1997-08-27; Central Michigan Life

              Central Michigan LIFE
Volume 80, Number 3
Mt. Pleasant,  MI 48859
©1997 CM LIFE
78 years of serving the community
WEDNESDAY
August 27, 1997
14 pages
CMU Police
prepare for
night game
By Jeremy Russ
LIFE Staff Writer
CMU Police are gearing up for
another season of CMU football
safety precautions beginning
with this Thursday's night game.
Ron Griffiths, assistant director of CMU Police, said the
largest problem he thinks the
police will face is a parking problem.
If the weather is dry, Griffiths
said, parking for the game will
be located in Lot 62 on the grass
and on the west side of the stadium where the softball fields were
located. If it rains, Lot 33 will be
used and the athletic department may contract a shuttle service, he said.
Griffiths said this game presents a problem with parking
because of the freshmen who are
parked in the lots. He said the
parking bureau has sold approximately 400 decals for that lot so
far and it holds only 700 cars.
Police have asked the freshman to move their cars during
the game, but because it is a
weekday they will have only the
KICK OFF
What: First football game
When: 7:30 p.m., Thurs.
Where:Kelly/Shorts Stadium
commuter lots to go to, he said.
To create more room for parking, police -will not let anyone
take up more than the space provided for them, he said.
Tailgaters can sit in or behind
their cars to eat and talk before
the game, but they may not set
up in the space next to them.
Griffiths also said large recreation vehicles must buy two tickets to get in and if they have a
large awning on the vehicle they
are not allowed to put it up.
As for officers on duty, he said
all the officers at CMU Police
will be on duty that night, as
they usually are during regular
Saturday home games.
There will be 16 officers and 13
See READY Page 2	
LAUGHING MATTERS
m
BRYAN BOSCH • CM LIFE
From left to right, Kelly Sadowski, New York senior, Aimee Patrick, Grand Rapids senior, and Man Chandler, East Ta was senior, share
a laugh while waiting for class Tuesday in front of the Park Library.
Freshman experiences terror of Lot 22
Tony
Cepak
LIFE Staff Writer
Along with the stress of first day
anxiety and being in the right
room -when class is scheduled to
start, students are faced with an even
greater challenge before they even get out
of their cars - PARKING!
With an estimated 7,500 parking permits issued as of Aug. 21 and more being
purchased every day, the green flag has
been waved and the race is on to find a
place to park.
The scene in Lot 22 on Monday morning was almost comical to me as I stood
and observed hundreds of students rushing across the pavement, over the muddy
median and onto the grassy courtyard.
Having already secured my space in section "C" I ventured out into the assembling mass of chaos and frustration to
gather some reactions to the parking
dilemma on
campus.
Though it
may have been
difficult to find
a place to park,
finding someone with an
opinion to
express about
the situation
was not. I was
able to stop and
talk briefly
with a few* of
the students
rushing to class
Most were
already late and
did not have much time to talk but -were
more than willing to give me a statement
Needless to say, their reactions were
essentially the same: There just is not
enough parking.
"It seems worse than last year," said
Alana Hull, Alma senior. "It was supposed to get better because of more parking on campus but Fve never had to park
this far out before."
There are more than 9
are new this year.
TONY CEPAK • CM LIFE
000 parking spaces on campus, 500 spaces
The additional parking mentioned is
the new parking lot number 8 situated on
the north end of campus behind Sloan
Hall.
According to Capt. Ronald Williams,
associate director of the CMU Police
Department, the first week of parking is
always difficult, but there are more than
9,000 spaces to park in on campus, 500 of
which are new.
"They opened a new lot over by Grawn,
but the only people who use it are the
ones who used to park on Main and
Washington (streets) so it really hasn't
opened anything up," said Jamie Ryske,
Rockford senior.
After about an hour and a half of observation I decided to call it a wrap. I headed back to my car to get my books, then
■went to class. I got out my keys, unlocked
my car and -when I turned around a line
of six or seven cars had formed behind
me. The look of anticipation on the drivers' faces was intense as they waited
anxiously for me to get in my car and
drive away. However, disappointment and
frustration soon set in when I locked my
door again and headed off to class.
To the student who I unintentionally
irritated by not vacating my parking
space, take comfort in knowing that you
are not alone. The majority of upperclass-
men I interviewed saw no change in the
parking situation since the new spaces
have been added and offered this advice
to freshmen and CMU newcomers,
"COME EARLY!!"
— Tbny Cepak is a freshman commuter
from Blanchard.
Living arrangements
Communication is the key to having a good roommate
By Julia Jones
LIFE Staff Writer
Amidst the hustle and bustle of moving to campus, buying books, attending classes and meeting
new people lies another important and sometimes
difficult adjustment — learning to live with roommates.
