1978-02-15; Central Michigan Life

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Volume 59 No. 56
% 197H. Central Michigan UFE
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LIFE
Mount Pleasant, Mich. 48859 Wednesday, Feb. 15,1978
Private trustee sessions
to continue Saturday
byPAULRAU
LIFE Managing Editor
A series of closed session
discussions will be continued
Saturday by the CMU Board of
Trustees in a meeting called by
board Chairperson Leo A.
Farhat.
The meeting, closed to the
public and the press, will be a
continuation of private talks
conducted by the trustees
Monday and Feb. 4 following a
regular meeting on that date.
Saturday's session, Farhat
said, will be on the same subject
as the preceding two - the role
of the Board of Trustees in the
administration of the University. The topic stems from a
motion made by Vice Chairperson Alfred J. Fortino at the
close of the Feb. 4 meeting to
"go into closed session to discuss
pending litigation and the role of
the board in administration."
The Board of Trustees has not
formally adjourned since its Jan.
18 meeting; the closed sessions
Feb. 4 and Monday were
recessed, according to Terrence
J. Carey, secretary of the Board
of Trustees.
"We're covering a lot of things
in the spectrum of problems
we're having up there (CMU),"
Farhat said from his Lansing
law office Tuesday.
The possibility of including
CMU's academic deans in
Saturday's closed session was
discussed by board members,
Farhat said, but the Idea finally
was rejected at about 6 p.m.
Tuesday with the announcement
the session would include only
board members.
"We were thinking about it
(asking the deans to attend the
meeting), but the board decided
not to go that far," Farhat said.
Carey said the possible inclusion of the deans in Saturday's closed discussion was first
brought up by board members
late  Monday  afternoon.
"The board asked me to check
(into including the deans), but I
have been told not to check,"
Carey said Tuesday, declining to
say who had asked him not to
check.
Another factor in the closed
trustee meetings is a self-study
performed by the board
members assessing the role and
effectiveness of the board.
The self-study, initiated near
the beginning of Fall Semester
1977, was completed in time for
the January board meeting,
Farhat said.
"The self-study is completed
and in my possession," Farhat
said. "The results have not been
focused on by the entire board
membership, but they do form
the backdrop of our
discussions."
President Harold Abel; who
said he "did not participate at
all" in Monday's private board
session, indicated he is unsure if
he will attend the Saturday
meeting.
"The board secretary (Carey)
told me he will be asking us (the
president and vice presidents)to'
stand .. Jby.'.V  Abel. said   .when
contacted Tuesday night.
"I was there (the Feb. 4 closed
session) for a short time, then I
left. I have not been back and I
have not asked to come back. I
understand they (trustees) have
been looking at themselves and
the institution - this is a project
they have been looking forward
to for a long time," Abel said.
"That's all I really know; I'm
not asking any questions," he
added.
Private discussions concerning the governance of the
University have been a sore spot
with some trustees since
passage of the Open Meetings
Act in 1977.
Among the most outspoken is
former board chairperson
Fortino, who has claimed the
Open Meetings Act is making it
impossible   for   the   Board   of
Trustees to perform its functions.
After the Jan. 18 board
meeting, at which Fortino's
motion to go into closed session
was defeated because of
questions about the suitability
of topics he proposed, Fortino
said: "It is imperative we talk
about governance. We must
discuss it and we can't.
"More and more, we are
hampered by one thing or
another. We must discuss the
role of the board in the light of
the new faculty contract and the
Open Meetings Act," Fortino
said at that time.
Uzoma Udonsi, Police Kano freshman, models an example of
customary Nigerian apparel at the Black History Month Fashion
Show conducted Tuesday night in the University Center
Ballroom. The show featured both traditional and modern ebony
fashions. The event included piano music by Craig Matthews and
was followed by an African Taster (LIFE photo by Ron Nichols).
Petition response in mail
Provost to see critics
by TONY BEARING
LIFE News Editor
Provost John Cantelon has offered to meet with a group of
disgruntled department chairpersons who last week petitioned him
for more input into academic decision-making at CMU.
Cantelon said Tuesday he has written letters to all 16 chairpersons in the School of Arts and Sciences offering to meet with
them as a group, and also to separately meet with faculty in each of
their departments.
Cantelon said the chairperson should receive his communication
sometime this week.
The most senior member among the school's chairpersons,
Bernard Meltzer, said he was pleased Cantelon's response was on
thfe.way,    , .. .
