1995-10-16; Central Michigan Life

              Central
Michigan
MONDAY,
OCTOBER 16,
1995
VOLUME 78, NUMBER 21
Memo shows
plan to halve
CMU's PBS
contribution
By JENNIFER ACKERMAN
L IH- Assistant News Editor	
A memo dated Sept. 8
circulated between top university administrators outlines a
plan to reduce CMU's contribution to Public Broadcasting
from approximately $1.2
million to slightly over
$500,000 by 1998-99.
A memo sent to Kim
Ellertson, vice president of
Business and Finance, and
Jerry Scoby, assistant vice
president of Business Affairs,
from Russ Herron, vice president of University Relations,
outlines a four-step plan to
reduce CMU's funding.
The memo states "a reduction in general fund allocations
to Public Broadcasting in
1996-97 of $100,000 followed in
1997-98 by a reduction of
$200,000 and a 1998-99 reduc-
See PBS Page 2	
MOUNT PLEASANT, MICHIGAN 48859
©1995 CM LIFE
(517) 774-3493
14 PAGES
CMU football team
defeats Youngstown State
Silas Massey, filling in for
injured Damon Tolbert,
racked up 231 yards and
three touchdowns on 26
carries as the Chippewas
defeated Youngstown
State 46-25.
PAGE 8
LIFESTYLES
Benefits, side effects of
ginseng explored
Ginseng is supposed to
boost energy levels and
affect hormone levels,
but some say not enough
research has been done
to be sure these effects
are chemically caused.
And some ask whether
the root has negative
side effects.
PAGE 12
Morris, CMU settle lawsuit
By ERIN MERCER
LIFE Assistant News Editor
A civil lawsuit accusing
former legislative counsel Greg
Morris for sexual harassment
and CMU for "gross negligence"
has been settled after a year and
a half.
Eileen Jennings, university
counsel, said the settlement was
made Thursday. But terms of the
settlement   restricted   her   from
commenting further on the
situation, she said.
However, she did say that both
sides were happy it was over.
Terms of the settlement have
not been released.
The plaintiffs — Natalie
Alane, former student assistant
for governmental relations;
Maureen Daugherty, former
administrative assistant for
Morris; Sandy KaufTman, former
administrative    secretary    for
Morris; and Noelle Schiffer,
consultant to CMU — filed the
case in Ingham County's Court
of Claims in April 1994.
Morris refused to comment on
the settlement Sunday.
The lawsuit included five
counts. The counts include
violating the Elliot-Larsen Civil
Rights Act; sexual battery;
tortuous interference with a
contractual    relationship;   and
intentional infliction        of
emotional distress. Count five
was against CMU for gross
negligence, claiming the university "carelessly and recklessly
failed and refused to conduct a
thorough, competent, professional, unbiased, fair and full
investigation ... to accurately
assess plaintiffs claims.*"
Morris   has   denied   all   the
charges against him throughout
LIFE Photo JENNAH SPfTZLEV
ARE THOSE
NIKE DRESSES?
The CMU Women's Rugby Club plays a scrimmage game in prom dresses and evening wear Friday.
Is post-privatized Dining Services better?
the case.
"I have never discriminated
against anyone on the basis of
gender,** Morris said in an April
1994 statement.
Randie Black, attorney for the
plaintiff from Okemos; Robert
Vercruysee, attorney for CMU
from Detroit; and Johanna
Armstrong of Detroit and Joseph
Fink of Lansing, attorneys for
Morris, all could not be reached
for comment Sunday.
MSU might
approve
domestic
partner
benefits
By LENNY PADILLA
LIFE Staff Writer	
The Board of Trustees at
Michigan State University will
soon decide on whether domestic
partnership benefits will be
offered to its employees.
The MSU Academic Counsel
endorsed a plan Oct. 3, to extend
spousal benefits to unmarried
same-sex and opposite-sex
partners.
A date for the vote has yet to
be d«teriT.iT.ed.
Central recently denied a
proposal from the Gay and
Lesbian Faculty and Staff
organization to offer domestic
partnership benefits to its
employees.
The University of Michigan
and Wayne State University are
the only public universities in
Michigan to offer domestic
partnership benefits.
C. Keith Groty, assistant vice
president for Human Resources
at MSU, said the university has
had the issue of domestic
partnership benefits under
consideration for awhile.
"We had a report submitted to
(MSU) in 1992," Groty said. "A
task force on gay and lesbian
affairs had urged the university
By CINDY TROMBLEY
LIFE News Ednor	
Although it's been more than
five months since the university
has signed an official contract
with ARAMARK, two former
CMU employees are not
convinced about privatization
yet.
CMU entered a contract with
ARAMARK Educational
Services Inc. May 2. The contract
authorizes ARAMARK to exclusively manage the operation of
CMU's Dining Services.
