1992-10-02; Central Michigan Life

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Campus invaded
Sci-Fi channel comes to CMU
Page 8
Big match-up
BGSU meets CMU in crucial MAC game
Page 10
Central
Michigan
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Sorority members
to protest Playboy
By Kathleen Gardner
LIFE Copy Editor
Some CMU students plan to make it crystal clear how they feel
about Playboy representatives' scheduled visit to Mount Pleasant next
week.
A few members of the executive board of Phi Sigma Sigma social
sorority plan to peacefully express their opposition to the visit Monday
during interviews set to take place at the Holiday Inn, 5665 E. Pickard
Road.
Playboy representatives plan to stay in Mount Pleasant through
Wednesday to interview female CMU students interested in posing for
photographs which might appear in April's issue of Playboy. Photos
would comprise a pictorial on the women of the party colleges.
Although the students planning to protest are members of Phi Sigma
Sigma, they are not going as representatives of the group, they are
going as individuals, said Julie Watkins, Phi Sigma Sigma member-
at-large.
Watkins said a specific time for the protest has not been is set.
Specifics on exactly how students will protest the Playboy visit are
pending, she said.
"I would be interested in talking with them, but I'm not sure what I
would say," Watkins said.
A letter to the editor of CM LIFE from the sorority's executive board
was submitted by Watkins Thursday afternoon. The letter addresses
the students' plans.
"From the negative publicity Central will receive as a party school to
the concept that women are degraded to promote a party image, every
aspect of this issue angers, offends, and disappoints us," the letter
stated. "We feel playboy has nothing positive for our school; we will
demonstrate our opinion through protest on Monday.
"We urge anyone who shares our views to join us."
Playboy visit dismays officials
End of the World parties blamed for No. 16 ranking in 1987
By Erik Nehring
LIFE Staff Writer
CMU officials won't roll out
the red carpet for representatives from Playboy magazine
next week.
"I'm surprised that Playboy
has chosen us," said President
Leonard E. Plachta. "In my
opinion, we have made tremendous strides to rid
ourselves of the party image."
"I'm very disappointed," he
said. "It's not representative of
the University these days."
"Playboy's identification of us
as a party school is unfair and
not accurate," Plachta said. "I
vaguely remember Playboy's
mention of this school in 1987,
but we've accomplished a great
deal since then as far as
academics and quality."
"It's hard to measure which
school is a greater party school,"
Plachta said. "Images continue
to linger."
"In 1987, we had some problems," said Carol Hyble, director of Alumni Relations. "The
CfiPlayboy's identification of us as a party
school is unfair and not accurate. 59
Leonard Plachta
problems were with the End of
the World party."
"We haven't had that image
lately," Hyble said. "Students
have worked hard to change
that."
"In 1987, it wasn't received
very well," she said. "It gives
employers a bad impression."
"It's really unfortunate,"
Hyble said. "It's sad to have it
happen again."
"The End of the World bash
was the reason we made the
list," said Michael Owens,
executive assistant to the president for Enrollment Management and Admissions. "That
put us on the map."
"The End of the World party
suggested total decadence," he
said. "It was the end of the
world, bash your brains in,
image."
"Today, I presume that
maybe we somehow piqued
their interest because of the
Western Weekend riot," Owens
said. "That certainly was not a
party."
"Pla3'boy's coming to Central
because we were on the list in
1987," he said. "It's a shame,
they might be back in another
five years."
"How many years will it take
to get taken off the list?," Owens
said. "We haven't had one of
those parties since."
"Being on the list matters in a
negative way," he said. "It perpetuates an image that you
don't want to perpetuate."
Some students say the publicity from Playboy will get students to look at the school and
help with enrollment.
"No    way,"    Owens    said.
"They're dreaming."
"51 percent of all new freshman list mom and dad as the
greatest influence in their college choice," he said. "Do you
think mom and dad like to hear
about this?"
"This whole thing definitely
doesn't play very well with
those people," he said. "And it
doesn't play well with academic
students either."
"Strong academic programs
get people to come the University," said Sharon George, assistant director for the Office of
Student Life. "When I chose my
school, it was based on acedemic
programs."
"That's not to say that you
don't want to have fun," she
said. "Sure, students like to go
to a popular school."