Each fall, many residence hall dorm rooms turn
into small sets of MTVs "Real World" with four
strangers picked to live together in a small room.
Within a week, some people stop being polite and
the seeds of conflict begin to grow.
Missy Capolingua, Towers Desk Manager and
Rochester Hills junior, said her freshman year she
had a roommate who was on the phone and up all
hours of the night.
"I don't think she ever slept, and she definitely
never showered," she said.
Capolingua said to deal with possible problems,
some students this year are planning to put a tape
line down the center of their room "right down to the
inch" to separate each other's areas.
In solving roommate conflict, several CMU staff
members agree, communication is the most important thing.
"Talk about problems before they come around.
Talk about it before it gets to be huge," said Rich
Collins, Wheeler Residence Assistant and Olivet
junior.
Counseling Center Director Don Bertsch said in
counseling students, he encourages communication
between roommates and tries to help them put a sit
uation into perspective.
"Someone may say their roommate is driving
them crazy, then I ask them if they have talked to
the person, and they say no," he said.
People are moving into a residence hall situation
from a place where they have their own room and
closet, he added.
"They lose their private space."
Bertsch said there are many people who come into
the Counseling Center with roommate conflicts.
"It's pretty normal," he said. "(Living with roommates) is an adjustment. Nine out of 10 situations
can be "worked out through good communication."
*Ib stem problems early on Grant Skomski, assistant director of Residence Life, said students in residence halls are given a roommate negotiations
workbook which outlines what is okay and not okay
for their room. These issues include overnight
guests, sharing possessions, cleaning, and bedtimes.
Skomski said about two weeks after the agreement is turned in he asks RA's to drop by each room
on their floor to see how things are going. He said
sometimes feelings change on issues after the agreements are signed, or students are more honest later
on.
"If a problem arises we like students to talk about
it," Skomski said.
If a problem is not solved between the students, a
RA will be brought in to ask generic open-ended
questions, to find the cause of the problem, and help
See ROOMMATES Page 2
Rec center prepares for
second phase of project
By Stacy Tadajewski
LIFE Staff Writer
With phase one production
completed on the Community
Recreation Center, committee
members are looking ahead at
the second phase of the project.
Bart LaBelle, committee chairperson in charge of fund-raising,
said the committee is preparing
for phase two of the project,
which is possibly the addition of
two swimming pools — a recreational and a competitive pool.
LaBelle said the committee
hopes to get the majority of the
funding for the project from
Saginaw • Chippewa Indian
Tribe's 2 percent government
allocated funds. The project will
cost approximately $8 million
when all phases are complete.
He said the committee will be
requesting from the tribe,
through government help, a
Resolution of Support which will
allocate the money towards the
Community Recreation Center.
The committee will be asking
for 20 percent of the allocated
funds for use in the next five
years. The community center
will receive an average of $1 mil
lion each year.
LaBelle said the committee
hopes to get the remainder of the
money needed from a fund drive
throughout the community. He
said the majority of that money
-will be from large businesses,
-with a smaller portion coming
from the general population.
LaBelle gave a time line of five
years for completion of all phases of the project with an estimate
of phase two finished in two
years. Phase three will be completed in three years, which is
expected to be another ice rink.
According to Craig
Theunissen, office assistant at
the center, the construction of a
new rink wouldn't be a moment
too soon.
"With the addition of a second
ice rink, Central will most likely
upgrade. . . in the year 2003 and
add a (varsity) hockey team."
He -went on to say that it is
likely Mount Pleasant High
School would also add an ice
hockey team.
The presence of the two teams
-would basically buy up all the ice
See POOLS Page 2
Organizer
pleased
with
reception
■ Women's Equality
Day observed during
'drop in' meeting
By Heather N. LaFave
LIFE Assistant News Editor
Approximately 30 people
exchanged stories about the
equality and advancement of
women Tuesday during a "drop-
in" reception Tuesday in observation of Women's Equality Day.
Phyllis J. Powell, CMU affirmative action officer and organizer of the event, said she was
pleased "with how the reception
turned out.
"I think the people who came
were really pleased with the
information that was shared,"
Powell said.
Collages prepared by Powell
were on display at the reception
and highlighted issues such as
women and politics, the glass
ceiling and women in the news.
Another poster, to which statements from those who attended
were affixed, featured statements and literature about
women's issues and law. Such
topics as reproductive rights,
sexual harassment, women in
athletics, family medical leave
and -wage discrimination were on
the poster. Powell said she will
display it on the bulletin board
by her office on the second floor
of Warriner Hall.
Last    week    President    Bill
See EQUALITY Page 2	
i v s i n l;
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