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NEW MAN ON CAMPUS Freshman starting Quarterback Rush trades in his spot on the bench for a spot on the field
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FRIDAY, SEPT. 13, 2013 | MOUNT PLEASANT, MICH. | ISSUE NO. 9 VOL. 95
WHAT'S INSIDE METRO
Ghost town: top floor of Robinson Hall vacant Hall activities merged with Barnes By Sydney Smith Staff Reporter
BLOCK BUSTED Blockbuster is closing, but don’t worry! Family Video will still be around w 3A
The top floor of Robinson Hall is like a ghost town. Following a decline in overall oncampus undergraduate enrollment, the occupancy for the residential hall saw a decline of 61 students, from 182 to 121. As a consequence, the entire top floor of the building is vacant this semester. To account for decreased student
interest in the residence hall, university officials point to Robinson’s two-room, two-person layout, which is reflected by a 7.5-percent room and board rate increase. However, Campbell, Celani, Fabiano and Kesseler halls reflect a 15-percent rate increase, and each saw an increase. “Only a couple of students signed up to live on that floor, and we had a couple of Resident Assistants resign over the summer,” said Direc-
tor of Residence Life Joan Schmidt. “It was convenient and made the most sense not to staff the top floor and move the students who registered there.” The students who signed up to live on the top floor of Robinson were reassigned to a different area of the residence hall. Due to the reduced occupancy, Barnes Hall residence hall director Luanne Goffnett has assumed responsibilities for Robinson Hall. As a result staff will oversee both buildings and both Hall Councils, which were merged to
By Adrian Hedden Staff Reporter
FOOTBALL
Arin Bisaro | Staff Photographer Weidman Veterinarian Dr. Jan Pol explains the layout of his animal clinic, which treats local pets and live stock, on Tuesday afternoon at Pol Veterinary Services in Weidman. His show, “The Incredible Doctor Pol” is filming its fourth season for Nat Geo Wild in mid-September.
One with the pack
LEADING THE WAY Sophomore safety Kavon Frazier out to fast start in secondary w 2B
UNIVERSITY
By Adrian Hedden Staff Reporter
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UNIVERSITY
DIALING FOR DONATIONS CMU’s Phonathon brings in thousands of dollars per year w 3A
Inside Life Mount Pleasant Gaming Association celebrates 27 years »PAGE 5A
Transit services budget for rising fuel costs »PAGE 3A
Hopeful soccer coach works with struggling team to find “sense of normalcy” »PAGE 5B
Cross-country looks to keep up with MSU at Sparty Invite »PAGE 6B
w ROBINSON | 2A
University enrollment declines 4.9 percent
ROUGH START The first installment of Tony vs. Food didn’t go so well... Check out the damage on page w 5A
IN IT TO WIN IT Want to win $30,000? The New Venture Competition might be calling your name. w 3A
form one large group. “I have been very strategic in setting up office hours so that I am visible to students in both buildings,” Goffnett said. “In addition, I walk the floors in both buildings at least once a week, I am present at all hall activities, and I start each day by physically visiting each desk to see how things are going.” As for Robinson residents, students are experiencing a quieter environment this year compared to
s he races tirelessly from farm to farm caring for mid-Michigan’s dwindling livestock population, Dr. Jan Pol never once considers basking in his recent fame as a cable television star. “The Incredible Dr. Pol,” featuring Pol, his wife Diane and other veterinarians at his Weidman practice, will begin shooting its fourth season on Nat Geo Wild this month. The rigors of filming have left Pol’s routine unchanged, as he insists on working unscripted at all times.
