April 4, 2014

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Central Michigan University’s premier news source and student voice since 1919.

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Life

Life on Campus

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FRIday, APRIL 4, 2014 | MOUNT PLEASANT, MICH. | ISSUE NO. 75 VOL. 95

FOIA request for LaBelle, CMU lawsuit denied By Ben Solis University Editor

A Freedom of Information Act request filed by Central Michigan Life asking for a copy of a legal settlement between Central Michigan University and LaBelle Limited Partnership was denied by the Office of General Counsel. CM Life requested the settlement information after learning both parties had reached an outof-court settlement on a lawsuit filed after failed attempts to construct an on-campus hotel near or around Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The Office of General Counsel cited attorney-client communications as its reason for denying the public records request. In response, CM Life has filed new FOIA requests to obtain a copy of the settlement and any other court documents related to the settlement and for copies of any financial expenditures paid to LaBelle as part of the settlement. Plans for a LaBelle hotel were dismantled when the board of trustees approved moving the hotel to a different location on campus, which was not part of the original verbal agreement between LaBelle and former University President Leonard Plachta, said President George Ross at the Dec. 5 board of trustees session. The arrangement ended in a lawsuit between CMU and LaBelle that was dismissed, appealed and settled out of court. During their Dec. 5 meeting, the trustees approved a $175,000 30-year land lease allowing construction of a proposed six-story Courtyard by Marriot hotel near or around Kelly/Shorts Stadium. The new hotel arrangements were reported to be between CMU and Mount Pleasant Hospitality, a company also known as Lodgco. University officials, including Ross and Steve Smith, director of Public Relations, told CM Life that a “gentlemen’s agreement” was also reached between CMU and LaBelle regarding the release of any information regarding their lawsuit. The “gentlemen’s agreement” stated if any member of the student or professional press wanted to view or keep a copy of the settlement agreement, they could do so by sending a FOIA request to the university’s General Counsel, Smith said. CM Life sent an initial FOIA request on Jan. 26 which requested the final agreement. The request was received by General Counsel the next day, Jan. 27. A denial of request letter dated Feb. 4 was subsequently sent back and was received by CM Life in mid-February. According to the Michigan Constitution, Article Nine, Section 23, the public has the right to view or request copies of checks or expenditures paid using public monies through FOIA requests. Besides the cited exemption, Mary Roy, CMU’s Freedom of Information officer, wrote that the university sent a copy of the final agreement to CM Life on Dec. 5. CM Life has received no such document. university@cm-life.com

LIFE INSIDE Greek Week begins Sunday, ends Friday with mock rock     »PAGE 3 EDITORIAL: Renewing an emphasis on safety, security     »PAGE 4 Annual ‘Relay for Life’ to use Disney theme in 24-hours of support     »PAGE 5

Photos by Samantha Madar | Photo Editor TOP: President Obama speaks in the University of Michigan Intramural Sports Building in Ann Arbor on Wednesday. The President spoke about raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. BOTTOM LEFT: A member of the United States military stands on the tarmac awaiting President Obama’s arrival at Willow Run Airport on Wednesday. BOTTOM RIGHT: A spectator at the president’s speech stands and applauds Obama in the University of Michigan Intramural Sports Building on Wednesday.

A new wage

Obama’s Ann Arbor speech highlights challenges for young Americans, college students By John Irwin Senior Reporter

ANN ARBOR — Matt Roughton is worried about how his children will be able to pay for college. Roughton, 52, was among dozens who gathered along East Hoover Avenue in Ann Arbor on Wednesday to watch President Barack Obama and his motorcade drive by before and after his speech at the University

of Michigan’s Intramural Building. With tuition rates continuing to skyrocket nationwide, and fewer jobs available to pay for it, the Ann Arbor resident and father of two is worried about how he will be able to get them through college. “College is important, but it’s concerning that college is becoming so expensive,” he said. “We’re asking kids now to work through college and graduate in four or five years, but

that’s impossible when there are so few jobs.” Obama was in Ann Arbor to push for an increase in the federal minimum wage from its current $7.25 status to $10.10 per hour. His speech was geared toward people like Roughton’s daughters, who are concerned about their futures as student loan debt rises and well-paying jobs struggle to come back. He spent much of the speech

criticizing congressional Republicans for failing to get behind a minimum wage increase, pointing to polls that indicate as much as 75 percent of Americans support an increase. “(A wage increase) would lift millions of people out of poverty right away,” Obama said. “You would think this would be a no-brainer, politically.” w obama | 7

Union Township trustees address corruption complaints By Amanda Brancecum Staff Reporter

Pay rates and the attendance policy for the Union Township Board of Trustees were heavily discussed in a Wednesday workshop meeting after complaints of corruption from residents. Meeting pay is a small, but important part of the more than $10 million budget. Funding for the budget comes from the near 11,000 Union Township residents’ tax dollars. Past and present trustees have been accused of poor attendance at meetings, one of the main calls for a deduction in pay. A main concern among the board members was preventing abuse of the policy, which Trustee Tim Lannen said has been in place for more than seven years. “I have seen it abused,” said Trustee Bryan Mielke. “I have seen members ... during their lame duck sessions suddenly start attending meetings for five minutes and then they would leave. I haven’t seen anybody here doing it, but I have seen it in the past.” One of the residents viewed the tape from the last meeting and gave some feedback to Trustee Phil Mikus regarding pay. “It seems quite clear that two new board members, Bryan (Mielke) and Roger (Hauck), found a loophole in the meeting policy,” Mikus said. “The loophole being that our policy states that we, as board members, can attend meetings that we are eligible

Morgan Taylor | Assistant Photo Editor Mount Pleasant Union Township Board of Trustees Bryan Mielke, Margie Henry, Peter Gallinat and Brian Smith discuss meeting pay at Union Township Hall on Wednesday night.

to attend. (There is) no definition of eligibility.” Board of Trustees Supervisor Russ Alwood said he turns in only some documents for meeting pay from the ones he attends because he feels he is constantly in meetings. The township does not have defined hours of work for its employees. With the position being part-time,

Alwood said he doesn’t know when members have working days or time off. Mikus proposed an 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. shift for their regular township business hours. In the draft of the meeting pay policy, this would mean the township supervisor, clerk and treasurer would not receive any extra pay during those hours if at an extra meeting took place.

“The way our policy is, it states that all seven of us could go (to a meeting) and all seven of us could get paid,” Hauck said. “I just don’t see how anyone on this board thinks it’s in the best interest of our taxpayers to go to any board meetings that they want to when we can assign one board member to go to that meeting.” w union | 2


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