The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, August 11, 1970, Image 1

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    TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 1970
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
NO. 8
Legislative Council and Efegenfts discuss student strike
By Roger Boye
The student strike, administrative
structure, and regulations governing
faculty and student behavior at the
University of Nebraska were discussed
Friday when members of the Legislative
Council Executive Board questioned
univeristy administrators and Board of
Regents members.
The university personnel were reluc
tant, however, to talk about some
specifics of the May strike before the
report of a seven-man investigating
commission, headed by Richard Spelts of
Grand Island, is completed and made
public. The Board of Regents announced
it will meet August 18 to hear the report
which, according to Chancellor D. B.
Varner, will be released unedited to the
press.
The commission, set up by the Regents
?
NU's 1970 Summer Repertory Theatre moves into its final two weeks with productions of "Oh, What
a Lovely War," (above) and "Indians." Plays begin at 8:30 p.m. at Howell Theatre. "Oh, What a Love
ly War," Aug. 11, 13, 18, 20, and 21; "Indians," Aug. 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, and 22.
Search committee mil select
executive dean of student affairs
A search committee organized to
nominate persons to fill the position of
executive dean of student affairs held
first meeting last Tuesday.
The thirteen-meniber committee, com
posed of students, faculty members and
administrators, met with President
Joseph Soshnik to discuss what is ex
pected of the committee.
Soshnik will select the executive dean
from a list of four or five persons, from
Inside or outside the university,
nominated by the committee.
The position of executive dean of stu
dent affairs was vacated in June by G.
Robert Ross when the Board of Regents
uppointed him Vice Chancellor of student
programs for the entire university
system.
Faculty members on the committee are
Mrs. Virginia Corgan, Teachers College;
lrofessor Robert Haller. English;
Professor Jerry Petr, Economics; Prof.
Wallace Rudolph, College of Law; and
Professor William Splinter, Agricultural
Engineering.
Dr. Franklin Eldrige, associate dean of
the College of Agriculture and director of
resident instruction, Ely Meyerson and
Haze Pope of the Office of Student Affairs
represent the administration on the
committee.
Students are Fred Anderson, Roger
ltonneson, Bill Chuloupka, Beverly
Goodenbcrger and Nancy Ryan. They
were appointed by Steve Tiwald, presi
dent of the Associated Students of the
University of Nebraska (ASUN) and en
dorsed by ASUN Senators who were
present at a special Senate meeting July
9.
According to Tiwald. the University
will also hire an ombudsman this fall to
help students "who run into hassles with
administrative bureaucratic red-tape
tvpe problems."
' The position would be filled by a full
time uppcrclass or graduate student, who
will be hired around Oct. 1, Tiwald
said.
Fees for Scholarships
In other ASUN action over the summer,
Tiwald said that the committee iiv
vestigating the use of student fee money
for minority student scholarships ha
issued a preliminary report.
The commi-.tee, after discussions with
administrators, concluded that a student
fee Increase of $3.00 per semester and
$1.50 per summer session would be suffi
cient for establishing a fund for minority
and low-income scholarships.
If such an Increase had been in effect
List year it would have raised $t20,000.
in June, was asked by Varner to in
vestigate events on the Lincoln campus
during May including: whether laws or
Regents' policies were violated, whether
there were "gross improprieties" that
need Regent action, and whether there is
evidence of substantial involvement of
non-University personnel.
Varner said that the commission may
also recommend, for example, that the
university modify some rules and
policies.
A university legal counsel assisting the
commission, Flavel Wright, told the
Legislative Council members that
university policies are limited "by con
stitutional safeguards of free speech and
assembly which must be protected." He
said that if these rights are not respected,
"it will stir up a group of students and
create emotional reaction ... As I
understand it, the university handled this
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according to Sieve Fowler, chairman of
the committee.
Fowler said the money would be set in
a special fund to be jointly administered
by the Office of Financial Aids and the
coordinator of special programs. The ac
count would be open to additional con
tributions from other sources such as
campus organizations, foundations and
alumni.
"Since this is a proposal that affects nil
students and requires the approval of the
Board of Regents, there is a need to
discover the size of student support for
the proposal," Fowler said. "The com
mittee considered two possible methods:
a referendum and a petition drive.
"The committee chose the petition
method for the following reasons: In
order for a maximum number of students
to become knowledgeable about the need,
the petition drive could be carried out
over a longer period of time than the
shorter, intensive campaigning period
before a referendum.
"The petition drive would probably
register the support of a greater number
of students than a referendum because It
would last for a longer period of time,"
he added.
