1996-11-01; Central Michigan Life

              Central Michigan LIFE
Volume 79, Number 30
Mt. Pleasant,  MI 48859
©1996 CM LIFE
77 years of serving the community
FRIDAY
November 1, 1996
12 pages
Student killed in two-vehicle accident
By Dave Borough
LIFE Staff Writer
A two-vehicle collision early
Thursday morning killed one
CMU student and left two others
injured.
According to the Mount
Pleasant Police Department, a
Honda Prelude traveling northbound on Main Street was struck
by a Dodge Ram pick-up truck,
traveling westbound on Maple
Street, at approximately 12:30
a.m.
Michael J. Kirkpatrick,
Rochester senior and a passenger
in the Honda, died at the scene.
The driver of the car, Kurt
MacDonald, Gaylord senior, suffered injuries in the accident and
was transported to Central
Michigan Community Hospital
by ambulance.
A CMCH representative said
MacDonald remained in stable
condition Thursday evening.
Both were wearing their seat
belts, according to MPPD.
The driver of the truck, Ronald
Ziemba, Troy sophomore, was
injured and transported to
CMCH by ambulance.
According to the MPPD, one of
the drivers was treated and
released from the hospital, but
CMCH would not confirm
Ziemba's status.
Police said the driver of the
truck "did not comply with the
law of the stop sign." The police
log listed the accident as a negligent homicide, but no charges
where filed as of Thursday.
Kip Ludwig, West Bloomfield
junior, said he was outside the
Alpha Chi Rho house on his way
to    Meijer's    when    he    heard
engines revving. When he looked
back he saw the truck in the air.
He then ran inside to call 911.
"I could hear the engine
revving, when I looked back the
truck was in the air," Ludwig
said.
Cindy Swift, Plymouth senior,
said she was outside at the time
of the accident. She said she was
unloading groceries from her car
when she saw the truck speeding
down Maple from University
Street.
She didn't see the truck go
through the stop sign but said it
was going too fast to stop.
Once she heard the crash, she
told her boyfriend to call 911 and
ran over to see what happened.
"At first I didn't see the other
car. I thought the truck hit the
curb and flipped over," Swift said.
She then went over to the car
and said the passenger was having a hard time breathing.
Jesse Beaudin, Taylor junior,
said he heard the accident from
the Sigma Chi house and ran outside. He said the passenger in the
car was breathing but died shortly after police arrived.
Beaudin said the passenger
was smashed into a small area
and he couldn't see beneath the
middle of his chest.
"When I heard the crash, it was
like a big boom,*' Beaudin said.
Jim Shumard, Plymouth
senior, came out of his apartment
after the accident happened. He
said the police and ambulance
personnel arrived quickly.
"They pulled out the tarps and
they weren't pulling anyone out
of the car. I assumed they were
both   dead,"   Shumard   said.   aI
Rescue workers evacuate one of
cles involved were a  Dodge pick
then went back inside. I didn't
want to stay."
She said the driver in the truck
was being helped across the
street.
"I don't think he realized the
situation," Swift said.
Rescue workers were able to
pull Kirkpatrick out of the car at
approximately 1:40 p.m. He was
the victims of a two-car accident
-up truck, pictured in foreground,
placed in an ambulance that left
the scene without its flashers or
sirens turned on.
MPPD also roped off an area in
front of the Alpha Gamma Delta
and Zeta Tau Alpha houses, located near the accident scene, where
tire tracks span across their front
lawns on S. Main Street.
MPPD did not say whether it
early Thursday morning at Main and
and a Honda Prelude.
was part of the accident and
would only say the accident is
still under investigation.
MPPD was still out investigating the scene Thursday afternoon. People with information on
the accident that could help with
the ongoing investigation are
being asked to contact the MPPD
at 773-0808.
LIFE Photo/Bryan Bosch
Maple streets. The two vehi-
At this time the MPPD is
unaware of anyone who may
have witnessed the entire accident.
It is not known if alcohol was a
factor and test results will not be
available for a few days.
Any charges that are filed on
either of the drivers will be decided by the county prosecutor.
'It was an honor to call Mike your friend'
■ Students, co-workers
remember Kirkpatrick
as a leader and friend
By Todd Price
LIFE StaffWriter	
A fatal car accident claimed the
life of CMU student leader,
Michael J. Kirkpatrick.
Kirkpatrick, 22, a Rochester
senior and resident assistant on
terrace floor in Merrill Hall, died
in a car accident early Thursday
morning.
He was born August 17, 1974 in
California where he grew up. His
family then moved to Rochester
where he attended high school.
Even though Kirkpatrick was a
community volunteer and avid
world traveler, many students
remember him as a friend.
"Mike Kirkpatrick was the
kindest, gentlest guy I've ever
known," said Amy Davoux,
Sweeney Hall director. "He never
had a bad word to say about anybody or anything."
In Kirkpatrick's years at CMU
he influenced numerous people.
Being a desk worker for Merrill
Hall, Merrill Hall Council
Treasurer,   SGA   representative,
RHA representative and sports
camp counselor gave Kirkpatrick
numerous chances to make
friends. His greatest influence,
however, was his RA job.
