Calendar Friday, Match 3 Ocean and Coastal Law Symposium: Features panels on issues surrounding the world's oceans. 8:30 a.m.- 7 p m. Knight Law Center, 1515 Agate St. Humanities Work-in-Progress Talk: Raymond Bim, History, discusses "How Books Were Censored in Eigh teenth-Century France." Noon-1 p.m. Room 159 PLC. Free. Women's Film Festival: 8 p.m. Room 177, Lawrence Hall. Free. The pro gram will continue on Saturday and Sunday as well. CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED CLASSICAL MUSIC, OPERA, BROADWAY, FILM SCORES & TALKING BOOKS ON COMPACT DISC Yfusique Gourmet Catering to the Discriminating Collector CD’S FROM $3.95 In the Fifthpearl Building 207 E. 5th Avenue OPEN 7 DAYS Free Parking 343-9000 3£ SB 15 TVS 3 BK3 SCREENS 165W11THE® 683-8101 Ksl Cocktail Research “37 years of Quality Service” Mercedes • BMW • Volkswagen • Audi German Auto Service 342-2912 • 2025 Franklin Blvd. Eugene, Oregon, 97402 To earn a 4*00 in Brewolosy all you need to know is STEELHEAD. n 9 Award-Winning Micro-Brews □ Soups, Salads n Ribs n Fresh Pizza □ Sandwiches □ Pastas □ Burgers □ Spirits n Home-Made Rootbeer TAKE A BREW HOME IN STEELHEAD'S BOX O' BEER Steelhead Brewing Company 199 Fast 5lh Avenue Kugene, OB Phone 686-2739 Kugene, OB - Burlingame, CA - Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, CA - Irvine, CA Tree-sit celebrity to speak ■ After ending her two year stay in a tree, the activist will share her unique experience By Sarah Thompson for the Emerald Julia Butterfly Hill will be one of many keynote speakers at this year’s Public Interest Environ mental Law Conference, held on March 2 to 5. A few months ago, Hill re turned to the ground, ending the longest tree-sit in American histo ry. In December of 1997, then 23 year-old Hill scaled a 1,000-year old redwood, which she named “Luna,” in protest of attempts to log old-growth forests. She did not descend from her platform, 180 feet off the ground, until two years later, after the protection of the trees had been negotiated. Hill’s record-breaking tree-sit attracted national media cover age. Features in Time, Rolling Stone and Jane have turned her into an activist celebrity. Hill ad mits that her life has been affect ed by the media attention she has received, but she remains dedi cated to her cause. “My hope and goal is to build upon the success of the Luna tree sit action by doing my best to con tinue the work of informing, in spiring, networking and empowering individuals, organi zations and communities to be come consciously involved in creating a healthy planet inter twined with healthy people,” Hill said. Hill will be giving a keynote ad dress on Saturday, March 4, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the EMU Ballroom as part of the public interest con ference. While her theme is sure to be environmental, she would not comment on the specifics of her address. “Before I speak, I pray, ‘Peace, power, truth and love’ in a mantra, open my mouth and words flow out,” Hill said. “As of this time, only the creator knows exactly what I will be discussing.” Dance continued from page 1 The genesis of the tours oc curred about eight years ago when Honka and a Togolese graduate student at the time, Kouessan Adagio, set out to tape his native dances. The project turned out to be more fun than work, Honka said, and one step led to another. Soon the pair were performing at fairs and women’s conferences, among other events. Buoyed by funding from indi viduals within the dance depart ment, Honka and Adagio eventu ally took their shows to elementary schools. Honka is now solo in her coordinating ef forts and receives a good portion of necessary funding directly from the dance department. Through a collaboration with dance instructor Charles Doggett’s drumming students, the picture has become more complete. “This is very accessible to grade school students,” Honka said. “It’s very difficult to bring them modern dance or a ballet.” A typical presentation includes teaching the students about differ ent rhythms and dance move ments used to convey certain messages, showing the children various hand signals used in the dances and highlighting basic ge ographic information about Africa. However, the mixture of ener getic, colorfully adorned dancers and mesmerizing drumming is what captures the kids’ attention. “I really enjoyed watching our kids taking this in in a real serious way,” David Babcock said after Wednesday’s performance at Pat terson and Family Elementary in West Eugene. Babcock is a music and facilitating teacher for the combined public and alternative schools. “I’ve been to some schools where you present multicultural presentations, or anything differ ent from the All-American way, and [the students] think it’s fun ny,” he said. “Africa is a country that we really spend a lot of time discussing anyway, and this real ly fit into our curriculum. “I really liked watching their whole bodies get into the rhythm of the presentation, so I get a lot out of just seeing the students learning.” The dances — with their focus on non-verbal messages and rhythms — can also help mini mize potential communication obstacles. Honka referred to a Feb. 16 performance at Washington El ementary, carried out in front of a group of hearing-impaired stu dents. She said the students could “listen” along through the drum ming and dancing vibrations, as well as the hand signals. One of the teachers “came up to me afterwards and said how won derful it is because the songs speak with their hands and the kids are used to that,” Honka said. Both Honka and the dancers said keeping kids focused throughout the dancing has never really posed a problem. “All of their teachers are im pressed that we can maintain their interest for that 45 minutes to an hour,” Tuman said. Although none of this year’s dancers or drummers are African natives, several of the University participants have visited the area. That background certainly helps because during the question-and answer portion of the presenta tion, the kids are curious about everything. “I don’t know if [our shows] create the interest or if it’s already there,” says drummer John Rior dan, a planning, public policy and management major, who trav eled to Ghana three years ago. “It definitely helps them to think outside of their elementary schools.” The education process works both ways, Honka said. In addi tion to earning class credit, her dance students learn the African style, participate in all-night cos tume designing sessions and come away with an experience that maybe isn’t attainable in a University classroom setting. “You do this and you some times doubt what you’re doing — I don’t doubt that I’m in the right profession — until you see fresh men who have never performed before, when they walk out of an elementary school afterwards, and say, ‘Oh my God, that was so exciting,”’ Honka said. “You can’t even imagine how that makes me feel.” Women's Film Festival 2000 MaifCft 3flf4 44 ®ni 177 Lawrence Friday, March 3rd 8:00 p.m. Wilma P. Mankiller The Orientation Express' The F-Word Battle For The Minds Saturday. March 4th1 8:00 p.m. Sex and the Sandanistas i' Calling the Ghosts Wavelengths The Ladies Room Sunday, March 5ttr 3:00 p.m. Vour Name in Cellulite Stigmata Hair Piece Mirror, Mirror The Body \ L Beautiful j Special Thanks To: University Housing Office of Student Life P.A.R.T.V. Fund Women’s Studies Department For More Information call the ASUO Women’s Center at 346-4095 Disability and Childcare Services Available. Please notify 72 hours in advance. Recycling makes a world of a difference.