The Michigan Daily -Thursday, January 24, 1991 - Page 3 I i Group plans U sexuality conference lby Purvi Shah liDaily Staff Reporter I A conference on the Cultural Construction of Sexuality will be held at the University Oct. 5 and 6 this year to examine how socializa- ion in American culture creates sex- -ual stereotypes and what impact "these stereotypes have. The stereotypes to be discussed "cover a wide range of issues. "Things like 'Rape is a woman's fault' and 'Homosexuality is a per- tiersion and not just one of many choices"' are topics which will be -discussed, said Conference Planning "Committee member Linda Kurtz. Kurtz argues that these issues are -x critical for all people, but especially women. "First, women can get pregnant and second, women are subordinate in every society. It's easy to have access to women's sex- uality and use it and abuse it," Kurtz said. The conference is also designed to explain what it means to be a man, woman, heterosexual, or homosex- ,ual in this society. "That's certainly -not the way it is in other cultures. They have a different way of looking .at the whole thing (sexuality). This 'Would be useful to people," Kurtz nsaid. The Planning Committee is seek- ing a grant from the Women's Stud- ies Department as well as searching for off-campus funding for the con- ference. The keynote speakers for both days of the conferene have already been selected. Gloria Anzaldua, a U Latino lesbian, who has written a, number of books, and is now writ- ing the Culture of Construction of Identity, will speak along with Micheal Kimmel, a sociology pro- fessor at the State University of New York-Stonybrook. Kimmel is cur- *rently working on a book titled; 'Gender and Desire. Goals of the conference includei moving away from the us-them di- chotomy, providing tools for per- sonal liberation, as well as enhanc- ing awareness of a person's beliefs and choices and the use of sexuality to oppress people, Kurtz said. Per- sonal experiences, not academics, will be the focus. Kurtz estimates an audience of 500 people, who will participate in a panel discussion and choose from workshops following the panel each day. People are encouraged to plan their own workshop by sending in a one to two-page description of the theme of the workshop to the Plan- ning Committee. "We are all experienced on sex, because it is part of us. If we're all experts, we all have a certain amount of ability to do a workshop. We're looking for personal experience, as well as an analysis of what goes on in daily life," said George Kelley, Planning Committee member. Conference planners were moti- vated to participate for a variety of reasons. Planning Committee member Paul Potts wants to create a more egalitarian society."I'm interested in the role men can play in sexuality," said Potts. "The stereotypes that hurt women, also hurt men." "I wanted to find more intellec- tual curiosity about sexuality in our society because I know it creates problems in our society," LSA Ju- nior Peter Yonclas, who is helping to plan the event, said. "I've often questioned society's constructions of sexuality. I've had debates with friends about artificial barriers between men and women. This is something I've been talking about and no one's been able to ex- plain to me," said Rackham student Nadine Leavitt. "There are authori- ties on sexuality. Society has norms and we don't question those norms. I'm not expecting enlightenment of the Buddha, just a questioning of the norms." En barre Kristie Werness, age 11, demonstrates for the first grade ballet class at the Sylvia Studio of Dance yesterday. Chang es in SAT will not. Women's group opposes Gulf war by Purvi Shah Daily Staff Reporter It's not just a man's job anymore - even war is becoming an equal- opportunity employer. Force for Black Women (FBW), a new women's organization on cam- pus, is organizing to oppose the war and protect the interests of women involved. Eleven percent of the U.S. troops stationed in.the Middle East are women. Women are faced with both active participation and caring for family members who fought in the war. "The issue is very critical to women. For the first time, we're seeing women actively involved in the war - in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf," said Marla Philpot, co-founder of the group. "Women have to care for their family. It's important that women allow their voices to be heard be- cause they are going to have to pick up the pieces when they (the troops) get home," she added. One of the group's concerns in- volves single parents in the war. Earlier this week Pentagon spokesperson Pete Williams ad- dressed single parents in the war, saying, "We feel it's important to give the military flexibility with these issues." Philpot believes exceptions should be made. "Single