All but one charge has been dropped in the misconduct case against Board of Trustees Chairperson Henry Baskin, according to his lawyer Kenneth Mogill.

Baskin was accused of having a sexual relationship with one of his clients when Robert Edick, deputy administrator of the Attorney Grievance Commission, issued the formal complaint against him in April 2011.

Baskin has a June 1 hearing at the Detroit Disciplinary offices for the remaining charge — a conflict of interest — under the circumstances that there is a risk a personal relationship with a client may become problematic.

“There is no claim that the representation was negatively affected by the relationship,” Mogill said. “The representation obtained by (the client) was outstanding and would have been the same result regardless of the relationship.”

According to an article published by Crains Detroit, Ednik said possible punishment by the discipline board can include no discipline, a reprimand or even permanent disbarment as an attorney.

“We’re not alleging that he exploited or coerced the client,” he said in an interview with Crains Detroit. “The relationship in this case had all the markers of a bona fide romantic relationship, so … there’s no easy formula for determining the exact level of punishment. My plan is to ask for a suspension of some length. It doesn’t have to be lengthy.”

According to Mogill, Baskin has agreed not to contest the charge.

Baskin could not be reached immediately for comment.

—
Contact Editor-in-Chief Nichole Seguin via email at naseguin@oakland.edu or follow her on Twitter @naseguin

Varner Recital Hall presents ‘Captain Louie’
Varner Recital Hall will be presenting the family musical, “Captain Louie,” on Friday, May 18 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and again from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $14 for general public and $8 for students. For more information, call 248-370-2030.

Varner Recital Hall hosts day-long jazz workshop
Varner Recital Hall will be hosting a Jazz Workshop all day on Saturday, May 19. The workshop will feature Regina Carter and the OU Jazz Quartet. For more information, call 248-370-2030.

OUCARES, ASA/OCC hosts monthly ‘After Hours Adult School’
OUCARES and ASA/OCC will be presenting a program titled “After Hours Adult School” every month in the Oakland Center from 6 to 9 p.m. This month’s meeting will take place on Monday, May 21. The social is a support group for adults with Asperger’s, HFA, or PDD/NOS. For more information, contact OUCARES at 248-370-2424 or send an email to oucares@oakland.edu.

Vitality Dance Club hosts auditions
Auditions for the Vitality Dance Club will take place on Tuesday, May 22 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the Oakland Room of the Oakland Center. To RSVP for this event, log onto GrizzOrgs. For more information, email Katie Bowe at kabowe23@oakland.edu.

Part one of new student orientation begins
Part one of New Student Orientation will take place on Thursday, May 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Oakland Center. To sign up for this event, log onto oakland.edu/orientation. Part two will be held on Tuesday, September 4. For additional information, contact Sara Webb at 248 -370-4653 or send an email to gold@oakland.edu.

Parent orientation to begin
Parent orientation will be held on Thursday, May 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Oakland Center. This program will educate parents about the different services offered by Oakland University. This event is for the parents of the students attending the day’s New Student Orientation event. For more information, contact Amy Jacovetti at 248-370-4635 or send an email to gold@oakland.edu.

According to the report, McMillion ran for over a mile before stopping at a Burger King on 8 Mile near Dequindre to knock on the drive-through window for help.

The men chasing McMillion caught up with him by beating, kicking and stomping on him. Shortly after the abuse, McMillion died of a heart attack.

Ray, a student in the Honors College, admitted to the Mount Clemens Circuit Court that he was involved in the attack by punching McMillion several times. He pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges which could lead to up to three years in prison.

In an interview with Fox2 News, McMillion’s mother and great-aunt described Ray’s apology as a “miscarriage of justice.”

“To slap someone on the wrists while I’m still grieving and trying to figure this out … it makes it worse for me and my family,” Monique McMillion, the victim’s mother, said. “I can never move on or forget about it or ever let it go.”

An autopsy revealed that McMillion died not of the abuse from the men, but from a heart condition, which was stimulated by the attack. The stress of the chase and physical abuse lead to a heart attack, which caused his death, the story stated.

