1997-01-24; Central Michigan Life

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Central Michigan LIFE
Volume 79, Number 52
Mt. Pleasant,  MI 48859
©1997 CM LIFE
77 years of serving the community
FRIDAY
January 24, 1997
12 pages
LCC closes doors;
local company will
begin distribution
By Jeremy Russ
LIFE Staff Writer
LIFE Photo/Ryan Wood
Eric Fuentes, Lansing senior, pours some shots of tequila Thursday night at BW-3 Grill and Pub, 1904 S. Mission. Bars
in Michigan will now have their liquor disturbed by private businesses instead of the Liquor Control Commission warehouse which shutdown Wednesday.
Many local bars and stores were forced
to make a sudden trip to the Liquor
Control Commission's warehouse in
Mount Pleasant Wednesday to pick up
their orders before the warehouse closed
its doors.
The closing of the warehouse happened
as a result of Gov. John Engler's plan to
partially privatize the liquor industry in
Michigan.
Richard Crowley, Stock Warehouse
Manager for the LCC, said in an interview
last week he was uncertain when the state
was going to force him to close.
Dan Breidenstein, owner of the The Bird
Bar & Grill, 223 S. Main St., said when he
called his order in on Tuesday, Crowley
told him the state gave him orders to close.
Breidenstein said Crowley kept his
doors open on Wednesday, just to give local
businesses that had orders with him a
chance to pick them up before they closed.
Engler and the LCC proposed a plan to
get the state out of the liquor business and
LIFE Photo/Ryan Wood
Ken Nowak, right, and John Neliett package and ship liquor in the Wine and
Spirits Warehouse at Fabiano Brothers
Inc.
give delivery and storage rights to authorized private companies, said Chris
DeWitt, director of communications for
Michigan's Attorney General's Office.
DeWitt said  before  the administration
could   enact   this   plan,   several   lawsuits
See LIQUOR Page 2
CMU Police artist skvtch of
possible white male suspert
Attack occurs
between Brooks
and Dow Halls
On Tuesday night a female
student was attacked while
walking on the sidewalk
between Brooks and Dow Halls
when a white male, college-age
suspect came from behind and
tried to steal her backpack.
She was able to pull away
from the suspect and took off
running. The suspect was
described as 6 feet tall with
short hair and wearing a knit
cap, jeans, dark colored coat
and gloves.
The victim was able to assist
the police with a composite
drawing of the suspect. Anyone
who may have seen this incident or has information is
being urged to call the CMU
Police.
Female student
reports   3rd
degree CSC
On Thursday a 20-year-old
female student reported she
was sexually assaulted on-campus at approximately 2 a.m. by
an acquaintance. The case is
being considered as a third
degree criminal sexual conduct.
CMU Police are investigating
the incident. No suspects have
been arrested.
IN SI
D
E    .,'.
Classified
10-11
Crossword
11
Et cetera
8-9
Sports
6-7
Voices
4-5
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Dees draws near-capacity crowd to Warriner
By Carol L. Marshall
LIFE Staff Writer
A nationally renowned civil rights
lawyer shared a message of love and
acceptance with a near-capacity audience at Warriner Auditorium on
Wednesday night.
Morris Dees, co-founder of the
Southern Poverty Law Center . in
Montgomery, Ala., gave his presentation, "Teaching Tolerance."
"Tolerance," he said does not necessarily mean "to tolerate," but rather to
"appreciate the difference and respect
the difference" between people.
In 1971 Dees co-founded the center,
which "takes on cases no one else will,"
especially cases dealing with civil
rights and involving people who may be
too poor to hire decent representation.
The center also founded "Klanvvatch"
in 1980 in response to a resurgence in
organized racist activity.
The center has successfully sued the
United Klans of America, proving the
group responsible for the actions of its
members. The precedent-setting case
resulted in a $7 million judgment for
the mother of a young black man who
University utilizes Tribe's new
bomb-sniffing dog before speech
LIFE Staff Reports
Security for Morris Dees' presentation Wednesday night at Warriner
Auditorium was one of the tightest efforts by CMU Police since former Vice
President Dan Quayle visited CMU in October of 1992. —
CMU Police used the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe's new bomb-sniffing
dog to search Warriner Hall before the event started, said Capt. Ron Williams,
associate director of CMU Police.
The dog search was used as a precautionary measure and because there is
now one available nearby. In the past, the Michigan State Police would have
to supply a dog from as far away as Flint or Traverse City, he said.
CMU Police had six officers at the event.
This type of security is usually normal for a high profile presenter speaking
about ideas and issues which may draw a lot of positive and negative attention, he said.
