| The
ULTIMATE SACRIFICE Calumet native killed in ambush; first U.P.
resident to die in Iraq war “He was just saying that it was amazing that we haven’t
gotten hit yet,” Mary Johnson said Tuesday from her home in Fayetteville,
N.C. She urged her husband to take care of himself. “I was always telling him, ‘Be safe, and I know
that you’ve got to look out for other guys, but you’ve got to
look out for yourself, too,’” she said. Calumet native Paul Johnson, 29, a member of the 82nd Airborne
Division, was killed Monday in a midday ambush in Fallujah, Iraq. He was
raised in Calumet and graduated from Calumet High School. He was stationed
at Fort Bragg, N.C. and lived in nearby Fayetteville with his wife Mary
and 4-year-old son Bryan. He is the first Upper Peninsula native to be killed in the
war, and the 14th Michigander. Mary Johnson said her husband died an honorable, duty-bound
soldier. “He wanted to be there for his guys and that was important
for him — to see the job done well,” she said. Paul Johnson was recalled by family and friends as a caring
man who loved his family, working in his yard, building things and playing
hockey. His mother-in-law and next-door neighbor Ann Scoggins said Johnson
— known as PJ — was the type of person everyone immediately
liked. “PJ is the kind of son-in-law that every mother would
want her daughter to marry,” Scoggins said. She said Johnson was a handsome man standing 5 feet, 9 inches
tall with brown hair. She urged everyone to put a human face on wartime
casualties. “It’s important to remember that every name you
see scrolling on the TV belongs to a family,” Scoggins said. Johnson was part of a dismounted patrol consisting of 30
soldiers and five Humvees heading into Fallujah, west of Baghdad, according
to The Associated Press. Insurgents attacked Johnson’s vehicle by
detonating a homemade bomb and opened fire on the patrol with small arms,
the U.S. command said. Witnesses said the patrol returned fire and detained at
least nine Iraqis. Six soldiers were wounded in the skirmish and taken
to the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad. The U.S. Department of
Defense said the attack is under investigation. The ambush occurred near where an ammunition truck was attacked
Sunday after a breakdown. Johnson graduated from Calumet High School in 1991. He enlisted
in the U.S. Army in January 1993 and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne
Division in 1999. Mary and Paul Johnson married in April 1996. Johnson briefly left the Army and returned to Calumet in
1997 with his wife. Mary Johnson said her husband enjoyed living in the
area. “He just liked how close the town was,” she said.
“You pretty much know anybody in town.” After about a year in the Copper Country, Johnson decided
to re-enlist in the Army as a career soldier. “His love was for the Army, and he wanted to do that
long-term,” Mary Johnson said. Paul Johnson was a squad leader in Alpha Company, 1st Battalion,
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, according to the Fayetteville Observer.
Johnson’s awards included a combat infantry badge and a bronze star
for heroism in battle. He was a senior rated jumpmaster. Before being deployed to Iraq in mid-August, Johnson served
for six months in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and
for a year in Bosnia before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Scoggins said her son-in-law loved his family and his country. “He felt the need to make the change, to make the difference,”
she said. Scoggins said Johnson planned to seek a new assignment stateside. Calumet resident and friend Matt Nagel described Johnson
as a “goofball,” who passionately pursued anything that attracted
his interest. “He was a spontaneous, very charismatic type of personality,”
Nagel said. Nagel and Johnson were once stationed at Fort Bragg at the
same time, but in different units. Johnson, Nagel said, was pursuing a
life-long dream of serving in the Army. “For him to be able to go and be able to do his job,
that was him in his element,” Nagel said. Johnson loved hockey and was a Detroit Red Wings fan who
often took his son Bryan to hockey games around North Carolina, Mary Johnson
