NEWS The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 3 *ON CAMPUS Conference to address college depression A conference about depression on col- lege campuses titled "Depression on Col- lege Campuses: Fighting Stigma with Knowledge and Understanding" will take place today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Horace H. Rackham Building. The con- ference will discuss many of the issues related to the diagnosis and the treatment of depression. The event is free of charge. Film to explore politics and genocide in India The film "Final Solution: The Poli- tics of Hate" will be shown from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in Lorch Hall's Auditorium today. The film graphically explores the changing politics and genocide in Gujarat, India from 2002-03. Professor to lecture on Israel and the Holocaust Frankel Center for Judaic Studies, Director Todd Endelman will lecture tonight at 8 p.m. in the Michigan League Ballroom. He will speak about Israel's relation with the Holocaust. The event is free of charge. CRIME NOTES Motorist punched in face by pedestrian A man reported to the Ann Arbor Police Department that he was punched in the face by a pedestrian while he was sitting in his car at a crosswalk on Mon- day afternoon. The 30-year-old man said he was heading eastbound on Hill Street at about 4 p.m. when he stopped at a cross- walk at East University Avenue. The driver said a man crossing the street pointed at his front tire and said some- thing. When the driver rolled down his window, the man walked over and punched the driver in the face. The motorist said he followed the pedestrian for a little while before call- ing the police, but police were unable to find him. CD player stolen from parked car A caller reported that someone attempted to steal her CD player out of her vehicle while it was parked in the carport on Thayer Street on Monday, according to the Department of Public Safety. Unattended wallet * stolen from IMSB A caller reported to DPS that his wallet was stolen in the Intramural Sports Build- ing between 6:30 and 7 p.m. on Monday while it was left unattended for about one hour. There are currently no suspects. THIS DAY In Daily History 'U' students go on hunger strike in Alabama March 23, 1965 - The participation of 70 University students in last week's Civil Rights demonstration in Mont- gomery, Ala., continues to have impor- an consequences both on campus and in Alabama. Four University students are still being held in Alabama jails as they continue to participate in a hunger strike. Accord- ing to their attorney, they could spend as many as 30 days awaiting their hearing. Four female students who went to Alabama are also facing charges at the University because they did not sign out of their dormitory before they left. The students will face their house judiciary tonight and can be charged with a penal- * ty ranging from two days of social proba- ti nn to a rarnmmvna tmnn fnr exnki, nn Prisoners' art dispels common stereotypes By Breeanna Hare Daily Staff Reporters Within Michigan's penitentiaries resides a population of 50,000 - more than the entire student body at the University. Yesterday evening, the Prison Creative Arts Project kicked off two weeks of events dedi- cated to the incarcerated community with its 10th annual exhibition of Art by Michigan Prisoners held in the Duderstadt Gallery. The exhibition will showcase visual, musical, theatrical and writ- ten artwork by the prisoners who are confined within the 42 prisons throughout the state of Michigan. English Prof. Buzz Alexander, founder of PCAP and the co-cura- tor of yesterday's art exhibition said he feels that PCAP has a greater purpose than just showing exceptional artwork - it is a demonstration of the complexity of the prisoners themselves. "If you think about it, people have stereotypes about people in pris- ons. They have stereotypes that (prisoners) are dangerous, without tal- ent; that they are rapists and molesters and that their art is bad art. Our hope is that they'll see good art and that their vision of prisoners will change," he said. PCAP began in 1990 with two prisoners who were taking Univer- sity courses through a program in which the University brings books and notes to the prisoners. The two prisoners, who were enrolled in the University's English 319 theater course, wanted to extend their new- found opportunity to create artwork to their entire prison. It was more of an accident, Alexander said. "The 2 'lifers' excelled in the course, and then we opened it up to the whole prison. I knew I wanted to go there. We saw the talent and the resistant spirit in the prisons," he added. Former prison artists Paul Betts and Pedro Cassada attested to the strength required to formulate artistic works while being "locked up" for nearly 24 hours a day. Betts, who was imprisoned for six years in a penitentiary located in Jackson, won the Penn American Award for his short story, "Flat Top for Cherry Hill," in 2000. "Every day when you're incarcerated you have to give yourself a reason to live. Every day you have to redefine who you are because the world has already defined you. This is one of the few programs that allows for that," Betts said. Cassada, who was recently released on Jan. 30, put over 300 hours into his colored-pencil drawing of a Phoenix that was on display at the exhibition. "I didn't like the man I had become, and I wanted to change," Cassada said. "There are only two things you could do (in prison): stay positive or stay negative - there's no gray area. The gray area is still negative." It was at this time, he said, that PCAP rejuvenated him through his artwork. "Art offered me a daily escape from confinement. Everything you see comes from my heart. When you look at this work, don't just see the pretty colors, try to look at it and see what they were thinking. Look deep into the picture." Co-curator and Art and Design Prof. Janie Paul also said she encour- ages viewers to seek out the personal stories behind the pictures. Paul said that due to the continuous growth of PCAP, the selection process was harder than ever this year. "(Alexander and I) asked the artists to dig down deep and present something personal," Paul said. "It brings the issues out because it brings out the creativity. I feel really committed and in solidarity with the artists; it's made my art more detailed and has influenced me to be more authentic," she added. Suzanne Gothard at the annual exhibition of art by Michigan prisoners at the Duderstat Center Art Gallery