1975-02-10; Central Michigan Life

              Volume 55 No. 54
Monday, February 10, 1975
Will governor appoint
student as Trustee?
by JOHN R. SPREITZER
CM LIFE Reporter
The possibility of a student
being appointed to one of the two
vacancies on the University Board of
Trustees will be decided by Gov.
William G. Milliken within the next
week, Joyce Braithwaite, assistant
to the governor, said..
"Right now the appointments
for CMU are in such an early stage
no one can say if a student will or will
not be appointed," Braithwaite said.
According to Braithwaite,
Milliken has a number of possibilities
in filling the vacancies. He may
reappoint one of the two members
whose terms have expired and
appoint a new member, reappoint
both, or appoint two new members.
Both members, wh'ose term's
expired   in   December,   said   they
"I would accept
one... but I feel a
student on the Board of
Trustees*, of his own
school would have a conflict of interest, "—
Katherine F. Hafstad,
Board of Trustees
would accept reappointment.
Katherine   Hafstad   a   trustee
from Harbor Springs, said she would
accept reappointment and the idea of
' serving   with   a   student   member
really didn't bother her.
"I would accept one," Hafstad
said, "but I feel a student on the
Board of Trustees of his own school
would have a conflict of interests."
Walter Wightman, a trustee
from   Fenneville  whose  term  also
Open files?
CMU to comply with amendment
The University is developing'
procedures now for the handling of
student files to comply with an
amendment signed by President
Gerald R. Ford during semester
break.
The amendment to the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act
says Confidential letters and
statements of recommendatioh
placed in a student's files before Jan.
1,1975 need not be made available to
the student.
But material placed in student
files after Jan. 1 may be viewed by
students if the writer is aware the
recommendation is being placed in
an open file.
students handle their own files if
they elect to have open files.
Alexander said he was concerned about the value of an open
file. The placement department is
conducting a" survey of superintendents of schools across the state
to get their opinions on the value of
hen-confidential files to them, he
said.
For material filed condidentially
before Jan. I, Alexander said,
students must receive written
permission from the author of the
material before they are allowed to
view the material.
Alexander    noted    only    10
students  have  requested  to  view
their files and  all withdrew their
requests when informed they first
would have to write to all the contributors in their file for permission.
expired,   had   no   comment   on   a
student member.
According to Kris Beck, director
of Student Government's Legislative
Affairs and a member of the
Michigan Higher Education
Students Association (MHESA)
executive board, said there have
been three student resumes sent to
the governor for consideration.
The three students who submitted resumes are Rick Marshall,
Mt. Pleasant senior; Kenneth (Cam)
Davis, CMU graduate and first-year
law student at Wayne State
University and Steve England, a
spring graduate of CMU, Beck said.
"These students all answered
our paid advertisement in the Jan.
27 issue of CM LIFE," Beck, Fenton
sophomore, said, "The purpose of
this ad was to give everyone an
opportunity to submit a resume and
to inform the student body of the bill
passed by Milliken this December
allowing students to serve on
university governing boards."
Braithwaite said, "We look at
MHESA as both a convenience and
an assistance in presenting us with
student resumes."
"However, a student could just
send us his resume without .going
through MHESA," Braithwaite said.
She added, "It might be noted
theone student appointed by Milliken
to the Michigan .Xgchijslogical Institute Board of Control was
recommended by MHESA."
According
Charles
Alexander, director of placement, in
the future students may have the
option of maintaining either open or
closed files.
A form which will allow
students to waive the right to see
their files and maintain a closed file
is being considered, he said. He also
indicated the University has considered   the   possibility   of  having
Student union board
to write constitution
by DAVID N. BRABOY
CM LIFE Reporter
The proposed Student
Association's constitution is to be
written officially at a Board of
Directors meeting late next week,
according to William Pilchak,
student body president.
ould FA positions change?
by STEVE MORSE
LIFE Managing Editor
|jie   last   time   the. Faculty
liation   (FA)   met,   its   mem-
fP   numbered    approximately
tersons.
|<w, after a sizeable increase in
lership and three months of a
controversial legal battle concerning
the union's position on campus, the
FA will meet tonight at 7:3,0 in
Rooms 3D and E of the University
Center.
THE MAIN purpose of the
rnsetiagr according to FA President
Robert  Clason,  is   to  discuss   the
ppeal statements
e in court today
possibility of filing an unfair labor
practice (ULP) against the
University for its alleged involvement in faculty matters.
Topics also slated for discussion
include further enforcement of the
agency shop clause, a report from
the newly .formed spring bargaining
team and a discussion of binding
arbitration in contract bargaining as
it pertains to higher education.
But when Clason convenes the
meeting tonight, topics of discussion
could stray front the agenda. After
Perhaps even some of the
faculty members who have be,en in
the union ail along would jiave
reason to attend the meeting—
whether it be to praise or criticize!
