Senior forward Jalin Thomas commemorative poster, 8A
Cm-life.com competency change approved at academic senate meeting
Kids explore ideas, share their thoughts on love, 1B
Central Michigan Life
Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
[cm-life.com]
College of Medicine faces setbacks Opening date pushed from 2012 to 2013
By Maria Amante Senior Reporter
The College of Medicine’s doors will not open for its first class of medical students until summer 2013 — a year later than previously projected. Dr. Ernest Yoder, College of Medicine founding dean, recommended a year-long delay for the project, which was slated to be ready for students by summer 2012, to further prepare for Liaison Committee on Medical
Education accreditation. University President George Ross notified the campus community in an e-mail Tuesday morning. “It will provide sufficient time to prepare for the stringent accrediting process,” Ross said. Provost Gary Shapiro said Yoder proposed delaying the opening in a memo Feb. 8, and Shapiro and Ross concurred it was an appropriate move. Ross told senators and attendees at Tuesday’s Academic Senate meeting the delay is “the norm and not the exception” in terms of universities undergoing the process. The news comes three weeks
after Dr. Nehad El-Sawi’s resignation, the former associate dean of Medical Education and Faculty Development. Yoder said the accreditation process would not be affected by her departure. Shapiro said her role included curriculum development and has been redistributed to the other deans and faculty within the College of Medicine. Ross said he was not familiar with Yoder’s statements following El-Sawi’s resignation, but delaying the accreditation will be to the university’s benefit. Ross said the additional year A med | 2A
Nehad El-Sawi’s resignation to cost CMU $238,691.76 By Maria Amante Senior Reporter
An employee’s resignation can come at a price for CMU. According to documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request, the compensation package for Dr. Nehad El-Sawi, a former associate dean for the College of Medicine, totals $238,691.76 as part of her recent resignation agreement. El-Sawi was hired into the
vacation pay and will receive money from long-term disability insurance, employee life insurance and tuition wavers. CMU will also pay a $9,521.60 contribution toward her social security. Steve Smith, director of public relations, said in an e-mail the university does not comment on personnel matters and consequently would not comment on the provisions of El-Sawi’s severance and release agreement. Several calls to El-Sawi were not returned. During her final month of employment, El-Sawi was ab-
college in May and began work as the associate dean of Medical Education and Faculty Development on July 9. She Nehad El-Sawi resigned from her position Jan. 25. El-Sawi will receive $100,000 of her annual $200,000 salary; an allowance for six months of contributions for medical, dental and prescription drug plans, totaling $2,663.28; and 10 percent of her base salary for retirement contributions, totaling $20,000. She also is eligible to collect any unused
A El-Sawi | 2A
board of trustees
$24.5-million renovation proposal for Pearce, Powers halls on agenda Inside w Committee meetings open to the public, 5A
By Maria Amante Senior Reporter
jeff smith/staff photographer
Rochester sophomore Megan Corey, right, performs the evolution of dance with her Zeta Tau Alpha sorority sister, Grand Rapids sophomore Rachel Tracey, during CMU Greeks Got Talent Tuesday evening in the Bovee University Center Auditorium.
Greeks perform in talent contest for charity By Jessica Fecteau Staff Reporter
The Bovee University Center’s Auditorium was taken over Tuesday night by dancers, singers, guitar players and brothers. Greek life members brought their talents together for the first ever talent show as part of Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s annual Snowfest philanthropy week. “We decided to add Greeks Got Talent to this year’s Snowfest to include both fraternities and sororities in our week of fundraising for the Children’s Miracle Network,” said Philanthropy Co-Chairman Cody Nihem, a Sterling Heights senior. Nihem said about 100 people
attended. The Sterling Heights senior said the fundraising money goes to Children’s Miracle Network and will benefit SAE’s chosen philanthropy, Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids. Sophomores Rachel Tracey of Grand Rapids and Megan Corey of Rochester both members of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, danced for the cause. “Since I am going to be an elementary education teacher I think it is important to help out the kids, and we wish that they could see it,” Tracey said. Although the event raises funds for children in need, Snowfest is also a competition between sororities.
