LOCAL/S TATE
The Michigan Daily - Monday, February 15, 1999 - 3A
C-AMPUS
Physics lecture
series to expand
for 5th year
After presenting a fall lecture
series each Saturday morning for
the past four years, officials from
the physics department have decid-
ed to expand the series this year.
Featuring University physics fac-
ulty members, the renewed series is
scheduled to begin Saturday at
10:30 a.m. in the Dennison
Building, Room 170, with a pre-
sentation by physics Prof. Franco
Nori.
Nori is scheduled to speak on the
gTrces that contribute to the unex-
pected motions of avalanches.
The series is free and open to the
public, with refreshments served
beforehand. More information
about the series can be accessed on
the Internet at
http://www.physics.lsa.umich.edu/
saturday/.
Stanford 'U' Prof.
to speak on
sustainable climate
In the latest installment of the
Sustainable Development,
Community and Business lecture
series, Stanford University biology
of. Stephen Schneider is sched-
d to speak on sustainable cli-
mate today at 4 p.m. in Hale
Auditorium in the Business
School.
Author of several books about the
Earth's climate, Schneider believes
.in fostering new ways of under-
standing humans' role as inhabitants
of the Earth.
The lecture series is sponsored by
he University's Erb Environmental
anagement Institute and the
Corporate Environmental
Management Program. Designed to
increase the prospects of finding
ways to meet the needs of sustain-
able human development in the 21st
Century.
The series is a preview for the
"National Town Meeting For a
Sustainable America," which is
scheduled to take place in Detroit
*s May.
Nursing professor
appointed to
committee
Nursing Prof. Sally Lusk was
recently named to a U.S.
jkpartment of Health and Human
rvices committee, which reviews
grant applications for the National
Institutes of Health.
Lusk was chosen for the position
based on her current research publi-
cations in the areas of noise-
induced hearing loss prevention and
noise effects on stress-related dis-
eases.
Her term on the committee will
expire June 30, 2002.
lecture to focus
on the future of
'U' research
The kick-off event of a lecture
series focusing on the future of
research universities is scheduled to
be held tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. in
Rackham Amphitheater.
he lecture is scheduled to be
"Envisioning the Future of Higher
Education: Perspectives From the
Top."
The lecture will feature several
speakers, including University
President Lee Bollinger, University
of Phoenix President Jorge Klor de
Alva and American Association of
Universities President Nils
Hasselmo.
addressing issues such as the
ermands research universities face
in the technological age, Bollinger
is scheduled to discuss how the
University remains competitive
among other large research-based
universities and colleges in the
nation.
- Compiled by Daily Staff
Reporter Adam Zuwerink.
Interest
piques flor
erotic tales
By Nika Schulte
Daily Staff Reporter
"Erotic" storytelling - including tales of a
man who dreamt about five virgins splashing
in a pond and another tale of a woman whose
affair with a stranger introduced sweetness into
her life - gave an early start to Valentine's Day
for some students Saturday night.
More than 120 students and storytelling fans
filled the Union Club in the Michigan Union to
hear a program of humorous and sensual sto-
ries sponsored by the Michigan Union
Program Board.
The event, showcasing a topic that had never
been explored at a Union storytelling event
before, was a compilation of "erotic" stories
and humor including Native American tales to
stories accompanied by the Blues-style guitar-
chords.
Deb Mexicotte, program coordinator at the
Michigan Union, said storyteller Debra
Christian had contacted her more than a year
ago to do the program.
Mexicotte said although there was some
hesitancy about the subject matter, she knew
the University community would meet it with
"interest rather than dismay."
Christian said she had to search for a place
to share the sizzling subject matter because
other settings do not provide an opportunity for
exploration.
"When you are a storyteller, you have the
honored position of being the keeper of tales,"
Christian said.
But Christian said the spectrum also
includes sensual tales that often are left out of
other performances.
KRISTIN GOBLE/Daily
Debra Christian tells erotic stories at the Michigan Union on Saturday. Christian said she was
excited to bring her sizzling stories to the University community.
"Tales of love need to be shared and told
because through story we learn so much, she
added.
Mexicotte said she hoped the event would
help students broaden their knowledge of their
own sexuality.
"This is a chance for students to explore
their own sexuality and their own sexual iden-
tity," Mexicotte said.
At the event, storyteller Badria Jazairi
shared a story about a young woman's disas-
trous - but educational - attempt at romance
in New York City.
Jazairi said the event was an "incredible
opportunity" to share sensuality that is under
appreciated.
"We live in a culture that puts the 'rot' in
erotica," Jazairi said. "Let's take that out."
LSA first-year student Meg Erlewine said
she attended the event with her group of
friends to see how daring the stories would be.
"We wanted to see how sketchy it would
get," Erlewine said.
Mark "Mountain Man" LeJarret encouraged
the audience to use the event's sensual stories
as an impetus for their own Valentine's Day
celebrations.
"We hope you leave truly inspired for later
events," LeJarret said.
LSA first-year student Andrew Goodman
said he has attended storytellings before and
found the program to be "very entertaining"
because of the diversity.
Goodman said the tunes of WDET Blues
Radio host Robert Jones were a highlight for
him.
"I didn't find (the program) erotic, but it was
handled very well," Goodman said.
Jewish women
discuss goals at
conference
By Emina Sendijarevic
Daily Staff Reporter
Hailing from campuses across the Midwest, more than 40
Jewish female students gathered at Hillel this weekend to cel-
ebrate accomplishments made by Jewish women and to dis-
cuss ways women in the Jewish community can prepare for
the 21st Century.
The goal of the three-day conference was to create an envi-
ronment in which Jewish women could address issues that
concern them and to energize women on campuses across the
Midwest, as well as provide a place for debate and discus-
sion, explained LSA senior Danielle Gordon, one of the
event's organizers.
