Thousands of students every day wear Central Michigan University attire to their classes.

But they could be rewarded for their clothing choices at a random time on a random day this week.

The Student Government Association’s Traditions and Spirit Committee is launching School Spirit Days, in which a member of the committee will find a student wearing CMU colors or clothing and give them a $25 gift card to the CMU Bookstore or Down Under Food Court.

“The goal is to promote school spirit,” said Eric Jacovetti, chairman of the Traditions and Spirit Committee. “The premise is to be proud of your school. I think this will help people wear Central gear.”

Jacovetti, a Livonia junior, said he plans to show up on campus later in the week on a random day and preferably between classes to find a larger number of students.

The idea stemmed as the committee’s yearly promotion to increase students’ school spirit across campus. The committee will look at the feedback to the initial Student Spirit Day and decide when the next one will be.

“The idea is that every single student on Central’s campus is in a contest,” he said. “But they don’t know it.”

Feedback tool

The event has other benefits besides fostering student spirit, said SGA vice president and Garden City senior Brittany Mouzourakis.

SGA will use the event to get student opinions on what they can do better from the winners.

“If more people know SGA is out there and can win a small gift card, they might put on a CMU shirt on a nice spring day,” Mouzourakis said.

Students will be asked a few questions on their opinions of the SGA’s effectiveness and what they would like to see out of their student government after they are selected as a gift-card winner.

The hope is the program will reach an untapped group of students, said SGA president Jason Nichol.

“Obviously, the monetary fund is small. We’re not giving them Cadillacs,” the Mount Pleasant senior said. “The spontaneity will help SGA reach an unreached portion of CMU students.”

A 38-year-old Ypsilanti man has been arrested after police say he robbed an East Pickard Road gas station Tuesday night.

Shortly after 8 p.m., the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department responded to an armed robbery at a Shell gas station, 5612 E. Pickard Road, in Union Township, where the man demanded money from the station clerk and left with an undisclosed amount.

Police said deputies were told the suspect left in a blue Monte Carlo, which had been parked at a neighboring McDonald’s, and headed east on Pickard. He was later located inside the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, 6800 Soaring Eagle Blvd., with the aid of Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Police.

“We used the tribal police’s surveillance system to track him down,” Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said. “Using the description, we were able to track him down to a hotel room.”

According to a news release, the gas station clerk told deputies she thought the suspect had a gun or a knife in his jacket pocket because of a gesturing motion he made.

The individual is expected to be arraigned sometime this afternoon.

National City robbery

Mount Pleasant police have no further information regarding the bank robbery that occurred late Tuesday morning.

A man held up National City bank, 409 N. Mission St., around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday with an unidentified weapon and got away with an unknown amount of cash. After the robbery, Dave Sabuda, public information officer for the MPPD, said the suspect fled the scene and ran westbound down Crosslanes Street.

The suspect in the bank robbery was described as a light-skinned male between 5 feet, 6 inches and 5 feet, 8 inches tall. He is of a smaller to medium build, was wearing a black or gray jacket with a hood and baggy jeans, and had his face covered with a white bandana.

Anyone with information regarding Tuesday morning’s robbery is asked to contact Det. Sgt. Bill Bluemer during business hours at 779-5100 and Isabella County Central Dispatch after business hours at 773-1000.

Area police are investigating two robberies that occurred throughout Tuesday.

According to Mount Pleasant police, a man held up National City bank, 409 N. Mission St., around 11:15 a.m. Tuesday with an unidentified weapon.

“When he got to the teller, he indicated he had a weapon and took an unknown amount of money,” said Dave Sabuda, public information officer for the MPPD.

After the robbery, Sabuda said the suspect fled the scene and ran westbound down Crosslanes Street. No one was injured in the incident, Sabuda said, although customers were in the bank at the time.

The police unit was aided by a canine tracking unit provided by the Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Police Department. The Michigan State Police Mount Pleasant Post also assisted in the investigation.

Police were still on the scene as of 12:50 p.m. Tuesday. Officials are reviewing surveillance cameras from the crime scene and waiting on photographic still images.

Shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Isabella County Sheriff’s Department responded to a robbery at the Blodgett Shell gas station, 5612 E. Pickard Rd., in Union Township.

Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski said a brown-haired white male, who was described as “kind of scraggly looking and not shaven,” left the gas station and drove away in an unknown direction.

Deputies were told a Monte Carlo was waiting at a neighboring McDonald’s. It is undetermined if the suspect carried a weapon.

“He did leave with some cash, but we don’t know how much,” Mioduszewski said.

The suspect in the bank robbery was described as a light-skinned male between 5 feet, 6 inches and 5 feet, 8 inches tall. He is of a smaller to medium build, was wearing a black or gray jacket with a hood and baggy jeans, and had his face covered with a white bandana.

Anyone with information regarding Tuesday morning’s robbery is asked to contact Det. Sgt. Bill Bluemer during business hours at 779-5100 and Isabella County Central Dispatch after business hours at 773-1000.

-Metro Editor Jackie Smith contributed to this report.

The suspect of the Jan. 8 sexual assault in an apartment on Deerfield Road will face trial in May.

Daniel Danny Leonard, 26, of Weidman is set to appear May 10 before Chief Judge Paul Chamberlain in Isabella County Trial Court. The date was set at Leonard’s final pretrial session Monday.

A hearing was originally scheduled, but both sides met behind closed doors.

Leonard faces 10 felony charges, including first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree home invasion, criminal sexual conduct with intent to commit sexual penetration and assault with a dangerous weapon. He has chosen to remain quiet and not enter a plea, said Isabella County Prosecutor Larry Burdick.

“The court has entered a not-guilty plea for him,” he said.

Leonard allegedly entered multiple unlocked apartments on Deerfield Road during the early morning hours of Jan. 8 and sexually assaulted a 24-year-old woman around 5:30 a.m.

Additional charges were added at a Jan. 27 hearing. Leonard also was charged with two counts of attempted first-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent. The extra charges stemmed from a second alleged sexual assault, taking place after the initial incident.

“I can tell you that he entered numerous apartments,” Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewsk told Central Michigan Life in January.

Leonard served time in prison prior to the sexual assault. He was sentenced to 15 months to 10 years in prison for possession of methamphetamine in July 2005, and was released in 2007.

He also was sentenced to 18 months in November 2004 for attempted larceny, but was discharged in July 2005, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records.

Police are investigating an armed robbery at a Mount Pleasant bank earlier today.

An unknown man robbed National City bank, 409 N. Mission St., around 11:15 a.m. with an unidentified weapon.

“When he got to the teller, he indicated he had a weapon and took an unknown amount of money,” said Dave Sabuda, public information officer for the Mount Pleasant Police Department.

After the robbery, Sabuda said the suspect fled the scene and ran westbound down Crosslanes Street. No one was injured in the incident.

The suspect was described as a light-skinned male between 5 feet, 6 inches and 5 feet, 8 inches tall. He is of a smaller to medium build, and was wearing a black or gray jacket with a hood, baggy jeans and had his face covered with a white bandana.

Police were still on the scene as of 12:50 p.m.

Photographers from Central Michigan University took all three spots in the Michigan Press Photographers Association’s College Photographer of the Year award Saturday.

CMU alumnus Neil Blake won first prize, with Spring Lake junior Jake May receiving second and Iron Mountain junior Libby March coming in third place.

“I was really excited to see all our hard work over the last semester pay off,” Blake said. “There’s nothing more exciting than winning an award with two of my closest friends (May and March).”

Blake, a former Central Michigan Life photographer, also received honorable mention in the Sports Picture Story category for his “Rodeo Drive” story.

March beat several professional photographers in winning first prize in the Feature Photo Story competition for her piece “Hearts Wide Open.”

“That story means so much to me,” she said. “I was so nervous and so much emotion, after I found out I got first, I threw up. I couldn’t believe it.”

May received honorable mention in the category for his story “Women of Westfall.” May and March are Central Michigan Life photographers.

Kent Miller, associate professor of journalism, took home first place in the Pictorial category for his photograph “Flying Fish.”

