1993-09-10; Central Michigan Life

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Sexism in class
Women treated differently than men?
Page 3
Home runs
Baseball comedy is a hit
Page 8
IT'S NOW OR NEVER
CMU football faces a must-win game
Page 10
Central
Michigan
<lXfMB£ftiNUMBER 6
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«D 1993 CM LIFE
<517) 7t4-3493
    ....     '
Faculty Association members ratify contract
By Marjory Raymer
i U [    ST,-ft WmIpi	
rFhe Faculty Association cast
a vote of approval Wednesday
and Thursday for the three-year
contract with a zero percent salary increase* for the first year.
With 40-50 percent voting
participation, the contract was
passed by a close margin, but
specific    numbers    were    not
released.
Upon approval by the Hoard
of Trustees, the contract will
replace the previous three*-year
agreement which expired June
3<>. The next Board of* Trustees
meeting is scheduled for Oct. 1.
Unless a special session is
called, the Hoard will vote at
t hat time.
"I  think the vote reflects the
fact that <faculty) are willing to
share the burden of financal
problems, but they're not really
enthusiastic about it," FA President William Cron said
After the one-year salary
freeze, a 3 percent salary
increase is mandated in the
1994-95 and 1995-96 academic
years. In tin* previous contract,
salarv increases ranged from 5
to 7 percent per year.
Losses in insurance coverage
might be felt by faculty during
this contract Caps were placed
on t he amount of CMU payment
toward hospital/ surgical and
dental insurance in later years
of the contract. Previously, the
university was responsible for
the* cost with no limit on the
increase.
In the second and third years
of the contract, a 5 percent
increase in charges will be covered by CMU for hospital surgical  insurance.
Dental insurance is fully covered for two years of the contract, but in the 1995-96
academic year a 4.6 percent
increase is allowed.
See CONTRACT Page 2
President Leonard E.
Plachta announced
Wednesday his state
of the university address, scheduled for
Monday, was canceled and rescheduled for Oct. 6. He
refused to comment
on reasons for the
postponement.
Diversity council
gives Plachta its
recommendations
By Kelly L. Adams
The Diversity Issues and Awareness Council has made its recommendations to President  Leonard E. Plachta
The council, formed by the Academic Senate at the end of spring
semester, has been assessing what it feels needs to be done to
accomplish a harmonic racial climate on campus.
The council reviewed recommendations made by an assortment of
groups over t he last 1 2 years, and developed their own recommendations. The councils recommendations were developed to provide
substance to each part of Plachta's six-point plan for improving the
campus racial climate, also announced at the end of spring semester.
The following is a list of Plachta's six-point plan accompanied by
the council's recommendations for improving each individual section
of that plan.
■ Increase the effort to recruit minority faculty, staff and students,
including strengthening the Affirmative Action Office.
A-Senato recommendations: The vacant assistants position in
the Affirmative Action Office should be filled. Executive* status
should be given to the Affirmative Action officer. Coals for attraction
and retention of minority faculty and staff"should be publicized. The
university should maintain the Minority Leadership Award at the
level of three per year.
■ Review   the  organization   and  staffing  of   all   minority   services
depart merits.
A vice presidential position for multicultural affairs should be
ci eat i*cl. Staffing minorit v and mult icult ural offices should be roexa-
Taking a break!
DIVERSE Pacje 18
Chuck Elsenheimer, Grant senior, took some time to relax before a strenuous marching band practice
LIFE Photo Amy Swartout
Thursday evening.
Department heads find faults with cuts
By Marjory Raymer
Tension rose during an
informational meeting for the
College of Arts and Sciences as
faculty questioned Phase III
budget cuts
None of t he six departments
suggested for realignment support the merger, ('hairs from
philosophy, religion, journalism, broadcast and cinematic
art s. geology and geography displayed their dissatisfaction
with the plan for budget cuts as
John Haeger. dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and
President Leonard K Plachta
listened.
Several faculty members said
they were put in an unfair position by Provost Robert Franke's
Phase 111 Budget Reduction and
the Program Review Recommendations     Report     released
Aug 13
"Vfhe proposal* is not a creative process of how we can
improve t his place," said James
Wieghart. associate professor of
journalism "Its 'we have come
up with this over the summer
when you were gone, and now
you must vott* on it Rut. if you
don't, then some awful things
art- going to happen to you. he
...id
"The choice is between sacrificing our colleagues and sacrificing in entire department."
said Academic Senate Chairman David Smith, chair of
religion 'Alternatives were not
considered cm* debated openly in
Vote slated to occur
within two weeks
By Marjory Raymer
Department heads criticized proposed departmental realignments during t he informational meeting for faculty of the ( 'ollege of
Arts and Sciences Thursday.
