The men look to improve on last year’s eighth place finish.

Director of cross-country and track and field Willie Randolph understands what the MAC championships are.

“It means focus and an opportunity to get things done,” he said. “We are just ready to get it done.”

With the weather cooling down, it should be an advantage for CMU.

“Cross-country is a totally different thing,” Randolph said. “Running in the cooler weather is much better than running in the warmer weather. (Runners) thrive in the cooler weather that allows their lungs to get a little bit more oxygen in them.”

Eastern Michigan has had a target on its back for a few years now.

EMU has placed first or second at the MAC Championships every year since 2005.

This year is no different as both coaches and runners look to beat the Eagles.

“Eastern Michigan is definitely one of the top teams year in and year out,” Randolph said. “But we are also a top team that can be competitive at the top. We’ve had some good battles between Central and Eastern over the years that I have been here.”

Junior Jason Drudge is familiar with coming out on top at the MAC Championships.

Last year he earned an All-MAC selection, finishing seventh at the meet.

His eyes are focused on one team and one team only.

“All eyes are on Eastern, the rest of the teams we don’t even care about,” Drudge said. “It’s just us and Eastern and we think of it like that. I think we have enough guys this year to match up with them and beat them.”

Drudge will try and help the team stay together as a pack.

It’s the one thing the Chippewas must do in order to bring home a MAC title.

“We just need to run together, from our first guy to our fifth guy, we can’t have a big separation because that’s where all your points are,” Drudge said. “It’s only nine seconds about 20 guys can get through.” He said.

Assistant coach Matt Kaczor believes that CMU has been dreaming about taking home the MAC title for a while now.

“It would mean something really big,” Kaczor said. “That’s really what we dream for and cultivate for. This is an individual sport like wrestling, but you pull the team together for a championship. This is a huge step in trying to move the program forward.”

Women

All-America honors hang on Kaczor’s wall, but those weren’t the pieces of paper he pointed to.

“This is what it’s about,” he said, pointing to a picture of CMU’s 2004 Mid-American Conference championship ring. “You don’t see a guy wearing a medal on the ribbon around his neck when he’s 35. You’d see him wearing a ring.”

Kaczor said he feels better about the women’s team than he has felt about previous women’s teams. He’s confident about the team performing well in the race.

“They don’t have to do anything spectacular,” he said. “They just have to do what they’re capable of.”

The women’s team enters the weekend ranked No. 10 in the Great Lakes Region of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross-country Coaches Association poll.

One of the main adjustments the Chippewas have made this season is bringing the runners together to the front of the race. Kaczor said the team has improved dramatically over the season in doing so.

“The pack now has started to move closer to the front,” he said. “The four, five and six runners are closer to the one, two and three runners.”

Kaczor said the morale within the team has been as high as ever.

“These ladies have worked with each other real well,” Kaczor said. “It’s been a real good dynamic to work with the women’s team.”

Eastern Michigan University also had a similar work stoppage in September 2006. The American Association of University Professors-Eastern Michigan University Chapter, struck for 14 days before factfinding helped the two sides come to a compromise.

EMU-AAUP also had a work stoppage in 2000 and 2004.

The CMU administration filed an injunction in circuit court Monday morning, halting the FA work stoppage, stating it illegal.

University President George Ross held a press conference Monday where he spoke about the FA work stoppage. Ross compared CMU to EMU and told the crowd to read the record.

“President Martin at Eastern Michigan University laid off more than 70 people,” Ross said.

However, according to EMU’s office of communications and public affairs, they laid off 37 people.

The source from the communications office said there were 75 total positions eliminated, however 38 of those positions were not filled at the time. EMU has also been calling people back to work, and their layoff number now stands at 25.

The Michigan Employment Relations Commission conducted the factfinding for EMU’s strike in 2006. According to their website, “The Michigan Employment Relations Commission resolves labor disputes involving public and private sector employees by appointing mediators, arbitrators and factfinders, conducting union representation elections, determining appropriate bargaining units, and adjudicating unfair labor practice cases.”

Ultimately, the factfinding result was in favor of EMU-AAUP, said executive director of media relations Geoff Larcom.

