LOCAL/STATE
The Michigan Daily - Monday, February 9, 1998 - 3A
CAMPUS
Hass, writers to
read at Rackham
in February
Nationally acclaimed writers will
read their work at Rackham
Amphitheater this month as part of the
*Jniversity's year-long Visiting Writers
Series.
Robert Hass is scheduled to give a
poetry reading Feb.17 at 8 p.m. Hass,
who was the U.S. poet laureate from
1996-1997, is also a literacy and
environmental advocate. He current-
ly works as a professor of English at
the University of California at
Berkeley.
University alumnus Al Young is
cheduled to read his works of fiction
eb. 19 at 5 p.m. Young received
national recognition for his non-fiction
book, "Drowning in the Sea of Love."
His recent writings include fiction,
non-fiction and poetry.
''Prof. receives
double honors
Psychology Prof. Wilbert
cKeachie was honored by the
Michigan Psychological Association
and the Professional and
Organizational Development
Network in Higher Education for his
life-long achievements in the field of
psychology. The MPA recognized his
advances in psychology and science
and the POD acknowledged his work
with a Lifetime Contributions
Award.
* McKeachie served as the presi-
dent of the American Psychological
Association in 1976 and wrote
about teaching in higher education.
He has been with the University
since 1946.
Presentation to
,xamine dialect
differences
Alicia Beckford, a Ph.D. candidate
and Mary Malcomson Raphael
Fellow, will analyze the differences
between Jamaican Creole and
Jamaican English in a presentation
scheduled for Thursday.
Beckford will address the distinc-
,ions and similarities between the
o languages and the social con-
texts that affect them. She will speak
on both the language structure and
its use.
The discussion is scheduled to begin
at noon in the conference room of the
Center for the Education of Women.
Psychology
Etudent wins
internship award
Valerie McCray, a Rackham student
studying clinical psychology, is one of
five recipients of the 1998 Applied
Social Issues Internship Award.
The Society for the Psychological
Study of Social Issues chooses recipi-
ents based on intervention projects,
applied research, and the writing and
implementation of public policy.
The objective of McCray's project is
to involve 10 Detroit neighborhood
organizations in a sexual abstinence
program for at-risk youths.
McCray's work will include dis-
cussing issues such as sexuality, devel-
opment, parenting and psychological
well-being with African American
mothers and daughters.
*Meeting can help
food addicts
People who think they may have a
food addiction or those concerned
about a friend or relative with eating
problems can contact the Ann Arbor
chapter of Overeaters Anonymous.
Membership is free and open to any-
one who would like to stop compul-
sively overeating, starving, binging or
purgmg.
An informational meeting will be
held Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. at the First
Baptist Church on East Huron Street.
- Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter
Melanie Sampson.
Activists to discuss children's problems
By Heather Wiggin
Daily Staff Reporter
A group of University Medical students founded
Medstart in 1991 with hopes of increasing under-
standing issues that affect children and families.
This weekend, a crowd of students and activists
numbering in the hundreds gathered as part of the
sixth annual Medstart Conference to discuss these
problems in an effort to improve the futures of
children in need.
"When people ask me where my greatest hope
lies, I tell them without hesitation, 'with the chil-
dren,"' said Alex Kotlowitz, author of the best-sell-
ing novel, "There Are No Children Here"
A panel of activists discussed the issue of chil-
dren and homelessness Friday night at the
Michigan Theater.
Lou Nanni, executive director of the Center for
the Homeless in South Bend, Ind., said many of the
children he sees at the shelter have been neglected
or become sick due to lack of quality care.
"The level of physical and sexual abuse is high,"
Nanni said. "We need to intervene as early and
intensively as possible in the lives of these children."
James O'Connell, president of Boston
Health Care for the Homeless, said he believes
the secret to taking care of homeless families is
fostering one-on-one relationships with them.
"We have a huge set of obstacles in front of us,"
O'Connell said. "This is a problem that we all
share."
These obstacles include "preposterous assump-
tions" made about the condition of poor people, said
David Davidson, director of the Homeless Children
and Youth Program in Georgia.
"Educational problems are directly related to the
trauma of losing one's home," Davidson said.
Davidson suggested that more privileged adults
get involved in the lives of poor children to help
give the children hope.
"Our goal is not to have homeless children, not to
have homeless families, not to have homelessness,"
said Barbara Duffield, director of Education for the
National Coalition for the Homeless.
