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A SoLider’S BAGGAGe CMU cadets carry up to 100 pounds of equipment » PAGe 3A Wednesday, March 27, 2013
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Kara Dornbos, junior trio leading pitching staff » PAGE 1B
Pitcher Jordan Foley is baseball team’s surprise ace » PAGE 1B
CMED East facilities to cost $46.5 million By Brianna Owczarzak Staff Reporter
University President George Ross announced at Tuesday’s Academic Senate meeting the cost of the College of Medicine’s East campus facilities will total $46.5 million. Both Covenant Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital in Saginaw will provide land and facilities that will be renovated for the college’s use and will donate $1.5 million in hospital infrastructure. In addition, $15 million will come from CMU Medical Education Partners, formerly known as Saginaw Cooperative Hospitals. CMU’s University Construction Reserves will cover $15 million of the remaining cost, while collaborative fundraising efforts account for another $15 million. If that goal isn’t met, CMU and both of the East campus hospitals will cover the difference, with each hospital covering up to $2 million a piece. Through donations, $7.5 million has
already been secured. Renovations at Covenant will include the addition of two clinical facilities. “We will be supporting general surgery, psychology and pediatrics,” said Ernest Yoder, founding dean of the College of Medicine. Between the Covenant and St. Mary’s campuses, 200 CMED students, in their third and fourth years of medical school, along with 100 resident students, will be accommodated. CMED has received 2,765 applications for its inaugural class of 64 students, and, has interviewed 350 applicants. The college offered acceptance to 78 applicants, and of those applicants, 70 have accepted. Another 85 applicants have been waitlisted. The students who have been offered acceptance have an average GPA of 3.65 and an average MCAT score of 29. Yoder said Michigan residents make up 90 percent of the current offers and wait listings.
Brooke Mayle/ ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Keynote Speaker Hoan Do interacts with his audience, sharing stories of his years attending college and which factors contributed to his career success. “Underclassmen need to get involved some way on campus soon,” Do said. “Find what it is you’re passionate about and go for it.” Around 100 people, including students and faculty, were in attendance at the event, kicking off Asian Heritage Month at Warriner Hall in Plachta Auditorium.
Do-ing it right
A CMED | 2A
Hoan Do entertains, inspires underclassmen in Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Mount Pleasant takes income tax off the table By Emily Grove Senior Reporter
The possibility of an income tax for the city of Mount Pleasant was taken off the table at Monday’s city commission meeting. In a two-part motion, commissioners voted to no longer explore the option of putting an income tax on the ballot. Instead, the city will begin work to prepare a budget with a 1.5-millage increase, though a millage increase was not approved. “The second part of the motion directs staff to create a budget with an assumed possible increase up to 1.5 mills, but, to understand that, we will look carefully at all of those expenditures and may in the end approve a budget without a mill increase,” Mayor Kathy Ling said. Vice Mayor Sharon Tilmann said residents have been clear in voicing they would not support an income tax and would rather see a millage increase. Tilmann said she would support a 1.5-millage increase and could also even support a two-mill increase.
“I’ve sat on the commission that increased the rate by two mills, and the citizens were happy with that because they could see where their money was spent, and the results coming in as far as services,” Tilmann said. In October, commissioners heard results from Municipal Analytics of a study conducted for the city about implementation of an income tax. Based on a 1-percent tax rate for residents, a halfpercent tax for non-residents working within the city, and the $1,000 exemption, Mount Pleasant was estimated to collect about $2.7 million from the tax. However, the tax would cost between $240,000 and $250,000 to administer, and collection rates would vary over the first few years. Along with concerns about costs to the city and how much revenue would actually be collected, commissioners heard from residents at a public hearing on March 11 to seek community input on the possible tax. A INCOME TAX | 2A
By Ryan Fitzmaurice | Senior Reporter
For the full impact, one had to utilize the hand motions. The audience’s first attempt was the typical half-muted response one might expect to hear when asked to repeat a phrase.
