The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, September 17, 1969, Image 1
rt n 00 O 0.S WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER ' : Dr. Edward f h"' " -x A -TV I . If J V -V- , " Si im i in John Indecision on NU budget causes 'some inconvenience9 Even thouj?li the 1969-197 Obiennium Is nearly three months old, the work of the University's budget bills has yet to be completed. As a result, all University departments and salaries are being continued at rates which prevailed on June SO, 1!W9, the end of the last biennlum, according to University Dr. Joseph Soshnlk, president of the Lin coln campuses. "The University is certainly in no danger," he emphasized, Tuesday af ternoon. "Although we recognize that the delay is causing some dislocation and inconvenience among University departments and staff." LB 1421. which Includes the University's basic state general fund appropriation has been approved, which permits the University to go forward. Unprecedented However the delay In approving the University budget is unprecedented, at lenst in the last several decades. The 1969 Unicameral session, which resumed Tuesday after a two week recess Is bv far the longest in history. It convened January 6. Some senators have expressed hope that work on remaining major bills can be completed in about two weeks, and the Unicameral will adjourn permanently. Soshnlk. however, refused to predict when action on the University's budget bill would be completed. The problem involves the $22.5 million capital construction budget bill LIU425. Final approval of the entire budaet will be deferred until IB1425 has been settled. Difficulties began August 2 9when the capital construction bill was passed 23-16. When the bill reached 17, 1969 iV, ,;h' jf, '- ' E. Lundak E. Aronson Governor Norbert T. Tlemann, he promptly vetoed four projects. Scratched was million for land acquisition at the NU Medical Center in Omaha; $1.35 million for University of Nebraska at Omaha land acquis!, tlon and planning; $1.5 milliin fir remodeling the Kearney State College administration building and .$1,225 million appropriation for a home economics building on the NU East Campus. Three of those items had received 33 votes when accepted as amendments on the legislative floor. Sen. Richard Marvel of Hastings, chairman of the budget committee, said that he had been led to believe that any item that received 33 votes could not be vetoed by the governor. The situation must be clarified, he continued. He then conferred with other senators and Nebraska Atty. Gen. Clarence Meyer about going tl court to straighten tut the situation. Adjournment With that, the senators, worn out from eight months of legislating, ad journed for two weeks. When they resumed Tuesday, they voted 37- Oto Ignore the Governlr s veto, even though Tlemann returned the entire bill to the legislature without his signature. The IJncoln campuses president said that the Board of Regents will meet as soon as possible after tin Unicameral approves the NU budget. The Boar d would adopt the budget, md the confusion would be over. The Regents met Monday, but have not set the date for their next meeting. Along with everything else, faculty and other employes of the University are still being paid at last year' LINCOLN, Minority enrollments increase please Afro leader, Admin Concerted efforts last spring and summer to recruit minority students for the University have been termed "very successful" by both the ad ministration and the Afro-American Society. "We're pretty happy," remarked John C. Eaves Jr., new chairman of the Afro-American Society. "I've been down here since 1965, and I've never seen so many minority students on campus." He emphasized that the society is by no means satisfied with the number of minority students being helped, but progress is being made. Walter Strong, who works in the Office of Student Affairs as black stu dent coordinator, also expressed satisfaction with results of the recruiting. "We have about 68 minority freshmen, mostly black, who would not be enrolled in this University if we had not sent out recruiting teams," Strong said. He hastened to add that much more needs to be done. Although recruiting teams headed by Strong were sent out in the sum mer, efforts to attract more minority students actually began in September, 1968. Letters sent , "I sent out letters to about 570 ' blacks, Mexican Americans and American Indians who might possibly have been interested in coming to NU,", said Dr. Edward E. Lundak, director of the office of scholarships and financial aids. Dean of Student Affairs G. Robert Ross did not feel that letters alone were sufficient, Lundak reported. So teams of University administrators, ' including Lundak in most cases, visited various high schools around the state to speak directly with students "We told them that if they had a I real desire to come to the University, money would not be a limiting fac tor," Lundak said. "Most of these students were average to good students, although some were in the bottom half of their class." These were not exclusively minority students, Lunda continued. They in- eluded low income students but the majority of them were of minority races, he said. "Financial resources are available to any student who needs i t , regardless of race or color," Lundak emphasized. "But the great majority of low income students are not white." Long-term planning Lundak also emphasized that the University's efforts began long before demonstrations by the Afro-American Society last April 16-18. One of the Society's demands which was presented to the NU administra- rates, Soshnlk said. This is causing some personal inconveience on the part of individual staff members. Soshnlk sent a form letter to all University employees early In Sep tember explaining the situation. When salary notices are distributed, they will show that new salary rates are retroactive to June 27 for persons on the bi-monthly payroll, July 1 for those on yearly appointments and September 1 for those on academic year appointments, his letter said. "Please be assured that we will take immediate steps to implement the new salary schedules as soon as the ' budget Is approved," the letter con tinued. Five per cent Increase Concerning raises, Soshnlk said that preliminary estimates indicate the so'iry Increases may average about five per cent. The salaries will not be raised across the board. Soshnlk stressed. Deans and chairman, as always, reviewed the salaries and recom mended the Increases, which in some cases will be more than five per cent, whi'e in other cases would be less tnan five per cent. Just as faculty salaries, the status of new construc tion projects on the Lincoln campuses is still cloudy also. For instance, approximately $4 million for a new addition to Love Memorial Library was approved by 33 votes in LB 1433. But the fate ot the entire bill is still In doubt. As of Tuesday evening, no one knew exactly when work on the budget would be completed. Soshnik admitted that he, along with the senators. Is confused with the situation. "Everybody is," he com. mented. NEBRASKA tion during the demonstrations was ". . . That the University increase its black enrollment by 