Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 1972)
r n n monday, february 7, 1972 lincoln, nebraska vol. 95, no. 64 Staffs discuss housing hassles 0 Richmond. . ."I used to be a sweet old lady." Feedback. . .University officials meet with low-income tenants. by Michael (O.J.) Nelson University of Nebraska officials agreed Friday morning to appoint three representatives of the Poorhouse Coalition to the Regents' Committee on Housing. They also agreed to answer by next Friday the "Declaration of Responsibility" that the Coalition presented Jan. 26 to the office of then Interim Chancellor C. Peter Magrath. The agreements were reached at a meeting between the officials and representatives of the adjacent low-income community at the Poorhouse office, 863 N. 22 St. The meeting had initially been called by Bea Richmond, president of City-Wide Tenants Association, with the consent of University administrators. The UNL officials were asked to sign the declaration, but declined. Spokesman for the group. Regent Ed Schwartzkopf, said "the declaration doesn't solve any of our problems." Richmond said that signing the declaration would solve a major problem. "We've learned to distrust you people," she said. "If you want good will from this community, then there is no reason not to sign." Dean of Faculties C. Peter Magrath then suggested that the University officials write a reply to the declaration as "an honest attempt to communicate." NU President D.B. Varner promised to sent a letter by next Friday to tell the Poorhouse what specific parts of the declaration officials could agree with. Varner said that he was prepared to make "a positive commitment on behalf of the University." The reply is also to contain the University's plans for future involvement of low-income groups in housing decisions. Coalition officals said that they were in favor of the University immediately taking action to help solve the housing shortage. However, -Schwartzkopf said that the University does not have enough data to begin building and that a study of the. shortage is necessary in order to obtain federal funds. "We've had enough studies," said Richmond. She said that several have been done in the community. "I haven't seen this great volume of studies," said Schwartzkopf. "Well here they are," said Richmond. She then pointed to a stack of reports in front of her. "I used to be a sweet old lady, but since I've been involved in housing I've change," she said. She claimed that the neighborhood was "tenso" because of "rumors that the University was going to take peoples' homes. If the University had listened to the input of low-income people before, we wouldn't have to have this meeting now." Schwartzkopf claimed that the studies which have been done "don't give us the specific information that we need." ASUN Sen. Bruce Beecher charged that Schwartzkopf s committee, of which he is a member, had not met since it was formed last fall. Schwartzkopf and Varner then promised that the committee would begin meetings "promptly and regularly." Schwartzkopf suggested that the University begin holding meetings within the community to discuss the University's five-year expansion plan. Varner said the proposal would be ready within 30 days. Regents request changes in World in Revolution Three members of the Board of Regents said Saturday that changes must be made before the March World in Revolution Conference on Justice in America will be acceptable to the people of Nebraska. Grand Island Regent Robert R. Koefoot said his continuing disapproval of the fall Time-Out Conference on Human Sexuality forces him to "serve notice" that he will work to suspend all mandatory student fees unless the up-coming World In Revolution Conference is balanced. He said he doesn't, personally, approve of the conference, but, for the sake of free speech, will not try to prevent it "We have some guarantees from the Arbitration Board," James Moylan, Omaha said, "that the conference is balanced, in terms of speakers and subject matter." But Moylan voiced his belief that unless speakers are added, the conference will not be balanced in his eyes, or the eyes of Nebraska citizens. Lincoln Regent Ed Schwartzkopf said the students have worked for a balanced conference. He said he sees a responsibility to the University community as well as his constituency. Regent Robert J. Prokop, Papillion, said, "I'm primarily worried. . . we have in essence delegated our. constitutional powers away." He said the people of the state "have full rights to express to the University what their likes and dislikes are," and said he doubted they approve of the speakers list as it is now. The Board of Regents also expressed concern about a reported rape in a Lincoln women's dormitory. UNL Chancellor James H. Zumberge said an investigation is continuing and "we have already taken measures to improve security in our living units." As part of a program to better utilize both University campuses, the Board of Regents approved a play by NU Vice President Merk Hobson to put all Lincoln and Omaha programs in engineering and technology under a single Lincoln dean. The associate dean will live in Omaha. NU President D. B. Varner said the new program is good because it allows for the formulation of a School of Technology in Omaha, serving both campuses; it "provides a basic two-year core program in engineering in Omaha" so an Omaha student can transfer to Lincoln with no penalty; and it puts the baccalaureate degree in civil engineering and masters level programs in Omaha." The Board of Regents also approved extending the University nursing program to offer a baccalaureate degree in nursing at the Lincoln campus. Hobson said the new program is not meant to diminish the importance of the Omaha program, but to "develop the nurses this state requires." Systems changes approved included moving the Graduate School of Sociology and the School of Pharmacy to Omaha. Regents Prokop and Koefoot said their study of University student health services will not be complete until they examine a student health study recently completed by a management consultant firm. A report they read to the Board of R agents said, however, "the committee is concerned about the delineation of duties by the senior staff members, about the feasibility of continuing the operation of the in-patient facilities, about the personnel policies in the Health Center and about the funding procedure of the activities there." Prokop said his concern about in-patient facilities applies only to the Lincoln campus. The Board of Regents approved a committee report presented to them last month concerning campus newspapers. The report changed the composition of each campus' publication boards to five students, two faculty, two professional journalists and the professional adviser to each student newspaper. The adviser would serve as chairman of the board and vote only in case of a tie. A statement by Howard R. Neville, Executive Vice President for Administration to the Board of Regents, said the UNO American Federation of Teachers (AFT) cannot be the recognized representative of the Omaha faculty until the term "full-time faculty" (those whom they claim to represent) is better defined; the board rules on whether the unit they claim to represent is appropriate; and a secret ballot is initiated for all voting procedures. , The Board named C. Peter Magrath Vice Chancellor for Academic Affiars. Magrath later said he understood that he will continue with little change in his duties and that his old position, Dean of Faculties, will be discontinued. The board also appointed Albert R. Haskell, Memphis, Tenn., dean of the College of Pharmacy. Barbara Coffee, assistant to the president, told the board the University is moving to comply with state and federal regulations on hiring. We are "affirmatively stating the University of Nebraska will not discriminate in its recruiting and hiring by race, color, creed, sex or national origin," she said.