1986-08-29; Central Michigan Life

              Central
Michigan
FRIDAY
August 29,1986
VOLUME 70. NUMBER 3
MOUNT PLEASANT. Ml 48859
©1986 CM UFE
12 PAGES
3 CMU students arrested for lot thievery
     Suspects cause up to $20,000 in reported damages
BY BRYAN LAVIOLETTE
UFE Staff Wnter
in
Three former students have been charged
connection with aa much as $20,000 damage by
allegedly stealing, damaging and taking property
from vehicles.
DPS Director John McAulifle estimated damage
and property losses at $20,000. But Capt. Ron
Williams of the DPS said he could not predict the
extent of the damage.
"The total value of the recovered property is
undetermined at this time," Williams said. "But it
will certainly amount to many hundreds of dollars."
James A. Smith, Tecumseh senior, Shane L.
Murphy, Carson City sophomore, and his brother,
in
in
Todd  A.   Murphy,  Carson   City  freshman,  were    in a
arrested 3.-05 a.m. Saturday, Williams said.
McAulifle said the three men were dismissed from
the University. They were arraigned Monday
Isabella County 76th District Court.
Since April. Williams said, several ° vehicles
CMU parking lots were damaged and items were
taken from them.
Williams said he does not know how many
vehicles were involved.
According to the report Sgt. Ron Griffiths of DPS
saw the students allegedly enter lot 42 near the
Towers early Saturday. The students allegedly were
a car
vehicle,  which fit the description of
reported stolen last year, the report stated.
The report stated Griffiths continued to watch the
men as they allegedly attempted to gain entry into
several cars. In the report Griffiths alleged he saw
the men take items from the vehicles, the report
stated.
Griffiths called in backup police officers. The three
were arrested in connection with the incident,
Williams said.
The students allegedly took a variety of items,
Williams said.
The men "are each free  on  a  $5,000 personal
recognizance bond.
They will have a preliminary hearing Wednesday
in 76th District Court. Each will face four felony
counts of larceny from a vehicle and two felony
counts of malicious destruction of property over
$100, Williams said.
Williams said other charges may be added and
that Mount Pleasant Police probably will be the
agency to charge the trio with the theft of two
vehicles in Mount Pleasant
Each larceny from a vehicle charge carries a
five-year prison term, said Thomas Plachta, assistant prosecuting attorney. Malicious destruction of
property charges each cany a four-year prison term,
he said.
Two wheelin'
er***:-?^
*&!*?
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*m.
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One of tha riders in the Labor Day bike trip from Lansing to tha Mackinaw Bridge,    to spend tha night on campus before heading to the bridge. Sea related story on
Harry Curtis, of Haslett, deans the mud off of his wife's bicycle as the riders prepare    page 5.
Mich-Con out
$107,000;
state agency
dismisses case
BY BETH MENGE
LIFE Assistant News Editor	
Although Michigan Consolidated Gas Company ia seeking
$107,000 in "stand-by* charges
from the University, the Public
Service Commission ruled
Tuesday it does not have the
power to make CMU pay.
University Counsel Eileen
Jennings said a stand-by charge ia
made if natural gas is not the
customer's major fuel source. She
said Midi-Con's complaint, filed in
June, states the*roodchip plant is
CMU's primary fuel source.
PSC dismissed Mich-Con's
complaint, ruling it is powerless to
act because it was set up to hear
complaints from individuals
against public utilities. A ruling
would only have been binding on
Mich-Con, Jennings said.
Jennings said Mich-Con's
options include taking the case to
a circuit court, although she does
not know if the company will take
Please See MICH-CON Page 12
'Billy Goat'
finds home
off campus
BY BETH MENGE
LIFE Assistant Ni-ws Filter	
A      lost      goat      discovered
wandering near Foust Hall has a
new home.
On    Wednesday,    a     Mount
Pleasant   woman   adopted   the
nomadic goat, nicknamed William
Edward — -Billy-
Billy Goat was brought to the
Department of Public Safety Aug
20
"A young man came in the office
with this goat following him,"
Capt. Ron Williams said.
DPS employees tied up their
little charge behind the office.
Billy Goat feasted on grass and
water behind the DPS office until
he was taken to the Isabella
County Animal Shelter in the
afternoon.
"He was a kind of funny little
guy," Williams said. "He laid on
top of the picnic table, and laid
under the picnic table — whatever
suited his fancy. He was very
friendly. Nothing seemed to be
bothering him."
