1991-02-27; Central Michigan Life

              >T"
ro,
L«»j
ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT
For all time
Shakespeare continues to please crowds in 1990s
Page 8
Central
Michigan
SPORTS
Texas trips
Baseball, softball teams head to Lone Star State
Page 10
WEDNESDAY
February 27, 1991
CMU will cut $2 million from budget
by JENNIFER CHRISMAN
LlFF Assistnrt News bd'tor
It takes two to tango — and $2
million to balance CMU's
budget.
University officials announced
the first phase in CMU's budget
reduction plan Monday, calling
for S2 million in base-budget
reductions by June 1992 — a
5.83 percent cut for each of
Central's five divisions.
Planning ahead is one strategy
President Edward B. Jakubauskas says is imperative to
balance the budget and prevent
future layoffs.
"It's not a sitution that we
have to panic, but a situation we
have to take very seriously." he
said. "I think we can do it if we
plan ahead."
Evaluating CMU's program
goals is an important step in the
budget reduction process to
prevent skyrocketing tuition
rates and layoffs. Jakubauskas
said.
"If we don't plan right, then
next year — possibly — there
could be layoffs." he said. "(And)
I'm not going to make this a
private school with private
school tuition."
Phase I cuts include position
review. which might help
divisions reduce budgets if
vacated positions are not imperative to University operations,
said Jerry Scoby. executive
assistant to the president for
Budget and Planning.
The 16-month plan does not
give specific assessments for
divisions in this fiscal year so the
divisions can plan for- the most
logical implementation strategies. Scoby said. The reductions
must be permanent cuts.
The cuts include:
■ Other academics: 8H13.496.
These cuts tar-get areas such as
a d in i n i s t ra t i ve p rote s s i on a 1 s.
staff and supplies, materials and
contract ural se-mices. said
Associate    Vice     Provost     Dave
Murphy.
■ Business and Finance:
8605.055. Business and Finance
includes the Department of
Public Safety, Facilities Management, Accounting Services.
Personnel and Employee
Relations and Purchasing.
■ Student Affairs: $220,181.
Areas included in this division
are Counseling. Career and
Placement Information centers,
the Student Activity Center,
residence halls, and the offices of
Financial Aid. Student Life and
Minority Affairs.
■ University Relations:
$227,002. This division oversees
Governmental Relations. Athletics. Public Broadcasting.
Alumni Relations and Development and Media Relations.
Public Broadcasting is not
subject to these cuts because it is
a University-wide account, said
Russ Herron. vice president for
L'n i versity Relat ions.
■ President:     813:-$.767.     This
includes the Presidents Office
and Affirmative Action.
•Jakubauskas said he does not
intend to "micro-manage" the
institution, but instead plans to
let his vice presidents decide
what portions of their divisions
may be cut.
"I don't want to do the work of
the vice presidents or the cleans."
he said. "F'ach vice president
(will) have to make his or- her
own decisions. I'll be concerned
with the overall parameters."
Scoby said the vice presidents
were told they may need "contingent plans" if the $2 million cut
is not enough to balance the
budget.
"It's something they've been
anticipating. They certainly are
not pleased that there has to be a
reduction but they will find
having a tar-get  useful." he said.
Me  also  said  officials  will  not
Five divisions accept
budget cuts 'willingly'
by JENNIFER CHRISMAN
[.'■'-r   Assi5;M"t jN-jws rditor
Budget reductions issued by the Budget and Planning Council
received fairly positive comments from divisional leaders, but the
cuts will not come easily.
The decision to cut 5.83 percent from each of the five divisional
budgets was a unanimous one. said Russ Herron. vice president for
University  Relations.
"We all agreed to that because of some of the problems in the
academic area." Herron said. "We took the cuts willingly."
"I feel very positive about it because it will provide some time
(frame' and the opportunity for vice presidents to work with their
staff." said James Hill, vice president for Student Affairs.
It will take time and precision to make necessary cuts, but
officials remain confident in making cuts that will be based on input
from all areas.
"Five percent. I think, can be done if it's done carefully and
deliberately." said Kim Ellertson. vice president for Business and
Finance. "We have a real good start. We are taking some positive
action."
While agreeing on the need for cuts, though, the vice presidents
are concerned about what to cut — and thev sav it will not be easv.
See BALANCE P<-,t
je /
See REDUCE Page 16
Teaching staff, campus
lead  new VP to Central
by JENNIFER CHRISMAN
L'.'-r. Assists' ■ N",-.s Fci'.o'
Many people make occupational chcingi - ^1 i n tht   tirw  cm u -   «md
once in a while they get a few unexpected perk-
Winning  sports  teams — and  the  Detroit   Pi-ton-    homt    -tatt   —
were not the reasons behind CMU - n<. \\ t -t \ k i  p' t -id- nt - dt l i-ion to
come to Central, but thev are tuo ot th«   beniMT-
Kim Ellertson. CMU's
president for Business
Finance, arrived on campu.-
sag-*--.