yesterday. PCAP administrator Suzanne Gothard said she also found a life- altering experience in the prisoners' ability to transcend their environ- ment and create something beautiful. "I get inspired by these artists who are creating in these conditions; it inspires me to find that need within myself," Gothard said. Patricia Caruso, Director of the Department of Corrections for the state of Michigan, said she believes that, whether one is an artist or not, anyone can gain a different perspective about these prisoners through their art. "Those who work in the prisons, those who are imprisoned and taxpayers all have a vested interest in making sure our prisons are safe and secure. PCAP gives people something to live for, to work for, to get out and stay out." PCAP is also composed of dedicated students who put in countless hours to ensure that these inmates' voices are heard throughout the campus community. "PCAP sucks you in," said RC senior Erin Kaplan, who served on the PCAP planning com- mittee. "I got to meet the artists and to see people who are so marginalized and silenced and see how much talent can exist in a bleak environment. To hear them talk about their own work was moving in itself," Kaplan said. Aside from the normal itinerary of workshops at the prisons, the exhibition will include events ranging from panel discussions about the criminalization of youth and the death penalty in the United States, to a night of theater exploring personal struggles in the transition from prison to the outside community. RC senior Megan Shachman has worked throughout the year to present a forum on the Michigan Battered Women's Clemency Proj- ect, which is included in the exhibition despite the fact that it is not art. The project serves as a support system for incarcerated women who argue self-defense in cases of domestic violence. Shachman said she regrets that there were not any Clemency Proj- ect women artists displaying work yesterday evening and attributes this to the lack of programming in women's correctional facilities. "Women are literally being forgotten and left to rot in prison," she said. Shachman said she advocates that students interested in public policy and political science help fundraise, review old cases and raise awareness about the project. "We have a responsibility to care about these women. You should care that you are part of a system that fails women," Shachman said. "All the people we're talking about have been failed by the incarceration system. We need to see these people as part of the community." LSA senior Evan Major said he agrees that the exhibition will promote a more conscious view of our society's prisons. "The expression is the number one thing I'll take away. The exhibit is as much a commentary on the prison system as it is on the art," Major said. PCAP will be displaying the exhibit at the Duderstadt Center Gal- lery until Tuesday, April 5. For more information on events scheduled throughout the Exhibition, visit www.prisonsart.org. - Ryan Glass contributed to this report. CAAS Continued from page 1 much gold in Egypt on his way to Mecca that he caused large-scale economic depreciation. While both of these men are prominent figures in African history, they are largely unknown to many students. For Whitman, CAAS is a neces- sary part of her education. "Being a CAAS major does not give my edu- cation depth," she said. "It gives my education validity." She added that if she "went through life with an education of only people with my (white) skin color, I would go through life with a very incom- plete education." For some black students, studying CAAS and these famous people in African history is a chance to learn about their own heritage. LSA junior Jennifer Jones studies CAAS to learn more about her Afri- can-American background, and this interest has been lifelong. "My entire life I've been inter- ested in the history and struggles of black people," she said, adding that the education most people get in high school about blacks is very limited, leading them to think -that "black people kind of pop up sporadically," in historical events. Jones said through her CAAS stud- ies, she has gained a greater appreia- tion for the role of people of African descent in American history. Connolloy also addressed the increase in CAAS majors, saying that many students are now adding Afroamerican and African studies to other concentrations, allowing stu- dents to have a multicultural back- drop to their education. Many students end up double- majoring in CAAS and biology or education, he said, so they can "meet the standards of a given profession while developing an understand- ing of the complex issues affecting people of color within those various lines of work." Engineering sophomore Barney Charles said after taking an introduc- tory CAAS course, he became very interested in African-American and African history. "(An engineering,)degree-will get you a job, but I will spend four years here, and I want to learn about some- thing that interests me," he said. "I find engineering very interesting, but I find CAAS interesting also." Regardless of their motivations, Connolly said students who have a background in Afroamerican and African studies will have a vantage. point in understanding the politics- and world economy of the future. In the next 25 years, he said, Africa will become a major force in international economics, as pre- viously colonized countries such as Kenya and South Africa build their economies. "This means that any fruitful con- versation about globalization is going to have4oconsider not onlyamajo iy- black countries outside of America, but also how the processes of global- ization affect black people within the United States," Connolly said. I Want to lih up the world with your career. Then talk to someone who knows science. . t. Thomas Edison 1847-1931, Founder of Science "'If you want to Light up the world of science, it's essential you don't leave your career to chance. At ScienceCareers.org we know science. We are Place an ad in The Michigan Daily's Summer Sublet Section and get cash for your house or apartment this spring/summer. Early Bird Rate: $35 for ads placed on or before March 17th, 2005. Standard Rate: $45 for ads placed after March 17th, 2oo5. Final Deadline: March 24th, 205. Published on: March 31st,2oo5. Refer to the classified section of the Daily for more info! Call an Account Executive at 764-0557, or stop by our office at Vo Maynard. E-mail: classified@michigandaily.com spaCe IS LmIrTKD so reserve You"s ToDaY!