Football | PARIS COTTON SETS CAREER HIGH IN WIN, 1B
Greek | About 200 women ‘jump’ into sorority life, 3A
Central Michigan Life
Monday, Sept. 20, 2010
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
Future of television may not be televised
No state funding reduction expected in upcoming budget Administrators still ready for cuts By Carisa Seltz Senior Reporter
Lawmakers battling over next year’s state budget are not expected to cut higher education funding. But CMU is still preparing for the worst. State Rep. Bill Caul, R-Mount Pleasant, said the legislature is using about $1 billion of federal money to patch up the $1.5 billion state deficit. He doesn’t anticipate any cuts from the public university fund base, he said, though there are many pieces to the financial puzzle. “It looks like we’ll be able to make the target (amounts) without any major cuts in higher education,” he said. In a recent interview with Central Michigan Life, University President George Ross said CMU cut $5.2 million from its operating budget in April to prepare for at least a 3 percent cut in state-allocated funds for this academic year, which began July 1. CMU officials have estimated receiving $80,064,200 in state-
appropriated funds, according to the 2010-11 operating budget. “We’ve been in flux over the budget so far and so we went with what the governor’s proposed amount was last year and this year,” said Carol Haas, director of financial planning and budgets.
By Maryellen Tighe Metro Editor
This story first appeared on cm-life.com Friday afternoon. SAGINAW - In a five-county sting, the Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team has recovered 4,241 marijuana plants in recent weeks with a street value of $4,241,000. About 1,430 of those plants were found in just Isabella and Clare counties, officials announced Friday at press conference in Saginaw. Since investigations began in August, 25 people have been arrested and are facing criminal charges for manufacturing marijuana. Eight of those people were arrested for growing in Isabella County. Despite the large number of arrests in the jurisdiction of the Isabella County team, the future of their involvement in the force is still undecided, said Sheriff Leo Mioduszewki. Isabella
By Ryan Taljonick Senior Reporter
Plans Haas said CMU will first tap into a reserve account Ross allocated in case the university does receive less than the $80 million estimate before cutting from departments. “We have a plan in place as afar as everyone has some reduction plans that they can fall back on and there’s also other reviews going on at this time,” she said. Ross said his administration and the board of trustees were very public about the possibility of program cuts back in May. “At this point, while we don’t know what the final state budget reductions will be,” he said, “we expect one and we continue to plan.” Administrators are preparing for up to a 20 percent reduction A budget | 2A
Five-county sting seizes $4.2 million worth of marijuana Isabella County’s future in drug enforcement team remains undecided
Google’s live streaming service suggests new Web option
County will decide Oct. 1, when they approve their 2011 budget, if they will remain in BAYANET. “I know money’s tight for everybody, but you have to look at what the team does,” said Melvin Mathews, BAYANET section commander. “That team right now is leading in arrests and complaint investigations.” Collaboration between departments is the standard method for narcotic enforcement in Michigan, Mathews said. BAYANET would not exist without the collaboration between departments. BAYANET collaborated with the Michigan State Police Aviation Unit and National Guard Raid Team in what has been dubbed the Domestic Cannabis/Hemp Eradication Program. “This is a big year for us with the confiscation of marijuana in farm fields, ditch lines and farm lines,” Mathews said. “This year had a good rainy season. A lot of people were aware this stuff was growing out there. They contact us, we got tips.” The most recent arrest was in Shepherd Wednesday, Mathews said. Arrests were also made A drugs | 2A
victoria zegler/staff photographer
West Bloomfield senior Lizzy Whalen contemplates her next move while leading a route for her team Saturday afternoon at Sandstonia in Bubba City, West Virginia. “Rock climbing is my passion, it’s what I love,” said Whalen. “No matter what happens as long as I’m climbing my mind is at ease.”
