University President George Ross spoke Tuesday of financial woes and transitioning into leadership when he addressed the Academic Senate for the first time.

“I want to let you know that it’s day two and I’ve got it all figured out,” he said, jokingly, to the group gathered in Dow 102.

Ross discussed plans for his transition team and briefly mentioned the financial difficulties facing the university. He said he is still getting settled back into Mount Pleasant and hopes, through the transition process, he can learn about the university and the university can learn about him.

Dave Breed, Student Government Association member of the ad-hoc committee, said he likes that Ross is taking time to understand the university instead of coming in and making changes.

“He’s really bright and knows what we’re facing,” the Muskegon senior said.

Others, including Academic Senate Chairman Phil Squattrito, attested to the effort Ross made by coming before the body of students.

“We’re happy he came,” said Squattrito, Transition Team co-chairman and professor of chemistry. “He was welcomed warmly, and people are looking forward to getting to know him.”

Ross took over for interim university president Kathy Wilbur who, last month, collected 3, 6 and 9 percent 2010-11 reduction plans from budget centers throughout CMU.

Ross said he does not want to make budget cuts now that may have negative consequences for the university in the future.

He admitted his biggest challenge at the moment is the budget, but said it will be dealt with in “a very rational manner.”

“It doesn’t matter what the economic climate is,” Ross said. “Academic excellence, student access and affordability need to be paramount.”

Ross will speak March 8 at Ferris State University to the State Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education.

He said he will have one main focus.

“I’m going to talk about students, students and students,” he said.

Other business

Laura Frey, associate professor of counseling and special education, made a motion to rescind the actions taken at the Feb. 2 Academic Senate meeting, where senators voted to allow the dissemination of Student Opinion Surveys on the CMU portal.

The motion to rescind was defeated in a 31-22 vote.

“I do believe that violates the integrity of the institution of higher education,” Frey said. “It is not an accurate representation of a faculty’s expertise.”

Breed said the motion to rescind the vote was a “waste of time” since new concerns and points regarding the subject were made.

He said the sole purpose for SOS forms being placed online is to help students access the information easier.

“I don’t want to harm faculty,” Breed said. “(But) just provide more information for students.”

Mark Lehman, professor of communication disorders, said SOS forms are used when adjunct members are applying for a tenured position or promotion. To make the forms available online should not be of any harm to faculty members, he said.

“I think it’s ridiculous to not just make it easier,” Lehman said. “It’s already available to the students.”

One of Chao Xu’s first experiences in America was trying to purchasing a Slurpee.

“When I came here, (the) first store I went to was 7-Eleven,” the China freshman said.

Xu went in to buy a Slurpee with a few friends, but realized he forgot his cash and credit card. He wanted to go back to his Herrig Hall residence to grab his money and return to the 302 W. Broomfield St. convenient store. But the cashier, Saginaw senior Andarius Taylor, told him it was too far away.

So for compensation, Xu and his friends gave Taylor apples. With that experience, a friendship was formed.

Xu also has shared his culture with Taylor — he has since given him a Chinese five-dollar bill and packaged food from China.

A new world

Freshmen Chao Xu, 20, and Shu Zhao, 20, enjoy a dinner of fried rice with senior Lu Jiang,23, in her Lexington Ridge apartment Sunday. (Nathan Kostegian/ Staff Photographer)

About 500 international students studied at Central Michigan University last fall.

Xu, who has been in Mount Pleasant since May, said before moving to Michigan, he invested in warmer clothes after his uncle warned him about the weather.

India graduate student Shyam Reganti has attended CMU since August 2008 and said he was so excited to migrate to the United States.

“U.S.A. is the top notch,” he said. “I told myself, ‘I’m going to one of the best countries.’”

Regani said he was prepared to move to the U.S. because he watched a lot of American movies.

Although movies may help with the American culture, it may not prepare them for the responsibilities they face when arriving in the states.

“One of our biggest areas of service is immigration matters,” said Tracy Nakajima, coordinator of International Students for the Office of International Affairs.

She said the Office of International Affairs is responsible for ensuring students are here legally and they are complying with their visa requirements.

When international students arrive at CMU, an orientation is held to help them adjust and prepare for the campus.

“We strongly encourage students to integrate to the whole campus,” Nakajima said.

Nakajima said culture adjustments, finding a job and volunteering are discussed at the orientation.

“We help them learn how to drop a class or how to apply for a driver’s license,” she said. “We’re directing them to the right place.”

Many differences

Regani said one of the biggest differences between India and the United States is the currency and, in India, people get more for their money.

The currency in India is the rupee, and an American dollar is equal to 47 rupees, Regani said. With 47 rupees, he said one could buy three meals and survive daily in India.