said. Nagel said Johnson loved playing goalie during pick-up games
in the Copper Country. “You have to have a certain mentality to be a goalie
and he fit,” Nagel said. A total of 339 Americans have died since the Iraq war began March 20, including 218 in combat. Mary Johnson said funeral arrangements are still tentative
but that services will be held in Fayetteville. Most of Johnson’s
family, which no longer resides in the Copper Country, is en route to
North Carolina. She said a memorial service may be held in Michigan. Efforts to contact Johnson’s parents, who are no longer living in the area, were unsuccessful. |
| Tech
shocker: School will drop football Move being made to cope with state budget
cuts: Officials HOUGHTON — Michigan Tech University’s 82-year-old football program is being eliminated in a cost-cutting move, Athletic Director Rick Yeo announced this morning. Yeo, in a statement, said the decision to drop the program
was one of the most difficult in his career. “While we are sensitive to the fact that this will
be an unpopular decision in the eyes of many, particularly those it directly
impacts, we are also firm in our beliefs that this is the best decision
for the overall well-being of the athletic program,” Yeo said. Yeo said there weren’t a lot of options in the department’s
budget. The university is asking all units and divisions to cut their
budgets 10 percent this year, with additional cuts expected in coming
years. The cuts are in response to reductions in state higher education
funding. Tech will lose $5.6 million next year in state appropriations. “When you’re forced to make the significant budget
reductions we were asked to, there really weren’t a lot of options,”
he said. “Our programs are already operating with no room for error
and to come up with the cuts we needed to, eliminating one of our major
programs was really the only option.” Athletics department officials didn’t return phone
calls late this morning. Team members said the announcement was completely unexpected. Tom Williams, a junior offensive tackle from Freeland, Mich.,
said the team was ready for its morning run today when coaches arrived
with the news. “A lot of guys were in tears,” WIlliams said.
Seth Ebel, a senior member of the offensive line and a captain
of next year’s team, said he is disappointed there was no warning. “It’s hurting a lot of people right now, more
than they know,” he said. Ebel said the decision would affect about 90 students on
the team and about seven coaches. Tom Wolf, a junior strong safety from Traverse City, said
coaches, including head Coach Bernie Anderson, appeared to be equally
devastated by the decision. “He (Anderson) was fighting back tears and he was fighting
back the same shock and disorientation that we were experiencing,”
Wolf said. Williams said he was disappointed because the team was looking
for a strong season after finishing with a 3-7 record last year. Williams,
an electrical engineering major, said many teammates didn’t know
what their future plans will be. “We had our future planned out here — we play
at Tech, get a degree and go on with our life,” he said. February was a major deadline for universities to set their
rosters for next year — meaning that other universities can’t
add Tech players without cutting others. Williams said coaches have been
supportive of players’ future plans. Wolf said that he’s planning to remain at Tech to finish
his degree in civil engineering. Yeo said players with scholarships would continue to receive
their money through graduation, as long as they remain in good academic
standing. When current football scholarships become available, they could
be distributed to other athletes. Coaches will be allowed to remain on staff through the end of the year to find other work. Yeo said Anderson, who has coached Tech football for 19 years, will be given the opportunity to stay on staff in another position. |
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MTU
alumni want football saved University president not optimistic HOUGHTON — Michigan Tech University’s football alumni are hopeful the program can be saved from the chopping block, but MTU President Curt Tompkins isn’t optimistic. “I’m trying to be a realist,” Tompkins said.
