1986-10-17; Central Michigan Life

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Central
Michigan
FRIDAY
October 17,1986
Jury finds McCord guilty on two charges
BY PAT HOUSLEY
and MAROA McDOMALO
LIFE Staff Writers
After four days of deliberation, the verdict is in.
Jurors found Michael R. McCord, 19, guilty
Thursday of the lesser offenses of voluntary
manslaughter and of assault with a dangerous
weapon. The verdict was returned after 28 hours of
deliberation that began Monday.
McCord, of Mount Pleasant, originally was
charged with second-degree murder in connection
with the April 19 stabbing death of Scott Allen,
Michigan State University student, at Chipp-A-
Water Park.
McCord also was charged with assault with intent
to commit murdar for the stabbing of Craig Allen,
Iron Mountain junior, the same night.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 31. at 9 p.m.
Isabella County Pj-osecutor Joseph Barberi said the
maximum penalty for voluntary manslaughter is 15
years. Any lesser sentence is the discretion of the
judge.
Judge Paul O'Connell. Isabella County 21st
Circuit Court, had instructed jurors they must
return a unanimous verdict in all criminal cases.
The victims' parents said they were dissatisfied
with the verdict. Richard Allen, father of the
deceased, said he did not agree with the jurors'
decision.
'It's ironic that the final link in the criminal
justice system to decide guilt or innocence rests in
the hands of the average citizens, who must, after
leaving here, be the ones to use the parks, streets,
and shopping centers, and thereby become the
segments of society most vulnerable to violent
crime,* Allen said following the decision.
Allen said that in Barberi's closing remarks, he
heard an admonishment for justice.
"I heard the prosecutor say.. .'If you can go to
Scott Allen's gravesite and say this was justified and
Please See VERDICT Page 14
Defendant's family plays a
supportive role during tha
BY PAT HOUSLEY
LIFE Statf Writer
Michael McCord stood silent aa
the guilty verdict xvas announced
in his trial Thursday.
The 19-year-old Mount Pleasant
man originally was charged with
second-degree murder in the April
19 stabbing death of Scott Allen, a
Michigan State University
student at the time, and assault
with intent to commit murder in
the stabbing of Scott's brother
Craig Allen, Iron Mountain junior.
After   four   days   deliberation,
jurors returned a lesser verdict of
guilty of voluntary manslaughter
and of assault with a dangerous
weapon.
As Foreman Eugene Methner
read the verdict, McCord's fiancee
Holly Chiesea, broke out in sobs
and was consoled by a relative.
Chiesea. of Mount Pleasant, sat
immediately behind McCord in
the first row of visitor 6eats.
Peggy McCord, Michael
McCord's mother, remained in the
back row of the courtroom,
surrounded by friends and
relatives.
As    she   walked    out    of   the
courtroom aided by a close friend,
Peggy McCord said she doesn't
know what to think of the verdict
She said she wishes it were
different.
Wednesday and Thursday
Peggy McCord, with the help of
friends and relatives, prepared a
list of her son's accomplishments.
"It's been almost six months
since   I've   seen  him,"   she  said.
She said she never sees him,
except in the courtroom, or on
visitation through a small glass
window   at   the   Isabella   County
Please See McCORD Page 9
Michael R. McCord, 19, above, b lad away
by Isabella County Sheriff's Department
deputies after his trial ended Tuesday. His
mother, Peggy McCord. right, leaves the
courtroom after the trial.
