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Central Michigan Life
Monday, Nov. 22, 2010
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
Tuition rates up nationwide; CMU above average Lower state funding, higher costs the reason By Carisa Seltz Senior Reporter
photos by paige calamari/staff photographer
Bedford alumnus Brian Zink tickles Micah Nickel, 5, Sunday night at the Nickels’ home on South Loomis Road. The Nickels hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for the volunteers who work with Micah. Zink began volunteering with Micah after a professor in a former special education course suggested he could help.
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Parents learn to bridge gap between themselves, child’s autism
CMU ranks $3,747 above the national median when it comes to annual tuition rates. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, CMU has the fifth highest rate of in-state tuition and fees among Michigan’s four-year public universities at $10,380 per year. The national median of $6,633 has seen annual increases. David Burdette, vice president of Finance and Administrative Services, said tuition rates have increased nationwide for two reasons. First, the cost to do business at universities has increased because of employee contracts and inflated costs of goods and services, he said. Secondly, diminished revenue sources at the state level result in less state funding for higher education.
“So when you look at those two facts, tuition is one potential way to keep the university going,” Burdette said. CMU’s tuition rate of $346 per credit hour is a 220 percent increase from the 2000-01 rate. Lawrence Brunner, associate professor of economics, said college tuition rates are rising faster than the general rate of inflation. The Consumer Price Index illustrates the trend. An item in 2009 costing $3.29 would only cost $1 in 1978, according to the average of all items bought by the average urban consumer. However, for every $1 spent for tuition in 1978, — the earliest year the CPI has data available online — $10.13 was spent in 2009. “So for a long time, both through good times and bad, college tuition has been rising much faster than other things,” Brunner said in an e-mailed statement. The recession has been worse than anything seen since 198082, he said, but the economy is
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By Orrin Shawl | Staff Reporter
Campus Dining items’ nutritional values vary
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ive-year-old Micah Nickel was diagnosed with autism in the spring of 2009. Immediately, Chris and Jenn Nickel set out to find how to best help their son. The family found the Massachusetts-based Son-Rise program, an organization that looked like the perfect place for Micah. The first person they spoke to about the program was Brian Nelson, who is a counselor at the organization. “I explained the program to them,” Nelson said. “And the more we talked, they felt like ‘Wow, Micah would be a great candidate.’” Student volunteers Nikki Woods, a Saginaw senior, and Clinton Township senior Brittany Hoekstra have spent a lot of time working with Micah.
Many high in fat, but healthier options available Micah looks through a book Tuesday night as Grand Haven senior Kailey Damaska speaks with his mother, Jenn, outside of their home on South Loomis Road. Damaska is one of 12 volunteers who have had training through the Son-Rise Program to work with children with autism.
Inside w Read more of the story with photos of Micah and his family, 3A
Students ready for weekend break Time with family, friends a must for many By Mike Nichols Staff Reporter
Whether it involves turkey, shopping, drinking, football or just seeing family and friends, students are looking forward to their Thanksgiving plans. Much of CMU’s population plans to head home and spend time with family, friends and significant others in their community.