“I don’t think it’s realistic to expect those of us football
supporters — and I count myself among them — to be able to raise
$10 million in a short amount of time.” Tech Athletic Director Rick Yeo announced last week that
the 82-year-old football program would be cut as part of an effort to
cope with a 10 percent cut in state funding for higher education. Yeo
and Tompkins said only a $10 million endowment can save football. The move caught most people by surprise, including former
players who are angry that they weren’t consulted. Duane Williams, a former offensive tackle who graduated
in 1973, said a meeting between alumni representatives and MTU administration
is in the works. He and other members of the MTU Football Advisory Council
declined to speculate on the chances the program can be saved. “We don’t want to build too much hope and put
someone between a rock and a hard spot,” Williams, of Crystal Falls,
said. Tompkins said it’s possible the program can be resurrected
after a few seasons. “We might do that, but I can’t promise we’re
going to do that,” he said. A $10 million endowment fund would have to earn about $350,000
per year to fund the program, Yeo said. Cutting football, he added, was
the only option other than gutting the athletic department. Still, former football players are fuming. Williams said
canceling the program so abruptly is unfair to the 100 players on the
team. His son, Todd Williams, played on Tech’s defensive line last
season. “I don’t think the administration is realizing
how many people are involved in this because in the last three days, the
phone has been ringing,” Williams said. Former players recalled other fund-raising efforts to save
football, but Yeo said circumstances were different when backers helped
save the program in the early 1980s. “We were living on a shoestring and we weren’t
in the (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) back then,”
he said. Tompkins said it’s unrealistic to try to raise $350,000
each year, given the program’s fund-raising history. He added the
athletic department can’t recruit good players while telling them
that the program might end at any time. “You cannot run a competitive athletic program on that
basis,” Tompkins said. Yeo said spreading the cuts across various sports is not
realistic. Cutting several teams is impossible, he said, because the NCAA
requires universities to field a minimum of five men’s and five women’s
teams to be eligible in Division II. Before this week, MTU had about 300
athletes participating in seven men’s and six women’s teams. Tompkins said the decision to cut the team was made after
Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced on March 5 that higher education funding
would be cut an additional 6.5 percent to help eliminate a projected $1.7
billion state budget deficit. In addition to a 3.5 percent cut earlier
in the school year, MTU will lose 10 percent of its state appropriation
in the 2003-04 fiscal year — about $5.6 million in a $116 million
general fund budget. After the governor’s announcement, administrators asked
Tech’s units and divisions to prepare plans to cut 10 percent from
their budgets next year. Units were asked to develop plans for additional
cuts of 7 percent in 2004-05 and 5 percent in 2005-06. Tompkins said departments made permanent changes that protect
the university’s core programs. “We’re looking for permanent structural changes
and to take at least a three-year look in terms of the amount of dollars
we’ll have to take out of the base budget,” he said. Yeo said events moved quickly after Granholm’s announcement. “When it gets to cutting like this, you have to look
and make the best decision you possibly can, and I think you need to move
swiftly,” he said. Former quarterback Mike Scally, of Boulder, Colo., said
Tompkins told alumni last month in the Denver area that football would
survive the current budget crisis. Scally, a 1973 MTU graduate, said he
disapproves of the “all or nothing” approach to funding the
program. Tompkins said he believed football would survive when he
met with the alumni. “I really believed that we wouldn’t have to take
the substantial cut in the general fund budget that we found out that
we were going to have to take, particularly the impact on athletics,”
Tompkins said.
Yeo said athletics will save about $350,000 a year by eliminating
football. Athletics cost some $3.3 million this year, but the department
spends about $1.8 million from the general fund for things such as services,
supplies, expenses and salaries, wages and benefits. About $1.5 million from financial aid is used to pay for
68 full-time scholarships for student-athletes. Yeo said the scholarships
can be divided among multiple players on a team. Currently, players with
football’s 22 scholarships will continue to receive them until graduation.
Those scholarships likely will be given to other men’s teams as they
become available, Yeo said. The department’s big-ticket general fund item is football.
MTU spends about $431,000 on the program. The total budget of $497,000
accounts for about $66,000 in revenue, Yeo said. Tech’s most costly
program overall is Division I hockey — about $659,000 — but
the department spends only about $315,000 in general fund money each year
because hockey generates substantial revenue. “People don’t realize that not much general fund
money goes into our hockey program,” Yeo said. Tech’s least costly sports are men’s and women’s
cross-country running, with total general fund expenditures of $7,250.