Chao said there are several differences between Mount Pleasant and his hometown, Guangzhou, China. One that sticks out to him the most is the personality of people on campus.

“People are so friendly,” he said. “They say hi even when they don’t know me.”

Regani said he has gained a lot of independence since being in America. In India, parents are stricter and the social behavior is a lot different, he said.

“If you drink, you’re considered as a bad guy in India,” he said.

Every Tuesday, Regani and his friends go to Buffalo Wild Wings, 1904 S. Mission St.

Regani also eats all types of meat, such as steak, chicken, and pork, something he would never do in India.

“It’s not accepted the way it is here,” he said.

Cassandra Johnson is concerned about finishing her degree on time.

The Kaleva junior is one of many Health Fitness in Preventive and Rehabilitative Programs majors struggling to finish their degree in four years. Johnson also has been waiting to enroll in HSC 310: ECG Assessment since last summer.

“I’m at the end of my junior year,” she said, “and I still can’t get in 310.”

In particular, HSC 550: Stress Test Administration and HSC 551: Stress Test Interpretation are among the toughest to enroll in. For HSC 550, there are three sections offered with a maximum of 14 students, and eight sections offered with a maximum of 14 students for HSC 551.

Students are told in the bulletin about the difficulty of getting into these classes. Some have been on waiting lists for more than two semesters for these courses.

Johnson started a petition to offer more sections during the fall and spring semesters and during the summer. There are currently 227 signatures.

One of those students, Leslie Donovan, still needs to get into HSC 310, a prerequisite for HSC 550 and 551.

“I’ve been on the waiting list for two semesters,” the Orchard Lake junior said.

This has been an issue among students, faculty, and staff since 1999, said Thomas Masterson, Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions associate dean.

Summer offerings

For some students, the solution is offering HSC 550 and 551 during the summer.

“I think it would be beneficial for them to be offered this summer,” Hebert said.

Johnson said if the courses are not offered this summer, the department should have to open more sections. However, many issues may arise for students who do take the courses during the summer.

Jeff Betts, chairman of the school of health sciences, said last summer, for the first time in many years, the department decided to offer HSC 550 and 551 to help seniors get on track. These courses are not being offered for the summer 2010 semester.

Masterson said several students who took HSC 550 and 551 last summer could not find internships and still have not found any up to this semester.

“It might have helped some students,” Masterson said.

When a student signs the health fitness major, the document states an internship is required unless a student is enrolling in graduate school, Masterson said.

Betts said students who took the classes during the summer jumped ahead, but caused those on track to fall behind.

The department has made many changes throughout the years to help students enroll in these courses.

“For many years, 550 was only offered in the fall semester and 551 only in the spring,” Betts said. “That meant if a student didn’t get in to 550 in the fall, they had to wait an entire year to take it the following fall semester.”

In order to fix the issue, Betts added sections of both courses to the fall and spring semester.

Betts said these courses were not intended to be offered during the summer, but it may potentially be an option in the years to come.

Johnson and a few other students affected met Wednesday with Masterson to discuss the petition. Masterson said he would talk to Betts about internships, but it would be a work in progress.

There are limitations on what the department can do to help students, such as the low availability of large lecture halls to up the maximum of students for HSC 550 and 551. Betts said faculty contracts also limit how many classes they can teach.

Betts said the university is allowing the department to search and hopefully hire another anatomist that may help with the current situation.

Both Betts and Masterson understand students’ frustration and are willing to help try to resolve this issue.

“It’s not a quick fix,” Masterson said. “We’re just waiting for state budget to come through to figure out how we’re going to do this.”

Southfield sophomore Robert Donald never related to just one group — gay, black or athletic.

Donald, Gay Straight Alliance ambassador, wants to educate people about the process of coming out and how to handle the differences people may have with their orientation.

“The biggest thing is to educate people on terms and issues, and show people we are people too,” he said.

A panel of five LGBT community members spoke casually with a group of about 40 people Thursday evening in Merrill Hall during an event called “Gay Elephant in the Room.”

Donald came out to his friends in the eighth grade, when he was 13 years old. At 15, he came out to his family.

Donald said it was a complete relief to know he can truly be himself around his friends and family, which lead him to start a series of forums to educate and inform people of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender communities.

The idea of the forum is to reach out to residence halls, Donald said.

“Education is a powerful thing,” he said. “If we come to them in their residence halls, it would make things easier.”

The panel consisted of Holt senior Matt Darling, also GSA president, Howell senior Stasi Russell, GSA pride co-chair, and Detroit junior Arielle Watts, public relations for GSA.  The panel told their coming-out stories and their experiences with the LGBT community.

