1998-01-12; Central Michigan Life

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Central Michigan LIFE
Volume 79, Number 45
Mt. Pleasant,  MI 48859
©1998 CM LIFE
78 years of serving the community
Monday
January 12, 1998
16 pages
Fraser leaving CMU's Charter Schools Office
By Jennifer Ackerman
LIFE Editor
After a short stint as director of CMU's
Charter Schools, Blanche Fraser is leaving- the university for an opportunity to
help improve the quality of education on
a national scale.
Fraser notified university officials last
Tuesday of her plans to resign effective
Fen. 1 and begin work the following day
as vice president of development for The
Edison Project, which is based in New
York.
The Edison Project is a private company that manages public schools.
Merit
pay will
reward
faculty
By Joseph McCarthy
LIFE Staff Writer
The Academic Senate debated
a new faculty merit pay program
at its last meeting of the fall
semester Dec. 9.
Provost Richard Davenport
presented the system, outlined
in articles 10 and 11 of the faculty contract, for discussion.
According to Robert DeBruin,
Assistant Vice President of
Academic Affairs, faculty members who demonstrate teaching
ability that is "worthy of note"
Mali be given bonuses of no less
than $400, which will be added
to the base salary of the faculty
member at the beginning of the
1998-1999 fiscal year.
Applicants may receive more
than $400, depending on the
number of faculty members who
are actually awarded the pay.
Davenport said faculty members who receive merit pay will
be given part of the $150,000
that CMU has set aside for the
merit pay program. Davenport
called the money a "relatively
small amount."
The criteria for the merit pay
will be based on commendable
teaching, scholarly activity, professional growth, and university
service. A faculty member must
demonstrate excellent teaching
ability and one of the three other
qualities in order to qualify for
the bonus.
Davenport said that the dean
from each applicant's department will make the decision
about whether or not a faculty
member will receive the merit
pay.
To ensure that the departments will receive relatively
equal shares of the money,
Davenport said he will withhold
10 to 15 percent of the funds for
distribution to departments that
need it.
Davenport said the merit pay
See MERIT Page 2
Fraser said the administration was supportive of her
decision. However,
University President
Leonard Plachta and Provost
Richard Davenport could not
be reached for comment after
several phone calls.
Fraser said she never expected to be
leaving CMU so soon.
"I rented an apartment at CMU and
was ready to roll up my sleeves and be
there for quite sometime, but you don't
always control those kind of opportunities,'' she said. "It was unexpected, kind
Director will leave her position
Feb. 1 for a job with
The Edison Project
of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Fraser, who began work in the Charter
School office Sept. 1, was a former superintendent of the Mount Clemens
Community School District for nine years
and superintendent of Mount Morris
Community Schools for four years.
She also taught at Marshall and Paw
Paw public schools and at
Eastern, Oakland and Wayne
State universities.
Fraser said she values the
time she spent working with
CMU charter schools.
"My experience at the university has been most rewarding," she said.
"My career motivation continues to be
improving education."
Fraser said her decision to leave CMU
has nothing to do with the criticism charter schools have faced.
"When I was hired by the university
that was a career decision on my part. I
TONY CEPAK
Builders from the Lansing-based Christman Construction Company worked on what will be the V.I.R entrance to the new
Kelly/Shorts Press Box.
Construction project on
deadline despite weather
CM LIFE
By Doug Fisher
LIFE News Editor
Three months into the indoor athletics facility and Kelly/Shorts
Stadium expansion project, officials say everything is going according
to plan.
That is, except for the weather.
"Is it always this windy here? It seems
like it to me," said Keith Hines,
Christman Co. layout engineer and
assistant supervisor of the project.
Despite the ever-changing mid-
Michigan weather, Hines said
Christman, the Lansing-based company
which was awarded the $20.2 million
project in October, has lost very little
time, and that was due to rain.
"Guys aren't going to work in the
rain,9 he said.
Torrential rains early last week left
mud sink holes in some areas around
the facility. Hines said one worker
stepped in a sink hole that went over his
knee.
•Typically we're not fighting mud in
January — it's all frozen up," he said.
"We've had some unusual weather."
Still, the company is on schedule and
has seen only a few minimal problems,
like unforeseen underground soil conditions early in the project. The company
is, however, working some Saturdays.
Many of the workers commute daily
from the Lansing and Flint areas.
Christman has a little incentive to be
on schedule for the stadium. Well, not a
little incentive, but a big incentive.
Should the stadium not be completed by
Sept.   12,   CMLTs  first  home  football
See DELAY Page 2	
TONY CEPtKK • CM LIFE
Friday was a day of cold weather and hard work
for Christman Construction. Workers lay the cinder block foundation for the new Press Box.
knew what the opportunities and challenges might be," she said. This decision
is more of extension of that commitment
to improve student learning and increasing public school choice."
