YEAR IN REVIEW: A look back at the top headlines of 2017
From national politics to a storm that caused millions of dollars of damage in Isabella County, 2017 was quite the year.
Donald Trump was elected president, Central Michigan University underwent a multi-million dollar budget shortfall and Mount Pleasant saw some of its worst flooding in decades.
Central Michigan Life was there to cover it all. As the semester draws to a close, here's a look back at some of the biggest headlines CM Life covered both on campus and across the country.
January
January 19: Former journalism and broadcast and cinematic arts faculty member Mark Ranzenberger was sentenced to 14 years in prison for possession of child pornography and one count of sexually assaulting a child.
January 20: Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States of America in Washington D.C.
January 21: More than 500,000 people marched in the Women's March in Washington D.C and around the country.
January 31: About 500 people marched on CMU’s campus in protest of the executive order issued by the Trump administration banning entry into the U.S. from seven Muslim majority countries.
February
February 1: CMU sophomore Logan Lemke was charged with one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, after capturing images and surveilling unclothed adults, as well as possessing child sexually abusive material.
February 8: An anti-semitic valentine was distributed at a CMU College Republicans meeting. The valentine made a joke about the holocaust and joked about Adolf Hitler.
February 16: President George Ross announced a $14 million budget shortfall at a Board of Trustees meeting. The deficit was first projected at $9.8 million and then corrected to $10.6 million after enrollment numbers were released.
March
March 1: Photos of former student Andrew Seely surfaced showing he was allegedly hazed by an underground fraternity, Alpha Chi Rho. Seely was allergic to peanut butter and members of the fraternity spread it on his face while he was sleeping. The fraternity, Alpha Chi Rho, lost its affiliation with CMU in 2011 after another hazing incident.
March 16: CMU announced the week of March 16 there was going to be a $6 million deficit added to the $14 million deficit.
March 24: The New Venture Competition takes place with 24 teams from CMU competing. More than $77,000 was awarded to seven different teams.
April
April 7: It was announced at Mock Rock that Greek Life raised $83,500 during the 2017 Greek Week. The money was donated to the Isabella County Child Advocacy Center and the Kristy Malter Memorial Fund. Malter, a CMU
student and a member of Greek life, died from bacterial meningitis in July 2016.
April 21: About 300 students and faculty members attended the budget deficit forum where employees expressed concerns about budget cuts and layoffs.
April 22: Nearly 2,000 people attended the DNCE concert in McGuirk Arena. DNCE includes Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers as the lead singer.
May
May 7: The College of Medicine graduated its first class of 62 people. The class was the first to obtain doctorate degrees since the college opened in August 2013.
June
June 1: More than 2,000 athletes from across the state participated in the 45th annual 2017 Special Olympics
Michigan Summer Games.
June 23: Flooding struck Isabella, Midland, Gladwin and Bay counties. Initial estimates placed the cost of damage for Isabella County alone at more than $87 million. CMU itself suffered more than $7 million in damages, including extensive flooding in the Student Activity Center and Dow Science Building.
June 29: Board of Trustees approved a 3 percent increase in undergraduate tuition, bringing per-credit-hour rates to $417. Graduate tuition was also increased, with in-state masters and specialist degree rates receiving a 4.93 percent rise to $575 per credit hour. In-state doctoral rates were increased 4.94 percent to $658 per credit hour.
July
July 3: Michael Alford was named CMU's athletic director. Alford replaced Dave Heeke, who left to accept the same position at the University of Arizona in February.
July 13: Central Precinct, the Mount Pleasant location for the statewide franchise Cops and Doughnuts, opened for business at 1327 S. Mission St.
July 19: Otsego sophomore and Centralis Honors Program Scholarship recipient Delaney Bush died in her sleep.
August
August 11: Gladwin freshman Kristina Garafalo was killed in a head-on traffic collision in Midland County. Garafalo was named the 2017 valedictorian at Gladwin High School, and had been accepted to CMU on a full-ride scholarship.
Grawn Hall, home of the College of Business Administration, on September 15, 2017, on CMU's campus.
August 21: Former CMU student Logan Lemke was sentenced to a minimum of one year in jail after pleading no contest to one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.
August 22: The Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen restaurant located on South Mission Street announced its closure via a sign posted on its door.
August 28: After a two-year, $10.8 million renovation project, Grawn Hall officially reopened for students. The project renovated 16,200-square-feet of the hall, which was being refurbished and reimagined, including the addition of a 6,600-square-foot atrium on the west side of the building. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was officially held on Sept. 21.
September
Sept. 3: Hurricane Harvey dissipated. The tropical cyclone resulted in nearly $200 billion in damages. CMU alumnus Alex Fine traveled to Houston to help those affected by the hurricane. Will Axford, a CM Life alumnus, helped cover the hurricane for the Houston Chronicle.
Sept. 8: Sophomore Joshua Schafer and his mother, Kimberly Schafer, were killed when their vehicle crashed into the rear of a Mount Pleasant school bus.
Sept. 13: CMU celebrated its 125th anniversary. President George Ross delivered a 2017 State of the University Address. He announced CMU had received more million-dollar gifts in the past year than in university history. Ross also announced partnerships with Ford Motor Co. and Quicken Loans.
Sept. 21: Senior Taylor Dalian was killed in a crash on US-127 in Emerson Township.
October
Oct. 5: Phi Kappa Tau was suspended after being accused of Code of Conduct violations. “Something allegedly happened that was serious enough that we felt in order to keep students of CMU safe, Phi Kappa Tau had to be temporarily suspended,” said Director of Student Conduct Tom Idema. The suspension came less than a year after the fraternity was placed on probation from March 2016 to Fall 2016 after someone threw a beer bottle into a crowd of people.
Oct. 14: CMU celebrated its 99th homecoming event. The festivities included the annual parade and homecoming game, in which CMU fell to the University of Toledo, 30-10. The Mount Pleasant Police Department also arrested eight for operating while intoxicated.
November
Nov. 7: CMU senior William Joseph and graduate student Kristin LaLonde were elected to the Mount Pleasant City Commission. The pair will replace outgoing Commissioners Jim Holton and Mike Verleger. Joseph and LaLonde will serve three-year terms beginning Jan. 1, 2018.
Nov. 15: Pi Kappa Phi was suspended after failing to comply with prior sanctions and is also under investigation for hazing.
Nov. 17: The Academic Senate voted to approve legislation passed by the Student Government Association that
would replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. President George Ross said he would make sure the change occurs.
Nov. 21: Dave Hunter died. Hunter, age 76, was the founder of Wayside Central, O'Kelly's Sports Bar & Grille, The Cabin, Hunter's Ale House and Hunter's Handmade Brewery.
Nov. 30: A federal appeals court ruled in favor of CMU after a discrimination lawsuit filed by former journalism faculty member Sara Kubik. She was not granted a tenure-extension request after giving birth to a child in April 2013.
December
Dec. 7: The Board of Trustees voted to allocate $14.1 million from the FCC spectrum auction to Public Broadcasting, scholarship and academic advising efforts. President George Ross also declined a raise.