For football, about $291,000 is spent on salaries and benefits
for Coach Bernie Anderson and his five assistant coaches. Yeo said the
department expects to save $210,000 in wages and benefits because Anderson
has been invited to remain on staff as a strength and conditioning instructor. By comparison, MTU spends about $190,000 for hockey coaches’
salaries and benefits, according to Yeo. Hockey spends about $69,000 in
general funds for recruiting, compared to $27,000 for football. In 12 years as Tech’s president, Tompkins said he has
almost always approved Yeo’s recommendations to improve athletics,
including increasing funding and supporting the football team’s bid
to join a conference. “I think it would be very unfair to change my behavior
from basically concurring with the athletic director for 12 years and
then turn around on this one decision,” Tompkins said. However, Williams said the national coverage of the program’s
demise is giving MTU a black eye. “They can have the best engineering program in the
country, but there’s more to college life than strictly books,”
he said. Tompkins agrees, to a point. “Anytime you eliminate any sport you’re going
to impact visibility and image, but you could say that about academic
programs,” Tompkins said. He said cutting football was one of the most painful decisions
he’s had to approve. “I tried to help Rick find some other things to do
and it’s not there,” Tompkins said. “You have to put sentimentality
aside.” On the Net: |
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Witnesses
recall hit-and-run Hearing will continue later this month HOUGHTON — Witnesses Wednesday recalled the hours leading
up to a hit-and-run accident that killed a Michigan Tech University student
in Houghton last September. Christopher Lee Haddix, 24, of downstate Midland, is charged
with four felonies — operating under the influence of liquor causing
death, operating under the influence causing serious injury and two counts
of failing to stop at an accident scene resulting in serious impairment
or death — in connection with the death of 20-year-old Jeremy Larsen
in Houghton. Haddix faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and
a $10,000 fine. He also is charged with a misdemeanor count of operating
under the influence of liquor. Haddix, also an MTU student, was in 97th District Court
for a preliminary examination to determine if there is enough evidence
to warrant a trial. The hearing was suspended until Dec. 15 when an accident
reconstruction expert from the Michigan State Police is expected to testify. Witnesses recalled events before and after the accident,
which occurred on College Avenue shortly after 3 a.m. Police detailed
an investigation that led them to Haddix and his truck. Haddix remained silent throughout the hearing as assistant
county prosecutor Fraser Strome questioned witnesses. A few hours after the accident, MTU Public Safety officer
Chris Crouch found Haddix’s 1984 Chevrolet pickup, which matched
witness descriptions. Crouch noted damage to the truck’s right headlight
area. Crouch and a Houghton city police officer located Haddix in the
McNair residence hall. Crouch said Haddix first asked why police were
there. An officer then asked Haddix to tell them why they were there. “He said, ‘Yeah, I think I know why you’re
here, I hit something,’” Crouch said. According to Crouch, Haddix initially told officers he believed
he hit a squirrel and later said it may have been someone on a bicycle.
Haddix was asked to go to the police station for further questioning. Donald Downing, of downstate Manistique, witnessed the accident. He said he met Larsen for the first time the night of Sept. 27 at Larsen’s apartment in east Houghton. After spending some time drinking with friends, he and Larsen went to two fraternity houses. At the second fraternity house on the north side of College Avenue, they met fellow student Dominic J. Longhini. At that point, they decided to go home, Downing said. He said he crossed to the south side of College Avenue ahead of Larsen and Longhini. He started walking west toward Emerald Street, then turned to see his companions in the middle of the intersection. A moment later, he said, he saw the headlights of an eastbound truck and turned to see it hit Larsen and Longhini near the southside curb. "Jeremy was trailing a bit behind so he got hit really hard," Downing said. A Houghton city police officer testified that accident separated Larsen from Longhini by about 140 feet. Larsen, of downstate Scottville, had no pulse at the scene and later was declared dead. Longhini, 23, of Marquette, sustained leg injuries. Testifying with a brace on his left leg, he said doesn't remember the accident, except for an image of the sidewalk. "I do remember the gray rectangle, the square," he said. Downing said the truck appeared to be moving at a normal pace and didn't slow before or after the accident. Witnesses testified that Larsen, Longhini and Haddix all were drinking that night at separate locations. Longhini had a .20 blood alcohol level. Haddix was tested the morning of the accident with a .22 blood alcohol level. Larsen's blood alcohol level wasn't available. Before the accident, Haddix apparently was coming home after a party near Dollar Bay. Witnesses, including Stephanie Spelich, of