The Bovee University Center’s construction will continue through the fall semester, and while the renovations will not be completely finished by the time students arrive, building visitors can expect to see a number of new additions. The UC will include a post office, game area, Starbucks coffee shop, an open lounge seating area and several large and small conference rooms.

A new women’s restroom and a unisex restroom will also be installed.

“The third floor east wing is currently one of the completed portions on the project,” said Steve Lawrence, vice president of Facilities Management. “The game area is to be finished this month and the lower east wing will be done in August.”

Lawrence said the post office, Presidential Conference Room and a few other conference rooms have already been completed.

The last portion of the UC renovations is not expected to be completed until December, Lawrence said. This last portion includes the main floor’s west wing, including the women’s restroom.

The project remains within its original proposed budget of $5 million so far, Lawrence said.

Midland senior Ryan Dingman said he is excited for the renovations to be completed from what he has seen of them.

“I’ve taken a walk around the construction areas and it just looks great so far,” he said.

Dingman said he is looking forward to the student-oriented feel the new additions will have.

“The new lounge areas are going to make it easier for people to just relax,” Dingman said. “There is going to be a lot of new furniture for students to just sit down and take a break.”

Brighton senior Brandon Pach said he is looking forward to seeing the finished product as well.

Pach said he thinks the construction will help improve the atmosphere in the UC.

“I think it’ll feel more chill and relaxing,” he said. “I don’t really think of it right now as a place to go relax. I wish I would’ve had something like this before my senior year.”

That change, however, may be more suitable for some.

Summer classes take the information students learn over a 16-week semester and fit it into a six- or three-week class. Some students may find the thought daunting, but others prefer the faster pace of summer classes.

Lake Orion sophomore Jeff Hickey said he prefers summer classes when compared to the fall and spring semesters.

“I feel like a lot of the useless busy work that you encounter throughout the regular school year is cut out,” he said. “You really just get right down into the core of whatever class you’re taking.”

Hickey said one of the biggest perks of summer classes is the greater amount of free time.

Though his classes met almost every day of the week, Hickey said with only one or two classes, he had more time to focus on the work given.

“During the school year there is just so much going on every week,” he said. “Usually I have a lot of credits so I’m pretty busy just from my classes, then there’s everything else that goes with college life.”

Holland senior Andy Carmichael said he prefers to take classes during the summer as well.

Carmichael has taken summer classes for the past two years, and said he notices a definite improvement in his performance in summer classes versus fall and spring semester classes.

He said he also enjoys the lower student-to-professor ratio in the summer, finding his professors to be more helpful and accommodating.

“The class sizes are usually much smaller so there’s time for more one-on-one with your professor,” he said. “It gives your professor the chance to actually get to know you a little bit better than during the fall.”

Students are not the only ones to prefer summer classes over fall and spring classes. Mathematics professor Donna Ericksen said she would rather teach in the summer class than fall and spring.

Ericksen’s material stays the same, but the atmosphere of her classroom changes.

“When you get to see the students everyday, you really get to know them,” she said. ”Also, since the students are only taking a couple of classes, they often have more time to come in for help if they need it.”

Though she does not see a significant difference in student performance between summer classes and fall and spring classes, Ericksen said students seem more relaxed during the summer.

Muskegon resident Anthony Schafer II, 24, Pierson resident Joshua Bennett, 26, Sand Lake residents Bruce Walters, 37, Joshua Guiles, 33, and Kevin White, 34, Cedar Springs resident Daniel Johnson, 36, and Grand Rapids resident Austin Vodry, 36, were all charged and convicted of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise after their arrests in 2010.

Isabella County Prosecutor Larry Burdick said the group hit several locations around Mount Pleasant and Isabella County.

“The group targeted Home Depot, Menards, Target and Sam’s Club,” Burdick said.

Detective Jerry Carter of the Michigan State Police said a group of between four and six of the convicted would typically enter a store, then work together to gather spools of copper wire or other valuables and load them into garbage cans or or other containers. Then, part of the group would work to distract cashiers while the others carted the stolen merchandise out the door.

