1994-03-02; Central Michigan Life

              WEDNESDAY
H:upp«r30*
L:mM20S
mostly sunny
to partly sunny
^HMOto   ^srsES^Ji
Toughening up
Bill to crack down on pot offenders
Page 7
Horns of plenty
Jazz gets rediscovered
Page 8
"WE'RE GONNA WIN"
CMU wrestlers head to MAC Tourney
Page 10
THURSDAY
H: around 40
L: upper 20s
partly sunny
Central
Michigan
■     -      ' .    ..:■;■     f.r
District judge announces candidacy
O'Connell to run for
state appellate court
By Todd Fettig
LIFE Staff Writer
Judge Peter O'Connell announced his candidacy Tuesday for a
newly created seat on the Michigan Court of Appeals.
O'Connell, who has served as 76th District Court Judge since 1979,
said he is the first candidate to enter the race for the open seat in
Michigan's Court of Appeals District IV, a 60-county region. District
IV is Michigan's largest geographically, covering central and northern lower Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
O'Connell said his experience as a trial judge and being a published author will prepare him for the written decisions expected
from appeals court judges.
He described his judicial philosophy as very conservative.
"I believe in holding people accountable for their actions," he said.
"We should be firm but fair.**
O'Connell said he will not have to resign from his current position
unless he wins the election. Despite keeping the 76th district position during the campaign, he plans to actively take part in the
campaign process.
"There will be a lot of miles driven and shoe leather worn between
now and November," O'Connell said.
Candidates for the position will be narrowed down during Michigan's Aug. 2 primary election. The winner will be declared following
Michigan*s November general election.
The Michigan Legislature created the new seat to deal with a large
backlog, O'Connell said. The six-year term begins Jan. 1.
O'Connell was the first Michigan trial judge to receive a Masters of
Judicial Studies Degree. He formerly has served as president of the
Michigan District Judges Association and as Isabella County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.
He is an adjunct professor of law at Thomas Cooley Law School in
Lansing, a published author and has served as faculty for the Michigan Judicial Institute and the National Judicial College.
O'Connell is a member of the Michigan Bar Association, the
American Bar Association and the Isabella County Bar Association.
Faculty member to
have position cut
after 23-year career
LIFE Photo/Todd Fettig
Judge Peter O'Connell said he will run for the open seat of the
Michigan Court of Appeals.
By Marjory Raymer
1 if-fc Assistant News Editor	
After 23 years as a CMU
employee, Greydon Hyde will
leave the university involuntarily; his position has been targeted
as pan of budget cuts.
"If iCMLr> were a Fortune 500
Club, maybe I'd agree with it, but
our product is the student and
the bottom line is education,"
Hyde said.
Robert Craig, chairman of
broadcast and cinematic arts,
said he informally rotified Hyde,
operations manager for BCA,
early this semester that the
department faculty, after considering the options, voted to eliminate his position according to
guidelines from the dean.
"I just think there were other
options that they evidently didn't
want to do," Hyde said.
"It is kind of frustrateng seeing
them building a student lounge
out of a classroom and cutting
personnel," he added, referring to
the new student lounge in room
109 Grawn Hall.
Hyde supervises the students
of the executive stafTfor Channel
34 MHTV. He said his proudest
accomplishment has been keeping the facility running with the
«If (CiyiU) were a Fortune 500 Club, maybe
I'd agree with it, but
our product is the student and the bottom
line is education."
Greydon Hyde
outdated equipment it has available.
"It is undoubtable that MHTV
will go in a downward spiral in
the technical quality of the programming, which lias been troublesome because of the age *>f our
equipment," said Sean Watson,
studio manager for Moore Hall
1 elevision and Coldwater senior.
"I fear things won't get fixed
quickly. . .plus, Greydon has
been a gift to those of us who
aspire towrd the technical side."
Craig said the administration
has no intent to end production of
MHTV.
The position is one of eight to 12
total  positions that will be cut
See HYDE Page 2
Reply to reversal plea incomplete, group says
By Christine Welch
LIFE Staff Writer
CMU's response to Lambda Legal Defense and
Education Fund Inc. regarding religious registered
student organizations' ability to discriminate based
on sexual orientation is accurate but not complete,
according to a Lambda representative.
"There is always tension when First Amendment
rights and discrimination are involved. It's safe to
say that legal opinions are not clear-cut," said Patricia Logue, managing attorney for Lambda.