Mohawk, observed Haddix drinking and playing the guitar at the party. "He had a beer in his hand most of the time unless he was playing the guitar," Spelich said, describing Haddix's behavior as a kind of "happy drunk." Haddix's attorney, Mark Wisti, said the prosecution must prove Haddix's alleged alcohol consumption was a substantial cause of the accident. He maintains the dark, rainy conditions and the blood-alcohol levels of Larsen and Longhini played a larger role in the accident. Wisti said any driver would have been unable to see the victims in the roadway and slow down in time to prevent a collision. Assistant county prosecutor Fraser Strome declined to comment. However, Prosecutor Douglas Edwards has said previously a sober driver would have seen the victims crossing the street and slowed down. |
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Ice
fishing for fun, friendship Group gathers at bay for 25 years CHASSELL — An eagle-eyed Karen Drahos spots when a
red flag pops up from the white ice, and her group of friends rushes to
the hole cut into Chassell Bay. Drahos eagerly pulls up the line, but
there’s nothing at the end. The fishing holes are scattered around a few yards away
from a simple gray shack, which is the longtime fishing home of the three
old friends. After coming up empty, Drahos puts more bait on the end
of the line and puts it back in the water. The bait of choice are suckers
and smelt. On a bright Sunday morning, Joel and Karen Drahos, of Webster,
Wis., joined Tom and Rhonda Dykowski, of Gladstone, and Phil Huber, of
Houghton, on the ice. Huber’s wife, Kathy, fished with the group
Saturday. “We’ve fished out here since we were sophomores,”
Joel Drahos said. Phil Huber, of Houghton, said they started fishing and hunting
together about 25 years ago when they were students at Michigan Tech University. “It’s a more social thing,” Huber said. “Part
of it is the fishing.” As years passed, the men were joined by their girlfriends
and later wives. Joel Drahos proposed to Karen last winter on the ice. There’s no wind or snow Sunday morning so the group
spends a lot of time outside waiting and playing in the snow, tossing
around a football. After awhile, the four retreat to the shack for a round
of euchre, while Karen Drahos waits to see if her luck will change. “I do it because of the camaraderie of getting together
with friends,” Drahos said. After a morning of waiting and false alarms, a flag finally pops up. The card game is abandoned as Karen pulls a 5.3-pound northern pike out after a brief, tumultuous battle. The fish, with a slightly depressed head, measures 29 inches. The spot is a distant corner of Chassell Bay. Huber said they use a global positioning system to mark the spot. "We never catch anything out here so no one else wants to come out," Huber jokes. Each angler is allowed two lines which are scattered around the small shack in various places. The holes cut through about 18 inches of ice and snow to the water beneath. Huber said there's about 12 feet of water underneath the shack. Although Tim Dykowski has tried to get the group out on the ice earlier in the morning. Joel Drahos says the fish seem to bite the most from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Their experience Sunday seems to prove Joel's theory -- Karen Drahos' fish was caught shortly before noon. Just minutes later, a 7.4 pound pike is pulled from the same hole. The fish give little struggle as they're pulled out of the water. "They're pretty lethargic in the winter," Huber said. Although they've kept fish before for both eating and mounting, the two fish caught around lunchtime were released back into the water. After an afternoon of fishing, the group planned to take the shack down for the season. |
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Where's
Rothwell? MTU board member has missed every meeting
this year HOUGHTON — When the Michigan Tech University Board
of Control meets this morning to address yet another budget crisis, one
member won’t be at the table — again. A. Douglas Rothwell, of downstate Ann Arbor, has yet to
attend a meeting of the school’s governing board since his appointment
by former Gov. John Engler in October 2002. A member of his staff at General
Motors Corp. confirmed that he will not be at today’s meeting in
Houghton. Rothwell declined to return phone calls for comment. Board Vice Chairman Rodger Kershner said that, given Rothwell’s
experience in state government, he could have been a valuable board member
over the past year. “We could use every idea and we would have liked to
have his ideas because he obviously has a lot of experience in both government
and business,” Kershner said. At the time of his appointment in Oct. 2002, Rothwell was
serving as president and CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp.,
which is responsible for promoting state business interests. After leaving
the MEDC at the beginning of 2003, Rothwell took a job at GM as the executive
director of worldwide real estate development. Kershner said he can understand that Rothwell has time constraints. “I’m not entirely surprised that he’s having
trouble finding time for Tech after walking into such a big job at General
Motors,” he said. Rothwell’s term at Tech began on Jan. 1 and concludes