“The group would use this method to steal large quantities of copper wire,” Carter said. ”They would then strip the wire and sell it for scrap metal.”

The Michigan state Police investigation that eventually accumulated enough evidence to arrest and charge the group was led by Detective Jerry Carter of the Mount Pleasant Post, and Detectives Ed Doyle and Mike Morey of the Lakeview and Ionia posts.

Several of the men had appeared in court for similar activity in the past but only received minor charges, Carter said.

“We were aware of some members of the group from an investigation in 2008, but they weren’t charged with anything serious,” he said. “After that, we didn’t see much activity until 2010 when huge volumes of wire were going missing from store inventories. That’s when the same people began to show up.”

Burdick said it was Carter who most pushed to get the men charged with Conducting a Criminal Enterprise.

“He really took the lead to put together the case,” Burdic said. ” … He bumped the charge up from a five-year sentence to a potential 20-year sentence.”

In addition to the conviction of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, many of the seven were also convicted of separate charges, including Retail Fraud First Degree, Felony Retail Theft, and Receiving and Concealing $1,000 to $20,000.

One hundred people showed up to demonstrate their support during the 3-mile bike ride, despite the pouring rain. Theresa Ruper, board of directors president for the United Way of Isabella County, said she was very excited about the turn out.

“We raised about $10,000 in money and in kindness (donations),” she said. “This just wouldn’t have worked without everyone here, sponsors and participants.”

Many attendants were seen walking around smiling and conversing before the start of the ride.

Kyle Joseph, a Mason freshman, and Kris Lawrence, a Washington freshman, said the event was a great way to get out and give back.

Miles Coffland, left, Mike Demos, Joel Bollinger, Benjamin Rollenhagen, and Nathan Wernette ride into Island Park on Saturday afternoon finishing there 100 mile bike ride. "It was a great experience to ride with such great people", says Rollenhagen. (Joe Tobianski/Staff Photographer)

“It’s United Way,” Joseph said. “I like to help out organizations like this and give back.”

Many other riders shared the same feelings toward the event.

Biking-enthusiast Duane Ling attended the event with his mother. He said it was great that they were giving helmets to kids as part of the event.

“We are big sponsors of United Way. We also love biking, so it was a great event for us,” the Mount Pleasant resident said. “It’s a good cause and United Way just does all sorts of things for the community.”

The United Way may make this an annual event, Rupert said.

Many other attendees came with their families, including some who hadn’t even know about the event.

Amanda Morgan and her family were already out for a bike ride when they learned of fun ride, she said.

“We just found out about it this morning,” the Mount Pleasant resident said. “We wanted to go out for a bike ride together for the cold weather came and then my son found out about this before we left.”

The 26th annual Summerfest put on by the city’s board of directors, begins today in Island Park.

Judy Freeze, director of the children’s village, said the event is run completely by volunteers and is entirely non-profit.

“We want to provide different activities and services for the community,” Freeze said. “We want to be involved with the community and give back.”

The board has brought in a variety of events and activities for this year’s Summerfest. Freeze said there will be events for everyone to partake in.

Mayor Jim Holton said he is excited for Summerfest to start.

“Summerfest is just a fun event,” Holton said. “There is so much to do and see. The board of directors has really done a good job of putting everything together. I’m going to bring my 4-year-old kid to the carnival.”

A children’s area with games and crafts will be available all weekend, Freeze said. There will also be a carnival for the whole family and live music and entertainment tents for adults.

“We’ve got quite a few different events and activities,” Freeze said.

Summerfest will also include a co-ed softball tournament on Saturday and Sunday.

The Saginaw and Chippewa Indian tribes will put on a cultural display Wednesday through Saturday.

The Great Lakes Timber Show will hold demonstrations and log rolling competitions from Thursday to Sunday.

