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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 1982)
Wednesday, October 13, 1982 Daily Nebraskan Nebraska 2000 report: Local decisions favored By Kema Soderberg "This is just the beginning," said Ne braska Lt. Gov. Roland Luedtke about the recently completed Nebraska 2000 project, which outlines the goals and future policies of Nebraska. Resulting from a "grass roots" campaign with citizens planning the state's future, Nebraska 2000 explored state concerns in 14 areas including agriculture, energy, directly from Nebraskans. The Nebraska 2000 report found that Nebraskans overwhelmingly support more localized decision-making on local pro blems. They also want more problems solved by citizens, churches, civic organizations, business and labor groups, charities and philanthropic organizations, the re port said. Nebraskans involved in the hearings were not nearly as clear as to how to solve the problem of decision-making on the local level for local problems, Luedtke said. "The findings of the report are akin to the president's New Federalism. The governor and I fully agree to the New Federalism approach, but aren't sure how we (state government) are going to imple ment this," he said. Legislators helped Luedtke said he feels the findings from Nebraska 2000 will be helpful for state legislators and cited four instances. First, the report anticipates issues and functions as an early warning system. Second, it can forecast possible statewide affects of proposed legislation or consti tutional amendments. Third, it coordinates and integrates policies on a statewide level. Finally, it can help legislators see if they're doing what they're supposed to be doing during the interim. "It's our hope that it will be updated every year between now and the year 2000," he said. Luedtke said college students ought to be the most interested in this project, which explores possible problems of the future. "You're going to be the leaders of Nebraska," he said. Widespread input Citizen input for the Nebraska 2000 project came from Nebraskans in all 49 legislative districts. State legislators were hosts for the meeting in their respec tive districts. According to Luedtke, attendance at the meetings was "very diversified on the basis of race, sex, age and interests. Luedtke said the 21 -member committee heading Nebraska 2000 preferred the "grass roots" approach, although many states have done surveys of this type from an academic approach. Luedtke said the committee didn't want to say, "This is where we are and think we ought to be now and in the year 2000. What do you think." The committee heading the Nebraska 2000 project came from communities throughout the state and was bipartisan in terms of political backgrounds and special interests. University to update computer system A major expansion of UNL's computing facility is in the works. Edward Hirsch, vice president of the NU Foundation, said that $500,000 in unrestricted gifts and income al ready has been committed to UNL for computer hard ware and support resources by the foundation's Awards and Grants Committee. The university needs a total of $2 million to upgrade the computer system. Money for revamping UNL's com puter system was the university's only fall request to the foundation - an indication of the urgency felt by the administration. Chancellor Martin Massengale has appointed a task force to decide how to improve the computing facility, and has asked for his recommendation by Oct. 31. Earl Freise, assistant vice chancellor for research, and Wilfred Schutz, professor and head of Biometrics & Information Systems Center, are the task force's co-chair- East Campus library receives heavy use By Carol Harrah Since it has been in operation, the C.Y. Thompson Library has been used by a good number of students from UNL and Nebraska Wesleyan, said Wayne Collings, the outgoing director of the library. Lyle Schreiner, who will become the director in February, said the library is used quite heavily in spite of the lower population on East Campus. "In August, over 9,000 people used the library, and the school was in session for only one week then," Sch reiner said. He said students from Nebraska Wesleyan also use the library. "Their cards are good here at UNL and this library is closer to their campus than Love Library," he said. Collings said it took several years before the library finally opened in 1964. "I was on the planning committee for the building," he said. "The library had been on the building commit tee's agenda for several years, but it took them awhile to get all of the plans together." The library is named after Charles Yoder Thompson, who was a member of the NU Board of Regents for more than 24 years and was also chairman of the board for a while, Collings said. When the library was dedicated in 1964, Thompson was there, and it was an emotional time for him. "I don't think he realized until he was presented with the picture of the building and the plaque below it with his name engraved on it exactly what was coming about," Collings said. Schrcinet said the books offered at the C.Y. Thompson Library are mainly agriculture and home economics books, but they do have many books in other subjects. "We have 208,000 volumes of agriculture books," he said. "We also have home ec books. We do have core books in most of the other college courses." Prior to the opening of the C.Y. Thompson Library, Collings said, there were several places on both city and cast campuses where students checked out the books now contained within the library. "There were about 12 places that the books were kept," he said. "There were a lot kept in the basement of Love Library in an unfinished room. It makes it easier to have them all in one place." Schreiner said the library cost $1.5 million to build and that was without the cost of the books figured in. "The final cost was pretty much right on target," he said. "You couldn't build It for that price today." It would cost around $3 million to $4 million to build today, he said. Fins? oouuni! LOOK FOH IT AT HOME FOOTBALL GAMES men. The added equipment will be reserved soley for aca demic use, Freise said. The task force is investigating the purchase of a large mainframe or several mini-computers, he said. The $2 million total was arrived at by estimating the cost of mini-computers similar to one recently acquired by the College of Engineering, Bids by mainframe ven dors for equivalent capacity also have been examined, Freise added. The university needs to acquire more equipment be cause of the influx of students knowledgeable about computers, the longer computer response times for stu dent and faculty projects, and increasing administrative use of computers, Freise said. The university hopes to gain some of the remaining $1.5 million through energy conservation, Freise said. TH CYGLI WORK! 25 off Selected Parts and Accessories 15 off Most Bikes Featuring Quality Bicycles from Japan Europe and the U.S. 475-2453 27th & Vine l Calandarsfis AppQlnfansntBooiks on-t 3 1 Open Monday-Friday. 8-5 30. Saturday. 9-5 30 E ! -V" 12th tnCtretU In Lincoln Center 475-0111