Your independent CMU news source since 1919
GUN CONTROL: Legislation would expemt Michigan-made guns from federal law » PAGE 3A
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL:
Crystal Bradford continues to shine as women’s basketball dominates » PAGE 7B
cm-life.com
Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013
‘HONORING YOURSELF’
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
Kula Yoga brings yoga without judgments, cost » PAGE 3A
Trending fad diets yield temporary results » PAGE 1B
A-Senate vote falls short of stopping change to academic calendar By Tony Wittkowski Senior Reporter
A majority of the Academic Senate Tuesday voted to stop the proposed academic calendar change but fell short of the two-thirds majority required for the vote to actually count. The Senate voted 54 to 46 to halt the new calendar, which would shorten the length of semesters to 15 weeks beginning in fall of 2014. Since the term “rescind” was implemented in the motion, the vote needed to have a two-thirds majority in order to keep the academic calendar at 16 weeks, causing confusion among most of the senators.
“The will of the Senate was reflected in the majority vote,” Provost Gary Shapiro said. “As far as parliamentary procedures, (physics professor Joseph Finck) introduced the particular wording to ‘rescind’ so that he could apply the twothirds rule.” The need for a two-thirds vote was not addressed until after the voting process was complete. “I think it was disingenuous on (Finck’s) part not to inform the Senate before the vote that it then required a two-thirds majority, which would have allowed the Senate to stake the motion in a different fashion,” Shapiro said after the meeting. Finck led the charge against
revoking the academic calendar’s 15-week approval and suggested changing the term to “rescind.” “This is serious; it is saying that a previous body got it wrong, that this body made a mistake,” Finck said during the meeting. Finck said the numbers provided in the provost’s report that determined the adjusted calendar would cost the university $3 million did not seem accurate. After each side presented an argument, the Senate spent about 10 minutes explaining what each choice meant. Several senators raised questions out of confusion over the use of the word “rescind.”
A A-SENATE | 2A
MELISSA BLOEM/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Provost Gary Shapiro gives the provost’s report at the Academic Senate meeting Tuesday afternoon in Pearce Hall.
William Merrill likely to enter plea; may not reach trial By Tony Wittkowski Senior Reporter
Former Central Michigan University professor William Lord Merrill is expected to enter into a plea bargain following charges of child pornography in federal court. Merrill, 58, was arrested for one count of possession of child pornography and indicted by a grand jury on two counts of receipt of child pornography on Dec. 19. A pretrial conference took place Jan. 24 by telephone. A final pretrial conference is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. March 25 before District Judge Thomas Ludington. If a plea bargain is not made before March 21, a jury trial is scheduled William Lord Merrill April 9 at 8:30 a.m. Court-appointed Defense Attorney Daniel O’Neil said if the case is settled before trial, Merrill will likely enter a plea. “It might happen,” O’Neil said. “Ninety-nine percent of cases are resolved prior to trial.” O’Neil said Merrill is reviewing the evidence against him. CMU Police Chief Bill Yeagley said it is unlikely Merrill will go to trial due to the amount of evidence against him. “In my opinion, it is a very overwhelming case against the individual,” Yeagley said. “However, some folks believe they deserve to have their day in court. Time will tell, and I have faith in the system.” As previously reported by Central Michigan Life, Merrill was charged Nov. 8 with a four-count felony including one count of possession of sexually abusive material, one count of distributing or promoting child sexually abusive activity and two counts of using a computer to commit a crime, according to court records. He was also charged with possessing a switch blade, a misdemeanor. The investigation began when CMU’s information technology staff noticed a large amount of data being transmitted from a single computer on the network. After tracking the source of transmission, IT disconnected Merrill’s computer from the Internet in hopes that the user would contact IT for support, according to an affidavit. After further inspection of his computer, an A MERRILL | 2A
GSO Bargaining Platform Key Points w Graduate assistants should be allowed to receive time off without negative effects on education. w Graduate assistants working overtime should be compensated if so desired. w Graduate assistants should not have to pay for training. w Graduate assistants should have access to employer-sponsored health care.
