The Murray State News

Page 1

M

90 years

THE MUR R AY STATE

NEWS

of excellence

November 9, 2017 | Vol. 92, No. 11

YOU HAVE NO MAIL CEV dispute could leave students without mail service

Shooting trial set for Spring Ashley Traylor News Editor

atraylor@murraystate.edu

Sabra Jackson Staff Writer

sjackson30@murraystate.edu

A dispute between management at Campus Evolution Villages and the United States Postal Service could leave Murray State students without mail delivery services. Residents at both the Murray and Murray South locations of CEV received an email Oct. 30 saying the locks on the mailboxes were being taken off. USPS distributed each resident’s mail in their individual mailbox. Now, the USPS is wanting CEV employees to distribute to their residents. According to the email, the locks were to be pulled from the mailboxes on Nov. 4. However, a subsequent email was sent to residents on Nov. 3 informing them that the mail would continue, for now. “After speaking with the USPS, the mail will continue to run its current mode of delivery and there will be no current interruption of service,” according to the email. Employees of CEV said the new date set for dissolving the mail delivery system is Jan. 2, 2018. “In the coming months the service will change under USPS guidelines if this transition in mail service is mandated,” according to the email. “We will work on a transition so the impact on residents will be minimized.” The email, sent by Rakeshia Burks, area general manager of CEV, said the circumstances were “beyond our control.” However, Burks would not comment further on the matter.

Courtney Franklin, junior from Paris, Kentucky, is a resident of CEV. She said she went into the CEV office to ask what would happen to the mail and the ladies in the office stated, “They’re pursuing a lawsuit.” They did not provide Franklin with any other details. She asked if she would be advised to get a P.O. box. An office worker said the post office charges $45 every six months for a P.O. box, and CEV would not be footing the cost. “So basically, if we need regular mail sent to us that’s not through Fedex or UPS, then we are out of luck,” Franklin said. Franklin said the post office was trying to classify CEV as a dorm facility. “Another resident told me she called the post office and they gave her their side of the situation,” Franklin said. Susan Wright, spokesperson for the United States Postal Service in the Kentuckiana district, said that the postal service will be a one-drop to the management office of the CEV Murray and Murray South. One-drop means that all mail will be dropped off at the management office for management to sort out. “At that time, it is up to the management for the complex of how that is handled,” Wright said. “We were informed that the manager may refuse that mail. We would never return mail to sender without specific instructions.” Wright said the mail would go back to the post office if

the mail was refused. “We do not want to return the mail,” Wright said. “We have been told that is what the apartment may do.” Wright said CEV and the USPS have been in conversation since mid-September and knew this would be going into effect. CEV falls under the policy for dormitories, residential housing and student housing, the same as the residential colleges at Murray State. The USPS postal operations manual defines a dormitory building or residence hall as consisting of “single or multi-room units that may share or have access to centrally located kitchens, bathrooms, showers or social or common areas.” It does not matter whether the structure is located on or off campus, nor if it owns by a university or private owner. “Either the school or building owner is responsible for the final delivery of student mail,” according to USPS POM. “Post office personnel do not distribute mail into apartment-type mailboxes for dormitories or residence halls.” A manager at Station 74 apartment complex said they too are considered a dormitory, requiring them to sort the mail into the individual mailboxes of residents. Wright said the postal service has a financial responsibility to get the route done in the most efficient way possible. Making CEV a one-drop service will save the USPS money because it will no longer have to pay postal service employees to distribute mail at both locations.

The soldier accused of shooting a former Murray State football player made an appearance on Monday, Oct. 6 in a Calloway County courtroom. Monyea Williams, 21, was arrested by U.S. Marshals on April 18 for the February shooting of former wide receiver, Kendarian Jennings. Williams is a private first class in the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, where he was arrested. Nine days later, he was extradited to the Calloway County Jail. Monday’s court appearance was a status hearing, which is an effort to resolve the case without going to trial. Commonwealth Attorney Mark Blankenship, said the prosecutor offered Williams a 15-year sentence, where he would be required to serve 85 percent. After he completed it, he could ask for a parole hearing to determine if he would be released from prison under supervision, for the remainder of his sentence. However, Williams rejected the plea deal. As of now, Williams will remain in the Calloway County Jail. Blankenship said the defense is filing a motion to reduce the bond amount. According to the Calloway County Jail website, the bond is currently set at $200,000. Blankenship said the prosecution considers Williams

to be a flight-risk because he does not have any known ties to Murray. “It’s a big ol’e country and you can just get lost in this country,” he said. “We’ve dealt with that problem before.” If a judge agrees to release Williams from jail on bond, he would be under supervision until the trial begins, possibly at a military base. “They’re typically Williams very large camps because of their exercises,” Blankenship said. “It would be very easy for a man to disappear.” Williams is facing a felony assault charge, which carries a maximum 20-year sentence if convicted. Jennings was shot in the back and neck and airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he underwent emergency surgery and a second surgery to remove the bullets from his head. Jennings identified Williams while he was still in the hospital. Blankenship said police waited for Jennings to mentally recover and then presented photos of six possible suspects. “There was no hesitation in identifying Williams,” Blankenship said. Williams’ trial date is set for Spring 2018.

Where is the money going? A question of graduation fees Destinee Marking Staff writer

dmarking@murraystate.edu

h t Smit n Stree h h Jo t 6 N1 40 1421 y, Ky 422 a Murr

Graphic courtesy of Savanna Hatfield

FOLLOW US:

www.TheNews.org

@TheMurrayStateNews

@MurrayStateNews

As seniors have been applying for graduation, the fees associated with commencement have left many students wondering what their money is going toward. Elizabeth McLeod, senior from Henderson, Kentucky, is graduating in December and had to pay her application fee last semester by April 1. McLeod said she was not happy finding out she also had to pay to apply to graduate, since she has been paying tuition for the past couple years. “I’ve put a lot of money into these past few years, and to find out I had to pay a $50 application fee was a little ridiculous,” McLeod said. “I felt like I paid for someone to tell me I could graduate in December.” Since the application fee does not include graduation apparel, McLeod said

@TheMurrayStateNews

it would have been helpful if she could have used the money toward the $40 apparel bundle the bookstore sells instead. Johnna Humphrey, senior from Calhoun, Kentucky, will graduate in May, so her fee was due Nov. 1. Like McLeod, Humphrey said she was “shocked and disappointed” when she became aware of the fee she had to pay prior to graduating. “I will be completing my degree in three years,” Humphrey said. “I’ve taken classes both summers and done 17-18 hours each semester to get to where I am. I was so excited and smiling as I was applying and then it came to the ‘fee.’ I immediately lost that excitement and smile as I paid the $50.” When seniors apply to graduate, they must pay a $50 application fee. Tracy Roberts, registrar, said this fee covers a multitude of costs. It goes to-

see GRAD FEES, page 2

@MurrayStateNews


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.