1973-11-19; Central Michigan Life

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'Board retains ultimate authority'
Xrusteis^havepower^ta^iSTniss^dministratof&
by LORETTA PIZZO
LIFE Staff Writer
"If they wanted to, -they could dismiss President
William B: Boyd in two seconds flat," says Terrance J,
Carey, secretary, to the Board of Trustees.
Carey is speaking of that very board when he says-
it's within their power to fire the entire administration
in one sweeping blow.
What else is within the board's power? And how did
the board itself - evolve into its present form?
Governor appoints board * *
Central's Board of .Trustees got its start in 1984
when the Governor signed the revised Michigan constitution into'law. Popularly called the "constitution of
' '64," it provided for the establishment of separate eight-
member boards of control for Central, Eastern, • TNlqr-
thern and Western Michigan Universities. According to
the bylaws of CMU, "the governor shall appoint the
board members by'and with the advice and consent of
the (s^ate) senate for terms of eight years , . ."
Previously, there had been a state-wide board in
control of all regional state supported, institutions with
local representatives for each school. Larger institutions
such as Michigan State University (MSU) retained their
prior setup of elected boards.
"Personally, I feel our board is extremely nonpartisan because it is appointed rather than elected,"
Carey says. He was once secretary of the MSU board
and says the difference between the two is "equivalent
to jthe difference between day and night."
"This way," says Carey, "the people are dedicated
and concerned. Never in the three years I've been here,
have I seen any decisions made on political or personal
lines."'
Although generally unacknowledged by officials, .it
is common knowledge board members meet the night
before meetings to discuss primary items of the agenda.
They also hold "secret sessions" the morning of the
public meeting.
"Since , they come to collective judgments
beforehand) it appears they all think similarly. They
don't though. They're all completely different people.
And the board is far from being a rubber' stamp;
although they sometimes give that impression because
they have decided issues in advance," Carey says.    ■ ■
He adds the board is leaving more items to the open
meeting for deciding and is delegating some of its
functions to the administration.
'Board's function is policy-making'
"They're not giving up their authority,1' Carey
stresses, "but they, are delegating some things to the
administration. Th^ board's function is one of policymaking, not implementing. Presently the1 board-
administration climate is such that the board feels it can
confine itself to policy. The board members have confidence in the administrators and are willing to delegate
some of their functions," he explains.
Examples of delegated authority include allowing
the Housing Office to make decisions about lifestyle
changes,' and adoption of the recent search procedure
policy for the selection of administrative officers.
"It is important to remember though, the board
retains ultimate authority," Carey adds. "Quite often,
the public, isn't aware of the power the board has."
Issues decided by the board include those of tuition
and fee rates, selling of construction bonds, financing
programs, and, the acting on budget itself. "The board
always acts on anything to d,o with money," according to
Carey,
Other powers granted to the board by the state
constitution and the University bylaws include making
rules and regulations; determining compensation for
services rendered; granting degrees and diplomas;
accepting gifts, grants, bequests, and properties; entering into binding agreements; purchasing property;
investing real and personal property; and filing suit in
court.      .
Board is responsible for binding contracts
The board* is responsible for all binding contracts
and obligations pertaining to Central, whether formulated since its the board's-inception or during the
time there was a state-wide board. It also* must see
Central maintains fully equipped training schools as
schools of observation and practice for student teachers
and that Central provides instruction in teaching.
The board must meet at least 10 times a year and
special meetings may be scheduled under certain W"
eumstances.
Members consist of a chairman, vice chairman and
six member s-at-iarge. The University president serves
in an ex-officio capacity and, along with the board
secretary and treasurer, receives no voting powers.
Both the secretary and treasurer must "post bonds to
"secure the faithful performance of the duties" of their
offices. \
"We have some very strong people on the board,"
according to Carey. "We have people in finance, in labor
relations, in law—there are'two attorneys on--the'
board—and in academia. We have a healthy distribution
of talents.
"And the board feels very fortunate in having Bill;"
Boyd at CMU," he adds. "We know for a fact Boyd had:
been sought to fill positions at other schools. And I can;
tell you the board is glad he bought a farm here. There;
have been spme very real overtures made in the last'
three or four years." "'/-*'
Carey   pointed    out    the   value   of   having . %
young person such as, DeeBoersma on the board, saying
student input is an important factor and having a recent ,
graduate on the board is '.'enlightening." •>:?• j
■    * i
What's in the future for the board? "I can't predict,] "
but off-hand I'd say there are no major changes in sight;
I see no great policy changes, but the educational;
structure may change some," Carey says. "In other*,
words, more of the same." ;
C
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Volume 55 Number 36
Central Michigan University
Monday, November 19, 1973
Does credit-no credit benefit students?
by LORRAINE BRINGER
LIFE News Editor
Effective fall semester 1969,
CMU instituted a policy offering
designated classes on a credit-no
credit basis. Since then, there has
been a difference of opinion whether
the policy is an advantage or
disadvantage to the student.
The original credit-no credit
policy stipulated 25 credit hours as
the maximum amount of credit-no
credit classes that could be taken
• toward a degree, with no more than
five such hours per semester.
Directed teaching was not included
in the 25 hour limitation.
Individual departments
designated what courses would be
offered credit-no crediti Also} under
the original policy, courses in a
student's major could not be taken
on a credit-no credit basis.
Credit was given for work
earning grades A through D. Credit
means the student earns credit
toward graduation, but the
evaluation does not affect his grade
point average. No credit means a
student does not earn credit, and no
record is kept for the hours attempted.
Instructors are not informed
whether a student is taking a course
on a credit-no Credit basis.
Policy was revised last year
A revision in the original policy
went into effect fall semester 1971,
leaving to the discretion of individual
-departments whether a course taken
on a credit-no credit basis would be
applicable on a major'. Also a grade
of A through C now Was required for
a student to receive credit.
