Jan06-Contest1_centr..

LIFELINE
A beer-free guide
to grown-up drinks, 1B
INSIDE LIFE
CMU volleyball players bond
with Korean opponents, 3A
87 YEARS OF SERVING THE CMU COMMUNITY
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Mount Pleasant, MI, 48859
King’s trial to remain separate
Judge’s ruling
will ensure
fairness in trial
BY JEREMY GONSIOR
SENIOR REPORTER
Isabella County Trial
Judge William T. Ervin
granted former CMU football player James King a
separate trial Tuesday in
the DeMarcus Graham
homicide case.
Larry Burdick, county
prosecutor, presented a
motion Jan. 17 to add King
to the combined seconddegree murder trials of
former players Spencer
Lewis and Jerry Seymour.
Ervin released a twopage opinion denying the
request.
He wrote because King,
Seymour and Lewis are
charged with similar offenses stemming from Graham’s
beating death, “technically,
consolidation is proper.”
Ervin said everything
changed, however, when
Lewis’ attorney, Marvin
Barnett,
publicly
announced
his intentions
to
prove King
m u rd e re d
Graham.
“Joining
King’s trial
Burdick
to that of
Lewis’ and Seymour’s will
create a situation where
King will have to defend
against, not only the people through the prosecutor, but also against
Central’s
non-profit
status lets
companies
avoid tax
defendant
Lewis’
attacks,” Ervin wrote.
“Lewis would be a de
facto second prosecutor.”
The law allows Ervin to
use discretion if the tension
between defenses would
force the jury “to believe one
defendant at the expense of
the other” defendant.
Graham, a Flint native,
was beaten unconscious
in the early morning hours
of June 25, 2004 outside
Shaboom Pub Club, 106
Court St., and died three
weeks later on July 14,
2004 in a Saginaw hospital.
David Moran, associate
dean and assistant law professor at Wayne State
University, said Ervin’s decision was logical and normal.
“That is a common reason to keep trials severed,”
Moran said. “It is considered
unfair for the defendant to
face two sets of accusers,
both the prosecution and
the other attorney.”
King’s attorney, Ernest
Jarrett, had not yet received
a copy of Ervin’s opinion as
of Tuesday afternoon.
Jarrett said the events
surrounding
Graham’s
death were “very tragic
and very disgusting,” but
King can have a fair trial
rather than a “prejudicial”
consolidated trial.
“I am pleased with the
outcome,” he said.
Burdick said with the
evidence he had, King
should be consolidated
with Lewis and Seymour.
“While I respectfully disagree with the court’s ruling, I understand it in light
of the comments made by
STATE FUNDING
ADOPT-A-GRANDPARENT
$13M needed
to avoid tuition
hike, Rao says
Businesses don’t
have to pay
property levies
Governor will
reveal budget
Feb. 9 in Lansing
BY ALEX PIAZZA
BY JEN MARCKINI
SENIOR REPORTER
SENIOR REPORTER
Businesses owned by
public colleges and universities do not have to
pay property taxes that
regular businesses are
forced to pay twice a year.
Current Michigan law
allows such practices.
The
Student
Book
Exchange Co., 7-Eleven,
Curves for Women, Kopy
Korner
and
Central
Michigan Rapid Print are
just a few of the many local
businesses questioning the
fairness behind the law.
The SBX, 209 E. Bellows
St., paid nearly $30,000 in
property taxes in 2005 –
the CMU Bookstore did
not pay a penny.
This, along with the lack
of a student account
charge, has SBX general
manager John Belco
doubting the fairness
between the businesses.
“It certainly is one more
bill we have to pay,” Belco
said. “It is a tough check to
write. Mount Pleasant also
has a personal tax where
we end up having to pay a
tax on the computers and
cash registers we buy.”
Dave Rowley, Mount
Pleasant city assessor, said
SBX’s dilemma is not
unique, as bookstores at
Michigan State University
and the University of
Michigan face similar circumstances.
President
University
Michael Rao said even if
CMU did get more funding back from the state, it
still wouldn’t be enough to
offset tuition increases.
CMU
would
need
another $13 million to not
raise the cost of tuition – a
feat some lawmakers and
university officials say is
next to impossible.
The state is in the
process of putting together its budget for the coming fiscal year, which will
be revealed to the state
legislature Feb. 9.
Rao said the university
may see an additional 2
SEE TAX | 4A
Property taxes
Property Taxes paid
by the SBX:
A 2003 - $28,571.32
A 2004 - $32,496.25
A 2005 - $32,081.16
PHOTOS
HANNAH REEL | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Bingo buddies
Volunteer Center
starts innovative
mentor program
BY SANDY BURKHARDT
STAFF REPORTER
T
en CMU students aren’t
limiting their time to
classwork this semester.
They’re spending time caring for the elderly as well.
