1977-04-01; Central Michigan Life

              Volume 58 No. 72
Mt, Pleasant, Mich. 48859
Friday. AdtIM. 1977
$23.8 million for CMU?
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State may hike funds
byJIMREINDL
UFE Ass't. News Editor
A bill awarding CMU approximately $23.8 million for
1977-78 - 9.8 per cent more than
1976-77- will go before the
Senate next week, a state
lawmaker said Thursday.
Sen. John F. Toepp, R-Mt.
Pleasant, said the bill was
reported out of the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee for
Higher  Education   Wednesday
v**mK\'&«
Keepinglhe fyW^ttft^Mebltffiiifl&dae 127 Wednesday is Don Redlich, <if the Don Redlich Dance
Company. The Company, which is slated to perform at 8 p.m. today in Warriner Auditorium, conducted
several workshops on campus this week for aspiring dancers. Sally Seabeck, Ohio freshman, (below)
goes through warm-up exercises to the beat of Redlich's drum (LIFE photos by Kim Vanderveer).
and cleared the full Appropriations Committee
Wednesday night.
The recommendation is
$235,400 more than Gov. William
G, Milliken's recommendation of
$23.5 million for CMU in 1977-78,
and about $2.1 million more than
this year's appropriation.
Milliken's recommendation
represented 8,7 per cent more
than this year's appropriation,
"We're working with our
numbers now," Toepp said.
The bill still must clear the
Senate, House of Representatives and Milliken before it is
finalized.
The full higher education
appropriations bill for state
colleges and universities calls
for approximately $544 million,.
.Toepp said. This is about
$300,000 more than the
$510,234,903 Milliken recommended in January.
President Harold Abel said he
was pleased with the recommendation for Central.
"At a time when the very
existence of some schools is
being questioned and the
budgets of others are being cut,
Central has been treated with
comparative generosity," he
said in a prepared statement.
Abel said the appropriation, if
passed, would not return the
University to . affluence, but
would "offer us the financial
security in which to move ahead
with our academic plans."
"What we're really talking
about," Abel said, "is the fact
that we've simply been
operating on a shoestring."
He said academic planning at
The University still could face
a budget deficit at the start of
the fiscal year, Arthur Ellis, vice
president for public affairs, has
predicted. This would make
imposing a fee such as the
Health Services charge
necessary.
In November, Ellis said CMU
would need at least approximately $2.9 million more
than this year to avoid the
deficit.
He recently said a $2 tuition
increase would generate about
$800,000 and that combined with
a $2.1 million appropriation
increase, would near the needed
amount,
/
Former student claims reports
were filed on anti-war activists
by PAULA PECK
LIFE Editor in chief
Allegations by a former CMU
student that CMU military
science professors regularly
reported to Washington Army
Intelligence during the early
1970s on anti-Vietnam
protestors were denied today by
former U.S. Army Maj. Dewitt
Dent.
Dent, a former CMU military
science professor, said, "I never
made such reports. We were,
never required to report activities of campus activists. So
far as I know or recollect no such
reports went through my office."
Dent, an attorney in Augusta,
Ga., was contacted after a letter
to CM LIFE from Richard
Ropers stated, "I also have
knowledge of the fact that Army
Officer members of the CMU
ROTC have in the past (and may
continue to be) been active
agents for Army Intelligence
keeping dossiers on past and
present CMU faculty, staff and
students."
Ropers' letter, a copy of his
letter to President Harold Abel,
also threatens legal action
.unless "CMU employees
responsible for the violation of
my constitutional and academic
rights be dismissed."
Abel had no comment. "I
turned the letter over to David
Kerr    (University    attorney)
Today's the day
for jokes, pranks
by MICHAEL MALOTT
CM LIFE Reporter
Beware! Today is April 1 and there are people lurking about,
hoping to make a fool of you.
April Fool's Day, or All Fool's Day, is the traditional day for
pulling practical jokes on friends and neighbors. The
traditional pranks include sending someone on a foolish errand
or attempting to persuade someone to do something totally
absurd.
The origin of this day is obscure and most sources disagree
on its development. One possible origin, according to the
American Book of Days by George William Douglas, "arose
„ from a farcical celebration of the sending of Jesus from Annas
1 to Caiphais, from Caiphais to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod and
from Herod back to Pilate at the time of the trial and
crucifixion." However, this explanation is not taken seriously1,
he added,
Another story of the origin says that, in Roman mythology, a
young lady, Proserpina, was sitting in the Elysian meadows
with her lap filled with daffodils, Pluto found her sitting there
" ahd carried her off to the underworld, Proserpina was
screaming all the way* Her mother,, Ceres, heard echos of the
screams arid attempted to find the girl. This was considered a
fool's errand because it is impossible to find an echo.
i_ (See''April fool—"page 7)
because of the threat of legal
" action."
During a telephone interview
today, Ropers, now a sociology
instructor at Western Michigan
University, said, "I was told to
my face as an undergraduate, I
believe by Maj. Dent, that he
and other ROTC faculty were
continually sending reports in
on students and faculty on anti-
Vietnam (activities) to Army
Intelligence in Washington."
Ropers also said ROTC cadets
were sent to anti-war movement
meetings.
"Every student, faculty and
community member was
welcome; they were . open
meetings. But I have no doubt
that the purpose of certain
individuals to be, so to speak,
spies."