Tiwald said that the conclusions of the
committee are, as yet, tentative.
Record Store
The ASUN Services Committee has
established a non-profit record store
which will open in September. Prices of
records and tapes will be lower than the
average Lincoln prices, according to Bill
Chaloupka. chairman of the committee.
The store will be on the first floor of the
Union and will emphasize rock, jazz, folk
and classical music, Chaloupka said.
New Vice President
Randy Prior has been appointed second
vice president of ASUN to fill the vacan
cy, left by Mark Theisen, who resigned in
July to enter Mount Michael Monastery
in Elkhorn.
Tiwald will ask for rn'ification of this
appointment at the first student Senate in
meeting in September, he said.
Tiwald said he thinks the Senate can be
more active than it has been in the
past.
"ASUN's involvement In the student
strike of last May was good. Students saw
that we had finally done something by
calling the Town Hall Meetings. They are
more aware that there is a student
government and that it is willing to stand
up and do sometning." he added.
Plans for fall ASUN action include
"moves ahead in educational reform"
and implementation of the Academic
Planning CommitUMt report Tiwald said.
situation! (strike) beautifully it avoided
deaths, violence and damage."
Others expressed similar opinions.
Regent Ed Schwartzkopf of Lincoln said
that by avoiding serious trouble during
May the university "stands high." State
Sen. C. W. Holmquist of Oakland,
chairman, of the legislative group, said
that "a fine job" has been done during
May. He said the Friday discussion with
the Regents was valuable and there
should be more meetings between the two
groups.
Another senator, William Wylie of
Elgin, said that people in his area "think
the Regents are sitting on their hands"
and don't realize that :here is a com
mission investigating the May events.
Regent B. N. Cireenberg of, York said
that although the board has been
criticized "for not having policies
governing demonstrations, it established
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Ross named
to UNESCO
commission
Secretary of State William P. Rogers
h;is appointed University of Nebraska
Vice Chancellor 0. Robert Ross to the
United States National Commission for
the United Nations Educational. Scien
tific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO).
Dr. Ross is oive of 10 new appointees
including Mrs. Claire Lee Chennault,
Washington, DC, vice president of in
ternational affairs for the Flying Tiger
Line: U.S. Senator Robert Dole (R
Kan,); Charles E. Perry, president of
Florida International University, Miami;
and Mrs. Thyra Thomson, the Secretary
of State of Wyoming.
Dr. Ross will begin his official duties
when the Commission has its 34th annual
meeting Sept. 17 ami 18 in Washington,
D C. He was appointed as a represen
tative of state ami local government.
Two other University staff members
will leave Commission posts this year.
They are Dr. Walter Beggs. dean of the
Teachers College, representing the
American Association of Colleges for
Teacher Education; and Dr. Wesley
Meierhenry, professor of adult and con
tinning education, representing the Na
tional Education Association Department
of Audio-Visual Instruction.
The National Commission is a
Congressionally authorized 100-member
body of individuals and organization
representatives which advises the
Department of State on UNESCO matters
and serves as liaison between the
American public and UNESCO.
Education reform
report is available
The Academic Planning Committee's
final report on the May 13 meeting on
educational reform has been completed.
Copies of the report are being sent to
each member of the faculty, and five
copies will be available in each campus
library for interested students, according
to J. M. Daly, chairman of the com
mute. The 40-page report lists proposals for
reform In grading, courses, administra
tion, curriculum planning, and
numerous ether areas which were
presented by faculty and students at the
Hf jytng.
such regulations in 1968 which are today
listed in the Campus Handbook.
Included in the regulations is the
statement, "the University community
may impose behavioral restrictions
which are necessary to preserve the
orderly functioning of the
University . . ." In reply to a question
from Sen. Jerome Warner of Waverly,
Lincoln campus president Joseph Soshnik
said the "tent city" north of Love Library
was allowed to remain in May because it
was decided "this type of dissent was not
disruptive and there was no threat of
violence."
Holmquist asked Vice Chancellor G.
Robert Ross if he "knew the names of
faculty members who participated" in
the May events. Ross, who said
"participating" needs a definition, sug
gested that reading newspapers published
Minority student fund
NU College Opportunity faculty
The Nebraska University College Op
portunity (NU-COP) faculty drive, a fund
drive to raise tuition and college expense
money for minority and low-income
students, has raised $2,200 toward its
$10,000 goal.
The faculty drive is p;wt of a fund
raising campaign that also includes a
student fund raising drive and an
anonvmous gift of $20,000-25,000. A total
of $70,000 is needed if 100 new minority
and low-income students are to be ac
cepted into the NU-COP program.
