1978-12-06; Central Michigan Life

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by TOM HENRY
LIFE Staff Writer
Student Body Vice President AI Stolpe resigned his position
Monday after admitting he tried to increase his salary by taking
$100 front another Student Association member's pay, Student
Body President Jim Marshall said.
"Al admitted to me he's the one that changed the salaries,"
Marshall, Charlevoix senior, said. Soon afterward, Marshall asked
Stolpe to resign because "this threatens the credibility of the SA,"
he said.
LIFE was unable to reach Stolpe for comment Tuesday.
Apparently, no action to reprimand Stolpe will be taken.
Dean of Students James Hill said Tuesday he was not aware of
the incident. Hill said the University would not reprimand Stolpe
unless charges are filed by the SA. Meanwhile, Marshall said he
considers the matter finished with Stolpe's resignation.
r
"As far as I'm concerned, SA will carry on as if this never happened," Marshall added.
SA's Board of Directors, which meets today at 5 p.m., could vote
to take action against Stolpe, Marshall said, but as president he has
to file charges. The board itself cannot suggest University action, he
said.
Saying that while he did not expect the board to do so, Marshall,
said if it should, he would consider its request but would not say
whether he actually would file charges.
An election to replace Stolpe will be conducted by a special
election early next semester.
Stolpe supervised all SA finances. Although records in the Office
of Student Affairs show Stolpe and Finance Committee Chairperson
Don Fergle each are supposed to make $300, Stolpe recently gave
that office a list of SA salaries showing he makes $400 and Fergle
$200.
Stolpe earlier denied he had changed the salaries, claiming in
Monday's LIFE! the types figures crossed out in ink looked like last
year's Finance Committee Chairperson Jim Kuderko's handwritings
Stolpe was quoted in Monday's issue of LIFE, saying he approved
the change without question because he was "going to make an
extra hundred dollars."
After learning of the unapproved alteration Friday, Marshall
changed the salaries of Fergle and Stolpe back to $300.
No other salaries had been tampered with/he said.
Marshall said he was frustrated and disgruntled by the entire
incident.'.
"It seems to be an annual thing that student leaders cannot
handle their power " Marshall said, "If students want to judge the
entire SA by the action of one person let 'em, but we still plan to
carry on doing what we should do," he added.
Veep leaves
SA budget
in shambles
-cm ufe photo arDEavna/Hc/nr
The magical, mysterious Uncle Drosselmeyer makes an entrancing gesture to his
nephew Fritz during Monday's ' performance of Tschaikowsky's Nutcracker Suite.
Performed by the Oakland Ballet Company in Bush Theater, the Nutcracker tells the story
of the uncle's magical spell which brings the nutcracker to life.
Dorm students want an out
criticize iron-clad contracts
by SANDY FUGATE
LIFE Copy Editor
Several CMU students who
unsuccessfully attempted to get
permission to leave dormitories
this semester say they were
treated unfairly by Housing
Programs staff.
One student, Glenn
Szymoniak, Onaway junior, said
he asked for permission to be
released from his housing
contract for financial reasons.
Szymoniak said he was in debt
at the time he applied and
wanted to live off-campus
because it would be less expensive.
. "I told them*at the time (I
applied) that I either had to
move , off-campus or leave
school," Szymoniak said.
George Jennings, Housing
Programs director, said
Tuesday he believes "students
don't save a significant amount
of money by living off-campus."
"We are not a financial aids
office," Jennings said. "That
type of thing is between the
student, 'the parents and the
(CMU) Financial Aids Office."
Students who sign a dormitory contract are required to
live in a dorm for one school
year. To request a release from a
contract, students complete a
form and give it to their hall
director. The hall director then
can make recommendations to
the Housing Office when turning
in the form.
"On an average, probably 10
people per hall" have such
requests this semester, Jennings said. He added he "could
not say" how many of those
students have their requests
approved. However he said,
"there are not too many who
have major changes of circumstances, and that is the
criteria."
Students who choose to leave
dormitories at semester break
without being formally released
—Marijuana bill defeated in House, page 3
—Faculty say target ratios off mark, page 5
—Schedule set for Ml exams, page 12
t
fv
—Butler cagers invade Rose Arena, page 14
from their contract are fined
$250.
Pam Gotham, Union Lake
freshman, and Diana Richards,
Utica junior, claim they went to
see Jennings to appeal their
decisions and were treated
rudely.
