TheMichigan oDaily -Wednesday; June 17, 1981-Page 5
Jackson
may be
split into
2 prisons
LANSING .(UPI)-The state Corrections Depar-
tment is weighing plans to split the massive central
complex at riot-torn Southern Michigan Prison into
two virtually separate institutions in hopes of im-
proving control over its large population.
Gail Light, spokeswoman for the department, said
Budget Director Gerald Miller has been asked to ap-
prove funds needed to hire an architect for the plan
which apparently would involve installation of a fen-
ce through the aging building and its yard.
LIGHT SAID no estimate is available on the cost of
the plans or the project itself, but it probably could be
funded through a transfer of already appropriated
monies.
"I wouldn't say it's a real blue sky kind of thing,"
she said. "It's pretty certain we're going to do
something like that."
UNDER THE plan, cellblocks three and
fi-where tha rinting centred nn Mav 92-wnld
be separated off along with block five on the north
side of the complex, blocks 11, 12, 7 and 8 would be on
the south side of the complex, according Light.
. The units would share food service, gym and school
facilities, but use would be scheduled so that inmates
from the two did not mingle, she said. "The intent is
to have two, fairly separate institutions," said Light.
THE COMPLEX has long been considered difficult
to manage and officials hope that separating off the
generally tougher inmates in blocks 3, 4 and 5 can
ease that problem.
The central complex houses about 2,600 to 2,900
making it much larger than most new prisons in their
entirety.
"We've talked about doing something like this for a
long time but we've never had the funds to do it," Ms.
Light said.
"The disturbance may be a catalyst for getting
dnwn tn dning it."
AAUP says by-laws
ignored by officials
Daily Photo by JACKIE BELL
TWO FIREFIGHTERS check for hidden fires after putting out a blaze in an
apartment complex on E. Madison St. last night.
(Continued fromPage 1)
with a Regental bylaw."
THE GUIDELINE in question,
Regental bylaw number 5.02 states that
"... the governing faculty shall be in
charge of the affairs of that School or
College..."
"The question here is if the LSA
college wanted the department
removed," Kaplan said, adding that the
"administration has admitted that
there is an ambiguity in the bylaws."
Kaplan said, "the Regents have
received notice of this (the alleged
discrepancy) in writing, but I will make
a statement to them on Thursday,"
Kaplan said.
THE LSA FACULTY voted against
discontinuance of the geography depar-
tment by a margin of 138 to 80 last
April.
Vice-president for Academic Affairs
Bill Frye countered the AAUP
argument, saying, "The guidelines
state that the (LSA) dean should obtain
a formal expression of the views of the
faculty, but these views should not be
binding."
"No one thought at the time that the
faculty's vote should have been bin-
ding," added Frye.
"I CONSIDER it all pretty hopeless,"
Kaplan said of the discontinuance
question.
Current AAUP president Robert
Weeks claimed that the ad-
ministration's discontinuance process
was flawed in four respects:
" The process was initiated in a
"hasty, ill-considered" way.
" Once underway, the process did not
adhere sufficiently to the guidelines of
the national AAUP that faculty in-
volvement in such procedures should be
"early, careful, and meaningful."
" That geography is being eliminated
to save money, but it is not clear how
this will be accomplished.
" There has been no orderly con-
sideration of the use of the University's
large financial reserves as an alter-
.native to discontinuance, he claimed.