1993-12-08; Central Michigan Life

              Wednesday, December 8, 1993
Weather
High: around 40
Low: upper 20s
Partly sunny
News
Happy hanukkah
Celebration starts today
Page 6
Et Cetera
Sax man
CMU alumnus releases jazz album
Page 8
Sports
Down and out
Two men's hoops players sidelined
Page 10
Central
Michigan
VOLUME 76, NUMBER 41
MOUNT PLEASANT, MICHIGAN 48869
(Q) 1993 CM LIFE
(517) 774-3493
16 PAGES
Report focuses on two main topics
By Marjory Raymer
III- t   St.iff Wnter 	
A rt*cent report shows CMU
students often take more than
four years to graduate and
minority students are leaving
without a degree more than
mm-minority students.
The annual release of the Persistence and Graduation Rates
of CMU Undergraduates report
from CMU's Office of Institutional Research stated "graduation rates of some but not all
minority groups are generally
lower than those of white students.
"The average graduation rate
for new white freshmen is about
55-58 percent while the comparable   graduation    rate   for   all
Time taken to graduate,
minority retention rate
minorities except Native Americans is substationally less," it
stated.
Overall retention of students into a second year at CMU
rose for the first time in four
years this year, but several
ethnic groups' persistence
dropped from last year.
Both Asian/ Pacific Islanders*
and Afiy can-American students* levels of return dropped
with the Asian/ Pacific Islanders    showing   a   93    percent
return in 1991 to 47 percent in
1992, and African-American
students* persistence dropped 1
percent, the report showed.
The return of white students
has remained constant for three
years at 74 percent, but nonresident aliens, American
Indians and Hispanics all rose.
Hispanics showed the largest
increase in percentage of retention with a 20 percent jump, the
report showed.
To deal with the low retention
of minority students as compared to non-minority students,
the university has adopted
programs like the Graduate
Retention Improvement Program, Minority Affairs programs
and minority assistants in the
residence halls, according to
Michael Owens, director of
Admissions and Minority
Enrollment.
Student persistence is connected to two areas, Owens
said. The cost of higher education and the lack of guidance or
direction strains students, he
said.
A typical freshman class,
according to the report, will gra-
See REPORTPage 2,
Returns on CMU's
endowments rank
above average
By Melissa Balgenorth
[ fhh Staff Writer
Number of crimes decreasing,
related violence is on increase
Last fiscal year, Central*s
total endowment return compared favorably with other colleges and universities.
Central earned a return of 14.7
percent on its endowments during fiscal year 1992-93, said
Jonas Cook, associate vice president for Business and Finance.
A preliminary study by the
National Association of College
and University Business Officers
stated that the same year's average total endowment return for
colleges and universities was 13.1
percent.  The study, which Cen
tral took part in, was cited in a
Dec. 1 article in The Chronicle of
Higher Education.
The article stated that colleges
and universities that diversified
their holdings and kept less
money invested in cash equivalents generally had higher
returns on their investments.
Cash equivalents are more certain, but earn less return on
investments, Cook said.
Four percent of Central's
endowment funds is held in cash
equivalents, such as agency and
United States Treasury securities, according to Cook. On aver-
See ENDOWPage 12
By Scott Anderson
I. If-fc  Staff Wnter       	
The frequency of crime nationwide and in Mount
Pleasant might be down, but the intense nature of
area violent crime continues to pose a challenge for
poJic-e ofTuzisdm.    ._•_ ,      .  ,. _    ...... „ ..
Martin Trombley, director of Mount Pleasant
Public Safety, said the national figures presented
by the Uniform Crime Report 1992, a study done by
the FBI. lists crime* across the country as dropping
by approximately 3 percent. But a disturbing trend
in the Isabella County area is the amount of violence displayed by these crimes.
"Crimes in general are down, but violence related
to certain crimes has increased," Trombley said.
"The issue of violence connected with crimes is one
that shouldn't be overlooked.**
Trombley also said the police are dealing with
crimes involving weapons more often than in past
years.
"We're seeing more weapons involved," Trombley
said.   "More  serious  injuries have resulted, even
though we don't see assault numbers going up."
Knives and other household items with the poten-
tial for danger are common among domestic violence and abuse complaints in the area, Trombley
said. The vast majority of domestic violence epm-
WAmmmmM km* sliiaalfrilTirrnatil^
While the violent nature of crime is increasing
Mount Pleasant police officers are having difficultly
investigating the incidents, Trombley said.