200 by Sep tember 1969, and that future years witness an increase to this figure." The figure was to include Mexican Americans and American Indians. While University officials would undoubtedly like to increase minority enrollment, the problems encountered are great, Lundak said. "Besides things like tuition, books and dorm fees, there are things like desire.lncentive and goals," he said "In many cases no one in the family has ever been to college. The distrust of high schools and guidance counselors is great." Difficulties In one case, Lundak remembered, a father from Western Nebraska ac tually made fun of his son after the young man enrolled in the University following a visit by administrators. John E. Aronson, director of ad missions, agreed that motivation is a tremendous factor. "For two years we've surveyed graduating high school seniors who were subject to financial disad vantages," he said. "Their average academic ability compares favorably to the average ability of other enter, ing freshmen." But to many of these students, col. lege is just a far off vision, he con tinued. They need encouragement and help. While they may have the ability, college is just not possible financially. Family income in many cases is below $6,000. Families are large, too. Six to eight children in a family is not unusual. In one case, a father made $8,000 a year, but there were 13 children in the family. In cases around Omaha, fathers have been employed for years Tf.'T John 1 . .. . '.'4rJ' . ... Adviser terms Rush Week success with 930 pledging by Bill Smltherman Nebraskan Start Writer Rush Week. 1969. . Success or failure It was a success, according to Panhallenlc adviser Mrs. J a y n e Anderson. She emphasized that the 600 women participating seemed hap. py with the program. All of the women received adequate Invitations to houses, she said. From the Initial number, 466 pledg ed. Some 25 women withdrew before the end of the week and 69 did not flit preferences on the final day, she said. The withdrawals and failures to file preferences were the result of two major causes, Mrs. Anderson con. tinued. "There are always several women." she said, "who come through rush with no intention of pledging. They simply want to take a look at, the Greek system.' Also, some women come to rush with a preconceived idea of where they want to pledge, Mrs. Anderson continued. If they are not invited back to the houses they are Interested In, by meat processing plants, but the recent closing of many plants has caused even more difficulties. By June, Lundak, Aronson and other administrators had spoken to high schools primarily in the Omaha and Scottsbluff areas. Of the 570 students originally contacted by mail, about 25 completed their enrollment ap plications. Black student coordinator On June 3, Walter Strong became the University's first black student coordinator. He headed recruiting teams during the summer, which concentrated their efforts on the Omaha high schools. Strong's ap. proach differed considerably from Lundak's. "We contacted the graduated high school seniors at home during the summer, preferably during the day when both the students and parents could be present," Strong began. His teams explained to both parents and students what theuniversity of Nebraska is all about. They discussed as many aspects as possible, including how it feels to be a minority student on campus. "We didn't paint a particularly rosy or particulary cloudy picture," Strong said. "We were truthful." Several University students ac. cornpanied Strong on the tnips and their role was Important, he em. phasized. "It's not easy for an administrator to relate to the minority students, but the students that accompanied me were fantastic," Strong said. The teams stressed individual treatment, Strong said. In many cases, members of the team actually helped the parents and student fill oot the numerous appliiation forms. "A cold, official-looking letter from the University can often turn off pe ople," Strong said. "We have to ex- . j . """"V id"riiii m jjii'ff C. Eaves Jr. then they see no reason to continue, she said. Joe Voboril, Inter-Fraternity Coun cil president, also considered Rush week a success. All but 29 of the 493 men participating in Fraternity rush pledged according to Voboril Only three of these withdrew from rush. Same reasons Reasons for the men not pledging were much the same as those Mrs. Anderson listed. Voboril said that the percentage of those pledging was higher than in past years. He attributed this, In part, to the fact that rushees visited all houses. ' Though the week seemed successful as a whole, there were some pro blems. A major one was the unequal size of pledge classes taken by the various houses. For Instance, three houses took one quarter of the total number pledging, while another house took only one man. Voboril said that it would be desirable to have more equal pledge classes. However, he was cool to the idea of a quota system for fraternities. VOL. 93, NO. I plain the University to them personally." Strong's efforts were mainly in Omaha and he enrountered many of the same problems that Lhndak and Aronson fared. "We talked to only one family that had an inrome above $1,0000," he said, and there were 12 rhildren in that family," he remark ed. Financial aid available Financial aid granted to the minority students is varied, Strong pointed out. In most dases, students reueived a package deal. Money that parents could provide or that students could make over the summer was considered. Work-study programs, were also utilized. Funds needed in addition to that was then provided in scholarships. There is never enough money to go around, Strong said. Federal funds under the Educational Opportunity grant and National Defense Act pr. ograms have been cut. Private agen cies occasionally provide money and one anonymous University professor ograms have been cut. Private agen cies occasionally provide money and one anonymous University professor even provided a scholarship for one needy black student. Available funds are spread around as much as possi ble, Strong said. One form of aid is the tuition waiver program, apprived by the Board of Continued on page 5 Walt Strong "A quota system could be fair to houses, but it wouldn't be fair to rushees," Voboril explained. "In the current open house system a rushee knows exactly where he stands when he is invited back to the house. Quota system "A quota system," Voboril said, "would make it necessary for houses to take more time in deciding who to invite back. This would be unfair to the rushee who must make his decisions on where to go before he knows if he has been invited." Voboril added that he can see no way at present to equalize the size of pledge elates without being unfair to the rushee. "K iveral small houses did well dur. ing rush." he said. Others will pro bably use open rush to fill out their pledge classes." About the same number of men pledged this year as last. However, it will not be possible to tabulate the final rush statistics until after open rush, Voboril said. He added that there was little trou ble with rushees during the week. On a whole, they seemed pleased with the program, he said. El -A. si! 5v . i