Logue said the letter written by Attorney Steve
Martineau in reply to Logue s letter asking the
university to reverse its decision is just one legal
opinion. Opinions will always vary she said, but she
saw no indication that there would be a compromise
anytime soon.
Although Logue has never met President Leonard E. Plachta or Martineau, of Lynch, Gallagher,
Lynch & Martineau Attorneys at Law, 555 N. Main
St., she said she would truly like to work with
Martineau and the university to reach an amicable
solution which would be beneficial to everyone
involved.
Student attempting recovery
from sport-related paralysis
By Michael Max
LIFE Staff Writer
Brian Sheridan is ready to face biggest challenge of his life — recovery.
Sheridan, Bay City freshman, returned home
Friday after four months of treatment at Mary Free
Bed Hospital and Rehabilitaion Center of Grand
Rapids.
On Nov. 7, Sheridan was participating in the
CMU Gymnastics Club when he attempted a back
flip and broke his neck. He was rushed to St. Mary's
Hospital in Saginaw where he underwent a neurological operation.
With this
CM UFE
wIH
until
March 16.
Have a
great and
Spring
Breakl
LIFE
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CLASSfFIEPS
11
He is now a quadriplegic and has no feeling from
his chest down. "I can move my right hand somewhat and can hold a phone up to my ear," Sheridan
said, "and my left hand is beginning to come around
a little more."
Sheridan has a positive outlook on his recovery.
"This will be the biggest challenge that I have
faced in my life, but I am a very competitive person,
and it will just have to take more dedication."
In addition to physical therapy, emotional therapy helps the healing process. He said he has
received amazing support from both his family and
his friends.
He began out-patient therapy at the Saginaw
Community Hospital Tuesday, and will continue
4 rehabilitation until there is no further progress in
his condition to be made.
"My friends from CMU had a surprise party for
me when I returned home on Friday, and my family
has been so supportive. It has been great."
Sheridan said he plans to continue his education
at CMU this fall.
~I would like very much to return to CMU, but if I
cannot, I will attend a community college somewhere near my home in Bay City," Sheridan said.
He said he was studying pre-dentistry at CMU
before the accident but is now considering occupational therapy.
"I wanted to go into dentistry, but that would be
very difficult now since both of my hands have been
paralyzed," he said.
See SHERIDAN Page 5
'"It's unfortunate that some groups are protected
more than others," Logue said.
Rights for gays, lesbians and bisexuals is probably an issue that is new to many people, Logue
said. Misguided information can be very dangerous
and the conflict that has risen at CMU could be seen
as an example of discrimination. She believes that
properly educating the public on both sides of the
issue would be the foremost thing to do.
Logue said her firm is concerned about all types of
discrimination, not just what is directed towards
gays, lesbians and bisexuals.
Nancy Hawks, co-coordinator for the Community
for Liberty, Unity and Equality, agreed with
Logue's response.
"Once they made the November decision, I knew
they would never go back on it," said Hawks,
Beaverton senior.
Hawks said she hoped the university would
change its mind but expected to hear that they
would stand by their original decision.
"We need a compromise that will be beneficial to
everyone," Hawks said.
Hawks said she would like to see students from
both sides get together and discuss what each group
wants to accomplish. Hawks said she urges students of all races, religions and sexual orientations
to join together and stop the discrimination as a
whole.
"I'd love to see a student vote, but an informed
vote," Hawks said.
Morris to get $36,532 severance
Greg Morris, former legislative
counsel for CMU, will collect compensation from the university
following his termination Friday,
according to the senior officer
handbook.
Morris will receive a six-
month, or $36,532, termination
payment.
To compensate for health and
dental insurances, the SO's
monthly base salary is divided by
12 and added to the university's
payment for the last month of
regular employment. In Morris'
case, that total is then multiplied
by six, the number of months the
university will compensate his
pay.
The handbook outline states
the termination payment will be
made in an amount equal to the
value of salary for a minimum of
six months and a maximum of 12.
The number of months is determined at the rate of one month
per each full year of service.
Morris has been with the university since Aug. l2>, 1990.
In one lump sum, the university will contribute an amount
equal to 12 percent of the termi
nation payment to a Teacher's
Insurance and Annuity Association College Retirement Equity
Fund in the SO's name.
From the total payment, CMU
will deduct the senior officer's
contribution to social security,
and the university will pay its
share of social security, unless
the maximum contribution for
that year already has been made.
No other payments, including
retirement payments, will be
made after the employee's termination.