1998-04-29; Central Michigan Life

              Central Michigan LIFE
Volume 79, Number &* f$
Mt. Pleasant,  MI 48859
©1998 CM LIFE
78 years of serving the community
Wednesday
April 29, 1998
Two Sections
MSU has approached CMU about Public Broadcasting
■ MSU president talked to
Plachta 'briefly' about
CMU's Public Broadcasting
By Jeremy McBain
LIFE Staff Writer
Even while University President
Leonard Plachta refuses to say which
schools have expressed interest in
CMU Public Broadcasting, an MSU
trustee said her university has been in
contact with Plachta.
Colleen McNamara, a trustee of the
MSU board, said MSU President M.
Peter McPherson has approached
Plachta about MSU's having an interest in the CMU Public Broadcasting
System.
"It is my understanding the two of
them spoke briefly about it several
weeks ago,9* McNamara said.
McNamara said McPherson mentioned it in passing to her and to the
other MSU Board of Trustees members
while they were having dinner about
four weeks ago.
"It was a very passing comment on
the part of (McPherson)," she said.
She stressed she has not heard anything more about the issue and feels
there is not much more to it.
"If there was, something much more
formal would have been presented,w
she said.
Jack Shingleton, chair of the MSU
Board of Trustees, said MSU does not
want to get involved with CMU.
"This is totally a CMU issue. It's in
their hands. I do not want to get
involved with it and we do not want to
get into it," he said.
Joel Ferguson, a trustee for the MSU
board, said he was not familiar with
the issue.
Even though McNamara said MSU
has expressed interest in the CMU system, Plachta refuses to announce
which    school    has    approached   him
about PBS.
Rae Goldsmith, associate vice president of Public Relations and
Marketing, said the president has confirmed he has been approached by a
university and added the president
does plan on talking with that university.
However, Goldsmith said the president does not want to name the univer-
See MSU Page 2A
Governor appoints
new Board of
Trustees member
By Angela Cook Reid
LIFE Assistant News Editor
Same name different man.
One of the vacant seats to the
Board of Trustees has been filled
by a CMU graduate.
William Johnson of Port Huron
has been appointed to the board by
Gov. John Engler. He replaces
Mitch Kehetian, who resigned earlier this month after Russ Herron,
vice president for University
Relations, was fired.
Johnson is not the former
trustee also named William
Johnson who recently resigned his
post. He is a CMU graduate with a
bachelor s and master's degree in
political science.
Johnson's appointment was
made effective Monday and will
expire December 31, 2002.
In addition, he is CEO and
chairman of the board of SEMCO
Energy Inc., a natural gas distribution and marketing company
serving 24 counties in Michigan's
upper and lower peninsulas.
Prior to this, he served as chief
executive    officer    of   Northern
See TRUSTEE Page 9A
Kehetian pleased with
letter from Engler
LIFE Editor
Mitch Kehetian recently received a letter from Gov. John Engler
which he plans to keep for has scrapbook.
Kehetian, a former member of the CMU Board of Trustees,
-resigned from the board earlier this month, citing displeasure with
recent adjniriistrative actions, namely the ih^g of Russ Herron, vice
president for University Relations.
Engler sent Kehetian a form letter thanking him for his eight
years of service to the board. While this is a routine event, it was a
handwritten mewiiagr from the governor printed on a corner of the
letter that fSMy*** Kehetian quite happy.
In reference to Kehetian s resignation, Engler wrote the following:
1 appreciate the reasons for your decision, this incident was handled
poorly by those involved."
Kehetian said the message made his day.
''Now this is something I will keep. I will treasure this letter and
make sure I show my Idas," he said, adding that the letter shows
even the governor understands the .reason he stepped down.
It showed a lot of class on the governor's part,1" he said.
Kehetian said he hasn't shared the letter with many people, but
made sure he let Herron know about it.
"I shared this with Russ only to let him know maybe we weren't off
base," he said.
Faculty Association
joins compliant
By Jeremy McBain
LIFE Staff Writer
The CMU Faculty Association Board of Directors has added its
name to the list of people filing formal complaints to the County
Prosecutor against the CMU Board of Trustees and President Leonard
Plachta.
David Smith, president of the FA and the person who submitted the
letter of complaint to Isabella County Prosecutor Larry Burdick, said
the Faculty Association is concerned with the closed meetings held by
Plachta and the CMU Board of Trustees.
