1977-12-12; Central Michigan Life

              Officials differ on CMU's responsibility
Should Central offer health care?
(Editor's note: Today's CM LIFE article on the University Health
^Services (UHSh the last of a four-part series, focuses on whether or
jnot Central has, a responsibility to offer full-time inpatient care to
its students. Part one dealt,with the history of the UHS and the
^duties and qualifications of its personnel Part two compared CMU's
health care with other Michigan universities, and part three
described how skyrocketing health care costs affect the UHS
.budget)
by SUE BERG
and
DAVID N.BRABOY
LIFE Staff Writers
Throughout   this   semester,   the  financial  status   of  CMU's
University Health Services (UHS) has undergone a variety of
.changes.
' And official opinion on whether Central has a responsibility to
offer student health care in the first place are1 as varied as those
' status changes.
The director of the UHS has said CMU does indeed have a
responsibility to provide full-time inpatient care to its students.
"; However,   some   administrators   have   admitted   they   are
questioning to what extent CMU should provide health care - or
'whether it should be in the health care business at all.
The question of whether CMU has the responsibility to offer
'student health care has been prompted by a merry-go-round of
weekend service elimination and reinstatement this semester,
caused by a UHS budget crunch.
' Dean of Students James Hill canceled weekend inpatient
'care Sept. 7 in an effort to balance two UHS accounts.
Hill later reinstated the services when he announced a UHS cost-
effectiveness study would b^e conducted by a "non-University firm."
Administrators have since named a Michigan State University
official, Dr. Sydney Katz, to undertake that study.
In November, UHS Director Dr. Howard L. Varney claimed the
JJHS no longer could afford to operate on weekends, including not
only weekend inpatient.care but also weekend emergency room
service.
Following a meeting between Hill, Varney and President Harold
Abel, Hill and Abel announced the UHS would remain open on
weekends for the remainder of the semester at the cost of running a
deficit in the adult and part-time UHS personnel accounts.
Earlier this semester, Abel was asked if Central has the
responsibility to provide full-time inpatient health care and he answered, "No, I don't believe that we do. Many similar institutions
such as Western and Eastern Michigan Universities don't.
"I think we do have the responsibility of providing first aid
service, but I'm not at all certain if we need to provide full-time
inpatient service care," Abel added.
Hill recently declined to discuss any UHS topics until the MSU
study has been completed, which will not happen until at least next
semester.
"The concern is in the air on whether or not CMU should be in the
health service business and to what extent," Hill explained. "But I
have to wait until a solution is developed before communicating any
more on the matter."
However, Varney said he firmly believes Central does have a
duty to offer full-time health care to its students.
(See"UHS-"page7)
I
michi
Volume 59 No. 43
Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859
Monday, Dec. 12,1977
J
Abel sets meeting
on BCA ''problem'
by DIANE MEDZWIECKI
LIFE Staff Writer
Overcrowding in the
Broadcast and Cinematic Arts
(BCA) Area of the Department
of Speech and Dramatic Arts
will be reviewed by President
Harold and three other persons
at a meeting today.
At a meeting Friday in Moore
Hall, Abel and Charles B. House,
assistant to the president, told
the capacity crowd of BCA
students they recognized the
overcrowding problem and
would ltook into the situation.
•„ Friday Abel announced"
Provost John Cantelon; Adelyn
Pressure!
Final exams bring anxiety
by SANDY FUGATE
LFIE Staff Writer
Facing final examinations can
cause severe anxiety, but the
majority of students are able to
cope with the pressure and
complete their exams successfully, two CMU counselors
agreed.
Arnold Form, professor of
counseling, said even good
students experience some
anxiety about their exams. This
is; especially applicable, he
added, if the student plans to
attend law or medical schools
upon graduation.
'Donald Bertsch, professor of
counseling, agreed with Form.
He said most persons who tend
to handle everyday problems
well usually will handle final
exams easily also.
"It's only natural for a student
tp get nervous any time they are
faced with an exam where their
competency is pn the line. In this
case, they are being judged by a
professor," Bertsch explained.
Although many students
cannot deal with final exams and
do not complete courses, Form
pointed out most students have
taken final tests and are accustomed to them. He stressed
students should not spend an
unduly amount of time worrying
about exams.
LIFE ends
ication
J Today's CM LIFE marks the
end of the Fall Semester 1977
publication schedule. LIFE will
resume publication Jan. 16, the
fifst day of Winter Semester
i$76 classes.' The members of
t|e LIFE staff wish the
University community a safe,
restful holiday vacation.
"Exams are not a matter of
life or death," Form commented.
If students study their hardest, do their best on exams and
realize their whole dignity and
self-worth are not being tested,
Bertsch explained, then
students will be able to deal well
with exams.
Students also should realize
nothing is permanently
destroyed if they fail exams,
Bertsch said. He pointed out as
an example a student on a pre-
medical curriculum who fails a
chemistry exam and believes his
career is ruined.
"I've seen people get an E,
then take the course again and
get an A," Bertsch said.
Dozens of cups of coffee will be.
consumed,  packs  of  cigarettes
will be smoked and many hours of
lost sleep will be felt as a result of
the final examinations for the
Fall Semester which began today.
