LOCAL/STATE The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 6, 1998 -- 3A AMPUS Bollinger and Cantor to hold town meeting University President Lee Bollinger and Provost Nancy Cantor are sched- led to hold two town meetings with students today and tomorrow. "The idea came from the fact that the president and the provost were really eager to reach out to the students and have a conversation with them," said Pamela Horn, assistant associate provost for academic and multicultural affairs. During the one-hour meetings, sched- uled for today at 4 p.m. at the Chrysler Center and tomorrow in Angell Hall Auditorium B at 4:30 p.m., the adminis- tors will speak briefly about the pre- vious academic year and then open the floor to students, Horn said. "The goal is for both the president and the provost to hear from the stu- dents ... their praises about the University and what their concerns might be," Horn said. The administrators hope to reach as many students as possible, which is why they are holding two meetings in ifferent locations. The town meetings were advertised through e-mail and fliers. "We've asked that student leaders bring along those who they are mentor- ing," Horn said. She said the administrators hope this will increase communication on cam- pus. "It won't be able to happen every day, but we hope this will be something at can happen several times a year," orn said. Adams to give Apple lecture As the recipient of the Golden Apple Award for outstanding undergraduate teaching, economics Prof. Jim Adams will deliver his ideal last lecture tonight. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Rackham Auditorium. University President Lee Bollinger will give the opening address before Adams delivers his lecture. The Golden Apple is an award that allows students to choose their favorite professor. Students submitted nomina- tions by e-mail or ballot to determine the winner of the event, sponsored by Wtudents Honoring Outstanding University Teaching, a division of Hillel. Quantity and quality of nomi- nations were considered in the commit- tee's selection of a candidate. Adams graduated from Harvard University in 1969 and taught there for one year. He joined the University in 1974. He has previously been awarded the Thurnau Professorship in 1991 from the University. 0 The award was established eight years ago and includes a $1,000 prize. Student program seeking volunteers The Welcome to Michigan Program, which helped organize more than 250 activities for incoming students this past fall, is now accepting volunteers for next fall. The program, which was started five years ago. begins on Sept.] when new students move in to residence halls and continues until Sept. 7. Campus organi- zations interested in participating in the event must complete an form by April 10. Students interested in becoming involved with the program should con- tact Jennifer Cross at 764-6413 or by e- mail at welcome@umich.edu. Poet-in-residence scheduled to read Michael Dennis Browne, the University's College of Engineering poet-in-residence, will be interacting with students and discussing and reading from his works from April 8- 9. Browne is the author of several books. For more on Browne's schedule of *events, contact 647-7037. - Compiled by Daily Staff Reporters Melanie Sampson. Asian Pacific Americans celebrate cultural identity ADRIANA YUGOVICH/Daily Thousands celebrate Ann Arbor's annual Hash Bash on the Diag this past Saturday. The event drew close to 5,000 people from across the country. 27th annual Hash Bash draws 5,000 to the Dia By Rachel Edelman and Susan T. Port Daily Staff Reporters In what was one of the most eventful and significant weekends for the cam- pus' Asian Pacific American communi- ty this academic year, students and fac- ulty explored their cultural identities this past weekend at a Midwestern regional conference and Generation APA cultural show. More than 550 students from across the Midwest gathered in Ann Arbor to discuss prominent issues affecting the Asian Pacific American community and to take part in the ninth annual Midwestern Asian American Student Union Spring Conference. The theme of this year's conference was "Destination APA," which encour- aged Asian Pacific Americans to dis- cover their own paths in life. "You choose your destination. It can be whatever you want it to be," said Emily Hu, MAASU spring conference social co-chair. "Hopefully, at this con- ference we've given them these roadmaps. ... Whatever they want to do, they can do." Generation APA, the largest student- run cultural show in the country, drew more than 1,500 people to the Michigan Theater on