Mock Crash Students learn about driving saftey through simulation, 3A
zombies Would you be able to survive A plague of the undead? 1B
Central Michigan Life
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
Exceptions allowed in revised policy
Dropouts in U.S. cost taxpayers $9 billion
Entities in legal disputes with CMU able to do business
CMU retention leads WMU, behind other institutions
By Carisa Seltz Senior Reporter
By Theresa Clift Staff Reporter
Freshman dropout rates have cost state and federal taxpayers more than $9 billion over five years. The amount was spurred by college students who drop out before their By the sophom o r e numbers year from 2003 to Fall 2010 2009. The freshmen retention money is percentage rates between w CMU: 79.6 2 and 8 w WMU: 76 percent w GVSU: 83.5 of the w MSU: 91 government’s total spending on higher education, depending on the state, according to a recent report by the American Institutes for Research. Shawn Wilson, director of student retention, does not believe retention is necessarily a CMU problem — he considers it a reality at any university in the U.S. “The first and second-year retention rate is something all institutions of higher learning pay attention to,” Wilson said. “This is because there’s a correlation between retention rate and graduation rate.” The first- to second-year retention rate for fall 2010 at CMU is 79.6 percent — 3.5 percent above last year. CMU has the fifth highest graduation rate in the state of Michigan’s 15 four-year public institutions, Wilson said. According to the press release from AIR, Michigan is one of 13 states that lost more than $200 million of state funds with $239 million. Both Wilson and Michelle Howard, director of academic advising and assistance, said the AIR report is misleading and flawed. They pointed to how the survey does not include students A retention | 2A
[inside] NEWS w Gary Glenn’s automated call attacks state House candidate’s sexuality, 3A w College launches business plan contest with $30,000 first prize, 4A
sports w Soccer to play final regular season game, 7A w MAC suspends DE Joe Kinville for one game, 9A
CM-LIFE.com w Check out a teaser video of CM Life’s tour of CMU’s underground tunnels w FOLLOW US @CMLIFE for regular updates and breaking news
weather w Windy/ Partly Cloudy High 62/ Low 40
Ashley miller/staff photographer
Mount Pleasant resident Candice Flebbe reaches over a large puddle to reach her 3-year-old son Michael Tuesday afternoon in Island Park’s playscape. “The weather was really crappy earlier, but it is nice now — nice enough to get his energy out,” Candice said.
QUITE a Splash
Andrew Kuhn/staff photographer
Jeff smith/staff photographer
A Jeep Wrangler drives through a large puddle of standing water Wednesday afternoon at the corner of Lansing and Bellows streets. At one point, the steet had been completely covered in water, said Troy junior Scott Brakora, who is a Bellows Street resident and has also experienced flooding in his basement.
Shepherd senior Chris Gill leans out of the window of a room as building maintenance worker Bill Schafer uses a pump to remove standing water after severe storms moved through Tuesday outside of Emmons Hall. Several other buildings on campus were affected by the storms.
Heavy rains flood some parts of campus, community By Tony Wittkowski Staff Reporter and Ryan Czachorski Senior Reporter
Students rushed from class to class making fruitless attempts to not get wet Tuesday. A storm cell, which brought a thunderstorm warning and tornado watch for most of the afternoon, struck Mount Pleasant. The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids issued a high wind warning, which expires at 8 p.m. today and warns of possible 60 mileper-hour winds. Some students in Emmons Hall found their clothes and carpets soaked in water. Bay City senior Brad Bender found rainwater had leaked in through the window onto the floor of his dorm.
“I realized it was raining out so I decided to check on the room,” said Bender, a resident assistant for the hall’s terrace. “It is a room that has a history with flooding.” One of Emmons Hall’s custodians eventually came by to check on some of the rooms for water damage. “Our wonderful custodian Bill checked in,” Bender said. “He gave us some rags and vacuumed.” Kentwood sophomore Samantha Brown lives in another room that was affected by the downpour. “I was a little worried because my roommate texted me about it,” Brown said. “It turned out the windows were left open.” East quad maintenance worker Bill Schafer said it seemed to be the same
occurrence with each room that had been found with water. “Some of the students have only been closing the inside part of the windows at night,” Schafer said. “The rain is still getting inside by collecting in the opening of the outside portion of the window.” Some streets in Mount Pleasant were flooded after the storm swept through the city. Abbey Lane, Kinney and Bennett avenues, and Bellows, Brown, Elizabeth, Michigan and Fancher streets were partially flooded during the afternoon. No streets were closed because of the rain, said Michelle Smith, assistant Streets supervisor for Public Works.