Kotlowitz presented the event's keynote address
before the panel.
"We've stopped listening. We've stopped believ-
ing," Kotlowitz said. "Listen to the voices of the chil-
dren again. Once we start listening, we need to begin
to find ways to bring work back into the neighbor-
hoods."
Kotlowitz said his book chronicles the experi-
ences of two young brothers who live in a housing
project on the west side of Chicago.
"These neighborhoods are among the worst to
grow up in in the world," Kotlowitz said.
Kotlowitz said he was surprised by the amount
of violence in the neighborhoods.
"Violence has become such an integrated part of
these children's lives."
Kotlowitz discussed the pervasiveness of social
problems such as crime in his book.
The young characters in Kotlowitz's book had
seen first-hand accounts of murder and crime and
doubted that thev themselves would grow up, he
said. Kotlowitz said the lives of his characters mir-
rored those of children who live in the inner cities.
When Kotlowitz first visited Chicago to prepare
for his book, he expected to find a strong senso of
community, he said.
"Instead what I found was a community that had
begun to break down ... neighbor distrusted neigh-
bor," he said.
Kotlowitz said lie was dismayed by the sense of
division within the communities.
"We live in cities that are as segregated as try
were 30 or 40 years ago," Kotolwitz said.
Kotlowitz said people must take an active part in
attempting to alleviate current problems facing the
poor.
Chocolate Day teaches
ecology, tantalizes tongues
By Sarah Welsh
For the Daily
Valentine's Day is just around the cor-
ner, and for many it will be a day of wal-
lowing in loneliness. But there is at least
one good thing about the holiday -
chocolate.
In this spirit, the Matthaei Botanical
Gardens held its second annual
Chocolate Day on Saturday afternoon.
The gourmet chocolate-tasting festival
featured chocolatiers, chocolate sculp-
tors, an informal lecture on the histori-
cal and cultural uses of chocolate and a
look at the gardens' own chocolate tree.
Nearly 400 visitors roamed the
grounds sampling everything from fudge
brownies and chocolate-dipped strawber-
ries to mole -- a spicy Mexican sauce
made with chocolate and chili peppers.
David Michener, assistant curator of
the gardens, said this popular event is
part of a general goal to attract educat-
ed adults to the gardens. His lectures at
the Chocolate Day event engaged the
audience by tracing the origins of the
modern chocolate bar, whose ingredi-
ents come from a plethora of cultures.
"I want to get people interested in
plants and put plants in the context of
human culture and ecology," Michener
said. "Plus, it's fun with the family."
Education aside, many visitors just
came to eat. "We love chocolate!" said
Ann Arbor residents Mori Richner, Cathy
McKenny, Julie Klein and Eileen Griggs.
They also acknowledged that
Chocolate Day is a female bonding ritual
of sorts. "It's
mom's day
out," Klein Going
said. "We all
have small Me want to
children who
are at home botany clas
with our hus-
bands."
J u d y
Weinblatt,
owner of Minerva Street Chocolates,
also said that women seem to have a
unique affinity for chocolate. "It's
mostly women in this business, and
they're wonderful;' she said. "We really
have a nice rapport."
Weinblatt and her family run a nation-
ally renowned kitchen that supplies
stores in Ann Arbor with chocolates and
handles catering for special events. At
Chocolate Day, Weinblatt gave demon-
strations interspersed with anecdotes
about the interesting places her business
th
has taken her, including an appearance
on David Letterman's The Late Show'
A few students also made the trip out
to the gardens to indulge themselves. "I
love the botanical gardens," said LSA
sophomore Marieke Gilmartin. "I'd
probably never have seen them if I had-
n't had a sec-
ond reason for
iere ',made going there,
and Chocolate
take a Day was a
great draw."
N ang LSA sonho-
- Leah Dodd more Leah
LSA sophomore Dodd said "the
gardens were
incredible.
"Going up there made me want to take
a botany class with a lab in the gardens,"
Dodd said.
Even though Gilmartin left the
event stuffed with chocolate delica-
cies, she said that talking with the
chocolate vendors after the tasting
was her favorite part.
"This was supposed to expose differ-
ent companies and their specialties," she
said. "I talked to the woman who made
chocolate sculptures and found it pretty
impressive."
