1982-02-08; Central Michigan Life

              Central Michigan LIFE
Vol.63 No.54
* J982CMLIFE
Mount Pleasant, Mieh. 48859
12 pages
Monday. Feb. 8.1982
Board proposes reading competency test
by DAVE ELLIS
LIFE Copy Editor
Future CMU students will have to pass a
reading competency test and complete all competency .requirements within a specified time if a
plan proposed Friday is enacted.
The plan, recommended by the Academic
Senate Executive Board, is designed to increase
students' benefits from their education. Provost
John Cantelon said.
Currently, students must have competency re
quirements fulfilled to graduate. But the new
plan would force students to complete the requirements well before graduation.
Forcing students to achieve competency in
areas of mathematics, speech, English composition and reading earlier in their college careers
could help students get more out of their education, Cantelon said.
"I hear perennial complaints from faculty saying students don't have the basic skills,** he said.
The competency requirements are entry-level
skills and students should have them as soon as
possible, said John Monahan. Senate chairman.
Some students do not read at college level and
the reading requirement would help remedy that,
said Monahan. associate professor of psychology.
**I think there are some students that do have
academic difficulty here simply because they
can't read well enough," said Wayne Kiefer.
Geography Department chairman and member of
the executive board.
"If we can do something to identify those people ... to catch those, we've just done something
to help the people at CMU.** he added.
"What you'd have to do is set up some sort of
screening and then set up courses," which still
have to be developed. Cantelon said.
One way screening could be done is with a 30-
minute placement test given to students during
new student orientation, Monahan said.
After the test, students would be deemed
either exempt from reading improvement
courses, deemed "questionable" in their reading
ability or required to take reading courses,
Monahan said. {gee ..Rea<r_paire ^
Black unity
Noted psychiatrist Alvin Poussaint addressed the problems of black unity in the keynote speech of Black History Month to a crowd of approximately 100 people In Bush Theatre Sunday night See related story, page 3.
Hall residents protest
gen ed requirements
by TERRI FINCH
LIFE Staff Writer
An Academic Senate proposal
to change University competency requirements has some Barnard Hall residents angry
enough to take action.
No moves have been made yet
by the Senate to adopt the proposal, which includes a suggestion to add reading to competency requirements and to require
students to complete all University competency requirements
by the end of their first two
semesters on campus.
But that's precisely why the
Barnard residents say they have
to make their protests heard
now.
"If we wait until it gets to the
floor to be voted on, it will be too
late." said Kim Wargo,
secretary of the Barnard dorm
council.
The proposal is one of a
number of suggestions the Acad-
mic Senate Executive Board will
submit to the Academic Senate
General Education subcommittee for consideration.
Wargo, of Sterling Heights, is
also a Student Government
Association freshman representative and said she heard about
the proposed changes through
SGA Academic Reform Director
Suzanne Israel.
Wargo. along with Barnard
council representative Ruth
Vandenberg. drafted a letter
stating their objections to the
proposed changes. The changes
will be discussed by the Senate's
General   Education  subcommit
tee Tuesday, Wargo said.
The letter, which was
unanimously approved by the
Barnard dorm council, states
that although the students
agree enacting a reading competency requirement is a good
idea, they feel students should
be able to take all the time they
need to fulfill University requirements. Wargo said.
The letter also states the
students' disapproval of the proposed suggestion that students
not be allowed to take any other
University courses if all competency requirements are not
fulfilled in their first two
semesters at CMU.
"We're totally against that,"
Wargo said. "Basing class status
(See "Competency"—page 11)
10 percent projected
Housing costs to jump
Room and board rate increases mentioned by
President Harold Abel at a recent meeting with
students are strictly a projected amount, a
University housing official said.
"There is nothing definite yet," said Jerry
Quick, assistant vice president for Residences
and Auxiliary Services.
"Right now we are still working on rate projections. There will probably be an 8 to 10 percent increase for the coming year." Quick said. "We will
try to do everything we can to minimize the increase."
There are so many uncontrollable factors housing cannot determine the amount of an increase
right now. Quick said.
"For example, we expect utility rates to increase 29 to 30 percent for next year, food will be
up somewhere between 5.5 and 8 percent,
employees'  wages are expected to go up. and
there will be a significant increase in telephone
rates.
"Once we have all this information, we will
make our projection and present it at the April 2
Board of Trustees meeting. They are the ones
that approve the increase." Quick said.
"We will follow very carefully the inflationary
trends." he said, "or else we will price the student
out of the market. We are trying to remain competitive with the other universities.
"One bright spot is that food costs are coming
down, the percentage increase is only half that of
last year's increase. Supplies and maintenance,
though, will be about 8 percent higher than last
year." Quick said.
"I will be very happy if the increase can be kept
in the single digit area, that is what we are
shooting for." Quick said.
Abel tells trustees 'quick fix'  not enough
by SHEILA GRUBER
LIFE News Editor
The Administration was given a vote of confidence for its budget
moves from the Board of Trustees Friday.
The Board reacted favorably to President Harold Abel's report on
reducing the University base budget, but will not be asked to act on
the plan until its next meeting.
In his report. Abel told trustees "one-time fixes simply aren't
enough any more. The problem grows faster than the solutions ...
we put out a fire here only to find a more threatening one right
behind it."
Instead of the "quick fixes," Abel proposed reducing the base
budget in addition to making temporary cuts as a "plan for healthy
survival."
Without the reduction, Abel said the University would have a
$2.1 million deficit by the end of fiscal 1984 — "a deficiency which
pushes us over the brink a disaster plan born of inaction. It is one
we cannot even consider."
The plan proposed by Abel, and already partially enacted, would
create a smaller base to eliminate the gap between revenue and expenditures on more of a long-term basis.
Built into the plan are enrollment declines, estimated at 500
students a year for the next two years, and tuition increases of 13
for Fall 1982 and $5.50 for Fall 1983. Abel said. Tuition and room and
board increases (see related story) are scheduled to be discussed by
the Board in April.
The plan also includes:
— Five percent cuts by each vice president in the University's
five divisions. Part of this element is an Academic Affairs plan to
reorganize the academic schools, combining the schools of Education with Health. Physical Education and Recreation: the schools of
Fine and Applied Arts with Arts and Sciences, saving an estimated
$300,000.
— Cuts from various accounts, such as the President's contingen-
<See "Troateea"—pa*e 7)
On-campus banking
decision delayed
bySCOTTFOSGARD
LIFE Staff Writer
A chance for on-campus banking service may be slipping
through the hands of the Board
of Trustees.
Had the Board approved
Michigan National Corp. of
Banks' proposal Friday to install
an  outdoor "Magic  Line**  ter
minal, students and faculty
could have been making deposits
and withdrawals with various
banks and credit unions within
six weeks, Ballard said.
However, the Board postponed making a decision on the plan
until their March 5 meeting and
now the Midland branch bank,
may lose the terminal its com-
(See "Banks"—page 7)
In Brief
There will be a Minority Awareness
Workshop for students Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
in Moore 119.
Campus
A LIFE police
reporter travels with
the Mount Pleasant city police and finds out
what life as an officer
is really like.
page3
A nine-year-old
Mount Pleasant girl is
elated when her father
purchases for her a
horse donated to
Public Broadcasting
Service.
page 12
Sports
The CMU men's
basketball team fell
closer to elimination
from the MAC playoff
race Saturday,
page 8
Index
Arts and Leisure 6
Classifieds \\
Comment 4
Doonesbury   4
Off the Wire 2
Sports s
Spotlife ii
Weather n