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UPDATE:
Murder trial begins for Curtis Leachman, accused of stabbing man to death » PAGE 2
GRADUATE STUDENT UNION:
New president: Accessibility No. 1 priority » PAGE 3
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
cm-life.com THE END OF AN ERA
SPORTS
The New Yorker, oldest downtown business, closing its doors after 76 years » PAGE 3
Baseball loses resumed ‘Clash at Comerica’ game 5-4, then blanked by MSU 10-0 » PAGE 4
Professors ranked 12th worst in nation, Shapiro calls study ‘nonsense’ By Neil Rosan Staff Reporter
Central Michigan University professors were ranked as the 12th-worst in the nation in a study conducted by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. The CCAP is an independent higher education think-tank. The organization created the rankings by sifting through the millions of teacher rankings on the popular website, RateMyProfessor.com. Provost Gary Shapiro did not take so well to the ranking in a news release “The list is nonsense,” Shapiro said. “It’s also a disservice to students and faculty across the nation, and especially to CMU’s faculty.” Fellow Mid-American Conference school the University of Toledo (20th), Michigan Technological University (second), the University of Maryland (25th) and the University of Connecticut (23rd) also made the list. Professor of Educational Leadership Ben Jankens was not certain of the quality of the data collected by the CCAP but believes all feedback should be considered.
“There are two parts to this. One part is the numbers and data from these websites is not 100-percent accurate,” he said. “As a university, we have mechanisms that are research-based to help us as educators to better help our students. Two, is that information and feedback are valuable and useful. I still think there is something we can learn from all these different sites.” Jankens believes he works with a great group of educators. “We had a very dedicated group of faculty members. As one of them, I really respect my colleagues and their pursuit to improve themselves as well as their professionalism,” he said. “At the same time, I would say we all have room for improvement. Students are at the heart of what we do as educators and as long as we are professional and take our teaching seriously, we will continue to meet the needs of our students and grow.” Many CMU students also took issue with the study. Lansing senior Tyler Wippel questioned the credibility of the CCAP. A STUDY | 2
Pick for associate VP for institutional diversity declines position By John Irwin Editor-in-chief
Central Michigan University’s pick to be the next associate vice president for institutional diversity declined the position last week because of “personal family health issues.” The position has been vacant since June 2012. Lawrence Burnley, the assistant vice president for diversity and intercultural relations at Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash., was picked to replace Denise Green, who resigned from the position in last June to take a similar position at Ryerson University in Toronto. “We regret that Dr. Burnley is unable to join the CMU team,” Provost Gary Shapiro said in a news release. “All of us wish Larry and his family our deepest support as he and his family grapple with this difficult time in their lives. He would have been a tremendous asset to promot-
ing diversity at CMU.” Both the provost’s office and the Office for Institutional Diversity told Central Michigan Life there is no timetable as of Tuesday on finding a replacement for Jackson. It is unknown if the search will start again from scratch, and if so, how much the new search would cost the university. Burnley was one of two finalists for the job, alongside Traci Guinn, the interim associate vice president for institutional diversity at CMU. Guinn has been serving as the interim VP since shortly after Green’s resignation. According to the job description, some of the responsibilities that come with the position include providing leadership to plan and implement diversity efforts and initiating diversity efforts related to curricular programs. university@cm-life.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF CMU ATHLETICS
The CMU softball team used a two-run home run by sophomore Trista Cox in the 11th inning to beat Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference championship game, 4-2.
