1998-03-02; Central Michigan Life

              Central Michigan LIFE
Volume 79, Number & l/Lfi
Mt. Pleasant,   MI 48859
©1998 CM LIFE
/8 years of serving the community
Monday
March 2, 1998
14 pages
Principal gone, students wonder why
By Julia Jones
and Angela S. Vandenberg
LIFE Assistant News Editors
About 20 middle school students walked
out of school during lunch Friday to protest
Robert Luchauer's apparent dismissal as
principal of Renaissance Public School
Academy, one of CMITs Charter Schools, on
Feb. 23.
Susan Martin, superintendent of
Renaissance confirmed Luchauer is no
longer employed there, but she wouldn't
elaborate.
Parents and students of Renaissance said
Luchauer was fired. But at the request of
her attorney, Martin would not confirm or
deny the circumstances of Luchauer's leaving.
"I prefer to make no comment,1' she said.
Teachers at the school declined comment,
however, parents and students weren't
afraid to speak their minds.
In fact, during the schools lunch hour, students walked outside wearing paper tags on
their shirts which read *I support Mr.
Luchauer' and 'Reinstate Mr. Luchauer' as
they stood in drizzling rain chanting the
same words.
Arthur Oaks, eighth grade student protester, said, "Most of the parents I know say
if we don't get Mr. Luchauer back, the school
will go down."
Oaks said the reason more students did
not protest was because they were scared of
what it would make the school look like. He
said teachers feared losing their jobs.
Eighth grader Anna Mitchell said the
school board meeting where the principal
was apparently fired was closed to the public and the students just want to know why
the board fired him.
"They won't tell us," she said. "We think
we have a right to know."
Luchauer, who started the job in August,
could not be reached for comment.
Martin addressed the protesters briefly
before heading into an assembly to address
the students on the situation.
"I understand you have some reasons you
want to stand out here and if you do, that's
okay," she said. "I can tell you're upset."
The assembly was closed to the public.
Preston Maloney, an eighth grader who
organized the protest, said the idea developed from a conversation with friends.
"We appreciate what he has done for us,"
he said. "The school is a great school and the
board is a great board and we don't mean
anything negative against them."
However, Maloney said, he wants
Luchauer back.
"He always had a bright spirit and he
encouraged us in everything we did with our
assignments and doing good in school," he
said.
Maloney's parents, Dennis and Dawn,
were the only adults who attended the
protest.
"He was very supportive and beloved by
staff," Dawn said.
See PROTEST Page
14
CMU students protest for peace
By Renee Lutz
LIFE Staff Writer
Despite cool temperatures
and the threat of rain Friday
afternoon, close to 40 CMU students, faculty and Mount
Pleasant residents marched in
protest of a potential war in
Iraq.
The march, organized by a
group of sociology graduate s*u-
dents. began at 4 p.m. as protesters assembled in front of
Park Library. Protesters carried
signs with phrases such as "Is
Oil Thicker Than Blood?" and
"Think Globally. Act Locally."
A few also passed out flyers
detailing their stance on the
issue of potential military
action in Iraq.
Kevin Christensen, Mount
Pleasant resident and sociology
graduate student, said by participating in the march, he
hopes to raise awareness about
the threat? Iraqi children and
other residents face if a war
was to occur.
One problem faced by Iraqis
is that there is little food, due to
restrictions imposed by the
United Nations, and many die
of starvation daily as a result,
he said.
"If UN sanctions are killing
innocent children, why should
the people in the XJ.S. and in
the -world support that?"
Christensen said.
"It seems like even if Saddam
Hussein complied with (UN)
Security Council resolutions,
there won't be sanctions lifted."
Recently, UN Secretary-
General Kofi Annan met with
Hussein to negotiate about the
weapons Hussein holds to be
inspected by the UN. Hussein
has agreed to allow the inspections, but many still believe
existing tensions could lead to
war, including Penny Platte:
Mount Pleasant resident, who
has returned to CMU to earn a
second degree.
Platte, her husband Jeff, and
daughter Alegra Peace, 3, all
were participants in the march.
