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MARCH MADNESS:
ESPN bracketologist has CMU in Norfolk region at No. 12 seed » PAGE 3A
WHO’S IN? Complete NCAA tournament bracket » PAGE 2B
cm-life.com
Monday, Mar. 18, 2013
UNDIE RUN
PROVIDING HOPE
Students brave cold weather Saturday in first annual fundraiser » PAGE 3A
Students shave heads after being inspired by Miles of Smiles » PAGE 5A
Contract talks contribute to increase in MP budget
AT H L E T E S & A C A D E M I C S
CMU ranks 9th in MAC in graduating its athletes Six programs top in league; football, men’s basketball, baseball near bottom By Justin Hicks Senior Reporter
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series about student-athletes’ academics at Central Michigan University. This comparison focuses on the most recent graduation success rate of a four-year cohort from 2002-05, each with a six-year window, concluding with the 201011 academic year. Central Michigan University ranks ninth in the Mid-American Conference in the most recent NCAA graduation success rate report, graduating 75 percent of its student-athletes — the lowest rate since the 1998 cohort. The most recent GSR is calculated as a four-year cohort from 2002-05, each class given a six-year window to graduate from their institution. “We certainly want to be as high as we can be, and we’ve very conscious of the GSR,” Director of Athletics Dave Heeke said. “There are a number of factors as you look at that six-year window and how that can play out.” Six of CMU’s 14 varsity sports rank first in the MAC, including field hockey, men’s cross country, men’s track and field, wrestling, softball and gymnastics. Of those programs, field hockey, gymnastics and softball reported 100-percent graduation rates over A ATHLETES & ACADEMICS | 2A
By Lonnie Allen and Cecilia Erwin Staff Reporters
PHOTOS BY VICTORIA ZELGER//PHOTO EDITOR
The CMU women’s basketball won the Mid-American Conference tournament 86-68 against Akron Saturday afternoon at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Six players scored in double-figures, including all three seniors; Schroll, Olive and Brandie Baker who each had 14 points. Bradford and Johnson each scored 13 and DiGuilio added 12 points. As conference champion, the Chippewas receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Dancing! Year after falling short, women’s basketball clinches first NCAA tournament berth since 1984
With an 86-68 blowout against Akron Saturday, the women’s basketball team won the Mid-American Conference tournament and clinched a berth in the NCAA tournament. This is the first MAC title for CMU since 1984 when it beat Toledo 71-55. It’s also the first NCAA tournament appearance since that time. CMU came 1.5 seconds away from winning the MAC championship last season before rival Eastern Michigan scored a layup to win the game 72-71. The Chippewas used the heartbreak from last season in this year’s tournament, and they let it be known on their warmup shirts that say “We Want it All.” Now they can wear shirts that say 2013 MAC tournament champions as they await to find out where the tournament takes A WIN | 1B them next.
Junior forward Taylor Johnson, left, hugs Junior guard Niki DiGuilio during the last minute of the MidAmerican Conference championship game on Saturday at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The Chippewas had a dominating win over Akron 86-68.
The Mount Pleasant city manager’s office reported an almost $40,000 budget increase in 2013 listed under “other expenditures” — almost $24,000 more than the previous three years’ expenditures in the category combined. The legislative division’s budget activity is located on page 44 of the City of Mount Pleasant’s 2013 budget. The “other expenditures” line item is one of five items listed under city manager activity in the budget. From 2010-12, the money spent in this category was less than $10,000 a year. Assistant City Manager and Finance Director Nancy Ridley said the large increase was due to ongoing union contract negotiations. Mount Pleasant’s unionized employees include firefighters, police officers, workers in the city’s Division of Public Works and workers in the Technical, Professional and Office Workers Association of Michigan, which includes the city’s clerical staff. “As the contracts are settled and we know exactly what we’re going to pay, we then amend the budget to take the money out of (“other expenditures”) and move it into the individual departmental accounts, so by the end of the year, we’ve only spent about $7,000 or $9,000,” she said. Allocating the money to the departments currently under contract negotiations would defeat the bargaining portion between the city and the unions, Ridley said. “If the money were allocated to those departments, they could claim ‘We are already getting a raise,’” Ridley said. Money set aside for union contracts is not left in the general fund until negotiations are finished, she said. “We don’t leave it in the general fund, because it is money that is anticipated to be spent,” Ridley said. Putting the money for union contracts in the city manager’s portion of the budget is a common practice in Mount Pleasant, Ridley said. The Division of Public Works and TPOAM are currently negotiating contracts with the city. Susanne Gandy, the city’s director of human resources, said the city has had two successful meetings with TPOAM. A BUDGET | 2A
Students prepare, party over St. Patrick’s holiday weekend By Charnae Sanders Senior Reporter
MELISSA BLOEM/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
From left: Munith sophomore Laurel Branstrom, Zeeland junior Kamryn Shaw and Ludington senior Samantha Borashko walk arm-in-arm on their way to celebrate St. Patrick’s day, Sunday on Main St.
Central Michigan University students partied while painting Mount Pleasant green over St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Some students decided to prepare, rather than party, on Friday and Saturday so they could celebrate all day long on Sunday. Bloomfield Hills sophomore Anna Grace prepared for the Irish holiday by decorating her house with lots of green and four-leaf clovers. “I’m also going to the store and picking up the needs for Sunday and the liquor and also making sure I finish all of my homework now because I know that I’m not going to do it on Sunday,” Grace said. Grace celebrates her Irish heritage every year, and, this year, she figured she would roam around Main Street and see what was going on. “I’ve been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day every year since I’ve been born, having usually either roast beef or doing
Celebrating
LIFE
something involving Irish things, some Guinness beer, good stuff like that,” Grace said. Midland junior Zachary Kucharek planned to celebrate with his friends on Saturday since the actual holiday fell on a Sunday this year. They planned on going to the beer tent at O’Kelly’s Sports Bar and Grill, 2000 S. Mission St., before partying on Main Street for the rest of the night. “We threw a deposit down on a keg,” Kucharek said. “We have a Keystone Light green beer keg. We’re ready to go … We’re going to have a good time.” Likewise, the boys of Kappa Sigma Fraternity hoped to do just that as well. Senior and president of Kappa Sigma C.J. Lewis and his fraternity threw a St. Patrick’s Day bash at their house on Main Street. They prepared by setting up a fence and creating a guest list to monitor the size of their party. “Throughout the day, we’ll try to keep it under 100 in our house,” the Stockbridge native said. “We tried to set it up one guest per one brother.”
However, on St. Patrick’s Day, not everyone was drinking. Goodrich junior Terrance Elizondo said his plans for St. Patrick’s Day involved alternatives to consuming alcohol. “Well, for me, drinking has never really been that big of an excitement for me,” Elizondo said. “I’ve never been a big drinker.” Elizondo decided to hang out with his fraternity brothers of Kappa Sigma. While most of them party, Elizondo made sure they were all staying safe. As a residence assistant at the Towers, Elizondo said he’s been through the training process of knowing what to do in a situation if people start getting out of control. “If something is to go wrong, I know what to do,” Elizondo said. “So, I’m not putting it in somebody’s hands who doesn’t have any clue of what to do if a bad situation happens.” While some look at the holiday as a drinking fest, Elizondo questions if A ST. PATTY’S | 2A
24th Annual
Pow wow
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
March 23 and 24, 2013
McGuirk ArenA - cMu events center - 3601 e. BrooMfield rd. - Mt. PleAsAnt
Over 20 arts and crafts vendors!
See page 6a fOr mOre infO