"I never see any statistics to
see howT Playboy comes up with
these figures," George said.
"Our students are working
very hard to get rid of that
image," she said.
See UPDATE Page 2
Out for atiop
LIFE Photo/Amy Swartout
A lone runner spends a warm Thursday afternoon jogging around        Bennett Track.
Union president
maintains clerical
classification
By Rochelle Reneker
LIFE Assistant News Editor
CMU's clerical union president's position will remain intact, after
the resolving of a dispute with University officials.
Shary Gaunt, current president of UAW union Local 6888, released a
statement dated Sept. 25, announcing her position as a speciality clerk
in Park Library will remain in the clerical bargaining unit.
"They agreed to red circle it," she said. "Which means I will be a
(clerical) C-5."
Gaunt's position was reclassified to a supervisory/ techinical. eliminating her from the clerical bargaining unit. As a clerical, her position
offered her 12 years seniority, which she lost after the reclassification.
Gaunt expressed concern about the security of her job if she remained
a supervisory/ technical, because of bumping language written into her
contract.
Gaunt recieved a raise when the position was reclassified, which she
will keep.
"Before my position was a C-4, now it's a C-5," she said. "So I was
given a position comparable to the S/T position."
When Gaunt leaves her job in the library, however, officials will post
it as a supervisory/ technical position.
Gaunt was notified July 1 her position was reclassified from a clerical
position to a supervisory/ technical position.
Gaunt appeared before a joint appeals committee, consisting of three
personnel members from CMU in attempt to change the decision.
"They were deadlocked," she said at the time.
During a Sept. 15 meeting between members of CMU's Staff Personnel Services, James Wood, assistant director of Employee Relations and
Staff Personnel Services, made the current offer, which Gaunt
accepted.
"I am very happy to not have this hanging over my head," she said.
Wood and Maxine Tut ">s, director of Staff Personnel Services, could
not be reached for comm nt.
New party voices
platform on issues
By Matt Grossman
[IFF Staff Writer
Maybe Bush or Clinton can't
visit CMU because of time
restraints, but one party's vice-
presidential candidate wants his
platform heard.
Mike Tompkins, the vice-
president nominee of the Natural
Law Party, held a press conference in the Bovee University
Center and also gave a speech to
the Journalism 397AJ Political
Science 398A Election '92 class on
Wednesday.
Tompkins    said    his    speech
helped give the students an introduction to the party as well as a
sample of its platform.
The party has been "granted
national party committee status," Tompkins said. More than
2,000 volunteers are working to
elect over 100 candidates, one-
third of which are women.
The Natural Law Party is
included on the 1992 ballot in 30
states, including Michigan, he
said.
Tompkins said his running
mate,   John   Hagelin,   has  been
See NATURAL Page 15
Ombudsman position to aid students
By Tamara Snyder
I IFF Staff Writer
Students locked into University dilemmas now have
access to the woman with the
master key.
Janet Wagester, the University's new ombudsman, said she
has an open door policy for CMU
students running into dead
ends on campus and directly
assists the student with any
problem.
"Some issues are so complex,"
Wagester said. The problem
often stems from a lack of communication.    She   reaches   the
bottom of the dilemma by talking with the student and other
party separately.
She said sometimes access to
solutions means reaching the
right person.
While CMU established the
ombudsman position nearly
three weeks ago, students from
most major Michigan universities have had access university
ombudsmen for more than 20
years.
Some universities having
ombudsmen include Michigan
State University, University of
Michigan, and Western Michi
gan University.
Michigan State set the university ombudsman trend in
Michigan in 1967, said Joy Curtis, MSU's ombudsman. Western followed suit in 1970 and
University of Michigan in 1971.
President Leonard E. Plachta
implemented the ombudsman
position following his recent
State of the University Address.
Before the position was
established, Plachta said students snagged with problems in
the past either got frustrated
with the problem or "kept pursuing."
"I'm trying to preach the gospel that the student is our customer," Plachta said. "Unhappy
students need direction.
"(The Ombudsman's office) is
a place where students can go
get additional information or
try to resolve the problem," he
said.
Wagester said she has dealt
with students in matters
involving the campus for the
past 14 years as Administrative
Assistant to the President's
Office.
See OMBUD Page 15