Tanning | proposed tax raises concerns, 3A Gymnastics team features infusion of youth, 3B
Wrestling coach faces son’s team Sunday, 1B
Friday, Jan. 15, 2010
Central Michigan Life
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
Wilbur sets plan in motion to slice university budget Departments could see up to 9 percent in cuts in 2010-11 By Sarah Schuch Senior Reporter and Eric Dresden University Editor
A university budget reduction plan for the 2010-11 fiscal year was put into action Wednesday. Each budget center, or
area that spends money, was asked to prepare a suggestion for budget cuts of 3, 6 and 9 percent by Feb. 8. “We need a hotwire number, (which is) 9. Three percent is the starting point,” said David Burdette, vice president of Finance and Administrative Services. “We’re obviously going to be doing less with less. We need to begin the planning for budget reduction now.” Kathy Koch, interim dean of the College of Education and
“I told my classmate they had nice hair and scarf,” Coleman freshman Cody Mayhew said. In one of his classes, he participated in ice-breaking activities, where students gave compliments to each other.
Human Services, said she was expecting an announcement of some sort of cuts. The difference in each department, Kathy Wilbur she said, from the 3 percent range to the 9 percent range, is massive. “It’s a huge jump ... We are looking at millions of dollars we have to cut,” Koch said. She said she would be
meeting with different departments this week to look over what could be cut. Based on the 2009-10 operating budget, if 3 percent of funding was cut from residential halls, it would result in a loss of $514,642.71. In the case of 6 percent cuts, residence halls lose $1,029,285.42. A total of $1,543,928.13 would be lost with a 9 percent cut. If the College of Education and Human Services was cut by 3 percent, it would result in a loss of $549,011.49. If the cut
was 6 percent, the loss would total $1,098,022.98 and, if it was 9 percent, there would be a loss of $1,647,034.47. Vice presidents of the budget centers were directed to send preliminary reports to Interim University President Kathy Wilbur by Feb. 15. Asking for three different possible cuts helps the university prepare for a variety of situations, said Steve Smith, director of public relations. The university is waiting to hear from Lansing as to the
state’s financial situation. It is possible Gov. Jennifer Granholm will be calling back funds to the university, Smith said.
What to cut Each center will not necessarily be cutting its budget by the same percentage. After reviewing suggestions from the centers, it is important to go through and see which options are most necessary, Burdette said.
A Budget | 5A
Haiti relief efforts gaining support
“I’m trying to make my mark. Trying to go hard or go homeless. I refuse to not be successful,” said Benton Harbor senior Michelle Brooks, about passing classes to graduate in May.
Community seeks to help country after catastrophic earthquake By Connor Sheridan Senior Reporter
FIRST-WEEK REFLECTIONS
“I’m not looking forward to HST 102 (Development of Western Civilization) because today was the first day in class and I almost fell asleep,” said Otter Lake senior Elizabeth Conard.
“I’m a big fan of jazz from people like Louis Armstrong and Herbie Hancock,” said Spring Lake sophomore Austin Berg, who is excited for his class, MUS 213: Jazz: An American Art Form. Photos by Jake may/staff photographer
Students recall new classes, friendships as the semester gets under way
Students struggling to comprehend the massive destruction and loss of life in Haiti this week may wonder what they can do to help the country in its time of need. There are several organizations in the community already working toward that goal. The Central Michigan Chapter of the American Red Cross accepts money locally for disaster relief, said Dave Weston, the chapter’s community coordinator. “We need to keep the international fund up as well as cover the check we’ve written there,” Weston said. A catastrophic 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, Tuesday, which was followed by a series of high-magnitude aftershocks. The quake reportedly caused up to 50,000 deaths and left as many as three million people stranded. The American Red Cross had pledged $10 million to Haiti as of Thursday afternoon. The organization sent a fiveperson team to assess the situation and needs of the country and shipped disaster relief supplies from a warehouse in Panama. Students can text Haiti to 90999 to charge a $10 donation to their phone bill, through
Looking to donate quickly? w Text "Haiti" to 90999 to charge a $10 donation to your phone bill.
which nearly $3 million has already been raised as of Thursday afternoon, Weston said. Other centers accepting donations include the local American Red Cross chapter, 215 E. Broadway St., and Web sites including redcross.org and Yahoo. Weston said to specify the funds for Haiti when donating in person. Only monetary donations will be accepted, though other amenities are welcomed for local disaster relief.
On-campus help Students interested in helping have several options on campus. Cornerstone Church, 2214 S. Lincoln St., is hosting a spaghetti fundraiser from 6 to 8 p.m. today in order to finance a mission trip to Haiti. Pastor Chad Brown said the church had already planned a trip to Haiti to fix wells prior to the earthquakes. “It’s just a couple of churches who have banded together to fix wells,” Brown said, calling the work a grassroots effort with a Free Methodist Church in Breckenridge.
A haiti | 2A
By Sherri Keaton | Senior Reporter
D
id something interesting or weird happen during the first week of class? Did a teacher use a unique icebreaker? What classes are there to be excited about? Or are there some to dread? These and more questions are answered by several Central Michigan University students around campus. Late registration Spring Lake sophomore Austin Berg is not exactly excited about Trigonometry. But he is glad to be enrolled in MUS 213 Jazz: An American Art Form. “I’m a big fan of jazz from people like Louis Arm-
strong and Herbie Hancock,” he said. “This semester, I’ve been retaking classes to bring up my GPA and I’m trying to get into medical school because a competitive GPA is like a 3.6 or higher,” Berg said. This semester, Berg registered late for his classes, so he was not able to get many of the ones he preferred. He plans to catch up next fall by enrolling in classes for his major. “I’m not looking forward to any of my classes really, I took (them) because I thought they were going to be a blow-off, but I underestimated them,” he said. “For the fall semester I’ll be registering for classes I really care about like physics and American Sign Language.”
rick loomis/los angeles times, mct
A classes | 5A
An injured woman sits on her cot inside a makeshift hospital Wednesday in PortAu-Prince, Haiti.
MLK Jr. Special There are no classes on Monday and CM Life will not publish. Please enjoy your day and take advantage of the opportunities provided to celebrate this holiday.
Pages 6-7A
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Week
walk in unity w CommUNITY March scours campus, Mount Pleasant, 6A
dinner and dance w Unity Ball on Friday at Bovee, 6A
art exhibit w Retired professor showcases Underground Railroad, 6A
keynote speaker w Actor Danny Glover visits campus Tuesday, 7A
“I have a dream”
Danny Glover
JANUARY 18-23 2010
FREE EVENTS ALL WEEK! VISIT: DIVERSITY.CMICH.EDU/MSS