“We just want justice to be stern in this because we are a family and we stick together and we need to know that justice will be taken firmly,” Louise Burrell, McMillion’s great-aunt, said.

The Oakland Post will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

On May 4, Oakland University President Gary Russi announced via email that former Senior Associate Provost Susan Awbrey has been appointed as interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. 

“The process to select an interim senior vice president and provost involved soliciting suggestions from faculty and consulting with OU’s Distinguished Faculty on the selection criteria and the process for a national search,” Russi said in an email to faculty. “I am pleased to announce that Senior Associate Provost Dr. Susan Awbrey has been named interim senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, effective immediately.”

According to the Oakland University website, Awbrey joined the university in 1991. Before coming to OU, Awbrey had been a faculty member and administrator at the University of Illinois, Michigan State University and the University of Texas Medical Branch.

“She has outstanding leadership abilities and has spent most of her career in various key academic and administrative roles,” Russi said in the email. “I’m confident that Dr. Awbrey will do a tremendous job during this important transition period.”

Russi also stated in the email that OU will conduct a national search to find a permanent senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, and he will discuss more information about the search as it becomes available.

Virinder Moudgil, former OU senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, was recently appointed as president of Lawrence Technological University.  In his email to faculty, Russi discussed plans for a reception to honor Moudgil that will take place at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30.

Starting May 1, a familiar face will no longer be seen around campus.

Virinder Moudgil, senior vice president for academic affairs and Oakland University provost, has been selected to serve as president of Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, according to a press release issued by the university. He was approved by the LTU Board of Trustees at their Friday meeting.

Moudgil has worked at Oakland since 1976, and is known for his devotion to his research, often times working in the Dodge Hall labs with students for hours after dark.

As he transitions into his new job, Moudgil will be stepping down from all of his current positions at OU and has been granted an administration leave starting May 1.

“One simply cannot overstate the meaningful impact Dr. Moudgil has had both as a professor and as our chief academic officer,” University President Gary Russi said in an email to faculty. “We will face a great challenge in finding someone as insightful, accomplished and passionate to fill his position. At the same time, I’m confident that all who’ve come to know Dr. Moudgil will be pleased to see he has this opportunity to achieve even greater levels of success. Perhaps most importantly, students from throughout the region, the state and beyond will continue to benefit from his academic leadership.”

Russi asks students, faculty and anyone who has worked with Moudgil in his years at OU to use this form to commemorate his tenure and time at the university and said the university is planning to acknowledge him throughout the next few weeks.

He also said he plans to announce an Interim Provost later this week and is seeking nominations from faculty members.

The Oakland Post will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

It’s a known fact that college students live busy lives, but that doesn’t stop students from taking interest in the things happening around them.

Danielle Kaminski, a senior majoring in occupational safety and health at Oakland University, recently won the American Society of Safety Engineers national student paper competition, taking a $500 cash prize and a $700 stipend.

After a month of research, she was ready to present her award-winning piece that dealt with environmental problems to the American Society of Safety Engineer’s national student paper competition.

Kaminski submitted her paper for many reasons, but was enticed by the travel stipend to attend the ASSE Professional Development Conference in Denver, Colo. that came with the award.

Her paper, “The Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone,” talks about the area where the Mississippi River feeds into the Gulf of Mexico and the inner and mid-continent between the river and the northern Texas coast known as the “dead zone.”

The name reflects the low oxygen level concentration in the area that does not allow aquatic life to be sustained, otherwise known as hypoxic water.

In her paper, Kaminski said the primary cause of hypoxic water is altered fertilizers that boost their oxygen used by farmers along the Mississippi River. This alteration causes the fertilizer to have a higher concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus. When the nitrogen-rich fertilizer runs off from the river into the Gulf of Mexico, it causes algae growth and oxygen reduction, restricting the lives of bottom dwellers such as worms, snails, crabs and clams that are not mobile enough to move away.

The “dead zone” results in increased travel for fisherman, increased fuel use and increased seafood costs, since the mobile sea life move further away from the shore, she said.

Kaminski spent a month researching all of the information, which she says was because there were a vast amount of opinions about “dead zones” available.

