1998-03-04; Central Michigan Life

              Central Michigan LIFE
Volume 79, Number flf» c/~7
Mt. Pleasant,  MI 48859
©1998 CM LIFE
78 years of serving the community
Wednesday
March 4, 1998
18 pages
A-Senate exploring PBS' relation to university
By Joseph McCarthy
LIFE Staff Writer
The Academic Senate voted to request
John Mitchell, chair of the Public
Broadcasting committee, answer questions on the station's relationship to
CMLTs academic programs and what
the effects would be if another institution took it over.
Guy Meiss, associate professor of
journalism, introduced a proposal which
requires A-Senate Chair James Jones,
professor of foreign languages, literature, and culture, to write a letter to
Mitchell which will ask three questions
relating to the system.
Meiss said he wrote the request so
that issues of integra- A   cgyywnrP
tion between CMU and       ^^'^^
PBS could be explored. QSkttlQ
The questions the let- ^
ter will ask are:
•What is the current involvement of
CMU Public Broadcasting and the academic departments and programs?
•What tire the potential areas of
mutual interaction?
•What are the potential areas of loss
for CMU's academic departments and
programs if CMU were to transfer ownership or control to another academic
institution or non-academic entity?
The motion was passed unanimously
by the Senate.
to send letter to public broadcasting
questions about CMU interaction
The questions address concerns that
have been raised recently about the
future of Public Broadcasting at CMU.
Officials in Lansing have said at least
one university has expressed interest in
taking over PBS.
Informal discussions about PBS have
taken place between CMU, Grand
Valley State University, Michigan State
University and the University of
Michigan.
Discussions over PBS at the Senate
meeting Tuesday centered on its value to
CMU and its broadcast
area.
"How can you put a
price on something as priceless as
PBS?" asked Senator Lacy Gapczynski,
Clinton Township sophomore.
Senator Scott Manning, Six Lakes
senior, also expressed his support of
PBS, saying "The value of the program
is worth far more than the $1.5 million
subsidy."
Manning was referring to the money
CMU subsidizes to PBS every year.
Senator Joseph Finck, professor of
physics, said CMU should be cautious
because David Brandon, chair of the
CMU Board of Trustees, has been nominated for the Board of Regents at the
University of Michigan.
He said this is important because U-
M attended the informal talks concerning CMU's ownership of PBS.
"That board member should be
advised that he's treading on dangerous
waters," Finck said.
Finck also said CMU should examine
its mission statement in relationship to
PBS.
This is one area where we are the
preeminent institution in the MAC," he
See QUESTIONS Page 8	
Book tax
break
discussed
Monday
■ Students concerned
about taking revenue
from public schools
By Leah Nixon
LIFE Staff Writer
Students, faculty and Mount
Pleasant community members
had the opportunity to voice
their opinions Monday about a
proposed tax exemption on textbook sales.
The exemption would allow
students purchasing required
textbooks, registered with the
taxpayer by the course instructor
or department's chairperson, to
exclude tax.
According to the bill, a student
must be registered at an accredited institution of post secondary
education located in the state of
Michigan.
Adam Miller, Paw Paw senior
and SGA president, was first to
voice concerns which he had
received through e-mail to the
panel of state representatives.
Miller said SGA is still
researching the bill and does not
have a position, but students
voiced concerns to him about the
absence of money from elementary and secondary schools.
Students want the tax break,
he said, but they do not want to
take money away from younger
students' education.
"Students want to know where
the tax break fund would come
from," Miller said.
If the effects of the tax break
were changed, Miller said, those
students might change their negative opinion about the bill.
"When dealing with college
students, they will take anything
they can get," he said. "However,
not when dealing with a lifetime
of children's education."
Jennifer Wood, Howell senior,
shared students' concerns about
where tax-break funding would
come from.
However, Wood said, the tax on
textbooks is not a primary issue,
the pricing of textbooks is.
"Students feel exploited, but
they are not sure by who, the
bookstores or the publishing
companies," she said.
State Rep. Deb Cherry CD-
Burton) said representatives recognize that only a small portion
of the whole textbook pricing
issue is tax breaks.
Wood said her concern is
whether the price reflects real
costs or if people are making
money somewhere.
"Is something unfair somewhere?" she said.
Pricing of textbooks is inconsistent, Wood said. Some textbooks   seem   reasonably  priced,
See DISCUSS Page 2
As of this issue
CM LIFE
wilITcease
O   'civ te!
