financial aid | money benefits 367 students, 3A | on the prowl Older women known as ‘cougars’ on the prowl in town, 1B
Music man| Student cannot read music, but teaches guitar lessons, 3A
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009
Central Michigan Life
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
No change in sight for tailgating procedures
Heeke disappointed with turnout Saturday in Lot 63 By Lindsay Knake Metro Editor
University officials remain committed to the new Central Michigan University tailgating procedures despite Saturday’s low turnout at Lot 63. Athletics Director Dave Heeke said he was disappointed more students did not attend. “They formed their opinions without actually visiting and seeing what the overall impact would truly be. I think it’s really shortsighted on their part,” he said. “I think we’re forgetting that there was the very real chance
that tailgating would not exist for students at all.” Heeke said misconceptions and sensationalism from Facebook and the media hurt the overall perception of the procedures. The tailgating policy limits students to six beers or one pint of liquor each, bans external sound systems, bans cars leaving before the third quarter and instates six pedestrian entry points, among other rules. “It seems like they took a couple of small pieces and rallied around those to de-unify the student body. I believe the students deunified themselves,” he said. “I think if you talk to people who were there, the level of enforcement was very reasonable.” A tailgating | 5a
Other area colleges have modified tailgating policies By Jake Bolitho Senior Reporter
While the new tailgating policies have many CMU students up in arms, other universities are modifying their own policies. Ferris State University decided to implement a special fundraiser for its Oct. 3 football game against Michigan Technological University. The university will sell alcoholic beverages during a tailgate before the “Battle at the Ballpark,” which will be held at Fifth Third Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps minor league baseball team in Comstock Park.
“We needed to generate money for our football program,” said Jon Coles, FSU associate athletics director. “We’re splitting everything 50/50 with the ballpark.” The new procedures at Central Michigan University include a six-beer limit, a ban on external sound systems and five to six pedestrian entrances. An estimated total of 300 people were at last Saturday’s student tailgate at Lot 63. Coles said Ferris State’s game day atmosphere is not quite the same as in Mount Pleasant, and the fundraiser will help build it. “We can’t deny the fact that college students like to drink beer,” he said. “We’re not encouraging it... we do want students to congregate and enjoy each
Nonprofit opens job barriers
pick-up artists
MMI workers make campus cleaner one piece of trash at a time
By Connor Sheridan Staff Reporter
By Connor Sheridan | Staff Reporter Steve Niger walks determinedly along the sidewalk north of Rose Arena, clad in a bright orange safety vest with his trusty grabber in his grip. He and his four friends are there to pick up the little things other people leave behind and keep Central Michigan University’s campus green. It is not an easy job to pound the ground in search of wayward garbage from 10:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. five days a week. But Niger loves his work. “I like picking up litter,” Niger said as he deftly snatched a crumpled cup from the ground. Niger is one member of a crew usually consisting of six that moves around campus a day ahead of the facilities’ lawn mowers, making sure all the debris is cleaned up to prevent inconvenience, unsightly shredded garbage or even damage to the mower itself. A mmi workers | 2a
photos by libby march/staff photographer
Russ Attwater of Mid-Michigan Industries directs MMI workers to their next destination Sept. 15 behind the Student Activities Center.
A policiy | 2a
Philip Eldrige, left, and Mike Wernette of Mid-Michigan Industries take a break Sept. 15 in the back of the Student Activities Center.
Mid-Michigan Industries groud crews has worked to keep CMU pristine since 1988. MMI is a nonprofit organization formed in 1973 which arranges work for “individuals with barriers to employment.” “We have crews, so people can get job exposure, so they can get jobs on their own someday,” said Shad Welke, assistant director of community employment at MMI. “They like what they do.” Welke, a CMU alumnus, said the crew learns a lot, not just in working experience, but in social experience as well. “They learn the balance between speed and quality,” Welke said. “They get to interact with the grounds crew and the students.” Tom Prenkert, manager of Landscape Operations at CMU, said the work MMI does helps more than just make the school look clean. “The staff is great and the workers are great. They get a lot of the litter cleaned up, which helps my staff work on the other things they have to do,” Prenkert said. Russ Atwater, a coordinator with the work crew, said students and faculty usually are appreciative of the hard work the crew does. Atwater, a retired teacher from Hazel Park and job coach, makes sure the crew stays safe and on task. “It’s just awesome, it’s really awesome. We’ve never had a
A nonprofit | 2A
[inside] NEWS w Students lobbying to keep Michigan Promise, 3A
campus vibe w Students run gardens on campus, 5B
Sports wField hockey forward has had three major surgeries since coming to CMU, 6A
CM-LIFE.com w Check for a video interview with Trey Parker.
weather w Few showers High 79/ Low 52
Imposter employees targeting residents for information Men in red shirts seen at two different locations By Ryan Czachorski Staff Reporter
This story was first published Wednesday on cmlife.com. Check the Web site for breaking news updates. Imposter employees of Consumers Energy are attempting to solicit personal information from Mount Pleasant residents.
The Mount Pleasant Police Department received a complaint yesterday from WestPoint Village, 2222 S. Crawford Road, stating four to five males wearing red polo shirts were going door-to-door asking residents for personal information. The imposters also were spotted in West Campus Village, 1110 W. Campus Drive. “They were trying to get personal information like driver’s license numbers, dates of birth, social security numbers,” said MPPD
Public Information Officer Dave Sabuda. “All the things to commit fraudulent activity, like identity theft.” The imposters were wearing red shirts with what appeared to be a Consumers Energy logo on it, Sabuda said. The scheme did not work on any residents who filed complaints with the MPPD. “Sometimes, there’ll be an individual who doesn’t know they’ve been schemed, and don’t find out until later,” Sabuda said.
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The fake employees also could distract the owner of the home with questions while their partners search the house for money and other things to steal. “In some cases, it’s pretty obvious they have inside information,” said Consumers Energy Spokesman Terry DeDoes. “Some cases, they’re just playing the numbers game.” All Consumers Energy employees are required to have photo identification and will provide it if asked. If residents are suspicious of the employees or have
not requested any work, residents should not allow them in. Residents also should never pay for work they have not requested. “We do not solicit door to door for any of our programs,” said Consumers Energy Spokeswoman Mary Gust. Any suspicious activity should be reported to the MPPD. People wishing to verify the identity of a Consumers Energy employee should contact Consumers Energy at 800-477-5050. metro@cm-life.com