ARAMARK receives a
management fee of $10,000 per
month as well as an allowance
for its general and administra-
Two ex-employees uncertain
about ARAMARK performance
tive expenses not in excess of
$15,000 per month.
According to Bob Van Pelt,
former chairman of the
Supervisory/ Technical Association, the university made
$2,912,670 for the 1994-95 year.
So he questioned why CMU
needed to bring in an outside
company.
Van Pelt's last day as a CMU
Dining Service supervisor was
June 30. He's unemployed and
looking for work
While  students  are  supposed
to be the ones benefitting,
they're actually being hurt by
the changes, Van Pelt said.
He said ARAMARK brought in
new products without testing
them and then blamed the staff
for not marketing the product
when "students hated it."
Before ARAMARK came to
CMU, Van Pelt said test panels
would be set up to try new foods
and "if it wasn't a viable product
we'd find out.
But     ARAMARK     resident
district manager Paul Hayward
said a tester booth was run in
the spring to try different foods
and decisions were made based
on this.
Hayward said although
ARAMARK purchases its
products from the same vendors,
"ARAMARK brings a level of
expertise** to the Dining
Commons so they "receive as
many options as possible."
But Van Pelt said students
have less options, as changes
were made to go to bulk yogurt
and cereals. He said students
once could choose from about 30
month as well as an allowance     looking for work. we'd find out." ^^ ARAMARK Page 7
for its general and administra- While students are supposed But     ARAMARK     resident     _ 2	
State police post won't be moving to Clare
n    CINDY TROMBLEY Hughes said the post's location       efforts,**    he    said.    "It    was     Hughes became post commander
BY _U 7  litv#w iar.v iH*.»l   so if a new buildinrz is       something thev were feeling the     in March 1989 that anv citv has
By CINDY TROMBLEY
LIFE News Editor
The Michigan State Police
post located in Mount Pleasant
won't be moving to another city
— at least not anytime soon,
police officials say.
Lt. Frank Hughes, post
commander for the Mount
Pleasant Post of the Michigan
State Police, said rumors that
the post would move to Clare
started circulating about six
months ago. That's when Clare
was looking into a new building
for its police department.
"It was something we were
going to consider depending on
what they were going to do,"
Hughes said "There's nothing
definite — not even close to
definite."
Hughes said the post's location
isn't ideal, so if a new building is
proposed in another city and
somebody contacts him, he'll
look into the possibility of
moving.
The state owned police post,
constructed in 1936, has its
share of problems, Hughes said.
These include the need for a
vehicle garage and more parking
spaces, in addition to the fact
that the building is not handicap
accessible, he said.
"The parking is terrible,"
Hughes said. "The building is old
too."
Hughes said Clare officials
contacted him about the possible
move around March, asking for
his input. But since then there
has been no further contact.
"I'm   not   making   any   initial
efforts," he said. "It was
something they were feeling the
waters for, so to speak. If
contacted, we always consider
looking at another facility."
Hughes said there are two
ways that a post can get a new
facility. The first is when a new
post is being formed, although
Hughes said that possibility is
highly unlikely.
The second way is by leasing a
building, he said. This is what
the post would have considered
doing if a new building was built
in Clare.
Geographically, Clare would
be an ideal location, Hughes
said. It would be located closer to
the center of the post's patrol
area, which includes all of
Isabella and Clare counties.
This   is   the   first   time   since
Hughes became post commander
in March 1989 that any city has
contacted him about the possibility of relocating, he said.
According to Clare City
Manager Vince Pastue, "We've
made overtures for them to
consider (relocating.)"
"It's very, very, very preliminary at this point," he said.
Pastue has said that the state
of Clare's police facilities was
examined. The Clare facilities
are not suitable for a modern
police agency, he said. So Clare
needs to consider all possibilities
and "it's more feasible to try and
work with another agency."
Pastue said he plans to contact
Hughes in the future to discuss
the issue and "we'll incorporate
that (information) with how we
•will go forward."
M
We feel that our current
benefits packages are]
very competive.
KIM ELLERTSON
Vice president for
Business and Finance
to consider domestic partnership
benefits."
Groty said the pressure
because of U-M and WSU
offering the benefits has been a
factor in the university's decision
to attend to the issue.
"Obviously the fact that they
(U-M and WSU) have domestic
partnership benefits is a matter
of consideration and will be
presented to the Board of.
Trustees."
Kim Ellertson, CMU vice
president of Business and
Finance, said the pending vote at
MSU regarding the benefits has
had no bearing on CMU's
decision not to offer the benefits.
"We feel that our current
benefits packages are very
competitive," he said.
Ellertson said that since U-M
and CMU are in the same
market, sometimes the two
schools are in competition for
employees, but there is not a
problem at this time.
"If at that time, we determine
that not offering (domestic
partnership benefits) becomes
an issue, then you bet we will
reconsider," Ellertson said.