LIFE CENTRAL MICHIGAN
WEDNESday, OCT. 8, 2014 | MOUNT PLEASANT, MICH. | ISSUE NO. 20 VOL. 96
Life in brief university Ross to give State of the University Address Central Michigan University President George Ross will deliver his annual State of the University Address at 2 p.m. at Plachta Auditorium. Ross will likely address the campus community about the current operations of the university and his plans for the future. The address is open to the public, including all students, faculty and staff. Those who cannot attend the address in person can live stream at http://cmich.edu/soustream. The Adobe software required to watch the address will be provided for free. After the speech, Ross and his wife will host an hour reception at 3 p.m. in the Powers Ballroom that is also open to the public. Arielle Hines, Staff Reporter
CRIME No increase in Homecoming arrests Arrests and citations issued over Homecoming weekend were typical of past years, according to Mount Pleasant police agencies. At the Oct. 4 game against Ohio, the Central Michigan University Police Department reported two arrests: One for minor in possession and resisting arrest, and the other for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. CMUPD reported seven MIP citations and two citations for disorderly conduct. There were 11 incidents requiring medical response professionals, two of which were emergency medical services transported individuals. CMUPD Lt. Cameron Wassman said the football game required the most activity from police and outside of that the weekend was “fairly tame.” He added the offenders were mostly CMU students, and there were no problems with alumni visiting Mount Pleasant. The Mount Pleasant Police Department reported 429 calls from 7 p.m. on Oct. 3 to 7 a.m. Oct. 5. Notable arrests and citations include: 27 for minor in possession and open intoxicants, seven for disorderly conduct, three warrant arrests, two for possession of marijuana, two for resisting and obstructing officers and one assault. Public Information Officer Jeff Browne echoed Wassman’s statement. He said there was nothing unusual about this Homecoming weekend as compared to previous years. Malachi Barrett, News Editor
SPORTS
Hartnett remembered by friends CMU community mourns Wayne State freshman By Malachi Barrett News Editor
Michael Hartnett always cared about his friends. One of his last acts was making sure those he cared about were taken care of. “I only had $2 on me and I knew it was a 28-minute walk
(home); I Googled it. He gave me $20 and said to take a cab,” said freshman Saoirse Haughney, Hartnett’s friend since second grade. Michael Hartnett “We all got home and I still kept that $20. I hung it up.” Hartnett was able to get his friends home that night, but the 18-year-old Wayne State freshman
“It’s not just a story. It’s really meaningful and sad for a lot of us.” Valerie Dynda, Dearborn Heights freshman never made it home himself. His body was found in the pond near the Park Library on Sunday. Police are still investigating his death. Haughney said friends who were with Hartnett became sepa-
rated from him Saturday night, but no one suspected he was in danger until the morning. w Hartnett | 6
Coming out at CMU Taryn Wattles | Assistant Photo Editor Marysville freshman Delany Lemke came out to her mom and is in the process of coming out to the rest of her family. “Coming out has been a process,” she said. “It’s something that doesn’t end.”
Students share their stories about acceptance, discrimination and learning to love themselves By Sydney Smith Assistant Student Life Editor
Today is the day. By the time you have finished reading this sentence, you and the rest of Central Michigan University, will know Delany Lemke is a lesbian. It’s Coming Out Week, and the 18-year-old Marysville freshman finally feels confident enough to tell you who she really is. When people read this story, or the Facebook status she posts this week, Lemke knows some family and friends may not look at her, or treat her, the same. The support and acceptance she has received since she arrived at CMU has helped liberate her, she said, and it encouraged her to share her personal journey. “I can’t express how happy I
am to be here where I can be loud and proud,” she said. “I’m just glad I learned to accept and share my identity no matter what.” It started when she realized she had a crush on one of her close friends. Though it was a brief relationship, coming out in this way lead to her decision to tell her mother. But it wasn’t easy. “I remember lying on my couch feeling like I was going to throw up, trying to work up the courage to say something,” she said. “My mom has never given me any reason to believe she was homophobic so I felt it was a good time to come clean.” After telling her mother that she thought she liked women and men, her mother hesitated, causing Lemke to panic. In the time that followed, there was no further talk about it.
“She was really scared that I would be treated poorly in our little, conservative town,” Lemke said. As time passed, Lemke realized that she identified as a lesbian. She said the shock of coming out to her mother wore off and she thinks that it allowed her mom to collect her thoughts and accept Lemke’s identity. “It’s the little things that mean the world to me now, like when I applied for CMU and she handed me a pamphlet for a diversity scholarship,” Lemke said.
Seeking acceptance
When he woke up on the morning of his 17th birthday, Kyle Turner told himself that it would be the day that he would come out. The Standish senior called his sister into his room and had her
READ MORE For more on Coming Out Week see Page 4: w EDITORIAL: A Diverse Alliance. Coming Out Week serves as more than just a celebration of being comfortable in one’s own skin. w Columnist Mariah Prowoznik asks why we don’t call this “Being Me Week” instead? w Columnist James Wilson shares a message of hope to those struggling with their sexuality. guess what he was going to tell her. “My sister is my best friend, so naturally I had to tell her first,” Turner said. “She didn’t make a big deal out of it at all. She acted like nothing was different.” w coming out | 2
Charter schools recognizing statewide academic issues ULTIMATE FRISBEE
Students, coaches find camaraderie through club Frisbee team.
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LIFE INSIDE Best Buddies program creates friendships for a lifetime »PAGE 7 Drag Queen Bingo kicks off Coming Out Week »PAGE 3
By Zahra Ahmad News Editor
With the publication of a recent investigation conducted by the Detroit Free Press, detailing taxpayer money spent on charter schools without much transparency, the purpose and worth of charter schools has again been cast in the statewide spotlight. Brad Wever, director of public policy for The Governor John Engler Center for Charter Schools, said charter schools are needed to provide schooling that accommodates children in poverty. Central Michigan University is an authorizer to 62 charter schools in Michigan. “Part of the charter school movement is to serve kids that have been
undeserved, (and) typically come in areas where there’s high poverty,” Wever said. “Focusing in on those areas is key. We take our job very seriously so that these kids in these areas get what they need to succeed.” The university is allowed by law as an authorizer to take a 3 percent fee of the per pupil foundation grant. This grant accounts for 3 percent that each charter school student is granted by the state. A portion of that goes back to the university for providing services, which totalled $6.5 million in the 2014 fiscal year. One of the issues highlighted by the Detroit Free Press said authorizing universities were not holding schools accountable for underachievement. However, Wever said CMU only gives authorization
and does not oversee the charter schools themselves. “The legislature allows us to authorize public education from K-12, the state board of education is responsible for the oversight of these schools.” Wever said. “Charter schools are no different than other public schools in regards of meeting the same expectations, regulations and laws.” After a year-long investigation, the Detroit Free Press found charter schools as a whole fare no better than traditional schools in educating students in poverty. Lisa Diaz, board member of Renaissance Public Academy, a charter school in Mount Pleasant, said the school has a unique educational approach unlike most traditional public schools.
“It’s learning a core subject with project based learning. It’s a grade list environment with promotes team teaching and learning to move around with different subjects not based on age, but ability.” Diaz said. “The students learn at a pace they can actually level with. Its a really unique model of teaching, we have just over 300 students that we try to get at their highest level of learning.” CMU considers three core questions when issuing a charter contract. They evaluate if the academy’s academic program is successful, organizationally and financially viable, and if there is a demonstration of good faith in following the terms of the charter contract. w charter | 2