1998-04-17; Central Michigan Life

              Central Michigan LIFE
Volume 79, Number 80
Mt. Pleasant,  MI 48859
©1998 CM LIFE
78 years of serving the community
Friday
April 17, 1998
12 pages
Petition in favor of smoking ordinance circulating
By Renee Lutz
LIFE Staff Writer
A*petition in favor of the city's proposed smoking ordinance has been
circulating on campus.
Deni Schilz, Taylor senior and vice
president of service for Eta Sigma
Gamma, the national health honorary, has been responsible for the
petition.
Schilz said the petition was made
available to students and CMU faculty in the Bovee University Center this
week, and received more
than 100 signatures.
The petition will be
available again in coming weeks, she said.
The ordinance, proposed by city
Commissioner John Scalise earlier
this year, could prohibit smoking in
all public and private buildings in the
city, including those of bar establishments, Scalise said.
A decision on the ordinance, however, may not be reached for some time,
Eta Sigma Gamma, the national health win also meet with sev-
honorary, responsible for the petition     jrM^tmSSS^
and   state,    as   well   as
he said.
Scalise began the Clean Indoor Air
Committee in April to research the
issue. He and three others, including
Commissioner Mike Ross, are examining the health effects of passive
smoke, or secondhand smoke, on
humans.
In   coming   weeks,   the   committee
with bar owners, he said.
"Everyone to whom this issue is
important will have an opportunity to
speak," Scalise said.
Schilz said her group's involvement
began when Scalise contacted Eta
Sigma Gamma to find a way to support the proposed ordinance.
The   group   responded   by   creating
the petition, Schilz said.
Eta Sigma Gamma's petition was in
part prompted by another petition in
March that was against the proposed
ordinance.
Dan Breidenstein, owner of The
Bird Bar and Grill, is opposed to pro*
hibiting smoking in establishments
such as his own and received close to
1,400 signatures on a petition that
was distributed in his bar, Schilz said.
See petition Page 2
Board
quorum
concerns
addressed
By Julia Jones
LIFE Assistant News Edrtor
and Jason Karas
LIFE Managing Edrtor
The Board of Trustees are scheduled to officially meet bimonthly;
however, informal meetings conducted during off months have
raised several eyebrows within the
CMU community.
University President Leonard
Plachta said at the Academic
Senate meeting Tuesday that
these informal meetings have been
going on for about five years but
are strictly informational and no
quorum is present.
But Melanie Foster, trustee
since last December, said she is
disappointed with the university
and the board for not telling her or
inviting her to the non-quorum
board meetings.
"I was never informed of the
meetings." she said. "I am extremely disappointed as a member of the
Board of Trustees.*
Rae Goldsmith, associate vice
president of Public Relations and
Marketing, said Foster was not
informed due to a lack of communication between offices.
"That was a snafu," she said.
Goldsmith said the incident was
a mix up and probably happened
because Foster joined the board
late in the year after meeting
schedules had been set.
She said the non-quorum meetings are scheduled in advance just
like regular board meetings.
Foster said she has talked to
Plachta and believes there was no
malice on the part of the board or
the university.
"I think there was a misunderstanding on their part,'1 she said.
However, Foster said she does
not entirely agree with the non-
quorum meetings.
"I believe the board should conduct business with the board as a
whole. I don't think this is how a
portion of the board should conduct
business."
Foster said she hasn't decided
yet whether she is going to bring
this issue up before the full board
at their May 1 meeting.
Tm  going to continue on  the
See QUORUM Page 2	
CMU hosts Toledo for
games this weekend.
four
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Despite strike, blood drive goes on
UFE Staff Reports
Due to the Red Cross strike, the
area blood supply is lacking.
And CMU students didn't donate
as much this week as they have in
the past, said Andrea Goplen, donor
recruitment representative for the
Red Cross, Great Lakes Region.
"Our goal for each day was 125
units for each day and Tuesday we
received 98 productive units and on
Wednesday we received 64 units."
she said.
Some employees of the Great
Lakes Region are on strike while
negotiating a contract that ran out
March 30.
Goplen said the strike has resulted
in a shortage in the blood supply.
"On a normal day, we depend on
750 units of blood and (we are only
getting) 125 units; plus, we are
importing from our main hub which
is in St. Louis, (Mo.)," Goplen said.
When asked about the strike, Red
Cross nurses said they were not
allowed to comment on the strike situation.
But one nurse, who said she wanted to remain anonymous, said she
didn't know much on the strike
issues.
"We're hanging in there," she said.
"We know about as much as you do."
Some volunteers who helped out at
the blood drive knew nothing of the
strike.
"I didn't know," said Mark
Zimmerman, Mount Pleasant freshman. "It's nice that even if they are
on strike, they're helping out."
