LIFE CENTRAL MICHIGAN
at the movies
Celebration! Cinema now serves alcohol
wednesday, march 25, 2015 | MOUNT PLEASANT, MICH. | ISSUE NO. 70 VOL. 96
Life in brief university Pink elevator installed in Biosciences Building Flashes of pink will take riders up and down the floors of Central Michigan University’s $95 million Biosciences Building, as a pink elevator was installed in partnership with the Susan. G. Komen Foundation. Part of the foundation’s Ride the Pink Elevator fundraising campaign, CMU’s pink elevator will be the second in Michigan. The campaign will begin at 8 a.m. on April 3, raising funds for breast cancer research. The elevator was installed in the south side exterior of the building on March 2, and will remain in place through early July. Donations will be collected from April 2 to July 2. Installed by Clark Construction Co, the lead builder of the Biosciences Building, the elevator was leased by trade contractor Spence Brothers from Metro Elevator Co. Inc. Metro Elevator specializes in rack and pinion construction, hoist sales and leasing. The company paints select elevators in the signature Komen pink to raise awareness of breast cancer. President of Metro Elevator Charlie Ernstes II, said interest in the Ride the Pink Elevator campaign is growing, and now has four additional builders and general contractors who have committed to this fundraising opportunity. “I am thankful, excited and amazed that the Ride the Pink Elevator campaign has taken off on the level it has,” Ernstes said. “It has been an invigorating awakening, beginning with thoughts of doing a one-time fundraiser here in Indianapolis to now getting calls from all over the United States asking for our pink elevators.” - Adrian Hedden News Editor
Student life
SPRING PICK UP
Claire Abendroth | Staff Photographer Grand Ledge sophomore Zach Rowland, left, Shelby Township freshman Jon Baase and Auburn Hills freshman Eric Verville, right, play basketball March 24 in the parking lot behind Merrill and Beddow halls.
for more photos, see page 2b
SGA presidential candidate unveils key points in policy before election By Jordyn Hermani Staff Reporter
As the only candidate for Student Government Association president, Chesterfield senior Chuck Mahone is looking to address several student-related topics next year. Voting takes place March 30 to April 3. Incumbent Mahone and Vice President Maggie Blackmer need 50 percent of the vote Representing her roots
Breanna Colwell is the first female member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe to participate in the marching band. w 1B
university
academic senate
A vote was made to change writing intensive course requirements. w 5A
LIFE INSIDE Support Michigan Proposal 1 »PAGE 4A HER OWN DEVICES: A panel discussion on the history of contraception was held »PAGE 3B
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to begin working on next year’s platform, which includes increasing study hours in the library and asking for larger desks. Monday’s SGA Presidential Press conference showcased the key concerns of Mahone and running mate Maggie Blackmer. Their talking points included getting bigger classroom desks for plus-size students and making reserving rooms around campus easier for registered student orga-
nizations and SGA sponsored events. The desk issue, Blackmer said, addresses a need to accommodate students of “all shapes and sizes.” “We believe it Chuck Mahone is embarrassing, and plain absurd, that a student who may be bigger is unable to sit in those types of (small) desks
and have to, unfortunately, sit in a handicapped seat in the classroom,” Blackmer said. “(The desks) need to be changed so that every single Chippewa can feel comfortable coming to class.” Along with that, Mahone pointed out that the size of the desktops compared to all that is placed on them in an average class period — books, notepads, laptops, and more w voting | 5a
City officials support Prop 1 after Cotter presentation By Ben Solis Staff Reporter
Mount Pleasant’s city commission passed a resolution of support for a May 5 ballot proposal that may help repair Michigan’s crumbling roads. Commissioners unanimously approved the resolution after a presentation from House Speaker Kevin Cotter during Monday’s City Commission meeting. The Mount Pleasant Republican presented each facet of Proposal 1, also known as “Proposal 1 for Safer Roads.” If passed, the initiative will raise the state’s sales tax from 6 to 7 percent. It also will increase driver registration fees and eliminate the tax on gasoline and diesel fuels. The proposal, Cotter said, is expected to raise $2.1 billion in new revenue for the state in fiscal year 2015-16, with $367.8 million of that revenue going to road improvements. Out of that portion, Isabella County would receive $1.6 million per year for road improvements. That amount would be increased to $2.66 million after two years. A previous plan passed in 1997 taxed gas at 19 cents for road repairs, but was not protected against inflation, Cotter said. Over the years, the lack of funds have cre-
Monica Bradburn | Staff photographer City commissioners listen as House Speaker Kevin Cotter speaks about road funding on March 23 in Mount Pleasant’s city hall.
To learn about Proposal 1, see page 2 ated a safety issue the state can no longer ignore. “When you look at the issue of the roads, we can see that they have indeed deteriorated as the
SATURDAY, APRIL 25 4PM-8PM $15,000 COVERALL!
funding has plummeted,” Cotter said. “We can’t simply put it off as a deferred expense. If we put it off, the cost of repairs go up.” Some voters, and members of
OVER $60,000 IN CASH AND PRIZES.
Cotter’s own party, voiced opposition to 15-1. The opposition came mostly from the tax increase and the number of new laws it would enact. Cotter told city commissioners he supports the plan, even if it isn’t ideal. “Road funding has probably been the biggest issue that has gone w cotter | 2a