Dr. Alan Seagren, director of summer
sessions and member of the NU-COP ad
hoc committee of the Faculty Senate,
said the committee hopes to have pledges
of $10,000 from the faculty by Aug. 15. "
For the past two years the Board of
Regents has made available twenty tui
tion waiver scholarships per year for low
income and minority students. As ;!
outgrowth of this. 41 student s
participated in a special program during
the past year, Dr. Seagren said.
"The grade-point average for the pro
gram students the first semester was
2.2." he said. "These results suggest that
students who in the past have been locked
out, given proper support, can do a first
rate job at the university."
Haze Pope, coordinator of special pro
grams in the Office of Student Affairs,
cited an example ol a black coed who
was in the bottom fourth of her higli
school graduating class and scored poorly
on the SAT test. It was predicted that the
girl would make a grade point average of
around 1.0 at the university.
At the end of her first semester here,
the girl had a 4 plus average.
Other cases are less dramatic than this
one, but similar. Pope said. This may in
dicate that the methods of predicting the
performance of minority students may be
inaccurate and that perhaps different
criteria should be used to predict
minority student performance than to
predict the middle class white student's
performance, he added.
Pope said that in the past some
minority students have received
scholarships from the Office of Financial
Aids, but that some government funds
have been cut back. The Special Pro
grams office has exerted its influence to
get additional funds, he added.
One such effort resulted in a $100,000
grant, from the U.S. Dept. of Health,
Education and Welfare to provide
counseling, advising, tutoring and social
and educational programming for low
income and minority students.
However, this grant does not provide
for tuition and expenses for students and
that is what NU-COP will provide,
Seagren said.
The program is important for the
University because "a person shouldn't
be deprived of a college education
because of economic conditions,"
Seagren said.
"This is on? way to improve the social
problems of minority and low-income
communities to provide young people
with the opportunity to gain an education
and to go back and have an impact on the
problems that exist," he added.
If a high school student feels there is no
possibility of his going on to college, he
may not perform so well in high school.
Seagren continued. The chance for a col
lege education may provide the high
schooler with motivation for self-improvement.
Also, he added, the development of
such a program on the college level will
assist the university in "improving
education and making us more aware of
our responsibility to face up to the pro
blems" of society.
"The University can play an important
role in breaking the cycles that low-in-come
sutdents come from," Pope said.
"The fund-raising drive is definitely
important, ami I praise the professors
who have investigated the area and
dedicated their time and resources to
make it a success."
Pope said he felt there is some con
fusion aiming some professors as to the
univerity's participation in the source of
minority student, funds and what the
program is all about and that he would
welcome talking to anyone professor w ho
wants facts clarified.
"The university Is an Important In
stitution In assisting these young people,"
Tope said. "It's going to take effort,
time, tolerance and the know-how of the
whole university to make this program
succeed.
during the May events would be a way to
obtain names. He added that many
faculty members wanted to help maintain
order rather than being in sympathy with
students.
The long-range result of what started in
May as a reaction to southeast Asia
events and student deaths at Kent State
seems to be a gradual change toward
improving the university, according to
Soshnik. "There has been an intensified
review of educational programs in recent
months," he said.
In answer to another question, Varner
and Soshnik explained the administrative
structure of the university. Varner said it
had a "diffused operation" with power
ultimately in the hands of the people of
the state who "put up the money" and
elect legislators and regents. The regents
delegate some authority to the chan
cellor, but always hold "the reserve of
"And it's going to take (he dedication of
top administrators. "If they do not ac
tively support it. it will not succeed,
it can't be a token program."
Dr. James G. Kendrick. professor
agricultural economics, said that the
fund-raising drive is "a good thing and
should be widely supported."
Konilrick said he looks at the fund as
an experimental program to see if
relieving financial worries can overcome
a low-grade background.
Scholarships are usually dependent on
grades, he continued, and, if a minority
s.i;(Je:it is short on monoy i'nd can't meet
the grade requirements, he cannot go to
college. This program would relieve the
financial worry and let the studeiV. study
instead of having to take a job.
Lvle E. Voting, assistan: dean of th?
O.nkge of Engintrrirg and Architecture,
said "Students from minority groups
haven't had the opportunity to go to col
lege. This is n way of giving them Mr1
opportunity. "Tlrs is a start. It's
soiue:hing the faculty can do now."
Dr. Dudley Bailey, chairman of the
Department of English, stressed the
necessity of havina a student poiuihi i n
lofleetive of the general population. The
university now has a lower percentage of
minority group members than the
population at large.
