The life-sized version of the board game was held Friday in Finch Fieldhouse as part of the first day of the weekend of events. Brothers and sisters were kept busy with an open climb, glow-bowling, bingo, and movies such as “Despicable Me” and “Toy Story 3.”

On Saturday, participants enjoyed an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, swimming in the Student Activity Center, a photo scavenger hunt, the SIBS Game Show and an annual carnival.

Trisha and Danielle Larkin made the Candy Land game their first stop.

“I kept on getting all the pink squares,” Danielle said. “The best part of it was getting all the candy.”

Tall stacks of colorful balloons marked the start and finish of the game. Groups of siblings rolled over-sized dice to move from square to square, hoping to land on a square with a prize box.

Danielle won a red bracelet and Tootsie Roll candy, which she ate on the spot. Other prizes included Barbie dolls, action figures, fans from the Central Michigan University Bookstore and gift cards. All participants received sweets upon finishing the game.

“We have a lot of stuff to do,” Trisha said. “I didn’t know what to expect.”

The siblings planned to watch “Despicable Me” and go to the Carnival, but Danielle said most of all she could not wait to go swimming in the pool.

Caledonia junior Emily Schubert handed out candy and prizes at the end of the Candy Land game.

“Earlier, the line wrapped all around Finch Fieldhouse,” Schubert said. “It’s more interactive than a movie.”

Laura Khalil, co-chair of the SIBS Weekend Committee and Livonia senior, said they had to start the event 15 minutes early because so many people showed up to play.

“We thought the younger kids would love it,” Khalil said. “And the older kids would remember it from their childhood.”

Khalil said more interactive life-sized games like Battleship, chess and checkers could be used in future weekends.

The student-run literary publication, which displays submitted works written by students, was released last week.

The publication contains works such as short stories, poetry and visual art. It is published each semester in November and early April.

“I think it’s really important that all of the editors brought very different ideas about what makes a piece engaging and interesting,” said Editor in Chief Andrew Dooley, a Plymouth junior. “We were able to get along really well and come up with an issue that shows off the variety (of works) being created by Central students.”

Dooley, along with assistant editors Dan Crowley, Ann Arbor junior, Aubrey Bourgeois, a Marine City senior, and Warren senior Marie Dandie pick three winners for the literary contest.

The editors select 12 individuals to fill the publication with 23 pieces. In previous years, each editor was in charge of a specific part of the publication.

“There were several hundred submissions,” Dooley said. “It was very hard to pare them down to 40 pages.”

Neil Hopp, director of student media, said this year’s publication came out on time.

“It’s very well-designed,” Hopp said. “They added photos this year to dress it up.”

Dooley said last year’s publication featured no visual art.

This semester, the submitted works are also being considered for a literary contest. The categories include prose, poetry and photography.

“There are some amazing photographs in this issue,” Dooley said. “People did so many experimental things with their writing this year.”

The three contest winners are Mount Pleasant senior Ben Lambright for prose, Burtchville senior Amanda Watters for poetry and Grosse Point sophomore Darnell Gardner for photography. Gardner took photographs while studying in Shanghai, China. Each winner received $100 cash prizes.

Those who contributed will read their works in the Charles V. Park Memorial Library Baber Room Thursday. Students interested in submitting work for the spring publication can go to centralreviewmagazine.org for more information.

Dandie said she was able to look at the material in a different way than her co-workers.

“We didn’t always view things in the same way,” she said. “I can look at things in a different way — I can compare it and for me it has multiple meanings.”

Dandie is the only business major out of the four editors to review the submitted material. Dooley said the different majors bring a different perspective to the issue.

“Although we may not have the same view, we respect it and understand it,” Dandie said.

Student Account Services and University Billing  will offer two payment options — direct deposit and the Central Michigan University Money Card Program, for all new employees starting today.

New student and faculty employees will no longer be paid in the form of checks. Previous CMU employees will still be able to receive checks as a form of payment.

Kimberly Wagester, manager of payroll and travel services, said direct deposit is popular with student employees.

“Other companies don’t send checks. That’s the way a lot of businesses are going to electronic pay,” Wagester said. “It makes sense business-wise to eliminate paper and cut costs.”

Direct deposit allows students to select a personal banking account to transfer CMU refunds and payroll.

The program directly deposits financial aid, Student Account Services and University Billing refunds and payroll onto a Money Network MasterCard. The Money Card can be used on campus ATMs to withdraw cash and comes with free checks.

Deposits transferred directly into a personal account can be split into checking and savings as well.

Eighty-four percent of students use direct deposit as a direct source of payment. Ninety-eight percent of faculty use direct deposit.