parents should be exempt from serving in the Gulf because we have a respon- sibility first to serving in our com- munity," she said. "We're the sole providers for our children - eco- nomically and emotionally." Inger Lovett, co-founder of the drganization, concurred, stating she came from a single-parent family and would have been lost without her mother.' "I don't think we had a shortage of people (to serve). There are so many other people that could go and not jeopardize the child. I don't think they (single parents) should be away from the home or put in situations where they could be killed. I don't think that's fair." By placing women in a precar- ous situation, the war is a way for the establishment to get back at women's rights activists, she said. "You wanted these rights and we're going to stick it to you!" Lovet added. Lovett sees a contradiction in President George Bush's actions. "Abortion is murder and war is not? I don't see how he (Bush) can be so hypocritical on something that is so important to women's. rights," she said. affect 'U' admission policy by Garrick Wang Daily Staff Reporter The University does not plan to change its undergraduate admis- sions policies despite major revi- sions to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) to be implemented in early 1994. The current changes have drawn added attention in light of recent charges that the SAT ques- tions and format favor students on the basis of class, sex, and ethnic- ity. "I don't see any changes in the admissions process at the moment because the individual units are trying to attract and enroll the best qualified students," said Donald Swain, associate director for ad- missions. Swain emphasized that a high school student's academic perfor- mance in the college preparatory subjects, as measured by grade point average (GPA), is the most important factor in the admissions process. "The GPA we calculate is based on the courses that most students are able to take in any school system,"'Swain said. "The SAT exam helps us un- derstand better about the grading practices of schools we are not too familiar with and how (students) use the knowledge they have gained over a period of time," Swain said. "It has a good balanc- ing effect in separating students who had an easy time getting good grades and those who did not." Swain added that a high SAT score does not make up for low performance in the classroom. "The College Board and the Education Testing Service (ETS) decided three years ago that major changes in the SAT exam are needed to meet the changes in student demographics and the ex- pectations of colleges," said Jan Gams, spokesperson for the Col- lege Board. The College Board and ETS write, publish, and dis- tribute the SAT exams nationwide. Gams said the following changes will be in place in early 1994: The verbal section will con- tain longer critical reading pas- sages which will focus on a stu- dent's evaluative and reasoning skills. Test takers will have to pro- duce answers instead of selecting from a list of possible choices in the math section. They will be permitted to use calculators to compute their answers; The Test of Standard Writ- ten English will be eliminated. "We have taken great pains to make sure that the exam discrimi- nates on the basis of knowledge only," Gams said. Correction and clarification: The Daily misidentified the office of the Director of the Division of Research Development Administration (DRDA). in a photo yesterday. In addition, yesterday's sit-in occurred in the DRDA offices, which are located in the Institute for Social Research. The two offices are otherwise unrelated. The Daily apologizes for any misunderstanding. haTHE LIST What's happening in Ann Arbor today France, Turkey, and Lebanon hit by war-related bombings Meetings ACT-UP Ann Arbor, weekly meeting. Group not affiliated with Revolutionary Workers' League. Call 665-1797 or 662-6282 for info. Union, Rm. 2209, 7:30. ACT-UP, weekly meeting. Union, Rm. 2209,7:30. Tagar, weekly meeting. Hillel, 8:00. Gay Awareness Week planning meeting. Union, Rm. 3000, 7:15. Hellenic Students Associa-tion. International Center, 8-9:00. Support Our Soldiers. Fish-bowl, $ALSA. Trotter House, 7:30. ACLU, U-M Chapter. Hutchins Hall, Rm. 150,7:00. Campus Safety Committee. Union, Rm. 3000, 3-5:00. College Life, weekly meeting, sponsored by Campus Crusade for Christ. Dental School, G005 Kellogg Aud., 7:00. U of M Snowboarding Club. Call 764-2759 for info. Angell Hall, Rm. 6443, 9:00. Rainforest Action Movement. School of Natural Resources, Rm. 1040,7:00. Pre-Med Club. Union, Anderson Rm., 6:30. In Focus Filmworks. Film and video production cooperative looking for new students (and bring pennies). For info call Michael at 662-8481. 