Reviewing   material   in   Park
Library Sunday is Renae Wurm,
Grand   Rapids   senior   (above),
while     Frank     Provenzano,
Saginaw freshman drifts off from
his studies and into dreamland
and Scott Trevethan, Rochester
freshman,    continues    studying
(right). Despite all the pressures
and anxiety that are associated
with finals, most students are
accustomed   to   the   task   said
Arnold Form, a |CMU  counselor
(LIFE   photos by Peter Luke).
Dougherty, dean of the School of
Arts and Sciences;„ and a
spokesperson from the BCA
Area will examine the problem
with him.
At Friday's meeting students
Mike Kent, president of Alpha
Epsilon Rho, the honorary
society for broadcasters; and
Rachel McDougall, member of
the society, fielded student
questions concerning overcrowding along with Abel and
House. *
Students requested the
meeting after 421 incident* in
' which students who registered
for required classes did not
receive Courses on ' Winter'
Semester schedules' were
discovered by Peter B. Orlik,
area coordinator for the BCA
Area.
Responding to student's
questions concerning lack of
faculty which is causing the
overcrowding problem, Abel
drew cheers and groans. He
repeatedly stated the " Administration was aware of the
problem, though no answers
could be given until after the_
total problem is discussed at'
today's meeting.
"The essential thing is t:he
meeting on Monday (today). All
of us are determined to solve the
problem," Abel said.
"I'm certainly on the side of
the students who are saying that
if you'are admitted to a four-
year curriculum, and if you do '
everything right to get out in
four years, then it is our (the
Administration's) responsibility
to find a way for students to
complete a four-year curriculum
in four years," Abel said.
Steve Serkaian, Northville
senior, told Abel, "The backlog
is so great that seniors are again
being prioritized. That means
juniors will not be able to take
these classes until their senior
year. As a result, it's taking
these people five years to
graduate. I think that's the
bottom line of why we are here
today."
Abel drew applause when he
replied the problem would be
dealt with at today's meeting.
He said possible solutions to
overcrowding 'in the , future \
included. setting -tip"' acatlemic
average requirements in the
department'arid giving ^aKpretest to freshmen entering the
program. However, he stressed
no solutions had been collectively discussed.
Friday's talk was requested
by students who were angered
at the possibility of an extra
semester necessary to fulfill
graduation     requirements
(See"BCA-"page6)
—New competency
standards forcing re-
revision of UP
program*-page 3
— Two named for
valedictorian honors-
page 5
—Cagers top Toledo in
final seconds—page 10
'Cast of characters' highlights Fall '77
News spotlights Fonda, UHS, FA
by DAVID N.BRABOY
LIFE Staff Writer ^
and
BERNADETTE JOZWIAK;
LIFE Ass't News Editor
Much as a spotlight on a theater stage,
the    news    makes    certain    persons
prominent. During Fall Semester<1977j an
audience of 16,287 CMU students watched a performance featuring a cast of
characters. The cast was dominated by
students, officials and faculty members in
groups with acronyms such' as FA, SA,
UHS and DPS.
Numbers also have played a major role
in the semester's news. An enrollment
record was set at CMU in Fall Semester
as 283 more students were admitted than
last fall.
The University, however, continues its
plans to stabilize the total, enrollment due
to predictions indicating the number of
college-age persons will decline during
the-next decade, -
Strained by an enrollment increase of
14 percent compared to 1976-77
estimates, the School of Business Administration announced measures, such
as grade point requirements, to cap its
enrollment. Other CMU schools, however,
recorded a nearly 1 percent decline in
enrollments. , >
Even though Central's $38 million 1977-
78 budget represents an increase over
last year, administrators termed the
amount "razor thin" while , pledging
budgeting changes. .
A factor in the tight budget includes
the  low  carryover  amount" from   the
»previous fiscal year's general fund. At
one time the carryover was more than $2
million; this year it was $50,000.
The budget was approved Sept. 21 by
the Board of Trustees and officials at that
meeting pointed to state-level problems
which have led to the diminished importance of funding for institutions of
higher'education.
. University administrators said they
had not objected to CMU's state
allocations in recent years because the
slack had been compensated by using
money from the general fund, which was
increased with revenue from the Institute
for Personal and Career Development
(IPCD). This year, however, projected
IPCD revenues had been scaled back.
The University Health Services (UHS),
also faced with a budget crisis, was found
in the headlines when on Sept. 7 Dean of
Students James L. Hill announced the
UHS would cancel its weekend inpatient
health care.
Services were resumed, but the future
financing of the UHS is up in the, air
pending the results of a cost-effectiveness
study by a Michigan State University
official. ^
Following the study, students may be
required to pay a UHS fee even if they do
not use health center services, Hill has
said.
/
Students this- fall witnessed the
culmination of two major issues at CMU-
The Faculty Association (FA) agreed with
CMU negotiators on a new contract, while
Academic Senate approved the im"
plementation date of its general
education plan.
CMU's FA called off a planned strike
Thursday after agreement with CMU
bargainers on a new three-year pact. The
old "contract had an expiration date of
June 30,1977; the new contract now must
be ratified.
The Academic' Senate ' University
Program (UP) general education plan, 19
months in the making, now, is set ior
implementation next fall. The UP will
require next fall's incoming freshmen to
complete 30 hours of general education
courses before graduation.
(See "Semester wrap-up- page 6)
1
■J3-
>05
Have a safe, enjoyable holiday season!
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