1998-06-24; Central Michigan Life

              Central Michigan LIFE
Volume 7J). Number 92
Mt   Pleasant,   Ml 48859
©1998 CM LIFE
the community
Wednesday
June 24, 1998
10 pages
Fire destroys Extended Learning office in Rowe Hall
By Liz Wishaw
l IF-E   Manag-ng Editor
CMU*a College of Extended
Learning personnel watched in
amazement Friday evening as
their office went up in flames.
"Th«" smoke started coming,n
said Pat Fox, an Extended
Learning staff member *'I had
to pull the lire alarm, even had
te> yank it twice so it would go
off."
Fox's quick thinking helped
evacuate other office's in Itowe
Hall, which also houses the
Museum of Cultural and
Natural History, Brain
Research Laboratory, Staff
Personnel    Services   and   class-
rooms.
About 30 CMU staff members were still working at 5:25
p.m. when the fire started.
The Mount Pleasant,
Saginaw Chippewa Indian
Tribe ateel Shepherd Tri-
Township fire departments
responded to the call and had
the blaze in the east wing of
Rowe Hall under control within
a half hour, said Mount
Pleasant Fire Chief Andy
Theisen. No one- was injured.
"Once it was contained, we
were trying to hold and retain
what was left of the office.
There is extensive damage to
tlui building," Theisen said. **I
couldn't guess how much there
is right now."
An electrical problem with a
fan was later found to be the
cause of the fire'
Anxious staff, faculty and
students watched as the three
fire departments weirked to
stop the smoke and fire from
spreading throughout the
building.
"My manuscripts and th»
are up there," said psychology
graduate student Kristi Haik-
Creguer. "I wish I had taken it
home. I have a remedial version of it but it will still put me
behind."
Psychology   professor   Gary
Dunbar   was    extremely    con
cerned       about       his       Brain
Research   Laboratory   and   the
animals in the lab.
"My career, the students'
theses and the directed
research    projects    are    all    up
See FIRE Page 10	
Clean-up underway after Rowe Hall fire
LEI ZHENG* CM Lire
The east wing of Rowe Hall was almost gutted Friday night after a
fire started from an electrical fan short. Josephine Foltz, an
Extended Learning employee, clears the office for its move to the
Student Activity Center .
By Liz Wishaw
Ll^ E Managing Editor
Campus staff and offices
from Telecommunications to
Facilities Management have*
pitched in with resources, help
ing the College of Extended
Learning find a new home after
a Friday night fire destroyed its
office.
An electrical short in an east
wing fan of Rowe Hall started
the* fire Friday evening that left
more than 60 Extended Learning
staff members office less, the*
Museum of Cultural and Natural
History smoke damaged and
other offices soot-covered.
Del Ringquist. dean of the'
College* of Extended Learning,
commended the departments
and individuals who worked all
Weeekend te> reestablish the office
in the Student Activity Center,
taking over the area once- occu
pied by the poe>l tables, and
NIRSA and Alumni rooms. Other
temporary work stations are setup in Powers and Warriner halls.
Park Library and
Telecommunications in Woldt
Hall
"All   areas   of  the   university
effectively     responded     to     our
cause," Ringquist said. "The help
we  have  received   has  been  eiut
standing."
Damage's are unknown at this
time and it could take awhile to
add up the cost, said Rae
Goldsmith, assistant vice' president for Public Relations and
Marketing.
"It's neit just the physical damage of the building but also either
materials that have to be
reprinted. Also there's other significant costs associated with
getting the office up and run
rung."
The building's condition still
needs to be accessed and the university doesn't know what it
wants to do with it right now.
Extended Learning could be in
the SAC for four to six months
but the university is looking at
r>ther long term arrangements
fe>r the1 office, Goldsmith said.
The college offers credit and
non-credit programs to approximately 12,000 working adults at
off-campus sites throughout
North America — 7,000 of whom
are served in the Detroit area.
Extended learning students
are in the middle of the semester
at this time, but it won't delay
graduatiem audits and grades.
Ringquist said
Computer Services is trying to
retrieve information from the
office's hard drives hut some
computers were a lost cause from
meltdown.   "Our  priority  is  get
ting student and financial
records so it won't disrupt the
grades of graduating students."
Extended Learning staff have
been meeting each morning to
clean and move things to the
other offices Updates for the
office are given each day about
the office's status
"Most people have been working all weekend," Ringquist said
"The   staff is   viewing  (the  fire's
damage) as a challenge to them
but they're in good spirits."
Other offices in Rowe Hall
opened Monday with little difficulty, thanks to weekend work
by campus staff.
June Stefanko, employee relations manger for Staff Personnel
Services, praised the Facilities
Management   custodial   staff for
See CLEAN-UP :j
10
CMU teaching grads rank in the nation's top 10
By Kelly Taylor
LIF[ • ?er
The College of Teacher Education and
Professional  Development   was  ranked
in the tejp 10 of the nation for producing
I eacher graduates
CMU has the- sixth most teacher education graduates in the United State
ording   te>   the American  Association
lieges  fen" Teacher Education
Two other Michigan universities took
the- te>p honors — Eastern Michigan
University ranked first, followed by
Western Michigan University witb sec
ond.