Erik S. Scherb»CM LIFE
Andrea Gabriels, Dearborn Heights senior and Stephanie Bostocfc, Clinton Township junior,
learn the "popcorn' parachute game in their RPL 206 class held In Finch I
afternoon.The class is taught by Becky McCann.
Police chiefs against new handgun law
By Clayton Mastaw
LIFE Staff Writer
Law   enforcement   department     offices     throughout
Michigan      recently
took a firm stand
on a new state bill
that   would   allow
virtually anyone to
carry    a    concealed
weapon.
State Reps.
Alan       Cropsey
(R-Dewitt) and
Howard
Wetters (D-
Kawkawlin) are the
primary sponsors.
Rep. Jim McBryde could not be reached
for comment, but a representative from his
office said he co-sponsored the bill and supports the right of law-abiding citizens to
carry a concealed weapon.
If the bill passes, a gun board will distribute permits, said Midland Police Chief
James St. Louis. Under the existing law,
gun permits must be obtained from the
police.
St. Louis, a member of the Michigan
Association Chief of Police Board, said the
bill will make it easier for anyone to carry
a concealed weapon because permits would
be obtained from the gun board, not the
police agencies which currently issue permits.
The board consists of the county prosecu
tor, sheriff and a trooper.
St. Louis said the chiefs association is
open for compromise, but it will not recommend that the bill be passed as it stands.
Under the bill, the only people who
would be unable to obtain a concealed
weapon would be those found by the court
system to be mentally unfit or convicted of
a felony, he said.
"The more people you have with
weapons, the more (of an) opportunity (you
have) for accidents," said Capt. Bill Yeagley
of the Mount Pleasant Police Department.
Yeagley said there needs to be a balance
between who is allowed to carry a concealed weapon because it is not good for
See CONCEAL Rape 2
Murder suspect has Mt. Pleasant connection
publication
until March 18
By Jeremy I
UFE Staff Writer
A man attested for beating an
18-year-old desk clerk to death
Feb. 17 in Traverse City, was once
a resident of Mount Pleasant.
According to Martin TVombley,
director of the Mount Pleasant
Department of Public Safety,
Kevin Carter Hottser, 25, lived in
the city of Mount Pleasant for a
Capt Jim Palmer, of the Grand
Traverse Sheriff's Deportment,
confirmed this report and said his
to Traverse City
tips Holtzer was in the Mount
Pleasant area just aftar he fled
from Traverse City
"We  believe  he  was  here  en
TVombley said.
While Holtzer lived in Mount
[sahslls County Court
indicate   he   was   not
charged with any crimes.
However, TVombley, director of
die Mount Pleasant Department
of Public Safety, said, "I am safe by
saying we have had contact with
him (while he was living in Mount
Pleasant), but I cant tell you
it was criminal o
According to a source who i
not to be identified, Holtzer lived
in Mount Pleasant for about
years while he worked at a
tire retailer.
The source said Hottser moved
to Traverse City when he was
transferred to another tire retailer
in October 1997.
In addition, the TVaverse City
Record Eagle reported Holtzer
wee traveling under the name of
Scott Garrett, a resident of Mount
the    source    said
CMU
looking at
energy
alternative
91 Rule change lets
customers    hunt
electrical best deal
for
By Kevin Hackney
LIFE Staff Writer
CMU may soon take advantage of recent Public Service
Commission (PSC) rule changes
allowing customers to purchase
electrical power from an outlet
other than Consumers Energy.
Tom Zajac, senior project
manager mechanical, confirmed CMU is currently in
negotiations with a different
electricity distribution company.
"We're working with an Ann
Arbor based firm," he said.
"There is the potential for a
$100,000 to $200,000 savings
on our electrical bill per year.
Eventually, (the money) would
get back to the students and
the taxpayers. I just don't know
how soon."
Zajac declined to reveal the
name of the company.
CMU has been a client of
Consumers Energy, "probably
as long as electricity has been
around," he said, and the reason for possible change is strictly for monetary purposes.
Although the electrical power
itself may be purchased elsewhere, Zajac said CMU would
still look to Consumers Energy
for transportation purposes.
"It's basically the same type
of thing that came about with
the natural gas industry during
the late 1980's," he said.
"That is, separating the purchase of energy from the transportation. We're looking at buying the energy from the Ann
Arbor company and transporting it through the existing
Consumers lines."
According to Kathie
Grinzinger, assistant city manager of Mount Pleasant, there
has been a push the past several years to deregulate the electric industry, meaning the pub-
See ALTERNATIVE Page 8
However,
See CONNECT R»oe 8
1
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