[inside] NEWS w CMU could be $600,000 richer by reopening a gas turbine on campus, 5A
sports w Women’s basketball loses in championship game of Iowa tourney, 1B
Cm-Life.com w Watch this week’s episode of SportsLine and video coverage of a Fish N Chips concert w See the last week’s best photos in an online gallery
Next Issue! w CM Life will return with a regular issue next Monday
It will be a nice distraction from the upcoming final exams and other stresses, said Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe. “A majority are going to relax and rest before the upcoming weeks and the pressure that’s going to follow,” Roscoe said. “I think a lot of students are looking forward to the holiday, and getting to catch a second wind.” Shelby freshman Matt Ervinck, like many other students, plans to drive home and spend his weekend with family and friends. “College is stressful,” Er-
vinck said. “Going home is great because you have nothing to do.” Roscoe said he is looking forward to having his family over and spending the day at home with them. He thinks everyone is excited for the holiday, and the break from school and work. “I think we all look forward to it, faculty and student alike,” Roscoe said. “I’m sure some students experience stress going home, but I think the majority of them look forward to it.” For many, the weekend and upcoming holiday sea-
son can mean splitting time traveling between families. Holli Whitemore, a CMU alumna from Alma, will spend her weekend in Alma and Ann Arbor to be with her and her husband’s families during the holiday. “Being married makes it more challenging to fit in everyone,” she said. “But it’s awesome to have two families that want to see us.” Others plan on spending the holiday out on the town. For some, the weekend is a time to party and shop. “I’m going out for Black A break | 2A
By Sammy Dubin Staff Reporter
Each day, thousands of students are served breakfast, lunch and dinner in each of the four on-campus residential restaurants. While eating the massproduced food, one bit of important information can slip a student’s mind — the nutritional facts of what is being consumed. “We strive to bring in healthier choices; however, there will always be more indulgent items on the menu because they are also in high demand,” said Nikki Smith, marketing manager for Campus Dining, in an e-mailed statement. “Our menu is designed to meet the needs of all dining lifestyles. It is our goal to educate guests on health awareness and allow them to make their own decisions.” The 9-ounce popcorn chicken wrap served in the residential restaurants contains 684 calories, according to Campus Dining’s website. In comparison, fast
food chain McDonald’s 8.7 ounce Southern Style Crispy Chicken Sandwich contains 400 calories. The wrap contains 38 grams of fat, compared to 17 in McDonald’s sandwich. The wrap also contains 1,677 milligrams of sodium. The McDonald’s chicken sandwich has a bun while CMU’s has tortilla shell. Campus Dining’s sandwich contains cheese and dressing ingredients and McDonald’s sandwich does not. If scaled down to 4.2 ounces, the same size as McDonald’s Honey Mustard Chicken Snack Wrap, Campus Dining’s wrap was comparable in nutrition to the fast food chain, Smith said. The fat content for Campus Dining’s wrap measures at 16 grams compared to 15 for McDonald’s. Likewise, the number of calories are comparable at 294 and 330, respectively. Pleasant Ridge senior Samm Wunderlich, who is a vegetarian, said the residential restaurants are not accommodating in vegetarian options. Although soy burgers are commonly offered, Wunderlich said, too much soy
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Hundreds attend annual Diwali Night Event gives India students a ‘taste of home’ By Joe Borlik Staff Reporter
Vinay Nunna celebrated togetherness, culture, tradition and tasty food Saturday night. He wasn’t the only one. Hundreds of people gathered at the Ward Theatre, 218 S. Main St. to partake in the holiday celebration. The India graduate student and president of the Indian Students Association, a registered student organization, helped host Diwali
Night. “This gives students a taste of home,” Nunna said. “Many of us here, we miss home badly.” Diwali is a five-day festival in Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism which occurs between mid-October and mid-November. Nunna said the celebration symbolizes a victory of good over evil. The event included Indian dance and music performances, a fashion show and Indian cuisine, with traditional food such as biryani, a rice-based dish. The fashion show and dance numbers were a whirl of colorful saris and other outer garments, ranging
from deep golds, to blues and pinks, from casual to upscale celebration. India graduate student Angel Erpula performed an Indian folk dance, a Bollywood dance and a Tollywood dance performance. “The Bollywood dance was my favorite,” Erpula said. “It has the best music.” India graduate student Shilpa Alamuri danced with two other students in colorful Indian attire. She said the event reminded her of home, and it was the best time she has had so far during her first semester at CMU. “It was absolutely fun,” AlA diwali | 2A
jeff smith/staff photographer
India graduate student Ashita Scharf performs a Bollywood freestyle dance during Diwali Night Saturday at the Ward Theatre, 218 S. Main St. The celebration for Diwali, known as the festival of lights, was put on by the Indian Students Association.