1998-10-05; Central Michigan Life

              Central Michigan LIFE
Volume 81, Number 16
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
©1998 CM LIFE
/ 9 years < immunity
Monday
October 5, 1998
12 pages
Closed session may have violated Open Meetings Act
By Liz Wishaw
LIFE Editor
Discussions about the merger between
the philosophy and religion department by
CMLTs Board of Trustees during a March
closed session may have violated the Open
Meetings Act.
Isabella County Prosecutor Larry
Burdick announced Wednesday that he
would be continuing his investigation of
the board for alleged violations of the Open
Meetings Act, concerning a specific board
meeting earlier this year.
He said in a letter that he could not comment further on the matter until he looked
further into it.
He did "ask a question** of the administration, said Rae Goldsmith, associate vice
president of Public Relations and
Marketing. But, Goldsmith said she could
not comment further.
44At this point, we are going to address
the question and answer directly to him,"
she said.
Goldsmith referred a question about
when Burdick was looking at past board
agendas to Marykaye Murphy assistant to
the board.
Burdick did look over the board's minutes from all of its 1998 meetings on
Tuesday Murphy said.
Russ Herron, form€*r vico president of
University Relations, said Burdick had
contacted him Monday. He said he could
not talk about his discussion with Burdick,
but did say the board has been discussing
issues that are not on the agendas during
its closed door sessions.
"Are they discussing things that are not
legal on the agendas? Do I know of them
talking about anything that is not on the
agenda?" he said. "Yes, they do periodically in their closed sessions on Friday mornings."
Board members do have a list of items
that they can discuss, such as pending litigation and collective bargaining, he said.
But  quite  frequently "hot  topics**  will
come about that they talk about, Herron
said, and there was discussion of the merger between the philosophy and religion
departments at the March 20 meeting.
Herron said he remembers this meeting
in particular because it was his last
trustees* meeting, before his firing in April.
Also, the discussion had been heated the
previous night with the Academic Senate
representatives   and   faculty   from   the
See OPEN MEETINGS Page 2	
Midland
man
killed in
accident
UFE Staff Reports
An accident Friday evening on
Pickard Street left one person
dead and another seriously
injured.
At approximately 10 p.m.
Friday, a vehicle driven by Warren
Anderson Jr., a 26-year-old
Lansing male, was stopped by a
Saginaw Chippewa Tribal police
officer on Pickard near the U.S. 27
overpass, for suspicion of driving
while under the influence of alcohol.
As the officer approached
Anderson's driver's side door,
Anderson fled the scene, according to a press release from the
Isabella County Sheriff's
Department.
The officer returned to his
patrol car in an attempt to stop
Anderson again; however, before
Anderson could be stopped again,
he was involved in an accident
involving two other vehicles.
While driving on Pickard,
Anderson struck another vehicle
head-on. The vehicle was driven
by William Robert Hopkins, 23, of
Midland County. Hopkins was
killed in the accident.
His wife, Cindy, and daughter,
Patience, were in the vehicle, but
uninjured in the accident.
Also, another vehicle was
involved in the accident. Driver
Archie Isanhart Jr. and his
daughter, Ashley, were uninjured
in the accident.
Anderson was airlifted from the
accident scene and is in critical
condition at St. Mary's Hospital in
Saginaw as of Sunday evening.
Alcohol appears to have been a
factor in the accident, police said.
Seat belts were used by several
of the people involved in the accident.
The accident is still under
investigation by the Isabella
County Sheriffs Department
The core of\s\pplefest:
BILL SCHUMANN • CM LIFE
Peggy Vurggraf, of Mount Pleasant, sorts Mcintosh apples Saturday during the Applefest. Vurggraf works in the orchard for two
to three months during the harvest season.
BILL SCHUMANN
• CM LIFE
^        **
Abigail
Recker, 4, and
***>
m
asasUL
mam   . +.**
her mother
#              a.
Betty Recker,
sm   A
>- ^
both of
r«fc.3r
Jl" '-
jam i
Remus, enjoy
Jk J§
?:«:    t
aat*<
x^gr m
Applefest as
Kristy
Y<
■   (
Stadlberger,
saf         f*Jaa¥i
t —a****          »   «
an Applefest
■           -.J
-    ■■-
volunteer.
an ..pyj^*
^gx
m
paints a
saasFl     •'
rt
i
bunny on
mSu
*-af'
Abigail's face.
V
^Ja.
5
BILL SCHUMANN • CM LIFE
The orchards around Mount Pleasant yield a plethora of apples
for use in cider, applesauce, juice and many other items.
Cases of computer-aided cheating on the rise at CMU
By Anthony Judnich
LIFE Staff Writer
With more college professors utilizing
the computer in the classroom, another
form of student academic dishonesty may
surface: computer-aided cheating.
Forms of computer-aided cheating
include plagiarizing information from the
Internet, sharing information or answers
by e-mail or diskette, or stealing information from a fellow student's computer
screen or electronic mail system.
Director of Student Life Sharon George
receives reports of academic dishonesty
from instructors at CMU.
George said eight to 12 cases of academic dishonesty were reported last year, with
one or two consisting of computer-aided
cheating.
"I've had a couple of cases where a professor felt a student copied work from
another student's disk," George said. "I
think the cheating probably occurs when
students do group work. You can't prove
whose work it is.
