arge crowds cramming intercampus buses
At first glance, it might look like
the Lincoln Transportation System
(LTS) is giving free rides. Standing
room only seems to be more the rule
than the exception during rush periods
on UNL's three intercampus buses.
The situation has not been
overlooked, according to Lt. Chester
Parnham of Campus Security. He said
he wants to add more buses to help
eliminate crowding if necessary.
Reports for the week of Jan. 14-18
show that an average of 167 people
per day stood in the aisles of two
intercampus buses on trips between
the East campus and City campus.
On Jan. 16, according to Parnham,
as many as 53 people stood in the
on tha 8:35 a. m. hut from Ci?v
Campus to East Campus, and on the
9:05 am bus from East Campus to
City Campus. '
"That's when we ordered an extra
bus to iun starting at 8:35 a.m. from
the City Campus," Parnham said,
adding that the third bus has lowered
the number of people on all three
buses.
Parnham said an extra bus will run
today and Friday to accommodate the
doilu
thursday, fobruary 7, 1 974
lincoln, nebraska vol. 97 no. 1 4
35-member Associate Children's
Education group staying at the
Nebraska Center for Continuing
Prii tfaVmn inn r.nMn.
"There'i no doubt about it, there
are going to be people standing, but
not 110 people on a ous," he said.
"We just csn't afford to seat
everyone."
Parnham said LTS cut $40,000
from his $71,000 budget for 1973-74.
"They're cutting my budget so thin
here that I'm running out of money,"
he said.
Parnham said persons with
complaints about bus overcrowding
should contact him at the Campus
Security offices.
"I've got to have some groundwork
!in order to solve any problems," he
said. "If I know where I've got
problems, then I want to do something
about it" Students interviewed on a
morning intercampus bus didn't seem
to mind standing.
"People once In awhile have to
stand, but it isn't really that bad,"
Michael Neben of Greenwood said.
"Just think-of all the gas those kids
are saving by not driving," Craig
Biunck of Osmond said. "A lot of kids
say they quit driving because it's
getting expensive. I know that's why
I'm riding the bus."
Biunck said that the buses are
crowded more on some days than
others, but he said ha remembered one
evening busload in particular.
"It was a bad dream," he said. "It
was really superpacked."
Crowded buses can be safe,
according to Bruce Berquist, a
graduate student from Lincoln.
"It's kind of nice. You don't run
the risk of falling down, because
there's no place to fall," he said.
Senate waivers on proposal
to abolish ASUN constitution
Tailing to act on a resolution that one
ASUN senator termed "the most important
thing that ASUN Senate will do this year",
the senate Wednesday night decided to call a
special Sunday night session to discuss a
proposed amendment to its constitution.
The proposed amendment, if placed on
the March 13 ASUN ballot, wo;.'ld albw
students to vote on abolishing the prsr
ASUN constitution.
. Submitted by Sen. Larry Hi!l, butwrVfttn '
by ASUN First Vics-President h1:,ltlwJ,
the resolution needs tha vote of two-thirds
of the "elected senators", according to the
ASUN constitution to place it on the ballot
If the senate does not vote in favor of the
resolution, 5 per cent of the student body,
or roughly, 1,000 student signatures must be
gathered to place the resolution on the
ballot, according to Sue Overing, ASUN
second vice-presidsnt.
The Sunday night meeting, scheduled for
7 p.m. in the Nebraska Union, was suggested
by the ASUN executives in order to give
senators more time to consider the
resolution.
The resolution had been voted down once
ant! was brought back to the floor for
reconsideration two more times because of
confusion about the meaning of the
resolution and the question of whether
appointed senators were able to vote on the
measure.
The motion was formally tabled until the
Sunday meeting, and another motion was
made and passed to suspend the rules to
permit the Sunday night meeting and to
allow for the balloting of absentee senators
sines only 17 senators indicated they could
attend Sunday.
Those senators who said they would not
' putted the ASUN Executive Conii'rtte
Ukd y tiJ fceetin
'''"The resolution, Hoeger explained, calls
for the dissolution of the present ASUN
constitution and would replace it with an
"interim organization" whose primary
function would be to draft a new
constitution. That constitution would then
be submitted to the student body for final
approval.
The interim body would be vested with
the same powers as the present ASUN
Senate, Hoeger S3id.
"Trie idea, Hoeger said, "is to allow for a
definite mandate by students. We senators
are to blame if we have not been effective
under the present constitution. We are a
legislative branch that reaily can't legislate.
We need to develop a new student
organization that would serve the
development of student interests."
I-
iLdtJ ft
fhoto by BID Cfiia!
State Sen. RSchard Proud of Omaha, ESong with 48 other legislators, voted
Wednesday to travel to Washington, D.C., to express their concern about trucking
and energy problems to President Nixon. Tha senators plan to leave today and
reportedly will meet with the President Friday.
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5 1 :i
t i.
v-y
Hew
Photo by Gall Folda
The expense of driving has forced many students to
rida intercampus buses.
Bill would open up
dorm rooms to aged
With dormitory occupancy currently decreasing, state Sen,
David Stahmer of Omaha has introduced a bill that could again
fill college dormitories and Greek houses. But not with students.
Instead, any surplus housing space on campus could be used
fcr ths c'uer'y or "ui vvinnriii uffices, Stahmer said.
LB7CG calls for "rental of surplus educational housing space to
the general public." Stahmer said it would be up to official! at
the college or university to decide who could contract for the
vacant space.
Outstate colleges ere the main target of the bill, said Stahmer.
He estimated up to 40 per cent of dormitory space at Chadron
and Peru State Colleges is vacant.
Stahmer aid he was critical of construction of office space by
universities and state colleges when dormitories are not full.
"It's ridiculous to let these buildings stand empty, then turn
'around and start construction on buildings that colleges think
they ned," he said.
j Stahmer also suggested that city government could save tax
dollars under the bill.
Keeping dormitories full at UNL is becoming a problem,
according to Glenn Schumann, residence hall administration
coordinator.
Figures furnished by Schumann show that 90 per cent of
student housing currently is occupied, but that occupancy is
predicted to continue declining.
"Lincoln has more off-campus space for students than the
state corteges. In the long run, UNL is more likely (than state
colleges) to be affected by a declining occupancy rate,"
Schumann said.