"When I got the call that Mike
was dead I wanted to think it was
a sick joke," said Scott
Strittmatter, Algonac senior and
Herrig Hall RA. "He embodies
what an RA should be. He loved
people and he loved helping people."
Kirkpatrick's warmness and
compassion spread to the 136
RAs and Multicultural Advisers
at CMU. He was also well known
and admired by the residence
hall directors.
"He was my friend and I loved
him very much," said Dennis
Armistead, Merrill Hall RHD.
"Making friends was like a hobby
for him."
Kirkpatrick, who was studying
teaching, made large impacts
both on his floor and throughout
his hall. In a hall that is usually
loud and vocal, few uttered words
Thursday.
"I remember Mike as my RA,
friend and also my co-worker,"
said Brett Blythe, Bridgman
junior and Merrill Hall RA. "He
High winds blow
down main lines;
power outages occur
Michael J. Kirkpatrick  1974-1996
was a really good guy. His philosophy on life was laid back and
take-it-as-it-comes. You have to
take things seriously, but not life
and death seriously."
Not only residents of
Kirkpatrick's floor mourned his
death, but others who had been
touched in other ways by him.
Former students who had gradu-
i n s i n r.
ated were calling the hall front
desk, girlfriends of guys who
lived on Kirkpatrick's floor were
crying and football players broke
down when they heard the news.
"He was one of the true all-
around nicest guys I ever knew,"
said Derek Johnson, Niles senior
and Merrill Hall RA. "Whenever
you talked to him, you left feeling
better. He had a positive aura
that made you feel good."
Kirkpatrick was admired by
his friends and respected by
other students.
"It was an honor to call Mike
your friend," said Jennifer Miller,
Holly sophomore and Beddow
Hall RA.
A sign posted on the door of
Merrill 107 Thursday, read:
"Mike, you may have been on the
bottom floor of Merrill, but you're
on the top floor now. Heaven.
We'll miss you. Love, 107."
A memorial is planned for 4
p.m. Monday. For location information, contact the Merrill Hall
front desk. Funeral arraignments
are incomplete.
Kirkpatrick is survived by his
parents, Jerry and Cheryl, of
Harrison, Idaho; and one brother.
"may affect
$37.5 million Park
Library funding
By Angela Cook
LIFESiaff Writer
A class action suit against the State of Michigan may affect
the $37.5 million expected for the expansion of Park Library.
The case, Durant vs. the Department of Education, involves
84 school districts within the State of Michigan suing the state
for funds.
The school districts are suing the state to pay for special education and other state mandated services.
According to Mary Noah, legislative liaison of the director's
office of management and budget of the State of Michigan, this
suit could end in the state paying out as much as $3 billion to
these school districts.
According to Noah, the suit is pending a possible hearing by
the State Supreme Court. Currently the State Supreme Court
denied the appeal to listen to the case.
"At this point everything is up in the air," Noah said. "It is still
pending (the supreme court's decision)."
According to Noah, this case could potentially not allow the
state to continue programming at the level at which they are at
now.
"It affects anybody that has state funding," she said.
The expansion of the library included adding on 75 percent
additional building, and renovations inside and out.
See EXPANSION Page 2
By Angela Cook
LIFE Stan Writer
Wind was the main culprit in
CMLFs campus-wide power outage Wednesday afternoon.
According to Jim Okoniewski,
lead power controller for
Consumers Power, the main
power line that supplies power to
campus was blown over and
broke.
The poles holding up this main
line had deteriorated making
them more susceptible to the
wind. This problem caused the
power outage at approximately 1
p.m., Okoniewski said.
According to Stephen
Schneider, director of Trades
Operation   and   Maintenance  at
Facilities Management, this
action then tripped the main
campus breaker and shut ofT all
power on campus.
Schneider said this is automatically done by the system as
a safety message. When
Consumer Power's systems fail,
CMlTs does also.
"The campus just tripped off,"
he said.
The power outage affected all
buildings on campus including
residence halls and academic
buildings. These buildings experienced approximately 10 minutes of no power, no lights and
heat shutting off, Schneider
said.
See POWER Page 2
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WEATHER
Today
cloudy with a few
flurries possible
35/25.
Weekend
variable cloudiness with a
few flurries possible.
35/20
University promotes interim director
By Kristi L.G. Wyman
LIFE StaffWriter	
Martin Reinhardt, the interim director of Native
American Programs since May, was promoted to
director of Native American Programs Wednesday.
Reinhardt, a graduate student working on his
thesis in Native American Studies, said "It's not
like I'm coming into the field brand new, just a
new title."
Cornel Morton, assistant vice president for
Institutional Diversity and the person in charge of
the hiring, said, "Martin has had experience in
Native American issues in Michigan for several
years."
Reinhardt is a graduate of Lansing Community
College and Lake Superior State University.
"1 wanted the person hired to have knowledge of
Native Americans in this region," Morton said.
Morton said Reinhardt is familiar with the local
tribe.
Reinhardt said, *Tm going to keep doing what
I've been doing."
He said he would continue to work on getting
Native American financial aid resources, enhance
and expand Native American studies through the
Ojibway bilingual program and support the Native
See DIRECTOR Page 2
LIFE File Photo
Martin Reinhardt, interim director of Native American
Programs, was promoted to director Wednesday.