STATE/LOCAL

The Michigan Daily - Monday, April 4, 2005 - 3A

. ON CAMPUS
Symphony Orchestra
to perform classics
The Campus Symphony Orches-
tra will be performing tonight at 8
p.m. at Hill Auditorium. The per-
formance includes two pieces by
Beethoven, Symphony No.6 Op. 68
and Pastorale.
School of Social
Work to host film
on Aids in Africa
The film "These Patients Make Me
Sick! Aids in Africa" will be shown
tonight at 6 p.m.. at the School of
Social Work in room 1636. The film
is sponsored by Doctors Without
Borders. The film will be followed
by a discussion.
English Prof
to lecture on
famous poets
A lecture titled "Poetic Embodi-
ment" will be given by English Prof.
Linda Gregerson today at noon in
the Osterman Common Room in the
Rackham Building. The lecture will
discuss poems by Marvell, Shake-
speare, Bogan and Meredith.
CRIME
NOTES
Flooding reported
in Northwood
A caller reported to the Depart-
ment of Public Safety that her base-
ment at Northwood Housing was
damaged due to a flood.
DPS transferred maintenance to
the location. A unit of DPS report-
ed that there was no damage in the
building or to any belongings.
Disruptive subjects
asked to leave
Subjects were causing a distur-
bance at the C.S. Mott Children's
Hospital Saturday evening. The sub-
jects were asked to leave and they
complied.
Subject found
trespassing by
West Hall
A subject was caught trespass-
ing Saturday in the West Hall Arch
and was warned by a DPS unit. The
subject was escorted away form the
arch.

THIS WEEK

Pow wow celebrates Native American culture

By Michael Kan
Daily News Editor

Ever since he learned to walk, Sam
Funmaker has been dancing.
Wreathed in the sky blue of the bear
clan, Funmaker was just one of the hun-
dreds of Native American dancers clothed
in regalia who participated in the dance
competitions in last weekend's University-
sponsored Pow Wow
But Funmaker, a member of the Ho-
Chunk tribe, said he does not dance for the
prizes.
"I dance to learn my own ways," he
said.
A celebration of Native American cul-
ture, the 33rd annual Ann Arbor Dance for
Mother Earth Pow Wow was attended by
indigenous people from across the conti-
nent and nonindigenous members of the
local community.
Pow wows gather the Native American
community in a spiritual dance that allow
participants to express their heritage, said
Matt Stehney, Native American Student
Association co-chair and Pow Wow coor-
dinator.
Stehney - who is a member of the
Taino tribe - said although last week-
end's Pow Wow aimed to honor mother
earth, Pow Wows like the University's can
also work to combat misconceptions about
Native Americans.
From past to present, Native Ameri-
can culture has been plagued by ste-
reotypes projected by Hollywood and
television, he said. These misconcep-
tions lead the public to believe Native

Americans still live in the past.
"There are people walking around cam-
pus who think I live in a teepee, or they ask
where my feathers are," Stehney said.
While the dancers at the pow wow were
dressed in traditional attire, Stehney said
nonnative onlookers also saw that many
Native Americans dress in blue jeans and
wear T-shirts just like them.
He added that the public will see
authentic Native American culture in its
appropriate context, rather than how the
media has wrongly portrayed it.
"This is something we use to teach non-
natives who we are. ... We want people to
know that we aren't an obsolete people,"
he said.
At the same time, the pow wow instills
pride in the Native American community
and allows members to pass on their tradi-
tions to the next generation, he added.
Ojibwe dancer Jerry Cleland agreed
with Stehney.
Jerry Cleland said he dances the tra-
ditional style derived from the combat
warriors of his tribe. Although times have
changed, Jerry Cleland said that when
dances, he preserves the same spirit of
those warriors. Now, he said, he sees the
younger generations at the Pow Wow fol-
lowing the same traditions.
"Each generation has to be told (the tra-
ditions)," he said.
That same understanding of Native
American culture needs to be transmit-
ted to nonnative peoples as well, Jerry
Cleland said.
"It's about being Indian. If you under-
stand me, we don't have conflict," he said.

PETER SCHOTTENFELS/DAILY
Geezhig Bressette, age 11, of the OJibwe tribe In Sarnia Ontarloat performs a ceremonial dance at the Ann
Arbor Pow Wow in Crisier Arena on Saturday.

While the origins of the pow wow
still remain unclear, Jerry Cleland's son
Wayne Cleland said it originated with
the Omaha people of the west. The tra-
dition then slowly migrated to the east,
becoming a custom that spans all Native

American tribes and even extends to
nonnative people.
Of the drums used in the Pow Wow,
Wayne Cleland said, "The drum has
a heart beat. Every nation has a heart
beat. That heart beat is universal."

LSA sophomore Kathy Xie said she
decided to attend the pow wow to gain a
true understanding of Native American
culture.
"This is vhere they show everyone
who they are," she said.