“The fact-finding praised the professionalism of the two sides,” he said.

EMU-AAUP President Susan Moeller said EMU administration threatened the union to file an injunction in 2006, but never went through with it.

“They threaten but never do anything…Washtenaw County is much more pro-union (than Isabella County),” Moeller said. “We thought we were correct.”

When asked about Ross’ comment on job layoff at EMU, Moeller said Ross “does not know what he’s talking about.”

EMU-AAUP treasurer Howard Bunsis is familiar with the CMU FA situation, having stood in their shoes before. Bunsis was the EMU-AAUP president when they went on strike in 2006.

“We at EMU strongly support the FA,” Bunsis said.“They’re very courageous.”

Bunsis said the FA is asserting their collective bargaining rights.

“(The FA) wants to be back in the classroom and want to be teaching their students,” he said.

The university has a lot to consider as it finalizes its budget in time for the start of its new fiscal year, which begins July 1.

At the same time, each of the university’s 15 peers are doing the same, also coming out with proposed tuition increases. CMU’s budget and tuition rates will be set at the July 14 board of trustees meeting.

Most have walked a tightrope in approaching the 7.1 percent threshold between them and further cuts from the state budget; only Eastern Michigan University has increased by substantially less with 3.65 percent so far and Western Michigan University instituted the next lowest increase with 6.66 percent; Wayne State University has already said it requires a 7.1 increase to balance its budget.

This time of soaring rates presents a grand opportunity for CMU to buck the trend. This university could position itself well by avoiding a large tuition increase, or any at all.

University President George Ross has already said the tuition increase will be low, after noting a similarly modest 2.065 percent increase for the 2010-11 school year.

The university would be seen very positively, especially in contrast to many of its peers, if the tuition increase was moderate to nonexistent.

CMU has repeatedly said, while it considers other universities’ rates as part of its decision making, the call is ultimately made independently. CMU should continue this trend and absolutely not use other universities’ increases to excuse a similarly high tuition bump.

Tuition has increased more than 200 percent since 2000-01, soaring from $108.15 per credit hour to $346 per credit hour 2010-11.

In that time, administrative pay has also seen increases and the university possesses unrestricted net assets equivalent to 82.18 percent of its budget; more than any of the other 15 public universities, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.

Officials have said it is difficult to adjust where those assets are allocated. However, for the benefit of students and their families, the university should wherever possible reconsider where that money goes; if any of it can be used to lessen the impact felt by students and their families, then it absolutely should be.

Julea Ward was an EMU student enrolled in the counseling program and,  after refusing counsel to a gay client, the school dismissed her from the program. Ward claimed in her suit her dismissal violated her religious beliefs against homosexuality.

EMU reportedly said Ward was dismissed because her refusal to counsel the patient did not follow the assigned curriculum and professional ethics guidelines set up by the American Counseling Association.

“EMU is a public institution, so they should be non-discriminatory toward all students,” said Justin Gawronski, SPECTRUM member and a Macomb freshman at CMU. “Since she couldn’t perform that duty as a counselor, she should be at a private institution.”

When questioned about why CMU chose to side with EMU, CMU General Counsel Manuel Rupe referred CM Life to the amicus brief filed and University Communications. Director of Public Relations Steve Smith said the amicus brief would answer all questions.

The position of EMU has been upheld by Judge George Steeh of the U.S. District Court in Detroit last July.

The district court ruled Ward “does not have a constitutional right to interfere with the program curriculum established by EMU by demanding that she be allowed to set her own standards for counseling clients.”

State Attorney General Bill Schuette sided with Ward in her appeal to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. He reportedly said she was discriminated against by EMU because her Christian beliefs prohibited her from counseling a gay client. Several religious organizations also have publicly supported Ward with briefs.

Calls to the Attorney General’s office were not returned for comment.

“Fundamentally, this case raises the question of whether universities have the freedom to determine their own curricula or whether they must fashion their curricular requirements around the religious, political, social, philosophical, and ideological beliefs and expressions of each and every student,” the brief stated.

The brief also said counseling requires a relationship of trust conveying to the client a non-judgemental attitude, empathy and understanding.