After all, according to some
union members, the FA made a
"political mistake" when it "went
after a grandmother" to collect its
agency shop fee. Katherine Ux,
professor of art, was singled out by
the unioti as the .sole defendant in, a
suit filed to collect the debt, which is
provided for in the contract signed
All final details of the
Association's constitution, including
a funding relationship with PIRGIM,
will be settled, Pilchak said;
However, funding procedures
between PIRGIM and the
Association will not be established
until after the constitution has been
written, according to Bill LeFevere,
PlRGIM's Mt. Pleasant chairperson.
1 don't anticipate to work
something out with the Association,"
LeFevere said. Sunday, "until the
constitution has been written out
and signed."
PIRGIM tentatively was accepted » Wednesday by the
Association's Board of Directors,
though the funding relationship
between the two bodies had not been
worked out. The Association's
decision reversed its earlier consensus PIRGIM did not fit the
board's concept of providing services
and benefits to Central students.
all, several things have happened    and ratified by union members last
since the FA last met in the middle    fall.
*
jsgal briefs are due today in
ction  with  the  appeal of  a'
jgan Employment Relations
fission (MERC) ruling which
dated   petitions   frohi   CMU
|y members .calling, for   a
fification election. }
j of 5 p.m. Friday briefs from
I'erry J. Mroz, Free Faculty
»ey,   and  Clifford   Weiler,
Association (FA) attorney,
|en received at the State Court
|Peals in Grand' Rapids,  ac-
|g to a court clerk. The clerk
• brief had been received from
rsity Counsel J. David Kerr or
lean Association of University
Isors (AAUP) attorney David
as yet,
jUhough   Kerr   and   Klein
|«sly had indicated they each
would file a brief in support of the
appeal, neither could be reached for
comment* late Friday.      I. .      *
According to the clerk, all
parties involved now may file
rebuttal briefs at any time. She indicated the earliest possible hearing
date would be in April, although she
said it was possible it might be
delayed until May because of in-'
creased court workloads.
Further delay, the* clerk said,
would be incurred if one of the at-,
torneys asked for an extension in the
case. ■■■'*.'
The clerk said no such Request
has been received and also noted
none of the attorneys yet has indicated a need for oral argument
before a judge in ;the case.
of October.
For one thing, the .union's
membership has grown. According
to plason, ifc almost has reached the
290 level out of approximately 600
faculty members'.
Second, although an Association
membership meeting barely draws
half of the members on the average,
recent and not-so-recent developments could make tonight's meeting
a must for some .of the newer
members,
AFTER ALL, for 150 bucks (FA
dues) it rtilght be worth one's while
to'keep posted on union matters as
well as insert opinions from time to
time.
This is not to mention the fact
the newer union members might be
pushing the enforcement of agency
shop, the very Item which probably
pressured them into joining the FA*
Undoubtably, some members of
the junion are not happy, with the
results of that" move, which has
placed the FA in the role of being the
"bad guy."
Even FA President Robert
Clason admitted some union
members have come to him expressing concern about the matter.
One alternative, according to Clason,
would be to single out more faculty
members for nonpayment suits to
i, (See "Could association" page 14)
Previously,, Pilchak said
PIR6IM failed to meet the
Association's concept because "an off
hand; figure" of 95 per cent of
PlRGIM's money donated by CMU
students goes off campus.
In a prepared statement to the
press Thursday, LeFevere said, "A
major portion of our money goes off
campus because it would be impossible for any one University to hire
professionals" such as lawyers,
counselors and lobbyists.
')
LeFevere estimated 50 to 65, per
cent  <of   PlRGIM's   donations   is
transferred directly off campus to
on the inside:
Dick Gregory to appear-Page 3
Sabbatfcals^wbat are ihent-Page a
Chips host Buffalo tonight-Page 10
Swimmers edge Mem Iliinois-Page il
PlRGIM's   state   headquarters   in
Lansing.
LEFEVERE SAID-Sunday he
arrived at his estimation "from the
amount of money that we've spent
this year already on such things as
poster and card printing and other
promotional material."
When asked how PIRGIM
became tentatively accepted into the
Association's directorial board after -
originally being turned down,
LeFevere answered, "Because we
meet all the criteria for seating
membership on the board."
Criteria establishment, he
added, was reached at Wednesday's
executive board meeting.
LeFevere noted if PIRGIM is
written into the constitution, CMU's
PIRGIM will be the first Michigan-
based organization to have a funding
relationship with a student
government.
Other PIRG's throughout the
country are presently funded
through a contract situation with
various college student governments, LeFevere said.
According to Pilchak, such a
funding system between PIRGIM
and the Association will be discussed
at a later meeting.
He added, while alternate
funding systems will be examined, it
has been agreed between the
Association and PIRGIM that
PIRGIM will not "dip into" the
Association's $4 membership fee
from students.
Student, approval of the
Association's constitution and the
revision of Student Government's
constitution will be in the April
election,
According to Casey Schesky,
Student Government's elections
director, an exact election date has
not been confirmed,
/'