LOUIS BROWN/Daily
Rem Koolhaas, a professor of architecture at Harvard University, speaks to
more than 400 students and faculty at Rackham Auditorium on Friday.
Architect explains
trends in east Asia
RALLY
Continued from Page 1A
"There were a lot more (demonstrators) than expected. It
really gives me encouragement for the future," E-Sayed said.
But he cautioned that the fight is far from over.
In a White House meeting this past Thursday, Clinton
and British Prime Minster Tony Blair emphasized that
they would prefer a diplomatic solution to the standoff
with Iraq, but made it clear that a military strike may be
necessary.
"Diplomacy has not been exhausted," EI-Sayed said.
"There is still a lot more that can be done."
More protests and actions are in the works for Prevent -
a group that formed this past Monday to educate people about
the "threat to humanity" occurring in Iraq.
Prevent is planning to distribute further information
on campus as well as support other programs such as
teach-ins.
"This was essentially a last minute thing," said LSA
sophomore William Youmans, an organizer for the
march.
By Erin Holmes
Daily Staff Reporter
He was born in Rotterdam, the
Netherlands, lives in London, has an
office in Northern Ireland, teaches at
Harvard and traveled to Ann Arbor last
week to speak about the passion that
has led him to all these places.
Rem Koolhaas, a world-renowned
architect and author of two books that
address contemporary society and
architecture, delivered a lecture Friday
night to an audience of more than 400
at Rackham Auditorium about urban
planning and architecture.
Koolhaas' fans anticipated his
arrival with hopes of getting insight
into how he pursues his work and
channels his ambition.
"Koolhaas is definitely a big name
in the architecture world," said
Michelle Calouette, an Architecture
senior. "We reference him a lot in our
own projects at the University."
Many students and faculty said that
Koolhaas' style compelled them to
attend his lecture.
"It's his uniqueness," said Lisa Platt,
an Architecture senior. "He's tried to
do so many new things."
Brian Carter, program chair of the
College of Architecture and Urban
Planning, said he was delighted that
Koolhaas was in Ann Arbor and able to
talk to students and faculty.
University President Lee Bollinger
welcomed Koolhaas at Rackham, who
echoed the praises of the architecture
students in his introductory comments.
"Rem Koolhaas reproduces the tex-
ture of architect thoughts;" Bollinger
said. "As I read about him, and look at
photographs of his buildings, it seems
to me he has a deep joy in spontaneity
... He senses the fantastic freedom of
autonomy."
Despite the applause and public trib-
utes to his character, Koolhaas did not
take the stage to discuss his numerous
awards or worldwide success. Instead,
he used his knowledge of the world to
focus on architecture trends in Asia.
"As we prepare to enter the 21st
Century, (architecture) is in a very
deep wave of nostalgia;" Koolhaas
said. "There is no place in the world
that modernization is making headway
as much as in Asia"
Koolhaas examined the architecture
of several Asian cities and cited popu-
lation growth and urbanization as
important factors the field.
"More and more people are moving
into cities," Koolhaas said. "There is a
new obsession with building"
Koolhaas' subtle wittiness prompted
several laughs from the audience as he
showed a slide of a public golf course in
the backyard of a family home and dis-
cussed the "invasions" of the "combina-
tion of architecture" The laughter con-
tinued as Koolhaas showed a slide of
what he called a "cosmopolitan beach"
with palm trees lining the shore.
Although his lecture did not pro-
vide a personal glimpse into his own
architecture, audience members said
they were not disappointed with
Koolhaas' presentation.
"We hear so much about him and
study him so much - to actually see
him was thought-provoking enough,"
said Valencia Sipes, a professional
Architecture student. "1 think it is very
important to set up information on
world architectural views."
GROUP MEETINGS
Q Conservative Minyan, 769-0500,
Hillel, 1429 Hill St., 8 p.m.
9:30 p.m.
J "Midrash and Munchies," Sponsored
by Conservative Minyan, Hillel,
1429 Hill St., 8:30 p.m.
J "Talk to Us Interactive Theater,"
c........,..,, k,' C~n irtira
INFO, info@umich.edu, and
www.umich.edu/-info on the
World Wide Web
Q Northwalk, 763-WALK, Bursley
Lobby, 8 p.m.- 1:30 a.m.
Q Puerhnlngv Peer Adving Office.
Take a Free Test Drive
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