cm-life.com Check out a video of Tuesday night’s event Nihem said the winner of the competition is the one that raises the most points on a per-dollar basis. Throughout the week, fraternity and sorority members will participate in different events and make donations to win points for their team. Pellston senior Alexis Wiggins sang “I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker” by Sandi Thom a capella during the show. “I try to be involved as much as possible since I am in Phi Mu,” Wiggins said. “And we like to support SAE and the Chil-
dren‘s Miracle Network.” The winner at the end of the week will attend the True Gentlemen dinner catered by SAE brothers, Nihem said. Wiggins won the talent show, claiming $50 for her organization’s philanthropy and a $25 individual prize. “We are trying to make this week more of a tradition to carry on through Greek Life so more and more people will get involved and help raise money for our philanthropy,” Nihem said. For a full list of the rest of the week’s Snowfest events, go to saemido.org/snowfest.html. studentlife@cm-life.com
A $24.5-million Capital Outlay renovation for Pearce and Powers halls is up for approval at Thursday’s board of trustees meeting. The request, which includes upgrades to classroom furniture, floors, lights, windows, roofing, doors, fiber optics, ceilings and a new HVAC system to both buildings, was submitted to the state Jan. 30. Pearce Hall’s elevators also would be replaced under the plan, said Steve Lawrence, associate vice president of Facilities Management. Before the plan can come to fruition, the Capital Outlay Committee must approve the capital outlay funds for the university. The joint-committee hears requests from the state’s 15 public universities and 20-some community colleges each spring to draw funding for campus projects. “There’s not a project that is planning to go forward until we receive funding from the state,” Lawrence said. “(The purpose of the renovations) is to extend the buildings’ useful life for the future and make them more energy efficient.” Pearce Hall would receive $15.5 million toward the renovations and the renovation of Powers Hall will cost $9 million. Lawrence said when deciding which buildings receive funds for renovation, the university examines a building’s
age, the frequency of use of the building and the building’s condition.
Other business Also on the board’s agenda is a proposal to give Merit Network, Inc. part of the annual membership fees to pay down a bond debt acquired by the organization as a part of a project they have ongoing to expand broadband networks across the state. Merit acquired bond debt to match federal funds for their project. Merit is owned by the public universities of Michigan, excluding Saginaw Valley State University, said Roger Rehm, vice president of Information Technology. “We are asking the board to give Merit the capability to use a portion of our membership fees to pay down a bond they’ve taken on as a result of some networking projects,” Rehm said. CMU’s portion of the repayment would amount to 4.23 percent of the total $8 million bond, or $264,105, an amount the university pays to the organization annually. “The impact of the project is pretty significant and what the board of trustees is being asked for is relatively minor, just a legal nicety to make sure
A board | 2A
Social media use in Egyptian protests pivotal By Ariel Black Senior Reporter
Social media sites many students use to keep up with friends helped Egyptian protesters who ousted former President Hosni Mubarak from his three decades of authoritarian rule. Bad Axe sophomore Nick Varner said though social media had an integral role, it was not an all-new use of Facebook. “Egypt wasn’t the first to use social media in this way,” he said. “Tunisia, a few weeks before, had used Facebook and Twitter to depose their old regime.”
Jim Melton, assistant professor of business information systems, related the movie “The Social Network” to parts of the world with more government control and how the image of Mark Zuckerberg is received in comparison with his image in the U.S. “Zuckerberg has somewhat of a negative image in the U.S., especially after the movie was released,” Melton said. “People are concerned about privacy. But when the government has control, people want things like Facebook. In Tunisia, there were people holding up posters of Zuckerberg say-
ing he was great.” Melton informed students of the relevance of the topic to the events in Egypt in his new class, BIS 280: Social Media and Emerging Technology in Business. Though the protests in Egypt were not business-related, they have the same idea of viral information, Melton said. One main protestor got the word out through Facebook and created a group, just like a business, he said. “Social media really empowered the protests,” Melton said. “It’s harder to control news through these social networks.”
East Grand Rapids sophomore Alyson Cole said Facebook made people more willing to get involved. “If I were an Egyptian youth, I would be more inclined to get involved if I were to find out about a protest via Facebook, seeing as how it is a huge part of young adult communication these days,” Cole said. Not the most significant Alan Rudy, associate professor of sociology, anthopology and social work, said social media played a part, but was not A Egypt | 2A
Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times (MCT)
Gihad Adel, 21, middle, wears a sheet of paper with the words “Egyptian and proud” printed on it as she cheers in jubilation with other women who were lined up to protect newly-painted sidewalks last Saturday around Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.
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