KThe most pressing
p^obi^m ;&ere is^the
budg^t^t^/e^beeiv
addr
rt&e
vice
and
Feb
15 after- a five-year stint as vie*
president for Financial Affairs at
Radford University in Virginia.
Before Radford. Ellertson was
dean   for   Fiscal   Affairs   at   San
Juan    College    in    Farmington
N.M.. for three years.
"When I went to Radford
University. I really did plan to
stay there  live years.  In July.  I
began to think about another position   I -aw that there was an openin
here."" F'llertson said.
CML" is similar to Radford in terms of the size of the community,
enrollment and placing a heavy emphasis on liberal arts, he said.
"After coming here. I was more convinced that it was going to be a
good match." Ellertson said, adding he visited Central a second time
for additional interviews, and was offered the job Jan. 17.
"I think (CMU's* strengths are a tradition of excellence in teaching.
I think your physical plant is lovely. I think there is a sincere student
orientation here.
"The most pressing problem here is the budget. I've been pleased
with the methods used to address it.
"Also. I've been impressed with the Plachta Report. We've got a
committee that got together to decide our- priorities." he said.
"I hope that it wont be any more severe than projected. You need to
preserve the academic mission of the institution."
The need to focus on efficiency and position review will help with
that, said Ellertson. chair of the Position Review Committee.
"You have to affect employment to save money." he said. "You have
to be flexible and creative and you have to build consensus. It appears
to me there's an effort to do this."
: F'Jlertson grew up in Tempe. Arizona and later attended Arizona
State University. He is a certified public accountant and a former-
auditor of colleges and universities.
He made the switch to university administration because "I thought
it would be a neat place to work."
A-Senate: UP will be
more culturally diverse
Kim   Ellertson,   CMU's  new vice  president for  Business  and   Finance,   recently
president   for   Financial   Affairs  at   Radford   University   in  Virginia.
Ellertson said his family consists of avid sports enthusiasts —
including both sons. Kole. 17. and Seth,  15.
And while Ellertson did not relocate to cheer for an NBA team,
living in the Detroit Pistons' home state helps.
"We like the Pistons — anybody who beats the (Eos Angeles >
Lakers." lie -aid. adding having winning sports teams is a perk he had
LIFE Photo/Jim Fassinger
rrived  on  campus  after  serving as  vice
not counted on.
For now. Ellertson cheers for teams without his family members as
they prepare for the move to the Midwest.
I
miss my family a lot," Ellertson said. "They are waiting until they
sell the house to move, or the end of the school year to move —
whichever comes first. '
INSIDE
Phone registration off and ringing
by CORRIE PERNIK
! :f-r Copy Fduor
Following a lengthy debate-
about the wording of a proposal
changing University Program
requirements to include more
courses in cultural diversity.
Academic senators approved the
change.
Although the concepts behind
the proposal were endorsed
almost universally by senators,
some dissent existed about
whether the newly created
subgroups in Group IV should
limit courses to exploring racism
exclusively,    or    if   courses    in
discrimination would meet
criteria.
English Chair- Francis Molson
said he opposed adding courses
that would cover a wide range of
topics — and allow students to
avoid courses on racism.
James Scott. associate
professor of administrative
service.-, recommended a change
in the proposal that became
known during debate as "the
Scott amendment."
The amendment would have
allowed students to take classes
in "discrimination or invidious
racism."  instead  of "discrimina
tion and invidious racism."
Scott wanted to ensure the
new program requirement would
have a multicultural focus, not a
singular- or dual cultural focus.
Although students could meet
program requirements without
con fronting disc rim in at ion
against blacks, they would have
gained knowledge of discrimination   against   some  other  group.
See DIVERSE Page 7
by TOM KENDRA
Lii-E Cop,  E-d "or
Despite two computer problems, CMU's new
phone registration system fared well on opening
day.
A total of 260 students phoned in their classes on
Monday — the first day of summer 1991 registration, said Associate Registrar Ron Finch.
"It's got people smiling around here." Finch said.
"The day finally arrived and we had no major
problems."
The first day was not without a couple of
computer glitches. Finch added.
First, off-campus callers received a busy signal if
even one of the 32 available lines was in use. The
program simply failed to search for an open line.
Finch said-
Many of these students proceeded to call the
Office of the Registrar and were instructed to use
the on-campus number (774-STAR) to get through.
he said.
Finch said General Telephone worked on the
problem Tuesday, and the off-campus number
(773-1071 > should work today.
The second problem turned out to be a blessing
for many undergraduate students, who were able
to register well before their appointed time.
Monday's registration was supposed to be
limited to graduate students, but an error in the
database allowed everyone who called to register,
Finch said.
Registration officials corrected that problem by 4
p.m. Monday, he said, but not before about 30
undergraduates registered.
"Those students got through and we'll allow
them to keep their schedules," Finch said. "It
shouldn't happen again, though."
One of the major problem for callers was when
See PHONE Page 7