Calls to Grand Valley State, Michigan State and Wayne State universities, which were among the universities to sign the brief in support of EMU, were not returned.

- The Detroit Free Press contributed to this report

Any other course of action by the university would have elevated Ward’s personal convictions superior to the common good of the campus and insult government responsibility.

EMU said Ward was dismissed not for religious beliefs, but for disregarding the assigned curriculum and professional ethics guidelines, according to the American Counseling Association. After a federal judge upheld the university’s decision last July, Ward appealed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In response, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette filed a brief supporting Ward, while nine public universities — including Central Michigan University — filed a brief supporting EMU.

If the appellate court rules in favor of Ward, universities argue in the brief they will have to “fashion their curricular requirements around the religious, political, social, philosophical and ideological beliefs and expressions of each and every student.”

The implications of this scenario would cripple a professor’s right to instruct without bias on topics like evolution in biology classes, the role of spouses and parents in family studies courses, the social influences of religion in history classes and virtually every other class offered in a higher education course.

This case’s precedent would put religious beliefs above the law and other First Amendment guarantees if Ward wins. If a counselor can deny health services to a LGBT student for religious purposes, then would it not follow that academic and financial advisers could do the same thing?

If a LGBT student does not have the right to counseling or advising at a public university, then would it not follow that other minority groups could face the same discrimination under the umbrella of religion?

This chilling reality is what Ward is asking the U.S. judiciary to constitutionalize.

The Supreme Court has ruled that a law or regulation that is otherwise lawful cannot be ruled unconstitutional simply because a religious person disagrees with it.

Also, the religious clause of the First Amendment has never been interpreted to protect a person’s right to use their religious beliefs as an excuse to deny publicly-funded counseling services to someone because of their sexual orientation.

Ward’s case is an egregious assault on what the religious clause of the First Amendment actually protects. Her discomfort with providing a professional service to a LGBT student because of EMU’s policy is not a compelling reason to interpret the First Amendment as an absolute guarantee that one’s religion warrants their arbitrary disregard for the law.

By enforcing its policy, EMU is protecting its interest to ensure its students have uninhibited access to publicly funded counseling. No constitution-abiding court could rule against that logic.

To do so would be to gut decades of precedent and redefine the First Amendment.

The university came in at No. 45, according to Trojan Condoms’ 2010 Sexual Health Report Card out of 141 colleges in America surveyed. Michigan State University snagged second place, the University of Michigan got fourth, Western Michigan University was No. 11 and Eastern Michigan University trailed at 81.

“It means so much that our school is being recognized as a school who believes in safe practices, and that we continually try to improve our efforts as a university and for the Safer Sex Patrol, as a program,” said Carly Davidson, a Grant senior. “The fact that we are in the top fifty is something to be very happy about.”

Davidson is the student coordinator for Safer Sex Patrol, a volunteer program at CMU that distributes condoms in sexual health awareness kits to students at football tailgates and at bars.

According to Trojan’s report card, the goal of the survey is highlighting the importance of sexual health on campuses around the country.

Researchers collected data through health centers and students on campus, the colleges were then graded on thirteen categories including student opinions of health centers, student peer groups, anonymous advice for students and availability of HIV testing.

Dorr freshman Kali Swan was pleased with the ranking, but said CMU should work to improve it.

“Although I feel that 45 out of 141 is a pretty good ranking, it could be better,” Swan said. “Sex is a serious issue, and comes with serious consequences that are becoming more frequent.”

She said CMU should focus on providing a fully-accommodated sexual health center for students.

“If we step it up with condom availability and lecture programs, combined with HIV testing on site and free of cost for condoms,” Swan said, “the students of CMU will be safer and we can reduce (those) consequences.”

Davidson helps the Safer Sex Patrol by training facilitators that usually put on four to six events a semester.

She said her role is to place at least two facilitators together to lead each group of approximately ten to twenty students in distributing both condoms and abstinence kits.

“So far I have also served as a facilitator for each patrol we have done this year, and I absolutely love it,” Davidson said.

Warren freshman Christie Spudowski said she is comfortable with the sexual health programs available at CMU.