1051 Frieze Bldg., 6:00. Amnesty International, campus chapter. Union, Rm. 1209, 7:00. Speakers Linda Gregerson, sponsored by Viciting Writers Series. Rackham West Conference Rm., 5:00. "The Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s," part of weeklong lecture series; Dr. James Forman, "Physical Mechanisms of Spin Relaxation-Toward an Understanding of Photo-synthetic Water Oxidation," Prof. Robert Sharp, speaker. Chem. Bldg., Rm. 1640, 4:00. "The Hegemony of the Mo-dern, The Suppression of the Medieval," Theresa Tinkle, speaker. Rackham East Conference Rm., 8:00. "Religious Revival: A Global Phenomenon?" featuring seven separate speeches. Rackham Amphitheatre, 3-5:00. "China and the World: Perceptions and Miscon-ceptions," Prof. Allen Whiting of University of Arizona, speaker. Rackham Amphitheater, 8:00. "lVor Better or Worse-'Til Something Better Comes A-long," Helen Fisher, speaker. Rackham Assembly Hall, 4:00. "Michigan Economic Agenda for the 1990s; Past, Present and Future," David Littman, speaker. Call 543-0155 for info. Dominico's Restaurant, 2847 Coo-lidge Highway, Berkley, Michigan, 7-10:00. Furthermore. Safewalk functions 8-11:30 am Sun.- Thurs. Call 936-1000 or stop by 102 UGLi. Northwalkfunctions 8-11:30 am Sun.-Thurs. Call 763-WALK or stop by 2333 Bursley. ECB Peer Writing Tutors available to help with your papers Sunday- Wednesday, Angell/HavensComputing Center, 7-11:00. Russkij Chaj, weekly Russian conversation practice. MLB 3rd floor conference rm., 4-5:00. Off Campus Housing Day, sponsored by Housing Information Office. Union Ballroom, 12-4:00. U of M Shotokan Karate Club, Associated Press Fears of war-related terrorist attacks prompted the closing of Western buildings from India to Laos yesterday, and several bombings were reported. A powerful explosion killed a guard in a partly French-owned bank in Baalbek, Lebanon, the traditional stronghold of the fun- damentalist Shiite Hezbollah, or Party of God. The early morning blast oc- curred a few hours after a bomb went off outside the French Em- bassy in West Berlin, causing damages but no casualties. In Istanbul, Turkey, bombs ex- ploded in the buildings of two U.S. organizations Wednesday, slightly injuring one Turkish employee, and causing extensive damage, the semi-official Anatolia News Agency reported. The attackers left behind notes signed DEV SOL (Revolutionary Left), an extreme leftist under- ground group that has been carry- ing out attacks since the 1970's, according to a reporter at the scene. The notes said the bombing was to protest Turkey's involve- ment in the gulf war. The seventh day of fighting left few areas of the globe untouched by the war. Brady asks Congress for S&L bailout money WASHINGTON (AP) - Trea- sury Secretary Nicholas Brady said yesterday that the savings and loan bailout agency will have to shut down operations by the first of March unless Congress appropri- ates more money for it. He asked for an open-ended ap- propriation to continue the bailout. "Immediate congressional ac- tion to provide additional...funds is essential," he said in testimony for the Senate Banking Committee. Without such action, the Resolu- tion Trust Corp.'s "process will halt and the taxpayers costs will increase," he said. The Bush administration ex- pects to spend $80 billion to close or sell 225 insolvent S&Ls by September 30. Brady said $30 bil- lion of that would be to cover the institutions' losses. The rest is to be borrowed short term and repaid as the government sells loans, real estate, and other assets inherited from the failed thrifts. Brady urged Congress to put an end to the stop-and-go pattern of the bailout program, which has been forced to slow its work as the administration seeks more money. HELP WANTED 1. Would you like to work for yourself? 2. Would you like to set your own hours? 3. Areyou sef-motivated? 4. Are you a bit of an entrepeneur? If you answered YES to all of the above, you are just the person we're looking for! As an American Passage Campus Rep- resentative, you will be responsible for placing advertising on bulletin boards. You will also havsthe opportunityto work on marketing programs for such clients as American Express, Ford, and Boston University. There are no sales Involved. Many of our reps stay with us long after graduation. For more information, call or write us at the following address: AMERICAN PASSAGE NETWORK. 215 West Harum Seattle., WA 81194107 Idnko's the copy center 49( Laser Prints Open 24 Hours 540 E. Liberty 761-4539 1220 S. University .747-9070 Coupon required expires 4130/91 m THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANt CENTER FOR CHINESE STUDIES presents the tenth annual ALEXANDER ECKSTEIN MEMORIAL LECTURE "China and the World: Perceptions and Misconceptions" by ALLEN W1iIfflNGC EN All Interested Men are Invited to Attend w Open Rush At: I