Department chairs from philosophy, religion, journalism, broadcast and cinematic arts, geology and geography expressed concern
about the effects of mergers in an attempt to influence voting for
rejection or acceptance by faculty of the proposed mergers. The
voting is scheduled to take place within the next two to three weeks
for the ("ollege of Arts and Sciences.
The proposal to combine departments comes from the Phase III
liudget Reduction and Program Review Recommendations Report
by Franke released Aug 13.
"The department chairs were obviously not happy with any of the
proposals for mergers in the college." said John Haeger, dean of the
('ollege of Arts and Sciences.
If departments do not approve the mergers, Haeger suggested the
$149,000 of Phase III budget reductions come from eliminating 3.5
faculty f ull-t ime equivalent positions total ing $1 15,500, reducing the
program activities account by $20,000 and dropping $1 3,500 from
supplies, materials and contractual services.
If the faculty supports two departmental mergers, $80,000 can be
saved. In this instance, the dean suggested dropping 1.5 faculty
FTKs. saving $49,000 and cutting $20,000 from the college program-
mat ic activities account    SMCS would not be affected.
Five of the departments strongly objected to the possibility to
combine with another department within the college. The geography
department, however, while not supporting a realignment, realizes
the mergers are necessary and is willing to work toward combining
See INFORM Page  1 8
the university community."
Alt ernat ive suggest ions
made   bv   the   faculty   included
eliminating the* Centralis Program, postponing groundbreaking on the new music building
and canceling Plachta's new ini-
tiatives program that adds a
separate College of" Science and
Technology.
Applause came from faculty
members as < iiiv Meiss. associate professor of journalism, suggested a way to save money for
t he ( 'ollege of Arts and Sciences
"The fact is somebody should
be concerned about t he future of
this university and it certainly
isn't the provost." Meiss said. "I
would recommend, if you're
looking for $100,000, fire the
provost "
Haeger said pressure from
the financial status of the university has reduced the number
of possihilit ies.
"There is never going to lie an
alternative that were all really
going to feel comfortable with."
he said 'The money is not then*
anymore."
President Leonard K Plachta
attended the meeting, but said
he had no reaction to the discussion.
**I just came to listen and to
learn." he said.
Both the College of Business
Administration and the College
of Education, Health and
Human Services held informational meetings for faculty last
week Targeted department
heads spoke during those meetings also.
Voting on the mergers is
expected by all the colleges in
the next several weeks.
Student: firing was
racially motivated
By Jill Behnke
CMC student Julius Mavfield
was fired from a Mount Pleasant
store Wednesday, for reasons he
said wen* racially motivated
Mayfleld's termination from
his position at the Mount Pleasant Meijer Inc.. 1015 K. Pickard.
came following his suspension
without pay and an investigation
by t he store
Mavfield. Bangor graduate
student, said he had worked for
Meijer for three years as a sporting goods clerk before he was
accused of stealing a pen and was
suspended by store* director
Richard Domeyer Aug. 31.
Mavfield said he took the pen.
which he was going to pay for on
his break, and a pack of pens to be
used by customers in his section.
back to his desk.
Phis was standard procedure
for employees, he added.
"An hour later. I got accused of
shoplifting. They didn't let me
explain; they said 'You did it." I
was never asked what happened
I was t ried. convicted and hung at
the same time." Mavfield said
"They were trying to get me
before." Mavfield said "They had
a problem with me personally
because I'm black and I speak my
mind. It scares people. They're
not very democratic, more of a
dictatorship. Their        ideal
employee would be passive."
Domeyer called t he termination an "in-house issue."
"This   is   between   Meijer   and
Mr. Mavfield   For Mr   Mavfield s
benefit, I  prefer not to comment
How we operate is up to us." he
said.
Mavfield   said   store   personnel
asked   him   not   to  come  into tin-
store   during   the    investigation
but he went in Wednesday morn
mg
"I was tired of waiting. I knew
what was going to happen and
had prepared myself The invest i-
gatinn was just a runuround
They juM needed tune to (over
t heir t racks." he said
Domeyer said the incident
"was not racially motivated."
When asked if he thought his
>tore had a problem with racial
tensions. Domeyer said. "Abso
lutely not."
According   to   Mavfield,   there
Sf       FIRING Pacje   I
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