"I think that war is awful. It
just seems absurd," Platte said.
"I don't buy into the whole
war thing."
A few professors also participated in the march, including
Angela Haddad, assistant professor of sociology, anthropology
and social work.
"Some   of   my   sociology   stu-
See IRAQ Page 14
AUTUMN FLUTUR • CM LIFE
Reverend Steve Smith, of the local Wesley Foundation, is an avid participant in a protest that
occurred Friday afternoon, which began at the Park Library and ended downtown. The group was
defiantly objecting to the strained relations and anticipated war between the U.S. and Iraq.
waiting for go ahead on new station
TONY CEPAK♦
CM LIFE
With their
minds full of
confusion and
concern, students at the
Renaissance
Charter
School held a
silent protest
on their lunch
break showing support
for Robert
Luchauer.
By Clayton Mastaw
LIFE Staff Writer
The Mount Pleasant Michigan
State Police officers may soon be
receiving a new facility to call home.
A proposal to construct a new
base in the final stages.
"It has been approved by Lansing
(officials)," said Sgt. Michael Forbes
from the Michigan State Police
Department.
"It will be located on the southwest corner of Preston and Isabella
by central dispatch.'
He said the police need the new
building because of manpower. The
current facility is inadequate to
handle the number of officers working there, he said.
Forbes said the new building will
be more modernized, with better
work conditions and more office
space. This will improve the quality
of work officers are capable to
accomplish, he said.
Gar Salmon, Chief of Facilities
for the Department of State Police
said the new facilities were necessary because the current one was
built in the '30s, making it at least
60 years old.
**The post we've got there doesn't
meet our needs," he said.
Salmon said there are other
buildings as old as theirs with the
same conditions. These buildings
don't supply proper heating, cooling
and electrical capabilities to accommodate officers correctly, he said.
He said the department is going
to be in Mount Pleasant for a long
time because it is a growing community, making construction of a
new department necessary
Salmon said the Attorney
General's approval is the final step.
Once it goes through, department
construction can begin.
Salmon said while the projects
aren't yet a done deal, he feels optimistic it will pass through the
Attorney General's office, allowing
construction to begin.
"We've got everything set to go
this spring," Salmon said.
Coles *
Former CMU
coach alert after
heart attack
KALAMAZOO (AP) —Former CMU and
current Miami coach Charlie Coles was
alert and able to meet with colleagues and
players Sunday, one day after he had an
apparent heart attack during a MidAmerican Conference tournament game.
Doctors attending the game at Western
Michigan spent 20 minutes reviving Coles
on the floor before he was transported to
Bronson Methodist Hospital. He was listed
in critical but stable condition Sunday
afternoon.
"He regained consciousness last night He's breathing on
his own and has a very steady blood pressure," Miami sports
information director John Estes said Sunday.
Coles, 56, was able to meet with his assistants and the
team  captains  Sunday  and   also  read   a  newspaper,  Estes
See COLES Page 2
No injuries
reported from
acid spill
■ Fire department called to Brooks Hall after
student dropped bottle while trying to lock a
door
By Heather N. LaFave
LIFE Staff Wnter
and Rachel Sprovtsoff
LIFE Et cetera Editor
The Mount Pleasant Fire Department was called to CMITs
campus at about 4:45 p.m. Friday after a student dropped a
bottle of hydrochloric acid outside Brooks Hall.
Jon Kujat, coordinator of Safety Programs at CMU, said
there were no injuries from the spill.
Neil Langenberg, Shelby Township sophomore, said he got
two bottles of the chemical from a storeroom. As he went to lock
the door, one slipped out of his hands and broke on the pavement.
"I just ran," he said.
Jennifer Ehlert, safety coordinator for the College of Science
and Technology, said the student responded to the spill according to standard procedure by evacuating the area and getting
help.
Ehlert said the chemical, which is corrosive, was neutralized
with sodium bicarbonate before the fire truck arrived on the
scene.
Firefighters sprayed the area with water to dilute the substance, she said/
Ehlert   said   the   chemical   was   37   percent   concentration,
See SPILL Page 2
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This weekend's gymnastics meet pg 8