1981-12-11; Central Michigan Life

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Central Michi
LIFE
Vol.63 No. 42
_ 1981 .CM LIFE*
Mount Pleasant, Mich. 48859
14 pages
Friday, Dec. 11,1981
tudent's suicide prompts inquiry
by JOHN BARNES
LIFE Editor
The father of a former CMU graduate student who committed
suicide two weeks ago is asking the University to investigate problems he says are related to the Doctor of Psychology degree program and which he claims triggered his son's death.
Arthur Massolo, of Port Washington, N.Y., is claiming undue
pressures, some instructors and their methods were major factors
causing his son, Richard, to take his own life.
Richard L. Massolo, 33, of Farwell, was found dead of carbon
monoxide asphyxiation Nov. 25 in his car near Baldwin, according to
the Lake County Sheriffs Department. A rubber hose was con-
Wife, father
express anger
by JOHN BARNES
LIFE Editor
Family members of Richard
Massolo, a former CMU student
who committed suicide two
weeks ago, are pointing angry
fingers at the University and
the Doctor of Psychology program they claim were major factors causing him to take his life.
However, while instructors involved with CMU's first, and only, doctoral program are calling
the suicide a "tragedy," any at
tempt to blame the program
solely for Massolo's death is "unfair," they say.
Massolo was found dead in his
car Nov. 25 of carbon monoxide
asphyxiation near Baldwin, according to the Lake County
Sheriffs Department. A 44-page
note, which in parts, referred to
frustration and anger connected
with the program, was found.
"I'm angry beyond anything
you can think of," said Massolo's
father, Arthur. "All I heard for
(See "Reaction"—page 12)
nected from the vehicle's exhaust pipe to the car's interior, a department spokeswoman said.
Richard left a 44-page suicide note which included names of some
faculty members associated with the doctoral program and in parts
expressed frustration and anger with some instructors and classes,
factors his wife and family members say they believe contributed to
his despondency.
Arthur Massolo sent copies of a letter, addressed to Psychology
Department Chairman Michael Kent, to President Harold Abel and
three other faculty members of the Psychology Department.
Kent said Thursday he intends to look into charges outlined in
Massolo's letter.
"I will investigate the validity of his allegations and concerns,"
Kent said.
Doctoral unit coordinator Roger Van Horn said he was "shocked
and dismayed" at the suicide, but he did not believe the program
was unnecessarily overly stressful.
"I don't think it needs to be viewed as a program which is constantly trying to impose stress on people. I don't think there's any
sort of intentional pressure," Van Horn said.
"But once you're in a doctoral program, the persons usually have
a lot invested and the rewards and punishments are pretty severe.
If you make it, you do. If you don't, there is that worry, what do you
do, where do you go from here?", he added.
Richard and a classmate, Louis Terasi, Pittsburg graduate student, were asked to resign from the doctoral program in September
after being charged with cheating on a take-home comprehensive
examination.
According to Terasi, the two had collaborated on the examination
and called in a Michigan State University professor to check their
results.
"I can only say getting expelled from the doctoral program did
profoundly affect him," Terasi said. "I understand only too well how
and why he did what he did. The pain was too much.
"There is no question in my mind that we had violated the rules,"
Terasi said. "But essentially the idea was, since we didn't trust...
the questions, we thought we'd check it out."
In 1979, Terasi started and was named chairman of a special stu
dent organization called the Association of Doctoral Psychology
Students to address concerns by students in the doctoral program.
Terasi said the association was started "because of abuses to the
student body in terms of unacceptable pressure and unacceptable
vagueness of standards," and, "I felt the doctoral program here was
sufficiently weak and poorly designed that we had to have some
clout."
However, Terasi is not the only student to have expressed concern over the program's structure and alleged vagueness of standards.
Last year at least 14 students in the clinical unit of the
Psychology  Department,  including some  doctoral  students, ap-
(See "Suicide"—page 2)
Psych program
has hit snags
by JOHN BARNES
LIFE Editor
Since it was given the go
ahead by the state Board of
Education in 1974, CMU's Doctor of Psychology degree program (Psy.D.) has traveled a
sometimes rocky road.
Created as an applied, service-
oriented program, the doctoral
program was one of only four in
the nation when it was first
structured as a new concept to
provide a more clinically-
oriented     experience     for
students, rather than a research
oriented doctorate.
But while faculty members
and administrators say the program is essentially on course, it
has run into a number of
roadblocks along the way.
