Students share experiences adjusting to campus, 1B
Actors ready for to open ‘Fat Pig’ this week, 3A
Sports| Men’s basketball to play at NIU Wednesday, 4B
Central Michigan Life
Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
CMU will end paper checks in May
Reaction high for Ke$ha’s show Friday Tickets still available through giveaways
Direct deposit, money card to be only options
By Michael L. Hoffman Student Life Editor
By Maria Amante Senior Reporter
CMU will simplify its pay system May 1 when employees will no longer be able to receive their payment in the form of checks. A notice was attached to all university employee paychecks last week saying employees who have not signed up for direct deposit by May 1 will receive the CMU Money Card. Mary Hill, assistant controller of Financial Services, said the move is “cost effective” and eliminates much of the behindthe-scenes work her office is responsible for. She said the cost of producing a check is higher than producing an electronic payment and paper checks are more labor intensive, as they involve reconciliation and distribution. “When employees don’t cash those checks and they sit idle, we have a legal requirement to follow up ... (eventually) we need to do more work to get the money off our books and send it back to the state of Michigan,” Hill said. Those are some of several issues eliminated by the move to electronic payments. Hill said electronic payments also eliminates the problem of check fraud and employees losing checks. Out of 2,600 faculty and staff employees, 33 people — or about 1 percent — receive paper checks. Of student employees, 1,100 people of 7,300 — or about 15 percent — receive paper paychecks, Hill said. Rochester Hills freshman Rachel Boreo works on campus and uses direct deposit. She likes the current system because she doesn’t have to worry about going to the bank. “I know I wouldn’t remember to take it (to the bank),” she said. “It’s easier for me. It’s good they’re not wasting paper.” Jessi VanToll, a Westland junior, worked in a Residence Hall restaurant last year and said when she was hired, “(the manager) pretty much made me (sign up for direct deposit).” “They told me, ‘You need to do this,’” she said. “At first I was hesitant, but it’s convenient and I ended up enjoying (direct deposit).” university@cm-life.com
He also identified a few lesser known black history facts. “We need to see that Black History Month is just not about black history, it’s about American history, which is world history because we are the embodiment of the melting pot of cultures,” Freeman said. All of the proceeds from Freeman’s speeches go to his school and foundation in Guinea. He calls his improvements to Guinea his “spiritual mission.”
The new Events Center is going to “get sleazy” when Ke$ha comes to town Friday. Hip-hop singer Ke$ha will be the first performer to play at CMU’s new Events Center, along with her opening act Beardo. CMU Program Board President Steve Lewis said the doors will open at 6 p.m. and that the show will begin at 8 p.m. The Allegan senior said he has heard positive reactions to Ke$ha’s trip to Mount Ke$ha Pleasant. “There are people still asking for tickets,” he said. “It is sold out, but we have a few more to give away.” He said once Program Board’s Facebook page has 1,700 “likes” two tickets will be given away and then two for every hundred more. Manton graduate student Karlie Powell waited for more than 13 hours to buy her ticket when they went on sale in December. “I am super pumped,” Powell said. “I really love Ke$ha’s music. It’s really feel-good, laid-back party music.” She said she is most excited for the concert because the singer has called her shows “dance parties” and Powell said she’s ready to dance. She also said she thinks Ke$ha is a great first act to bring to the Events Center’s McGuirk Arena. “I think it is a really cool thing, it’s going to go down in history,” she said. Student Activities Coordinator Damon Brown said it will be a great experience for students, and he was looking forward to see how they take it all in. “This is going to be a great day for students,” Brown said. “To experience the first concert in the Events Cen-
A speaker | 2A
A Ke$ha | 2A
jeff smith/staff photographer
Two emergency officials walk east in High Street at the scene of a fatal accident Tuesday night near the intersection at Watson Road. A 52-year-old Mount Pleasant man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mount Pleasant man dies in accident on High Street By Jake Bolitho Metro Editor
A Mount Pleasant man was killed in a car-pedestrian accident at the intersection of High Street and Watson Road Tuesday evening. The 52-year-old man was crossing at the intersection when he was hit by a darkcolored Chevy truck, traveling east on High Street, said Mount Pleasant Police Sgt.
