1997-01-17; Central Michigan Life

              Central Michigan LIFE
Volume 79, Number 49
Mt. Pleasant,  MI 48859
©1997 CM LIFE
77 years of serving the community
FRIDAY
January 17, 1997
12 pages
Board of Trustees passes eight-college model
By Jennifer Ackerman
LIFE Editor and	
Angela Cook
LIFE Staff Writer	
After almost two years of
research and planning, University
President Leonard Plachta's eight-
college model for academic reorganization was passed without hesitation by the Board of Trustees
Wednesday morning.
The plan, effective July 1, establishes the following eight colleges:
•College of Business
Administration
• College   of Communication   and
Fine Arts
•College of Education and Human
Services
•College of Health Professions
• College of Humanities and Social
and Behavioral Sciences
•College of Science and Technology
• College of Graduate Studies
•College of Extended Learning
"It does appear to make the university more complex," Plachta
said, explaining that the changes
are intended to make them more
"value centered."
He said, "We're not finished with
reorganizing or restructuring. We'll
be looking at other changes as time
goes on.
"I must tell you that this is a
rather exciting development for the
university as well. This university.
. . is poised to do great things,"
Plachta said.
While the College of Health
Professions is one of the smallest
See MODEL Page 2	
Eight-College Model
Provost
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Graduate
Studies
Science &
Technology
Communication
& Fine Arts
Humanities
and Social &
Behav. Science
Education &
Human
Services
Business
Administration
Health
Professions
Extended
Learning
MSA
OFFICE OF
RESEARCH &
SPONSORF.D
PROGRAMS
BIO
CHM
CPS
GEOG
GEOL
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MTH
PHY
ART
BCA
JRN
SCH OF MUS
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ENG
FLLC
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PHL
PSC
PSY
REL
SASW
CSE
EACL
HEV
PES
RPL
TEPD
SCH OF ACC
BIS
ECO
FIN
MGT & LAW
MKT & HSA
CDO
HPR
National
Programs
Metro Detroit
Programs
Greater Michigan
Programs
International
Programs
Educational and
Prof. Development
LIFE Graphic/Jerry Sova
SECOND LEVEL
Preliminary plan
for Indoor
Practice Facility
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The proposed indoor practice facility consist of two levels. The first level contains many facilities including the weight room and shower. The second level contains the computer lab, study rooms and offices. The complex will be approximately 168,755 square feet and will
cost approximately $18 million.
$38 million bond approved for new complex
By Jennifer Ackerman
LIFE Editor	
The Board of Trustees approved a $38 million bond issue including $27 million funding a plan for a new indoor sports complex
and Kelly/Shorts Stadium expansion
Wednesday.
Also, the board approved a resolution to
allow the president or his designee up to
$1.5 million from the general fund surplus to
contract for the final planning, design and
engineering of the project.
CMU Athletics Director Herb Deromedi
thanked the board for its support and spoke
of the plan's benefit to the university and its
athletes.
"Being someone that has been a member of
CMU Athletics for 30 years, I would like to
express my excitement," Deromedi said.
Russ Herron, vice president of University
Relations and plan proposer, was equally
pleased with the board's decision. "We've
been dreaming about this and working on it
for a long time," he said.
One million dollars of the project cost is
expected to be collected through private
donations. The remainder of the plan initially required the university to raise $25 million in funding, but was increased to $27
million after a suggestion made by
University President Leonard Plachta shortly before the vote.
"This is a complex project and we have
been working really hard with an architect,"
Plachta said. "In recent weeks the cost of the
project has been reduced.
Since the project is still in the planning
phase, Plachta asked that the total be raised
$2 million to give the university "leeway" to
spend more if needed.
Trustee David Brandon endorsed the plan
as well.
"I strongly believe in the necessity of this
project," Brandon said. "That incremental $2
million could make it a little more prudent
decision. We have to make sure we're going
to do it right if we're going to spend the
money."
To finance the project, the board authorized a $38 million bond issue.