Any entity wedged in litigation with CMU can now engage in contracts with the institution, despite a policy decision earlier this fall that prohibited it. A revised policy, which was put into place Oct. 13, allows University President George Ross to grant consent for such contracts. Tom Trionfi, director of contracting, purchasing and health services, said the revision was incorporated because there was no way to make an exception or appeal in the original policy. “The president has the capability with the revision of the policy to make sure the university’s best interests are always taken into consideration,” Trionfi said. The original policy, effective Sept. 1, states “the university will not engage in a business relationship with any person or entity that is a party to a lawsuit against the university or involved in an alternative dispute resolution process against the university.” Trionfi said other institutions inquired what CMU’s official policy was in situations involving business disputes, prompting the policy’s fruition. The issue was never addressed before, he said. “From our perspective, it just makes good sense that if we are having current litigation problems, we wouldn’t continue to have business with them until those things were resolved,” Trionfi said. Ross’ ability to make exceptions in the policy is just an option on the table for future use if needed, Trionfi said. At this time, CMU is not trying to engage in new contracts with any entities or persons the university is in a lawsuit with, he said. General Counsel Manuel Rupe said in an e-mailed statement the issue of whether to engage in new business relationships with a corporation depends on if it would be reckless for CMU to continue working with them, based on the policy’s criteria. “If a business owed CMU money and had failed to perform obligations owed to CMU under a contract, then CMU may determine that it would not be prudent to enter into a new contract with such business,” he said. “But that would need to be determined based on
university@cm-life.com
A business | 2A
Take Care car turns heads, delivers message Senior takes pride in promoting initiative By Sherri Keaton Staff Reporter
Lisa Klager sometimes forgets why people stare at her when she rides through Mount Pleasant, but soon remembers her unusual ride. The West Bloomfield senior’s car is wrapped in vinyl printed with the “Take Care CMU” logo and a dotted pattern. She is the first person to try out the car wrapping. “I love driving my car because I am so proud to be able to show the initiative and promote it,” Klager said. “But at the same time, it is embarrassing to have my car wrapped in it.” Take Care is a message for students to respect one an-
other, take care of each other and be responsible. Klager said she loves the message because of its subtle reminder. “I think it will be in people’s heads more or it will be brought up in discussion,” Klager said. “Even if they’re mocking (the car) they are at least discussing it and they are acknowledging the fact that it is important for them to take care of people around them.” Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe said the Take Care initiative is to educate people they do have the right to get involved. The wrapped car provides that extra emphasis on what the program promotes. “The more we promote it the more people associate that sense of taking care with who we are and what we value,” Roscoe said. As a part of the wrap, Klager has had to go to different CMU events such as Tailgate Central,
a non-alcoholic tailgate and the Homecoming parade. Tony Voisin, assistant dean and director of Student Life, said Klager’s car was chosen because it was in decent shape, she can drive the car for at least eight months and is interested in the cause. “Lisa was really familiar with the Take Care concept,” Voisin said. “She is someone who was very interested in the concept. She is excited about it.” Voisin said the car is the latest of many opportunities for the initiative that CMU has been doing for the last three or four years. Roscoe helped form the idea of Take Care after a murder in 2004. “What was of real concern in addition to that were there was a lot of people around who watched this happen and no one came to his assistance,” Roscoe said. “Nobody pulled out their phone and called the
Joe Tobianski/staff photographer
West Bloomfield senior Lisa Klager, with the help of the university, had her entire car decaled to promote the “Take Care” initiative at CMU.
police.” Klager said driving the car delivers a simple and plain lesson and it gets the message across. She remembers stopping at a stop light when two men simultaneously pulled up on both sides of her car. She at
first thought they were staring at her, but it turned out they were just reading her car. “They turned and they were staring at me, even after the light turned green,” Klager said. “I counted 10 seconds.” university@cm-life.com