Dent said he believed Ropers'
comments were nonsense.
"A number of cadets did
circulate in regular
clothing-they were free to do
so. They were not reporting
anything official. It was not an
official activity; we certainly
never reported anything beyond
our office."
Current Military Science
Department Chairperson Lt.
Col. Joseph Brown, said, "There.
is none of that going on now. We
are teachers." Brown stressed
he was not inferring such
reports had been done in the
past.
JhsMe;
—New laws take effect
today—page 3
—Speaker   discusses
historical research—page?
— Top gymnasts com'
pete in Rose
Arena—page 8
Army Intelligence officials at
the Pentagon said they did not
know if campus ROTC military
personnel reported on anti-war
activists during the early 1970s.
Officials in Washington are
checking if such reports were
required from ROTC faculty
members. "If it wasn't required
we would have no file on it," an
Army representative said.
Dent was transferred from
CMU at former President
William Boyd's request after
Dent pressed charges against a
student for desecrating the
American flag.
"We were trying to keep
uniformed officers out of sight
unless there was serious threat
to life or property. We wanted
to use campus methods to
resolve conflicts.
(See "ROTC—"page 5)
CMU has been limited to the
amount of money available and
two or three years of increased
funding would restore stability
to higher education funding.
Abel and Rep, John Engler, R-
Mt. Pleasant, both said they
thought the increase would hold
in the legislature.
"I'm optimistic for the largest
part of it to hold," Abel said,
adding a "few dollars" may be
cut.
The president said he still is
uncertain whether it will be
necessary to tack a general
Health Services charge onto
student fees next year, despite
the appropriation increase and a
proposed tuition hike.
Policies on sale
similar in state
byJOHNGROGAN
CM LIFE Reporter
CMU does not stand alone in its policies on the sale and
distribution of literature on campus.
According to spokespersons for five .other major universities in
the state, they all follow policy similar to Central's regarding such
sales.
Of the universities questioned, all require a group or individual
selling on campus to be recognized as a student organization or to be
sponsored oy a recognized student organization, the spokespersons
said.
The universities' policies also all require selling of literature only
to be done in designated areas. However, the stringency of
"designated areas" varies from school to school.
The universities also differed on their policies regarding the free
distribution of literature. _ "'
Michigan State University for example, although offering
stipulations on selling, allows free distribution by anyone without
restrictions, according to Associate Dean of Students Lou Hekfuif.
"Any John Q. Citizen can come on campus and hand out leaflets,"
Hekhuif said. He added distribution can take place anywhere as long
as it does not impede pedestrian traffic.
The University of Michigan, on the other hand, is much stricter in
regulating the distribution of literature on campus. All rules which
apply to the sale of literature also apply to free distribution, Lee
Tuck, secretary for the Michigan Student Assembly, U of M's
central student government, said.
U of M also requires selling permits be obtained each time a
recognized group wishes to sell or distirbute anything. Additionally,
their designated areas are limited to one enclosed space on campus
commons, Tuck explained.
However, both Michigan State University and U of M are able to
enforce the policies only on a complaint basis due to their large size,
Hikhuif and Tuck said.
"They do it (break selling policy) all the time but they're not
supposed to," Tuck said. "If people complain we will enforce it."
Northern Michigan University's only stipulation for both on-
campus and off-campus groups is that the group be registered with
the Student Activities Office, according to Ron Stump, director of
student activities.
Western Michigan University, like U of M, prohibits selling and
distribution on campus by individuals not affiliated with the
university.
"There is no solicitation on campus by individuals outside the
community," Bev Focer, secretary to the director of student activities, said.
Eastern Michigan University takes a more lenient stance,
allowing off-campus individuals to sell or distribute literature on
campus after registering with the student affairs office and being
endorsed by a recognized student group, Dean of Students Bette
White said.
(See "Sale rules—" page 5)
Student Affairs begins
election investigation
by JIM FISHER
CM LIFE Reporter
An investigation into the
March 7 and 8 student body
election is being conducted by
the Office of Student Affairs.
The investigation is the result
of a letter sent to Glen Starner,
associate dean of students, from
Richard Kerr, who ran 'unsuccessfully for a graduate at-
large seat on the Student
Association (SA) Board of
Directors.
Kerr, Mt. Pleasant graduate
student, was defeated in the
election by write-in candidate
Robert Schneider, Port Huron
graduate student, 26 to 21.
Also in the election, Ellen
Martin, Grand Rapids
sophomore, was the winner with
74 votes in her unopposed bid
for the SA Board sophomore-at-
large seat.
After the election, Elections
Director Vicki Bazan revealed
331 of the 1,067 ballots cast were
invalidated because 4 students
had voted for both sophomore
and graduate candidates.
The ballot specified students
should vote only for candidates
of their proper grade
classification.
Kerr said Thursday in his
letter to Starner he questioned
whether the SA had the right to
invalidate 331 ballots and call it
a valid election.
Kerr also said he questioned
the voting procedure which does
hot require voters to prove what
grade classification they are in.
Starner confirmed Thursday
he had received a letter and Was
in the process of investigating
the election.
"I received a letter from one
of the candiaates requesting
that we take a look at the
results," Starner said. "I'm in
the process of doing that right
now."
Starner added the results of
his findings will  be released
(See "Election investigation—"
page 2)
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