1983-04-08; Central Michigan Life

              Central Michigan LIFE
Vol. 64   No. 72
1983 CM LIFK
Mount Pleasant. Mich. 48859
14 pages
Friday. April 8.1983
Tragic fire
1963 blaze kills
remembered...
three students
DyDALEKILLINGBECK
LIFE Staff Writer
Tragedy hurts with a vengeance. It ar
rives unexpectedly and leaves only after
taking something precious like a love or a
life. Often it takes both.
On a Palm Sunday afternoon 20 years ago
today. Central students and the citizens of
Mount Pleasant learned first hand how
quickly a quiet afternoon can turn terrible
and unforgettable.
Before the afternoon was over three Cen
tral students would he dead. 13 people in
jured. and four stores in a campus mall —
where the Student Hook Kxchange, 209 K.
Bellows St., now stands — would be totally
destroyed by fire.
Robert Wheeler, now branch manager at
Chemical Bank Clare. 1908 S. Mission St..
remembers the day well. He was h years old
at the time.
""I was raking leaves that day about two
blocks from there (the mall). When I saw the
smoke I ran over to see what was going on,"
Wheeler said.
A crowd of people quickly gathered at the
front of the mall as thick black smoke rose
from the roof of the twosteiry structure,
Wheeler said.
While Wheeler and others were at the
front of the mall, which faced Bellows
Street, firemen were pouring water onto tin-
roof and north side of the building where
Jack's Campus drill was engulfed in flames.
One of the volunteer-, who helped man a
firehose was John Carroll, then a CM LIFK
photographer and reporter.
Carroll said he anil his fiance Cheene l.mi
Anderson were driving toward campus that
afternoon when they saw the firctrurks.
Thinking he might get photographs for the-
paper. Carroll said he followed the trucks.
'I had previous experience as a volunteer
fireman ... so being first on the -scene. I
figured the- best think I could do was help
the fireman." Carroll said.
(See "Fire" —page 2)
edition <£<mtrat Jffllhitfm Cite
SPECIAL
EDITION
«* »•"•>■   ****A,   AIWA •   Id
3 Die At Plaza Fire Sunday
*-■ Managing Editor Relates
Story of Tragic Event
U    ',n: i »r?f
Cash
infusion
Central to get $4 million
by MINDY NORTON
LIFE Ass't. News Editor
Central will have more than $1 million to add to its coffers this
month as the result of (lov. James Blanchard's plan to return
delayed state aid payments.
Blanchard announced Thursday a three step plan to return the
three monthly payments of state appropriations he has delayed
since taking office in January.
Central had approximately $8 million delayed as part of a $1.02
billion delay in payments to state college's and universities and local
governments.
The money is being returned as a result of a recent 38 percent in
come tax increase which eased the state's cash flow problems.
On April 18, ~>C, percent of the funds — more than $1 million to
Central - are expected to be returned, while up toTfi percent of the
funds are scheduled to be paid by May 23 and a total of Hf> percent
by J ijne 30, said Glen Preston, acting director of the Kducation Division with the Office of Management and Budget.
(See "Budget" — page 2)
Bleach found in
baby oil bottle
On   Monday   April   8.   1963.   CM   LIFE   published   one   of   the:   few   special
editions in its history
Assault charges may be press
ed in connect ion wit h an incident
in which baby oil n;is replaced
with chlorine bleach in Wheeler
Hall. DPS reported Thursday.
John McAuliffe. DPS director,
said a bottle of baby oil belong
ing to the female residents of
503 Wheeler Mall and used to
remove eve make-up was e-mp
tie-d of oil and replace-d with
chlorine' bli-aeh.
The contents of the- bottle
we-re- switche-d sometime after it
was purchase-d. McAuliffe- said.
Although the-re- is a suspe-ct in
the-    incident.    McAuliffe-    would
not re-lease- anv information
about the' suspect. The- baby oil
bottle- anel a bottle- eif chlorine
ble-ach be-leinging tei eine- e»f the-
room's residents have- he-em se-iz.
e-d. McAuliffe- aeldeel, anel both
will be- che-mie'ally analy/e-d.
"The-   vie-1im   fedt   ne>   need   te>
see-k   medical   treatment she
diseov ere-d it imme-diate ly ."
McAuliffe- said.
He- would nol rele-ase- the
name- eif the* w eiman involv e-d.
McAuliffe- s.ud the- matter
would be- turned mer to the pre*
se-eutor's offiee- for specific
eharges. if e-harges are- presse-el.
lThe for^er^fcfcislon:
ProTife/Pro^hpice
Counseling
aids decision
lEditur's nut, : l<i purt fir n nt it tnur part st r:, .*, I.IFF.
Cttpy Editnr .Vic/.- Assentieltt , xnntxnt s the Cnuust liutj
and eniutitinal tisp, cts «>lfiibtirtimis i
One of the- more* surprising aspe-ets of the- de-hate-
about abortion is most le-.i-.il he-alth authorities main
tain abortieins are- avoielable.
By making use of toeiay's extensive arrav of birth
control methods, womrn should be- able to avoid un
wante-el pregnancies, and e'e>nsei[ue-ntlv. avoid making
the- elcrisiein em whether to abort, health officials sav.
"My true- re'action is that abortions are pre-vt-n
table." said Kdward Brown, ailmmistralor of the-
University Health Se-rv ices. "Intelligent human beings
will prevent lllne'sses eir acts that are- av oidahle."
