1978-09-01; Central Michigan Life

              "Mifcl
Volume 60 No, 3
Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859
Friday, Sept. 1,1978
Teachers, board settle contract
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by PETER LUKE
LIFE Staff Writer
Mount Pleasant teachers are
returning to work today
following ratification Thursday
of a new two-year contract,
ending the four-day old walkout.
The contract was approved by
the union membership by a.13-1
margin.
Bargaining units for Mount
Pleasant Board of Education and
the Mount Pleasant Education
Association, the union for the
teachers, reached tentative
agreement Thursday afternoon.
The pact was ratified by the
union membership shortly afterwards.
Students are expected to
return to school Tuesday for
half-day of classes.
School Superintendent Carlo
Barberi said the new pact
probably will be ratified by the
board today.
Barberi said of the union's
decision, "Well, I'm delighted to
have the contract ratified. They
(the union) came in with a
counter proposal and it was one
the board could accept."
"I'm very appreciative that
the board remained flexible. I
credit them that we were able to
reach an agreement," Barberi
added.
A prepared statement
released jointly by the board
and the union said the contract
guarantees a wage increase of 7
percent the first year along with
a cost of living increase for the
second year.
Originally, the union's
bargaining team firmly held at
an 8 percent wage increase
which was reaffirmed by the
union membership on Wednesday.
Bargaining talks then broke
down after the union refusal
school board offers of 6.S and 7
percent wage increases.
Union    officials would    not
comment beyond the released
statement,
Two other issues in the
contract gave the membership a
choice of two insurance
packages and the union agreed
to allow the class size proposal
to be pushed back to the second
year of the contract. :
The new contract begins
immediately and will run
through June 30,1980.
The strike, the first in the
history of the school district
began Sunday after an
estimated 220 teachers voted by
a 4-1 margin to walkout. All
schools in the district including
Sacred Heart Academy, and
Rosebush Elementary were shut
down by the strike.
Throughout the week-,
picketing teachers marched
outside the school district's
central office on University
Avenue while the bargaining
talks were being conducted.
City, CMU
observe
Labor Day
The Labor Day holiday
weekend will find CMU as well
as several city offices closed.
Classes will not take place until
Tuesday and CM LIFE will
suspend publication until
Wednesday's issue.
Instead of meeting Monday,
Mount Pleasant city commissioners will have their
regular session Tuesday at 8
p.m. in the Municipal Building,
120 S. University Ave.
City offices will be closed
Monday, as will the Veteran's
Memorial Library and the. Social
Security Administration district
office. Regular office hours of 8
a.m. to 5 p.m will resume
Tuesday.
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Out on the Pullen School playground, enjoying what
proved to be their last day of summer vacation, are Joey
Cunningham, 9, and Kathy Milan, 11, of Mount Pleasant.
-CMUFSmaWBYSnVEFECHT
Students will return to school on Tuesday for a half-day
following the ratification of a two-year contract by the
Mount Pleasant Education Association.
Probation or prison?
Shoplifting sentences vary
[Editor's note; Shoplifters sapped $645 million last year from the
yckets of honest consumers. They may take only a pack of
garettes or a candy bar, but the nickels and dimes from the "five-
figet discount" add up. Recently, the Mount Pleasant and Alma
hambers of Commerce began to sponsor STEM (Shoplifters Take
verybody's Money) in an attempt io educate merchants, con-
imers and shoplifters. This article deals with the consequences of
Y>ig caught shoplifting and is the third related article on the topic.)
by KELLY KOLHAGEN
LIFE News Editor
(Shoplifting often is termed as a game where the player takes
lances as to whether he will get caught or not.
iuu a^ ^e game mav ke a gamble, so is the penalty - a* shoplifter
Ibbed in Isabella County faces either all, a few, or a combination of
Iveral alternatives, even if it's the first offense.
II nose include 90 days in jail, a $100 fine and court costs, up to two
tars probation, a delayed program, or any or all of the above.
{Following police arrest, the suspect.is booked on simple larceny
|arges and a report is filed with either the County Prosecutor's
pice or with the city attorney, said Isabella County Assistant
fosecutor Peter O'Connell. Cases occuring in the city limits are
nder the jurisdiction of the city attorney, he said.