“For the most part, CMU offers a lot of good tools for information,” Spudowski said. “I know that if I had a question or needed help with something sexual, there would be someone I could go to.”

Western Michigan University President John Dunn is on the board of directors for First National Bank of Michigan, in addition to three nonprofits, said Cheryl Roland, executive director of university relations.

While she does not know the exact time commitment involved in the positions, Rowland said Dunn’s involvement in the boards is beneficial for WMU.

“There’s one meeting each month for most of those (boards),” she said. “It allows for great one-on-one contact with other people in the community and gives access to a knowledge base about the community’s assets.”

Dunn earns $200 for each board meeting he attends for First National Bank of Michigan. The board meets once a month, with a second monthly meeting scheduled when “special circumstances” arise, said Mary Jane Baylor, an administrative assistant for the bank.

Baylor said the board averages 15 to 16 meetings each year.

Ross was appointed to the Furniture Brands International Board of Directors in September. He will attend four annual meetings and could receive an annual $45,000 cash retainer, plus possible stock grants.

Other presidents

Other institutions — including Michigan State University and Eastern Michigan University — do not employ a president who serves on the executive board of a for-profit company.

“I don’t believe President (Susan) Martin is on any boards,” said Geoff Larcom, EMU executive director of media relations. “Lord knows she’s busy enough already.”

Allan Gilmour, interim president of Wayne State University, sits on the board of directors for both DTE Energy and Universal Technical Institute, a for-profit career college. He also serves on five non-profit boards.

DTE Energy paid Gilmour $100,000 for his services in 2009, with $72,000 in restricted stock options, said company spokesman Scott Simons.

MSU President Lou Anna Simon is on an advisory board for the Williamston-based company Centurion Medical Products, said Mark Fellows, MSU media communications manager.

Mary Sue Coleman, president of the University of Michigan, is on the boards of two for-profit corporations: Johnson & Johnson and the Meredith Corporation, a publishing company. She is involved with a long list of non-profit foundations, associations and boards, according to the university’s website.

She received $110,000 in 2009 for her services to the Johnson & Johnson board. She also earned $99,978 in stock awards and $20,000 in “other compensation,” according the company’s proxy statement.

Compensation information for the other companies was unavailable.

Western Michigan and Ferris State universities reported a more than 5 percent increase in freshman enrollment since fall 2009.

However, none of the universities contacted compared to the record 4,173 freshman numbers at CMU, just more than a 13 percent increase from last year. Director of Admissions Betty Wagner said a number of reasons went into CMU’s larger class.

“It’s really synergy,” Wagner said. “It’s hard work by the faculty and staff, and it’s a combination of other factors.”

WMU’s class both increased by 6.8 percent, while FSU’s class grew by 5.1 percent.

“We’re kind of on a targeted growth strategy and we’re very happy with the numbers,” said Roland, executive director of university relations at WMU.

Both Roland and Kristen Salomonson, dean of enrollment services at FSU, agree the higher freshman figures are a byproduct of prospective students looking at the economy.

“There’s a lot of opportunity right now in terms of advancing your education,” Salomonson said. “It’s never been more true than now. We’re trying to convey that message toward students.”

Michigan State and Wayne State universities lost freshmen in comparison to last year. MSU’s freshman enrollment dropped by 1.1 percent and WSU’s by 11.9 percent.

WSU’s total undergraduate enrollment by 0.3 percent, however, thanks to a stronger retention rate than years past. Rob Kohrman, associate vice president of budget and planning, said WSU received more applications than normal and decided to be more selective than in years past.

“We did not admit students of lower academic quality like we have in the past,” Kohrman said. “This is our highest quality academic class ever.”

Data from the University of Michigan has not been finalized.

Other trends

Not every university in the state was looking to enlarge their freshman class.

Grand Valley State University’s total enrollment is up about 0.5 percent, but their freshman totals decreased by 6.2 percent. The decline was strategically planned, said Matthew McLogan, vice president for university relations.

“In the past 10 years, Grand Valley’s enrollment has gone up 50 percent,” McLogan said. “We could not sustain that rate of growth.”