Much of the schedule of a typical police officer is
tied up with lengthy court proceedings which result
in police understating, he said.
"We do more of everything, which takes away
from when officers are responding to complaints
and patrolling the streets," Trombley said.
Earlier this year, Trombley requested two additional police officers be added to the MPPD staff at a
Mount Pleasant City Commissioners meeting.
The City Commission will have reached a decision when it presents its budget for 1994.
Something fishy
President Piachta, committee
devise compromise proposal
Bv Kelly L. Adams
St.eft Wnter
The Academic Senate will
take action on a joint proposal
concerning academic organiza-
tie)ii at its special-issue meeting
He   14.
President Leonard E. Piachta
and representatives to
A-Senate's Faculty and Trustees
Liaison Committee came to a
compromise proposal Monday
evening.
Prior to Monday, negotiation
attempts had been unsuccessful
and the two sides had planned to
take two separate proposals to
A-Senate.
David    Smith,    chairman    of
LIFE
on the
Inside
MORE NEWS 3
VOICES 4
CMU HISTORY 5
ETCETERA 8
SPORTS 10
POLICE 12
DIGEST 14
CLASSIFIEDS 14
A-Senate, said the joint proposal
keeps the faculty's plan for organization intact with an added stipulation.
"The main change in the proposal adds a sentence that the
president can take forward a
proposal that was negatively
voted upon by the Senate except
ir. cases that affect the collaborative ability to conduct degrees,
majors, minors and concentrations," he said.
"The president could not override faculty and Senate action on
proposals that have a direct cur-
ricular impact unless he could
make the case that it was purely
organizational and would have
no impact on curriculum."
Sen Jim Scott, professor of
office and information systems,
said he is pleased with the compromise proposal.
"I think this proposal allows
the Academic Senate to protect
Ttiajors and minors and other
academic programs under our
direction and allows the president to organize the academic
division in an efficient way as
long as it does not have an impact
on academic programs," Scott
said.
Smith, chairman of the religion
department, said the proposal
.i I lows both sides to win.
It is an approach that gives
. i »< • president what he was asking
loi and still proteects what is most
impoi-tant academically to the
faculty," he said. "It is preferable
to being at an impasse. That
could have been very destructive
it there had been a direct confrontation between the Board of Trustees and faculty."
Sen. Susan Conner, professor
of history, said the compromise is
a step in the right direction.
**I am cautiously optimistic
about the future of this school
and the working relations," she
said. "I am pleased we were able
to work out a way to define organization separate from curriculum and academic issues because
that is what is really important."
Conner said the compromise
appeases both sides and allows
everyone involved to get back to
the basics.
"I think it is a workable solution and that is what is important
right now," she said. "It really
means we can get focused on
what we do."
Smith said that in conjunction
with the joint proposal, the president will voice support for curriculum procedures in place.
The president has agreed to
publicly confirm that the curriculum is the domain of the faculty
and endorse the curriculum
authority document and structure we have now at the next
Senate meeting."
Piachta could not be reached
for comment.
Chad Donahue, Standish junior, works on his mount for exhibit in the Center for Cultural and Natural
History located in Rowe Hall. See story on page 5.
Students' reaction to Trustees'
tuition proposal unfavorable
By Chris C. Davis
LIFE Staff Writer
The proposal for a tiered tuition rate system at CMU is drawing cool responses frpm some students.
The policy, which would raise
tuition rates for junior and senior
students, will be discussed at the
Dec. 17 Board of Trustees meet-
ing.
"Just because you may be a
senior doesn't mean you won't be
taking a 100-level class," said
Casey Lake, Greenville senior.
"<The administration) will do
anything for money."
The fact that seven of 15 universities in Michigan already
have adopted a tiered tuition sys-
tem in Michigan made no difference to Todd Gibbs, Utica freshman. He said the policy discriminates against older students.
"Prices are already high as it
is." he said. "I don't really see the
need to raise them more."
Brenda Bulinski. Ironwood
graduate student, said students
are poorly informed of what tuition dollars funded. She said stu- '
dents are "completely unaware"
how monies are spent.
"Tuition   as   a  whole   is  high.
(The    administration*   wastes
money on watering grass when
it's already dead," Bulinski said.
Chad   Adams,   Saint   Charles
See TUITION Page 2
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