on Dec. 31, 2010. He replaced outgoing member Martin Lagina. There are
no provisions for removing a board member who doesn’t attend meetings. Dale Tahtinen, MTU vice president of government relations
and board secretary, said the university has been working with Rothwell
so he can attend meetings. “I believe he’s very much aware of the fact that
it’s important for him to attend the meetings and he’s aware
of the fact we’d like to have all board members participate fully,”
Tahtinen said. He said long absences from the board are rare. “It’s unusual that an entire year would go by unless someone had a health problem,” Tahtinen said. University Senate President Robert Keen, an associate biological sciences professor, said Rothwell's background could have helped MTU develop its student enterprise program, which allows students to use their engineering and business acumen in real-life projects. "He had economic expertise we could have used," Keen said. "I've been disappointed that he hasn't been able to make a contribution along those lines." Many board members -- most of whom live outside the Upper Peninsula -- don't have perfect attendance records. When some can't travel to Houghton for a meeting, they often participate via telephone. Rothwell hasn't done that. Rothwell appears to have but a token presence as a university official. While other members have comprehensive biographical information on the board of control's Web site, Rothwell's information merely lists his name, hometown and term of office. Because state law doesn't provide a mechanism for removing a board member, Kershner said there's little the university can do. "There is no provision in the law that would allow us as a board to remedy the situation," he said. The last resignation on the board occurred in 2002 when then-vice chairman James Bronce Henderson III resigned in the wake of his company's messy bankruptcy filing. Tahtinen, who has been at Tech for 14 years, said Henderson's resignation was the first he's seen. On the Net: |
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A
year later, deadly blaze recalled Phi Kappa Theta rebuilds with brother in
mind HOUGHTON — In the year since a devastating fire took
the life of 20-year-old Andrew Maas, members of the Phi Kappa Theta fraternity
have rallied to rebuild their house and their lives. “For some people it was rough; we had quite a few brothers
who really had a tough time just keeping on going after something like
that,” said Chet Craw, president of the Michigan Tech University
fraternity. The fire broke out in the early-morning hours of Aug. 13,
2002. Investigators believe the fire started when Maas left a stove unattended
in the kitchen. The blaze destroyed the fraternity’s three-story
Ruby Avenue house. Four people escaped, but Maas, an engineering student
from downstate Holland, was trapped on the third floor and died. Craw said fraternity members struggled with the loss. “I think with a tragedy like this everyone takes a
step back and looks at what’s really important,” he said. “It was a terrible, terrible fire and we pray it never
happens again,” said Robert “Bubba” Megowen of the Houghton
Volunteer Fire Department. Megowen, an 18-year department veteran, knew the fire was
serious when the dispatcher said the century-old house was in flames. “The second they said the building was engulfed, it
was the fastest I got to the firehouse in years,” he said. Megowen, firefighter Dwayne Hokenson and about four others
were on the first truck to arrive. As the men were strapping on air packs,
Hokenson said they could see the blaze was out of control. “You could see the flames at the top of Garnet Street,”
he said. Hokenson and Megowen tried repeatedly to enter the building
while others tried to douse the flames. Hokenson said heat and smoke kept
the pair from getting too far into the house. “The heat was so intense you’d just go in a little
ways and then you’d have to back out,” Hokenson said. As firefighters fought the blaze, fraternity members who
escaped said they couldn’t account for Maas. “I was sick as I talked to the guys,” Megowen
said. About three hours later — at about 9:10 a.m. —
Maas' body was found in a bedroom near his sleeping compartment, also
known as a pod. “That was an irreplaceable loss — that’s
the way it felt,” Craw said. “Obviously, you can rebuild the
house, but you can’t replace a brother.” Fraternity member Dan Limberg expressed similar sentiments. “There are some things in life that you never forget
and some people you’ll never forget and that’s how I feel about
this,” he said. After the fire, the community rallied to raise money for
the fraternity, and in April, both active members and alumni broke ground
on a new $690,000 house. “Our goal is to get the guys in the house (by mid-October),
get the guys in a suitable house and we’re definitely going to have
that for them,” said project manager Mike Carpenter, of Marquette-based
STS Consultants, Ltd. Carpenter, a Phi Kappa Theta alumnus, said several fraternity
alumni will put the finishing touches on the building to help cut costs. “It’s another great way for people who loved the house to get involved and help the reconstruction of the house,” he said. Carpenter said the new house incorporates lessons learned
from the fire. There are built-in sprinklers and other safety devices.
