1994-11-07; Central Michigan Life

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•Students put 1.8 million in fees on credit cards
page 3
Sports
•Greeks aid widow of slain superintendent
 PAGE 3
•Field hockey team bows out of tourney
PAGE 10
D £■>L iii
•CMUsets up
title game with
record-breaking
performance
PAGE 8
Central! IFF
Michigan LI m   E
<§&<.<$&>
VOLUME 77, NUMBER 30
MOUNT PLEASANT, MICHIGAN 48859
€> 1994 CM LIFE
(517) 774-3493
16 PAGES
3 clericals get jobs, 3 others laid off
By SCOTT ANDERSON
LIFE Assistant News Editor	
Three Receivable Accounting clerical specialists whose
positions were eliminated this
fall will retain employment as a
result of the bumping process.
However, three others will be
laid off.
The clerical specialists were
able to "bump" into positions
within their C-4 classification,
replacing three workers with
less seniority, said Sharon
Gaunt, president of the clerical
union, United Auto Workers
Local 6888
The three employees who
were   laid   off  will   be   rehired
Bump process, seniority
create shift in positions
automatically if vacancies open
up in their classifications,
Gaunt said. She would not
release their names.
These developments have no
bearing on the arbitration process, which could begin today,
depending on the university
response to the union's grievance.
"Our grievance is over
retaining the employees in the
bargaining unit," Gaunt said.
University and union officials
met last week in a Step II grievance meeting, but no change in
the decision to eliminate the
four clerical positions was made
by the university.
The elimination of the positions was announced Sept. 11
and is scheduled to become
effective Nov. 18. Clerical specialists Judy CofTell, Barbara
Kunik, Jean McClain and
Wendy  Mcl^ellan  occupied  the
eliminated positions. McClain
accepted a position in the Registrar's office shortly after the
announcement. The other three
will move into their new jobs
Nov. 21.
University officials maintain the reason for the eliminations was to increase efficiency
for the office and to create more
of a "one-stop shopping experience" for students.
Administrative professionals
will take the place of the clericals. APs will be better suited to
handle student problems without having to refer them to other
offices, according to university
administrators.
CMU names 8 AP
jobs to be cut in
privatization
A STAR IS BORN: PRUITT RUSHES FOR 356 YARDS, 5 TDs
By TAMARA SNYDER
l IFF Staff Writer	
"I love CMU," said one of the
eight Administrative Professionals whose position will be
replaced by a private contractor
next year.
"It's a part of me," added
47-year-old Steven Brown,
Robinson Dining Commons unit
manager, who has been employed
in food services off and on since he
was 15.
All the other CMU unit manager positions also will be eliminated as part of privatization of
Dining Services, Kim Ellertson,
vice president for Business and
Finance, confirmed Sunday.
Richard LaRocque, unit manager
at Merrill Dining Commons, and
Carol Zaremba, unit manager at
Carey Dining Commons, also will
be eliminated. The fourth unit
managing    position    at    Woldt
Dining Commons was vacated by
Richard Pollion in February. It
will not be filled.
The other four Administrative
Professionals who -will be affected
by privatization are Penny
Leathley and Karen Devet, assistant directors of Dining Services;
Matthew Zimmerman, manager
of food supply and services; and
James Burke, manager of grill
and concessions.
The services provided by the
eight administrators will be contracted out to a private group,
Ellertson said. The plan for privatization was announced to
Dining Services employees
Thursday.
The people serving in those
positions will have the option
June 30 to either work for the
private organization, at a significantly lower wage, or leave their
See PRIVATE Page 7	
Brian Pruitt, Saginaw senior, signs an autograph for a young
Central fan after Saturday's 45-27 win over Toledo. Pruitt rushed
for 356 yards on 39 carries and scored five touchdowns, breaking
or tying 14 stadium, school and Mid-American Conference records
in the process. Pruitt was as humble as ever Saturday, refusing to
take much credit for the performance and praising the play of his
offensive teammates, who opened huge holes for him all day. With
the win. Central (7-1 in the MAC. 8-2 overall) set up next week's
showdown for the conference title with conference leader Bowling Green.
By MARJORY RAYMER
LIFE  Editor
Although admittedly surprised, President Leonard
Plachta said he fully supports the
almost immediate move toward
privatization announced while he
was vacationing.
