Central Michigan Life » Sarah LeachLIFE News Editor

Alexander talks of LIFE changes; Web site among items discussed

Sarah LeachLIFE News Editor — Wed, 08 Nov 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Dave Alexander says CM LIFE’s presence on the World Wide Web will become
vitally important to the paper’s prosperity in the future.
“The Web product is a very important aspect of what CM LIFE is about and
what it will be about in the future,” he said. “Those who can’t get the
printed product will heavily depend on the Web product.”
Alexander, business editor for The Muskegon Chronicle, participated in
a public forum Monday morning as part of the interviewing process for
the director of Student Publications position, which oversees CM LIFE,
the Chippewa Yearbook and Framework, the campus literary magazine.
Director of Student Publications Jim Wojcik announced his retirement earlier
this semester after working in the department for nearly 30 years. He
is currently filling the position until a finalist is selected, and is
serving as a journalism temporary associate professor for the academic
year.
Alexander said the Web-based product of CM LIFE can provide an additional
source of revenue to the publication and allow for variances in presentation
between the print and Web pages.
“For an independent fresh look at the issues, people will turn to the
student newspaper. The question is how do you make money off the Web?
It’s not an easy thing to do, but if done right, it can provide an economic
boost to the paper,” he said.
But the main key to a successful tenure at CM LIFE is to connect with
the student staff, which is what Alexander intends to do.
“Time will provide that and going slow, being visible. I’m a hands-on
person; I like interaction. You take your time, assess and become comfortable
on both sides with whatever relationship is being developed.
“That starts to build over weeks and months and it starts to take hold
before the semester is out,” he said.
Alexander said, if he is selected, he would like to focus on placing challenges
before the paper’s staff including the use of topography and modern design.
“In terms of use of artwork and graphics, there’s room for growth,” he
said. “I would also like to see in-depth reporting and analysis where
it’s a step back to look at the broader picture of this community.”
Alexander said he would also encourage “maestroing,” which includes cooperation,
collaboration and teamwork between several people trained in various areas.
“You bring a diversity of talents together and that includes reporters,
desk editors and photo and art staff. They build the informational package
from all those disciplines … and how it will all come together.
“You must be able to work within this structure in many newspapers today,”
he said.
However, Alexander said, the changes will alter certain aspects of the
paper, not the publication as a whole.
“We’re not changing what we’re doing in journalism, we’re changing how
we do it. Those are the challenges that I would bring to the editorial
staff.”
Alexander said it is also important to maintain a good working relationship
between CM LIFE and the journalism department.
“As a student editor, it would only make sense that the two stay together,”
he said.
“The relationship will work based on the personalities involved. The students
also drive that relationship. What do you want out of both sides? How
close that is how close the players want to be and that will benefit the
overall thrust of journalism education at Central,” he said.
Alexander transferred to CMU in 1979 after receiving his associate’s degree
from Jackson Community College. While at Central, he worked at CM LIFE
as a reporter and assistant news editor during his junior year and editor
his senior year. He graduated from CMU in 1981 with a bachelor of applied
arts in journalism and a bachelor’s degree in political science.
He worked as a part-time sports reporter and twice as a summer intern
for the Jackson Citizen Patriot from 1977-79 and as summer editor for
the Brooklyn Exponent, based out of Brooklyn, Mich., in 1980.
In 1981, he went to work for The Muskegon Chronicle as a general assignment
reporter and served as the chief political reporter for the paper from
1983-89. From 1989-90, he served as the Chronicle’s Tri-Cities Bureau
chief, based in Grand Haven, and became the publication’s business editor
in 1991.
The last finalist to interview for the position is Neil Hopp, managing
editor for training and development of the Northwest Herald in Crystal
Lake, Ill., who will have an open forum from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. on Nov.
16 in the Bovee University Center’s Terrace A Room.

Election 2000 – Democrat Al Gore

Sarah LeachLIFE News Editor — Mon, 06 Nov 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Jerry Hoffman