Wagester said the number of students using direct deposit went up from 70 percent in 2008.

Freeland sophomore Ryan Johnson, who works in the athletics department ticket booth, enjoys the benefits of direct deposit.

“It makes it easier to receive money,” Johnson said. “Because my credit union is at home, I don’t have to worry about cashing or depositing a check.”

The new policy will save time and money for the university, Wagester said.

“We have to send out letters if people don’t pick up their checks,” she said. “If they don’t after a long time, the money goes to the state.”

Rebecca Haggart, assistant coordinator of payroll, said the new policy will be well-accepted among CMU employees.

“I think they’ll be positive about it,” Haggart said. “It’s more convenient and better for everyone.”

For more information, contact Student Account Services and University Billing Office at 774-3618.

The eighth annual 2010 CMU Journalism Hall of Fame Banquet will be held at the Comfort Inn Hotel and Conference Center, 2424 S. Mission St. The event starts at 6 p.m. with a reception, followed a dinner at 7:15 p.m. and induction ceremony at 8:15 p.m.

This year’s ceremony will induct four alumni and award one honorary inductee.

“It’s another great class being inducted,” said Neil Hopp, director of student media. “It’s going to be a very exciting ninth year.”

The 2010 inductees include Cathaleen Curtiss, Richard L. “Dirk” Milliman II, John A. Palen and Keith Naughton.

Jim Wojcik, associate professor of journalism, said the event will be the same as it has been every year.

“We are expecting about 170 people to attend,” Wojcik said. “It is an excellent group of people being inducted.”

Other awards include an honorary recognition and the Young Journalist of the Year, which will be awarded to Mark W. Smith, a Detroit Free Press blogger, columnist and Web editor.

An honorary recognition will go to 1959 graduate Fred M. Mester, a retired circuit court judge of the Sixth Judicial District, who helped in establishing the Lem Tucker Journalism Scholarship in 1997.

Randy Lovely, editor and vice president of news at The Arizona Republic, was inducted into the CMU Journalism Hall of Fame in 2008. He said the 2008 induction ceremony was the first time he had visited CMU in 20 years.

“It was a great honor that really took me back in time,” Lovely said. “When I found out about the induction, I was most excited about getting to return to campus.”

Lovely, a 1986 alumnus, was made editor of the Arizona Republic in 2002 and promoted to executive editor and vice president in 2005. Lovely was named editor and vice president of news in 2008.

Hopp said Lovely is a great role model for today’s journalists.

“He helped transform the country’s 10th largest newspaper into a multi-platform digital information company,” Hopp said. “He did what CM Life did, only he did it at a major company.”

For more information, visit the CMU Journalism Hall of Fame website at www.ccfa.cmich.edu/jrnhof/.

PED 169A: Recreational Cycling will be an eight-week physical education course designed to enhance students’ knowledge of cycling. Ben Rollenhagen, a physical education and sport adjunct faculty member, created the course to improve safety conditions on and off campus.

“People think that once you learn how to ride a bike, that’s all you need to know — through my experiences and all the competitions I’ve done that’s definitely not true,” Rollenhagen said. “There’s a lot to learn about riding.”

Students will advocate for bicyclists’ safety, learn about bike repair and take to the streets to learn signals and safety. The course will also teach bike etiquette, maintenance and training.

Nathan Wernette signed up for the course as a way to enhance his bicycling knowledge.

The Hudsonville senior rides his bike three to four times a week.

“Most people don’t know the rules of cycling,” Wernette said. “I know people that have ridden down the wrong side of the street.”

The course is suited for all levels of riding and requires students to have a bike and helmet, Rollenhagen said. Students will have to ride in various weather conditions as well.

“As long as the streets are dry, they are rideable,” Rollenhagen said. “Cycling is an everyday activity. You’re going to have to learn how to maneuver and ride a bike in all types of weather.”

Rollenhagen said bicycles are considered cars and need to be treated as such, as well as follow the same rules.

“Many people yell ‘get off the street,’ but if you’re going a certain speed you’re not allowed to be on the sidewalk,” Rollenhagen said. “Bicyclists also need to stop at stop signs.”

Rollenhagen has been cycling for eight years and has noticed the negative attitude toward bicyclists. Such attitudes include being cursed at, ran off the road and swerved at.

Bicyclists are told to ride with traffic and stay as far right as possible.

Allison Quast, manager of the Mid-Michigan Cycling Club, said the course will benefit students as well as the campus and community.

She said by educating cyclists and non-cyclists alike, the course will reduce the likelihood of cycling accidents, as well as fostering a more bikeable community.

