Friday, April 15, 2011
Central Michigan Life
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
PRIDE WEEK
Third baseman Tyler Hall settles in at CMU after two years at GRCC, 1B
Students break silence in on-campus march, 3A
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Trustees approve CMU allocates 1.5-percent room, $5.7 million for repair work, 5B board rate, 2A
Med school takes ‘significant’ step with $11.5 million CMU continues faculty hires, LCME application By Ariel Black Senior Reporter
University officials told the board of trustees Thursday that “significant progress” has been made with the College of Medicine — both financially and academically. The college is close to 50 percent of its $25-million fundraising goal and Dr. Ernest Yoder, founding dean of the College of Medicine, said the entire four-year curriculum design for the program will be completed soon. The college also is on track with staff hiring, Yoder said dur-
kaitlin thoresen/staff photographer
Trustee Marilyn Hubbard informs the CMU Board of Trustees about academic and student affairs at the board of trustees meeting Thursday morning at the Bovee University Center’s Presidential Conference Room.
ing Thursday’s board of trustees meeting. “We’ve made a substantial four-year curriculum and right now are preparing it for review,” he said. “This puts us on track.” KathyWilbur, vice president of Development and External Relations, said the college received about $11.5 million in gifts after a $10-million push increased the total from $1,035,000. University President George Ross said many of the people CMU is talking to don’t have established relationships or ties to the university, but relationships are building. That’s how fundraising is done, he said. “At the last board meeting we expected some gift to come through (and) several have come through,” Ross said. “At that point, we were close on several, several gifts. Frankly
we’re close on several gifts now but we can’t announce them until we get the actual written commitment.” Despite a large funding goal and competition with the creation of other medical schools in Michigan, Wilbur said they are moving forward. “This (funding) has taken us less than a year to accomplish,” Wilbur said. “We have achieved this milestone. It is one that was important to reach.” Sarah Opperman, board chairwoman, said fundraising is an extensive process. She chairs the College of Medicine fundraising committee in Midland. It takes a while, she said, to establish new prospects who are willing to invest in a new project. “You got to start from scratch ... and then you have to identify
the people who have an interest and have a passion in rural health care and primary care,” Opperman said. According to a news release, a majority of the new pledges are from donors who want to remain anonymous. The press release also said pledges in support of the College of Medicine will be dedicated to student scholarships, start-up operations and facilities.
Other college business Yoder said there is good progress with external hiring and they are processing the first five hires. He said administrators are drafting the Liaison Committee on Medical Education report to submit in August. The LCME
A board | 2A
CMU alumna opens hostel in Detroit Project formed out of love for city By Maryellen Tighe Staff Reporter
People looking to experience an insider’s view of Detroit will have a new way to see the city starting today. Hostel Detroit, a project by 2007 CMU alumna Emily Doerr, aims to give visitors to Detroit a way to connect and see the city like a local. She was inspired by Couch Surfing, a program where users register and can stay on others’ couches anywhere in the world, or open theirs to world travelers. “I’ve hosted about 100 strangers who have come to Detroit ... when you are telling a stranger about your town you just get to be so proud,” she said. “Couch surfing is very good but very exhausting, (you) feel bad if you cannot host (and) people have asked ‘Why isn’t there a hostel?’” Doerr decided to answer that question by opening one in the North Court town neighborhood, 2700 Vermont, near the former Tiger Stadium. She selected the location because of it’s proximity to the city center, only about a mile and a half. One of her former instructors, Professor Joyce Baugh, said she felt the hostel was a great fit for Doerr, who majored in political science and economics. “Emily is an example of how to blend academic excellence with intellectual curiosity and an interest in the world around you,” Baugh said. “I would really like to see Detroit come back ... I think it’s a city that too many people have given up on and I don’t want to be one of them.” Doerr was first introduced to Detroit by her ex-boyfriend, he was from the area and she frequently visited from Lansing, where she lived, she said. She fell in love with the city and now owns a “huge apartment” there. “I realized very quickly that (Detroit) was this vibrant city … there aren’t millions of young people here so I knew I could make a difference,” she said. “My number one mission is that I think that anyone who goes to college in Michigan A detroit | 2A
photos by jeff smith/staff photographer
Above: Ari Berk, professor of English language and literature, poses with a wooden shield made by a student Wednesday afternoon in his office in Anspach Hall. Berk is one of many professors who decorate their offices to make them more personable. “There are mostly things my wife doesn’t want in the house,” Berk said laughing. “I like to be surrounded by strange things.” Below: Laura Cochrane, assistant professor of sociology, anthropology and social work, stands next to photographs from her research.
Professorial places
Faculty personalize spaces with color, elements of study By Ariel Black Senior Reporter
Though many faculty offices are naught but a small white box, some professors take it upon themselves to do a little more personalization. “When I moved into my office, it was full of rusted, steel furniture,”
said Cherie Strachan, assistant professor of political science. “It was not a conducive work environment, so I took it into my own hands.” Strachan replaced most of the items with smaller furniture from Ikea, and stuck to a purple, yellowgreen and white color scheme. She also added mirrors to make the room seem larger. She said she wanted colors as close to that of natural light because there were no A places | 2A
I s a b e l l a C o u n t y T r a n s p o r tat i o n C o m m i s s i o n
Downtown, campus bus route sees low ridership Chicago senior Aaron Gonzalez takes on Tuesday morning the ICTC Connecter bus from campus toward downtown. victoria zegler/staff photographer
Organization not disappointed with first-year results By Theresa Clift Senior Reporter
Less than 3 percent of all rides given this academic year by Isabella County Transportation Commission have been to or from down-
town Mount Pleasant. But Dennis Adams, director of marketing and public relations for ICTC, is not disappointed by the low percentage, and believes the route will gain popularity over time. “It’s going to take time to grow it to what it can be potentially, but we are perfectly happy with what we’ve achieved,” Adams said. “We’re making changes and doing service in a way that is
Inside w For more stories about downtown, 4A not familiar.” He said the original shuttle service also had a slow start, but grew from about 12,000 rides to more than 225,000 annually over the span of 37 years. The City Commission requested an evaluation be con-
91 Years of Serving as Central Michigan University’s Independent Voice
ducted, counting the number of people who got on and off downtown on a given day. The count will probably be conducted in early May, Adams said. The Tax Increment Finance Authority Board approved $6,900 to be used to promote the downtown route on the side of the buses. The Mount Pleasant City Commission
A ictc | 2A