BY A*t!ff SEEa-MLDT
C«ES*er1 Writer -'   '
■. V - *,'V Y ''4 "vs > •'
.t », ?*"VV'i>>tf>
University official* axe co—ik—ving dropping the extra Sw&gr
meal plan in favor of one of six alternative* submitted by Bestdaact
HallaKasembry. : *,.-''   *'Yf-
Residence Hall Assembly Chairwoman Marilyn Pyne and BHA
ma—bet Sean Hkkey presented the alternative ideas to Jem
Undley. assistant director of ResiiteK* and AaxiUarySe^
Jam*«Hill,vi«pjresident of Student Affaii  - : '    •
The meal* are offered Sunday.nighU following home football
gamaa and U>* Stinday befere finsaexataa. Tbe.Unrrmity offerad
the meals in response to th* week resident* had to leave the nails
bscatnierffltyltriil'fr*tfhw^lfrg, . ;J-
Tba administrators are diacusgrog.these plans, but there is
"nothing concrete or decided," Hickoy, Midland junior, said during
Monday's RHA meeting. But Undley said she expects to have an
answer by tba middle of next'wsek. ■•■■■"' '   -" "'
Tf wa go with one of these proposals, evening meals on Sunday
wiH*r»o^swn4imi^'Uj»dln«*kt Y-.:    ; '--YY'/pSs-
*  Nosw of ti» Wa4t*m»^ monetary refunds. .BHA Trill
because Reeidenoe and AuxiUaur Services r«xu>ot
tof^csj&rrrfhpds,Hk&ey ssid. -Y"'Y;-s mu. .
ri; KaTihnasbo sophomore, end Hkkey presented the six
amVfajaaatioo plana to President Arthur Ellis Oct. 8. and he
tamttmithantoZJ^mi^as-mrL
**n>*six'sH«nuft*iv<ssre: ..■ ■' 'Y-"'''
Dt&viog each  haD council  a certain  amount of money,
determined by the University, for hall projgramming.   :•'
:.'CJ Providing a general fund for hall improvements.
D Bringing back a Student Initiated Request for Funding
(SIRF)fund. -    '♦s: ;•■-'-Y a
U would work oa • system of fund matching. HsUs would ask for
ibaK&hvon •project and the SIRF fund would match the hslTs
funds if ths project waaeofna-derad—ar—whOe.
.Q Providing * coupon book far items in the Bovee University
Center. Y.:-Y-':.\ "-..--   -s.    -s*
The coupon book would "directly benefit the students snd
promote, tho UC." Pyne ssid.'The method of distribution for the
coupons has not been decided. .Y^       -
- D Cresting a genets! fund for halls to purchase something for
a— residents to use, like a microwave.
D Creating a general fund for residence hsfl purchases —
things that need to be replaced or would benefit students like tools,
cooking utensfls end magazines.
findley ssid sb« is pleased RHA brought the suggestions to her
rWe're happy thai RHA is taking an active part in this. I think
thct BHA isotrtsioly mpicssnrtng students In the reeidence halls
axAl—tiiapattbtt—tiTft—A—aKi. We took for good coo^nnrrtcattott
RHA and ouro!Bces,"sbe said. ■■•'•W':--'j> sv£.vY.Y'S
Faculty criticize WCMU-TV's program delay
BY TrlOM CLINK
LIFE Surf Wrrter
Faculty members are criticizing WCMU-TVs delay in airing a
controversial show amid rumors it was postponed to avoid fundraising
conflicts.
The show, entitled The Africans, is a nine-part documentary on the
people of Africa in modern times. Featured in Time magazine and
Neusweek, the series was supposed to be aired Oct. 7 or 9 on CMU
Public Broadcasting.
Alice Littiefield, professor of sociology, anthropology, and social
work, said she heard there were two reasons the progTam was not
shown.
"First because they would have to throw off their schedule by having
breaks (for the fundraiser)," Littiefield said. "I also heard they didn't
want to risk viewers not contributing due to the controversial nature
of the program."
PBS's fundraiser runs until Oct. 26.
Station manager Bill Grigaliunas was unavailable for comment, but
Richard Schudiske, WCMU-TV Program Producer, said fundraiser
breaks, and nothing else, caused the delay.
Schudiske said PBS is airing frequent fundraising activities,
stretching out show times. By the time The Africans would end, it
would be 11:30 p.m., which he said is "too late."
Schudiske said other programs also had delayed show times because
of the fundraiser such as Out of the Firry Furnace and Mystery.