Roger Van Horn, coordinator
of the nine-member doctoral unit
charged with overseeing the
program, says he believes the
program has proved its
legitimacy and any concerns
over its validity as a doctoral
program are related to its
(See "History"—page 12)
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Choice
Picketers support abortion option
CM LIFE/Eric Revels
Irene Desiderio, left, Troy junior and Ann Dowell, Flint freshman, were among 11 persons
braving the cold Wednesday to protest anti-abortion legislation in front of Park Library.
byTOMK-PHART
LIFE Staff Writer
Students supporting the right for a
woman to choose an abortion picketed in
front of Park Library Wednesday, carrying
hand-lettered signs and passing out
literature.
The students, members of Michigan
Students for Reproductive Freedom, spoke
to passersby, expressing concern that the
right to choose an abortion, established by
the Supreme Court in 1973, may be taken
away by legislation currently in Congress.
The group emphasized that they are not
pro-abortion, but instead are attempting to
protect a woman's right to choose abortion
over giving birth to an unwanted child. The
picketers also expressed concern that if
abortion was made illegal, women would
have to turn to unsafe methods, rather than
the safe, legal methods currently available.
"In just January to March of this year,
12,000 abortions were performed in
Michigan," said Rosemary Bayer, leader of
the group. "Imagine the increase in unwanted children and unsafe abortions if it
was made illegal."
Bayer, New Baltimore senior, and Carol
Branch, Jackson junior, both said many unwanted pregnancies are caused by inadequate information about birth control.
, The women also said they were worried
about the possibility that if abortion is made
illegal, no provisions will be made to care for
children born to underprivileged families.
This situation could be avoided if abortion
remains a choice, Bayer said.
Although many people who talked to the
demonstrators agreed with them, several
did not, and expressed their own feelings on
the subject.
"The question is, at what point does life
start," said Kevin Latta, Coleman
sophomore. "When a child is conceived, he is
a person. In an abortion, he's killed. The
woman is an accomplice to an assassination,
and the doctor is the assassin. I don't think
assassination or murder should be allowed."
Two pieces of legislation currently being
debated in Washington D.C. are the major
cause of concern for the participants of the
rally. These are the Family Protection Act,
currently stalled in several House committees, and the Human Life Amendment,
which has been referred to the Judiciary
Committees in both the House and the
Senate, according to Theresa Bourgeois,
press secretary to U.S. Representative Don
Albosta, D-St. Charles.
Bourgeois said the wording of the bills indicates the aim of the Family Protection Act
is to "strengthen the American family and
(See "Rally"—page 14)
School restructuring to aid ailing budget
by JOHN BARNES
LIFE Editor
and JAMES ISELER
LIFE News Editor
Plans to reorganize, and in some cases combine, CMU's schools
will be discussed today in a meeting between the University's
Academic Planning Council and Provost John Cantelon.
The council received two plans from Cantelon Thursday and will
discuss them at 1 p.m. today, Cantelon said. The plans were
prepared as part of an effort to trim $650,000 from the Academic Affairs Division.
" Although the plans include departmental shuffling and elimination of some administrative positions, no departments will be cut in
the move, Cantelon said.
"An organization will occur. I think
reorganization has got to be an element
in (plans to reduce spending by
$650,000)."—Provost John Cantelon
"Both plans protect the present instructional capacity of the
University as it is," Cantelon said.
In a memo circulated to department chairpersons Thursday,
Cantelon said there were two primary reasons for proposing the
plans at this time.
First, they make "good educational sense," and secondly, "they
represent an opportunity to save considerable amounts of money
through organization rather than through drastic program eliminations," Cantelon said in the memo, which also contained copies of the
proposals.
Plan I, termed "minimal reorganization" by Cantelon, would consolidate the School of Education with the School of Health, Physical
Education and Recreation. The new "School of Education, Health
and Human Services" would be administered by one dean and two
associate deans, Cantelon said.
Plan II would combine Education and HPER and also would combine the School of Arts and Sciences with the School of Fine and Applied Arts. The new "College of Arts and Sciences" would contain
(See "Reorganization"—page 14)
In Brief
All refunds from Fall Semester financial aid
accounts will be mailed to students in early
February. No refunds will be mailed during
December.
Campus
A local dentist's
stolen holiday decorations takes the
"Merry" out of his
Christmas.
page 3
An athlete who has
lost the use of his legs
tells how he learned to
deal with his disability.
page 14
Sports
The CMU basketball
team   beat   Big   Ten
school     Wisconsin
Wednesday night.
page 10
Index
Arts and Leisure 6
Classifieds > 13
Comment 4
Doonesbury   4
Horoscope. 12
Off the Wire 2
Sports 10
Spotlife 12