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Friday, Mar. 22, 2013
cm-life.com THE LAST TIME
MOCK TRIAL
Looking at the 2003 CMU men’s basketball team’s trip to the NCAA tournament » PAGE 7
Phi Alpha Delta members host mock murder trial » PAGE 3
disgraced former professor pleads guilty to child pornography By Tony Wittkowski Senior Reporter
Former Central Michigan University professor William Lord Merrill, 58, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to receiving child pornography. According to court documents, Merrill entered into the guilty plea Feb. 20. He faces a minimum of five years in prison, with a possible maximum sentence of 20 years. Sentenc-
ing is scheduled for July 11. The court must also impose a term of supervised release for a minimum of five years and up to life. Merrill will also be required to regis- William Lord Merrill ter as a sex offender, reporting his name, residence address and the names and addresses of any
place where he will be, among other information. One of Merrill’s attorneys, Frank Reynolds, said the plea agreement would charge Merrill with one count of indictment instead of the original three. “He did it because the fact of the matter is he received child pornography,” Reynolds said. “The agreement itself has a maximum amount of 20 years. But, we’re not going to know
not give him the maximum (penalty).” Merrill’s sentencing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. July 11 before District Judge Thomas L. Ludington in U.S. District Court in Bay City. Merrill was arrested for one count of possession of child pornography Dec. 19 but has since been charged with two additional counts in federal court.
that until the sentencing.” Reynolds said sentencing will depend on the guidelines set by Magistrate Judge Charles E. Binder, who took the plea on Thursday. “We’re getting ready for his sentencing and (will) explain more about his background, because he has no other criminal background. He got his Ph.D., and he had some particular traumas in the past,” Reynolds said. “There are a lot of circumstances to
A LAWSUIT | 2
Varying GPAs dependent on roster size, coach turnover By Justin Hicks Senior Reporter
Editor’s note: This is the third story in a series about student-athletes’ academics at Central Michigan University. This story compares and contrasts GPAs among athletic teams at CMU. It’s no secret that academic performances and graduation rates vary across the 14 different athletic programs at Central Michigan University. Roster size, player demographic, coaching tenure and the thought of professional sports are variables that have impacted the academic world of student-athletes nationally. Director of Athletics Dave Heeke said roster size has varying effects on academic reports by sport, calling it a numbers game. Roster size varies between programs from 14 spots on the men’s basketball and women’s volleyball teams to 102 on the football team. “(Football) has a very large roster, which is a lot different than basketball or other small roster sports where you can maintain closer contact and connection with those student athletes,” Heeke said. Volleyball head coach Erik Olson said having a deeper roster could be deemed beneficial at times, since a small roster increases academic risk. “A big roster team can hide a bad performance, where someone who really bombs in a year will really affect the team’s GPA,” Olson said. “Each sport has its challenges, but, generally with volleyball, the demographic is high-scoring in the classroom.” Programs that historically recruit athletes from lower-class backgrounds have produced lower academic numbers, which men’s basketball coach Keno Davis said isn’t meant to be an excuse. “I think why you’re looking at lower rates in (men’s basketball and football) has to do with the recruiting process and of the sports that have more inner-city recruits,” Davis said. “That’s not saying it’s good or bad; we just understand those rates are going to be below other sports. I think A ATHLETES & ACADEMICS | 2
tayLor BaLLeK/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Fair-pay Lilly Ledbetter, plaintiff in the historic employment discrimination case that led to the 2009 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, speaks Wednesday night at Plachta Auditorium. Ledbetter fought against her former employer, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., at the Supreme Court in hopes of putting an end to unfair wages. “My garage would be cleaned out by now, and I would be on retirement, but I’m still not there yet,” Ledbetter said.
Leading the way to fair pay Women’s rights pioneer Lilly Ledbetter just wanted to ‘accomplish the American dream’ By Ryan Fitzmaurice | Senior Reporter Mount Pleasant sophomore Alison Wilson expected Lilly Ledbetter to be a “hardcore law-type.” After all, Ledbetter had been to the Supreme Court, testified in front of the U.S. Senate and had a piece of legislation named after her. There was little reason for Wilson to expect anything but someone out of the ordinary.