It just makes sense – Al Gore would make a better president.
I could recapitulate the last five months on the campaign trail to prove my
point, but would you, the voter, really be swayed by my opinion, political
analysts, excerpts from debates and television and radio ads?
No. Your vote will be swayed only if you find that you relate to a candidate
and support his platform. That being said, here’s a few highlights on the
Gore and Bush platforms.
Civil Rights – Gore strongly supports affirmative action to ensure equal
opportunity for African-Americans and other minorities, and has said that, if
elected, he will issue an executive order banning racial profiling by law
enforcement; Bush opposes Affirmative Action, and while he urges government
agencies and private business to reach out to minorities, he proposes reducing
the size of government contracts to attract applications from smaller,
minority-owned businesses.
Abortion – Gore supports a woman’s right to choose and opposes overturning
Roe vs. Wade; Bush favors banning abortion, and has implemented 18
anti-choice provisions into law making it as difficult as possible for women
to obtain an abortion in Texas.
Taxes – Gore wants to preserve most of the projected $4.5 trillion budget
surplus over the next 10 years to secure Medicare and Social Security and to
pay down the national debt; Bush has made tax cuts his centerpiece of his
campaign, citing a 39.6-33 percent tax cut for the rich and 15 percent for
low-income workers.
Gay Rights – Gore strongly supports laws to end on-the-job discrimination
against gays and lesbians, and backs hate-crime laws that include sexual
discrimination; Bush opposes employment nondiscrimination laws, and believes
that hate-crime laws should not include gays.
Guns – Gore supports mandatory registration of new handguns and a state-run
system of photo-ID licensing for hand-gun owners; Bush opposes new
gun-control laws and signed a law in 1995 extending the right of Texas
citizens to carry concealed handguns in public places, and signed a 1997 law
extending that right to include churches, hospitals and amusement parks.
Vouchers – Gore opposes a system of school vouchers to avoid draining money
away from public schools; Bush strongly backs a system of school vouchers,
and tried to establish a voucher program in Texas in 1999 but lost the battle
in the state Legislature.
Environment – Gore would ban logging in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the
nation’s largest, and in other pristine wilderness areas of America’s
national forests. Gore also opposes oil drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge, and one of his top priorities is to reduce oil consumption and reduce
the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Bush objects to the Clinton-Gore proposal to protect 40 million acres in
roadless areas of national forests, supporting more logging and road
construction instead. He also favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge, and opposes the Kyoto treaty to slow global warming.
And aside from the platforms, Gore served in the Army from 1967-71, and went
to Vietnam, giving him a better understanding of our nation’s military. From
1986-85, he served as a congressman, challenging price gouging in the
pharmaceutical industry, having hearings on toxic waste and co-sponsored the
creation of the federal Department of Education. From 1985-92, he served in
the U.S. Senate, introducing the Supercomputer Network Act of 1986,
introducing legislation for the creation of Earth Day in 1990 and in 1991, he
introduced the Working Families Tax Relief Act.
What are "Dubya’s" credentials for being president?
He began his career in the oil and gas business in Midland in 1975 and worked
in the energy industry until 1986. Would you really want someone working in
big oil to dictate environmental and energy laws?
He didn’t even forge into politics until 1988 – 12 years ago – when he helped
his father campaign.
Bush assembled the group of partners that purchased the Texas Rangers
baseball franchise in 1989 and served as managing general partner of the
Rangers until he was elected Governor on Nov. 8, 1994.
That’s it – he has no other experience in politics other than serving as
governor of Texas for six years and now he wants to get behind the wheel of
the most powerful country in the world.
This one is just a no-brainer.
We are living in an era of profound and rapid change. Al Gore understands the
implications of these changes, and is willing to implement the programs
necessary to answer the exploding population growth, environmental hazards
and the impending fuel shortage crisis.
I appeal to you through the wise words of Joe Lieberman: "You learn to
vote when you learn how to drive. When you put the car in R, you go in
reverse, when you put it in D, you go forward."

Alexander to address students today at the Bovee University Center

Sarah LeachLIFE News Editor — Mon, 06 Nov 2000 00:00:00 +0000

The second of four
candidates vying for the director of Student Media position at CMU, will have
the opportunity to address questions from students and the university
community today.
Dave Alexander, business editor of The Muskegon Chronicle, will participate
in an open forum from 9 to 9:50 a.m. today in the Lake Huron Room of the
Bovee University Center, as part of the selection process for the position,
which oversees CM LIFE, the Chippewa Yearbook and Framework, the campus
literary magazine.
Director of Student Media Jim Wojcik announced his retirement earlier in the
semester after working in the department for nearly 30 years. He is currently
filling the position until a finalist is selected and serving as a temporary
associate professor for the journalism department for the academic year.
Alexander said he applied for the position because he appreciates what Wojcik
did for CM LIFE throughout his tenure at CMU.
"In my eyes, Jim Wojcik has always been a person that is caring; he
gives the compassion and the roughness when you need it. And he’s always been
there for the students, and there’s still that attachment.
"I’ve always thought, since he’s had such a profound effect, that when
his job became open that I would apply for it," Alexander said.
"I’m very happy with where I’m at right now and we do damn good work
here. I don’t take it lightly when I say I’m willing to leave. I take it very
seriously because of what Jim has built. That is a very key position and it’s
one that I think I could contribute to."
Alexander said, if selected, he could bring many resources to the position.
"No. 1, I have very strong people skills. Second, I have a background
and interest in working with young people. And third, I have a strong
knowledge of daily journalism as it is practiced in the world today."
Alexander said he has several new ideas that he would like to implement, if
selected.
"I have some philosophies in terms of coverage. Not what we cover, but
how we cover it. Things that I don’t see happening from what limited views I
have of your publication.
"I think in our profession we have a challenge to bring those 18- to
35-year-olds into the daily newspaper. We need to have the student
journalists coming out and work on the design and presentation; the guts of the
way we do things and communicating it in a clear and concise way, that
doesn’t change," he said.
"Those are things I would like to challenge and explore in terms of
preparing (the students) to hit the state newspapers; in presentation, design
and focus."
Alexander transferred to CMU in 1979 after receiving his associate’s degree
from Jackson Community College. While at Central, he worked at CM LIFE as a
reporter and assistant news editor during his junior year and editor his
senior year. He graduated from CMU in 1981 with a bachelor of applied arts in
journalism and a bachelor’s degree in political science.
He worked as a part-time sports reporter and twice as a summer intern for the
Jackson Citizen Patriot from 1977-79 and as summer editor for the Brooklyn
Exponent, based out of Brooklyn, Mich., in 1980.
In 1981, he went to work for The Muskegon Chronicle as a general assignment
reporter and served as the chief political reporter for the paper from
1983-89. From 1989-90, he served as the Chronicle’s Tri-Cities Bureau chief,
based in Grand Haven, and became the publication’s business editor in 1991.
As part of the selection process, Alexander had dinner with Wojcik on Sunday;
will participate in the public forum from 9 to 9:50 a.m. today; meet with the
selection committee from 10 a.m. to noon; lunch with Associate Vice President
of Public Relations and Marketing Bill Jenkins from 12:15 to 1:45 p.m.; meet
with Provost Richard Davenport and University President Michael Rao from 2 to
2:30 p.m.; with the CM LIFE staff from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m.; with the journalism
department from 4 to 4:30 p.m.; and with the Council of Deans from 5 to 5:30
p.m.
The last finalist for the position is Neil Hopp, managing editor for training
and development of the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill., who will have
an open forum from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. on Nov. 16 in the BUC Terrace A Room.