According to Thomas A. Lin-
deman, assistant registrar, the
revision was made because the
faculty was concerned about
students receiving credit for minimal
(D) work.
"Also, other institutions
frowned upon our A through D
policy," Lindeman said, "especially
those schools reviewing transfer
students and the acceptance of their
transfered credit hour's from CMU."
The policy again was amended
this semester allowing departments
to offer courses exclusively on a
credit-no credit basis after approval
by the appropriate curricular
authorities and publication in the
University bulletin. All courses
exclusively offered on credit-no
credit are not included in the 25-hour
restriction.
Since the original institution of
the credit-no credit .policy, the
number of students registering for
classes on that basis has dropped
considerably. In the 1969-70
academic year, 6,346 students took
classes on credit-no credit. Last
year, the figure dropped to 2,091.
Lindeman said he attributed the
decline mostly to the 1971 revision
making a grade of C the minimum
requirement for credit.
Honors may use credit-no credit
The Honors Program is attempting to take advantage of this
semester's revision of the policy. The
Honors Council will vote today'
whether to offer all honors classes
exclusively on credit-no credit, with
written evaluations for each student.
"The problem with letter
grades," said Dick Archer, director
of the, Honors"Program, "is they are
only symbols of evaluation of a
student's strengths and weaknesses.
It puts emphasis on rewards and
punishments rather than on learning. A student works to improve
grades, not vveaknesses."';
. The Honors Program1 recently
sent a survey to honors students to
get their opinion regarding the
proposal for credit-no credit. Eighty-
six students responded, 65 favoring
the change.
."I would not even consider
credit-no credit without a written
evaluation for each student," Archer
said. "The average honors class only
has about 10 students. I can see how
the system could not work in regular
classes. It is unreasonable to expect
written evaluations in a class of 200
students."
Archer said with a written
record of each student's performance, the instructor has a better
resource for recommending students
for employment or graduate school.
Olaf Steg, dean ofxhe School of
Graduate Studies warned against
taking too many' undergraduate
classes on a credit-no credit basis in
the area in which a student is
planning to do graduate work.
"For determining how a faculty
has hcen impressed by a student's
achievement, and his potential for
success at the graduate school level,
the traditional grading system yields
that information more manageably
than any other when we deal with
large numbers of applicants for
admission," Steg said.
He explained the selection of
fellowship recipients also is
primarily based qn the applicant's
comparatire.■■standings- -with?regard
to cumulative and departmental
grade point averages.
"I can see the philosophical
merit of,breaking away from the
traditional grades system, but so
many decisions are based on this
type of evaluation that we can't
break away at the moment," explained Steg.
For the first time this year, a
fellowship was given on a trial basis
to a student from a university whose
classes are all recorded as credit-no
credit. Steg said, however, the
recommending committee felt insecure in making the award and will
watch the student's progress
carefully.
-- <***>-.■-
PUDDLE BATH IN NOVEMBER-What started out a3 a joke ended
up with a profit for Gary Webber, Caspian junior. Thursday afternoon
Webber was offered a $5 bet to jump into a hole filled with water
CM LIFE PHOTOS BY RICK MCKAY
located between married housing. Taking advantage of the offer,
Webber took a running leap and landed in the pubble in front of
amused spectators.
CM LIFE PHOTO BY LORRIE LYNCH
THE HUNT IS OAT-John Knight, a Michigan State University student
who works part-time for the Department of Natural Resources, checks...
the age (by looking at tooth replacement and tooth wear), and health of''"
deer, as well as where and when the hunter shot it, at the deer check,...
center on U. S. 27 near Alma. ' ""'*
AWS schedules
officer elections
Elections to choose officers
representing Associatedv Women
Students (AWS) for 1974 will be
Nov. 28. ,
Women living on-campus may
vote in their respective food commons from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. using
their food cards as identification.
Women living off-campus may vote
in the lower level of the University
Center outside the Reservation until
6 p.m. Wednesday using, their
student identification card.
A president, first vice-president
(in charge of activities), second vice-
president (in charge of public
relations "arflT^ p^biicityj
corresponding secretary, recording
secretary and treasurer of AWS will
be chosen.   ,
Newly elected officers will-ibe
installed Dec. 4, at the annual dinner
sponsored by AWS. tir:
LIFE returns
Nov. 28
CM LIFE will not, fee
published Wednesday due to a
shortage of newsprint. ,;
To ensure an adequate
number of pages for future issues?:
LIFE opted not to print Wednesday, Many of our constituents
already ..will have left jot..
Thanksgiving vacation. TJ^
LIFE will resume pubUcaJJon'
Nov. 28. Enjoy your turkey!"' "'
A-Senate to discuss
teacher prep report
For the third meeting in a row,
Academic Senate members will
debate the recommendations of the
Teacher Preparation report during
their bi-monthly meeting today in
Pearce 138 at 3:10 p.m.
Also on the agenda for tjiday is
the president's report and approval
of several items in minutes of
various committees, including the
Graduate Committee, Curriculum
Committee and Committee on
Committees. A request for a revised
departmental review schedule in the
School of Education is also on the
agenda,
Today's meeting marks' .the
beginning of the term of newly-
elected secretary Emmett Maiah,
associate professor of industrial
education and technology. Meetings
are open to the public. *'S*<
S-Senate slates ;5
evening meeting!^
Recommendations of £h*e
screening committee to appoint; ,a
student academic senator, plus^pQb
selection of three students to s^T*
on the screening committee to IigEfcigfe
a director for The Cente^t^*
Teaching and Learning will3b>
among activities at the StU^t
Senate meeting Monday atMO^m.
in the Maroon Room ofj%titaf
University Center. !%i;'
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