Drop in enrollment forces $1 million budget cut
By Greg Wees
Because of enrollment declines in three
UNL colleges, deans will be asked to identify
areas that can absorb a $1,033,130 spending
cut by June 1976, according to Adam
Breckenridge, UNL vice chancellor for
academic affairs.
Breckenridge said Friday he will meet
deans of the 10 UNL colleges during the
second week of December so areas where
cuts might be made can be located.
In a letter written last January, UNL
Chancellor James Zumberge noted: "Before
establishing our (UNL) 1974-75 continuation
budget, we subtracted $1,033,130. We
anticipate that we will be down that much in
tuition income."
Flexible budget
Breckenridge also added that "credit hour
production has declined so the budget had to
be cut back. The budget is flexible. It is not
etched in granite."
Colleges absorbing most of the million
doilar cut are Arts and. Sciences, Teachers
and Engineering and Technology, he said.
Those colleges experienced the largest
decline in student enrollments from 1970-73,
he said.
The entire $1 million were originally to be
cut from this year's budget. However,
Breckenridge said, "It would have been
extremely difficult to take the entire amount
out of our budget all at once."
Thus half of the total amount ($522,444)
will be subtracted from this year's budget
layouts and another half ($510,686) will be
subtracted from next year's budget alloca
tion, Breckenridge said.
Least damage
"This division will do the least amount of
damage to our academic program," he said.
Although he could not say what programs
would have to be eliminated cr decreased,
Breckenridge did say most of the cut would.
be absorbed by the instructional budget of
the colleges.
The deans must find ways to reduce their
budgets for the next fiscal year, he said. He
said "about $100,000 worth" of programs
which could be cut already have been
identified from colleges including Engineer
ing and Technology ($6,500), Home Eco
nomics, and Teachers ($34,000).
A review of all academic programs now, is
being undertaken to help identify further
areas where reductions can be made, he said.
'Don't fill teaching vacancies'
"The most painless way to adjust the
budget downward," he said, "is not to fill a
teaching vacancy when one arises." But this
is just one way to reduce the budget, he said.
One person dissatisfied with the an
nounced reductions was Michael Hill,
spokesman for the UNL Graduate Student
Association (GSA).
Continued on pg. 3
doilu o
monday, novernber 25, 1974
lincoln, nebraska vol. 98 no. 51
Student regent wins approval
Riding a wave -of absentee and
disabled voters' ballots, Constitutional
Amendment One, the student regent
amendment, won approval by 713 votes
of the 396,761 votes cast, according to
Deputy Secretary of State Ralph
Englert.
The amendment will allow the student
body presidents from UNL, the Uni
versity of Nebraska at Omaha and the
University of Nebraska Medical Center
to sit as nonvoting members on the
Board of Regents.
Sales good throughout year
The amendment was thought. to-have
been turned down by nearly 3,000 votes
before the mail ballots were tabulated.
ASUN President Ron Clingenpeel
said Sunday that prior to being informed
of the victory he had "kind of lost hope.
We had received unofficial word from
someone involved that victory was out of
reach. I was floored when I found out."
The totals will be certified Dec. 2 by
the state canvassing board. The
amendment will become effective Dec.
12. two days before the regents are'
slated to meet again.
Turkey plucked of intelligence
Turkeys, often thought to be birds of
questionable intelligence, are actually
"fairly intelligent creatures," according
to turkey farmer Herbert Heil of
Louisville, Neb.
Heil, who runs a family operated
farm, raises about 12,000 turkeys
annually.
"As a matter of fact," Heil said, "I'm
beginning to think they are more
intelligent than the farmer who grows
them." Heil was referring to the loss
many turkey farmers are experiencing
this year because of low prices.
"Bui I'm not crying," he said. "In
general, the business is pretty good."
From the time it hatches, the turkey
spends a maximum of about six months
on the farm. After this brooding and
growing period, it goes to a processing
plant where it is killed and plucked and
eventually frozen, sacked and boxed.
From there it is shipped to the
distributor, wholesaler, and finally to
the grocer.
Turkey sales, surprisingly enough,
are not much higher close to Thanks
giving than at any other time of year,
Heil said. Higher meat prices mean
turkeys are being used more as a
standard meal.
Although he sees more turkeys than
humans every day, Heil said he dines on
trie birds at ieasi once a week. They Still
represent a practical, inexpensive meal,
he said.
S I Tx v, t . . . K . I 1 J 1 J 1 -y. 4
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NU Regents accept
Pershing College gift
By Deb Gray
The NU Board of Regents, meeting Friday at the
University of Nebraska at Omaha, voted unanimously
to accept the former Pershing College in Beatrice as a
gift to the University.
Pershing College, which closed in 1971, will be
assimilated into the NU system with no cost to the
University. Beatrice has pledged between $120,000 and
$200,000 to renovate the campus.
NU President D.B. Varner said the campus will
probably be used as headquarters for the State
University of Nebraska (SUN) project. The SUN
program is a multi-media approach to education,
offering college courses using newspapers, television
and tape recordings.
Not enough room here
"We simply don't have room on the Lincoln
campus," Varner said to process forms for the
8,000-15.000 students he said will eventually enroll In
'the program'. - -
Varner said the University will not ask the
Legislature for additional funds for the SUN program.
Varner also read a letter from Gov. J. James Exon,
who said he was considering substantial cuts in budget
requests from various University agencies. NU might
be forced to live within its present budget next year,
Exon said.
In other action, the regents voted to recommend to
the Legislature three proposals to expand health care to
rural Nebraska.
Medical student loans
The program includes a recommendation to forgive
student loans made during a medical student's training
if the student practices in rural Nebraska after he
graduates. The plan also recommends the establish
ment of a manpower office to help Nebraska
communities recruit students, informing them of
opportunities available in smaller Nebraska
communities.
Representatives of University labor organizations
also came to the meeting to protest what they called a
discriminatory University policy which did not allow,
them to deduct union dues from their paychecks.
AFL-CIO Nebraska president Bill Brennan said UNO
had stopped the check-off system after the union raised
their dues. The check-off system is mandatory upon
request under Nebraska law, he said. University
employes should have the same rights as other state
employes, according to AFL-CIO attorney Robert
O'Connor.
Delay union action
The regents delayed action until the December
meeting, after the complaints were submitted for legal
review.
The regents did not act on a resolution which would
have provided a 45-day delay before implementing Title
V of the 1974 Education Amendment. The law, which
went into effect November 19, requires universities to
allow students to see their records.
Varner said many educators object to the law because
some people had been assured their records would
remain confidential.
Daily Nebraskan
takes break,
too
This is the last issue of
the Daily Nebraskan be
fore the Thanksgiving
break. Publication will re
sume Dec. -4.
Applicants for Spring
1975 editor-in-chief will be
interviewed next Monday
by the Publications'Board.
Applications may be
picked up in Rm. 34,
Nebraska Union and are
due Dec. 2.