we’re back Softball plays Cal in Ann Arbor Friday in first NCAA tournament appearance in nine years By Kris Lodes | Managing Editor
The softball team won’t be traveling far for its first NCAA tournament game since 2004, as it drew the Ann Arbor regional bracket. The softball team won’t be traveling far for its first NCAA tournament game since 2004, as it drew the Ann Arbor regional bracket. There, the team will play at 4:30 Friday against California, while the host, Michigan, will play Valporasio. “Going into the regional, now you’ve got Cal, who has
played great competition,” head coach Margo Jonker said. “Michigan has played good competition, obviously, and between that and Valpo, you can’t overlook ... It’ll be a great challenge for us.” The regional could prove to be a tough test for the Chippewas, as ESPN analysts Beth Mowins, Jessica Mendoza and
Michele Smith picked this regional to be the toughest in the entire tournament. “I don’t really know why they thought it was the toughest regional,” Jonker said. “I don’t know if it was just because of Michigan and Cal, and we need show them that there is another team there. But, Central Michigan has respect from Michigan for sure and around the country.” The Chippewas received a nice draw being close to home on a field they are familiar with and against an opponent who must travel across the nation. CMU plays the Wolver-
ines nearly every year and has made numerous trips to Alumni Field in Ann Arbor, including this season. “Yeah, I think there is a little bit (of an advantage),” senior pitcher Kara Dornbos said. “But, we still have to come play our game because it’s not our field, but it’s nice to be used to that field a little.” The Chippewas are 4-4 all-time against the Golden Bears, 30-46 against U of M and 1-1 against the Crusaders, and they aren’t all too familiar with the schools outside of the Wolverines. A SOFTBALL | 2
Board of Trustees to meet Friday for CMED East vote By John Irwin Editor in Chief
The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees will meet Friday to vote for more planning and design funding for Phase 1 of the College of Medicine’s Saginaw campus. The trustees will also vote on a memorandum of understanding for the project’s first phase, a 48,000-square-foot facility planned for construction on the grounds of Covenant Health-
care in Saginaw. That facility is expected to come with a $25-million price tag for CMU. The board will meet in the President’s Conference Room in the Bovee University Center at 11:45 a.m. Friday for the special, one-item meeting. At April’s Board of Trustees meeting, CMED Dean Ernest Yoder announced the total design costs for the CMED East facilities totaled $2.2 million. It is unclear how much further funding is needed for
planning and design. Yoder said at the April board meeting the design stage of CMED’s Saginaw facility is near completion, and the school is beginning plans for construction. “There is clearly a need for an urban high-tech environment like Saginaw. It provides an opportunity for students to be trained in the whole spectrum. The facility in Saginaw is critical,” Yoder said. CMED East will also use
the campus and facilities of St. Mary’s Hospital in Saginaw. The total costs of the CMED East project are an estimated $46.5 million. The Saginaw campus will provide clinical completion for years three and four of the CMED curriculum. Back on campus, the College of Medicine is set to open with its 64-student inaugural class in the fall. university@cm-life.com
Bonkowski, 18-weeks pregnant, sentenced to eight months for poisoning roommate By Neil Rosan Staff Reporter
CHRISTIANA KURTZ/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Sterling Heights resident Kayla A. Bonkowski wipes her eyes as she listens to a statement read by her former roommate during her sentencing Friday afternoon in Judge Mark Duthie’s courtroom at the Isabella County Trial Court, 200 N. Main St. Bonkowski, a former CMU student, plead guilty to putting bleach in her roommate’s iced tea on Nov. 7 2012. Bonkowski was sentenced to eight months of jail time, three years of probabtion, and 104 hours of community service.
Former Central Michigan University student Kayla Bonkowski will serve eight months of jail time for poisoning her roommate over an argument about dirty dishes. On Friday, Judge Mark Duthie said at the Isabella County Court, 200 N. Main St., the guidelines for the sentencing called for a maximum of 11 months of jail time, but he decided on eight months following Bonkowski’s announcement that she is 18-weeks pregnant. Bonkowski, 20, will serve four months in Isabella
County Jail before serving the remaining four months under electronic house arrest at her Sterling Heights home. In addition to her jail time, Bonkowski will serve three years of probation in a youthful trainee program, undergo a mental health evaluation and do 104 hours of community service over nine months following her jail time. “If I was to ever be in this situation again, I would walk away and be a bigger person,” a tearful Bonkowski said during her statement. “I made a mistake, and I am not the only person to do something I regret. I want everyone to know I will never act this way again.”
Defense attorney Todd Levitt said he is working on a deal to move Bonkowski to Macomb County Jail to be closer to her family in case of a medical emergency, but the jail is currently full. Bonkowski was accused of putting bleach in her 20-yearold roommate’s iced tea on Nov. 7 at their Jamestown apartment complex following an argument over dirty dishes, according to court documents. Bonkowski said she knew poisoning her roommate was a serious thing, but she did it anyway because she said her roommate was being “mean,” according to an affidavit. A BONKOWSKI | 2