Into the wild Students travel south to raft, hike, climb By Joe Borlik | Staff Reporter
SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. - Lizzy Whalen had a chance to do one of her favorite things ever in a striking new place over the weekend. Rock climbing is an experience the West Bloomfield senior always anticipates. “I like the challenge and how you have to figure the route out on your own,” said Whalen, a member of the High Adventure Club at CMU. Members of the group dedicate themselves to rock climbing, sky diving, hiking and backpacking. Whalen said the group goes rock climbing as much as they can. She said they travel any weekend they have free and have gone down to Kentucky at least five times a year. But this past weekend was different than the others. About 60 members of the group went to W. Va. and were joined by thousands of other people united for the 2010 Gauley River Festival.
cm-life.com Head to the site to watch a video of all the action Rock climbing was just a small part of the trip. The event is primarily known for being one of the largest white water festivals in North America. Many of the students paddled down white water, got thrown from rafts, hiked up cliffs and socialized to live music. “I think Gauley Fest is the best time I’ve ever had,” said Sanford freshman Orrin Shawl. “It’s an amazing time.” Most of the High Adventure members left Thursday and did not arrive at the destination until about 2 a.m. But it was all well worth it. The participants set up hundreds of tents at Veterans Memorial Park, which shares space with a high school football stadium and baseball diamond. Friday was devoted to white water rafting and Saturday was spent hiking and rock climbing. A thrill | 2A
Dan Wiley loves watching all of his favorite TV shows, just not on TV. The Port Huron sophomore instead relies on Internet services such as Hulu and YouTube for his daily entertainment. “I mostly watch TV through those services,” he said. “I like those services because not only are they free, but you can watch them whenever or wherever you want. I can even watch it on my phone.” Wiley said a lot of people, especially students, rely on the Web for programming entertainment. Eric Limarenko, a broadcast and cinematic arts instructor and video labs coordinator, said online streaming is the future of television programming. “This is the point where everything changes,” he said. “Streaming will take over traditional television and the traditional television business model as it is now. Streaming events such as concerts and sporting events, and even your kid’s birthday party that your family wants to watch — everything is going down that path.” People can watch online streaming services on their television through gaming consoles like the Xbox 360, or even by hooking up their laptops or PCs to their television through component cables. “Sitting in an office chair isn’t as comfortable as sitting on a couch, watching a 54-inch plasma TV,” Wiley said. “But I think that a lot of students are looking at cable and saying to themselves, ‘Why should I pay for something that I can get for free?’” Online services such as Hulu, YouTube, iTunes and Netflix provide users with video streaming options for a variety of television programs and movies, some of which are payper-view while others are available to users for free.
YouTube live streaming Now, YouTube has begun another initiative to challenge television’s dominance. Its latest feature, YouTube live streaming, will offer live event broadcasts. Limarenko said YouTube’s new live streaming feature is a step in the right direction. “I think they’re smart,” he said. “They’re testing the waters to see what the public reaction’s going to be. We’re sort of the guinea pigs because they know
A stream | 5A
New RPL course requires use of iPads, focuses on social media Journalism class recommends it By Carisa Seltz Senior Reporter
Many professors would cringe at the idea of students using any technology during class time. But that’s the point of RPL 400N: Special Issues in Leisure Services. It is the first course requiring students to purchase or rent an iPad, Apple’s tablet computer released in April. Students in “Digital Media in Recreation, Tourism and Events” are also required to be savvy users
of YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other social media websites. Daniel Bracken, associate director of the Faculty Center for Innovative Teaching, instructs the course with Michael Reuter, director of distributed computing and technical operations. He said the special topics course began this semester because recreation majors returning from internships did not have some of the skills employers expected of them. “They were asking them to put videos on YouTube and do some media campaigns through Facebook and Twitter,” he said, “and they just hadn’t had any of that as coursework.” Throughout the course, students
will edit video and audio, disseminate projects through a social medium and study the dynamics of search engines, Bracken said. The iPads are used to read course materials, listen to and watch podcasts and submit quizzes, projects and tests. Bracken said students have been receptive to the iPad. “There’s a convenience factor to having access to so much information right at their fingertips,” he said. Students can rent iPads from the CMU Bookstore for $100 a semester, Bracken said. A ipad | 2A
From left to right, Rochester sophomore Christian Matthews, Waterford junior Daniel Pearson, Grosse Pointe senior Erin Hughes and Imlay City senior Alissa Campbell use iPads during RPL 400N: Recreation Tourism, and Events. joe tobianski/ staff photographer