“Danielle’s paper presented a very complete view of the benefits as well as the unintended consequences of one of the current ‘green’ initiatives of using bio-fuels in relation to how the environment is impacted,” Frank D’Orsi, chair of the Editorial Review Board, said.

Kaminski said she wanted to focus on something that pertained to the clean water act because she feels there is a lot that could be changed and improved on.

Kaminski attended Dakota High School in Macomb before enrolling at Michigan State University to obtain a bachelor’s degree in communicative sciences and disorders. After graduation, she had two options: either earn a master’s degree in special education, or a master’s degree in occupational safety and health. She elected to earn a degree in occupational safety and health and enrolled at OU.

“I fell in love with it and everything safety related,” she said.

Kaminiski currently serves as the vice president of the OU Student Section American Society of Safety Engineers and will graduate from the university in August with her second bachelor’s degree  in occupational safety and health.

She will intern with General Motors in May and hopes to remain with them after her internship for additional experience in her field of study.

“I would love to one day work for the government, like MIOSHA (Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration) or the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency),” Kaminski said.

Immediately following her bachelor’s degree, Kaminski plans to get a master’s degree in safety management. She also hopes to get her certified safety professional certification.

On April 12, SECS faculty received an email petition with a document titled “Bill of Particulars of a Vote of No Confidence regarding Dean (of the School of Engineering) Louay Chamra.”

Chamra said on April 15, there has been no OU American Association of University Professors or SECS Faculty Assembly sanctioned proposal for a vote of no confidence.

“The vote of no confidence was ill conceived and devised in complete secrecy by a few disgruntled faculty,” Chamra said. “With no faculty debate or discussion, and without any due process, the proposed vote of no confidence just surfaced out of nowhere … A private company was contracted by that small disgruntled group to conduct the vote. Due to an overwhelming faculty support for the dean and opposition to the proposed vote and the lack of transparency and lack of due process, the group decided to stop their attempt to conduct the vote.”

Outlined in the document are 14 points of why there is a lack of confidence in Chamra as a university leader. The original document listed items that said Chamra:

- Has often and repeatedly acted vindictively against faculty members who have publicly or privately disagreed with him.

- Has unreasonably denied not only sabbaticals, but also promotions to faculty, selectively focusing only on facts that suit his purpose so as to harm those toward whom he seeks retribution or control over.

- Uses the summer, when many faculty are absent, to take actions contrary to the wishes of the faculty.

According to Lorenzo Smith, associate dean of engineering, there has been no formal call for a vote of no confidence.

“There have been recent emails revolving around conversations about serious problems some faculty members claim to have with their relationship with the dean — this is true,” Smith said.

Typically, votes of no confidence are about sending a message and have no official impact.

President of AAUP at OU and Chair of the Department of History, Karen Miller, said she has not heard anything regarding this case.

There is no available count of faculty who intend to vote against Chamra, but The Oakland Post has obtained emails that indicate at least 10 tenured faculty members are behind the vote.

Support from faculty 

Ishwar Sethi, professor of computer science and former computer science and engineering department chair, said he has heard of four or five people who have come forward to support the dean.

Those people, Sethi said, are the current chairs and another faculty member. He believes many have not come forward because they are afraid their jobs are at risk.

“A lot of our faculty are young and a lot of them aren’t tenured — certainly, I wouldn’t even want them to say anything,” Sethi said. “I don’t want any harm to come to them. Even if they come to me for advice, I tell them ‘you guys stay in the background.’ It is the senior people, if something needs to be said, they should be the ones saying it.”

Last fall, there were discussions and meetings about similar problems, according to Sethi. The group was asked to attempt to get along by Provost Virinder Moudgil.

“There is a group of faculty that did go and meet the provost and told him these are the issues and this is what is going on,” Sethi said. “And I believe, the provost was aware of all of this turmoil back in fall last year and he sent out a message that said ‘look here, the school is likely to get a new building — the Board of Trustees are looking at approving a new building, so if you guys do something like this, your building will be in jeopardy, it would be good if you guys tried to work together.’”