“This course will also explore the many benefits of cycling, such as transportation, exercise and leisure as lifelong activities,” Quast said.

The New Venture Competition allows students from all fields of study to create a business plan to better the success of Central Michigan University students and Michigan’s economy.

CBA Dean Charles Crespy is enthusiastic about the opportunity the competition offers students.

“You can dream your own dream, start your own business and live that your whole life,” Crespy said. “You can be your own boss.”

Participants can include all undergraduate and graduate students attending CMU in the spring 2011 semester. Those interested can attend an informational seminar about the competition at 11:30 a.m. Friday in Grawn 278.

Prizes will be given for the top three business plans — $30,000 for first place, $10,000 for second and $5,000 for third. The prize money comes from private donors within the community.

“It’s a lot of money,” Crespy said. “The goal is to get it in the hands of students who will create more jobs in Michigan.”

Teams of two to five students will develop business plans of their choice. Plans may be for profit or nonprofit.

Business plans will be judged by senior-level investors and industry leaders. Each plan will be evaluated based on the investor perspectives of bankers, angel investors and venture capitalists.

“It’s great to get all the departments working together to bring their best ideas forward,” said Robby Roberts, associate director of the LaBelle Entrepreneurial Center. “Demonstrating student success at CMU is a success.”

Teams must submit an intent to present form signed by a mentor or team leader by Dec. 10. Business plans will be presented and judged on April 8, 2011.

Crespy said students are showing interest and are starting to form groups on campus.

CBA will offer free seminars, guest speakers and mentors to guide students in creating a successful business plan. Speakers include in-state investors and business executives.

“I think it’s a really exciting opportunity,” Roberts said. “Many students may have the expertise and don’t know what to do with it.”

Mary Kay Shields has been appointed to the position replacing Jim Goenner, who will become president and CEO of the National Charter Schools Institute the same day Shields starts.

Shields has served as a deputy director of the center since 2007.

“I’m ready and I’m excited,” Shields said. “I’m very pleased that the university had the faith in me to step up in this interim position.”

Since its inception in 1994, the center has authorized and helped start more than 50 public charter schools throughout Michigan and now enrolls about 35,000 students.

Shields has been involved with Charter Schools since 1996. She started as special adviser to University President Leonard Plachta in 1999 and left to start a finance authority for charter schools in Michigan.

Her annual salary will be $126,677 in the new position.

Goenner calls his move a “win-win” for the university and him.

“I get to share what the university has developed across the country,” Goenner said of his new position, “and also bring back some of the best practices from around the country to the university.”

The board of directors for the National Charter Schools Institute offered Goenner the new position Oct. 1st.

Goenner said the center’s goal is “to win for kids.” He said the board saw a state and national network that would allow them to “hit the ground running” in influencing both policy and practices.

“I want to take the systems, tools and practices and share those across the country to help create more great schools to serve more kids,” he said.

Cindy Schumacher, also a deputy director for the Center for Charter Schools, said Goenner’s new position will bring additional prestige to the center.

“Jim will be able to reach to more schools on a national level in this new role,” Schumacher said. “The three of us have been working together for a while.”

Shields and Schumacher will continue the plans laid out for the center. Goenner said they will move CMU charter schools from gold to platinum standard.

Schumacher said he has full confidence Shields will do well in her new position.

“We worked on a vision and philosophy — as we’ve been building the vision, we’ve been doing that together as a team,” Schumacher said.

The success coach is a new position on campus focusing on new students who are having trouble adjusting to life at Central Michigan University. Advising is available to all first-year students.

Bentley, director of First Year Experience, said the position was created because of increasing freshman enrollment.

“This is our trial year,” Bentley said. “We are working really hard. We meet weekly to discuss what we can improve on.”

Success coaches are located in the Towers residence halls and in the South residence halls’ Student Success Center.

Three success coaches were hired to work in different academic advising areas on campus. The new positions were created at the beginning of the semester by First Year Experience and Residence Life.

CMU alumnus Brock Sieb of Monroe is a success coach for the Towers Residence Halls. Sieb has worked in the position for about four weeks.

“This is a great thing that is happening,” he said. “It has been an area that was overlooked in years before.”

Sieb said the goal is to have 150 students per success coach.

The coaches offer help to students in several areas, including study habits, selecting a major, financial planning and academic support.

Time management is the biggest problem with students, Sieb said.

Success coaches also advise new students who may not have an idea of what they want to study.

“The typical students are the people we are kind of hoping we can tap into,” Sieb said. “They’re the ones that haven’t had as much outreach to them in the past.”

The new position is gaining more student recognition. Jackson graduate student and success coach Danielle Merrill said she has received about 30 e-mails over the last weekend.