In court, the shoplifter is arraigned and can plead 'guilty' or 'not
Ijilty.' For previous offenders and for "professional" lifters - those
|no do it for a living, a second charge is sometimes added, Larceny
?om A Building.
[This, said O'Connell, constitutes a felony and is punishable with
P to four years in prison.
[But Isabella County officials are'aware of the fact jail does not a
jiophf ter cure.
Enter Mary Cannon, District Court probation officer.
If Wo_years ago, Cannon, with other probations personnel* devised
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—Campus changes keep dorm rates In check,
page3 '
-Local priests speculate on reign of new pope,
pages
—Carl Word switches to offensive roles,
\page6
-County hoard rejects waste treatment plan.
Page 10
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an educational approach to deal with certain shoplifters which has
resulted in a very low incidence of recidivism, she said.
Called the "educational program," it is used in concurrence with
either a probationary or tbe delayed program, said Cannon. They
run two days.
"We don't try to tell them right from wrong," Cannon said. "We
realize 17-18-19-years old and over people know that."
What.is involved, she said, is informational sessions with local
businessmen, police officers, and others, who talk to shoplifters
(See "Sentences-" page 10)
PIRGIM's destiny
in officers'hands
Due to lack of interest, the Public Interest Research Group
in Michigan is in jeopardy of losing its place at CMU, said
Sharon George, assistant to the dean of Student Affairs.
Part of the nationwide organization, PIRGIM provides
information on many topics. "I guess if you were to list
PIRGIM's main areas of action, they'd be consumer and tenant
rights, energy and conservation," said Jim Grossfeld, PIRGIM
staffer in East Lansing.
PIRGIM's membership at CMU has dropped drastically in
recent years, George said, and now PIRGIM is deserted.
"No one has registered PIRGIM (as a student organization)
and it's taking up needed desk space in the Student
Organization Center," she said.   .
State directors of PIRGIM are concerned with its phase-out
here* At a retreat this weekend in Lansing, they will discuss
this and other topics and come up with a plan for PIRGIM's
future at CMU, Grossfeld said.
After class, this art prof
fires up at local speedway
by PETER LUKE
LIFE Staff Writer
Lloyd Thomas slips on his
helmet and climbs into his
yellow 1970 Chevelle through
the driver's side window. The
car has only one seat, a steering
wheel, ah automatic shift column
and hot much else.
You see, Thomas* a CMU
temporary assistant professor of
art, is also a stock car driver and
is, currently the leader in point
Standings at the Mount Pleasant
Speedway.
., "It's great*" Thomas said, "It's
the best thing I've ever dorie."
Thomas, who teaches
photography and painting, is in
. his second year, of racing. "I like
the competition out here; it's
pretty gooji This is one of the
best tracks in the area with
sortie of. the best drivers in the
area."
There are three classes df cars
driven at the speedway. The
automatic street car is essentially the same as a normal
street car and has an automatic
transmission.
The other two classes are
super stock, in which cars can
hit speeds of 90 mph and the
late-model stocks which are
similar to the automatic street
class but come equipped with a
four-speed transmission.
Thomas, who races in the
automatic street class, said the
car he drives is considerably
different from one found on a
used car lot.
"We take the suspension and
cooling system and change it all
around, it's pretty scientific. It's
not just getting "the car out
there and going nuts," Thomas
said.
Thomas said the average
speed around the three-eighths
of  a   mile   dirt   track   is   ap
proximately 60 mph and can hit
75 mph on the straightaway.
"We don't put a lot of money
into the car, but some of the
guys around here have $15,000
invested," Thomas said.
Friday, Thomas began
gearing up for the season
championships on Sept. 8, but
ran into some bad luck in the
feature race of that night.
Displaying some deft driving,"
Thomas came from last place to
second only to be hit in the side
by another car* The collision
ripped out the car's battery
cables and Thomas had to drop
out of the race.
Thomas doesn't discount the
possible danger in stock car
driving* but said if the driver is
capable, the risk of injury is less.
"I was in a pretty good accident last year, but I didn't get
hurt. Some guy just spun Out in
front of me)" he said.
"You've got to know what the
hell you're doing before you get
out there," Thomas stressed,
"The better the driver, the safer
it is."
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