energy | solar panels to be installed in sac, 3A seeing the dead|
| big eaters Transition to offensive line forces duo to pack on the pounds, 1B
Mortician reflects on tending to the deceased, 3A
Friday, Oct. 30, 2009
Central Michigan Life
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
SGA seeks $200,000 increase in funds for programming
cmu’s urban legends
Nichol: Money vital to building community experience By Griffin Fraley Staff Reporter
photo illustration by libby march/staff photographer
Newaygo junior Abbi VanWyck and Hazel Park sophomore Carlos Coronado illustrate the ghostly tragedy of CMU’s own Romeo and Juliet saga in front of the CMU seal. According to legend, a pair of lovers planned to meet at the CMU seal at midnight to elope, but the man had car trouble and was late to meet her. She froze to death and he died of heartbreak upon finding her.
Campus Mythbusting
The truth behind five widely known tales students may think are true By Eric Dresden | Student Life Editor
T
ony Voisin heard the myth about kissing a significant other in front of Warriner Seal. In fact, he has lived it. The director of Student Life said he heard about the tale that when one kisses his or her significant other in front of the Central Michigan University seal near Warriner Hall, the couple will enjoy a fruitful relationship. Voisin took the myth one step further. It was September 1990 when he told his girlfriend, Kim, assistant director of Residence Life, they were going to the Malt Shoppe, then located in the Student Book Exchange complex, 209 E. Bellows St. “I had an ulterior motive, though, which was to walk in front of the seal and propose,” he said. “I’m assuming I gave her a kiss after I asked her to marry me.” Voisin said, so far, the myth has proved very true. “Almost 20 years later of wedded bliss and three children, I would think the myth is true,” he said. This is just one of several myths CMU students hear about when they come to campus. Here are a few others that Central Michigan Life attempted to prove or disprove:
If you get hit by a vehicle, you get free tuition — Myth Busted
Most students have heard the lore of getting hit by a vehicle. The idea behind the story is if any student is hit while on campus, the university has to pay for their tuition because of the pain they endured. “It’s all a myth,” said Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe. “There is no university policy there.” He said students have tried to get free tuition using the myth, but it has not worked. “A father called and said his daughter has been hit by a CMU faculty member and, therefore, she was entitled to all of these wonderful things,” he said. “We said first off, ‘Wow, how’s your daughter? Because we haven’t heard about this.’ (He said) ‘Well, she’s fine.’ Anyway, it was just all a story.” Roscoe said if the university is at fault, there is a little bit of a gray area and it is not standard practice for the uni-
versity to pay medical bills. If the university is negligent in such a situation, the student’s insurer would work with the university’s insurer, he said. If your roommate in your room dies, you get free tuition — Myth Busted Roscoe said the same facts as getting hit by a vehicle also apply if a student’s roommate dies in a residence hall. The university does not have any rules in place that say either way on the issue. “There are no policies that state ... if a student dies, his or her roommates have all of these things happen to them, nothing along that line,” Roscoe said. Sneaking into the tunnels under the school means instant expulsion — Myth Busted There is a series of tunnels around campus connecting A myths | 2a
Student Government Association President Jason Nichol said he hopes to increase the total funding of the Campus Programing Fund to $1 million from $800,000. “We’d like to get this done by next fiscal year,” the Mount Pleasant senior said. “It’s a matter of finding money.” CPF funds a variety of programs, including the Student Budget Allocation Committee, Program Board and the Volunteer Center. It is funded by the university. Nichol is reporting to the Board of Trustees in December, where he hopes to make some form of progress to take back to SGA. Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services David Burdette said there is a possibility of funds increasing in the future.
“SGA has done a good job of allocating funding so far,” he said. “We need to keep an eye on inflation and then decide if we need to increase these funds over time.” However, with the struggling Michigan economy, it remains to be seen if an increase is possible, said Carol Haas, director of Financial Planning and Budgets. “With uncertainty in state appropriations, we want to position ourselves for possible budget reductions,” Haas said. The state awarded more than $83 million to CMU for the 2008-09 academic year. Interim University President Kathy Wilbur told Central Michigan Life in June that the university would be ‘lucky’ to keep this year’s state appropriations at the same level as last year. Last year, the university received an increase of 1 percent in appropriations, instead of the 3 percent it requested. Nichol is still hopeful CPF will receive an increase. He said SGA will work to find a situation that works for everyone.
A programming fund | 7A
illegal downloading
Record companies taking action despite no lawsuits filed CMU now forwards ‘takedown notice’ to offending students By Brad Canze Senior Reporter
Mark Strandskov said it has been roughly 18 months since legal action was taken against a CMU student for illegal file sharing. In December 2008, the Recording Industry Association of America said it would no longer pursue new lawsuits against individuals for illegal downloading or sharing of copyrighted materials. Instead, the organization has been attempt-
ing to work with Internet service providers to curtail file-sharing. However, Strandskov, Central Michigan University’s associate director of networks, said no CMU students have been legally confronted by the RIAA or any other copyright-defending organization since the spring semester of 2008. He said, however, these organizations are not dormant. “There are three notices we get, and the most common one is a takedown notice,” Strandskov said. A takedown notice is a warning from the copyright A downloading | 2a
[inside] NEWS w Students assisting with Union Township survey, 3A
PTriezy’s takes win at co-rec IM football championship
w Rocky Horror Picture Show this weekend, 5A
By Joe Borlik Senior Reporter
sports
PTriezy’s claimed the title Thursday as the best intramural co-rec flag football team at Central Michigan University. The team beat P and V in a 12-10 victory at Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The PTriezy’s consists of eight physical therapy students and is named after Herm Triezenberg, chairman of the Physical Therapy Program. “It feels awesome to have
w Soccer ends shutout streak with 1-1 tie against Eastern Michigan, 4B
CM-LIFE.com w Check the Web site for a video on a local mortician.
weather w Rain showers High 63/ Low 42
cm-life.com Check the Web site for an audio slideshow on IM flag football. won,” said Remus graduate student Luke Voss. “Everyone on our team contributes.” Last year’s championship was between the same two teams. That year, P and V won. West Canton graduate student Caitlin Colwell said members of PTriezy’s have grown a lot in the past year.
IM flag football winners w Fraternity League: Phi Sigma Phi beat Delta Chi 28-6 w Women’s League: Down n’ Dirty beat Tag You’re It 24-0 w Men’s League: Slumber Party beat Team Blackout 28-27 w Co-rec: PTriezy’s beat P and V 12-10
A im football | 7a
jake may/staff photographer
Remus graduate student Luke Voss, quarterback for the PTriezy’s football team, tosses the football between his hands during the first huddle before the intramural Co-Rec championship game.
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