1 Regents: fl silent majority of sis?
I iO-IQ IjP (cr
j . JLt J - -Al .J ft L - J1-.
q Irtntefl Illiatt Bvou I Bm fchw&sjfl likia
Look Ma! No Regents!
Board to he
By GARY SEACREST
NebrasMn SUM Wrltw
The Board of Regents abolished?
It could happen if Nebraska voters
approve a constitutional proposal this
November to establish a single
Nebraska board of higher education.
If that proposition is approved, the
new "super board" would be
responsible for all higher education
in Nebraska, including technical
schools, and would replace the
University Board of Regents.
The constitutional proposal for the
creation of the "super board" is the
brainchild of state Sen. Richard
Marvel of Hastings and was passed
by the 1969 Legislature.
Regardless of the fate of the con-,
stitutional proposal, Nebraska voters
in 1970 will be electing four Regents,
including candidates from two new
Board of Regents districts. The
Legislature implemented a con-'
stitutional amendment approved by
voters in 1968 expanding the size of
the Board of Regents from six to
eight members and establishing
districts of approximately equal
population size.
Last December state Sen. Terry
Carpenter proposed that an NU
student Regent could be elected from
the newly created Eighth District in
Douglas County. However, no student
has as yet filed for the Board.
Two Regents will be bidding for
Closed meetings
by JAN PAFKS
NvferMkM Stalf Wrtttr
Closed meetings of the Board of
Regents Is no secret, contend a
number of University students, State
Sen. Terry Carpenter and some state
journalists.
"It's obvious to people who attend
Regents meetings that the real
decisions are made behind closed
doors," ASUN senator Steve Tiwald
said.
"Public meetings are only a facade.
A means that Regents use to keep
within the law and to fulfill their
obligations to the press," he com
mented. Tiwald noted that press releases of
Board action are available and in
correct form Immediately after the
board publically votes.
The University l a state-owned
public corporation, he said. "Actual
board decisions should be made In
the public eye."
Senator Carpenter told University
Young Republicans In a December
meeting that a student Regent would
end the "board's secrecy which was
characterized by the selection of the
new chancellor.
"Then you'll know what's going on
in the University Carpenter con
tinued. "Then yoa can be heard
whether they want you to be heard
or not."
PAGE 8
abolished?
re-election in 1970. Dr. B. N.
Greenberg of York will be seeking
his fourth term as Regent from the
Fourth District. Richard Adkins: a
banker In Osmond, will be trying to
win a third term as Regent from
the Third District In northeast
Nebraska.
Challenging Greenberg In the
Fourth District is 51-year-old Philip
C. Anderson of Crete. Anderson is
the author of a public spending
limitation plan in the 1960's and an
unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant
governor in 1966.
In filing for the Regent's seat,
Anderson declared, "As a
businessman, I can see a need for
business-oriented direction of this
very large public Investment, with
emphasis on quality of the services
which the people are buying with
their tax dollars."
Three candidates have filed for the
Eighth Regent District, which in
cludes part of Omaha. The three are
Ross C. Horning Jr., a Crelghton
University professor; Gene P. Spence,
an attorney and insurance executive;
and James H. Moyhan, an attorney
and son of state Sen. Harold
Moyhan.
Dr. Robert Koefoot has filed as a
Regent candidate for the newly
created District Six position. Koefoot,
a Grand Island physician, tried un
successfully for the Regent position
now held by Robert Raun.
The Lincoln Journal in a December
editorial criticized the Regents "for
the manner In which NU business
Is largely discussed and settled upon
in secrecy and then ratified
publicly."
The Journul In a subsequent
editorial said the "closed door per
formance" of the board "deprives the
public from knowledge of the
background of policy decision, the
arguments for and against it, the
alternatives and all considerations in
decision-making."
Most Regents, however, deny that
decision-making occurs outside of
public meetings.
Regent Jack Elliot: "All official
business ... In public meetings."
Regent President, Ben Greenberg:
"All official action ... In public
meetings. It Is not taken in closed
meetings."
Regent Richard Adklns: "By law.
Regents servle public notice ox
meetings . . . meetings have always
been public."
Regent Robert Raun: "No closed
meetings as such. Private discussions
are often useful and necessary for
the Board, just as they art to any
similar group."
Regent Edward Schwartxkopf,
however, acknowledged that
The Regents
by act of God
by BILL SMITHERMAN
Outstate Nebraskans who saw their
local ministers pack up for the long
trip to Lincoln in the spring of 1869
must have thought they were on their
way to an important religiou
meeting.
