1996-01-24; Central Michigan Life

              *«•—**<«.
Central
Michigan
LIFE
WEDNESDAY,
JANUARY 24,
1996
VOLUME 78. NUMBER 51
MOUNT PLEASANT, MICHIGAN 48859
©1996 CM LIFE
(517)774-3493
1 6 PAGES
SPORTS
Women's basketball team
returns to Rose Arena
The Chippewas will try to
knock off the high
powered Kent State
Golden Flashes. KSU
brings last season's MidAmerican Conference
Player of the Year.
PAGE 8
LIFESTYLES
Ancient Asian Art brings
relaxation to participants
Don Beere teaches people
to relax with the aid of Tai
Ji, a combination of
meditation and physical
movement.
PAGE 12
CAMPUS
Recreational vehicle show
will cause parking change
A vehicle show planned for
this weekend at Finch Hall
will create some temporary
changes in student parking
on campus.
PAGE 3
Privatizing may stop room, board increase
By Kristi Groner
taffWritei
University officials say room
and hoard rates might stop
increasing by the 1997-98 school
year, thanks to savings from privatizing Dining Services.
CMU officials expect the
change to have a significant and
permanent effect on future room
and hoard rates, which are set
annually.
"It is very possible that we will
see little or even no increase in
room and board in 1997-98,**
stated a letter sent  to students
last week from John Fisher,
director of Residences and
Auxiliary Services.
The university expects to save
about $1.3 million per year by
subcontracting the labor portion
of Dining Services with ARAMARK. According to Kim
Ellertson, vice president for
Business and Finance, the $1.3
million figure is the difference
between   the   current   costs   and
the ARAMARK proposal
"The current cost construction
is based on the current contract
and AKAMAHK's proposal paral
lels what they pay at other uni
versities,*' Ellertson said
Although the university will
save money, approximately 90
Dining Services workers are now
uncertain it they will he able to
keep their jobs under AHA
MARK
All the employees have the
option to reapply with ARAMARK, a national firm tluit has
managed food service operations
since January 1995. Only those
employed prior to Oct. 31, 1979
will he exempt from the lay-off.
According  to   Ellertson,   stu
dents will benefit further from
the lower cost structure. CMU
announced Jan 15 that students
in residence halls will receive a
refund from their room and
board rates when Dining
('ommons employees are subcon
tracted to ARAMARK in
January 1997.
"When room and board rates
are set in duly for the 1996-97
academic year we will base it on
cost ;it the turn-. As soon as we
begin to realize savings, we will
give students a rebate,"
Ellertson said.
At that time, CMU will give
each residence hall student a
(130 rebate of his or her 1996-
1997 room and hoard, officials
have said.
The $130 rebate for spring
semester is based on an average
room and hoard cost of $4,000,
Fischer stated The savings will
he about $260 a year or 6.5 percent of room and board.
Ellertson said the figures were
reached by taking the savings of
$1.3 million and dividing that by
See BOARD Page 7
Displaced
worker
TEACHER
CARVING
Jason Flowers
Paul Bala. Cass City graduate student, creates a likeness of his sculpting instructor Tuesday evening
new job
By Jennifer Ackerman
LlrE Features Editor	
An employee of CMU's Alumni
Relations and Development
Office, whose position was
reclassified as a result of reorganization, has secured a new job
outside the university.
Beth Sowulewski, director of
Annual Giving, will begin work
as the executive director of the
Voluntary Action Center of
Midland County Feb. 12.
The Voluntary Action Center
works to promote volunteerism
and meet community needs
thruughout Midland County, as
well as parts of Bay and
Saginaw counties
Sowulewski said the reclassification within the Alumni
Relations and Development
Office contributed to her decision to seek employment outside
the university, but said it wasn't
thik only factor she considered.
"Around the assessment time,
things were1 so uncertain I just
decided to look into other opportunities," Sowulewski said.
"Mainly, I think it was time for
See NEW Page 7
Charter school cap
helps more than
hurts, director says
By Brian Seymour
On the surface it would
appear that recent legislation
designed to limit the number of
charters one school can issue
would he a detriment to CMU.
But Robert Mills, who directs
the charter school office at
CMC. said the charter schools
iffice "views it as being positive."
Senate Bill  679.  which  caps
the total number of charter
Schools m Michigan at 85 for
199b. was signed into law by
Gov. John Engler earlier this
month The number of schools
rises to 100 in 1997 and 1 .r>() m
2000.
The most schools any university can charter is half the total
number CMU is limited to au
charters until 1998 CMU has
signed contracts to charter 31
schools.