Fraser said she's proud of the programs that her office has been working
on during the last few months, including
the creation of a database and the revision of the application, amendment and
reauthorization processes for charter
schools.
Above all, Fraser said, "I feel very committed to the work that they're doing and
I wish them all the best."
Stolen
gun
used in
suicide
By Jeremy Russ
LIFE Staff Writer
A 30-year-old Mount Pleasant
resident and former CMU student was found dead around midnight Dec. 22 at Island Park from
a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Stephen L. Thompson was
found in his car in the park by an
officer on security check of the
grounds, said Charlie Lyons, officer for the Mount Pleasant Police
Department.
Lyons said through the investigation it was discovered the gun
Thompson used was reported
stolen on Dec. 21 from the Sigma
Phi Epsilon House, 906 S. Main
Thompson was a member of the
fraternity.
According to the police report
on the gun theft, the owner of the
.38 caliber revolver said he had
the gun at the fraternity house
for deer hunting season.
Scott Whitish, alumni president of the fraternity, said
Thompson seemed like a "pretty
good kid" who was always ready
to help out around the house.
Whitish said he is in charge of
all the fraternity houses used by
the fraternity and there is a strict
policy against having weapons in
the house.
"The whole thing will be investigated by the alumni board,"
said Whitish.
The officer found the handgun
lying between Thompson's legs in
the vehicle, Lyons said.
Lyons said Thompson did not
leave a note and said he could
only speculate as to his motive.
Lyons said Thompson's roommates told officers he had recently lost a job and had not seen his
family in a while. Roommates
also reportedly said Thompson
had been taking anti-depressants.
In addition to being a former
student at CMU and a member of
Sigma Phi Epsilon, Thompson
served in the Marine Corp during
Operation Desert Storm.
President has yet to announce
Affirmative Action decision
■ Policy change has
not been set since
November A-Senate
meeting.
By Julia Jones
LIFE Assistant News Editor
Nearly two months have
passed since the Academic
Senate approved three suggested changes to the
Affirmative Action statement.
The president has made no
final decision on the suggestions.
At the Nov. 25 A-Senate
meeting, the Senate passed
three suggestions to change
the affirmative action statement. The suggestions were
compiled by an ad hoc committee of faculty, staff and student
organizations on campus.
The next step is for
University President Leonard
Plachta to decide whether the
current statement will be
changed and how.
Senate chair and professor of
Foreign Languages
Literatures and Cultures,
James Jones said, "It is up to
(the president) to respond or
react to the decision of the
Senate."
Janet Wagester, executive
assistant to the President, said
no action has been taken and
there is no timeline for him to
make the decision.
The ad hoc committee suggested that the current statement which reads, "CMU is an
equal opportunity, affirmative
action institution which is
strongly and actively committed to increasing diversity
within    its    community,"    be
changed to "Central Michigan
University (an AA/EO institution) is strongly and actively
committed to increasing diversity and providing equal opportunity and treatment.
"CMU does not discriminate
against persons based on religion, race, color, national origin, citizenship, age, sex,
height, weight, marital status,
disability, veteran status or
sexual orientation."
The committee also suggested a shorter statement be
devised for use in advertising
areas where space may be limited, which would read,
"CMU's Affirmative Action
Equal Opportunity policy also
includes sexual orientation."
The final suggestion was
made to hold a study of the
shorter statement and how
often it is used.
mm
Wrestlers  move
poll during break
into
page
NWCA
10.
Classified
15
Crossword
15
Et cetera
12-13
Sports
10-11, 14
Voices
4-5
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Campus mail may be
limited to business use
By Angela Cook-Raid
LIFE Assistant News Editor
Staff and students who regularly rely on the campus mail service to
send personal items may need to start doing so by other means, or begin
placing stamps on their items.
According to Rae Goldsmith, associate vice president of Public
Relations and Marketing, organizations and unions such as the Faculty
Association may no longer be able to use the campus mailing system to
send union-related business material without cost.
Goldsmith said university attorneys have advised them the practice
of using campus mail for non-university business is illegal. Currently
there are many gray areas the University is looking into at this time.
"Right now it is still under discussion,* she said. "But that's our
understanding at this point."
According to Goldsmith, the question to be answered is whether
CMU, a public institution, can allow its mailing system to be used by
private institutions such as unions.
According to the university's advocacy policy, other groups such as
registered student organisations may use campus mail, but only for
announcements of the time and place of their meetings, with a short
description of the purpose of their meetings to members.
All other material will be delivered by the campus mail service only
if it is received with sufficient postage attached
Goldsmith said these rules are not new, but students and staff may
See MAiL Page 2