In fact, the ministers were traveling
to serve on the first Board of Regents
of the University of Nebraska.
When the Board held its first
meeting June 3, 1869 four clergymen
were present as Board members.
Other members ranged from a
railroad land agent to a state politi
cian. In its first appointments the
Board chose ministers for Chancellor
and Secretary of the Board.
Albert Watkins, writing In the Semi
centennial Anniversary Book of the
University of Nebraska, speculates
that Governor David Butler appointed
so many clergy to the Board to gain
support from the church in "the
doubtful experiment upon which the
state whose people were chiefly ex
perienced In a sense of poverty were
entering."
This church orientation gave
education at the University a
decidedly religious cast. Daily chapel
was required for all students and those
attending the school had to be off the
streets by 9 p.m.
This trend led to bitter controversy
In later years. The problem was not
" resolved until a Chancellor had been
fired after several years of political
battles.
But controversy did not have to wait
for a religious issue to boil. Only a
year after its completion the founda
tion of University Hall (the
University's first structure) was found
to be badly built. There were charges
of corruption that ended the political
hopes of the Governor and most of the
Regents.
A new state constitution adopted in
1875 decreased the number of Regents
from 12 to 6. Members were elected at
large and none but Republicans served
on the board from 1875 until 1891.
Many Regent elections in the 1870's
and 1880's were centered around
religious questions.
The election of 1879 was particularly
bitter as religiously "liberar and
"orthodox" candidates squared off.
are in the ope
"discussion of personnel is the main
reason for closed meetings." He said
the "secrecy in the selection of
Varner was necessary."
Schwartzkopf also noted that
Regents "often discuss business at
lunch and dinner meetings, however,
all official business is taken at public
meetings."
Many students have speculated that
"everything is decided before they get
to the Regents meetings," Student
senate president BUI Chaloupka
said.
Although Chaloupka has attended
"only three or four Regents
meetings" he said he thought it odd
that the Regents "nearly always vote
unanimously."
"The Resents evidently like to
present an Image of unanimity to give
the public the impression of the
trustworthiness and strength of
University leadership," he said.
Bert Evans, assistant professor of
agricultural economics, agreed that
public unanimity was a Board
objective.
"But to look at the secrecy of
Regents meetings is to look at only
half the problem," he said. One
should also examine the "over
whelming desire in the hierarchy of
the administration to suppress the
siring of differences in public," Evans
said.
Edmund Fairfield
Orthodox visitors to University chapel
services criticized student conduct
while Omaha newspapers denounced
the Chancellor for letting students
"run wild."
Religious controversy had begun to
boil in the mid-70's when four young
professors began asking loudly for
greater student freedom, fewer
restraints on a professor's personal
conduct and turning the aim of
education away from religion.
Chancellor Edmund B. Fairfield and
many older faculty members opposed
this trend, but they were unable to
stop it. So they alienated both liberal
and orthodox factions in the state.
The controversy became more In
tense and Fairfield was asked to
resign in 1882. The Regents Indicated
they hoped to hire a Chancellor who
could reconcile the factions and end
the dispute.
They made the wrong choice.
In his four years as Chancellor Irv
ing J. Mannatt kept the University on
course of moderate educational
reform. He also managed to alienate
almost every faction in the Universi
ty, according to Robert N. Manley in
Centennial History of the University of
Nebraska.
Although he was acknowledged as
an effective administrator Mannatt
had a personality that grated nearly
everyone he worked with.
After a Regents hearing in 1888
Mannatt was asked to resign. He
refused and was fired by the Board.
In 1920 the state constitution was
amended to provide for election of
Regents from six separate districts.
"Above all, the administration likes
to maintain an academic pose of 'all
is well," he said.
A graduate assistant who helped
present the graduate student dor
mitory visitation proposal to the
Regents in October 1968, Nancy
Ryan said, "I definitely felt the
decision about visitation had been
made prior to our presentation. Their
minds were closed to everything we
, brought up."
"The Regents were cooperative
about listening to what we had to
say," Miss Ryan recalled. "One da
they listened to us for 45 minutes."
Miss Ryan said that the visitation
proponents "never did get
satisfactory answer as to why they
said no."
"After the Regents' refusal to accept
visitation they patted us on the back,
told us how mature we were, and
said sorry about that," she com
mented. Elite Shore, a visitation
spokesman said, "I don't know for
sure if the Board does meet secretly.
Since they only see each other once
a month, I could see why they would
want to talk for a Utile while la
private before their public meetings
for all we know, they could hist be
discussing the wives and kids."
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1970