "A catastrophic explosion blew apart the space shuttle Challenger 75 seconds after liftoff yesterday, sending schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe and six NASA astro- nauts to a fiery death in the sky eight miles out from Kennedy Space Center. "... A slow-motion replay seemed to show an initial explo- sion ... The tank burst into a fire- ball that destroyed Challenger high above the Atlanticwhile crew fami- lies and NASA officials watched in despair from the Cape ... Never before in 56 manned space mis- sions had Americans died in flight." Any technology distinguishable from magic i insufficiently advanced. http://www.umich.edu/-alexboko or umtrans@logrus.org f P F to get more people to take a stand on environmental issues and prepared them to work on political campaigns for the environment, he said. Sinderman, who is majoring in envi- ronment advocacy, came up with the idea for the conference. He said the main goal was totrain people to become morepoliti- cally active and to mobilize them to stand up for environmental protection. The workshop intended to combine lectures, seminars and discussion groups to provide students with hands-on po- litical skills, Sinderman said. The conference, with about 100 par- Participants responded to the speeches with enthusiasm and qoes- tions. ' Most students said they planned to volunteer to work,.on environmental issues in political campaigns or to look for a job in related areas after complet- ing the workshop. Kati Evans, an RC junior who isprs- ently working forthe Ann Arbor Ecology Cebter, said, "I want to go beyond letn- ing about environmental issues. It'srtn6're effective to get people elected than trying to convince people who're already in office to change their minds." " i " " " " 0 " " !0 0 " "0 " " "000 " " " " ! " 0" ! 0 i " 0 0 " " " " . Correction: The FBI recovered sketches by Pablo Picasso and Henry Moore 29 years ago. This was incorrectly reported in Friday's Daily. What's happening in Ann Arbor today "S 0 " " " 0 " s " The deadline for applications for Spring/Summer 1996 Financial Aid is: .0 0I :0 s" :0 :0 :" :" .0 tO "0 " ."* . 0, Wednesday, January 31, 1996 GROUP MEETINGS 0 Bread For the World, 487-9058, Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice Office, 730Tappan, 7:30 P.m. U Shorin-Ryu Karate-Do Club, men and women, beginners welcome, 994-3620, CCRB, Room 2275, 7-8 p.m. EVrNTS pus Commons, 763-INFO, info@umich.edu, UM*Events on GOpherBLUE, and http:// www.umich.edu/-info on the World Wide Web U English Composition Board Peer The office of Financial Aid I i I L ' 11 1l : 11.1 : ' E1I il+ I f f I 4 (1 . ! 1i !l ! it i .11.1 IIi,' _ I i !.I!" t+ i + + falli.l l+ + zl= l+.