1978-01-16; Central Michigan Life

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s Monday Jan. 16,1978
Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859
Volume 59 No. 431
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issues beyond money
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by JAMES REINDL
LIFE Editor in Chief
Money alone will not solve the challenges facing CMU-a
university at the crossroads.
For if this University is to reach its potential as an academically
sound institution, it must move wisely from the crossroads of a
future strewn with the kinds of challenges money alone cannot solve
and those it can. '
For example:
- Meeting student needs. While CMU's enrollment has remained
at record levels two years running, nationwide college enrollment
drops are predicted for the 1980s. Provost John Cantelon says
Central must meet the demands of value-conscious students intent
upon squeezing the most out of ever-rising tuition costs to keep
enrollments here stable.
"Therefore, it's not enough for us to look at all the things we are
doing and do them better; we have to look at the world (and) new
programs," he says.
- Faculty-Administration relations. With negotiations over until
1980, both sides of what was for seven months often a bitter fight
must pull together to make what is being termed an "era of good
feeling" a reality.
- Tight finances. Despite increased state appropriations during
the past few years, and the possibility of yet another increase this
year, administrators say CMU still faces tight financial times ahead.
Nothing new, unstable finances represent a nagging problem
hindering the school's academic development.
- Leadership. President Harold Abel, now in his third year here,
says he still believes he has not provided as much leadership to the
faculty as he believes it would like from him. He says with
bargaining over, he intends to rectify this.
Administrative leadership, however, may be the biggest problem
the University faces in attempting to deal with the other issues.
"I'm not sure if we'll get anything done and I say that because I
believe this University is an organization no different than any
other large organization and it has to do with management," says
Arthur Ellis, vice president for Public. Affairs.
"I don't know who is going to step forward and make these
moves," he says, while at the same time refusing to say who he
believes is responsible for providing such leadership.
Leadership often comes from a person's or group's ability to
perceive the leader as trustworthy. Past actions by the Administration have damaged its credibility with faculty and students,
and deep rifts such as those do not heal easily.
While leadership and faculty-Administration relations are concerns of CMU, it cannot ignore its money problems.
'   "It isn't going to do MS a hell of a lot' oi"goOd"to get the University
Program (CMU's plan for general education) in place and have an
'era of good feeling' if we can't pay our bills on time," says Ellis.
However, both Abel and Ellis say they believe the state
legislature will appropriate CMU more than the approximately $23
million it received this year.
An increased state appropriation, however, will not stop a tuition
hike here.
Abel says tuition must climb to maintain the balance between
state funds and student fees used to support CMU. The state gives
CMU approximately 6(5 percent of its operating revenue and
student fees comprise the remaining 34 percent. Jerry Tubbs, vice
president for Business and Finance, has predicted at least a 6
percent tuition raise to cover inflation.
Tied to all Central's problems is planning. Abel, Cantelon and
Ellis all agree the University must continue working toward
comprehensive planning. Better planning can reduce costs and
boost morale as well as improve administration, say the three.
Administrators seem to sense the University is at the crossroads
and their push toward comprehensive planning may be an attempt
to deal with it. But they must move; CMU can continue year after
year making ends meet, or it can plan a more grand scheme to
prepare itself for the future of higher education in the United
States.
"The kind of future this institution has can be pretty exciting if
we would just live up to what we are," says Cantelon.
— Academic Senate aiming at completion
of UP, competency requirements — page
2A
— Faculty contract cited in cash flow
problem — page 3A
— SA entering 1978 with cautious optimism — page 4A
— Queen McDonald recalls Orange Bowl
excitement — page 6A
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Semester break provided an overdue vacation from the rigors and Johnson, Petoskey junior, makes tracks during a cross country ski
pressures of school as most students headed home for the-holiday tour through a foot of fresh powder snow on a farm near Walloon
festivities. Above, with a refreshing smile on her face, Mary   Lake in northern Michigan (LIFE photo by Peter Luke). \
FA, CMU foresee improved relationship
to mark 'era of good feeling'?
byTONYDEARING
LIFE News Editor
Faculty and administrators have returned to
CMU this semester with their hopes high.
For they say 1978 could be the coming of riot
just a new year, but a new era—a so-called "era of
good feeling"
Ideally, under this era of good feeling, a unified
faculty and a concerned Administration would
work together to set this University moving in an
exciting, innovative direction.
Both Administration and Faculty Association
(FA) agree this cooperation is possible because
both internal faculty conflict and low Ad«
ministration credibility, which have bogged the
University down for the last couple of years, may
. now be easing.
Optimism over the dawning era of good will is
guarded, but officials say the groundwork now
exists for Some fruitful years of progress at CMU.
"I can't tell you anything specific, but I sense
an era of good feeling," President Harold Abel
said recently. "I just feel it."
"I'm optimistic," FA President David Lawton
also has said. "I don't see anyreason there cannot
be an era of good feeling. If there is good faith on
'all sides, we could have very productive years
ahead of us."
For this anticipated goodwill era to come about
here, two conditions must be met:
First, - a 'faculty. divided in the past over
whether it Should have a bargaining agent must
pull together and act as one unit.
Second, the Administration and faculty must
replace, a relationship of mistrust and acrimony
with a new bond based on an honest desire to
communicate freely and work together.       -;,
These two elements have been missing at CMU
recently, but both FA and Administration officials hope a couple of head-on conflicts during
1977 have made faculty unity and a healthy FA-
Administration relationship possible in the
future.
The first of these head-on- conflicts occurred
early in 1977 when a group of faculty tried to
eliminate the FA as the bargaining agent here.
'., As'eaHy as 1973 or 1974 there was strong
division within the faculty over the ideological
issue' of Whether public employees should
unionize in a$ agency shop.,
But, despite speculation the FA would be
overthrown last Spring because of what was
believed to be a deep rift among faculty' over
unionization, in the end faculty chose by a 282-222
vote to keep their bargaining agent.
And since that election, faculty divisiveness
over Whether the FA should represent faculty #t
CMU seems slowly to be fading away. -
"Unity within the faculty has been growing,"
Jim Hayes, former FA- president, observed
recently, "Support of the FA is now widespread,
but not passionate."
"The collective bargaining situation and
faculty attitudes at CMU is probably entering a
new phase," Academic Senate- Chairperson
Kendall Fojkert added.
(See "Era of good feeling—" page 6)
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