1993-10-27; Central Michigan Life

              High: upper 40s
Low: around 30
mostly cloudy
Fright night
CMU prepares for Halloween
Page 12
DYER'S EVE
Mexican tradition honors deceased
Page 8
Central
Michigan
Mayday
CMU basketball dismisses forward
Pag* 10'
Meetings reveal common thread
Coalition rep. finds similarity in racial concerns
By Jill Behnke
and Marjory Raymer
L IFF  St,iff Writers	
Separate meetings of
minority and non-minority student representatives indicated
that the races on CMU s campus
are closer than they thought or,
at least, they share the same
concerns.
Students met with Rainbow
Coalition representative Leonard Mungo Monday to discuss
the racial climate at CMU and
outline recommendations in
preparation for Rev. Jesse Jackson's Nov. 9 visit.
After meeting with minority
and non-minority students,
Leonard Mungo, co-chair of the
Michigan Rainbow Coalition
Commission on Fairness in
Athletics and Detroit attorney,
said CMU is ready to bring all
ethnic groups together.
"After meeting with both sets
of students, I am convinced they
are ready to move forward,"
Mungo said. "What we want to
do is exploit that spirit right
now."
Tuesday, Mungo telephoned
organizers of the previous sessions, CM LIFE editor Karen
Joseph, White Lake senior, and
Jan Wagester, assistant to the
president, to request assistance
in bringing together those who
attended the other conferences.
At the follow-up meeting, participants will brainstorm for
activities which promote an
appreciation of ethnic backgrounds.
An example of efforts could be
events like an Ethnic Day when
foods and cultures of other peoples could be experienced,
Mungo said.
"There were a lot of common
concerns in both meetings,**
Mungo said. "The main focus
was on the institution and its
success, or lack of success, at
addressing the needs of minority students and students in
general."
The first meeting with Mungo
gathered al>out 20 minority students and minority athletes, at
Mungo's request. Students were
invited by Jan Wagester, assis
tant to the president.
Mungo originally planned to
meet exclusively with minority
students, but added the 6 p.m.
meeting for non-minority student representatives after a discussion with Joseph about the
need for non-minority input.
About 20 non-minority students were invited to attend the
6 p.m. meeting. Many students
from both meetings had positive
reactions.
"We got to voice our opinions.
It provided a forum for minority
students," said Nana Kwabi,
women's track athlete and
Windsor junior. "The meeting
was important because we got a
voice to take to the administration. They separate themselves;
students can't talk to the administration.'* Kwabi attended the
4 p.m. meeting.
"It was enlightening. We all
learned a lot," said Drew Cross-
man, Coalition Of Ethnically
Diversified Students president
and Mount Pleasant senior.
"I think it's great that Jackson is coming here. It's a posi
tive step. But the students,
especially those in the meeting,
must take the initiative after he
leaves," said Crossman, 6 p.m.
meeting participant.
"We need to have equal representation for all in all areas.
We may have different backgrounds, but we all deserve to
enjoy the same things."
Mungo brought John Pugh, a
Rainbow Coalition representa-
%t ive; JelTTaylor, a staftattorney
with the Michigan Court of
Appeals; and Desmon Daniel,
coordinator of minority admissions services at Delta College
and CMU graduate.
Taylor and Daniel are working with Mungo to collect information from students.
"Both meetings had the same
flavor," Taylor said. "There
were overlapping concerns,
which dealt with the administration, on the majority."
Taylor and Daniel would not
relay any specific recommendations, as they will be working on
prioritizing them and passing
See RAINBOW Page 1 3
LIFE Photo Th-ddtus Bedford
Becky Allen, Mount Pleasant senior, works on her bachelor of fine arts degree project in Wightman Hall Tuesday night.
SGA solicits 240
letters regarding
student trustee
By Andrea Smith
I lr I-   St.iff Writer
Student Government Association has compiled 240 letters
from students to the Board of
Trustees urging the creation of a
noil -voting student trustee.
SGA members will continue to
solicit letters from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. this week in front of the
Down Under Club, said SGA Vice
President Rebecca Bollenberg,
Honor senior. Members are suggesting how the letters should be
written. Students can write the
letter on the spot or take it home
and write it. Letters should be
returned to the SGA office or
given to an SGA member.
Ninetv    letters   were    written
Monday and 150-completed Tuesday, said SGA President Bridget
Isquierdo, Frankenmu/h sophomore.