"In general we want to protect democratic government at CMU,"
Smith said.
Smith said the closed meetings constitute a misuse of power.
In the letter, Smith refers to a series of closed meetings between
See SUIT Page 9A
Classified
Crossword
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Phone 774-34*3
E-Mail CMLIFEecmuvm.c_v.cmich.edu
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Internet addrea*.
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See page IB for
Softball coverage
HEAVY METAL
Erik S. Scherb-CM UFE
James Malonebeach, metalsmithing professor at CMU. recently had a piece of art accepted
into a show at the Hague.        See Page 9A for a story about MaloneBeach
A-Senate
adopts
report in
favor of
PBS
By Joseph McCarthy
LIFE Staff Writer
The Academic Senate unanimously adopted recommendations from the Public
Broadcasting Committee in support of PBS at Tuesdays meeting.
John Mitchell, chair of the A-
Senate's public broadcasting
committee and associate professor of finance, presented a
report on PBS in response to
Senate inquiries at a previous
meeting. The report included
recommendations to the Senate
on what action should be taken.
The report discloses the
results of a survey PBS conducted on the sentiment of CMU
affiliates toward public radio
and television. Survey results
indicate "widespread support"
for PBS among the "breadth of
the university community."
The report indicates those surveyed foresaw disadvantages to
the elimination of PBS, including "a loss of educational opportunity, a loss of exposure for the
entire university, increased
advertising expenses for university programs and events,
increased cost of technical services, more difficulty in recruiting, and a potential loss of donations for the university in general."
The report also said the elimination of PBS would harm the
school financially in lost advertising and exposure.
Beyond PBS's educational
value, beyond the culture it
brings to this campus and the
general public, eliminating PBS
would have a significant negative financial impact on CMU.
The monetary value of tangible
benefits greatly exceed the uni-
See A-SENATE Page 9A	
Student protest planned for Thursday
By Angle Fenton
LIFE Staff Writer
Several students are planning to protest
the recent actions of the administration
and ask for University President Leonard
Plachta's resignation this week.
According to John "Jack" French, Mount
Pleasant graduate student, a group of discontented students will hold a protest at 4
p.m. Thursday in front of Warriner Hall.
"Primarily, the focus of the protest is to
ask Plachta for his resignation," French
said.
Students are upset about the recent firing of Russ Herron; the closed meetings
between Board of Trustees* members and
the PBS situation, he said.
"Plachta's handling of the PBS situation
has struck a harsh chord with a lot of people," French said.
According to French, there will be a
report reviewing Plachta's career since he
was appointed president handed out at the
protest and/or at Friday's Board of
Trustees meeting.
Also, French said he has some concerns
about how Plachta was appointed president.
Mary Irvine, Mount Pleasant resident
and CMU alumna, said Plachta has incorporated "glitzy changes" at CMU.
See PROTEST Page 9A	
PBS petition drive has
collected 1800 signatures
By ReneeLutz
LIFE Staff VAfrvter
A petition drive initiated two weeks ago
by Micah Volz, Farwell junior, to keep
Public Broadcasting at CMU has 1,800 signatures and is continuing to be circulated.
The petition, which was available in the
Bovee University Center during the past
two weeks, has 1,600 student signatures
from students and an additional 200 signatures from faculty, Volz said.
Copies of the petition have also been circulating in classrooms throughout the past
two weeks, he said.
Starting at 4 p.m. Thursday, the petition
will be made available again in front of
Warriner Hall, as well as from 10:30 p.m.
to 1 a.m. Friday at Rubbles, 112 W.
Michigan St., he said.
Volz said copies of the petition should be
ready to send out by Sunday. University
President Leonard Plachta, Board of
Trustees members, and Gov. John Engler
will be among several people to receive
See PETITION Page 9A
Board of Trustees scheduled
to meet Friday
the CMU
UFE Staff Rep oi is
Several issues will be
Board of IVustees Thursday and Friday.
The board will convene far meeting* with the fecui-
ty-trustees liaison and student-trustees liaison committee* at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Presidents
Conference Room ef the Bovee University Center.
The faculty-trustees liaison committee will present
the findings of the Public Broadcasting Committee
and discuss the Michigan Open Meetings Act.
The student-trustees liaison committee will discuss
Student Government Association budget iwciafiks,
among other agenda if ami, before recess until the
next morning.