Friday, February 5, 1988 Eugene, Oregon Volume 89, Number 94 Conference to explore uses of crystal power Some scientists scorn 'mumbo-jumbo' claims of miraculous healing By Angela Muniz Emerald Associate Editor ctress Shirley MacLaine has popularized the use of crystals as a form of meditation and healing. But crystal healing is not a new-found trend. Crystals have been used in Tibetan Buddhism for more than 3.000 years, said Marilyn Cohen, an organizer of the “Crystal mind — Crystal healing” conference this Saturday and Sunday. This weekend hundreds of crystal believers from around the nation will come to Eugene to attend the two-day conference focusing on crystal healing and the powers of the crystal. The con ference is the first in-depth crystal teaching in the Western world and will feature Tibetan I,ama Chagdud Tuldu Rinponche and scientist/researcher Marcel Vogel. Rinponche will share his knowledge of the Tibetan masters that he gathered when he lived in Tibet. Vogel will be the keynote speaker, discussing and demonstrating the power of the crystal Graphic by 1-ormine Rath and the necessity of a pure mind. The conference will Ire a series of lectures and teachings with a special ceremony Saturday night when Rinponche will bless the crystals of those in attendance. According to Cohen. Rinponche will begin by teaching people to "empower their crystal with the healing power of Tara.” Tara is the feminine deity of wisdom in Tibetan Buddhism. Rinpon che received a pure vision of Tara 2f> years ago which explained the crystal healing techniques to him, Cohen said. Cohen explained that the crystal sends signs when it has the healing power, but the signs may be different from person to person. "It (the crystal) may give off a red light, which everyone can see. Or it may fill the room with a sweet smell." she said. The next step, Cohen said, is for the owner to purify his or her mind. "The healer needs to Ire healed before he/she can heal others," she said. Vogel's speech will focus on this necessity, Cohen said. He also will demonstrate the crystal’s power with a special machine he has developed. Rinponche also will tell about the wisdom energy in a support crystal and how to build a protective shield around the crystal to prevent negativity from returning. Cohen added. Cohen explained that the idea for the conference came from one of Rinpon che's students from California. The stu dent saw a crystal on Rinponche’s desk and joked that they were trendy. The combination of the laughter and a re quest to learn about the crystals remind ed Rinponche of a vision he had to teach, only the vision didn't tell him when, lie reali/.ed that this was the year Turn to Crystals, Page 4 Minority middle-school visit deemed a success CME gets students, parents thinking about college plans By Kelvin Wee Emerald Associate Editor More than 80 middle-grade minority students from the Willamette Valley were treated to a flay of exploration on the University campus last Saturday. The event, the second of its kind to be sponsored by the Council for Minority Kducation (CME) and the University Office of Admissions, is part of an annual program called "Reach for Success.” The goal of "Reach for Success" is to encourage minority middle-school students and their parents to begin thinking about the students’ futures in college. According to CME Advisor Marshall Sauceda, parents of most minority students don't consider sen ding their children to college because they cannot af ford to. The program featured a workshop on tinancial assistance available exclusively to minority students, particularly those who are black, Native American or Hispanic, explained Sauceda, who also is a recruiter with the admissions office. The grant, known as the Minority Education Award Program, is not available to Asian students because more Asian students attend Oregon higher education instituions than other minorities, he said Of the 1,200 American minorities currently enroll ed at the University, 700 are of Asian background. 250 Hispanic, 225 black and 110 Native American. Sauceda said. The program, which sponsors 32 students at each Oregon state university and college, is designed to in crease the number of Hispanic, black and Native American students attending colleges in the nation, he explained. Asian minorities are able to apply for other forms of financial assistance available to other students, Sauceda said. The program does not deal with the academic side ot college because "people are more worried about other issues.” he explained. For example, he said, many parents are worried about their children going away to college out of fear for their safety. The event allowed parents to meet with faculty and students who are minorities, thus enforcing a sense of confidence in them, he said. According to Sauceda, organizers are looking into ways to obtain more funds for the program. Most of the funding comes from the Oregon State Hoard of Higher Education however, the admissions of fice co-sponsored this year's program. Turn to Education, Page 4 4\.ssisiihk ifit? urgciiu/.mmii of the program was Carla I). Cary, acting CME assistant director. i am really pleased with the turnout and the reaction from parents and students," Cary said. "1 think they had more than just a good time.” The event opened doors for students ami showed them college life also can be fun, she said. Cary added that she was overwhelmed with joy at see ing a child’s eyes light up when he decided to work toward qualifying for a college education. She also recalled overhear ing a youngster at one of thee program’s science workshops say he wants to major in science when he goes to college. "It definitely expanded their horizons," she said. The only problems organizers encountered were complaints that the program only lasted one day, she said. "That is the reaction from about 90 percent of the evalua tions we got,” Gary added. She explained, however, that the program cannot ex pand because CME only receives enough funds to sup port a single day of presentations. Sweating for cash Nysa Williams of the woman's craw team simulates the strenuous sport of rowing for passers-by Thursday in the EMU Cour tyard. The men's and women's teams took part in the Crew Erg-a Thon to raise funds for their groups. Photo by Andy Cripe