Bollenberg said SGA hopes to
present 500 letters with hopes
that the number will impact the
t rustees.
SGA is passing out yellow ribbons symbolizing the view that
students are being "gagged"
because they do not have a voice
on the Board, Isquierdo said.
Rep. Walt Walkowski, Sparta
senior, said the effort has been a
success thus far. "It's exciting to
see so many students interested
and wanting to have their voices
heard."
See SGA Page 2
Grant to help build
relationship with
middle schools
By Kelly L. Adams
UFfc Sutft Write* .„ *      .
CMU's plans to help create
model middle schools are well
underway thanks to a four-year,
$1 million grant provided by the
W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The project calls for teacher
education faculty and education
administration faculty to work
with middle-school staff members toward improving student
learning. The project will form a
partnership between the university and Drew and Hutchins
middle schools in Detroit.
"The partnership is mutually
beneficial and we feel very, very
Local man uses
gunfire to threaten,
scare ex-girlfriend
good about the relationship with
the principal and etafT of both
schools," said Harvey Dorrah,
program co-founder and assistant professor of education administration and community leadership.
Dorrah said the program benefits from support by the Central
Office of the Superintendent of
the Detroit Public School System.
The program strives to restructure schools to better meet student needs and assess the impact
of school restructuring on the
academic environment, Dorrah
said. The program looks to pro-
See GRANT Page 2
By Scott Anderson
LIFE  SMff Writer
One shot was fired but no one
was injured when a Mount Pleasant man threatened his former
girlfriend at his home Tuesday
afternoon.
Matthew Singer, 18,
threatened his former girlfriend,
Marian Dimick, with a
22-caliber rifle after an argument. Singer shot one round in
the air, but only attempted to
frighten her, according to a written statement he made to
Isabella County Sheriffs ofTicals.
Dimick was unharmed.
Sheriff's deputies pulled over a
vehicle just after the incident
«>ccurred. According to a report.
Singer's brother, Francis, was a
passenger and told police he was
trying to find his mother to tell
her about what happened.
Deputies made contact with
his mother. Eileen Singer, and
went to the Singers' Mount Pleasant home at 8815 E. Baseline
Road.
One  of the  Sheriffs deputies
called   for  backup.  Two  officers
See THREAT Page 16
LIFE
on the
Inside
MORE NEWf 3
VOICES 4
CMU HISTORY 6
POLICE, COURTS 7
ETCETERA 8
SPORTS 10
CLASSIFIEDS 15
DIGEST 16
Chamberlain reschedules Norton's trial for Jan. 5
By Christopher Richardson
MF-h Assistant News £-ditor	
The trial for a Vestaburg man
accused of murdering 3-year-old
Tabatha Horn has been rescheduled to allow time for the
acquisition of results from DNA
testing of blood samples.
Isabella County Circuit Court
Judge Paul Chamberlain rescheduled the open murder trial of
Kenneth M. Norton Jr. to Jan. 5.
after hearing arguments by
I>arry Burdick, Isabella County
prosecuting attorney, and James
Veldhuis, Norton's attorney.
Burdick requested the
adjournment to allow additional
time  for  DNA testing of blood
samples obtained from a pillow
taken from the bed of Tabatha
Horn on July 7, two days after
Norton reported her missing.
Initial testing of blood samples
for blood type and certain genetic
marks have not been able to distinguish between Tabatha and
her 5-year-old sister, Tiffany.
DNA testing should allow for the
identification of the blood found
on the pillow. Burdick said he
decided to request the adjournment after meeting with DNA
scientists at the Michigan State
Police Crime Lab on Friday.
Identification of the blood on
the pillow is not an integral part
See NORTON Page 5^
Cheating incidents reported up 36 percent
By Brent Wehner
LIFE Staff Writer
Reported cheating infractions increased more than 36 percent from
the 1991-92 to 1992-93 school years
Eighteen people were turned in for cheating during the 1092-93
academic year, and 13 were reported the year before. None were dismissed from the university, but one student was dismissed last summer
for academic dishonesty, according to Sharon George, assistant director
of Student Life.
The number of people turned in for cheating per year has fluctuated
between 12 and 35 during the last several years, George said.
George said the number reported is probably relatively low compared
to the number that actually cheat.
Many professors handle the cheating situtations themselves, she
said.
"The faculty does have the right to give the student whatever grade
he/ she feels the student deserves,'* she said.
Penalties for cheating can range from probation until graduation to
See CHEAT Page 16
y