Saturday night. The conference featured a wide array of speakers from across the country, including keynote speaker Eric Liu, a commentator and columnist for MSNBC and speechwriter for President Clinton. Liu, a Harvard law student, gave the address at Friday's APA banquet. Liu discussed Asian-American identity in the United States, and urged the audi- ence to "ask what it is that we're trying to do when we create an Asian identity." "Asian Americans really need to stake a full claim as full Americans. ... Asian American identity is still something that is very much a work in progress." The MAASU spring conference drew about 250 students from other colleges and universities to the University's campus for the weekend. "Any time you can bring a group of people together with inherent com- monalities is a tremendous opportuni- ty," said Ball State University senior Peter Chen. The conference also featured more than 20 workshops that focused on a variety of issues of concern to the APA community, including leadership, activism and religion. One of the most popular workshops, "Primary Colors," dealt with how APAs fit into the black and white race para- digm. It was facilitated by Lui and David Chai, spokesperson for President Clinton's Initiative on Race Relations Committee. "The seminars epitomize what we have to struggle for and what we have RECYCLE THE DAILY. to achieve," said LSA sophomore Ankim Shah, president of the Indian American Student Association. "You gain a sense of pride, a sense of unity." Social activities included a carnival in the Michigan Union on Friday night, which featured games and activities by more than 15 APA groups. "The entire APA community came out to educate and entertain," said LSA senior Andrew Wong, the MAASU spring conference co-chair. "It was a great mix of people." Ann Arbor City Council membet David Kwan issued a Mayor's Proclamation recognizing April as APA Heritage Month in Ann Arbor. The conference began with a welcome address by University President Le Bollinger and Dean of Students E. Royster Harper, along with a flag proces sion involving representitives from vari ous universities across the country. Many students said that the confer- ence was an opportunity to network and meet new friends. Engineering senior Rudhir Patel said the weekend was a chance to "build this network of Asian American friends across the Midwest." The Generation APA show, hosted by the United Asian American Organizations, was intended to increase APA pride, unity and cultural aware ness and coincided with the conference; "Instead of viewing the APA commu nity as separate cultures, it shows us as united Asian community," Generation APA co-chair Heh Shin Kwak said. The show incorporated traditional ani modern elements and included a variety of skits, dances and historical imagery.. The acts included a step dance by Lambda Phi Epsilon, an Asian American fraternity, a Taiwanese foll- tale skit and a traditional Filipino courtship dance to a modern hip-hop song. More than 300 students worked to put the show together. The audience responded to the dances with loud cheers and displays of enthusiasm. The acts showcased different cu- tures, with students wearing authenti costumes depicting the specific time periods. LSA senior Khoa Nguyen, who coor- dinated the Vietnamese Student Association in one of the acts, said he based the group's performance on A Vietnamese folktale that takes place in central Vietnam during the 18th Century. LSA senior Jeanah Hong, a pei- former in the Korean Students Association's traditional court dancq, said the show was an opportunity to learn about her heritage. "I am a graduating senior and I reat- ly wanted to learn the traditionjl dance," Hong said. "It lets me keep i touch with my culture." A EASY ROMANCE!! CALL NOW! 1 -900-407-7783 Ext: 119 Must be 18. 2.99/min. Serv-U (619) 645-8434 4 By Erin Holmes and Jason Stoffer Daily Staff Reporters David Almquist and his wife traveled from Colorado to sell chocolate chip and oatmeal-raisin cookies on the Diag this past Saturday. These unique cookies contained only a dash of hemp, but captured the spirit of the 27th annual Hash Bash. Smoke filled the air on the Diag as hemp advocates addressed a passionate but peaceful 5,000-person crowd that congiegated on the Diag and spilled into the streets of Ann Arbor. The favorable weather attracted nearly twice as many people as last year's event, with the majority of participants travel- ing from out of town to attend the rally. "It's a change of scenery," said LSA sophomore Katrina Silwka. "Even though I live in Ann Arbor, it feels like I'm visiting." From students to aging '60s activists, participants smoked pot freely. But local police officers made just 44 arrests for marijuana possession at this year's event. "This should happen more often, like 365 times a year," a man said as he inhaled marijuana at a post-rally party held at Dominick's. "At least let's smoke on George Washington's birth- day." Another participant dressed in a giant water bong he constructed out of a large cardboard tube. His silver- and-white-striped face peered out from the hole in the middle as he stuck grass from the Diag in the pipe and tried to convince others weed was "cool." "I'm stoned," the man dressed in a bong costume said. "Hash Bash shows people that it's good to smoke." Police officers surrounding the Diag received jeers from the crowd when they made an arrest, but the law enforcement's presence did little to stop members of the crowd from passing bongs and getting high. "This is freedom of speech," said an Ann Arbor resident known as Eagle Man, who stood on a cement bench wearing American flag pants and a matching hat. "I do just what my name says. "I stand above the crowd and watch. People gettin' busted for this is inhu- man," he said. Not everyone on the Diag was there to get high. Some students said they saw Hash Bash as an opportunity to promote human unity. Rackham student Jesus De La Maria stood sober in the 'niddle of the Diag, clutching a copy of a John Milton book and reading poems to a small crowd. "The people here have no facades, they pretty much understand (life) is all about the human connection ... the proximity of one human mind to anoth- er." Maria said. Paul DeRienzo, editor in chief of High Times magazine, urged partici- pants not to allow police officers to invade their rights to privacy by searching their cars as they left the event. "The cops (may) pull you over for the 'proverbial broken tail light,"' DeRienzo said. "If they ask you to search your car, as Nancy Reagan said, 'just say no."' The Diag crowd, after hearing DeRienzo's pun, broke out into applause. Marvin Marvin, a nationally renowned hemp activist said, "it's insane for the governement to have a war against the most valuable plant on the planet." An Ann Arbor man who called him- self Snowball sat on the corner of North University Avenue and State Street to watch what he called his favorite day of the year. Wearing a multicolored robe, Snowball pulled out two joints, which he purchased with money he had solicited from Hash Bashers. "The Hash Bash used to be an ille- gal scene," Snowball said as he pointed at the tents at the corner of North University Avenue and State Street. But the Hash Bash "is no "It's insane for the government to have a war against the most valuable plant on the plane tE" - Marvin Marvin Hemp activist longer about the people - it's com- mercialism." The bash attracted visiting mer- chants, who pushed everything from handcrafted drug paraphernalia to Hash Park T-shirts, which feature characters from the television comedy "South Park." While the crowds were smoking in the streets, bands and comedians per- formed at the Michigan League Underground on Saturday at "Keep off the Grass," an event sponsored by the University and community groups to provide a healthy alternative to Hash Bash. The event only attracted 100-200 people, but coordinators called it a suc- cess. "One of the things we're hearing from young people is, 'You don't want us to do drugs. What else is there for us to do?'," said event coordinator Jamie Atkins, an Ann Arbor police officer and Drug Abuse Resistance and Education pro- gram teacher. "This is an event, if I was their age, that I would want to attend." S Play College JEOPARDY! Online by April 13th for a chance to compete head to head in the Finals in New York City! Win a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am! Play College JEOPARDY! Online at: www.station.sony.com/collecieieopardy rL ' A1LE.DAI .R What's happening in Ann Arbor today GROUP MEETINGS U Conservative Minyan, 769-0500, Hillel, 1429 Hill St., 8 p.m. 0 LSA-SG: Joint Activities Committee, 647-8636, Michigan Union, Fourth floor conference room, 5 p.m. " Students for Choice, Modern C o n t a c t http://www.umich.edu/-gradin- fo/ J "Student Panel Dialogue on Media Stereotypes," Sponsored by American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Michigan Union, Pond Room, 7 p.m. J "The 16th Alexander Eckstein INFO, info@umich.edu, and www.umich.edu/-info on the World Wide Web L LSA Academic Advising Center, 936- 3220, Angell Hall, Room 1255. Q Northwalk, 763-WALK, Bursley Lobby, 8 p.m.- 1:30 a.m. Q Psycholo Peer Advising Office, 647-3711, East Hall, Room 1346, I t m