The coaches reach out to students in need of help through e-mails and by calling dorm rooms. The position is different from academic advisors, which specialize in selecting a course schedule.

“We want to be personal — we can call on the phone or e-mail them, but it’s important to have a person to spend time helping you,” Bentley said. “I think it’s a really important part of what separates CMU from other schools.”

The coaches have prior mentoring experience, some as resident assistants or academic advisers.

CMU alumna Lisa Yount, success coach for South Residence Halls, is hoping more students invest in the coaching. Yount started work last week and looks forward to helping the students.

“We know the turf,” Yount said. “Why waste all the tuition money by struggling in classes — it’s your right.”

The coaches have different ways of getting to know the students. Merrill, a coach for the Towers Residence Halls, uses a survey to get to know her students.

Bentley hopes to add more success coaches in the future.

“You’ve made an investment into your future,” Bentley said. “We want to take your investment you invested in yourself and make sure that that investment is nurtured.”

Brandell, a former CMU communications professor, died from leukemia early Friday morning at her Mount Pleasant home. She was 76.

“She lacked the capacity to ever say ‘no,’” said David Ling, Isabella County Commission chairman. “There are few words to describe her as a person, but people who met her immediately fell in love with her.”

Visitation will be today from 5 to 8 p.m. and Tuesday from 2 to 8 p.m. at the Charles R. Lux Family Funeral Home, 2300 S. Lincoln Road. A funeral service will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday at Sacred Heart Church, 209 S. Franklin St.

Brandell was chairwoman of the Isabella County Founders Day event, the Isabella County Sesquicentennial Committee and led various other county groups. She received numerous awards including the John Cumming Isabella County Historical Preservation Award.

“She never took credit for any of the things she did — that’s probably what made her such a very fine leader on all these volunteer committees,” Ling said.

Ling said Brandell’s involvement goes back as far as he could remember.

Ling met Brandell when he first came to CMU in 1971 as a public speaking and debate professor and they remained friends ever since. Brandell taught communications disorders and speech therapy until moving into university administration.

“She worked very hard to make sure everyone was happy,” said Mount Pleasant resident Jack Westbrook.

Westbrook was Brandell’s neighbor and also a member of the Isabella County Sesquicentennial Committee.

“She is a great loss to the community and university as well,” Ling said.

Brandell organized the Mary Ellen Brandell Access to Recreation Fund, which raised about $200,000 to make the Access Adventure Trail handicap-accessible, while ensuring park maintenance.

Deanna Heath, former executive director of Woodland Hospice, knew Brandell as a very dedicated woman.

Brandell started the Dick and Mary Ellen Brandell Family Hospice House Fund and remained chairwoman of the committee after completing the program. She raised about $1 million for the hospice, Ling said.

“She was quite a force —– there was no stopping her,” Heath said. “It will be a long time before someone like her blows through here again.”

Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off tonight with West Cosgrove, founder and executive director of Project Puente, a nonprofit promoting border immersion programs focusing on the issues of global economics and immigration.

The event is sponsored by Minority Student Services and begins at 7 p.m. in Plachta Auditorium. Admission is free.

Shant’L Raines, a Farmington Hills graduate assistant for MSS, said the event aims to bring awareness to immigration reform in the U.S. Illegal immigration will also be discussed.

“He’s very involved in issues and is uplifting in the Latino culture,” Raines said. “He’s going to give the opinion of why it’s in the best interest of everyone to be on the bandwagon for immigration reform.”

Keisha Janney, assistant director of MSS, said Cosgrove is a great selection to represent the Hispanic culture.

“One of the reasons we’re excited to have him is because he brings other opinions to campus,” Janney said. “I’m really looking forward to what the community, students and faculty think.”

Cosgrove will also encourage students to take immersion trips offered by Project Puente. The projects allow people to spend time in communities located on the U.S. and Mexico border, she said.

“The organization is facing financial challenges because people aren’t going on the immersion projects,” Janney said.

Cosgrove will open the forum for questions following the discussion.

Other events

Hispanic Heritage month, which started Wednesday and runs until Oct. 15, will also feature a food tasting event, salsa dancing lessons and “Zumba Latin Fitness.”

Stan Shingles, assistant vice president of University Recreation, said the Zumba Latin Fitness program is a great experience for students.

“It provides a very diverse program that is very popular on college campuses and in communities across the country,” he said. “Students with activities to types of activities with Zumba and cultural heritage is certainly a good opportunity.”

This is the second year University Recreation and MSS will both sponsor the Zumba class.

“There’s lots of opportunities for students to come out and experience something out of the ordinary,” Janney said.