April 1, 2011

Page 1

Ernie Zeigler takes blame for CMU basketball’s struggles , 1B

CM-Life.com | CM Life will sit down

VIncent Cavataio

Friday, April 1, 2011

with team Cavataio/ENglish to discuss their SGA platform at 7 p.m. sunday in our last live online video broadcast before the elections

Bryant English

Central Michigan Life

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

[cm-life.com]

Administrative pay report causes controversy George Ross questions accuracy of Detroit Free Press story By Maria Amante Senior Reporter

University President George Ross said he is extremely critical of Sunday’s report in the Detroit Free Press that stated administrative pay rose 30 percent since 2005-06. The Free Press used Faculty and Compensation data from the Higher Education Institutional Data Inventory to determine the numbers. Each of the 15 public universities self-report their financial information to HEIDI. According to HEIDI and the CMU 2009 salary list index,

CMU had 584 full-time equivalent, or FTE, administrative/ professional positions in 200910 and 40 senior officers. The categorization of administrators is not limited to senior officers. There are three categories of FTE at the 15 public universities in Michigan: Faculty, administrative/professional and service. In 2005-06, administrative and professional FTE positions earned $41,024,904. In 2009-10, the university spent $53,369,565 — a 30-percent increase. Ross said the figures are “misleading” because the Free Press did not properly define “administrator” in the article. “The Free Press is one of the ones I read every day, and my first reaction was shock,” Ross said “I couldn’t speak to other people’s numbers, but there was no way in five years we’ve increased 30 percent.” Ross said the term “adminis-

Inside w Ross testifies before lawmakers about CMU budget, state funding, 3A trative” implies senior officers on campus. But in an email sent by Ross to the campus community Wednesday, he said the Free Press numbers included all campus employees. “The administrator figures reported include all university staff employees — a total of approximately 6,000 employees, including more than 3,600 student employees and excluding custodial staff — not just senior university officers,” Ross said in the email. Of the three staff categories documented in HEIDI, the Free Press wrote about administrative and faculty FTE, but did not A Freep | 2A

Data raises questions about officials’ pay

Administrative pay at CMU totaled $53,369,565 in 2009-10, according to the Higher Education Institutional George Ross Data Inventory. “(The administrators category is) a pretty wide range,” said Kurt Weiss, public information officer at the state Department of Technology, Management and Budget. “Everyone from at the top of the food chain, like the president and provost, down to other levels, like pipefitters and carpenters.” In the period the Free Press examined, Grand Valley State University reported the highest jump in administrative salaries, climbing 48 percent. Wayne State University reported the

By Maria Amante Senior Reporter

While demand and enrollment for higher education have increased dramatically in recent years, pay for college administrators may be outstripping its progress. Administrative salaries at CMU have increased by 30.1 percent while tuition has increased 51.6 percent since fiscal year 2006, according to data compiled by the Detroit Free Press. The report said faculty salaries increased 23.8 percent in the same time period, which is higher than the state average of 22 percent.

lowest with a 14.8-percent increase. Administrative pay at universities increased on average 30 percent statewide. The number of administrative jobs grew 19 percent. University President George Ross said the data does not fairly represent enrollment growth over the last decade, nor reflect the challenging budget situation at CMU in an internal communication sent Wednesday. Michael Van Beek, director of education policy for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, said no one supports rising administrative costs. He said high administrative salaries are not in students’ best interests. “Public universities should operate as efficiently as possible,” Van Beek said. “Let’s A pay | 2A

Mid-Michigan tea party group to rally on tax day Event will include appearances from Pete Hoekstra, Kevin Cotter By Caitlin Cheevers Staff Reporter

Only two things in life are guaranteed — death and taxes. The latter will be the topic of a rally hosted by the Mid Michigan Patriots on April 16. The group, formed in January, plans to have several speakers discuss the government’s fiscal responsibility at their Tea Party Tax Day rally. “We would like to get more people who are aware, politically,” said Larry Miller, cochairman of the group. Miller said he hopes to bring more information about the tea party principles to the Mount Pleasant community. The three main principles, he said, are constitutionally limited government, fiscal responsibility