The university plans to generate $27 million through general revenue bond sales to
finance the new athletic complex and stadium expansion, and $1 million will cover the
costs of issuing and marketing the bonds.
The remaining $10 million will go toward
the university's $12.5 million contribution to
the $50 million library expansion project,
which is awaiting state funding approval,
said Rae Goldsmith, associate vice president
for Public Relations and Marketing.
The university is currently setting
$800,000 aside each year from the general
fund to raise the remaining $2.5 million
needed for the library.
"If the library doesn't get built, we'll look
See ATHLETICS Page 2
CMU adds women's
soccer team; will be
prepared for '98
By Eric Herter
LIFE Sports Editor
The sport of soccer will reappear on CMFs campus in the fall
of 1998.
Men's varsity soccer was cut in the fall of 1994, but CMU
Athletics Director Herb Deromedi said Thursday Central will
have a varsity women's team to begin playing in 1998.
Russ Herron, vice president of University Relations, said the
soccer program has not been officially announced, but
University President Leonard Plachta has approved the plan.
"Next year we will be in position to hire a coach and get the
program started," Deromedi said. "After we hire a coach we can
get the first class ready to compete in '98."
The announcement comes on the heels of CMLPs approval to
build a new $28 million athletic facility which the new soccer
program will have access to, Deromedi said.
Deromedi also mentioned the possibility of a new soccer field
for the team in the future. However, the team will probably
begin with using the former men's field on the south side of the
Student Activity Center.
"Right now they will use that facility," Deromedi said. "We
are looking at putting a soccer field on the infield of a new
track."
Bennett Track has not been used for two years because of its
condition. Preliminary talks have begun on building a new
track on the south side of campus.
Swimming was supposed to be a new women's sport after
being announced in the fall of 1995. However, initial costs and
liability hazards put the plans on ice.
"When swimming did not go through, we had to go to a second option," Deromedi said. "We know the facility we have isn't
top of the line, but it is a start."
In fact, Deromedi cited those same reasons for cutting the
men's soccer team.
"In order to have fielded a truly competitive Division I program, we would have had to invest a considerable amount of
money in staff, scholarships and facilities," Deromedi said in a
Jan. 20, 1995 CM LIFE article. "Unfortunately, we're in the
middle of budget cuts, and there's no place for this money to
come from."
Also in that same CM LIFE issue, Deromedi denied that cutting men's soccer was a gender equity issue.
"Gender equity is not the reason that soccer is not here. When
it comes down to it, I'm the one who made the decision. It wa^
not easy. I'm a former coach and I really love athletics. It was*
n't easy to tell a group of young men that their sport was being
canceled, but decisions have to be made," he said. •
However, former CMU men's soccer coach Rick Trainor said
he thought CMU was looking strictly at the gender issue. \
"The decision to cut soccer at the university was not for bud*
getary reasons but for gender equity," Trainor said in the '95|
article. •
Deromedi did admit in a telephone interview Thursday that
the announcement of the new women's soccer program is part
of the gender equity proposal. .
The projected cost in 1995 to make Trainor a full-time coacll
and give the men's team more scholarships would have been
$65,000. !
"We knew if we were going to spend money it would have to
be on a women's sport," Herron said. ,
Run-off canceled
after Tribe finds
two absentee ballots
By Liz Wishaw
LIFE Assistant News Editor	
A scheduled run-off for the
10th seat on the District 1
Saginaw Chippewa Indian
Tribe was canceled after two
absentee ballots were found.
The scheduled run-off election today between Sue
Durfee and Tom Kequom, who
each had 142 votes, was canceled after two absentee ballots in favor of Kequom were
found in the Tribal Clerk's
Office.
In a statement by the
Caucus Committee Thursday,
"The clerk received two
absentee ballot on time (date
stamped Jan. 14), but were
not accounted for during the
ballot count. The ballots were
not accounted for at the end of
the election day, but they
were declared valid because
they were received by 8 p.m.
on the day of the election.
"They  were   inadvertently
See DISCOVERY Page 2
mm