Freeze said a fireworks display will be held Friday and Saturday night.

Kevin Chamberlain and the Greez Monkeez will perform at 8:30 p.m. Friday. There is a $3 cover charge and only adults aged 21 years old and up are permitted.

The board of directors works to bring in something different each year, Holton said.

“Summerfest has been going on for many years, even since I was in college, and every year there is something new and fun,” Holton said. “June is a slow month around here, so Summerfest is a great thing to have to get people out of their houses and involved. It’s a great community event.”

The College of Medicine building, which has been in construction as an addition to the Health Professions building since May, was designed with a variety of different rooms and areas with specialized purposes.

Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of facilities management, said the building will have 24 faculty offices, 10 small group study rooms, learning commons, quiet study areas, two lecture rooms, a large lecture hall, student affairs suite, a series of exam rooms, two anatomy labs, a small library and a simulator room.

Lawrence said the simulator room will be one of the most impressive features of the new building. It will give medical students the chance to practice what they have learned on specially designed mannequins.

Central Michigan University chose URS Corporation to design the facility. He said there was a long and careful process in choosing the design firm.

“We put out requests for proposals and then from there narrowed it down to the best project design teams,” Lawrence said. “We then selected the team that we felt was strongest.”

URS also designed the new Michigan State University medical facility in Grand Rapids. Lawrence said CMU has previous experience with the engineering and construction corporation.

“URS was the company that we used to design the library,” Lawrence said.

The company cooperated with planning and design firm Ellenzweig for the construction of CMU’s new medical building.

The Student Environmental Alliance will have its “Earth Day” celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday at Warriner Mall.

Audrie Thelen, SEA member and Eagle graduate student, expects it to be a very relaxed event. She said it is designed as a walkthrough, come-and-go styled event for participants.

“Hopefully, people will just come through and walk and learn a little bit about what’s going on,” Thelen said of environmental issues.

This year marks Earth Day’s 40th anniversary.

Thomas Rohrer, faculty adviser for SEA and assistant professor of environmental studies, said the group has a variety of activities planned.

There will be several educational opportunities about Earth Day and the environment, and other activities.

“We plan to have different demonstrations regarding sustainability,” Rohrer said. “There will be a solar panel display, a demonstration on wind energy and jewelry made from Michigan materials.”

SEA is bringing in several businesses that use and promote environmentally friendly products such as solar panels or wind towers, said Milford senior and SEA member Samantha Fiani.

Fiani said businesses come to demonstrate what they are doing to be green.

Environmental Quality Industrial Services is one company attending.

“I collected data on a site that had an oil spill,” she said. “They were working to remedy the problem.”

Fiani said SEA will offer recycled notebooks to students.

“The notebooks are made from recycled cereal and beer boxes as well as paper from the computer labs,” Fiani said.

Thelen said Earth Day is a great chance for those looking to learn about alternative forms of energy.

“There are a lot of people who are skeptic about solar power in Michigan. We plan to have a solar panel demonstration that will show that solar power is still a viable source of power in Michigan,” Thelen said. “The whole day can really just be a big learning experience for people.”

Last year, Facilities Management was granted $830,000 to re-roof a portion of the 2,568,000 square feet of roofing on campus.

Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of Facilities Management, said the buildings designated for roof work are the Student Activity Center, Brooks Hall, Rose Arena, Kelly/Shorts Stadium’s locker room, Bohannon School, Ronan Hall, Merrill Hall and dining facility, and Smith Hall.

“The project was started around last May. All the buildings were finished except for Merrill, Smith and Ronan, which are being finished now,” Lawrence said. “There are just small portions of work left to do on those buildings.”

Lawrence said a different kind of roofing material is being used than the standard. Some of the buildings are receiving an Energy Star white aggregate marble and white flood coat roof. Previously, the roofs had a standard washed gravel and flood coat.

“The white roofs are intended to reduce the amount of heat gained from the sun,” Lawrence said. “It’s supposed to lessen the AC load and reduce our costs. Again, it’s a sustainability thing.”