They talked about dating, religion, name-calling and how to approach friends and family.

The crowd asked questions and talked about their personal stories as well.

Aly Jarosz, a Traverse City sophomore, attended the forum to learn more about the LGBT community.

“I’m straight,” she said. “But I wanted to learn more about the gay community.”

Jarosz learned how many people struggle with the coming out process and was mostly shocked people are actually scared to come out to friends and family.

Overall, she felt she had become an advocate for the LGBT community.

“I have a huge prejudice with the people that are against gays,” she said.

As a panelist, Darling casually spoke to the crowd and expressed his sentiment for those still dealing with identity concerns. He wanted the attendees to get comfortable and see the forum as conversation rather than a presentation.

During his coming-out process, Darling said he was scared, but realized it was the best thing he could have done for himself.

“I came out and experienced a lot of support and love instead,” he said.

Donald said this was the first forum of the series. He plans to continue the series and hopes to host it in Kulhavi hall at the end of March.

Adjunct faculty at Central Michigan University will vote for union representation at the end of this semester.

Several adjunct faculty filed Tuesday for a union representation election with Michigan Employment Relations Commission.

The group of adjunct faculty, named The Union of Teaching Faculty, has worked with The American Federation of Teachers — Michigan since May 2009.

Ian Fulcher, an organizer with the AFT of Michigan, said he contacted CMU adjunct faculty to talk about their concerns.

Most are not sure if they have their jobs secured since they have to re-apply at the end of each semester or year, though some have maintained jobs for about 10 years.

With their workload and finals taking place, it is a stressful situation for adjunct faculty at CMU, Fulcher said.

“It can be stressful and, in some ways, silly,” said Mary Ann Freling, adjunct faculty with the English department. “(We) should have had representation a long time ago.”

Freling said it can take up to a few days to gather information to reapply for the position.

Some requirements for nontenure-track faculty to reapply for employment include writing a letter and submitting the most recent SOS scores and grade distributions.

“It takes time away that I could be spending with students,” Freling said.

For the 2009-10 school year, Freling had to reapply by Feb. 15, 2009.

She did not receive a letter back confirming her employment with the English department at CMU until May 20, 2009. The deadline for adjunct faculty this year for the English department is March 15.

The application dates differ with each department, which poses a problem, Freling said.

“Where the work and expectations are equal, there should be fairness,” Fulcher said.

Fulcher held a meeting in the summer of 2009 at Veterans Memorial Library, 301 S. University Ave., where 20 CMU adjunct faculty attended to discuss concerns.

In order for the group to file for union representation, it is required to collect 30 percent of signatures of supporting adjunct faculty.

Fulcher said the UTF collected more than 50 percent.

“What really holds this group together is their love of teaching,” he said. “They really care about the students.”

Central Michigan University will seek refunds from Wilcox Professional Services for mistakes made last year in the Brooks Hall renovations.

“We do feel we have a suit against the design group,” said Trustee Brian Fannon on Thursday at a meeting of the Board.

Steve Smith, director of public relations, said the amount of the refund CMU is seeking has not been calculated, but it will likely be upward of a few million dollars.

“It’s simply a financial matter,” he said.

The Facilities Committee addressed the Brooks Hall renovations along with replacement of the South Quad heating exchangers at the board meeting.

The committee consists of chairwoman Marilyn French Hubbard and trustees Brian Fannon, John Hurd and Gail Torreano, who was absent Thursday.

Mediation, not a lawsuit

Although Fannon referred to the conflict as a suit, Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of Facilities Management, said the parties will attempt mediation.

“We, being the university, and the other party will hire a mediator,” Lawrence said. “(We) just feel there were some errors and omissions in their design.”

Smith said contracts between CMU and companies require mediation as the first step in resolving an issue.

The university will hire a mediator to communicate between the university and the company. Smith said he believes mediation will start this spring.

“(We’re) hopeful that, through mediation, there’s a successful settlement,” said David Burdette, vice president of finance and administrative services. “(We) think we’re right.”

At December’s Board meeting, Burdette requested additional funds of $1.42 million going toward additional renovations in Brooks Hall and $80,000 for classrooms and safety rules.

The Deferred Maintenance Fund provided $300,000 and $1.2 million came from the general university fund. The Deferred Maintenance Fund is funding provided for maintaining buildings and facilities on campus.

The Board approved Burdette’s request, and renovations were completed Jan. 6. Now university officials are focused on receiving refunds from Wilcox for mistakes made in the designs.

If the company disagrees with the requests, CMU will continue to pursue it through litigation, Burdette said.