"If we are going to educate for a
democracy, we should attract students
from sectors of the population that
Sheldon closes to ready
for sculpture exhibition
The first completed piece of specially
constructed sculpture was installed
Wednesday in Lincoln's 15th Street Mall,
according to Norman Geske. director of
the University of Nebraska Sheldon
Memorial Art Gallery.
Geske said "Parcippanv," the work of
Lyman Kipp of New York, is one of four
specially-constructed pieces which will be
placed in the mall areas during the next
few weeks. All four. Geske added, are
part of the two-month long exhibition of
American sculpture scheduled to begin
Sept. 11 at the University.
The exhibition, in honor of the dedica
tion of the University's Sheldon Sculpture
Garden, is tho Nebraska Art Associa
tion's Annual Exhibition. Geske explain
ed. Funds for the exhibition have come
from individual contributions and from
the Iron Horse Jubilee, according to the
association president, Mrs. Curtis Kim
ball of Lincoln.
"Parcippanv." Geske said, represents
a personal variation of the style currently
popular among American sculptors. This
style, he explained, is characterized by
architectural scale, monochromatic col
or, and industrial techniques of coo
struetion and finish. The specially-constructed
replica of the Kipp piece on
Lincoln's mall stands 18 feet high and is
20 feet wide. Geske added. It will be
bright blue and oraiHie in color when
painting is finished, Geske said.
The construction and installation of the
Kipp work was possible, Geske said,
because of the "time and materials given
by the Nebraska Art Association by
Martin Aitken. John Bordogna. and Leo
Hill, by Richard Dittenber of Carpenter's
iAical 1055, and by the Sherwin-Williams
Co."
Another piece of sculpture. Tal
Streeter's "Five Lines to the Skv," is
being constructed on the Mall im
mediately south of R Street.
Some 20 young apprentice carpenters,
members of Carpenter's Local 1055 are
trying their hand at building some of the
specially-constructed sculpture models.
Richard Dittenber, secretary of the
Carpenter's Local, said the would-be
carpenters have donated about five
working days to complete one of the
creations.
Geske said these specially-constructed
models are, in s;ructure aitd design, ex
actly as the artists intended, except that
they are made of wood instead of
metal.
Dittenber said the work is "good ex
perience" for the young apprentices,
ranging from 18 to 27 years.
Sheldon Art Gallery will be closed to
power," Varner said.
Historically, establishment of
university rules has been t h e
responsibility of the faculty, Soshnik said.
He said faculty members had been "put
on notice" since May 16 by the Liaison
Committee and Committee on Academic
Privilege and Tenure two important
Faculty Senate committees that "their
citizen rights do not override their
obligations to students."
Holmquist asked if there are limita
tions on hanging obscene signs in the
Union. Legal counsel Wright said the
problem is defining obscene. He said that
according to the Supreme Court,
obscenity is something that violates
community standards, but this too is
vague.
The university has reviewed some
obscenity matters with the county at
torney. Ross added.
drive continues
haven't attended college before If white
and minority students are going to live
tone her after they graduate, he added,
"ihey shfudi karn to live together now."
Record enrollment
surpasses 13,000
S 'mtrcr student enrollments at the
I niversiiv of Nebraska total 13.096 for
t!i.- land m sessions, a new record and a
"iiin of 1.000 iHid.nts compared to last
s turner.
Regisii a'lon figures for the two five-and-one-hnll-week
session show 7.720
;,!t:den:s w 're cni lied in the first session
.li'd 5.:;7ii slutieats are enrolkd in the se
c ml session. The secod session began
Jul ' 2') .-.ad e 'd; Aug. 25.
"The cortiminly growing student
res mnse to our two-summer-session
t rav't indicates that they are eager to
. vl- adv.vi' igc of the educational op-p-Tt
unities it provides," said President
Joseph Soshnik, "The tandem summer
P"ogram makes it possible for the
I'tiiversity to achieve greater use of its
f.-ciltties t n a year-round basis."
There will be no graduation exercises
at the ead of tho second summer session,
but those who complete requirements at
that time will be able to obtain their
degrees at the Registrar's Office.
the public for the rest of the month of
August and early September, Geske said,
to enable preparation of the exhibition.
The interior of the gallery will be used
for the display of smaller works of
sculpture and more valuable and historic
ones, he added.
The gallery will reopen after formal
dedication ceremonies for the garden
September 11.
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Three telephone poles
against the sky will be trans
formed into Streeter's sculp
ture, "Five li .es to the Sky."
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