Ranzenberger to address students today at the Bovee University Center

Sarah LeachLIFE News Editor — Mon, 06 Nov 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Mark Ranzenberger, third
of four candidates vying for the director of Student Media position at CMU,
will have the opportunity to address questions from the campus community
today.
Ranzenberger, managing editor for the Isabella County Herald and temporary
journalism instructor for CMU, will participate in an open forum from 5 to 6
p.m. today in the Lake Michigan Room of the Bovee University Center, as part
of the selection process for the position, which oversees CM LIFE, the
Chippewa Yearbook and Framework, the campus literary magazine.
Director of Student Media Jim Wojcik announced his retirement earlier in the
semester after working in the department for nearly 30 years. He is currently
filling the position until a finalist is selected and serving as a temporary
associate professor for the journalism department for the academic year.
Ranzenberger said he has much to offer if selected for the position.
"Coming here and continuing my relationship with the university
definitely changed my life. I think my skills and knowledge would enable me
to be the director of Student Media and I wanted to make myself available to
have that opportunity.
"CMU really has been central to my life; no pun intended," he said.

Ranzenberger said his current position at CMU blended with 25 years
professional experience adds up to the right combination for the position,
and that’s why he applied.
"I know that I have a very good relationship with the students I am
teaching, many of whom work for CM LIFE. I know that the fact that I’m
currently working in the market, editing a newspaper in the market, gives me
a certain advantage," he said.
As far as changes go, Ranzenberger said he would like to see more stories
geared toward the College of Extended Learning, which comprises one-third of
CMU’s total enrollment.
"The important thing about Central Michigan LIFE is that it serves the
CMU community, but I don’t think right now that it serves the College of
Extended Learning. I think there is some way that LIFE could serve the
far-flung students in the college. How that would be done, I’m not exactly
sure, but surely it’s a possibility," he said.
By appealing to the broader audience, CM LIFE could boost its readership, he
said.
"I’m not alone in being a dedicated alumnus to CMU. I’d like to explore
that. That could easily raise the potential audience for CM LIFE, and I’d
sure like to take a look at that."
If selected for the position, Ranzenberger said he will provide leadership
and advice for the publication’s staff.
"CM LIFE is an excellent newspaper. I really hope to be able to continue
that because that is what other media outlets expect of them, they expect
them to be good and I expect that of them too," he said.
Ranzenberger graduated from CMU in 1982 with a bachelor of applied arts
degree in journalism. While at Central, he worked as a staff writer for CM
LIFE in 1981 and 1982.
From 1975-76, he worked as a staff announcer for the radio station
WBRN-AM-FM, based in Grand Rapids, and served as news director of the station
from 1977-1990.
He moved over to the print side of journalism in 1990, when he began working
as a political writer and columnist for The Midland Daily News, and served as
the publication’s weekend editor in 1997.
In 1997, Ranzenberger became the editor of the Huron Daily Tribune in Bad
Axe, a six-day-a-week daily newspaper. He left in 1999 when he became the
managing editor of the Mount Pleasant-based Isabella County Herald and began
teaching at CMU.
As part of the selection process, Ranzenberger will meet with the Council of
Deans at 9:30 a.m. today; with the journalism department at 10:15 a.m.; lunch
with Wojcik at 11:30 a.m.; with the selection committee from 1-3 p.m.; the
open forum at 5 p.m.; breakfast with Associate Vice President of Public
Relations and Marketing Bill Jenkins at 8 a.m. Wednesday; with the CM LIFE
staff from 2 to 3 p.m. Wednesday; and with Provost Richard Davenport and
University President Michael Rao from 2:30-3 p.m. Nov. 13.
The last finalist for the position is Neil Hopp, managing editor for training
and development of the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill., who will have
an open forum from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. on Nov. 16 in the BUC Terrace A Room.