The old house did not have sprinklers. “We lost our house, we lost our brother,” he said.
“We’re smarter because of it.” The new house won’t have pods. Although it’s unknown
whether Maas was sleeping in his pod at the time of the fire, officials
have said they are a safety hazard (see related story). “They want the flexibility to build whatever they want,
but they understand that they shouldn’t be building enclosed pods,”
Carpenter said. Craw said the experience of the past year, including reconstruction,
has brought the fraternity closer together. “There’s so many generations of brothers working
on this,” he said. “It’s a great thing.” As a Houghton city councilman, Megowen said he’s working
to improve fire safety codes. “I do not want to take another body out of another building,” he said. |
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Tompkins
loses campus vote Referendum embarrasses university, president
says HOUGHTON -- After years of budget turmoil, Michigan Tech University staff and faculty say they've lost confidence in President Curt Tompkins' leadership. By a 3-1 margin, faculty and professional staff passed a no-confidence referendum conducted over the past week by University Senate. Senate President Robert Keen, an associate biological sciences
professor, said the vote shows employees’ general dissatisfaction
with Tompkins’ administration. “This is just a way of telling the administration and
the board that the professional staff and faculty don’t have a lot
of confidence in the way the administration is running the university,”
Keen said.
Of the 648 ballots returned, 74.1 percent supported the
measure against Tompkins (see graphic). Tompkins said he’s not surprised by the results coming
amid state budget cuts and resulting university cuts. He said the vote
attracts embarrassing publicity to the university, not just himself. “I’ve worked hard for 12 years to build a positive
image for Michigan Tech locally, regionally, nationally and internationally,”
Tompkins said. “And the senate, with whatever intention they might
have had, has had a detrimental effect outside the university.” The non-binding vote is mainly for publicity — only
the governing board of control can hire and fire the university president.
Tompkins said he has “great support” from the board. Tompkins said he’s been aware that some members of
the faculty and staff are dissatisfied, but the vote doesn’t add
new information. “I don’t think this is helpful to the board, this
is not helpful to me,” he said. The University Senate sought the campuswide ballot Dec.
10. During the past week, ballots were sent to 831 faculty and professional
staff across campus. About 78 percent of the ballots were returned before
the Thursday deadline. During the debate on the campuswide vote, some senators
said employees are being unfairly forced to absorb cuts in pay and benefits. Last week, the MTU Board of Control approved budget cuts,
including benefit cuts and five days of unpaid furloughs for non-union
staff and faculty through the end of the year. The cuts, totalling about
$2.5 million, are geared to absorb a round of mid-year state funding cuts. Adding to MTU’s financial woes is a recently discovered
$7 million tuition miscalculation. During the past year, Michigan Tech has had to absorb state funding cuts totaling $7.5 million — about 15 percent of its state appropriation. To balance this year’s $116.5 million general fund budget, the university in June raised tuition an average 12.9 percent — the highest in the state. MTU also cut $6.5 million from the budget, including the elimination of 60 mostly vacant positions. The senate called for a similar campuswide vote in April, but canceled it because of concerns that Tompkins' negotiating efforts with state officials would be harmed. However, Keen said frustration regarding the university's performance has been mounting for years. "I think it's the result of chronic budgetary problems that have gone on for the last six or seven years," he said. Tompkins says he is focused on improving Tech's budget. He said he's asked the senate to play a constructive role by providing him with feedback and facilitating communication throughout the university. "We all need to be pulling together for the best interests of Michigan Tech," Tompkins said. Keen said the senate will continue to work on solving the university's budgetary problems regardless of who is president. "The senate and our committees are committed to Michigan Tech and what's best for the Michigan Tech," he said. In 1991, Tompkins became MTU's eighth president after serving as dead of the College of Engineering at West Virginia University. His contract, with an annual salary of $210,000, extends through 2007. Regardless of the results, a no-confidence vote rarely has any dramatic significance on a campus, according to Sheldon Steinbach, general counsel for the Washington-based American Council on Education. The organization is an umbrella group representing 1,800 colleges and universities. "They're a cloud over the campus that dissipates rather quickly," Steinbach said. Julianne Basinger, a national reporter covering college leadership for The Chronicle of Higher Education, said the vote's impact depends on how the MTU Board of Control views the results. "It just depends totally on the