Some of those people who have disagreed with what Morris Dees, a nationally known civil rights lawyer, had to say in the past have done so vehemently and passionately, Williams said.
"The security was mainly a precautionary measure."
was lynched by the Klan.
Dees said the elderly mother, who
lost her only son. ironically was given
the   deed   to   the   headquarters   of the
Klan, sold the building and was able to
buy the first home she had ever owned
See SPEAKER Paqe 2 ^_^_
LIFE Photos/Thomas Cousineau
Morris Dees, 1987 Trial Lawyer of the Year and
winner of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
Award in 1991, was the guest speaker
Wednesday night at Warriner Auditorium.
Charter Schools director
not renewing his contract
By Kristi Wyman
LIFE Assistant News Editor
While the future of some of
CMUs charter schools is uncertain, one thing is certain — Bob
Mills, director of Charter Schools,
is not renewing his contract in
June.
Mills said his contract is up on
June 30, and he will return to the
classroom and probably write a
book about his experience with
charter schools.
"This is 100 percent my decision," Mills said. 'We met our tar
get objectives sooner than we
thought we would."
He said when he started his
position in January 1995, CMU
did not have any charter schools.
"I had the opportunity to write
the blue book on charter schools,"
he said. "It's exciting to be on the
cutting edge of change."
CMU currently charters 39
schools.
Mills said he is glad he took the
challenge to make CMU a leader
of charter schools and help start
the   momentum   that   became   a
MILLS
nationwide phenomenon.
Twenty-seven
states have
charter   schools.
Mills said.
According to the Department of
Education, Michigan has 75 charter schools with a total enrollment
of about 11,000 students.
Provost Richard Davenport said
Mills has done an outstandingjob.
"I le was the right person at the
See MILLS
Pag.
e 2
Police bust three on drug,
stolen property charges
By Dave Borough
LIFE Staff Writer
Three people including one
CMU student were arrested
Wednesday at Timber Creek
Apartments on drug and stolen
property charges.
Laura Benjamin, Mount
Pleasant senior, Chevon Jones, of
Detroit, and Teferra Lanier, of
Mount Pleasant, face three felony
charges.
Frank Stevens, of Isabella
County Sheriff's Department,
said they recovered marijuana, a
weighing   scale,   stolen   property
and cash.
Stevens said ICSD went to
recover the stolen property and
during the search they found the
marijuana.
The three are being charged
with receiving stolen property,
bond set at 10 percent of $25,000;
control substance delivery, bond
set at 10 percent of $50,000 and
control substance maintaining,
bond set at 10 percent of $25,000.
According to CMU records,
Benjamin first enrolled at Central
See BUST Paqe 10	
Underwriter selected for stadium expansion project
By Jennifer Ackerman
LIFE Editor	
University officials selected an
underwriter and are moving forward with a $38 million bond
issue to finance a new sports
complex, stadium expansion project and potential library expansion.
A.G. Edwards & Sons, an
underwriting firm based in East
Lansing, will be handling the
sale of the bonds, said Jonas
Cook, associate vice president of
Business and Finance.
"The university has been
authorized by it's board to incur
debt to a level of $38 million that
will fund certain athletic projects.   .   .  and  potentially either
the library addition or other miscellaneous capital projects,"
Cook said.
The library expansion project
is currently awaiting a state
grant for $37.5 million of its
total $50 million cost. The state
does not finance non-academic
programs.
While the specific details of
the bond issue have not been
completed, Cook said the annual
payments "could be up to $3 million dollars a year," and he estimates the final debt payment to
be almost double the value of the
bond issue when it is completely
paid off in approximately 30
years.
"I would say (the bond payout
will be) approximately $74 million, that's subject to the interest
rate we're able to achieve on the
borrowing," he said. "I mean
that could range from 60-some-
thing to 80-something. Right
now a solid estimate would be
about $74-75 million."
The underwriter will make
recommendations as to the timing and structure of the debt
which will be paid off in annual
debt service payments, he said.
Cook said the university will
work this debt payment into its
financial plan.
"It will be figured into the university's general fund operating
See UNDERWRITER Paqe 2
Students express mixed reactions
towards new Athletics facilities
By Michelle Eickmeyer
LIFE Staff Writer
The $27-million planned expansion of Kelly/Shorts Stadium has
struck a nerve with some students while others couldn't be happier.
Student athletes are very excited and cannot wait for construction to begin.
Student non-athletes have a list of improvements they believe
should be made by the university before the stadium gets a facelift.
Lesley Murphy, Lowell Freshman and member of the women's
track team, said she and other teammates can't wait to use the
new track. "I think (the renovation) is wonderful. We're all really
See REACTION Page 2
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