Despite being quoted in the
Detroit Free /'/ess Jan 13 as
saying "this legislation was
designed to send a message to
CMU" Mills said Tuesday that
he "doesn't believe it was
designed directly at CMU
"Hut CMU, being the lander
was impacted." he added.
Anticipating the* nearing of
their quota. CMU decided Jan.
12 to jettison eight schools
which had been approved by
the Board of Trustees, but   had
n't yet signed official contract*.
Social fraternity could go national withT-
shirts that denounce battering of women
By Liz Wishaw
The events last week amount
ed to a public relations nightmare lor tie- university, Mills
admitted. So much so that the
charter schools office is considering a change m t ho way it
charters schools
CMU's Charter Schools
Office policy was to wait tor the
Board of Trustees to approve a
charter,     then     the     Charter
Schools Office Works OUt a contract     with    each     school      But
sometimes contract negotiations can stall and schools
might not be signed as official
charters.
Now. Mills said the Charter
Schools Office is going to work
out contractual deals first and
then have the contracts ready
to sign once the Board approves
a potential eharter.
"That's one of  the  new  proce
dures     were      implementing,"
Mills    said     "Hopefully,    we'll
streamline the process
The eight affected schools
are:
• Ac.idomy   tor   Business   and
International Studies mi
Enkster
•Detroit Academy of Arts and
Sciences in Detroit
•Educational < Options Academy
m St   Joseph.
•Great     Lakes    Academy    in
Sag maw
•Liberty     Charter    School     in
See CHARTER Page 7
A social fraternity is taking
action against a social problem
at  CMU.
Beta   Theta   Pi   designed   a   T
shirt reading "Betas against
Battery" last year with proceeds
from the shuts sale benefiting
Women Initiating Social
Equality
The idea for the shirt's cause
came from Andy Brownell,
Potterville     senior     and      Beta
Theta Pi member
"At the time of my idea there
had been a rape on campus.
Also, my girlfriend had previously been harassed and heckled by
a group of guys as she walked
across campUS,"    Brownell said
These   are  serious   problems
that        have       become       a       big
hypocrisy with students on cam
pus   I wanted to have the fraternity help with tins problem.'* he
said
Ben Gallagher, Grand Rapids
freshman said "Our organization is one of the lew that is
domg something about this
problem. < hir : fraternity's) reputation is hemg gentlemen. We
are very supportive of women.'
The design lor the shut was
created     by     l>an     Brudzynsky,
Beta Theta  Pi  member and St
Clair Shores s< »phomore.
His design on the back of" the
shirt consists of a dragon with a
crest across its breast. A wreath
encircles the dragon with "Betas
Against Battery" below the
wreath.
Chris Knight, Grand Rapids
junior, took Brudzyn sky's design
and silk-screened a test run of
:*0 T-shirts at the Industrial and
Engineering Technology
Building.
**I brought the T-shirts back to
the house and was given the go
ahead to proceed with the T-
shirts." Knight said. ~There was
a great response from the members."
According to Knight, numerous hours were put into the
design and completion of the T-
shirt.
See BETA Page 7
New crossing signal planned for High St.
intersection as part of widening process
By Lenny Padilla
As   part   of   the   High   Street
widening   project,   the   Michigan
Department of Transportation is
planning on installing a crossing
signal at the intersection of High
and Kinney streets.
The Mount Pleasant City
Commission unanimously voted
Monday night to participate in
the  Opt rat ion   and   maintenance
costs for a new crossing signal,
while the initial cost of* the signal will be paid by the state
According to Bart L.iBelle.
chairman of the State
Ti anspor tation ( ommission.
whidl is the potlCV making bond
tor Mix IT, the state will install a
crossing signal at the corner
once     High     St reel      has     been
widened
"It is part of the (High Street)
widening   plan,"   LaBelle   said
"The plan is to let the bidding
•tor the construction! begin in
April and begin the const ruction
soon after"
LaBelle  said   the  crossing   sig
nal will he pedestrian operated.
The    signal    will    remain    green
until  a   pedestrian   presses  tin
button
The need tot i\ crossing signal
at the intersection has been an
ongoing concern of the adminis-
tratieo  ot   Pancher  Elementary
School, which is located on the
corner of Kinney and High
streets
"This has been an ongoing concern since I began (at Fancher
Elementary) m 1978," said
Fancher Principal Robert
Decker "Back then, they were
still concerned about the traffic
on High Street."
Decker said back in the late
*70s the school had created a
committee to push the state fo: a
crossing signal at the intersection but was denied.
Regardless of the installation
of a crossing light, Decker said
See HIGH Page 7