1979-08-31; Central Michigan Life

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LIFE
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Today: W»rm, high 75, low 68
Saturday: Chance of ihowers, high, 72,
low, 60
,Vol.61No.3
Central Michigan LIFE •.«•
Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859
Telephones:     774-3493774-3830
Friday, Aug, 81,1979
City to help
area tenants
byDANGUIDO
LIFE Staff Writer
Students who have complaints
concerning the condition of the
house or apartment they live in
should be aware there is a city
official who is more than ready
to help out.
McCracken, Mount
Housing Inspector,
students have ex-
problems with
heating or wiring,
contact  him  im-
William
Pleasant's
reports  if
perienced
plumbing,
they  should
mediately.
"If a tenant has a housing
problem that could endanger his
or her life or limb, they ought to
"...ill call the
landlord and ask him
to make the
necessary repairs as
soon as possible"—
William McCracken,
Mount Pleasant
Housing Inspector
call me as soon as possible,"
McCracken^aid.^ ...  ..........
However^"renters should also
inform their landlord of the
nature of the problem when they
call the inspector's office. Even
if they have spoken to their
landlord before the issue at
hand, it is best to notify the
landlord again, McCracken said.
"When they call, we'll set up
an appointment so they can
come down and fill out a complaint report. After that, I'll go
out to the rental unit and investigate the complaint and
determine if the renter's
statements are'factual.   .
"If they are, I'll call the
landlord and ask him to make
the necessary repairs as soon as
possible. I almost never have to
take it any farther than that."
McCracken said he has only
taken "a few" landlords to court
about code violations in the
seven years the city's housing
code has been in effect.
"When I call a landlord and
tell him he is violating the
housing code and must make
repairs, he usually does what I
ask. If he doesn't comply, he
knows I can evoke the housing
code 'against him. But that
doesn't happen often."
McCracken, a 1972 graduate
of CMU, said the best method of
dealing with problems of a less
serious nature is to both call and
write the landlord of the matter,
and then contact the housing
inspector's office if nothing is
done to rectify the situation.
"In that way, the landlord
cannot claim he was never
notified of the complaint," he
said.
McCracken said he was unsure why the City Commission
discussed Monday the
possibility of placing advertisements in student media
in order to solicit information
from students concerning
landlords who are not properly
licensed. •'"'..
"We go out, at least once a
year, every year, and inspect all
of the rental units in the city.
Overall; I'd say the quality of the
units in Mount Pleasant is not
bad, I can't see why they'would
want to get student's complaints."
McCracken said any tenant,
whether student or a city
resident, who is experiencing
problems in the building they
rent, should call him at 773-7971
between 8 and 9 a.m. and 1 and 2
p.m. Monday through-Friday.
LIFE takes break
Because of the three-day- weekend, CM LIFE will take a break
from publishing Monday. LIFE will resume publication Wednesday
as usual. The staff of LIFE wishes everyone a safe and happy
weekend.
M
#^^fef»«^»S
Like father, like son?
-CM UFE PHOTO BY MICHAELS. GREEN
Some students, such as Norman LaBarge, pontiac
senior, took advantage of Late Registration Wednesday.
But   his   five-month-old   son   Matthew   looks   rather
disinterested and has better uses for the registration
forms.
Housing hopes no-shows will
ease overcrowding in dorms
by SARAH A. ROWLEY
LIFE Staff Writer
Although the official count won't be in until next week, there are
an estimated 6,475 students in the overcrowded residence halls.
"We won't have an official count until next Wednesday," John
Fisher, assistant director of Housing Operations, said. "We don't
count heads until the second week of school because we have to hold
the rooms for those people who don't come in until after Labor Day.
"Right now, the residence hall directors are calling the people
who haven't shown up to see if they are coming or not," Fisher
added.
He said the dorm resident estimation is in a state of flux. Without
overloading, the dorms accomodate 6,096 students.
Letters were sent to all returning students who were scheduled
to live in the dorms telling them they could, just this one time, break
their housing contract without paying the usual $100 charge.
And although all freshmen were placed into the dorms, 120
refunds were made to transfer students who were on the waiting
list for the residence halls. Fisher said the number of refunds is low
however, because many of those who were on the waiting list found
other accommodations earlier in the summer.
"We wrote these students and told them their chances of getting
in the dorm didn't look very good," Fisher said, "so many cancelled
before it came to giving the refunds."
Because students make their first room and board payment in
June, the no-show rate traditionally is low at CMU, Fisher said.
"It is under 1 percent, which is a phenomenally low percentage
rate," he said. "It is low because students have got $200 down. Other
schools don't charge the first payment so early or don't require as
much money."
The results of the letter telling students they could break their
housing contract brought 34 percent more cancellations. Last year,
74 students broke the contract during the three-week period ending
Aug. 17 and this year, there were 112 students who broke their
contracts.
Bats in belfry no joke to some area residents
by MIKE WRIGHT
LIFE Staff Writer
A common joke describing
someone thought to be insane is
to say the person has "bats in his
belfry;'
To some residents of Mount
Pleasant, however, bats in the
belfry is a reality and definitely
no joke.
Bats; small, brown, winged
creatures which often turn into
vampires    in    Boris    Karloff
movies, are not an uncommon
sight for students - ren*-:«or
houses off-campus.
"Bats have been a feature in
Mount Pleasant for a few years,"
says Larry Caldwell, professor
of biology.
To some residents of off-
campus housing, in i'act, it is not
uncommon to find a bat soaring
around one of ihe rooms' or
hearing it squeal.ing in the attic.
Sherry ParKer, Lexington
senior, said s'ae wandered into
her living roan at 615 Oak St, to
find she was not alone.'
"It was just flying around the
room," she said. "I think it came
from the basement."
Her reaction to the sight? "I
screamed and ran into my room.
My initial reaction was fear. I
didn't wan,t to be bitten."
Caldwell said Parker probably*
saw a Big Brown Bat, which is
the type frequently found in this
area.
"The bats shift around and
migrate during this time of the
year,"    Caldwell    explained.
"They usually live in old homes
and buildings and, will often
snfindthe winter there."
Caldwell said it is not un*
common for bats to be seen in
Mount Pleasant. "Sometimes in
the winter if the weather warms
up a bit the bats can be heard
squeaking in the attic."
Caldwell says bats usually live
a long time and despite what the
average onlooker may think,
they are not out to bite anyone.
"Bats   don't   usually  attack
(See Bats—page 12)
In Brief
The University Health Service will have
special hours for the Labor Diiy weekend.
The center willbe open Saturday and Sunday
from 8 a.m. to 4 pain. It will be closed Monday.
The .UHS will*esume regular hours Tuesday.
Campus
Students Should sign both their major and
minor by the end of their sophomore year, an
Academic Information official says. Any senior
who has not signed a major or minor should do
so immediately, if expecting to graduate.
Page3
Two intersquad
scrimmages have shown
that the CMU football
team must improve on
consistency before its
home opener against
Western Michigan Sept
PageS
Index
Classifieds.. ...... 11
Comment 4
Doonesbury .. ... 4
Entertainment........... 6
Horoscope........,■..... n
Off the Wire..; 2
Sports g
Spotlife............ ....ii
TV Listings... ...... 10
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