Assistant director of student publications vies for adviser spot

Sarah LeachLIFE News Editor — Fri, 03 Nov 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Kathy Simon lives and breathes newspapers.
“I never liked anything but newspapers. I’ve been in newspapers since
high school,” she said.
Simon, Student Publications assistant director, addressed staff, faculty
and the media Thursday in a public forum as part of the interviewing process
for the director of Student Publications position, which oversees CM LIFE,
the Chippewa Yearbook and Framework, the campus literary magazine.
Director of Student Publications Jim Wojcik announced his retirement earlier
this semester after working in the department for nearly 30 years. He
is currently filling the position until a finalist is selected and is
serving as a temporary associate professor for the journalism department
for the academic year.
Simon said if she is selected for the position she will try to connect
with and provide guidance to CM LIFE’s student staff.
“I don’t see that being any different. While Wojcik has 30 years of extensive
contacts, I’ve been in the business as well, and I think I can work with
the students and find where they want to go,” she said.
Simon said as far as changes to the paper go, she would like the student
staff members to voice their opinions and be an integral part of the process.
“Changing the look of the newspaper is still up to the students because
it’s their paper. It also has to be approved by their (Student Media)
Board of Directors.
“I’m open to suggestions and feedback and it’s an educational process
for all of us as we grow and change,” she said.
New initiatives that Simon would like to implement include reaching out
to the surrounding media community.
“I want to work with more students at the high-school level to get young
writers in the newspaper business.”
And Simon likes to “think out of the box” when she focuses on CM LIFE’s
future.
“I think we’ll take CM LIFE as the campus wants it to grow. We’ve looked
at more publication dates for the paper, but we need to conduct a feasibility
study to see if we have enough businesses to warrant that and do we have
enough students?
“And we’ll also continue to develop the (CM LIFE) Web site into its own
product so that you’ll get more breaking stories or more in-depth stories,”
she said.
Simon said it’s also wise to maintain a healthy relationship with the
journalism department, and in the event that either entity needs to relocate
because of space constraints, the two stay physically close.
“It’s convenient for students to pop in and ask questions, so I think
it’s important for the two to stay together, maybe on the edge of campus
to give us more flexibility.
“The fact is, we do need to stay on campus; that is our market and we
need to be accessible to our customers,” she said.
If Simon were selected for the position, she would focus on the paper’s
finances, while a new assistant director would be more involved as an
editorial adviser to CM LIFE.
“We would need to bring in someone with a strong editorial background
to be an adviser to the students on a daily basis and I would oversee
the financial aspects of the paper,” she said.
The most important facet of the director, Simon said, is to build and
maintain relationships.
“It’s the students’ product and I think it’s important to build a relationship
with the student editor and (the) Public Relations (department).”
If selected, Simon said she could never replace Wojcik and the work he
did while at CMU.
“It’s impossible to replace Wojcik; he was my mentor. All we can do is
build on what he’s created,” she said.
If she isn’t selected, Simon said she will continue to work in her current
position for the department.
Simon attended CMU from 1977-81, and received her bachelor’s degree in
journalism with a minor in marketing. She worked at CM LIFE as a reporter
for one year in 1978, then moved into the publication’s advertising section
until her graduation. She also served as student ad manager for the last
semester of her senior year.
Her professional experience includes serving as the advertising director
for Morning Sun from 1995-98, and as sales and marketing director for
Central Michigan Newspapers Inc., both located at 711 W. Pickard St.
As part of the selection process, Simon will meet with Provost Richard
Davenport and University President Michael Rao from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Monday in the President’s Office Warriner Hall 106; and have lunch with
Associate Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing Bill Jenkins
at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday.
The other finalists for the position and the times of their public forums
are:

Mark Ranzenberger, managing editor of the Isabella County Herald
and temporary journalism instructor for CMU, from 5 to 6 p.m. Monday
in the Bovee University Center’s Lake Michigan Room;
David Alexander, business editor of the Muskegon Chronicle, from
9 to 9:50 a.m. Monday in the BUC Lake Huron Room;
Neil Hopp, managing editor for training and development of the Northwest
Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill., from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. on Nov. 16 in the
BUC Terrace A Room.

First interview for director of Student Media set

Sarah LeachLIFE News Editor — Wed, 01 Nov 2000 00:00:00 +0000

The first
of four finalists vying for the director of Student Media position will
answer questions from students and the university community on Thursday.
An open public forum will take place from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Anspach
Hall 154, giving students, faculty and staff the opportunity to meet Kathleen
Simon, assistant director of Student Publications for CMU.
Director of Student Media Jim Wojcik announced his retirement earlier
in the semester after working in the department for nearly 30 years. He
is currently filling the position until a finalist is selected, and serving
as a temporary associate professor for the journalism department for the
academic year.
Simon said several things set her apart from the other candidates.
“I believe I could bring continuity to the program as a CMU grad and a
former LIFEer, and as a current member of the staff.”
Simon said she applied for the position because she understands the value
of what CM LIFE brings to its student employees.
“With 20 years experience in the newspaper business, I feel I bring experience
and contacts. I have a passion for the business that I hope will inspire
the staff at CM LIFE,” she said.
Simon said she could not cite any specific changes that she would implement
if selected, because she wants to get a more hands-on feel for the operation.
“Right now it operates so well and is great in placing staff into career
opportunities,” she said.
Simon attended CMU from 1977-81, and received her bachelor’s degree in
journalism with a minor in marketing. She worked at CM LIFE as a reporter
for one year in 1978, then moved into the publication’s advertising section
until her graduation. She also served as student ad manager for the last
semester of her senior year.
Her professional experience includes serving as the advertising director
for The Morning Sun from 1995-98, and as sales and marketing director
for Central Michigan Newspapers Inc., both located at 711 W. Pickard St.
Simon joined the Student Publications staff in January, and currently
heads the advertising department for CM LIFE.
As part of the selection process, Simon will meet with the Council of
Deans from 9 to 9:30 a.m. Thursday in the Bovee University Center Lake
St. Clair Room; with the search committee from 10 a.m. to noon in the
BUC Isabella Room; with the journalism department from 1:30 to 2 p.m.
in Anspach Hall 002; the open forum from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.; dinner with
Wojcik at 5 p.m.; meet with Provost Richard Davenport and University President
Michael Rao from 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Monday in the President’s Office
Warriner Hall 106; and lunch with Associate Vice President of Public Relations
and Marketing Bill Jenkins at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday.
The other finalists for the position and the times of their public forums
are:

Mark Ranzenberger, managing editor of the Isabella County Herald and temporary journalism instructor at CMU, will have an open forum from 5 to 6 p.m. Monday in the BUC Lake Michigan Room;
David
Alexander, business editor of the Muskegon Chronicle, will have an open
forum from 9 to 9:50 a.m. Monday in the BUC Lake Huron Room;
Neil Hopp, managing editor for training and development of the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill., will have an open forum from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. on Nov. 16 in the BUC Terrace A Room.

Journalism Professor John Palen, co-chair of the search committee, said there are several qualities the committee members are searching for in the finalists.
“We’re looking for what we advertised – someone with at least a bachelor’s degree, a minimum of five years experience in the field and at least two of those in management either in news or advertising,” he said.
“We want someone who can work effectively with employees and clients of a widely varied background, maintain positive relations with students, faculty, visitors, fellow workers and the general public and who has knowledge of budgeting and newspaper technology.
“They also must communicate effectively both orally and in writing and develop empathetic rapport with students,” Palen said.
Palen said he is satisfied with the four finalists.
“We wanted to narrow it down to a reasonably sized field and included the best candidates and the ones that were still interested in the position, and I think that’s what we’ve done.”
After the finalists visit campus, the search committee will then submit its report to Davenport, who ultimately selects the new director.
“I think we have a wonderful field of candidates. I’m just so pleased. We had 26 from around the country and we’ve narrowed it down to four … and I’m wonderfully encouraged,” Palen said.