Other CMU alumni placed at the awards ceremony as well.

Emily Zoladz of The Grand Rapids Press received third place in the Multimedia News and Feature categories for her story, “Unconditional.” Kalamazoo Gazette photographer Jonathon Gruenke received honorable mentions in both Multimedia Project and Sports Picture Stories for his projects “Fair” and “Fight Night,” respectively.

Many students would enjoy any class that offered an opportunity to sample beer and wine.

In Wes Luckhardt’s FNS 263: Beverages in Foodservice class, students earn extra credit for it.

Two groups of students from the class took part in an exercise to help the Mount Pleasant Brewing Company, 614 W. Pickard St., pair beers with sandwiches on Thursday and Friday.

“It’s more about the food than the beer itself,” said Traverse City senior Dani Hook.

Hook, along with Port Huron senior Angel Assi, and Jackson senior Cierra Curtis, visited the restaurant Friday to help find an ideal beer match for eight different sandwiches.

Erik Bliss, operational manager for the Mount Pleasant Brewing Company, said many restaurants will match wines with entrees, but the brewing company is working with their selection of beers.

“What I’ve learned is not to expect anything,” he said.“Everyone has a different pallet. I’m excited to see the results.”

Students Sample Local Brew from CMLifeVideo on Vimeo.

The students were split into two groups to make sure their opinions did not influence the others. They received about one-third of four different sandwiches and eight cups filled with about four to six ounces of each beer.

The students then were asked to rate which beers matched the overall flavor of the sandwich on a scale of one to eight, with one being the best combination and eight being the worst.

Some combinations caused them to wince in disgust, but others prompted positive reactions.

“I don’t like the beer, but they go good together,” Assi said of the Second Wind Wheat beer and her cheese steak sandwich.

The students will return next week to sample the other four sandwiches. Eating eight sandwiches and drinking all the beer would just get them drunk, Bliss joked.

The assignment could net the students up to 5 percent extra credit in the class. The class work has called for them to sample beers and wines already, but this was a different experience.

“It was fun to use the skills from class to evaluate the beer,” Curtis said.

Bliss is a CMU alumnus and wanted to give back to his alma mater, and Luckhardt wanted to support a business in the community.

The class has helped the students gain a better appreciation for a drink’s ability to complement food, and beer itself.

While the samples were free for students, the endeavor was good for Bliss and the brewing company.

Curtis walked out with two six packs and Hook bought one for herself.

Employees working out of Charles V. Park Library room 428 are now answering their phones a little differently.

The office, formerly known as the Affirmative Action Office, changed its name Thursday to the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity.

The name was changed to better illustrate the services employees provide, said Matthew J. Olovson, assistant affirmative action officer.

“(We changed it) to be more acceptable, to be better understood as the office to handle discrimination and harassment complaints,” he said.

China sophomore Yanyan Fu thinks the name change met its stated goals.

“I think it’s great. Affirmative action is an older-fashioned name,” Fu said. “It’s more clear. People can tell the function of this office.”

The change had nothing to do with law passed in 2006 involving affirmative action in the state of Michigan, Olovson said. The initiative stated programs that receive state funding could not use that funding for affirmative action programs.

Olovson said there are still federal laws in favor of affirmative action, and the office can still provide affirmative action services with those funds.

“We receive federal funding. We still have affirmative action programs,” he said.

A longer process

While the name change came suddenly to Central Michigan University students, discussions of a modification have been ongoing among university officials for about 10 months.

A proposal to change the name was submitted to the senior officers, and has just now been approved. The office wanted to make clear it provides help to any victim of discrimination of any nature.

Comparable universities have changed their names or have had different names to illustrate similar points.

Western Michigan University’s office is the Office of Institutional Equity, while Wayne State University’s is the Office of Equal Opportunity.

“It’s a trend,” Olovson said. “I think a lot of other institutions that had affirmative action offices have already changed.”

Despite the change, employees will provide the same services to students.

Trenton freshman Adrian Dahlquist thinks the name will not make a difference to most students.

“It doesn’t really matter to me,” she said. “It’s the name of a building.”