Volunteer Windi Yager, Beaverton
freshman, said the strike shouldn't
sway anyone's decision to donate
blood.
"Regardless of who's putting on the
blood drive, ifs saving lives," she
said.
William      Long,      Breckenridge
senior, said he wasn't aware of the
strike either, but it would not have
made a difference in his decision to
donate blood.
"They still need it; the strike has no
influence really," he said.
The Great Lakes Region is not used
to being the recipient of blood from
other regions, Goplen said.
"Usually we are an export region to
Los Angeles, Philadelphia and other
big metro areas when they cant collect what they need on a daily basis,"
she said.
Goplen said out of the 310 employees in the region, 240 are striking.
This includes our collection staff,
clerical and support staff and lab
staff," Goplen said.
YULIWU •CMLIFE
Nurse Linda LaVanWay of Red Cross gives Brent Smith, Alma senior, a poke while he donates
a pint of blood, Wednesday afternoon in the University Center Rotunda Room.
Jim Rummel, the Great Lakes
Region's manager of communication
and marketing, said employees are
picketing in four different sites,
including Flint, Lansing, Muskegon
and Petoskey.
Employees are striking with the
intent of receiving higher wages and
cheaper health insurance.
"We offered an increase, but they
want more — that is pretty standard,"
Rummel said.
Health insurance prices were raised
slightly, which also set off the strike.
"Health insurance prices are up and
we are asking them to share that
expense with us more," he said. "We
are asking (for) $5 more a month."
The blood drive this semester was sponsored
by RHA, SGA, Alpha Kappa Psi, Red Cross
Club, and AITP.The Mt. Pleasant community
gave blood April 14-16.
Bill to require drug
testing for welfare
By Clayton Mastaw
LIFE Staff Writer
As part of a package,
Michigan Senators have proposed bills adding restrictions to
the welfare system, and those
who want to use it.
Sen. Joel Gougeon (R-Bay
City) is sponsoring a bill that
would require drug testing for
governmental assistance.
Mattie Timmer, Gougeons
chief of staff, said the new bill
would require applicants for
cash assistance from the government to submit to a test for controlled substances.
If the person tests positive,
she said they would have to seek
counseling as part of their social
contract.
However, testing positive for a
controlled substance doesn't
mean they cannot receive cash
assistance.
Timmer said they are introducing the bill because Gougeon
wants to eliminate the hurdles
in people's lives.
"One big hurtle is drug
abuse," she said.
Mandatory drug tests for cash
assistance will make it easier
for people to get and maintain
jobs, she said.
Requiring recipients to keep
off of drugs will make them
more reliable and acceptable to
businesses, Timmer said.
The bill has passed through
the Senate and awaits approval
from the House, she said.
The House hasn't taken any
action on it yet.
Sen. Walter North (R-St.
Ignace) is also sponsoring a bill
See WELFARE Page 2	
Second
board
member
By Julia Jones
LIFE Assistant News Editor
The second CMU Board of
Trustees member resigned this
week.
Trustee William Johnson sent
his resignation letter to the governor's office Monday, said John
Truscott, communications director and press secretary for Gov.
John Engler.
"He cited a need to pay attention to business concerns," said
Rae Goldsmith, associate vice
president of Public Relations
and Marketing.
Johnson could not be reached
for comment after several
attempts Thursday, but the university and several members of
the Board of Trustees had much
to say,about him.
Trustee Sid Smith said, "I'm
sorry to see him resign. He's
been a good trustee but obviously he has some personal things
to take care of so I can fully
understand that."
Chair David Brandon said of
Johnson, "I think I probably
know Bill less than any of the
other board members."
Brandon did say, however, he
regrets Johnson's decision, "but
I wish him 'well."
Former Trustee Mitchell
Kehetian, who resigned earlier
this week, said Johnson always
kept diversity in mind when
serving the board, "I'm sorry
that he resigned.
"Fm sorry to see Bill leave but
I can understand his dilemma."
Kehetian said it takes a lot of
time to serve as a member of the
board and people sometimes
don't always realize that.
"I know his position with the
bank was a straining one. Bill
just couldn't devote the time he
wanted to the board."
Kehetian was referring to
Johnson's chairmanship of
OmniBank, Detroit, the assets
of which were sold last week by
the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corp.
He said diversity is a valuable
See BOARD Page 12
CMU-PBS
agree to
contract
LIFE Staff Reports
CMU and members of a
Public Broadcasting union
have tentatively agreed to
exteYid their contract through
June 30, 1999.
The tentative agreement
includes wage and salary
range increases and an
increase in the university's
contribution to some employee benefits. All other terms of
the existing contract will
remain unchanged.
Michael Silverthorn, director of Public Relations and
Marketing, said both sides
prefer to wait until the contract is finalized before
releasing any details of the
See CONTRACT Page 2