William   Merrill,   chair  of the   college
of teacher education   and   professional
development,  said  a  high  ranking dtn>
to mon- prepared students.
lit   said  the-  list  only  ranks the* number
of graduates that a college has, aot the
quality of tl
"Just because youVe
doesn't mean the- quali
better,"    Merrill
s aid.
Merrill attributes KMT's and
WMU's higher
rankings to their
locations in bigger metropolitan
areas and having me> re lax
admission standards.
('ML had 469
teacher education graduate's
in 199 7 EMU
had 2,181 in
1M97
Joyce DeRight,
director ed the offic
first  e>n the list
ty of education is
advising for the college of education at
WMU. agreed the* ranking dens not represent   the1  quiili-
Where teachers come from...
1 Eastern Michigan University
2 Western Michigan University
3. National University, Calif.
4. Nova Southeastern University,
Fla
5. Ohio State University
6. Central Michigan University
7. Wayne State University
8   University of Central Oklahoma
<>   California State University-
Northridge
10. University of South Florida
Association ol Colleges for Teacher Ecu
I adi
sion   and       believes  it's the
ty of education
at a school. She
said that all
schools are
good,     but    each
has   unique   pro
grams.
"Its difficult to
compare*    apples
and oranges.
The    ranking    is
purely num
bers"     DeRight
said.
Merrill is very
confident in the-
program at
CMU.   He- said   he
he>t  in the'  state
"I know (the students) get a good education here," he said.
Merrill backs up his confidence with
the best evidence anv school can hope
for
lie said he has spoken to employers
at job fairs who are looking specifically
for CMU education graduates.
"Our grads get hired," Merrill said.
He also said CMU's reputation as a
teaching school, as well as the fact that
many of the school administrators hiring the teachers graduated from here,
makes CMU graduates more likely tei
find work faster.
Merrill alsei said the-re- is going te>
be- an improvement to his program
in the fall All students who are
admitted into the' education program will be guaranteed enrollment
into the classes they need for graduation.
Student's
death ruled
a suicide
LIFE Staff Reports
The death of CMU student
Joel Higgins has officially
been ruled a suicide, said Sgt.
Dan Denslow of the Isabella
County Sheriffs Department.
Higgins, a 19-year-old
Grand Ledge freshman, was
found May 30 near the bank
of the Chippewa River in
Meridian Park by a group of
people who were tubing down
the river.
Denslow said that Higgins*
death was caused by a self-
inflicted gunshot wound.
Classified
Crossword
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English department remembers
32-year colleague for warmth
By Kelly Taylor
A    beloved    husband,    father,
friend and former English  profefl
■or died in his home Sunday
Daniel B Weber, a CMU
English professor of 32 years, is
remembered by his friend, former
CoDeagUC    anel    Student,    Stephen
Holder, professor of English, as ■
OB  with a gruff exterior who
was "emiti' warm underneath "
Holder saiel he* knew Weber for
:iH years   He -aiel Weber directed
been anel has been ■
part of his life ever sim <
"He- Wnm one- ot mv Ix st friends."
Holder said.
Holder saiel that Weber was an
outspoken indhridualisl  who wmm
very active m community polities
"We   on   not   afraid   at   all   to
speak  his e>wn  mind on  what he
bet* right
WeU-r's daughter in law. Donna
Weber, spoke Un hei entire family,
saying that Weber wmm so open-
minded person whej loved life,
nature and learning
'Dan made this weirld a kinder
anel gentler world,** Donna said.
Catherine Weber, Weber's wife,
remembered the- time   4ie' anel her
husband spent outside with their
family
"As a family, the Webers spent
many years in the* wild backpack
ing and white water canoeing with
a    -pint   of   adventure   that    Dfcfl
always showed,'* Catherine said
Weber was bom Feb 4, 1928 in
Kalamazoo,   Mich.,   and   he   and
berine were- ■usnisd on Aug
12, 1950 in Lowell, Mich
Weber was I prsAsSST m th"
Knghsh department for .'V2 years
anel retire el in 1992.
He served in the Navy during
World War II and m the Mamie
( \>rps during the* Korean War.
We-in-i   Studied   the   life   MM   |mii-
losophy of John Mmr extensively,
and wrote many article on his lite,
as well as the major work "The
Function    of   Wilderness    in    an
Industrial Society." He also edited
* From Michigan te> Murfrvesboro -
a Privates Personal Record of the
Eleventh Michigan Regiment
(1861-1863)," which can be found
at the Clark Memorial Library.
Weber   was   S   member   of the
Seems   Club   and   is   the'   former
< h.ur  (»f the   Mackinaw Chapter
Weber is survived by his wife.
Catherine'; his sons, Mitchell and
Matthew; and daughters inlaw.
Donna anel Rosemary.
A private- memorial service will
.lei em Saturdav
Mesnorial contributions may !*•
made*    tei    the    Memnt     Plea
rans Memorial  Library or to
the Chippewa Watershed
< touservsnry at (617)644-6045.
CMU-style help
■   SCHERB •  CM LIFE
CMU students   and faculty, along with the Mount Pleasant
community, traveled to Hawaii last month to help rebuild a
community's churches and restore hope to its residents. See
page 3 for the story.