"All abe>rtions can he preventcei." said Shan Hav el.
general cemrelinateir of the' Women's Health and Infor
mation Project. "Meist ceiuld have bi'e'n prevented, but
people keep feirgctting te> think about pre-v enl ion.
"If someone is responsible enough to be- in a relation
ship, then the-y sheiuld be- responsible- e-nough to take-
care   of   pri'vention   also."    Havel.   Ste-rling   He-ighls
junior, said. I
Donald Bertsch. dire-dor of the- counse-ling cente-r.
said he believes "it is a phe-nomenon so many girls do
get pregnant with all the- ways there are to avoid it."
"The women who get pre-gnant usually haven't use-el
any form eif protection." he said.
(See "Counseling"— page M
L*.
FA files grievance over criteria
by JANET HASTINGS
LIFE Editor
A     grievance-    protesting    the-
Administration's   de-ve-loping   of
standards  anel erite-ria  to judge'
tenure' promotion anel re-appoint
ment has bee-n filed by the- Facul
tV   AssoCl.lt ion
IIihu--.it,   if   the-   FA   and   t he
Aelmmistrat ion    can    work    out
the I'nive-rsitv this fall, claims
under the- union's present eon
tr.
union'
de-te-
de
I'.lll.ris, i,    ; \ I'*.--   -*.'*"1   ii'. .11
me-eting   ui  the   union's   ge-ne-ral
me-mhe rship Thursday.
The-   grievance',   file-d   against
ict   thi-   de-te-rminat nm   of   the
standards      and      cnte-ria
tenure-,    promotion    and
pointme-nt are
de-part mental
McK
gr
Yet
ol     SI
tor
reap
■ve-lope-d  at   the
e-vel,     said      Kd
part mental     level,     saul     ral
■Ke-nna, e-hair man of t he- union
levance committe-e-.
'' -t. said McKenna. profe-ssor
>ciologv.   anthropology   and
soe-ial w irk. the union believes
the- Administration in making
decisions of these sorts is not
following the- procedures se't up
by t he de-part ments.
The- e-ontract states: "De-part
mental col!e-ague-s are- best in
forme-d and are- in the- best peisi
tion to arrive- at specific criteria
or obji-i-tiv is to satisfy contribu
(See "FA" — page 11)
Suspect
told'
to kill
by KALLIEB1LA
and PAUL MASON
LIFE Stall Writers
GRAND HAPIDS It  was the- "little
voice-" insult- Kdwardo Hescnde-/ that told
him to kill formeT CMU senior Jeanne
Couture- last April, de-fe-nse- attorne-v
Charles HomingeT said Thurseiay.
"Something said 'kill he-r.'" Bommge-r
said in his ope-ning statement.
"(Hesende'Z' eloesn't know what it was.
he-'s   not   trying   to  conelone   it.   he-'s   not
making exe-uses about it."
"He' put his haneis around he-r ne-ck te>
kill heT. Once- Ihe- realization hit Kddie it
plunged him into ele-e-p psv chosis. It had
broken the- tenuous ties to re-ality because
he- became- almost robot like-," Heiminger
saiel.
Ke-nt County Assistant Prosecutor
Steven A. Dunke-r is prosecuting the case
against He-se-nde-z. 22. of Grand Hapids,
who is accuse-d of killing Couture, of
Che-boygan. Bominger, of Grand Hapids,
(Sec "Couture" — page 2)
Students hit with ultimatums
by TOM WICKHAM
and WENDY GAGER
LIFE Stalf Writers
Appreiximately 2-Vi stude-nts
were- surprise-d to hear the-y
ceiulel not e-at dinner in Universi
ty re-side-nce- halls Tuesday
because they have ne>t paid
eiutslanding ele-bts to the- Univer
sitv.
As a result, the stueie-nts.
whose' few id cards have- been in
validated, face- a possibility of
be*ing cut from the-ir classes anel
expelled from the- University if
the-y eiei neit pay by Memday, said
Mary Pembroke, manage-r of
Receivable Accounting.
Invalidation eif stuele-nt feiod
canls for stueie'nts with more
than  $100   in   Unive-rsitv   debts.
be-gan Tue-seiay night but
stude-nts were-allow e-el tei e-at un
til Wednesday evening when the
invalidation officially took e-f
fe-ct. she- saiel.
IVmhreike- added she eloes not
know how many stuelents have-
paid their bills since Tue-selay.
Off campus students who owe-
the- Unive-rsity money also face-
wit helrawa! fremi classe-s if they
do not pay.
"It (the invalidation) was used
as a warning tei students."
George- Je-nnings. director of
Housing, sairl. "They were allow
e-el to ge> threiugh the lines but if
they didn't cemtact one of the
assistant (housing* directors
they could not eat dinner
(Wedneselay)."
(See "Fe>e>d Cards"—page H)
In Brief
Studio 12. a CMU jazz ensemble, will perform
in a simulcast on cable channel 2 and WMHW-
FM 91 at 10 p.m. Sunday.
Campus
The University
Committee on Special
Behavioral Concerns
has presented its final
report to the Administration.
page 3
A march to "Take
Hack the Night" has
been scheduled for
tonight by the Isabella
County Sexual Assault
Task Force.
page 3
Sports
The      Chippewas
crushed       Saginaw
Valley Wednesday,
page 10
Index
Arts and Leisure 6
Classifieds 13
Comment 4
Hotel America 4
Off the Wire 2
Sports 10
Spotlife 13
Weather 13