PR layoffs result in controversy

Sarah LeachLIFE News Editor — Mon, 30 Oct 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Three university employees are now out of a job after what officials are calling a restructuring of Public Relations and Marketing.
Linda Norlock, publications director; Carol McGinnis, assistant director of publications and electronic communications; and Tracy Backs, marketing and advertising director, were told Tuesday that their positions were being eliminated as part of a departmental restructuring process, said Associate Vice President for Public Relations and Marketing Bill Jenkins.
The reason
Jenkins said when he joined the office in January, he began the restructuring process by focusing on one area at a time.
“There are two basic areas within the department,” he said. “There’s media relations, and we created an executive director of Public Relations position, which is now filled by Mike Silverthorn.
“The other side is the publication and marketing side, and we’ve created an executive director of publications and marketing.
“As a result of that, the director of publications and director of marketing jobs have been eliminated,” he said.
McGinnis’s job, which includes overseeing the CMU Web site, was also affected, but not for the same reason. Jenkins said similar work on the Web site was being performed by Information of Technology, so the need for the position in Public Relations was small.
“As it turns out, what we’re doing here and what they’re doing there was being duplicated by the Office of Information Technology,” he said.
As a result, OIT will be responsible for the Web site, but PR will still remain connected to the site.
“One of our functions here is the image and identity of the university. We will still have an oversight responsibility of the Web site. We won’t be developing any programs or making changes to the Web site, but we will approve any design changes,” Jenkins said.
Those affected
However, the process of eliminating someone’s position is never easy. Jenkins said the three women will remain on staff for the next 45 days, which will allow them to make a gradual transition out of the department.
“Because these jobs have been eliminated, the folks that were affected will continue to work for 45 days. As we reach the end of that period, we will have others take on their responsibilities,” Jenkins said.
Carol McGinnis
“I was totally blind-sided by it.”
McGinnis said she’s upset with the process because it eliminates her position’s function.
“I dealt with the words and content of the Web site. I was told the functions of my job would be picked up by the Information Technology area, but I’m not convinced that they can offer the skills that I could.”
McGinnis said she feels she is being punished for taking the initiative to improve the Web site.
“In December 1994, Computer Services installed the first version of the Web sites. At that time, Computer Services thought this was a Public Relations and Marketing tool.
“From December of 1994 until November of 1997, I was essentially working two jobs. I was managing the content of the Web site, then the job I was originally hired for, which was editing the internal newsletter and the campus magazine,” McGinnis said.
“I was putting in a hell of a lot of hours.”
McGinnis said in 1998, Information Technology Assistant Vice President Bob Berry joined the university staff, heralding changes to the Web site.
“He had a lot of ideas for the Web site. Things started changing to make the site more interactive, but there wasn’t a lot of planning taking place in the two areas,” McGinnis said.
In early 1999, a committee was formed to discuss management maintenance of the Web site. Members included McGinnis, Berry, Norlock and former Public Relations Spokesperson Rae Goldsmith.
When Goldsmith left in the spring of 1999, McGinnis said Berry set up a university-wide Web site planning team, which did not involve her.
“Not only did he choose not to involve me, but he didn’t even tell me about it, so I was cut out of the information loop. I would have had some good ideas and suggestions,” she said.
Berry said the Web committee focused solely on the academic portion of the Web site, and included representatives from the colleges as members.
Berry said he wasn’t sure why McGinnis was not asked to serve on the committee.
“Quite frankly, I’m an assistant vice president and her boss was Linda Norlock, and her boss was Rae Goldsmith, so I don’t know why someone three steps down was involved with the committee.”
McGinnis said she feels she is being admonished for doing a good job.
“I took the initiative to try something new and now this job no longer exists, but had I not taken the initiative to do this I would have had the job I had. I feel that I’m being penalized for taking the initiative to try something new.”
McGinnis also said she feels mislead.
“In the summer, Jenkins eluded to the fact that I may receive some sort of promotion in October; instead they laid me off.
“There was talk of changing my position to director. I even compiled a job description and received no feedback. Then on Oct. 16, I initiated a meeting to talk about the job. (Jenkins) then said a lot of things were up in the air, but there was no indication that my position would be eliminated,” she said.
Now after 10 years at CMU, McGinnis will leave in December.
“When I look back on my time at CMU, in some ways I feel used. I was performing two jobs.”
Tracy Backs
“I had no idea; I was shocked.”
Backs said she was disappointed with the decision.
“I think that the decision is very bad for the university, the department and for me personally,” she said.
Backs said her job was vital to the university.
“I, as the director of marketing and advertising, was the writer for a university marketing plan. I did years of research on target groups such as parents, students, guidance counselors and non-matriculating students. From that research, I put together a university-wide marketing plan.”
Backs said that after four years of work, both her research and the marketing plan were essentially ignored.
“I don’t even think (University) President (Michael) Rao even knows that they exist, and that was kind of disheartening,” she said.
Rao said he is only aware of a plan that Jenkins developed.
“I wouldn’t be surprised that it was something that he was involved in. I don’t know and can’t make any statements that it was ignored,” he said.
Backs said she was the chair of the former marketing and image-building group, and that the results of those meetings are not credited to those that deserve it.
“We are not getting the recognition of the work that was done and I think Bill is taking credit for (it).”
Jenkins took the listing of the marketing goals and marketing action plans that her group compiled to a meeting with Rao, she said.
“And that portion did not have the name of the authors on it. The only thing that Bill did was take the executive summary from the research I did. Just the fact that in letting me go, they’re losing the knowledge of all this research,” she said.
Jenkins disagreed.
“I don’t remember taking that stuff to anybody. Any work I do for the university belongs to the university and whoever gets credit gets credit. Anyone that’s worked here knows Tracy and that she does marketing,” he said.
The only viable reason for eliminating her position, Backs said, is because “they wanted to get rid of us.
“I’m an excellent employee and have excellent performance reviews. This isn’t a layoff, this is a firing. They can’t do it because of poor performance, so they are going to do it by laying people off and reorganizing the department,” she said.
Backs said she, too, was excluded from meetings that greatly pertained to her job function.
“I’ve been continually excluded from marketing meetings and I am the person on campus that knows the most about it. Bill recently hired a consultant to do a one-day focus group with campus personnel. I was not invited to that meeting. I asked if I could just observe and Bill said he would call me in the morning to tell me if I could attend, but I never got a phone call,” she said.
Backs said she also feels mislead by Jenkins.
“He continually mislead me and basically my presence was ignored. Here I am, the director of marketing, and not allowed to attend this meeting.”
Jenkins said Backs was excluded from the Image Building and Identity Focus Group meeting because he was representing the department.
“We had 20 people taking part and one from my department, which was me. I just didn’t feel that it was necessary to have her attend. That was my call and I felt that one position was adequate,” he said.
Jenkins said Rao likes to receive input from everyone on campus, so a “strategic plan” was formed.
“We talked about key and supporting messages and it was following that meeting when a number of faculty wondered why they weren’t part of that. As part of that process, we were going to have a focus group on core values, and the faculty were really key in that,” he said.
“We decided to change the core values focus group to a more image and identity building focus group. I have just put a report together of comments from members of the group, and once Rao looks at it, we’ll send it out to the focus group, where they can comment on it. Hopefully then, there will be a document created and from that we will develop a marketing plan.”
Backs criticized the purpose of the meeting altogether.
“You want to hear from your target audiences, not someone working at the university.
“I thought it was a waste of money because it is work that I had already done. The consultant was charged with putting together a marketing plan after a one-day focus group,” she said.
However, the big problem, according to Backs, is the fact that the three eliminated positions were occupied by women.
“We’re the three highest-payed females in the department and suddenly we’re out of a job. That screams sexual discrimination,” she said.
Backs said the situation shows that not only did Jenkins discriminate, but the university as well.
“I think that this shows gender discrimination. I’ve requested staff and funds for attending conferences, but I didn’t receive those because Bill told me that we were $90,000 in the whole. Then I found out that four or five colleagues of mine were going to Chicago. All of them are male with the exception of one,” she said.
Jenkins said the allegations of sexual discrimination are false.
“If you look at the number of people in the department it’s 75 percent women,” he said.
Jenkins said the $90,000 was not a deficit in the budget, but a shifting of funds.
“With the addition of the position of executive director of public relations and a second graphic designer, those positions added up to $90,000 in salaries and benefits. That money was transferred from the operating budget to salaries and benefits. I’m now trying to get that $90,000 back, but so far I’ve been unsuccessful.”
Backs said that overall, Jenkins’s leadership skills are not what they should be.
“For a professional communicator he is poor. He doesn’t think of the big picture; he has no vision. I think he’s manipulative and I believe that he is taking the credit for others. Generally, I think that he is incompetent and that the morale of the office is very poor. I feel for the university for being left with a person like this. My co-workers are all worried about their job at this point.”
Linda Norlock
Norlock, who has worked for the department for 12 years, said because Jenkins had talked about restructuring the department since his arrival, she wasn’t totally surprised with the change.
“It’s time for a new phase and I’m sure it will be a good one.”
Sexual discrimination?
Jenkins said he received an e-mail forward from Rao, which originally was sent by Backs’s husband, psychology Associate Professor Richard Backs.
“He’s asking the president to reverse the decision or he will mail a letter to CM LIFE accusing me of sexual harassment,” Jenkins said. “I don’t take kindly to being accused of sexual harassment.”
Richard Backs said his e-mail correspondence should not be viewed as a threat.
“I was going to send the letter to CM LIFE anyway. It wasn’t a threat to rescind the action; I don’t expect that to happen. I wanted (Rao) to see it and respond to it if he saw anything in there that wasn’t accurate. I did not, in any stretch of my imagination, think that this could be misconstrued as a threat. I viewed it as a courtesy to (Rao) to send him a copy before I sent it to the paper,” Backs said.
Rao said the situation will be considered very seriously.
“When there are accusations of discrimination of that nature, it’s important that people use the appropriate venue in the organization, and that would be Affirmative Action Officer Phyllis Powell, in order to make sure it’s handled appropriately,” he said.
Rao said although he is ultimately responsible for Public Relations, it is difficult to be intricately involved in day-to-day operations.
“I made a decision some time ago to have PR report to me. In an institution with 2,500 employees and 27,000 students, it’s important that I know what’s going on.
“It ends up not being possible … to be intimately involved with every employee,” Rao said. “I take responsibility and I’m happy to do that, but there’s only so much I can control. The accusations that have been made strike me as serious and we want to follow up on them.”
What’s next?
Backs said she plans to follow up on the discrimination issue.
“I will be meeting with Powell and I will request a meeting with the president,” she said.
Jenkins said he has encouraged both Norlock and Backs to apply for the new executive director position, and that the job will be posted sometime next week.
“I have offered to help those affected in any way that I can,” he said.
Backs said even if she applied, she would not receive the new position.
“We were offered no reason for the restructuring. Our duties still exist and we were offered to apply for the new position, but there was no job description so I felt that that was an empty offer,” she said.
“I told Bill in July that if there was a position created like the one that has been, I would be very interested, but under the current leadership of the department, I’m not interested in applying. I am definitely looking into opportunities outside the university.”
McGinnis said she is looking to explore the completion of her master’s degree at Saginaw Valley State University.
“They are the only university that has a program in master of arts in communication in multimedia.”
McGinnis said she originally started to work toward her master’s to advance her knowledge for her CMU position. Now, she isn’t sure where she’ll go.
“I was not told of or to apply for the new positions,” she said.
McGinnis said she has already talked with Powell, and that she has requested a one-on-one meeting with Rao.
“I’m looking at options and I’m seeking advice,” she said.
Norlock said she is not planning to apply for the new position but wants to find a new job as soon as possible.
“I don’t have any plans to pursue anything other than a new job.”
Jenkins said although the situation was difficult, the restructuring was necessary.
“I had to take a look at which way the department had to be organized to take the next step,” he said.
Rao said in a situation like this, there is bound to be some degree of difficulty.
“Any leader who would have made a decision that would affect someone’s employment is not likely to be popular. The organization’s needs sometimes change and emerge in areas where the skill bases or the previous positions may not be a match,” he said.