"There were one or two cases last year,
but I believe (computer-aided cheating)
goes on a lot."
George said she is mostly concerned
with students getting term papers off of
the Internet, and cases of stalking.
"I know the other (forms of cheating) are
going on, but I can't do anything if it's not
reported," she said.
The CMU 1998-99 Bulletin states that
plagiarism, cheating and other forms of
academic dishonesty, including dishonesty
involving computer technology, are prohibited.
Thomas Ahlswede, associate professor of
computer science, said detecting computer-aided cheating is actually easier than
detecting the handwritten form.
"I don't have a problem with students
using material from the Internet as long
as they cite it," Ahlswede said.
He said with computer-derived work, he
looks for similarities in styles. Features
such as spacing and overall appearance
are things that don't often change from a
copied work and are noticeable, Ahlswede
said.
"It's actually easier to cheat with your
own handwriting, than to cheat with computers," he said.
Ahlswede said he hasn't noticed a trend
in computer-aided cheating.
"I don't know if there's more cheating or
not, but the cheating is easier to detect as
well," he said.
Jerald Kabell, associate professor of
computer science, has not noticed a rise in
computer-aided cheating.
"I have not had much of a problem with
dishonesty," Kabell said. "I don't require
my students to use the Internet that often.
See CHEATING Page 2	
New bill
could cut
federal
funding
■ Bookstore competition
should be even for financial aid purchases
By Jason Sweeney
LIFE Staff W-ter
CMU could lose federal funding
under a proposed bill, unless it
evens its competition between its
bookstore and other off-campus
bookstores.
U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth, R-
N.C., introduced a bill that would
cut the federal funding of universities that did not give their competition a fair chance.
Faircloth said in a press release,
"Financial aid is being channeled
almost exclusively to campus
businesses and bookstores . . .
These monopolies are not serving
small business, students, or their
parents."
At Central, Bonnie Samsel,
assistant coordinator of
Receivable Accounting, said any
student that receives more than
$1,500 in financial aid is put on a
file that is sent to the University
Bookstore. Tbrry Viau, director of
the office of Scholarships and
Financial Aid, said 14,575 students received some financial aid
last year, and most of them
applied some of their money to
books.
In August, $1,018,358.16 was
spent in financial aid at the UC
Bookstore for books and supplies.
Samsel said, "If there are books
and supplies that aren't available
at the UC, we'll advance money
against a student's financial aid
and they can go to the Student
Book Exchange."
However, this is the only way
students can get money advanced.
Samsel said that does not
exclude students from shopping at
the SBX, an off-cam pus bookstore
located at 209 E. Bellows St. All
money that financial aid students
don't spend is refunded to them,
so if they shop at the SBX with a
credit card or other money, their
refund check will seemingly pay
them back, she said.
One problem with that is refund
checks often do not come out until
after classes have started. Viau
said most checks were available
on the first day of classes this
semester, but if paperwork was
not in order, or application was
late, the refund was postponed.
Aid given to freshman also had
to be delayed because ot a federal
regulation that demands they
wait 30 days. Samsel is unsure
why this regulation exists.
See BOOKSTORES Page 2
INSIDE
• Classified
Crossword
Et cetera
Sports
Voices
11
11
10-12
6-8
4
raffmT
Premier intramural complex dedicated Friday
it's a
other
agree
To reach CM LIFE
Phone <517) 774-34*3
E-Mail  CMLIFEasVcmuvsnxsv.cmirh.edu
Fax number: «17) 774-7805
Central Michigan LIFE Online
Internet address
httpV/wwwcmlife cmich rdu
The CMU football team was
defeated by Michigan State
Saturday 38-7. Central scored
the first touchdown, but it
was all downhill after that.
See page 6 for details.
LIFE Staff Reports
Stan    Shingles    says
dream   come   true   and
CMU    faculty    couldn't
more.
The intramural complex on
Broomfield Road, which has
been open for two weeks, was
formally christened Friday,
with speeches by representatives from various student organizations, including former
director of recreation and innovator of the new complex, Tom
Jones
Jones said he was excited to
see that his vision he saw more
than 20 years ago is now a reality.
Director of Student Life
Sharon George also spoke at the
ceremony. *\A complex like this
helps to create community," she
said,
Grand Ledge senior Jeff
Simon said, "This complex
shows the commitment of the
administration to the students,"
in his speech on behalf of all of
the intramural athletes.
Shingles thanked the many
people who helped to make the
new complex possible including
the   CMU   Board   of  Trustees,
Manager of Landscape
Operations Thomas Prenkert
for getting the new facility
ready and looking good on time,
and all of the students who participate in intramural sports
every year.
The new $1.2 million complex
is only a part of the athletic
expansion program and is one of
the premier facilities in
Michigan.
The new complex will be the
home of all of the outdoor sports
with four softball fields and five
soccer/flag football fields. Two of
the softball fields and all of the
soccer fields have lights, which
helps in scheduling sports
around students' schedules.
At the hub of the fields is a
new building which will house
offices, equipment storage,
restrooms, a concession stand,
and a sports injury care center.
Construction of two club sport
fields for rugby and soccer, as
well as a larger parking lot, still
need to be finished as the last
phase of the project.
"This is a great benefit for the
students," Simon said, "The key
See INTRAMURAL Page 2