"Well, I was surprised Barbara
Webb    (director of Dining
Services)
resigned,  but
given our
strong interest in privatization these
steps seem
app rop ri ate,"
said Plachta,
who primarily   had   been
vacationing in Scotland and London with his wife since Oct 25.
They returned Friday.
Thursday, Kim Ellertson, vice
president for Business and
Finance, announced that because
Webb disagreed with the univer-
Plachta
sity's move toward privatization
and had decided to resign and
take a similar position at Delta
College, CMU would make its
past discussions of contracting
the service a reality.
On Nov. 14, three contracting
agencies will evaluate the on-
campus food services to analyze
how the organization could better
operate it. On Jan. 1, the chosen
private organization will take
over the eight upper-level management positions of Dining Services. Those eight former employees of CMU, who are Administrative Professionals, will have six
months — until June 30 — to
decide either to leave their jobs,
or accept a position with the contracted agency at significantly
lower wages and benefits.
If the decision to replace Webb,
whose resignation is effective
Dec. 1, through a private organization had not been made, then a
search to fill her position at CMU
would have had to have been ini-
See PLACHTA Page 2	
CMU back to
square one in
search for new
state lobbyist
By BRAD MONASTIERE
LIFE Copy Editor
CMlTs search for a new legislative counsel hit a
snag and the selection process will have to be
started over.
Kim Ellertson, vice president for Business and
Finance, said four finalists were chosen for the job,
which was vacated when Greg Morris was terminated in February.
"Vie interviewed three of the four finalists for the
job," Ellertson said. "One wasn't what we were
looking for, one we thought would do about the same
job as we have in place now and the last one we
thought was a very strong candidate. She is currently a lobbyist for a major utility, and we won't be
able to get her."
The next step in the process will be to begin an
informal search, Ellertson said.
See SEARCH Page 2
City denies TKEs' special permit
to use house as RSO dwelling
By EMILY GERKIN
LIFE Staff Writer
Tau Kappa Epsilon was denied its request for a
special use permit to make its house a registered
student organization dwelling.
After its house was condemned earlier this year,
the fraternity moved to 909 S. University St. The
fraternity requested Thursday that the Mount
Pleasant City commission transfer its house from
its current room and board permit to the special use
permit.
The commissioners denied a transfer on the basis
that the building does not meet numbers four and
six of the eight specifications for a special use permit.
The fourth specification states that the "special
use shall not interfere with the general enjoyment
of adjacent property." The sixth states "the special
use shall not be hazardous to the adjacent property,
or involve uses, aUiiitkis, materials, or equipment
which will he detiimental to the hearth, safety, or
welfare of persons or property through the <
production of traffic, noise,
"I was very disappointed with the decision, as was
my whole group," said Larry Rinart, Tau Kappa
Epsilon president and Sterling Heights senior.
At the meeting, the commissioners heard from
one of the fraternities neighbors who voiced a concern about noise violations and increased pedestrians and vehicles. Two other neighbors and Lt.
William Yeagley of the Mount Pleasant Police
Department sent letters to the city planning commission opposing the transfer.
Henry Fulton, a University Street resident,
stated in a letter he and his wife had written to the
Commission that they opposed the granting of a
special use permit to Tau Kappa Epsilon.
Pulton, English professor, stated if the fraternity
were to assume permanent residence in the house,
the 900-block would then have three fraternities
arid two rooming houses. He was concerned with the
control of stereo music, live bands and general
crowd noise, he stated.
Fulton also stated he had lessrvationi about
whether the fraternity could maintain the property.
Rinart said the intentions surrounding die
have been misunderstood.
See HOUSE Page 9
Carson City
prison inmate
called in bomb
threats as 'Tim'
By TODD FETTIG
LIFE Staff Writer
Police have identified a 36-year-old inmate of
the Carson City Correctional Facility as the man
who phoned in a bomb threat to several Mount
Pleasant establishments.
The collect caller, whose threatening calls
included a bomb threat to Rowe Hall, has been in
prison for all but a few months since he turned 18,
said Cpl. Don David of the Mount Pleasant Police
Department. He is serving 30 to 70 years on two
first-degree criminal sexual conduct offenses.
Because the suspect had not been arraigned on
any formal charges, police would not release his
name.
The man, originally from Ann Arbor, promised to
never place the threatening calls again, David said.
But in an interview with David, he also expressed a
Plachta deems actions
to privatize in his
absence 'appropriate'
See TIM Page 2