Current chair of Industrial and Systems Engineering Robert Van Til, said what he is seeing right now are rumors of a vote of no confidence, but he would need to see full details before making a decision himself.

Removal of department chairs

Sethi and Barbara Oakley, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering, said all four department chairs were removed from their positions after the dean was put into power.

Dean Chamra became dean of engineering and computer science Oct. 5, 2009, according to the university news archives.

“If you look into the school, he came in, the first thing he did was change the chair of mechanical engineering Gary Barber. He was doing a good job … then, basically, he changed me, then he changed the EC (electrical and computer engineering) chair, then he changed the ISE (industrial and systems engineering) chair,” Sethi said. “So, basically, all the four chairs in this school are the chairs that are appointed by him … three out of four of them were on the search committee that selected him (Chamra).”

Sethi had been appointed chair for four terms — beginning in 1999.

Professors denied promotion

According to the BOT documents from March 28, two associate professors with tenure, Oakley and Sankar Sengupta, industrial and systems engineering professor, were denied promotion to full professor. Sengupta was also denied on March 2, 2010, according to BOT documents.

Chamra declined to comment about why Sengupta was denied promotion.

Four additional faculty members at OU were also denied promotion on March 28.

Oakley said she was shocked about not being promoted.

“I simply cannot understand it. My record sailed through,” she said. “All of my external recommendations were stellar … my research was stellar. I’m giving an invited speech to the National Academy of Sciences in January.”

Chamra said Oakley was denied due to her lack of grants and will be able to try for promotion when she meets the requirements. She can reapply for promotion at any point in time.

Oakley said she was told by Chamra she was denied promotion because her research was not engineering-focused.

“I guess I wasn’t aware that my research had to be business,” Oakley said.

Oakley said she will keep working really hard at the research she believes is important to do, but feels the given reasons didn’t motivate his decision to not promote her.

Vehicle damaged in P5

On April 5 police met with a female student in parking lot five regarding her damaged vehicle. The student said she parked and locked her vehicle on April 3 at 2:30 p.m. Upon returning, she noticed one door had been damaged and bent and was unable to close properly. She also noticed the seatbelt was slammed in the door and the door was now unlocked. No items were stolen and there are currently no suspects.

Items stolen from two vehicles in P5

On April 6 and 7, there were two separate larcenies involving stereo system face plates from vehicles in parking lot five. The first larceny involved a female victim who said she parked her vehicle at 9:30 p.m. on April 6. Upon returning the next day at 8 a.m., she noticed the stereo system face plate and a GPS were stolen. The second larceny involved a male victim who said he parked his vehicle in parking lot five at 11:30 p.m. April 6. The next day at 7:10 p.m., he discovered his face plate was stolen. In both cases, there was no forced entry due to the vehicles being left unlocked.

Student’s vehicle used without permission

Police were dispatched to parking lot 17 for a possible larceny on April 12. Upon returning to his vehicle at approximately 12:35 a.m., a male student said he saw two males inside his vehicle. The student yelled at the men and they took off running while another vehicle drove away.

At 12:45 a.m.,  police stopped a vehicle driving toward parking lot 17. After further investigation, the occupants said they had been in the student’s vehicle in an attempt to play a practical joke by moving their teammate’s vehicle. The four occupants and the male student are all members of the OU baseball team. The student was not aware they were his teammates at the time of the incident, and he does not want to prosecute.

Compiled by Natalie Popovski, Staff Intern

At a time when teen pregnancy is at a record low, according to a Center for Disease Control’s report, Maci Bookout’s lecture about her  teen pregnancy seems to come at a time when dialogue about such topics seems to be opening up.

Her speaking engagement on April 16 was the first time she brought her son, Bently too.

Following the lecture, Bookout answered questions from audience members and met with fans, who recognize her from  MTV, for photos and autographs.

Maci’s story without cameras

To a crowd of over 400 people, Bookout told her story, beginning with what life was like before she got pregnant. She was looking forward to playing softball in college.

Maci explained her experince about being a mom and MTV.

“I actually had to talk him into having sex,” she said.