The plan called for between 3,500 and 3,650 freshman and this year’s class fits between those parameters, McLogan said.

Eastern Michigan University’s freshman numbers dropped almost 11 percent, but their total enrollment increased by almost 3 percent.

The surge is because of a higher freshmen retention rate and a more-than 11 percent increase in transfer students.

“We have an older kind of population,” said Geoff Larcom, executive director of media relations.

Their enrollment bottomed out about five years ago, but they have regained about 75 percent of their peak enrollment, Larcom said.

“I spend the second quarter of each home basketball game in the student section, cheering with our students.” Grand Valley State University President Thomas J. Haas

“I have an open-door policy. Anyone can drop in whenever they want. I spend a lot of time on campus. … It’s important for students to get used to seeing us.” Michigan Technological University President Glenn D. Mroz

“When I go out and about on campus, I don’t drive, I walk. At football games, I’ll usually take the second quarter or the third quarter and go into the student section.” Western Michigan University President John Dunn

“Whenever I’m on campus, I walk everywhere. I look for opportunities to interact with students. A number of professors invite me to come in and talk with their students and I always enjoy that.” Ferris State University President David Eisler

“We’ve really been working on morale-building. I personally happen to be a president that really enjoys it. I hold open conversations, where students or anybody can come ask me questions.” Eastern Michigan University President Sue Martin

By the numbers:

-Public universities in Michigan contacted with requests to speak with their president: 12

-University presidents that responded to request: Six

-University presidents that responded to request within 24 hours: Five

-Universities that forwarded request through a public relations office: Four (University of Michigan, Northern Michigan University, Oakland University, Wayne State University)

-University presidents that declined participation without explanation: One (Wayne State University)

Note: Northern Michigan University President Les Wong was unable to comment on his visibility on campus and interactions with students because he was participating in student activities for NMU’s homecoming weekend.

Update: NMU President Wong responded with an e-mail a few minutes past 12 a.m. Monday morning, which brings the total number of presidents who responded to our request to seven. He stressed the importance of attending events and interacting with students.

“One of my favorite events is when I go down to the residence halls around 10 p.m. with 10 gallons of hot chocolate and talk to the students about what’s going on at NMU and in their lives,” Wong said. “We often talk well past midnight.”

Karen Bellingar, president of UAW Local 6888 and executive secretary of the School of Engineering and Technology, said mediation went smoothly and members responded with a 5-1 vote in favor of the proposed contract. An agreement was reached Wednesday.

The terms of the agreement mean CMU’s 340 office professional staff can receive an increase the second and third year of the contract, determined by the wages of professional and administrative staff.

“With all the circumstances that we are looking at, I think it’s a fairly good contract,” she said.

Currently, wages for professional and administrative staff are frozen for 2010-11 fiscal year.

Office professionals originally rejected a proposed contract in June.

However, Bellingar did express the disappointment her and the members had with not receiving an increase of wages for the first year of the contract.

“The main thing was we did get a one and a half percent increase in our retirement funds for people hired after 1996,” Bellingar said.

In 1996, the state of Michigan offered the Michigan’s Public School Employees Retirement System, a benefit plan for office professionals at CMU, Eastern Michigan University, Western Michigan University and several other institutions in Michigan who retired before then.

Kevin Smart, director of employee relations, said those who could not retire or chose not to were expected to start contributing more to their retirement fund.

Office professionals will receive a 1.5-percent increase in retirement funds for the second year and a .5-percent increase for the third year.

“We have been at six percent for the last eight years,” Bellingar said.

By the third year, Office Professionals will be at 8 percent until it can go higher, she said.

Although wages were not increased, both Bellingar and Smart said they understood the reasoning.

Smart cited the national and state economy and unemployment specifically. He also said the rate of graduating high school seniors is decreasing, causing universities to question the rate of incoming freshmen classes and revenue.

“Demographically, over the next eight years, that pool of high school graduating seniors will be shrinking,” Smart said.

The contract will become effective once University President George Ross ratifies both the contract and recommendation sent by Smart. It is set to expire June 30, 2013.

“The important thing to recognize is the mediator helped both parties to find a way to mutually trust each other to do the right thing,” Smart said.