LIFE CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Students struggle with mounting student loan debt, 1B
Central Michigan University
| Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011
Group debates on new casino ban for class assignment, 5A
[cm-life.com]
Hearing scheduled for Thursday on FA’s strike injunction Union expects CMU to impose contract terms By Theresa Clift University Editor
An injunction signed by Isabella County Circuit Court Judge Paul H. Chamberlain expires today, allowing the Faculty
Association to issue a job action, including a strike, as it did on Aug. 22. Central Michigan University and the FA have a motion hearing at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Isabella County Courthouse, 200 N. Main St., with Chamberlain. In an email to faculty obtained by Central Michigan Life, FA President Laura Frey said the university is trying to make the
injunction permanent. The motion will also be heard on the location of the PA 54 lawsuit, according to the email. The FA is challenging PA 54, which prevents public employees from earning “wage step increases” after the expiration of a contract. About 40 CMU faculty members have been affected by this law, and CMU is trying to change the venue of the PA 54
lawsuit from Isabella to Ingham County, Frey told CM Life in previous reports. CMU made its final offer Nov. 11 and rejected the FA’s counter offer last week. In his recommendation, Factfinder Barry Goldman favored the university on salary and benefits and the FA in retirement and promotion issues. In the university’s final offer, CMU adopted all of Goldman’s
for 12-month faculty. “We thought that offering a one-year tentative agreement that included every concession from the faculty that the administration demanded would allow all of CMU to move forward,” Frey said in a press release. “In doing so, it also would provide a longer cooling-off period before the teams return to
recommendations, including a pay freeze for one year and modest increases for the following two. It also allowed FA members to keep MESSA as a primary insurance provider until June 30, 2012, under certain conditions. The FA proposed a one-year contract, instead of three, and agreed to a one-year pay freeze. The FA also withdrew its proposal for a $600 signing bonus
A FA | 2A
MOUNT PLEASANT
Residents push anti-discrimination ordinance for city By Jackie Smith Online Coordinator
When Norma Bailey asked for people at Monday’s City Commission meeting to stand if they supported establishing an anti-discrimination law, the majority of the room rose to its feet. During the meeting’s public comment, the Mount Pleasant resident, along with several others, proposed an all-inclusive ordinance aimed at preventing discriminatory acts against city residents. Currently, Mount Pleasant is without such an ordinance and remains the state’s only municipality that is home to a large university and doesn’t have one. “We’ve done a great deal of our homework, but tonight was not about presenting that,” said Bailey, who is a professor of teacher education and professional development at Central Michigan University. “Tonight was about just making our statement.”
PHOTOS BY ANDREW KUHN/ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
Detroit freshman Trevor Murphy performs his poem “Power” Tuesday night in Moore Hall’s Townsend Kiva. “This is my first slam,” Murphy said.
slam it out By Camara Curry | Staff Reporter
Novi junior Rich Bronson, performs with Warren senior Katie Sullivan during Tuesday night’s Poetry Slam put on by the RSO Wordhammer at the Moore Hall’s Townsend Kiva. “I’ve been doing Slam Poetry since I was 18 years old,” said Bronson. The two performed their poem “Mauldin South Carolina.” “I absolutely love doing this,” Sullivan said, “I came from a theater background and I like to write my own pieces and collaborate with others.”
A POETRY | 2A
A CITY | 2A
Yoder presents to A-Senate, will talk finances next week
Students engage audience with poetry
Newcomer to slam poetry Terrence Way said it’s hard not to feel nervous in a packed room. The Detroit sophomore was one of 14 Central Michigan University students who performed in Word Hammer’s second Slam Poetry performance of the year held in Moore Hall’s Townsend Kiva. Communication and Dramatic Arts Adjunct Sadie Chandler, the adviser for the registered student organization, said she was proud to see her students succeed. “It’s a breath of relief after you get done with a performance,” said Shelbie Moore, the first-place winner. “When you’re sitting in your seat waiting to be called, all you can think of is your poem and I feel better when I say my last words and hear the applause. It gets me every time.” Moore, a Detroit sophomore, engaged the audience with her rants of social media and twisted relationships. “I started writing after reading Nikki Giovanni’s ‘Kidnapped’ in the eighth grade,” Moore said. “I write about things that impact me personally and you just want to talk about things that make you upset or want to change.”