The second attempt had the crowd of 200 yelling in unison, emphasizing every word they spoke with energetic hand motions. “Hold up, that song is whack, because I got swag,” they proclaimed. This wasn’t the average motivational speech. Motivational speaker Hoan Do graced Platcha Auditorium Tuesday night as the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month keynote speaker to share his life experiences and help students succeed in following their career goals. Do was the recipient of the Verizon Wireless Motivator Award and was named the Best Youth Mentor by the International Examiner.
It didn’t take long for Do to break common platitudes. “You all know that saying, ‘You just got to have a positive attitude,’” Do said. “That is absolutely the worst advice I’ve ever heard, because it’s easier said than done.” The trick, according to Do, is not having a positive attitude, but the right attitude. How one achieves this attitude is very much like changing stations on the radio. “You have radio stations (in your head), and most of the time it plays whack songs,” Do said. “... The problem is we’ve never been taught how to change the radio station.” One changes radio sta-
“too many people network and not enough people connect. networking is knowing someone; connecting is getting to know someone.” Hoan Do, Motivational speaker tions by a particular method. Do said the best way to get the right attitude is to stop in the middle of any negative or overwhelming thoughts and to say as loudly as possible ‘That thought was whack.’” “I’d rather be silly and have a good time and feel so much better than play the cool card and continue to be stressed,” Do said. The sentiment was carried out exactly at the end of the speech, when Do opened up a white box to his right, took out a cheerleading uniform and a blonde wig and danced in front of the audience. It was the same performance he gave in his acting class when he was a student at Pepperdine
University. The assignment, titled ‘The Rock Star Assignment,’ had students dance and lip sync to a random song. At first, Do didn’t want to do it, until he learned that he had to perform the assignment to pass the class. In the end, he said being open and accepting his challenges allowed him to better adjust his attitude and succeed. “As I got ready for the assignment, I realized I knew nothing about cheerleading,” Do said. “So what did I do? Rent every ‘Bring It On’ movie there is.” Do said that having great friends and a support network is also important. A DO | 2A
Athletes have higher graduation rate than non-athletes By Justin Hicks Senior Reporter
Editor’s note: This is the fifth story in a series focusing on student-athletes’ academics at Central Michigan University. Athletes at Central Michigan University reported a higher graduation rate than the general student body in the most recent federal graduation rate cohort of incoming freshmen in 2002-05, graduating through 2011. CMU was one of 10 MidAmerican Conference schools where athletes recorded a
higher FGR than its general students, despite having a heavier schedule. “This is a general statement, but I think you see many student-athletes perform at a higher rate than general students,” Director of Athletics Dave Heeke said. “They’re driven, they’re focused, and they’re regulated to a higher level than general students.” Last semester, more than 400 student athletes at CMU recorded a 3.1 average GPA, with 284 maintaining a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Student-athletes are enrolled in a First Year Experi-
ence course in their first year of campus, much like the FYE course available to general students, to be introduced to the range of resources on campus. Due to NCAA regulations, student-athletes must have their major signed by Thanksgiving of their sophomore year in order to maintain eligibility. “We’re focused heavily in the freshman and sophomore years, trying to guide and help people find where they want to go quickly,” Heeke said. “We provide resources on campus to our athletes, so they can explore what would be interesting to them.”
In addition to maintaining a 2.0 GPA for eligibility, studentathletes must complete 40 percent of their degree requirements by the end of their sophomore year, 60 percent by the end of their junior year, and 80 percent by the end of their senior year. Junior Hallie Enderle, a middle blocker on the volleyball team, said she had no idea she wanted to study therapeutic recreation when she came to CMU. “That was the most stressful part,” the Minnesota native said. “I had my academic adviser help me find things I
was interested in. It took a lot of different kinds of (general courses) to find out what I liked.” Novi junior and baseball outfielder Nick Regnier said having to make the decision faster was beneficial for him. “It made it a little harder, but it helped me,” he said. “It forced me to make a decision instead of taking too many classes I didn’t need.” In addition to the resourcstudent tutors and mentors at es open to general students, the center, as well as a study athletes have access to the hall and computer lab with Dick Enberg Academic Center, which opened in 1999. Student- free printing. athletes have access to 25 A ATHLETES & ACADEMICS | 2A
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