temperature reading of the people who do the hiring and firing of the president," Basinger said. During the past year, the Chronicle has covered nine no-confidence votes on college presidents, chief financial officers and governing boards. In two cases, a college president resigned after a negative vote. Even if a college president survives a no-confidence vote, Basinger said it can be more difficult for a leader to work with faculty and staff. "No matter how you look at it, as a president, it's going to make your job harder," Basinger said. Steibach said no-confidence votes can occur more frequently during harsh economic conditions, although they are still rare. He said the tuition miscalculation could be reasonably resolved instead of having the senate sanction the administration. "Wouldn't the institution be better off to pull together for the sake of all members of the Michigan Tech community?" he asked. On the Net: |
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Head
of the Class Houghton High leads the way on state's standardized
tests HOUGHTON — Copper Country high school students who
graduated last spring generally performed better on standardized tests
than their counterparts around the state, even though scores overall were
down. Leading the pack is Houghton High School, whose students
outpaced the state average and every other Copper Country high school
in the five subjects tested (see graphic, page 8A). Results from the Michigan
Education Assessment Program tests, known as the MEAP, were released this
week. Houghton-Portage Township Superintendent Dennis Harbour
said the results confirm that the district offers a quality education. “Our teachers have done an outstanding job,” Harbour
said. Six of 12 Copper Country high schools exceeded the state
average for proficiency in all five subjects tested. Scoring is divided
into four categories — exceeding Michigan standards, meeting Michigan
standards, basic and apprentice. One district — Ontonagon —
scored below state averages in every category. Overall, students did well in math and reading. In math,
only Ontonagon failed to exceed the state average for proficiency. Several parents waiting for teacher conferences Thursday
night at Houghton High School were pleased with the results, but some
had reservations about the emphasis placed on MEAP testing. “We’re proud of our students but what’s being
measured here?” asked Paige Van Pelt of Ripley, who has a child in
10th grade. She said there is too much emphasis on standardized testing
to the detriment of instructional time. David Nitz, of Houghton, said testing is appropriate. “Standardized tests have their place as long as they’re a part of a broader scale of measurements,” he said. Houghton's top scores are no fluke. The class of 2002 won the Governor's Cup in the state class C division last year, with 92 out of 114 students qualifying for $2,500 Merit Award scholarships. Statewide, there will be fewer Merit Award scholarships this year because high school scores on reading, writing and math are down, The Associated Press reports. Science and social studies scores showed increases. Results in the Copper Country were similar. At Ontonagon, Superintendent David Ruhman said many factors could have affected student performance on the MEAP. "For us, it's a reflection of last year's group, and I don't think it reflects a trend for the school," Ruhman said. The class of 2003 had fewer students -- 39 -- than in recent years, he said, noting that when classes are smaller, individual performance have a greater impact on overall percentages. This year, the school has 69 seniors, du largely to the closure of neighboring White Pine High School. Ruhman added that MEAP scores also reflect teacher priorities. "Our teachers feel like this is more of a test of what we teach, rather than what the students know," Ruhman said. This is the first year high schools will receive yearly progress reporters under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. All of the high schools in the Copper Country easily surpassed requirements that 33 percent of students are proficient in math and 42 percent in reading. Under the federal progress rules, schools must have an 80 percent graduation rate and at least 95 percent of students taking the tests. Although Jeffers High School students surpassed the state average in all five subjects, Adams Township school board President Mark Kilpela has mixed emotions about the MEAP. "It's fine to do well, but I think our students do well every year," Kilpela said. He said it's difficult to identify trends because the tests have changed over the years. "It's a moving target," Kilpela said. "I don't think it fully tests student achievement." However, Harbour said Houghton teachers and other have told him that the MEAP is a good test. "They seem to indicate that it's a reasonable measurement," he said. The future of MEAP is unclear, however. Long delays in scoring for elementary and middle school students and nearly 3,000 lost tests have state officials fuming. Lawmakers and Gov. Jennifer Granholm have said they will consider alternatives to the MEAP, but that probably won't happen soon. Granholm last month issued an order moving administration of the test back to the Department of Education from the Department of Treasury. On the Net: |