budget | Math, writing centers wary of cuts, 3A What does quarterback Dan LeFevour’s draft stock look like? 5A
Find out how the foreclosure trend affects Isabella County, 1B
Central Michigan Life
Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
Opinion surveys move closer to going online
‘I FEEL LIKE MY COMING-OUT PROCESS IS NEVER-ENDING’
Professors argue students will ‘shop’ for A’s By Emily Pfund Staff Reporter
The Academic Senate voted 26-19 Tuesday to support publishing the Student Opinion Surveys on the Central Michigan University Portal. The issue now is in the hands of Provost Gary Shapiro, who will review the minutes from the meeting and a request by the Student Government Association for publication of the scores. Shapiro is expected to make a decision on the issue in the next few weeks. “Our goal is to put the information online in the General Academics section (of the Portal) under a sublink,” said Jason Nichol, Student Govern-
Shannon Jolliff, director of Gay and Lesbian Programs, came out to her best friend when she was 15 years old. Jolliff’s parents are both pastors, so when she told them a few years ago, it “made everything interesting, that’s for sure,” she said.
ment Association president and Mount Pleasant senior, in a presentation to the A-Senate. The results of the SOS are available in CD form upon request at the reserve desk in the Charles V. Park Library. Nichol said the information already exists, but the format has to be changed. He said it is not accessible to “our generation,” which has a much easier time accessing information electron- Jason Nichol ically. Some Senate members were concerned students would use the SOS data in combination with the grade distributions to pick only professors that appeared to give “easy A’s.” “I would love to get an A, but I’m not going to shop around
for one,” said Killian Richeson, an SGA representative in the Senate and a Hesperia sophomore. Donna Ericksen, professor of mathematics, and Orlando Perez, professor of political science, gave a presentation at Tuesday’s meeting against the online publication of SOS data. “These are just a snapshot of what happens in the classroom. They only tell part of the story,” Ericksen said. Ericksen argued SOS results can be influenced by various factors including the race, gender, ethnicity, personality and accent of the teacher or the time the class is held. “If they were reliable, I would get the same scores in my 8 and 9:30 classes because I’m the same person in both classes,” Ericksen said. “Just
A Senate | 2A
s tat e o f t h e s tat e
libby march/ staff photographer
Students ready to protest Arms of support over elimination of ‘Promise’ Gay/lesbian programs director promotes ‘comfortable’ campus By Amelia Eramya Senior Reporter
N
ervous. Anxious. Excited. Those were the emotions rushing through Shannon Jolliff before she came out to her friends and family. “I started questioning if I was a lesbian around the age 14,” Jolliff said. Since meeting her partner almost three years ago, Jolliff, the director of Gay and Lesbian programs at Central Michigan University, has become more comfortable talking about her feelings with those close to her. Her biggest fear was coming out to her parents because of their religious beliefs and because they are pastors. Religiously, Jolliff’s parents disagreed with her lifestyle, but still loved her for who she was. “I feel like my coming-out process is never-ending,” she said. “It is a continual process.” Jolliff’s coming-out process led to the creation of several programs for the LGBT community at CMU since she accepted her position in October 2008. “I think she has made a huge
impact,” said Stasi Russell, a Howell graduate student. Russell, also the Pride CoChair for Gay Straight Alliance, said it has been a complete joy to work with Jolliff. LGBT programs Started in January 2009, the coming-out support group has been a successful program for those involved. Jolliff holds meetings once a week for ten weeks. “We talk about coming out to family,” she said. Jolliff said from research, students trying to come out without support have high risks of alcohol abuse, suicide and dropping out of college. “I don’t want any student at CMU to face those types of issues,” she said. Jolliff also created a safe zone program. Resident assistants, multicultural assistants and several volunteer students have gone through training and signed a contract to be a “safe zone” for those in need of a goto person. In addition, she started a running group and a lunch group in August 2009. It gave those part of
Straight Ally Week events w Today: Showing of a film, 8 p.m. in the Multicultural Education Center. w Thursday: Presentation of "Here is Your Inspiration... You’re Gay... Action" at 7 p.m. in the Calkins Terrace Lounge. the LGBT community a chance to network with those who can relate to each other’s situations. Russell especially enjoys the running group. “It’s such a comfortable environment,” she said. Jolliff said it is these new programs and the students they have supported over the last few months that are most memorable of her first year. “The majority of my time is dedicated to the LGBT community,” she said. Jolliff said her office, in the Bovee University Center, is open to anyone, even those outside the LGBT community. university@cm-life.com