"He made some personal
judgements about us that I don't
think were qualified," Gotham
said.
"He told me, 'if you're not
grown up enough to handle your
personal problems, then you
shouldn't be here,'" Richards
claims.
"It got to the point where he
was being defensive and we
weren't getting anywhere so we
just left," Gotham added.
Jennings said he remembers
the incident and said he does not
remember making that
statement. "I doubt very much I
said that," he said.
"As soon as a student gets an
indication you're not going to go
the way they waht' they get
emotional. Once they reach that
point they won't be thinking in
logical terms," he said.
Jerry McFadden, Tecumseh
sophomore, said he also tried to
get out of the dorm for financial
reasons and was turned down.
McFadden also had been
elected as an office for the
Sigma Pi fraternity. After his
first request was turned down,
the fraternity required that all
officers live in the fraternity
house, he said.
McFadden then appealed the
decision and went to see Jennings.
McFadden was turned down
again, however, and claims he
then had to give up his position
as a fraternity officer.
(See "Contracts—" page 11.)
by JIM FISHER
LIFE Ass't. News Editor
Whoever replaces Al Stolpe
as Student Association vice
president may find the group's
accounting system abandoned
and its control over spending in
shambles.
Stolpe, who resigned Tuesday
after admitting to hiking his
salary $100 on the student
government budget, said
Sunday he had "lost control" of
the group's finances and "gave
up trying to keep the books."
SA members often fail to
record their purchases, Stolpe
said, and there are few
University checks to insure
proper purchasing procedures
are being followed.
. After serving as the
organization's vice president
and treasurer for more than four
months, Stolpe said Sunday he
had "no idea" how much money
was in the SA account until
receiving a monthly computer
printout from the Accounting
Office.
"I have no control over what
anybody spends," he said, "I
never know how much we have
left until we get the printout.
"I gave up trying to keep the
books this year. Everything we
buy is supposed to go through
me. But nobody turns in the
slips," he added.
Stolpe said he tried to match
up receipts with the numbers on
the printout sheet, but the
practice proved fruitless.
"There are always a bunch on
there you don't know whether
they are legitimate or not/'
The SA budget of more than
$17,000, which Stolpe supervised, is the second largest
among student organizations.
Only Program Board, with
nearly $22,000, was allocated
more money.
It was a similar hit-or-miss
accounting system which led to
last year's student government
overspending its budget by
more than $1,400, Stolpe
revealed.
When asked Sunday what he
intended to do to insure SA did
not overspend this year, Stolpe
replied: "Panic."
0 The former vice president
placed much of the blame for the
Association's poor financial
record-keeping on a relaxed
purchasing system employed by
the University.
"Anybody who knew our
account number could go to the
UC Bookstore and charge
something. You could charge a
stereo and they wouldn't say
anything.
"All you need is an account
number-and that never
changes," Stolpe continued.
"You could make up a name.
They don't even ask for ID."
In addition, Stolpe said there
is no check system to insure the
SA carries out projects for
which it was allocated money
last spring.
For instance, Stolpe said he
knew of no plans to conduct a
book referral for which $750 was
allocated. Another SA official
confirmed no one has been
appointed to coordinate the
project, which last year was
organized several weeks before
final exams.
Students 'best part' of
Collins' 23-year career
by JULIE MORRISON
LIFE Staff Writer
When Jeanne Collins retires this month, she will take .with her
memories' of students she has met and worked with during her 23
years at CMU.
And to Collins, administrative assistant to the president, those
memories will reflect the best part of her job.
"I think students are super," she said. "That's one of the hardest
things about leaving - being away from the students."
Collins, who will retire her position Dec. 31, began working at
CMU in 1955 in the Dean of Students Office. In 1966, she began her
current job in the President's Office. She has served with presidents
Judson W. Foust, William B. Boyd and now Harold Abel. And
although each was different, she said she has enjoyed working with
all three.
"Actually, Boyd was about as different from Foust as Abel is from
Boyd," she said. "Times are different and the students are different.
The campus is different because of collective bargaining and I think
the President has more responsibility now because of it.
"But I enjoyed working with all three of them," she said. "Each of
them had good points and each was unique. There were adjustments
that had to be made for each one. In this office you have to be
(See "Collins-" page 2)
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Joanna Collins
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