He said although Cantelon had made an offer to meet with the
petitioners through a prepared statement released to CM LIFE'
Friday, the chairpersons have been waiting for a more formal
response before determining their next move.
"As soon as I get a hold of the letter, I'll be glad to act upon it,"
Meltzer, Sociology and Anthropology chairperson, said.
The school chairpersons petitioned Cantelon last week with a list
of four "common frustrations" they face as chairpersons, saying
they wished to "emphasize the seriousness of... continuing
problems."
Every department chairperson in the school signed the letter,
which in essence was a strongly-worded complaint at what the
chairpersons identified as the provost's practice of making decisions
affecting faculty with little or no prior faculty input.
With the next move now up to the chairpersons, Meltzer said the
group probably will meet next Monday, presumably to accept
Cantelon's offer and arrange a discussion with him.
Cantelon also said Tuesday he is optimistic a meeting with the
chairpersons will be fruitful.
"I'm optimistic by nature," he said. "The kind of issues the
chairpersons posed can be resolved.
"I believe they have some misconceptions concerning the planning process which I hope can be cleared up," Cantelon said.
"I hope the resolution of a meeting between us would be that we
would have a better understanding of their problems and they
would have a better understanding of the planning process and the
function of the Provost's Office," he said.
Cantelon releases chairperson advertisement
JRN assured "ample time' to study merger
byPETEENGARDIO
LIFE Staff Writer
and
JIM FISHER
LIFE Copy Editor
A combination of the Journalism   Department   and   the
Broadcast and Cinematic Arts
Area (BCA) for Fall Semester
1978 has virtually been ruled
out.
Provost  John  Cantelon  announced   Tuesday   Journalism
Department faculty will have
"ample time" to thoroughly
examine the pros and cons of the
controversial merger proposal.
Cantelon's statements came
Tuesday after he met with
journalism faculty members.
"I told the journalism faculty
it certainly has time to study the
merger thoroughly," Cantelon
said following the meeting. "I
assume the discussions .will not
be completed by next fall."
Cantelon also announced at
the meeting advertisement,for
the position of Journalism
Department chairperson, which
will be vacated by Gilbert
Maienknecht at the end of this
semester, will be released
immediately.
Frank Stillings, dean of the
School of Fine and Applied Arts,
said the advertisement had been
retained in his office pending
discussions about the proposed
merger.
According to a Journalism
Department spokesperson, the
advertisement had been sulv-
mitted to Stillings in mid-
January.
The journalism faculty Feb. 6
called for Cantelon to immediately release the advertisement because further
delay would hurt the department's chances of attracting a
qualified chairperson.
Stillings acknowledged
Tuesday the advertisement
would be released for
publication.
At the Feb. 6 journalism
faculty meeting, which was open
to the press, the faculty also
recommended the merger be
considered under the
procedures established for
examination of the University-
wide reorganization.
"I    imagine    that    since
Among the romantic, Valentine's Day is never just an ordinary day, and CMU certainly saw some out-
of-the-ordinary valentine cards Tuesday. Some students tried to express their valentine messages in a
big way by entering WMHW FM 91's "Biggest and Best Valentine" contest (above). However, to School
of Arts and Sciences faculty such as Eric Johnson, assistant professor of history, Valentine's Day was a
perfect occasion to sport "Sweet Adelyn'* valentines to publicize dissatisfaction with the resignation of
their dean, Adeiyn Dougherty (LIFE photos by PamEckman and Peter Luke).
discussions of the proposed
merger will coincide with
.discussion of the reorganization,
they will be considered using
the same procedures," Cantelon
said Tuesday.
Tuesday's meeting was the
first time Cantelon met with
either BCA or journalism
faculty, although he announced
the merger was in the
"discussion stage" nearly a
month ago.
Cantelon said he had been
waiting for the faculty of the
two areas to meet among
themselves before discussing
the proposed merger with them.
Cantelon said he met with
journalism faculty because of
"controversy which surrounded
the merger" and said he intends
to meet with BCA faculty soon.
Cantelon said discussion at
Tuesday's meeting centered on
circumstances surrounding the
proposed merger and faculty
concerns over the merger
possibility. After the meeting,
Cantelon said he sensed the
journalism faculty were
"relieved.''
(See "JRN, BCA merger-" page 8)
WSimM
—Senate chairperson
claims CMU underfunded—psge 3
—SA leaders plug tuition
tax breaks in
Washington—page S
—Cagers drop non-
league contest to
Butler-page9
—Trackmen return to
Lansing, MSU-page 13
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