According to Maci, she spent 37 hours in labor.

“It’s cool hearing her actual story from her point of view instead of just watching it on MTV,” Stacy Johnson, a junior majoring in business, said.

As a self identified “non-people person,” Bookout said it is strange that her fans feel like they know her, even though she enjoys meeting them.

“I really just like to be able to have, like an open conversation with people my age,” she said. “I feel like it makes a much bigger impact on them when their peer is doing it rather than someone who’s like a parent, or a teacher… It’s just fun. It’s like I’m hanging out with my friends.”

Plans for the future

Bookout said this current season will be her last on MTV’s Teen Mom. Since quitting, she said many opportunities have come her way.

“I’m ready to move on,” she said. “I’m not a teen anymore and I’m ready to focus on me, Bentley, school and my career.”

She is currently studying media technology and creative writing.

Bookout did not  disclose on  her future plans.

Fans respond

Alex Krum, 23, attended the lecture with her brother Devin, 22, and two-year-old son Blake. Although a little older than Maci, Krum was able to relate to her through the experiences Maci went through.

“Being young and having a child makes you mature very quickly,” she said.

Devin Krum explained he likes to do anything that helps out in taking care of his nephew. He also acknowledged watching “16 and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom.”

Contact Senior Reporter Sarah Hunton via email at sjhunton@oakland.edu

Mixing their experiences, they have traveled from the humid coasts of the Dominican Republic to the classical villas of Spain, published articles in scholarly journals and founded clubs.

Tissot and Van Raaphorst, who served as this year’s student liaisons to the Oakland University Board of Trustees, have been named the recipients of the 2012 Wilson awards — presented to one male and one female senior each year — recognizing outstanding academic, leadership and citizenship qualities.

Amidst the backdrop of exotic travels and fancy titles, their best advice to students is to start off at “home.”

‘Everything is an opportunity’ 

Tissot, a double major in Spanish and anthropology, applied to Oakland while doing a year of service in the Dominican Republic. There, she taught English, public health and worked in a nursing home.

In addition, Tissot has done service work in Peru.

Since returning to the U.S., she has applied this spirit of involvement and service to OU. Tissot is an active member of the Honors College, president and founder of the OU Spanish Club and a BOT liaison.

She has also served as resident assistant in housing, participated in an OU sponsored archaeological dig in Israel and published and contributed to the first Modern Languages Journal.

Tissot said her professors were a big influence on her involvement.

“I see in everything I do an opportunity to learn in some way, or to gain knowledge from someone,” she said. “I started being involved because I saw all these professors that were super involved. I knew that spending time with them was going to enhance my education beyond the classroom.”

Tissot said students wishing to grow more from their college experience should attend office hours with their professors.

“Just sit and have a conversation with them,” she said. “Enjoy the knowledge that they’re trying give you.  Make sure to get involved with different groups on campus, anything you’re passionate about.”

Finding your passion

Van Raaphorst has studied abroad in Oviedo, Spain, co-authored an article published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and served on the student program board and student life lecture board at OU.

The biochemistry major also helped organize an OU-hosted Science Olympiad competition and worked as an orientation group leader.

He said his involvement was just a matter of wanting to take advantage of the opportunities put in front of him.

“My mother said once that OU was like a 5-star hotel, in the fact it had so many amenities to offer,” he said. “Get your free T-shirts, join a student org, talk to your professor after class, do an (intramural) sport.  It’s all free, so use it.”

He emphasized the importance of students finding something they enjoy doing.

“I can thank my involvement on campus for many life skills such as: public speaking, small group facilitation, conflict resolution and many more quality life skills,” he said. “Find your passion and excel in it. You will meet some cool cats along the way.”

Van Raaphorst plans to finish research with Dr. Nessan Kerrigan and work in industry before going back to school to get his master’s in chemistry and business administration.

Tissot and Van Raaphorst will be recognized during the commencement ceremony.

For more information regarding the Wilson Awards and other awards, visit www.oakland.edu/dean_awards

Contact Staff Reporter Kevin Graham via email at kpgraham@oakland.edu or follow him on Twitter @KevinGraham88