Billy Goats reasons for coming
to Lot 28 remain a mystery. The
Telephone system wires suites for cable
BY FOMTELLA WHITE
UFE SUM Writer
WILLIAM EDWARD GOAT
off-white goat had a collar, and
Williams said he thinks it was
somebody's pet.
"I would assume it was a
prank," said Jim Flannigan,
animal shelter department
manager.
While on campus, Billy Goat
minded his manners.
"He was very docile, very tame.
He made a little noise, but it
wasn't a lot of noise and it wasn't
constant," Williams said.
Flannigan said he followed the
same rules with the goat as he
would for a dog. Billy Goat stayed
at the shelter for five days before
being placed for adoption.
When the goat's original owners
did not come knocking by
Wednesday, the Mount Pleasant
woman, who asked to reamin
anonymous, became Billy Goats
legal guardian.
Gathering in crowded residence hall TV rooms for MTV may be a
thing of the past, as the University plans to offer cable service to
individual suites on campus.
Housing Director George Jennings said the suites were equipped
with the cable option since the new telephone system was installed
two years ago.
Jennings said three pairs of wires were installed in the phone
system — a voice wire, a data wire and a cable TV wire.
"I'd like to see it happen, because if students really want it (cable)
theyll get it. It's better than seeing antennas stuck out of the
windows," Jennings said.
Students have placed antennas outside of residence halls and
on-campus apartment windows for clearer reception, Jennings said.
Basic cable would improve TV reception.
Telecommunications Director Ken Johnson said the SI. 100 phone
system selected from Northern Telecommunications was chosen with
the option of adding cable television in the future. He said scientists
have been developing the process of switching cable signals via
telephone since 1983
No specific date is set for development, but Johnson said if
everything continues as planned the cable service would be available
within the next two years.
"We intend to look at it closely when it is completed to make sure
we're providing students with the best available," Johnson said.
"Assuming the project is completed it will be made available to all
Students can complete assignments through cable/Page 10
classrooms, administrative offices and housing on campus."
Johnson said the service's coat is unknown at this time. The
University will survey students to determine level of interest and
payment plans, he said.
"Right now there are really two possibilities We could include the
cost as part of the room and board fees if a large number of students
surveyed showed interest and support. Or, the service could be
considered an extra service and students would be able to receive cable
upon request," Johnson said.
He said the surveys would be conducted in a manner similar to the
one supplied to students in 1981-82 concerning the possibility of a new
telephone system. Surveys were sent to students living on campus
asking about services such as easier long distance calls and call
waiting
"More than 90 percent of the respondents were interested in the
possible capabilities of having a telephone system such as the one we
have installed. It was because of such response we went ahead with
the idea," Johnson said.
Johnson said he has seen the cable process work at a Bell Northern
Research Center in Canada. However, at this time the most important
factor is making the technology more cost efficient.
Johnson said it would be premature to say what cable channels
might be available, but added contracting with Cahlevision or another
area cable company is possible.
Park project continues despite no tenants
BY JACKIE BRAUN
Lift Copy Edtcr
Despite the near completion of
Phase I construction and a
proposal for an "incubator*
facility, University Park remains
without tenants.
George Dunn, director of Middle
Michigan Development Corp., said
little progress was made during
the summer on the 480-acre park
south of campus. MM DC is the
recognized "umbrella" agency for
the economic development and
diversification efforts in central
Michigan.
Phase I construction —
consisting of the installation of
water and sewer lines, lighting,
roads and walkways, and a three
to six acre pond — began last May
after Bartz Construction, a Byron
Center-based firm, was awarded
the contract. The construction is
nearing completion.
The incubator-facility proposal,
however, was on the agenda of the
Board of Trustees meeting in July,
but was never discussed, Dunn
said.
The proposal waa for MMDCto
act as developer or manager of a
facility that could be rented to
prospective tenants interested in
locating on park grounds, but who
did not have the Financial
resources to construct their own
buildings.
"We  had  a  couple  companies
that wanted to be_in University
Please See PARK Page 12
LIFE LINE
INSIDE
INDEX
Briefly
No room
Because of the Labor Day
hofcdsy. CM LIFE wiD not publish
Monday We will resume publication
Wednesday
Can parVcd on grsss and o6« iegsi areas in       « r,
\jxri /Page o
Foxy 95
WCFX say) r*w Jmagt tfials popdarty on      /I>__~ C.
ctrea'Mdipnikueve} IYG_V U
On the tube
Pa»  of OnSral  fcmtal  ^nn to be
ttWvscd
Human target
/Page 8
Soccer  player   Scon  Ar:K«t  *t*T»cti
aSenBon
Soccer team wtotTagc 8
/Page 8
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