University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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Tilers, their their iships while span focus .Hie nthe isons u A Ugandan boy exemplifies the hope that his country turns to with regards to the AIDS crisis through his smile. Members of SOW uncovered through their mission that AIDS education and prevention has increased and is helping the country get better. Photo courtesy of Students of the World m A Ugandan alleyway displaying the poverty of the country allows three boys to play without interference. After seeing the results on their AIDS research an documentation in Uganda, the students decided to venture to South Africa the following year to compare the progress of the two countries. Photo courtesy of Students of the World Sophomore eco nomics major Wendy Lee holds the microphone while an AIDS victim in Uganda is interviewed. The group ' s trip to Uganda documented AIDS patients with video, film, and writing. Photo courtesy of Students of the World Students of the World 219

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STUDENTS OF THE WORLD The University of Michigan has been famous for its support of development of diversity and greatness. Through the successful beginnings of the Peace Corps, the office of LGBT affairs for the student body, and the controversial subject of affirmative action, the University ' s apt nature for a cultured and diverse future has grown. Following suite, the University has established the third chapter of Students of the World (SOW), a national society seeking to encourage college students ' global curiosity through experiencing and documenting international social and cultural issues. According to communications and English major Katrina Deutsch, The main reason we do this is to be able to come back, share our experiences, and educate people on what we have learned. Founded at Duke by students who sought to act as citizens of not only their academic community but global community as well, the University has now given a chance to students of their globally networked campus the responsibility to the future generations of the planet. Despite its early stages at the University, SOW, with a core team of 9 individuals have organized, contacted, fundraised, and earned their right to travel to countries such as Uganda, Russia, and Cuba to uncover and confront social issues that pose problems to their citizens. Equipped with writers, photographers, and filmographers, SOW documented their rubric adventures. The resources provided to SOW by their chapter members allowed for a cultivation of relationships with specific cultures and individuals of that culture all while developing a maturity and recognition of the individual as part of a unified team. For the summer of 2004, the organization decided to focus their mission on the AIDS epidemic in South Africa. The students traveled across the country for one month from the middle of May until the middle June. One of the key reasons for focusing on the AIDS issue was because they hoped to discover and document how the AIDS crisis was actually getting worse in South Africa unlike it had been previously noted in their trip to Uganda one summer before. While the SOW chapter was new to the University, the appeal of the organization has been relatively high, attracting individuals who seek to ability to work for a cause have shown interest in this society in their attempts to self-educate and understand the language of compassion. Front Row: Mara Nestorovic. Caria Thomas. Katrina Deutsch. Back Row: Wesley Farrow, Chris LaFond, S. Christophe Tedjasukmana. Pete Wolwode. Tedjasukmana photo 218 Organizations

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On DP Day in the Brightmoor community, three students help with the landscaping by helping move the mulch. Although the most well-known event orga- nized by the Detroit Project was DP Day, the group did volunteer- ing as well as clothing and food drives during the year as well. Photo courtesy of The Detroit Project Trying to keep their balance, three members remove shingles from the roof of a home in Detroit. The Detroit Project joined the Brightmoor Alliance which included numerous non- profit organizations who wished to aid for improvement in the community. Photo courtesy of The Detroit Project 220 Organizations