“If they don’t get what they want on the first try, too bad,” Pol said of the 25-person film crew that crowds into his clinic. “When I take a calf out of a cow, I don’t shove it back in for a second take.” After producing 150 to 200 minutes of film per week, which is edited into a 40-minute episode, Pol soon learned to address his new, national audience with stronger sense of education amid his 10 farm calls per day. “I learned to run my mouth a lot, like a lot of folks,” Pol said of being on the air. “I have to explain a lot more when I am working with the animals. It was hard at first, but you grow into it.” Although the show premiered in 2010, Pol Veterinary Services has been servicing nearby farms in Isabella and other counties for 32 years. His first 10 years as a practicing large-animal vet found himself in Harbor Beach. Supporting Pol as the clinic’s office manager, his wife Diane met the doctor in high school when he was an exchange student from the Netherlands. She said that after convincing him to open a clinic in her native Michigan, the couple set to identifying areas most in need of Pol’s expertise. They landed among the dairy farms and horse stables of Isabella County. “He originally wanted to do all large animals, so we looked at counties to see what vets were in the area,” Diane said. “We looked at the percentage of cows and pinpointed the area as having a need for vets.” Recently, as large, corporate farms have taken over the industry, Pol has begun working with smaller domesticated animals. But his desire to care for them has remained large as ever. w DR. POL | 2A
Arin Bisaro| Staff Photographer Weidman Veterinarian Dr. Jan Pol delivered French Bulldog puppies on Tuesday afternoon at Pol Veterinary Services in Weidman. His show, ‘The Incredible Doctor Pol’ is filming its fourth season for Nat Geo Wild in mid-September.
Arin Bisaro | Staff Photographer Weidman Veterinarian Dr. Jan Pol talks about his two horses which were offspring of other horses he brought from the Netherlands Tuesday afternoon at Pol Veterinary Services in Weidman. His show, ‘The Incredible Doctor Pol’ is filming its fourth season for Nat Geo Wild in mid-September.
“The Incredible Dr. Pol” w Starring Dr. Jan Pol w Fourth Season airs on Saturdays at 9 p.m. w Airs on Nat Geo Wild
Check out video of Dr. Pol’s animal house, hear and see the excitement for yourself on cm-life.com
Central Michigan University officials announced an 11.4-percent enrollment decline of oncampus new freshmen. In addition, total on-campus undergraduate enrollment has declined 4.9 percent this semester. As enrollment continues to decline this year, creating multimillion dollar deficits across campus, officials at CMU identified factors and plans to address the reductions in a news release Thursday. On-campus undergraduate enrollment for on-campus and Global Campus students is 26,902, down 2.9 percent from last year, according to the release. However, Global Campus increased by 4.4 percent to an all-time high of 2,763 students. Vice President of Enrollment Steven Johnson shared sevSteven Johnson eral factors, including Michigan’s struggling economy, in the release. “When the economy is great, fewer people go to school because they already have jobs,” Johnson said in an interview with a Central Michigan Life reporter. “This is a trend in higher education. It’s just how it works. This is a national issue, it doesn’t just affect CMU.” According to published reports, Eastern Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, Western Michigan University, Ferris State University and Michigan State University reported on increases in freshmen enrollment this semester. Johnson was optimistic of CMU’s strategic planning in maintaining ideal enrollment amid budget reductions. He said the ideal enrollment at CMU sits between 17,000 and 18,000 students. “It will stabilize, but I don’t see it growing,” Johnson said. “We need to make sure we’re ahead of it to respond to student demands. Fewer students will have a great number of choices.” Johnson said other issues that contribute to the decline besides the economy include “more robust” financial aid programs at other schools and other highdemand programs CMU does not offer, such as nursing. To address the decreases, Johnson said the university is beginning recruitiment earlier at high schools, looking to capture eighth and ninth-graders, as well as recruiting the usual seniors. He also said CMU is looking to recruit from Indiana, Wisconsin and Texas, which has seen the greatest national growth in high school graduates. “I’m confident we can position CMU where it needs to be,” Johnson said. “We just have to be more conscious of the effects financially, and be very thoughtful and strategic about how we use resources.” “We’re ahead of the game.” university@cm-life.com