The difference in materials used comes at a cost. The Energy Star brand costs $1.60 a square foot. The previous material cost 98 cents per square foot. Lawrence said the university switched to installing white roofs in 2008, where possible.

Milford sophomore Mat Zaremba supports the university’s decision.

“If using the white materials is going to reduce the cost in the long run, then it’s a good way to go,” Zaremba said.

Lawrence said Facilities Management plans to ask the Board of Trustees for $740,000 this month to continue re-doing certain roofs. Sweeney Hall, Finch Fieldhouse, the Rose Arena pool area, Wightman Hall and Kelly/Shorts Stadium’s concessions are all part of the next proposed series of roof renovations.

The scholarship, which gives two high school students full tuition funding for four years and a supplementary award for room and board, is traditionally given to one student at a dinner and awards ceremony in Detroit. But CMU decided to forgo the ceremony this year.

Odille Parker of Holland and Logan Patmon of Southfield are this year’s recipients. Steve Smith, director of Public Relations, said the time came to make changes in accordance with the struggling economy.

“The decision is a reflection of economic conditions,” Smith said. “The university decided the money would be better spent awarding a second scholarship to a deserving student.”

The cost of the dinner and ceremony for 2009 was $50,000. Smith said removing the dinner would allow a second scholarship to be given out.

“The value is $80,000 each,” he said.

The Lem Tucker Scholarship is named after CMU alumnus Lem Tucker and was created 14 years ago to encourage and promote success for minorities in journalism.

The winners

Parker and Patmon had to stand out in many different areas of the application process to earn the award, Smith said. He said there are several requirements, including a persuasive essay, letter of recommendation and copies of their work.

Patmon is editor in chief at the Southfield Jay, the school newspaper.

“I have been on my school paper for 2 years,” Patmon said. “I have a radio personality on my school radio station. It’s a political and news show.”

He said he plans to double major during his time at CMU and explore the legal side of journalism.

“I want to double major in journalism and political science,” Patmon said. “I’d like to become a specialist in international law. I want be one of those people that are called in as specialists and interviewed as an expert.”

Parker said she plans to focus on print journalism.

“I like feature writing,” Parker said. “I’m interested in traveling all over to different places and writing about what I see. Of course, I also wouldn’t mind writing in a magazine about fashion.”

Parker said she has been involved in several aspects of the journalism field while in high school.

“I was the editor of my school yearbook and I write for La Community Voice/La Voz. It’s a bilingual newspaper in the area,” Parker said.

The structural steel and precast concrete walls now in place are the beginning of the lobby and practice facilities. Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of Facilities Management, said the construction is right on track.

“The structural steel is up and they’ve erected the precast concrete walls,” Lawrence said. “They are also installing roof trusses on the practice gym. Things are on schedule.”

Rose Arena-based athletics teams closed their home schedule Saturday when the gymnastics team beat Ball State, allowing interior work to get under way.

The lobby and arena portion of the project is still slated for completion in October 2010. The practice gym will be finished in December, Lawrence said.

Richard Yoon, a Troy sophomore, said the construction is looking good.

“I think they’re doing a great job trying to get it finished before basketball season,” Yoon said. “It’s starting to look like something now.”

The mild winter may have offered a helping hand. Lawrence said weather did not put construction behind schedule.

“The construction workers knew they would be working through the winter, but there were actually only a few bad snowstorms,” he said. “It was a much easier winter for construction than we’ve had in the past.”

Fitness expansion

The SAC fitness room expansion is not yet under way.

“The current wrestling practice room is going to be renovated and connected to the existing SAC fitness room,” Lawrence said.

Yoon said he frequently goes to the SAC to work out.

“I’m excited they’re expanding the fitness room, too. I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished,” he said.

Lawrence said the extra room will provide an additional 4,700 square feet for the fitness room. It is an approximate 45 percent increase in space and should be complete by February 2011.