1998-01-30; Central Michigan Life

              Central Michigan LIFE
Volume 79, Number 53
Mt. Pleasant,  MI 48859
©1998 CM LIFE
78 years of serving the community
FRIDAY
January 30, 1998
12 pages
Tiered tuition plan 'sidelined' for future, not ruled out
By Angela Cook Reid
LIFE Staff Writer
Despite administrative plans to implement a tiered tuition system in the fall of
1998, University President Leonard
Plachta made a surprising decision
against moving forward with the plan.
The tiered tuition plan has been sidelined for the "near future, but has not
been completely ruled out.
"We will not be implementing tiered
tuition next fall," said Rae Goldsmith,
associate vice president of Public
Relations and Marketing.
Goldsmith said the administration
looked at the issue very closely and came
to this decision in part because it could
have taken three to five years to implement.
"You're talking three to five years
implementing the plan," she said. "It didn't seem to be the right thing to do right
now."
Plachta did not return phone calls
made to his office Wednesday and was
out of town Thursday and not available
for comment.
The plan would have required students
taking classes numbered 300 to 499 to
pay more than they would for lower-
numbered courses.
Goldsmith said the plan was scrapped
due to the problems it may pose to existing students, but the decision is not
related to student retention.
Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe said
the President gave careful consideration
to the issue, weighing the pros and cons.
"I think he made the appropriate decision," he said.
Roscoe said one of the major factors in
the decision not to pursue tiered tuition
was the toll it would take on existing students.
"It just didn't seem to be a feasible idea
at this time," he said.
Adam Miller, president of the Student
Government Association,   said  he  sup
ports the decision, but was surprised it
came so quickly.
"It was a shock to us," he said.
Miller said he attributes the quickness
of the decision to the administration finding a lack of support for tiered tuition.
"There -was a lot of opposition to it and
not support for it," he said.
Miller said the decision not to implement tiered tuition is a positive decision
for students.
"I consider it a big victory for the student body and the SGA," he said. "I was
very pleased they took the student voice
so seriously."
Miller said SGA had been gathering
information on tiered tuition since 1996
— especially the academic affairs committee who spent many hours in
research.
"The amount of hours spent on this
internally was unbelievable," he said.
Bruce Roscoe also said he applauds
SGA for it's work and the close attention
it paid to the issue.
"The students voice was important,"
he said. "I think SGA did a real fine job
monitoring it."
Goldsmith said tiered tuition will not
be looked at again in the near future.
"I think this one is dormant for now,"
she said.
Dressed for Success
Mason
teaches
through
clothing
By Jennifer Moore
LIFE Staff Writer
Bob Mason is living
up to his motto
this semester: Teaching
changes lives forever.
Mason, professor in industrial
and engineering technology, surprised his students on the first day
of class by wearing a Rogers
Rangers outfit. The Rangers are
historical figures from the
Revolutionary War.
"I've been into historical reenact-
ing for 10 or 15 years," Mason said.
Mason wore the full outfit of the
rangers, consisting of a green rifleman's frock, buckskin pants and a
leather hunting pouch. All of his
clothing was handmade.
"Everything I either made or I
bartered for," he said.
He trades his own craftsmanship
to other reenactors for knife blades
and other things, so everything
from the time period is authentic.
Mason also goes camping with
other reenactors and they live
exactly the way they would have
250 years ago, he said. His wife
sometimes goes with him, so she
has a whole outfit also, he said.
"There is nothing at camp that
wouldn't have been there 250
years ago," Mason said.
He said he did a self-examination to find out why history interested him to the point where he
researches material to find out
how the rangers cooked, lived and
what they wore.
"Neither of my parents have any
interest in history and I'm not a
history major," he said.
He came to the conclusion it was
the influence of a sixth grade
Michigan history teacher and an
American history teacher he had
his senior year of high school.
"(The teachers) just really made
history come alive," Mason said.
The influence of those teachers
Professor Bob Mason
higher academic results.
made Mason want to inspire his
own students. Students, especially
education students, blow through
college taking all the required
courses and programs, he said.
"We lose the essence, the concept
that we're here to learn to be educators," he said. "That has some
awesome possibilities."
Mason teaches IET 232,
Technology for Children, and IET
160, Wood Technology at CMU. In
IET 232, which is for education
students, he hopes to inspire his
in historical clothes to help "inspire"
students to make learning fun for
children.
The class teaches the students to
develop hands-on project ideas
children can do while learning
about history, math, science or any
subject.
"A teacher can actually change
things for eternity," he said. "They
have no idea where their influence
may stop."
