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Page 107 text:
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When students looked close enough, they could be sure to find the less fortunate walking right alongside them on the streets of Ann Arbor. Although many chose not to pay attention, it was clear that there was a fair share of people who had to make the tough decision of choosing between food, shelter, and other basic needs. Amy Jo Geurink, a senior English major, noticed that the homeless people in Ann Arbor were paid very little attention. They ' ve become an invisible part of the population, and aren ' t rec- ognized at all, Geurink stated. However, it was still undeniable that a combination of factors such as a lack of affordable housing and health care, eroding job opportunities, domestic violence, mental illness, addiction disorders, and simple poverty had rendered hundreds with out a place to call home. There were also students who opened their eyes. I saw more homeless people than I would have ever expected, said Carli Hall, a freshman psychology major. The Shelter Asso- ciation of Washtenaw County ran the homeless shelter system in Ann Arbor. In addition to providing food and refuge from the cold through separate shelters for men and women, a day shelter and warming center, they also connected people to resources such as jobs, health care, and other basic needs. According to Sarah Kraft, the volunteer coordinator, the Shelter Association helped approximately 1,100 people at the night shelters, 250 at the warming center, and provided health care to 400 people over the year. Although there had not been any seri- ous cases of disturbance, the homeless popula- tion had still gathered a considerable amount of stigma on campus. That was one of the reasons why so many students chose not to see them. In addition, many students also held onto common myths about homeless people. For example, homeless people were seen as violent and likely to commit crimes, lazy, looking for their next drink or fix, or mentally unstable, while in fact, despera- tion seldom led to crime, the majority of people without homes worked, and the reasons behind homelessness ranged from simple to complex, but were never uniform. It is important to listen to people and not make generalizations about the homeless, said Tanya Ward, a case manager for the Shelter Association. Both Hall and Geurink were among the students who chose to follow that advice. I would always smile whenever I passed by, because they were really friendly to me, Hall said. Geurink, who used to work at the Espresso Royale on State Street, described her experiences with homeless people: I used to know a couple of homeless people really well. I always slipped them some coffee or bagels. It was cool because I got to know them as people who were struggling with real problems that were real. Geurink was an example of the students who were fortunate enough to understand that the reasons behind homelessness were varied, but tough and real. There ' s much more of a story to homeless people than people know or care to know. By Han-Ching Lin VOICES 103
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Page 106 text:
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The State Theatre ' s lights shine brightry over downtown Ann Arbor. The theatre was home to the premier of the documentary Listen, which opened up the eyes of many students to the issue of homelessness around campus. The documen- tary was shown from September 1 8 to September 26. L. Proux photo On September 18, the State Theatre showed Listen, a documentary on home- lessness in Ann Arbor. The premier of the documentary was kicked off with a benefit concert at 10 p.m. featuring Seth Bernard and Friends, Chris Bohalis, and doc Root Stand. The documentary was then shown at midnight, followed by a discussion. Among the things discussed were the feel- ings of students on the issues of homeless- ness, and their opinions of what the people interviewed had to say. One of the people interviewed, named Lyzz, said, You see all these kids going around where their mom- mies and daddies paid for them to go to col- lege and you wish you had that. You envy them.. . ' cause you ' re not the one going to school and learning all this stuff and you ' re not the one going home to your dorm or frat or sorority house or to a co-op house or something like that. You ' re not the one doing that and they are. The documentary premiered on North Campus on September 19 at the North Campus Music Festival at Leonard ' s Cafe in Pierpont Commons. It continued to be shown until September 26 at the State Theatre and September 28 Cafe Ambrosia. By Katrina Deutsch Some of Ann Arbor ' s homeless pass the time outside of Nickel ' s Arcade. This was one of many locations on State Street, along with the State The- atre, the Diag, and the area across from Michigan Book and Suppty, where the homeless could be se-r K. Stoner photo 1 02 MlCHIGANENSIAN
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Page 108 text:
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EANING OF There is no program that brings so many different people together under one roof than a poetry slam. This is the ultimate up-and-coming Union arts and diversity program. It reflects the current national boom and revived interest in poetry, said Robb Thibault, program coordinator of Unions-Programs. The idea of hosting a poetry slam, simi- lar to an Open Mic Night event, was a relatively new form of competition and entertainment that gained national momentum in recent years. Since its inception in the mid 1980s, the poetry slam came to describe a poetry competition often considered to be a lyrical boxing match or the sport of the spoken word. During a typical poetry . slam, there were three teams of four poets. Poetry slams have become a popular form of entertain- ment in over one hundred cities in the United States, and have spread to various international locations as well. The U-Club in the Michigan Union held its first poetry slam on September 21, 2000. The event afforded members of the campus commu- nity the chance to express themselves through poetry. On March 22, 2001, the University of Michigan Museum of Art held its first campus Grand Poetry Slam Finals. Open Mic Nights and poetry slams also oc- curred in the town of Ann Arbor as well. In Oc- tober, these events were held every third Wednes- day at Borders, where the Volume Youth Poetry Group from the Neutral Zone in Ann Arbor came to perform and recite poetry. Borders enjoys pro- moting poetry in our community, and the Volume Youth Poetry Group is an incredible bunch of tal- ented voices, said field national events specialist Meegan Kucaj. They bring so much excitement and energy to their poetry slams, and they are an amazing group of talented young writers. According to first year student Brendon Eisner, who performed at Open Mic Night on Thursday, September 12, most attendees of the event went simply to do anything, be it read poetry, sing a song or play an instrument. Eisner noted that following Open Mic Night, which occurred every other Thursday evening, there was a poetry slam, during which ten students performed for four or five judges. A ranking system was used to evaluate each artist, and cash and other prizes were award- ed to the winning performers. What Eisner found to be particularly interesting was the method by which judges assessed the students; performers were judged by the sound of their voices and the effectiveness of the delivery of their performance. Eisner vividly remembered one student performer, a fellow first year student, who read aloud her poem about the city of Detroit. He also recalled the winning poet, who shared his poem about slaves in South America, a composition that had lines of Spanish language inserted at various points throughout the poem. Open Mic Nights and poetry slams gained positive recognition from members of the campus community. The poetry slam offers an open mic, a slam, and a feature to the U of M campus, said LSA senior Caleb Zigas. But more than that, it has brought together a community you would be hard pressed to find anywhere else on campus. sanr By Erica Chernick MlCHIOANENSIAN
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