LIFE CENTRAL MICHIGAN
After suffering a career-ending injury senior gymnast still being a leader, 7
Central Michigan University
| Friday, Jan. 20, 2012
Netflix hasn’t caused major problems for local video rental businesses, 3
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Candidate policy remains unresolved Ongoing lawsuit awaiting decision By Theresa Clift Staff Reporter
The Political Candidacy Policy adopted by Central Michigan University in 2008 has several groups on campus unhappy more than three years later and has sparked an ongoing lawsuit. In December 2008, the CMU Board of Trustees adopted the policy, which requires employees seeking or holding political office to achieve administrative approval. Under the policy, employees who seek or hold a political position in any federal, state, county or local office, parttime or full-time, paid or unpaid, are required to present a statement from his or her supervisor and the vice president, provost or president of CMU. The statement must attest that “appropriate arrangements have been made to ensure that their candidacy in no way will interfere with the full performance of their university work and that their candidacy will pose no conflict with professional standards or ethics.” If the employee is found to violate this, then “an alternate relationship with the university must be arranged.” “The Faculty Association believed the policy was too vague and subject to the whims of a future administration, which may selectively try to discourage some candidacies while passing on others,” James Hill, professor of political science, said. A POLICY | 2
Ross, Shapiro attend dept. meetings By David Oltean Senior Reporter
ERICA KEARNS/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Grand Rapids senior Jolie Masters, left, shares a laugh with members of the Creative Club Tuesday night at Kaya Coffee & Tea Co., 1029 S. University Ave. Masters started the club to meet people outside of classes.
crafts&convo
Creative Club offers place for students to bond
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By Jessica Fecteau | Senior Reporter
very Tuesday night in the back room of the Kaya Coffee and Tea Co., 1029 S. University Ave., solitary caffeinated students are replaced by crafting supplies and conversation. Founder Jolie Masters said she started the Creative Club as a place for people with similar interests to make genuine friendships. “I feel like when you go to college you’re expected to meet all these people, and I feel like the majority of meeting people is at parties,” the Kentwood junior said. “There really isn’t anything through Central that is in the creative nature like this for a club.” Members unite and bond over the different projects they bring to work on during the, typically, three-hour meetings, she said. “It’s very relaxed and laid back,” Masters said. “There are people that just come to hang out and do their homework, too.”
A ROSS | 2
[INSIDE] w Associate VP of faculty personnel services Bob Martin retired Dec. 31, 3 w Men’s basketball gets blown out at home against Ball State, 7
[CM-LIFE.COM] w Watch coverage of the MLK bowl
By John Irwin Staff Reporter
CHARLOTTE BODAK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Coleman freshman Katie Murphy, member of Access Service Circulation, prepares a book for checkout behind the Book Checkout Desk on Thursday afternoon at the Charles V. Park Library. “I haven’t worked here for very long,” Murphy said. “But I’ve heard that the number of books being checked out is fluctuating.”
Library spends $4 million yearly updating collection By Justin Hicks Staff Reporter
The automated bookshelves in the Charles V. Park Library would stretch 33 miles if they were spread out side-by-side. In order to keep the nearly 1.3-million-volume collection up to date, an average of $4 million is spent on new content each year, according to Dean of Libraries Thomas Moore. “Our goal is to support the academic programs of the uni-
She said she brings do-it-yourself projects to work on and is thinking about opening an Etsy shop soon. “I’d rather have something that’s unique and personal rather than something that’s mass-produced,” Cromell said. Creativity is not a necessity for being a member, said Saline sophomore Kristine Opaleski. “You can just come and do your homework,” she said. “I am a fashion major, so it’s convenient to go somewhere and work on things and talk at the same time.” Opaleski said she recommends the friendly environment to everyone. “We’re very open people,” she said. “We all work on fun things, and we all learn from each other. And we’re all willing to teach if you’re willing to learn.” studentlife@cm-life.com
Michigan Senate Democrats propose free college tuition
C H A R L E S V. P A R K
University President George Ross and Provost Gary Shapiro have offered to attend academic department meetings in an effort to open dialogue between administration and faculty members. The Provost’s office has attempted to schedule meetings with all of Central Michigan University’s academic departments. Ross and Shapiro have attended the meetings to respond to some of the educators’ questions and concerns about the current state of the university. Director of Public Relations Steve Smith said Thursday Ross and Shapiro plan to meet with all of CMU’s academic departments but did not know the number or which groups of faculty the provost and president had already spoken with. “There is no agenda — simply an opportunity to have a dialogue and answer questions,” Smith said in an email.
Creative Club nights are the one time Gaylord junior Rachel Cromell said she takes time to relax and think about herself. “I do homework every night, but I know this night is just for me,” she said. “During exam week, it felt more like a support group.” The club has drawn up to 19 people at one time since being founded in the fall of 2011. “A core group of eight people usually always shows up,” Masters said. “It’s a good place to meet people and learn from each other.” Cromell said the Creative Club drew her attention, because she was a transfer student looking for a place to make friends. “The first week I got here, I was terrified,” she said. “I was like, I chose this college and the professors are striking, and I felt like I picked the wrong college, but everything turned out good.”
versity and all of the university,” Moore said. “We have money that comes to us from a general fund, and we’re buying throughout the year to do that.” During the 2010-11 year, the library had a budget of $4,285,525 for purchasing materials. This budget is spread out amongst purchases of books, journals, music and DVDs for the library’s continuously updated collection. A LIBRARY | 2
College tuition for all students who have had K-12 education in the state of Michigan will be virtually free if a new proposal in the state Senate becomes law. The bill, put forward by Senate Democrats, is called Michigan 2020. The plan would give a $9,575 yearly grant toward higher education costs to students who attended school, public, private or are home-schooled, within the state for their entire educational careers. Those students who attended school out-of-state for a period of time would be eligible for a percentage of that amount proportional to the number of years they were educated in-state. The median tuition level for Michigan’s public universities is $9,575. According to Central Michigan University’s website, in-state tuition costs $9,688 per year for CMU undergraduate students. “Many, if not most, of the businesses coming to Michigan now need a very well-educated workforce,” Maxine Berman, Griffin Endowed Chair, said. “If they can’t find those people here, they will bring them in from other states. Wouldn’t it be better if there were more Michigan college grads so that our own residents could get these jobs?” The proposal would be paid for by cutting $3.5 billion in corporate tax
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credits and loopholes. The state currently pays out about $34 billion in tax credits annually. Senate Democrats estimate the program would cost $1.7 billion and argue the tax loopholes to be cut are products of special-interest groups and lobbyists. Berman said the tax credits should not be confused with the $1.8 billion business tax cut signed into law last year. She said an educated workforce, in addition to lower tax rates, will make Michigan a very attractive place for business. “If you believe in the job creator ideology, you would say any new taxes would hurt Michigan business,” said Political Science Professor James Hill, referring to the belief that higher tax rates stifle job creation. “If you are skeptical of this argument, you might argue that a better-educated workforce would be a net positive for prospective businesses and, in the long run, would be a plus for prospective businesses.” The proposal comes a year after public universities were hit with a 15-percent cut in funding and a decade in which funding has been cut by 65 percent. Hill said the proposal is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled Senate soon but applauds the bill’s goals. “It is good to focus on education as a primary route to stimulating our state economy,” he said. metro@cm-life.com