"He caught my interest right
away," said Shannon Ross, White
Cloud senior, a student in EST 232.
BENJAMIN TROMBLEY • CM LIFE
his students to reach for
"First impressions make a lasting difference and he has the attitude you ,want to copy when you're
a teacher."
Laura Wnukowski, Almont
senior, agreed.
"He was amazing. (The class)
was really personalized, he was a
lot of fun.
"I think Fm going to learn a lot
in this class."
See MASON Page 2
Gov. Engler
sets agenda
to put state
first
■ Governor proposes income
tax cut, environmental,
educational improvements
By Julia Jones
LIFE Assistant News Editor
LANSING— Gov. John Engler set
forth a goal to make Michigan first in the
21st century during his annual State of
the State address Thursday night.
"I am very proud to say the state of our
state is outstanding," Engler said.
Engler said tax cuts of $237 million are
taking effect this year and $280 million
in cuts will follow next year.
He said with the raising of the personal exemption, a Michigan family of four
with two preschoolers will be able to
exempt $12,400, and with four kids,
$18,600.
For a next step Engler said, "I propose
we cut Michigan's income tax, and cut it
again, again, again, and again, five cuts
over five years, all the way until the tax
rate goes down to 3.9 percent."
Engler said this will provide $3 billion
over the next five years, not for government but for families. Families with an
income of $40,000 will be able to deduct
over $850. Families with an income of
$45,000, over $1,000, and a $55,000
income over $1,100.
Engler said the cuts are not targeted
at special interests.
"These tax cuts are across the board,"
he said.
"(This will) ease the middle class
squeeze for everyone."
Engler proposed an amendment to the
constitution which will require three-
fifths vote of both the house and the senate to raise taxes. Currently he said only
a simple majority is required.
Another item on Engler's agenda is the
environment.
Engler proposed to "invest $500 million more to make Michigan even cleaner."
He said $400 million will clean up polluted sites $50 million will go toward
cleaner drinking water and $50 million
-will go toward improving facilities in
state parks.
Also, Engler focused on education.
"The state with the best schools wins,"
Engler said.
He said with 24 tax cuts in seven
years, public education has never been
cut.
"Our firewall for public education
stands firm," he said.
"Michigan must have the best schools
See STATE Page 2
Classified
Crossword
Et cetera
Sports
Voices
10-11
10
8-9
6-7
4
To reach CMUFE
Phone 774-3493
E-Mail CMLIFEecmuvm.csv.cinich.edu
Fax number 1517)774-7805
Central Michigan UFE Online
Internet address:
http-7/www.cml ife.cmich.edu
CMU men's basketball team
plays Akron at Rose Arena
Saturday. Page 6
Housing a concern as enrollment increases
By Kevin Hackney
LIFE Staff Writer
An unexpected increase in
CMU's student population has
raised concern as to the amount of
housing left in the Mount Pleasant
community.
According to the 1987 City
Commission Master Plan, CMU
enrollment was expected to drop
due to the decreasing number of
graduating high school seniors.
Enrollment in 1996 was expected
to reach only 15,000 students.
In reality, CMU enrollment has
increased to over 16,000, and has
drastically altered the amount of
available housing within city lim
its. Specifically, the amount of low-
income housing.
"It is just very, very difficult for
people working minimum wage
jobs to find affordable housing in
the community," said Tony Kulick,
Mount Pleasant director of planning and community development.
"What it comes down to is low
income families competing against
the student population."
As enrollment increases and
more students move off campus,
apartment complexes are having a
hard time keeping up with
demand.
"Right now we're completely
full," said Carme Schafer, manager
of Edgewood Apartments. "It hasn't always been full. Back in 1967,
there were always empty apartments. But in 1992-93, (the student population) started going way
up. In the last two to three years,
we've filled them right off the bat."
"We've seen an increase," added
Jana Schafer, manager of The
Forum. "In 1969, (business) was
bad. In 1990, it was semi-bad.
After that, weVe been full."
"At this point in time, Fm not
sure we have a shortage," Kulick
said. The construction growth in
the city has been steadily increasing over the past eight to 10 years,
and that helps to keep pace with
enrollment." Judy Green, executive director of the Mount Pleasant
Housing Commission, said the
addition of several new rental complexes in the area has somewhat
alleviated the problem of unavailable housing, but there is always
room for more.
"We could still use some more
moderate to low-income housing,"
she said. There is a need for more,
but I dont think there is a shortage
at this point."
If population growth at CMU
maintains its current growth rate,
the university may choose to waive
See HOUSING Page 1