Several faculty members heard about the decision and pressured
PBS into airing the show Oct. 28, said Nancy Leis, professor of
sociology, anthropology and social work.
"It was a supposition I heard (delaying the show because of harm to
donations)," Leis said. "You can believe what you want."
The Africans first came under fire when it was broadcast in England
on BBC, Britain's broadcasting network.
A PBS endorser. The Endowment of Humanities, withdrew its
endorsement of the show because it said the program had
an ti-American, anti-Western sentiments.
However, Leis and several other faculty members say the program
should be broadcast.
"It's about time the American people had a look at the people in
Africa and not just the animals ot a zoo," Leis said.
Leis said she spoke to a local PBS employee regarding the show two
weeks before it was to be aired. Leis said the show's topic is related to
classes she teaches about Africa and she wanted to know if it would be
broadcast in Mount Pleasant.
Leis would not release the name of the employee.
"They told me, and others later, they feared certain political activist
organizations in Michigan would demand equal time," Leis said.
Leis said the employee told her the program could create a
controversy similar to the one caused by a recent PBS series about
Vietnam. When the Vietnam series was aired, opposing groups
demanded, and received, air time to give a counter opinion.
T
l£____^ll\
Breaking ground
——————————————————————^ q^^
Ceremony marks beginning for new $16.2 million facility
BY MARK ALLEN
LIFE Copy Ed.tor
A slew of state legislators are
expected on campus Saturday to
break ground for the new industrial education and technology
building.
The groundbreaking ceremony
will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday
behind Moore Hall with speeches
by Senate Majority Leader John
Engler,  R-Mount  Pleasant;  Rep.
James O'Neill. D-Sapinaw; and
Raymond LaBounty, chairman of
the CMU Board or Trustees.
Construction on the $16.2
million, two-story, one-tenth mile
long building is expected to begin
in the spring.
Preliminary phase documents
were recently approved by the
state legislature and the architectural firm of Daverman and
Associates is now working on final
blueprints for the 110,000 square-
foot building. The building, which
will be located'southeast of Moore
Hall, should take 16 months to
complete, University Architect
Tony Paparella said.
State funding for the IET
building and Science II, the new
science building, was obtained
Jjm. 2 after representatives from
the Office of Management and
Budget toured CMlTs existing
facilities and recommended Gov.
James Blanchard approve a $40.2
million appropriation.
The governor approved a alloca-
:~--    «.
tion for the first payments on the
buildings — $525,000 for the IET
building and $1,050,000 for
Science II — July 28.
Both facilities are needed,
University officials say, because
the current buildings are outdated
and overcrowded.
The new IET building is
expected to feature modern labs
for computer design, robotics,
electronics   and   plastics.   Also
Please See IET Page 13
-,s:s:^::^^a^j
LIFE LINE
INSIDE
INDEX
Briefly
Friday Night At the Movies
presents A'ijs of the Spider Woman
tonight at 7 tn Anspach 161 Admission is $ 1.50. and tickets are available
at Warriner Box Office, open from 10
am. to noon and 1 p.m to 4 p m
Park pow-wow
The  Board ol Trustees uH a spcoal
rr*csng lo dbass IfowetKy Parli
/Page 3
Toll time
Oao band road&ps to Tom'i Foolery lor
Sa&sdsy appearance
/Page 6
'Mr. CMU'
TatfghtTipoftPagell
A book about Dan Rose by a 1969 gradual is
on safe in t* UC Bookstore
In memory	
CMLTs cross county teams run In Jeff Drcnrh
Memorial hvCa&onal
/Page 9
UFE wiri?  page 2
CM YOU page3
Coersr.cnt page 4
BJoornCounry  pag?4
En!m*nment page 6
Big Guy on Campus  page 6
Spo&fe page 7
^^^^^^^^^      Code of Conduct P*ge7
Court Reports P*9<9
/Paae 11     Pc*«Rcp«rtsP»ge9
^^'^^^Spat^^^^^^^^^^^agelO