If you go ... Tea Party Tax Day Rally w 1 to 3 p.m. April 16 w Mary McGuire Elementary, 4882 Crosslanes St. w Outside, weather allowing; otherwise in the school gymnasium and open markets. The second of these three will be the topic of the rally. The Mid Michigan Patriots group is one of at least 85 Tea Party Patriot groups in Michigan. They work locally to bring about change in the government. “We lobby our legislators,” Miller said. “We help our legislators when they do things that support our principles, and we let them know when they are deviating from them.” The rally will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. at Mary McGuire Elementary, 4882 Crosslanes St. If weather allows, it will be held outside; otherwise it will be lo-

photos by Perry fish/staff photographer

A tea party | 2A

Mount Morris senior Danny Lorentzen, left, and Rochester Hills senior Kyle Boes watch as the New York Yankees advance to third base during the first Detroit Tigers’ game of the season Thursday afternoon at Buffalo Wild Wings, 1904 S. Mission St. “There is promise this season,” Boes said. The Tigers lost to the Yankees 6-3.

open season Students enjoy games in restaurants, residence halls

By Orrin Shawl | Staff Reporter

W

Erica Kearns/staff photographer

Suadi Arabia senior Naif Alsultan works on a project Thursday in the Grawn Hall computer lab. “It’s really helpful over here because I’m a business major and its always so busy, if they move it to a smaller place, it’s going to take a long time to find a seat,” Alsultan said.

Relocation discussed for Grawn Hall lab By Maria Amante Senior Reporter

A popular campus computer lab is under discussion for relocation by university officials. The Grawn Hall computer lab is one of two extendedhour computer labs on campus. The Grawn lab is open as late as 1 a.m. on weekdays. Roger Rehm, vice president of the Office of Information Technology, said it

would be “conjecture” to give a solid answer of any final plans for the Grawn computer lab. “There has been conversation of moving the Grawn computer lab, but they are not at all final,” Rehm said. “At this point, it is just rumor and in talking stages.” Kelsey Bourassa, a Trenton junior, said she uses the Grawn computer lab every day. She said moving the lab A Grawn | 2A

hile baseball fans traditionally prefer peanuts and Cracker Jack, many CMU students went with hot wings and mozzarella sticks on opening day. Students enjoyed the Detroit Tigers’ away game against the New York Yankees Thursday in locations on and off campus. Buffalo Wild Wings, 1904 S. Mission St., had 23 of its 35 big-screen televisions tuned to the game for customers to enjoy. Clarksville sophomore Greg Forman and Troy senior Matt Campbell said they felt very optimistic about the Tigers’ chances this year. “I think they’re going to make the playoffs,” Forman said. “They’ll make it to at least the American League Championship Series.” Campbell said the restaurant was the perfect place for him to eat and watch the Tigers play because it is within walking distance to his classes.

Beverly Hills senior Rafe Vermiglio, left, Mount Pleasant freshman Mitch Reetz and Lavonia sophomore Drue Servalish, all CMU Club Baseball Team members, watch the opening day Detroit Tigers v. New York Yankees game Thursday afternoon at O’Kelly’s Sports Bar and Grill, 2000 S. Mission St. “The Tigers are striking out too much,” Servalish said.

O’Kelly’s Sports Bar and Grill, 2000 S. Mission St., also embraced the opening day celebrations. Bay City junior Charelotte Kern said she has a history with both O’Kelly’s and the Tigers. “When I am not working (at O’Kelly’s), I usually hang out here with my friends,” Kern said. “Not only that, but I also love the Tigers and Magglio (Ordonez).” Despite the Yankees’ 6-3 victory over the Tigers, Waterford

91 Years of Serving as Central Michigan University’s Independent Voice

junior Jeff Olson said the Tigers will have a good year overall. “Being a big sports fan in general, I think we’ve got a good lineup,” Olson said. “We’re a little slow and we need to get a little better pitching, but we’ll be able to put up a lot of runs on the scoreboard for sure.” Olson and his friends decided to watch the game in the Bed-

A tigers | 2A


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.