But as soon as what Ledbetter described as her “Southern drawl” hit the stage of Plachta Auditorium in front of about 850 people Wednesday night, Ledbetter made it clear she was just like anyone else. The only exception was that she knew how to put up a fight. “All I wanted to do in life was to accomplish the American dream,” Ledbetter said. “... I lived up to my end of the bargain. My employer, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., never did.” Ledbetter served as the plaintiff in the historic employment discrimination case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. Ledbetter worked at the Alabama Goodyear plant for almost 20 years before discovering she was being paid thousands of dollars fewer per year than men who were doing the same work as she was. While her base pay was roughly $3,727 a month, her male counterparts were making upwards to $5,900. “I was a second class citizen then, and I am a second class citizen today,” Ledbetter said. “That money is lost for myself and my family forever. It’s gone.” She later filed a sex discrimination complaint and sued Goodyear for $3 million, which she won in federal court. The U.S. Supreme Court would later overturn the ruling for reasons Ledbetter still struggles to understand. “Look at Justice Clarence Thomas. He’s a minority. He’s from the South; he should have understood, but he went the other
way,” Ledbetter said. “I’ll never understand his decision.” Ledbetter continued to fight for pay equality, resulting in President Barack Obama signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act in 2009, his first bill signed into law as president. The act loosened the timeline requirements for filing a discrimination lawsuit. But, Ledbetter said that despite the small victories that her work and others have achieved for women’s equal rights, women are still far from equality. Women are paid only 77 cents per dollar that men make on average, and she said this statistic has not budged in the last 10 years. “My story is not unique. I’m just the tip of the iceberg,” Ledbetter said. “There are wives, daughters, mothers, aunts (and) sisters who are still not getting equal pay.” Ledbetter said the pay gap does more than just affect women. “Every single person is affected by the pay gap,” Ledbetter said. “Men, women, entire families. When women are paid less, whole families suffer.” Ledbetter said that many companies today still use situations including pregnancy or mothering to pay women less than their male counterparts. Ledbetter said employees today can no longer find this reality acceptable. “We’ve got to correct this,” Ledbetter said. “There are too many women who are single and haven’t got a family, and there are women who are supporting a handicapped
A LEDBETTER | 2
NCAA TOURNAMeNT
Buses to women’s game almost full By Ryan Fitzmaurice Senior Reporter
The Office of Student Life expects buses transporting students to the women’s basketball team’s firstround NCAA tournament game in Columbus, Ohio, to be full upon departure Saturday morning. By Thursday afternoon, 13 spots on the buses remained. Bus spots were offered on a first-come, first-serve basis to the first 54 students to show up to the Student Life office in the Bovee University Center on Wednesday, and an additional 41 students Thursday. The remaining 13 spots will be distributed today.
No. 11 CMU vs. No. 6 Oklahoma; Guevara, team ready for NCAA » PAGE 7 Originally, the Office of Student Life, which is supplying both the tickets and the transportation, offered only free transportation. On Thursday morning, head coach Sue Guevara showed appreciation for CMU students’ continued support for the team by paying the cost for all 108 tickets and is also supplying attending students with a
Rose Rowdies T-shirt and lunch. Students who bought tickets for the game, scheduled to tip-off at 11:10 a.m. Saturday, will be refunded the $12 ticket price. “Student Life is always looking to supply opportunities to students such as this one,” Danielle Rossman, Student Organization Services coordinator said. “We are excited to give students the chance to support the women’s basketball team.” The bus will depart from lot 62, located in front of the Student Activity Center, at 4:30 a.m. and will return at 11 p.m. A BUS | 2
fiLe Photo By ViCtoria ZeGLer
Senior guard Jalisa Olive looks to pass during the first half of the Mid-American Conference championship game on Saturday at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Chippewas had a dominating win over Akron 86-68. Olive finished the game with a total of 14 points, one assist and one steal.