Acting as spokesperson for the crowd of nearly 60, Bailey presented commissioners with a draft ordinance and a letter of support signed by 13 community leaders, 10 business owners, nine clergy and faith groups, and a number of CMU staff and faculty. She said it demonstrated a “broadness of support” for the movement. Commissioners were asked to review the draft ordinance and express any concerns with the city manager by the start of next year. The hope, Bailey said, is to make a formal presentation, equipped with evidence of discrimination in the community, by the end of January. She said they have until then to establish the need. Commissioner Sharon Tilmann said someone would have to “be living in a cave” not to have heard of an instance of discrimination in Mount
By Mike Nichols Senior Reporter
The plan for Central Michigan University’s College of Medicine has been laid out before the Academic Senate. In the first of a series of presentations, Ernest Yoder, founding dean of CMED, explained the mission and future challenges facing CMED at the A-Senate meeting Tuesday. The philosophy of the curriculum is patient-centered care, Yoder said. The curriculum course structure focuses on formal knowledge courses, clinical experience inquiry and discovery. Yoder said medical analysts predict a continuing loss of physicians in Michigan by the year 2020. Part of the challenge
facing CMED will be to close the gap on the distributions of physicians, he said. “It’s predicted that in nine short years, we will have a shortfall of 6,000 physicians in the state of Michigan,” Yoder said. “We need to look at a change in how we do health care.” CMED’s recruiting targets are 80 percent Michigan students, and 20 percent out-ofstate students. Yoder said they had no plans yet to recruit international students, but would be open to the idea. Laura Frey, Faculty Association president and associate professor of counseling and special education, raised concern about how CMED would
A A-SENATE | 2A
Local residents, students protest with Occupy movement By Jordan Spence Senior Reporter
Three people wanted their voices to be heard Monday as they hung signs and protested in front of the Bovee University Center. The trio was bringing the Occupy Wall Street movement to Central Michigan University’s campus. “We’re here so there’s a physical awareness in the area,” said Petoskey freshman Traven Michaels. “We want to send the message (that) few benefit while the majority don’t.” The movement was brought to Mount Pleasant about a month and a half ago,
said Mount Pleasant resident and CMU alumna Mary Irvine. She said they were protesting in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement and to show support for the University of California, Davis college students who were pepper sprayed while demonstrating peacefully last week. Irvine said what disturbed her most is to see the violence toward people that are spreading a positive message. While demonstrating, Michaels chose to wear a Guy Fawkes mask from the movie “V for Vendetta.” The masks are part of the movement of another group called Anonymous.
“When you wear a mask, there’s always an idea behind it,” Michaels said. “An idea is always bulletproof.” Occupy Mount Pleasant meets every Sunday at Java City in Park Library and began with about 30 people initially, Irvine said. “Some people can’t handle our message and look away,” she said. “If they don’t support our message, I would ask them what their wages are, because those will most likely put them in the 99 percent.” Irvine said she would also ask people who oppose the movement if they are okay with corruption and the status quo.
Irvine said she has been participating in these kinds of movements and demonstrations for many years and believes in peace and justice. She said she hopes the Occupy movement stays that way. She said one of the best moments in protesting was when she saw a woman in the passenger seat of a vehicle reach across the driver to honk the horn to show support for the movement. “I just want people to have a wake-up call,” Irvine said. “I want them to take their head away from the TV and take off the ear phones and listen to what’s going on.” metro@cm-life.com
CHARLOTTE BODAK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Petoskey freshman Traven Michaels stands alongside Marine City freshman Blake Cahill while he raises his sign for Occupy Mount Pleasant Monday afternoon in front of the Bovee University Center.
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