CMU’s Volunteer Center
started Adopt-a-Grandparent,
a co-mentoring program
matching students with residents at Maplewood Assisted
Living, 1945 Churchill Blvd., in
November.
The program is the first of its
kind among Michigan colleges
and universities.
“I was really overwhelmed by
the interest from students,”
said Melissa Bentley, the program’s adviser. “I wasn’t sure if
this was something that would
A photograph of Maplewood
Assisted Living resident Miriam
(Mimi) Hooker riding on her son’s
motorcycle is shown to Rockford
senior Michael VanOeveren.
appeal to college students
today – developing a relationship with an elderly person.”
Bentley said 15 students
applied to be in the program,
but only 10 made it.
Riverview senior Amy Terry
came up with the idea to start
Adopt-a-Grandparent at CMU
after hearing about a similar
program at a conference.
She took the idea to the
Volunteer Center, and, with
Bentley’s help, made the program a reality.
“Society forgets about the
elderly,” Terry said. “Colleges
are big resources to the community. If other colleges start a
program like this across the
state, then we won’t forget
about the older generation as
much.”
Students are asked to make a
one-year commitment to their
adopted grandparent, and are
required to visit with them for
at least an hour every week.
Many of the students said
they visit more than one time a
week.
Last Friday, at the program’s
official kick-off event at
Maplewood, students and residents played bingo while the
capella group Fish ‘n’ Chips
performed.
SEE ADOPTION | 4A
“Here you gain a
relationship you can
see firsthand for both
yourself and the
grandparent that’s
been adopted.”
Personal Taxes paid by
Central Michigan Rapid Print
A 2003 - $847.69
A 2004 - $933.85
A 2005 - $1,007.89
INSIDE
BY
Dearborn senior Steely Pegg visited with Maplewood Assisted Living resident Dorothy Miller at the kickoff celebration for the Adopt-a-Grandparent mentor program sponsored by the CMU Volunteer Center.
The kick-off took place Friday afternoon at Maplewood Assisted Living, 1945 Churchill Blvd.
Property Taxes paid by 7Eleven (302 W. Broomfield
Road):
A 2003 - $10,241.02
A 2004 - $10,659.11
A 2005 - $10,498.19
Personal Taxes paid by
Curves for Women
A 2003 - $188.47
A 2004 - $423.31
A 2005 - $358.71
Mr. Lewis’ attorney,” he
said in a written statement.
Barnett did not return
phone calls seeking comment Tuesday.
Former CMU football
players Michael Thomas,
Demond Petty and Saginaw
resident Jimmy A. Donald,
also charged with second
degree murder, are scheduled for one consolidated
trial starting March 9.
King is set for his own
trial April 3, while
Seymour and Lewis will be
tried together April 19.
Michael VanOeveren,
Rockford junior
Rockford junior Michael VanOeveren talked with Maplewood
Assisted Living resident Miriam (Mimi) Hooker about Dorothy Prine,
VanOeveren’s adopted grandmother who passed away last semester.
“We had such a good time together,” Hooker said of VanOeveren.
Voices, 6A | Sports, 8A | Lifeline, 1B | Classifieds, 4B
Volume 87, Number 51
© 2006 Central Michigan Life
A Governor’s State of
State address today, 3A
percent increase – or $1.4
million – in state funding,
which wouldn’t be enough
to rebate students, despite
hefty tuition increases.
He said any increase in
state dollars would go in a
“rainy day fund” in case
the legislature cuts funding again.
“It’s not a lot of money,”
Rao said. “There’s no doubt
in my mind that we would
have to spend some of that.
It’s not a lot given that university expenses tend to
grow in any one given year
between $10 to $15 million.”
State funding cuts – of
about $8.9 million – to the
university in the last five
years have cost CMU students an additional $1,000
SEE FUNDING | 4A
SGA
ANTHONY LODOVISI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Student Government Association representatives Steve
Swantek, Midland junior, and Scott Urbanowski, Kentwood
freshman, laugh while a candidate makes a joke during a campaign speech Monday night in Dow 102.
Resolution aims
to reopen CLAS
SGA vote not
final word for
testing center
BY BRYCE MARTIN
STAFF REPORTER
Students may once
again have to walk across
campus to take exams.
The
Student
Government Association
approved a resolution
Monday to re-establish
the CLAS Testing Center –
which has been out of
operation since summer
2003 – at its general board
meeting in Dow 102.
The final vote was 48 in
favor of reopening the
for
Learning
Center
Assessment Services, and
14 voted no.
SGA
representatives
conducted a survey last
semester asking 145 students if they supported the
re-establishment of the
CLAS testing center. Nearly
82 percent of the students
favored the resolution.
“Just because the resolution was passed doesn’t
mean the testing center is
guaranteed to open,” said
Megan Martenka, SGA press
secretary and Lexington
senior. “The next step is for
the resolution to go before
SEE SGA | 4A
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