By Darnell Gardner Staff Reporter
A group of about 1,800 students expect to protest Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s final State of the State address at 6:30 p.m. today at the State Capitol in Lansing. The students are led by Warren freshman Ben Lazarus, who said the group is protesting the drop of Gov. Jennifer the Michi- Granholm gan Promise Scholarship and a government unresponsive to the needs of its people. “We think it’s going to be one of the largest student protests in Michigan history — at least on the Capitol lawn,” he said. The state-sponsored scholarship provided $4,000 to students attending at least a two-year institution, but was cut from the state budget this fiscal year. Granholm visited CMU’s Charles V. Park Library Auditorium on Nov. 19, pledging to restore funding for the scholarship. Lazarus organized today’s
event through NoBrokenPromise.com, a site dedicated to issues surrounding the Promise. He used the Web site to gather students from schools across the state. Lazarus organized the event with the Michigan Taxpayers Alliance and Common Sense in Government, an organization led by Central Michigan University alumna Wendy Day. The two groups are expected to bring an additional 2,600 people to join the students in protesting. Day said her organization’s reasons for protesting reach beyond the Michigan Promise Scholarship. “It’s about our general discontent with our government and the political elite,” Day said. “The students epitomize what’s wrong with our government in that the government is making promises that they probably shouldn’t make and not keeping the promises they should keep.” Sean House, a member of Common Sense in Government, will speak during the protest. He said unrestrained government taxation has affected him personally.
On television w w w
What: Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s State of the State Address When: 7 p.m. today Channel: CMU Public Television
“They’re spending a lot of money and, every time they run out, they try to tax us more to supplement their budget,” House said. “Government never shrinks. It just keeps growing and growing until it’s out of control, which is where we’re at right now.” Liz Boyd, the Governor’s press secretary, said Granholm’s State of the State address, which begins at 7 p.m., will focus on issues that matter most to citizens. “Diversifying the economy, creating jobs, educating our citizens, protecting them during these very difficult times— these are the priorities that are important to Michigan citizens, and these are the priorities that the governor will focus on in her eighth and final state of the state address,” she said. metro@cm-life.com
Relief for ‘a completely different Haiti’ Student puts together fundraiser for orphanages By Sherri Keaton Senior Reporter
Maggie Spleet remembers holding fragile Haitian orphans who would use her lap as a resting place. The East Tawas senior had to put one crying child down to hold the next. “You fall in love instantly with all of the faces,” Spleet said. That memory of a trip to Haiti in December is one of many that
emerged from the recesses of Spleet’s memory when she heard of a catastrophic 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck the country Jan. 12, just weeks after she returned to the U.S. Missions trip Spleet ventured to the capital of Port-au-Prince for a week-long mission trip in December with the Haiti Care Mission of East Tawas, an organization that helps with necessities such as food and medical care in Haiti. “It was life-changing and mindaltering,” Spleet said of her experience in the country. “To think that it is only an hour-and-a-half plane ride from Miami, it is literally an-
cm-life.com Visit our site for more information on donating to Haiti through Heart Cry International. other world away.” Throughout the trip, the group visited orphanages, where they distributed Christmas gifts and fed and offered clothing to children. The guesthouse Spleet stayed in now lays in shambles, as does the streets she walked, the schools she saw and businesses she visited. During her stay, three Haitians would come and sit in the driveway every morning and try to sell their A haiti | 2A
Haiti Care Mission of East Tawas w
Who they are: Haiti Care Missions was founded one year ago by Jon and Anne Obermeyer. The Obermeyer family began the project as a way to reach out to children in Haiti.
w
Donate: Kaya Coffee & Tea Company, 1029 S. Univer - sity Ave., is hosting a benefit concert at 7 p.m. Friday. It is $5 for CMU students at the door and $10 for non- CMU students.
Glk Pfli =8MFI@K<
:DL @dX^\j fe 8EPK?@E>
]iie/$$gZeg^cih#Xb"a^[Z#Xdb
East Tawas senior Maggie Spleet was in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in December and was distributing Christmas gifts to the orphanage Three Angels. “She is an adorable baby who just wanted to be held so I held her,” Spleet said about a baby from the orphanage. courtesy photo