CHUCK MILLER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Richmond senior Jami Kidman, center, pays taxi driver Troy Thurlow for a ride back to her home Saturday night outside of the Wayside Central, 2000 S. Mission St.
Playing it safer Safe Rides sees increase since abduction, taxi usage remains about the same By Tony Wittkowski | Senior Reporter
The Safe Rides service has been used twice as much since the abduction of a Central Michigan University student outside of the Student Activity Center two weeks ago.
On Jan. 16, a Grand Rapids senior was abducted in her own vehicle around 9:30 p.m. and forced to drive to a S. Crawford residence where she was bound with tape and raped by Eric Lee Ramsey, 30, who was later fatally shot following pursuit of the Michigan State Police in Gaylord. CMU Police Chief Bill Yeagley said the number of students using Safe Rides has almost doubled since the abduction, which is a good sign that people are being transported safely. “(Safe Rides) provides another opportunity for our campus community to be safe and is designed for individuals to not have to walk across campus in any danger,” he said. Yeagley learned of the increase in Safe Rides because the usage is tracked by campus police.
Yeagley said students who are alone are given a priority in being picked up over those in groups, because they do not have a lot of people around. “Some folks use (the service) for convenience simply because they want a ride,” Yeagley said. “And I’m OK with that.” Despite the increase in Safe Rides, most taxi companies around Mount Pleasant have either seen similar business or have had ridership decrease. Roger Woodard, office manager for Chippewa Cab, said regardless of what has happened, the winter season is always the busiest. “We are staying about the same on the weekends,” Woodard said. “When the weather is bad, we are going to be busier because people
don’t want to walk.” Additionally, a common issue cab companies face year-round, regardless of ridership numbers, is riders not paying cab fare. “We try to get people to pay up front,” Woodard said. “But, when a lot of people pile into the back, it is hard to see who has paid and who hasn’t.” Edward Ball, owner of Mount Pleasant Cab, has accumulated 16 years of experience and uses a method in his cabs to ensure users pay. “We are the only company that has the passenger go out through the front passenger door,” Ball said. The location of the door makes the passenger have to at least walk by the driver before getting out. metro@cm-life.com
Graduate student union reveals platform ahead of bargaining By Annie Harrison Staff Reporter
The goal of the Graduate Student Union’s bargaining platform is to improve basic protections and human rights for graduate assistants, GSU President Michelle Campbell said. Central Michigan University’s GSU was recognized in 2009, and the three-year contract from 2010-13 expires next summer. Campbell said she hopes the Board of Trustees will approve bargaining at the Feb. 14 meeting so the GSU can bargain over spring break. “Our hopes are that we have a
contract by the end of the school year,” the Cedar Springs graduate assistant for English language and literature said. Graduate assistants are in a position of being both students and employees at the university. “We have the same responsibilities as a faculty member, but not the same rights as a faculty member,” Campbell said. The official bargaining platform states that graduate assistants should be able to receive time off without negatively affecting their appointments or their students’ educations. The GSU supports “the orderly administration of judicious amounts of leave and
bereavement time for graduate assistants at Central Michigan University.” The platform supports a policy for graduate assistants to be able to get time off as a result of a serious medical condition, to take care of the health of a family or household member and under other circumstances such as military duty or jury duty. “Graduate assistants should be able to request time off without worrying about jeopardizing their careers,” Sarah Murphy, a St. Johns graduate assistant for chemistry, said. Overtime compensation is another issue listed in the bargain-
ing platform. Campbell said there are a number of full-time graduate assistants who work more than 20 hours per week. She said the GSU wants to make it so that graduate assistants working overtime can get compensation if they want it. Graduate students also should not be penalized if they don’t want to work overtime, she said. Robert Hinck, a Mount Pleasant graduate assistant for communication and dramatic arts, said the GSU contract is important to graduate assistants. This is our career, he said. A GRADUATE STUDENTS | 2A