Andy Latham. Emergency personnel were called to the scene shortly after 7 p.m. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene and the driver of the truck was identified by police as a 16-year-old Mount Pleasant resident. Latham said it did not appear alcohol or drugs were a factor in the accident. It has yet to be determined
if the driver was traveling over the posted speed limit or too fast for winter conditions, he said. The names of the pedestrian and driver were not released as police were still working to notify family members. An autopsy will likely be performed tomorrow, Latham said. The truck was left inoperable after the accident. High Street and Wat-
son Road were closed to through traffic while police investigated the accident. Michigan State Police assisted with the accident reconstruction, along with the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department and CMU Police Department. Mount Pleasant firefighters and Mobile Medical Response was also at the scene. metro@cm-life.com
Freeman shares experiences with civil rights By Sienna Monczunski Staff Reporter
Students of all cultures crowded the Bovee University Center Auditorium to hear Ron Freeman speak on his experiences with civil rights. Freeman is 1968 Olympic medalist and advocate of global education. The event, entitled “Black Gold,” was sponsored by the Multicultural Education Center, Student Budget Allocation Committee, King/Chavez/ Parks Visiting Professor Program, and Alpha Phi Alpha.
About 65 people attended Halfway through his speech, Freeman presented a video of the day in Mexico City where he ran the second leg of the 4x400 relay in 43.2 seconds — one of the fastest times ever. The audience responded with laughter at Freeman’s distance in the race compared to his competitors. “When we arrived in Mexico City we felt we had to demonstrate,” he said. “We had our white brothers and sisters in our meetings with us. We in our hearts want-
Inside w Gold medalist talks at Soup and Substance, 3B ed to make a statement to America that we are somebody and we need to be respected.” Freeman said they weren’t running to win a medal, but to get on the victory stand to make their statement “proper.” He emphasized the importance of traveling outside the U.S. and becoming global leaders in education.
Faculty recognized for excellence Surprised in class with awards, letters, balloons By Ben Harris Staff Reporter
Professors who demonstrate they care about teaching their students are not going unnoticed at CMU. Four faculty members were awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award for their exceptional teaching within the last week.
Assistant professors Jeffrey Bean and Robert Fanning of the English language and literature department, and instructor Lori-Ann Pietrandrea Bissell of communication disorders, were presented with their awards Feb. 17. Kayla Slezak, management instructor, was given her award Tuesday. Kevin Love, former chairman of the department of management, said Slezak was the best hire he made in his term. “It really shows what someone who is young but dedicated to the profession can do for students,” he said. “She’ll
do whatever it takes to help them.” The professors were given the award while they were teaching class. They were surprised with balloons, a letter and a monetary award. Love said every one of the winners is outstanding. Bean said he was pleasantly surprised. “It was a huge honor,” he said. “I’m teaching something I care a lot about, so it was nice to be recognized.” The nominees were chosen by a group of professors working through the Excellence in
Teaching Committee out of the Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching. Vermontville sophomore MacKensye Ancona, who volunteers with the group, said the initiative has a great cause. “I just thought it was a really great opportunity to give back to the professors,” she said. “Being in (the) selection committee is really nice and a great way to thank the professors that give their all when they teach.” A student committee A faculty | 2A
sara winkler/assistant photo editor
Chair of the Excellence in Teaching Award Committee Holly Hoffman, left, surprises management instructor Kayla Slezak, far right, with an Award of Excellence as she begins her MGT 258 class on the second floor of Grawn Hall. Slezak and three other faculty members were awarded out of an original 179 who were nominated.
CMU provides over 70 graduate programs, and many are still accepting applications for fall semester.
grad.cmich.edu Apply Today! CMU, an AA/EO institution, strongly and actively strives to increase diversity within its community.