"This is the first time a Midwestern conference for (Jewish
female) students has been organized," Gordon said.
Friday evening, Susan Weidman Schneider, editor in chief
of Lilith, an independent Jewish women's magazine, helped
kick off the conference "Jewish and Female: What to Change
and What to Celebrate As We Approach the Year 2000."
The conference was held to "talk about the past, present
and future," Schneider said in her introduction. Schneider is
an author and speaker on Jewish feminism and has appeared
on major national television talk shows, including Good
Morning America and the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Throughout her speech, Schneider described many
advancements that Jewish women have to be grateful for, but
she also emphasized what Jewish women need to change as
the 21st Century approaches.
Of the many reasons to celebrate that Schneider listed, she
stressed two in particular.
"For the first time we have models for almost everything
we want to do or be as Jewish women," Schneider said. "For
the first time we have Jewish feminist history."
Schneider said that throughout history, Jews have moved
from one location to another, and for this reason, few Jewish
women's artifacts - objects that have represented their lives
- have been preserved. But finally, she said, Jewish women
-are being recognized for their contributions.
Changes that still need to be made, Schneider said, include
creating equility for women in positions of power in the
Jewish community.
"Less that 25 percent of all board members are women,"
Schneider said, referring to statistics from national Jewish
organizations.
"What we want is both equal access, but also equal value,"
she said.
Many women in the audience took Schneider's comments
to heart and acknowledged that they could relate to what
Schneider was saying.
"Susan Weidman Schneider has helped shape the lives of
many Jewish women for over two decades," said Lili Kalish,
an LSA senior and a former Lilith intern.
Jennifer Leavitt, a graduate student at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, said she attended the confer-
ence because she wanted to learn more about Jewish femi-
nism.
"I want to use this as an opportunity to develop myself and
more fully realize what my beliefs and ideas are," Leavitt
said.
The conference included workshops, storytelling and a
performance by Kol Hakavod, a Jewish a cappella group at
the University.
Gordon said the conference attracted Jewish female stu-
dents of different ages.
"I'm excited that it got the younger classmates interested (in
Jewish feminism) ... and that seniors felt inspired as Jewish
women to keep doing what we do," Gordon said as the confer-
ence wrapped up yesterday. "It was a successful weekend."
Fourth man,
di'es fo fire
DETROIT (AP) - A fourth Ford Motor Co. employee
died yesterday from injuries sustained in a power plant explo-
sion at the company's sprawling Rouge complex in
Dearborn.
The worker had been in critical condition at Detroit
Receiving Hospital since the Feb. 1 blast and fire.
Ken Anderson of Wyandotte died at 9:45 a.m. at the
hospital's burn unit, said hospital spokesperson Mattie
Majors.
Eleven other workers injured in the blast were still hospi-
talized yesterday - seven in critical condition, three in seri-
ous and one whose condition was not being released.
Warren Blow of Dearborn Heights died Friday at'
University Hospitals. Cody Boatwright died at the same hos-
pital on Feb. 5. Donald Harper died on the day of the explo-
sion.
A state investigator said a natural gas buildup led to the
explosion at the electrical generating station that served the
1,100-acre suburban Detroit complex. A final determination
of the cause is expected later this month.
Daniel O'Donnell] Daily
Willard Peterson of Princeton University speaks at the Symposium on
Confucianism in the Koessler Room of the Michigan League on Friday.
Confuia'g nism'Os
origins discussed
during symposium
By Tushar Sheth
For the Daily
More than 50 students and facul-
ty members gathered Friday to dis-
cuss the meanings, thoughts and
origins of the philosophies of
Confucianism.
The Center for Chinese Studies
sponsored a symposium titled
"Interrogating the Construction of
'Confucianism."'"
The event was held in two ses-
sions and examined several issues
raised by Lionel Jensen, a history
professor at the University of
Colorado at Denver, in his book
"Manufacturing Confucianism:
Chinese Traditions and Universal
Civilization."
Several panelists joined Jensen
for the discussion, including Jack
Kline of Loyola University, Willard
Peterson of Princeton University,
Xiaobing Tang of the University of
Chicago and University professors
P.J. Ivanhoe, Donald Lopez and
Donald Munro. Ernie Young, direc-
tor of the Center for Chinese
Studies, moderated the panel.
The panelists discussed how -the
concepts and terms of
Confucianism have developed and
evolved over time. "The book
reveals the process by which the
terms have been manufactured
through history," Kline said.
"Our concept of Confucianism is
a largely Western invention of the
17th Century," Jensen said.
His book proposed that ideas of
Confucius have come from Jesuit
missionaries who visited China
during that time.
These missionaries took their
interpretations of Confucius' teach-
ings to Europe and incorporated
them into mainstream European
thought. Over time, European intel-
lectuals then reinvented and reinter-
preted those ideas, according to
Jensen's book.
"This is where we find the ori-
gins of our current perception of
Confucius," Kline said.
Jensen's book goes on to argue
that 20th Century Chinese intellec-
tuals then used these conceptions
in their nationalist projects to
recapture Chinese history. The
book theorizes that these ideas of
Confucian thought are portrayed as
if they are the original meanings
even though the have been shaped
and "manufactured" over time.
Jensen's book states current per-
ceptions of Chinese culture and
history are influenced by these
interpretations.
"Confucius came to stand for
everything Chinese," Jensen said.
..
SA O
' <'t
: GRoup MEETINGS
Service and Learning.
( ,aiwv - C l..ni - as allfolokl
U Northwalk, 763-WALK, Bursley
Lobby. 8 o.m: 1:30 a.m.
r.
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