GEO
Continued from page 1A
looking for, but those with low-fraction
appointments were able to get the increas-
es they needed," GEO President Dave
Dobbie said.
Despite GEO's salary gains, it could not
convince the University to accept its pro-
posed "designated beneficiaries" to avoid
a potential loss of same-sex partner ben-
efits that could accompany a lawsuit under
Proposal 2.
A designated beneficiary would be eli-
gible to receive the same benefits given
to GEO members if the individual shared
some life elements with a GEO member,
such as a joint bank account or a child.
"The University refused to discuss the
issue (of designated beneficiaries) at all.
We were not able to get any traction at the
table. It didn't work out for this negotia-
tion," Dobbie said.
The University instead has included
a memorandum of understanding in the
contract that states that the University and
GEO will re-negotiate partner benefits if
any state court rules against them.
GEO succeeded in its demands for
expanded health care benefits.
The University has agreed to pay half
the premiums of low-fraction GSIs for the
GradCare health plan. The University has
also guaranteed that it will not increase
GradCare co-pays by more than $5 for the
life of the three-year contract.
Health benefits will be provided in
the spring and summer for GSIs who are
employed during both fall and winter
terms. No-cost dental insurance at the start
of employment has also been included in
the new contract. In the previous contract,
dental insurance was available after a two-
term wait period. Life insurance will also
be provided at no cost to GSIs up to the
benefit level of $30,000.
Progress was also made in addressing
concerns that international GSIs were
being unfairly tested for their teaching
abilities rather than their English skills.
The University has promised to make
improvements to testing and provide a pre-
test that will allow international GSIs who

perform well to opt out of certain training
requirements in the winter term.
The contract also states that for all
incoming international GSIs, the Univer-
sity will pay the $100 fee for SEVIS - a
government database that maintains infor-
mation on international students and visi-
tors. The contract reduces the maximum
number of hours .5-fraction GSIs can work
from 22 to 20 to allow international stu-
dents with certain visas to be eligible for
child care subsidies and other jobs.
Under the new contract, GSIs with chil-
dren will receive child care subsidies that
have a $50 increase from the previous con-
tract. GSIs will receive $1,750 for the first
child and $900 for each subsequent child.
One of the significant gains for GEO
was the inclusion of gender identity and
gender expression in the anti-discrimina-
tion clause of the contract. GEO and the
University also agreed to a three-year
contract that ends on March 1, 2008, even
though the University was attempting
to bind GEO to a four-year contract that
would end in April 2009.
University spokeswoman Julie Peter-
son said that the new contract represents a
major improvement over the last contract.
"An incredible amount of hard work
went into those negotiations last week.
They solved a lot of difficult issues. We're
very pleased that any more work stoppages
were averted," she said.
GEO had planned a membership meet-
ing yesterday for a final vote on an open-
ended strike if significant progress with
the University had not been made after the
one-day walkout more than a week ago.
Dobbie said that the bargaining team
did accomplish a great deal but that there
are still issues that need to be worked out
in the future, such as the designated benefi-
ciary proposal and salary increases.
He also said that once the contract is
approved by all parties, GEO will form
several implementation committees -
including ones that address transgender
and mental health care. GEO members will
also serve on joint committees, such as the
provost's TBLG committees, to work to
implement provisions of the contract that
concern transgender health issues.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Hanoi Jane
For refusing to make Anti-
American propaganda broad-
casts with Jane Fonda one
American POW was forced to
kneel on a concrete floor for
three days, holding a steel bar
in front of him and beaten with
bamboo canes when his arms
drooped. Others, including now-
Senator John McCain, said they
were also beaten.
Gary Lillie & Assoc.,Realtors
garylillie.com

Assault takes place on Hill St

By Laura Van Hyfte
Daily Staff Reporter
Three subjects were assaulted by 12
to 17 men while walking through the S9
parking lot on the 300 block of Hill Street
around 3 a.m. Saturday, the Department
of Public Safety reported. According to
DPS, an assailant struck one of the sub-
jects with a pipe.
Srgt. Tim Shannon, a DPS police super-
visor, stressed the infrequency of this kind
of crime.
"I know that this stuff happens occa-
sionally, especially in the campus area, but
it's not that common," Shannon said.
He added that said the incident is under
investigation and DPS is pursuing several
leads.Shannon said he is uncertain what
prompted the men to attack the group and
cannot discuss any leads because doing
so could compromise the investigation.

"There will be a press release at the appro-
priate time," he added.
After the alleged incident, the subjects
were treated at the scene by Huron Valley
Ambulance crews.
To avoid an instance such as this,
Shannon advised local residents to stay
in well-lit areas and avoid being publicly
intoxicated.
"If you are intoxicated, take a cab
home," Shannon said.
An assault like this is very rare, said
Diane Brown, the DPS spokeswoman.
"Typically, for crime prevention, we
advise people to not walk alone, but it
looks like they were (walking in a group),"
Brown said.
Brown-stressed another way to ensure
safety while walking around campus in
the evening. "Pay attention to blue light
emergency phones," she said.
Blue light emergency phones are located

on the North, South, Central and Medical
campuses and the Hill.
When the phone is removed from its
cradle, a DPS dispatcher is automatically
alerted. A DPS officer is then sent to the
location of the phone. No conversation is
necessary for a response from DPS. Any-
one in an emergency may use the phones
and should try to speak to the dispatcher
if possible.
The Campus Safety Handbook contains
maps showing the locations of all blue
light emergency phones on the University
campuses. Despite these safety measures,
Brown said that under the circumstances,
it was difficult for the subjects to prevent
their assault.
"I don't know what you would try to
do against 12 to 17 people," she said. "An
assault like this hasn't happened on cam-
pus while I've been here - and I have
been around for six years."


In Daily

History

Controversial
research topic
approved by board
April 3, 1987 - The Univer-
sity Research Policies Committee
approved by a single vote funding
for a controversial research project.
If approved by the University's vice
president for research, Linda Wil-
son, it would be the third classified
project taken up by the University.
The project under scrutiny con-
r sists of a new device designed to
detect sonar signals underwater.
Activists feel this could be used for
warfare. Currently, the University
does not allow research projects to
be conducted if the object developed
kills or helps kill human beings.
Prof. Theodore Birdsall, who
submitted the project, explained:
"It is not probable that (this project)
will be destructive to human life."
Wilson said she was not sure she
would accept the proposal.

while still having time to enjoy
Sand and all.'

I

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