South Quad

The South Quad, consisting of Beddow, Thorpe, Merrill, and Sweeney residence halls will receive new heat exchangers for the first time in 50 years.

The process will begin in mid-May and is expected to be complete by August when students return to campus for the fall semester.

“These buildings are 50 years old,” Fannon said, explaining how the replacements are necessary in order to keep the heating situation under control.

The replacements, he said, are not to exceed $315,000.

Funding will come from the Deferred Maintenance Contingency fund— money previously unused from the Deferred Maintenance Fund.

“This is a perfect example of why we have this contingency fund,” Burdette said.

He said CMU will be able to purchase the parts in advance now and have an extra two months to plan.

The sound of chimes from the bell tower in Warriner Hall has swept across campus for 25 years.

But surprisingly, the tower does not actually have real bells. An electronic system is programmed to play synthesized music at scheduled times, said Keith Voeks, assistant director of University Events.

That system, installed in 1985, has not been functioning since the end of the fall semester.

“We’re in the process of replacing it,” said Bob Ebner, director of University Events.

Ebner and Voeks are looking at several different types of systems to replace the older one. There is a range of styles with different prices, ranging from $3,000 to $10,000.

Ebner said there are about four different options in consideration. The cost, he said, will likely be around $10,000.

Fun tunes

A potential replacement for the electronic system may be a system with a selection of different tunes.

“We’re looking at more variety,” Ebner said. “That is a potential.”

Tom Idema, assistant director of Student Life, is excited for the new system to be installed.

“I think it’s a great part of campus,” Idema said.

He hopes the chosen one will offer a selection of tunes, possibly even the Central Michigan University fight song.

Ebner said the new system will not be functional until April. After the system is chosen, a bidding process will begin.

That process, Ebner said, is required for anything the university purchases for more than $2,500.

Companies will be sent specifications of the project to see how much they will charge the university to purchase and install it. The university then will select a company and award them the opportunity of installation.

Leah Borkowski did not know she was receiving a 10 percent tuition discount while taking Central Michigan University classes until last semester.

It is because CMU’s Board of Trustees approved a tuition rate specifically for parents of CMU students and alumni in April 2009.

Borkowski is the mother of Jacob Wonders, who graduated from CMU in 1997. She has been taking off-campus courses from Sterling Heights since 2004.

“I didn’t know (the discount) was available,” she said. “It’s the best thing for the buck, especially in this economy.”

Borkowski, 55, graduated in December with a Bachelor of Applied Arts and hopes to return to CMU next year to receive a Masters of Science and General Administration.

“I think it’s a unique benefit,” she said.

In order to qualify for the discount, the parent’s child must be enrolled at least half-time or be an alumni, said Pat Davison, director of financial planning and operations for ProfEd.

Follow your child

The idea behind the measure is a lot of parents get excited and interested when their child is preparing for college. It gives parents the opportunity to further their education and stay interested in their child’s education as well.

ProfEd and Off-Campus Programs is geared toward working adults. There are parents who want to earn a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree and can do so with their lifestyle at a lower rate.

The program is already reaching non-traditional students, said Brian Bell, assistant director of financial operations for ProfEd.

“This was sort of a reverse alumni rate,” he said.

This year, the rate is $304 per credit hour for parents compared to $338 for students without the CMU Promise. For graduate level courses, it is $401 compared to $446 per credit hour. The rate may change annually.

Jeanne McCormick, 50, and her son began taking online classes this semester at CMU.  She is taking FNS 370: Nutrition, from Bessemer, Ala., where she moved to last February.

McCormick, a former CMU employee, never thought she would continue her education.

“All this time, I really wanted to go back,” she said. “I’m really happy that I have this opportunity.”

McCormick said it is a nice break to earn cheaper tuition.

Reaching out

Although the idea of a discount may attract parents, the rate is fairly new and not many parents are enrolled.

“There are fewer than 100, but we think that will go up,” Davison said.

Since it was approved less than a year ago, publicity has been limited.

“We definitely plan to do more (publicity),” Davison said.

The parent tuition rate is going to be publicized at freshmen orientation. Parents usually attend along with their future CMU students, and ProfEd plans to promote the rate.

“It should get more recognition,” McCormick said. “It’s a good program.”

However, the rate can only be used for standard undergraduate and graduate programs.

“It can’t be used for specialty programs,” Davison said.

In order to be eligible for the rate, parents must first apply to CMU and be accepted. If their son/daughter drops out of CMU or goes below half-time, the parent then loses the rate, Davison said.

“I think it’s a great thing,” she said. “It’s just a little extra ability to grow in their own way.”