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Marvel questions
Exon's NU budget
By Chuck Beck and Gina Hills
Gov. J. James Exon has suggested making the University of
Nebraska budget a lump-sum grant allowing the Board of Regents
and administrators to set their own spending priorities.
Bht the constitutionality of his suggestion may be questioned,
State Sen. Richard Marvel of Hastings said Wednesday.
Hie Legislature now delegates state tax money to stale agencies
according to the provisions of the state constitution, Marvel said.
He said the Legislature would lose its money-delegating power if
individual state agencies decided how funds should be allocated
within their programs.
'Run for regent'
"If Senator Marvel wants to run the University, he can run for
regent," Exon said in a telephone interview from Washington D.C.
Exon said he proposed the lump-sum budget because he thinks
the University has a well-qualified Board of Regents and good
administrators, who should allocate the money as they see fit.
Gov. J. James Exon.
thursday, february 20, 1975
lincoln, nebraska vol. 98 no. 85
chilli nobrastan
February paychecks OK
The state Department of Administrative
Services (DAS) has tentatively assured UNL that
February faculty salaries will be paid, according
to Miles Tommeraasen, vice chancellor for
business and finance.
"Our systems office has been in contact with
DAS," he said. "We haven't received any written
notice yet, but the DAS assured the NU systems
people that the payroll would go through."
After a story in last Friday's Daily Nebraskan
about faculty salaries possibly not being paid,
Tommeraasen said his office was flooded with
phone calls from faculty members.
"Naturally, every employe worries about
getting paid," he said. "No one department
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Miles Tommeraasen, vice chancellor for
business and finance
seemed to stand out. We received calls from
everyone."
The faculty had nothing to worry about,
according to Jon Oberg, budget analyst for DAS.
"We weren't aware of any problems," Oberg
said. "We checked into the budget and found the
University had more than enough money to meet
February salary demands."
The DAS does not expect any future salary
payment problems, he said.
Robert Lovitt, UNL comptroller, said
Wednesday that although money can be found
for paying February salaries, the process used to
obtain the money is "just pushing the problem
further back."
Lovitt said a larger portion of the entire year's
university budget has been allocated to pay the
salaries for the partial year, including April. This,
he said, will mean that at the end of the year, the
university will be faced with the same problem.
He said the extra funds from over-estimated
budgets have still not been released, as reported
in Friday's Daily Nebraskan.
Apparently some faculty members also took
the possibility more seriously than others. Max
Larsen, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences,
said there definitely was concern voiced by
faculty members.
Donald Edwards, associate dean of the College
of Engineering and Technology, said he was not
aware of any faculty questions about salaries.
Business Administration College Dean Ronald
Smith said no complaints about payment of
salaries were brought to his attention.
"I haven't followed it closely," he said. "I
haven't actively sought reactions, but I haven't
heard of any either. I'm sure the state will meet
its obligations and the faculty will be paid one
way. or another."
m m m
rersmng compeimon saw
Some downtown planners are concerned that
the new UNL sports complex will compete with
Pershing Auditorium for money-making events,
but officials from the two centers say they
expect to coordinate their efforts.
Miles Tommeraasen, UNL vice chancellor for
business and finance, said the only business the
field house will take away from Pershing is
commencement exercises.
"Pershing can kiss that good-bye right now,"
he said. Tommeraasen estimated the cost of
having the ceremony in the auditorium at $600.
"That's the only event you can really put
your finger on," he said. Concerts and state high
school and professional basketball games will
probably not be held in the fieldhouse, he said.
$2,000 a day costs
"We're not going to want to have these events
in the fieldhouse if possible," Tommeraasen said.
It will depend on whether or not the state will
pay fieldhouse operating costs, which could be as
much as $2,000 per day, he said. :
If the state pays these costs, the University
shouldn't need to solicit "extra business,
Tommeraasen said.
Paul Amen, a member of Lincoln's Downtown
(DAC) said Pershing
to cooperate with the
Advisory Committee
officials seem willing
University.
"If the University gets operating funds," he
said, "they're not going to be concerned with
scheduling other events."
State would pay tab
The Legislature's Appropriations Committee
is considering introducing a bill that would put
the operating costs on the state's tab, according
to William Swanson, UNL vice president for
governmental relations. He said he does not
know when it might be introduced.
The DAC, according to chairman Richard
White, is encouraging plans to expand Pershing
for additional city use.
"We would hate to sec events that would
bring people to Lincoln held at the fieldhouse
because it's so far from downtown," White said.
Pershing is "much better suited for conventions,"
he added.
Pershing Manager Ike Hoig said he is not
concerned over a possible loss of business.
"They (those in charge of the fieldhouse) will
be busier than hell just taking care of sports
events," he said.
Sec related story, p. 14
Exon requested a $71.6 million budget for the University. The
Legislative fiscal analyst proposed a $74.6 million budget.
D.B. Varner, president of the University, proposed an $86.3
million budget and said he was disappointed in both Exon's and
the analyst's proposals.
"It's obvious that some things will have to be eliminated if we
don't receive the budget we requested," he said.
More money
More money is needed for the University because operating
expenses are higher this year, he added.
Office equipment and supplies for the University cost more this
year than last, Varner said.
But Varner said he favors the lump-sum appropriation because
budgeting state funds to University programs would make it easier
to transfer money from one department to another;
Lincoln Regent Ed Schwartzkopf agreed that the University
administrators and regents should have the power to determine
where money is allocated.
Schwartzkopf said the regents are "handcuffed" without the
ability to budget state tax dollars to University programs.
Mixed feelings
Regent Robert Prokop of Omaha said he has mixed feelings
about Exon's recommendation for a lump-sum budget.
Prokop said he is concerned about the trade craft employes at
the University.
"It's the people on the bottom who are most affected by the
inflationary scale," he said.
"If you give a 10 per cent raise across the board, for exampke,
the people making $50,000 a year would get $5,000, but those
making $5,000 would only get $500.
"In addition, even though the Board of Regents would be
primarily responsible for appropriating the budget, the
administration would do the greatest share of appropriating,"
Prokop said.
No time
"When you lump sum appropriate, many regents don't take or
have the time to do it, so they trust the administrative team,"
Prokop said.
Regent Robert Raun of Minden said he thinks the University
will suffer if it has to work within the limits of the governor's
proposed budget.
He added, however, that the lump-sum appropriation would add
flexibility to the budget.
"It just doesn't seenv realistic now," he said. "I don't think it
will pass the Legislature."
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State Sen. Richard Marvel of Hastings.
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