Budget issues highlight city commission meeting

Sarah LeachLIFE News Editor — Wed, 25 Oct 2000 00:00:00 +0000

The second presentation on the 2001 Proposed Operating Budget for the City of Mount Pleasant highlighted the city commission’s general meeting Monday night.
City Manager Paul Preston explained what funds, other than the City’s general fund, were used for specific projects.
“Many people assume that the City’s budget is covered mostly by the general fund, but that actually only covers 41 percent of the budget,” he said.
The total City budget for 2001 is $22 million as compared to last year’s $21 million.
The remainder of the budget is comprised of enterprise funds, at 29 percent; debt service funds, at 3 percent; capital project funds, at 6 percent; and special revenue funds, at 13 percent.
Special revenue funds, which the budget proposes to decrease from $3.35 million last year to $2.86 million this year, are used for specific projects and activities, Preston said. They include major and local streets, parking, parks and recreation, block grants, economic development and storm drain improvement.
Preston said capital project funds are used to account for the receipt and disbursement of monies used for the acquisition or construction of capital facilities, including the Riverwalk Trail Project, operations of the Downtown Development Authority and improvements to Mission Street. The budget proposes an increase in the funds from $1.26 million last year to $1.33 million.
Debt service funds, which the budget proposes to increase from $629,000 last year to $664,000, are used to account for the accumulation of resources and payment of interest and principal on long-term debt other than bonds payable recognized in proprietary funds.
Enterprise funds are used to account for operations that provide goods or services to the general public on a continuing basis and are financed or recovered primarily through user charges. These services include the Mount Pleasant Airport, sewers, water and solid waste removal. The budget proposes to increase the funds from $6.1 million last year to $6.6 million.
Preston said the proposed budget also includes a millage increase of half
a mill to fund the expansion of the Department of Public Safety building
and possibly the hiring of an additional police officer and firefighter.
The increase would result in a 15.95 millage rate this year, compared
to the 15.45 millage rate last year.
A mill is a form of tax levy and the amount of revenue generated depends
on the standing millage rate. For example, if a parcel of property, which
includes any buildings and property, is valued at $50,000, the owner would
pay $15.95 for every thousand dollars worth of property, or $797.50.
The commissioners gave their input after the presentation concluded.
Commissioner Mike Pittsley said he is concerned about the increase in
funding for the additional officers.
Pittsley said there was a study conducted by the City in the past, which
should be re-evaluated to examine the officer-to-resident ratio.
“We need to know if we really need more officers,” he said.
Commissioner Sharon Tilmann said many residents often ask her why certain
roads, that are not bad, are repaired while others, that are in worse
shape, are not.
“I get questions such as those about how certain residents are catered
to and I want to answer that question before I get asked,” she said.
Director of Public Works Duane Ellis said in many of those instances,
crews are working on a non-street problem and resurface or repair the
street to kill two birds with one stone.
“Sometimes when we repair things like a sewer, we tend to redo the street
at the same time. We have an inventory that lists the condition of streets
to maintain the levels of repair that need to be done.
“Sometimes we’re not working on the worst streets to keep them from becoming
worse. We like to work on the streets somewhere in the middle before they
degenerate,” Ellis said.
Preston said a public hearing on the proposed budget will take place at
the Nov. 13 meeting.
“We don’t have to approve it until the second meeting in December, but
in the past, we usually approve it in November,” he said.
In other news:

The commission received the monthly status report from Preston.
Two public hearings took place to assist Listening Ear Crisis Center Inc. in the construction and development of low-income housing. Commissioner Tilmann, Vice Mayor Gerald Cassel and Mayor Al Kaufmann all abstained from both hearings.
The first hearing was to allow public input on the City’s intent to take part in the project; no public comment took place. The second hearing was to allow public input on a City ordinance to issue bonds for the center; no public comment took place. No further action was taken by the commission at that time.
The commission approved the appointment of Michelle L. Howard, director of Academic Advising Services for CMU, to the Mount Pleasant Planning Commission.

The next commission meeting will take place on Nov. 13 at City Hall, 401 N. Main St.

Senior officers enjoy parking perks

Sarah LeachLIFE News Editor — Mon, 23 Oct 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Wouldn’t it be nice to park anywhere on campus without the impending threat of being ticketed?
Central’s senior officers have that privilege.
CMU Police Capt. Ron Williams said there are approximately 30 senior officers on campus ranging from Provost Richard Davenport to Gary Shapiro, dean of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences.
The permits, marked “SO,” allow the officers to park in virtually any lot on campus with the exception of handicapped and no-parking spaces.
“They’re not required to pay most of the meters and the reason for that is they’re the highest-paid employees at the university. They can park in the commuter lots and the faculty, staff lots.”
However, there are some exceptions, he said.
The officers cannot park in Lots 10, 15 and the Bovee University drive – all meter lots – without paying for the space.
“Those are the areas where meter parking is highly sought after, so they must pay for those meters spots.”
And if a senior officer is caught parking in one of those lots with an expired meter, Williams said they are ticketed.
“I expect that when we ticket, that the senior officers would pay the ticket just as anyone else would.”
Williams said although several universities have other ways of tackling senior officer parking, CMU takes a different approach.
“Many universities have reserved spots for these people, but we don’t reserve spaces for them here. They have to search for spaces like everybody else.”
And the officers seem comfortable with the arrangement.
“I never hear them complain; they have to walk like others, as well,” Williams said.
The officers also must pay to park like everyone else on campus – $100 each year for the permits.
The parking amenities are one of the perks of being a senior officer, said Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe.
“We’re very fortunate to have them.”
Roscoe said the reason for having the permits, and all the privileges attached, is justified.
“Senior officers tend to have several meetings, perhaps more than some positions on campus, throughout the day and it does make it easier to attend those external meetings and get back to campus faster,” he said. “That’s the biggest advantage.”
Although the permit is a privilege that comes with the job, Roscoe said he is thankful every day.
“The big deal is that we can park at all of the lots. And I really do appreciate it,” he said. “I think a lot of senior officers try to stay away from the meter spots, knowing that we should keep them free for visitors because they tend to be for short-term parking.”
Roscoe said although the ability to park virtually anywhere on campus does not make it easier to find a parking space, he doesn’t mind.
“But that may be because I don’t mind walking. I can usually find a spot if I don’t mind walking to where I’m headed.”

Faculty, staff left without e-mail system Thursday

Sarah LeachLIFE News Editor — Fri, 13 Oct 2000 00:00:00 +0000

Faculty and staff may have noticed a slight problem with the campus e-mail system
Thursday — it wasn’t working.
Ryan M. Buckley, marketing associate for the Office of Information Technology,
said the server on which the system relies crashed at about 8 a.m.
Director of Advanced Technologies Renae Eckland said the system crashed because
of a corrupted mail storage area. Technicians still do not know what caused the
error.
“We’re investigating the cause of that and making sure that it doesn’t
happen again,” she said.
The system, which is completely separate from the campus e-mail system for students,
was affected throughout the day. It was not completely restored until 4 p.m.
Although the campus voice mail system was also recently on the fritz, Eckland
said there is no connection between the two incidents.
“It’s just a coincidence that they happened at the same time. It was
an unexpected error that came up.”
No information on the system was lost, but anyone who has concerns or is experiencing
problems with the system can call the Woldt Computer Lab Help Desk at 774-3662.