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FRIDAY, NOV. 8, 2013 | MOUNT PLEASANT, MICH. | ISSUE NO. 33 VOL. 95
Ball State 44, CMU 24: Football blown away by offense »PAGE 3B
Prescription drug disposal program aids community
LIFE IN BRIEF METRO
BUSINESS OF THE WEEK Tropical Smoothie hits the list for this week’s Business of the Week due to its popularity among the stores in Stadium Mall. See if your favorite smoothie was mentioned! w 5A
By Megan Pacer Senior Reporter
METRO
NOT YOUR MOMMA’S CHURCH A new church has made an impact within the community by holding their services at Celebration! Cinema, eliminating a dress code, and starting a little later in the day. See if Thrive Church is the place for you. w 3A
UNIVERSITY
Maxwell Barth | Staff Photographer Junior guard Crystal Bradford, left, takes an inbound pass from junior forward Lauren Ballamy during an exhibition game on Oct. 13 at McGuirk Arena.
Back to Basketball
As the 2013-14 season tips off, there are a few players who should be on your radar—check out Section B for the game changers
INSIDE GRAD HOUSING Graduate students cite reduced price and modern amenities as major benefits to living in the newly-constructed graduate housing complex. Take a look inside the building. w 8A
By Kristopher Lodes Sports Editor
At 2:30 p.m. today, the men’s basketball team will offically open McGuirk Arena against Division III Manchester. The men are beginning the second year under head coach Keno Davis, and the program looks to continue rebuilding. The women start on the road with UMass as its program is looking to stay on top. The Chippewas are the favorites to repeat as Mid-American Conference champions, an honor they are looking to honor as the previous preseason favorites have come up short. Both teams’ journeys begin this weekend.
YELLOW RIBBON
SUICIDE PREVENTION WEEK Yellow Ribbon hosted a vigil yesterday that gave survivors and loved ones a chance to remember those who they’ve lost to suicide. Check out this story and other Yellow Ribbon events. w 2A
WRESTLING
This is the final story in a threepart series on prescription drug abuse in the Mount Pleasant community and at Central Michigan University. Mount Pleasant police have gotten creative in finding ways to shore up prescription drug abuse. A prescription drop-off box in the Mount Pleasant Police Department’s lobby allows for the safe disposal of expired pills and other pharmaceutical drugs. MPPD Officer Jeff Browne was instrumental in writing the grant that helped procure the box, a project that began while working with the Commission on Aging in 2011. “Most people don’t know what to do with them,” Browne said, when asked about expired prescriptions. “We’ve gotten everything from Viagra pills to phentenol patches to old Tylenol.” Browne spoke with a large number of residents and found many were simply holding onto their expired prescription medications. After speaking with several pharmacies in the area, Browne realized they were unable to dispose of the drugs turned in to them. After the grant was received, Browne and others looked for other examples of collection boxes in the area. There were no prescription drop boxes in Mount Pleasant, so the first was installed on Jan. 1. The box received 62 pounds of prescription pills in the first quarter of the year alone. “We thought that would be a nice goal to set, and we’re obviously there,” Browne said. Since then, Browne collected 92 pounds of pills in the second quarter and another 64 in the third portion of the calendar year. According to MPPD Public Information Officer Jeff Thompson, the box fills up quickly during the day. “(Browne) basically has to empty it once or twice a day,” Thompson said. Once taken out of the drop box, the pills are deposited into 5-gallon pales, which Browne has found to be more effective at containing the drugs than any bags. From there, the drugs are taken to an incinerator and burned by one of the MPPD’s detectives. Browne said from time to time they find more obscure drugs, which are handed over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. In addition to the drop box, Browne participates in national take-back days to collect drugs from the public, as well as health fairs to spread awareness of the problem. w PILLS | A5
Dance United raises more than $9,000 for United Way By Nathan Clark Staff Reporter
BACK TO THE MAT The 2013-14 team is full of new faces on the mat and familiar ones on the bench. The Chippewas will start the season tomorrow at in-state rival Michigan State in the MSU Open. w 3B
Life inside Pi Alpha Delta pits students head to head in mock trial »PAGE 3
SGA amends bylaws to help students handle landlord disputes »PAGE 6 Psychology department researches eye movements »PAGE 7
The walls of Central Michigan University’s McGuirk Arena echoed with sounds of cheers, tapping feet and laughter as participants of the second annual Dance United charity fundraiser danced the night away on Thursday. More than 500 CMU students, staff and community members came out to watch the dancing spectacle of local dance crews, dancers in the University Theatre program, the CMU Dance Team and dancing pairs go head-tohead. “It’s amazing what people will do when you ask them to help out in a good cause,” Executive Director of United Way of Isabella County Tom Olver said. The exact amount of money raised during the event is still being totaled, but a rough estimate at the end of the night was in the high $9,000 range, close to the $10,000 goal. The money was raised through a recommended donation at the door of $5, buying a table on the floor of the event for $300, or $40 per seat.
Dancers stunned the audience throughout the night with a mix of ballroom dance, tap, swing and hip-hop. One group, CMU police officers Jeff Ballard and Laura Rico, even interacted with the audience. Dance United consisted of 10 teams of two, all recognizable members of the community and the university, who were dancing to raise money as part of a larger fundraising campaign by the United Way to raise $88,888 from CMU and $450,000 this year from the community. As people flooded into the Events Center, they were able to donate to the United Way at the door with cash, credit card and checks or by using one of the provided laptops set up in the front to do an online donation through their website. The United Way of Isabella County has been helping the community since 1954, formed by local businesses that wanted to help support members of the community in need. “United Way is all about education, health and income. In large, the United Way is about breaking the cycle of poverty,” Olver
Shannon Millard | Staff Photographer Police officers Jeff Ballard and Laura Rico perform a hip hop dance choreographed by Bird Clarkson at the Dance United event to raise money for United Way on Thursday in McGuirk Arena.
said. “This is a great opportunity to generate revenue, to raise awareness and a way to reach the people.” Planning for this year’s event was approached much differently compared to the first ever Dance United event held last year. Instead of juggling all of the finite details necessary to put on an event of this caliber, such as
renting tables and arranging food alongside fundraising efforts, planning and fundraising were dived into two groups. Organizing the event was worked out by students in an event planning class, RPL 318, as part of an assignment for an events management minor. w DANCE | A5