CENTR A L CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSIT Y Wednesday, October 13, 2010
www.centralrecorder.com
Volume 107 No. 7
Report Details Safety Upgrade In Residence Halls JAson CunninghAm AnD zACh pErrAs-DuEnAs The recorder
A report sent from Jean Alicandro, Director of Residence Life, details the efforts of Central Connecticut State University to ensure that resident halls are safer after the James Hall intrusion by Chlevera Trimmier on Sept. 16. According to the report, CCSU police have been doing extra security rounds at the dorms. They’ve also
been checking doors at dorms to see if they’re locked, speaking with students who they find still leaving their doors unlocked. The James Hall staff has also been doing random checks to see if their residents’ doors are locked. When they come upon an unlocked door they remind the residents of that room to lock it. If no one is in the suite and the door is unlocked they lock it and follow-up with those residents. The James Hall Resident
Director, Lauren Turrene, has added a second duty staff person to help with sign-ins and rounds on Thursday nights, the reports says, because of the high traffic regularly experienced on Thursdays at James Hall. “We have printed and are laminating postings with important numbers, including police, routine and emergency, health services, residence life, student affairs, etc. to be placed behind each door. Facilities has also ordered some
professional safety signage for the doors reminding students to lock doors,” Alicandro wrote in the report. The report also mentions that Jason Powell, CCSU’s Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety, will have an independent company coming in this year and do a safety audit of all resident halls on campus. University officials are to take recommendations from these experts. “I personally believe that this is
a logical approach; a well advised plan is always much better than jumping into quick fixes or changes that may not have lasting effects,” Alicandro wrote in the report. The report says that additional postings in the James Hall main lobby and on all building floors are up to encourage good safety habits like locking room doors. The hall council and the staff of James Hall have also been working on planning safety programs for this semester with the CCSU Police.
Foley, Malloy Blumenthal Says CSUS Trade Jabs in Board Broke Law Televised Debate mATT ClYBurn The recorder
Democrat Dan Malloy and Republican Tom Foley brought unabashed attacks to their first televised debate as candidates for governor of Connecticut last Tuesday. The candidates traded jabs on a number of state issues throughout the one-hour debate, punctuated by salty accusations and name-calling. The conviction of Steven Hayes, one of the Cheshire home invasion perpetrators, came just hours before the debate, prompting the candidates to discuss the death penalty policy they would bring to the governor’s office. Foley, citing his belief that the death penalty protects Connecticut corrections officers, argued that the death penalty needs to remain in place and accused his opponent of supporting a policy that would prevent Hayes from receiving capital punishment if he is so sentenced. Malloy responded that he did not support the death penalty in most cases but that his plan to remove it would only outlaw future sentences and not affect this case. This exchange was the first of many in which both candidates characterized their opponent as a “liar” and “misrepresenting what is happening.” A constant theme of the evening, both candidates attacking each other based on their previous jobs, was highlighted when they were asked to respond to critical television ads. Malloy’s commercial
accused Foley of receiving a $20 million paycheck while bankrupting and laying off workers at a Georgia mill that he owned. Foley disputed the $20 million dollar figure and the layoff claim, noting also that the bankruptcy occurred under new management two years after selling the company. Foley’s television spot disputed Malloy’s claim that he had added jobs while mayor of Stamford by showing conflicting jobs numbers. Malloy retorted that Foley was misrepresenting the record and asserted that he was a proven political leader. Malloy attempted to make an issue of Foley’s running mate, Mark Boughton, by discussing the candidate’s prolife position and criticizing Foley’s choice of the Danbury mayor as his running mate. Tension followed when Foley reminded Malloy that Republican primary voters had selected Boughton for the Lieutenant Governor’s position, not Foley himself. Malloy’s theme for the evening was a promise to reduce staff within the governor’s span of control by 15 percent in order to close the $3 billion budget deficit. Foley’s plan for closing the deficit was to privatize more government services, align public employee compensation with that of private sector employees,
DEBATE | ConT. on 2 MORE COVERAGE: A side-by-side comparison of the candidates and a news analysis on the debate. PAGE 3.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal miChAEl WAlsh The recorder
According to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut State University System Board of Trustees broke state law when it gave CSUS Chancellor David Carter the power to fire university presidents. Blumenthal issued a report today to a legislative committee with findings that the board violated state laws when it gave Carter the power and authority. In addition, Blumenthal also says that the board improperly rewrote human resource policies in 2007. According to Blumenthal, only the full board of trustees has the power and legal ability to fire a university president and change human resource policies. “State law is clear. Only the full CSUS board can change
personnel policies and terminate presidents,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “University boards of trustees are entrusted with the ultimate authority on key leadership decisions - a powerful and essential check assuring wise and efficient stewardship. Such authority should not and cannot be delegated.” Blumenthal stated in a press release that in 2007 the 18-member board “nonetheless improperly delegated its authority to rewrite personnel policies to its eight-member executive committee.” In Oct. of 2009 the board wrongly gave Carter the power to terminate university presidents. Carter, who announced his decision to retire from his chancellor position last week, used that power on Nov. 17, 2009 to fire the current Southern Connecticut State University President Cheryl Norton, a decision that fell under some scrutiny. Norton, informed of Carter’s decision to let her go, resigned in a deal that keeps her paid full salary through May 31, 2011. In his report, Blumenthal recommends that the CSUS Board of Trustees review its decision to delegate authority of power to Carter to make sure that it complies with state law. He also recommends that the full board review and then vote on the improper executed decisions regarding the human resource policies that were written in 2007. Blumenthal also recommends in his report that the legislature change the law to clarify that the full board must vote on human resource and any terminations or suspensions of university presidents. According to Blumenthal’s office, they’ve discussed the matter with Carter in the last month. Blumenthal reports that the full CSUS board then voted to reclaim its authority to write personnel policies and took initial steps to reclaim power to terminate university presidents. “I am pleased that the full CSUS board heeded my call to reclaim its statutory authority to set personnel policy,” Blumenthal said in a statement. “I hope that the board will reassert its statutory power to terminate university presidents, a core management function that cannot be legally delegated.”
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