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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 12, 1975)
By Deb Gray You can take Ken Bader, the vice-chancellor for student affairs, out of the country, but you can't take the influences of an agrarian environment out of Ken Bader. The youngest of seven children, Bader left the farm to attend an urban campus, Ohio State University. He earned a bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees in agronomy (soil management and crop production). At 35, he became dean of students at Ohio State, the youngest man to hold the position in that school's history. Now, Bader is at a university heavily influenced by rural trends. In 1972, he became vice-chancellor of student affairs at UNL. He presides over six departments: minority affairs, student development, the Nebraska Union, academic services, the student health center and university housing. Included in these departments are programs such as financial aids, food service, student counseling and the Union Program Council. "I am glad to be here," Bader said. "Nebraska is a great place to live and a great place to work." Now 40, Bader exudes boy-next-door affability. He is genial and open, George Apple without the saccahrine. Last Wednesday, Bader discussed his role as a university administrator. First, at Ohio State, where he was considered a bad guy because he representc.l authority then at UNL which he says is a "great change." "Students don't start out in an adversarial position when they're talking to you," he said. "There are common threads of concern between administrator and student." On another level, the interview could be subtitled the Greening of Joe (or Jill) College. In only five years, the temper of students has changed so much the political causes don't arouse them anymore, said Bader. Ken Bader: opening line's of communication "Students have gotten much more distrustful of politics. More people have disdain for government on the state and federal level, he added. "Students are more self-centered now. They're more concerned with tilings that affect them and their future. They're much more career concerned." Bader lapsed into the Kent State era, viewing that time from what campus revolutionaries would have called the oppressor's viewpoint. There was bitterness, violence and hatred on both sides. But as Bader told the story, there was also nostalgia for a time when students said, "Hell, no, we won't go," and set a nation on its ear. i i I !. I I I I f t f Ken Bader, vice chancellor for student affairs Spring, 1970. The country was reeling from the stench caused by a country on the other side of the world. Prospective warriors were boycotting classes, sticking flowers in National Guardmen's guns and getting beat up. Hardly a time to be a university offical. But Ken Bader was one. As dean of students, he was in charge of residence halls which were keeping student inside after 6 p.m. Bader said he'd sooner forget this part of his career, for it "was not a happy chapter in the history of higher education." "You could never talk on the level with students because before you could say anything, they were already plotting how to do you in," Bader said. The situation also polarized the administration, because, "No one really knew what to do." Bader said he often felt trapped between two factions: The people who said talk, talk, talk to the students, but never show brute force, and those who advocated showing muscle and putting the skids on students' privileges. This was still the end of the in parentis loco era, the concept that the university should act as parents in their absence, Bader said. "Many people thought, 'Bader, why can't you take care of the students?' " Bader said the bitterness and emotion hit him when he was making a high school commencement speech. "I was talking about love and compassion and this lady in the audience started hissing and said, 'Well, if you don't have a yellow streak down your back you'd realize that students have a privilege to attend school instead of burning down buildings and tearing up the place.' " The tumor of hatred didn't erupt at Ohio State as it did at Kent State, but it easily could have, Bader said. On campus, there were 5,500 National Guardsmen, 100 deputy sheriffs: campus and city police. . .an armed camp, he said. continued on page 10 ililifc'ii'iMwWi"tiiaiW'iiiltW''WMiWrriwTnrtMlfflilWi uj VaJ Zumberge: 'More than a 8-hour day or 40-hour week' it handle itself, and work on the important things," Zumberge said. But for the chancellor, dorm visitation, alcohol on campus, the budget and faculty salaries arc far from being trivia. . - Alcohol plan "I supported the move to liberalize visitation hours from By Gina Hills At 6 a.m. every morning, UNL Chancellor James H. Zumberge and his German shepherd, Lisa, jog a mile and a half or more before breakfast. Then the chancellor eats and goes to work. But for this 50-year-old glaciologist, the job means more than an eight-hour work day. The chancellor will attend meetings, luncheons, dinners and, many evening speaking engagements on campus. He said that although he gets home by 7 p.m. once or twice a week, he has commitments that keep him away most evenings. And, like students, the chancellor also has homework to do. His schedule keeps him so busy during the day that he said he has little time to do his paperwork, So, when evening comes, he stuffs the papers on his desk into his briefcase and takes them home, where he usually finishes in a couple of hours. Time consuming But going to meetings, luncheons and dinners isn't the only responsibility of the chancellor. He also is vice president of the NU system. "The job of the chancellor is to be responsible for all elements of UNL including operation on east campus, city campus, Curtis and all of our stations around the state in agricultural extension and research," Zumberge said. He also said he is the chief administrative officer responsible to the president and the NU Regents for the function and the operation of these units. Prior to becoming chancellor at UNL in 1972, Zumberge was dean of the College of Earth Sciences at the University of Arizona from 1968 to 1972 and president of Grand Valley State College in Allendale, Mich., from 1962 to 1968. Being UNL's chancellor "is much more time consuming" photos by Ted Kirk told the regents he "would not personally reopen the issue of alcohol on campus for at least a year." "I think some day it'll come, but I think that it has to be worked at diligently, and it'll come ultimately by persuasion rather than coercion," he said. Solving problems Zumberge also said he likes to see student involvement on campus and added "I'm glad to see the interest" in ASUN elections this year. Three parties, 17 executive candidates and more than 100 r 'f " " If' if.',. ' " -' . 1 ' ! r tf. pi-- ( f ) si K . h i f f II ' . r- v than the other jobs, he said. "My private life is very, very small and I figure that as long as I'm in Lincoln my life belongs to the university." Glaciologist And although Zumberge, a world-renowned glaciologist who has made scientific expeditions to Alaska, Antarctica and Greenland, would like to go on more expeditions, he doesn't think there'll be time. But he said he likes his job even though "some days I like it better than others." "You've got to maintain a very good sense of humor. If you don't, things get wearing. "The most important thing is to sort out the trivia, letting J.- the very first week I was on campus. As a matter of fact, one of the first major actions I .took was to modify and liberalize the rules of visitation," Zumberge said. "But I don't believe in 24-hour visitation. I don't have 24-hour visitation in my home and I don't know why it should be in the dorms," he added. He also supported the plan to permit alcohol on campus in June, 1973. But the plan was rejected by the regents. Zumberge said he won't resubmit the plan because he daily nebraskan senatorial and advisory board candidates arc running. Now UNL is trying to raise faculty .salaries to parity with other Big 8 schools, he said. "We have a very detailed study to document the fact that our salaries are in very poor shape compared to comparable institutions in the Big 8, Zumberge said. In addition, he said the budget situation "was improved last year, but it's not completely adequate yet." In 1973, the university's support was 60 per cent state and 40 per cent other sources, such as tuition and federal grants, he said. Budget improved "This year the budget was improved so that 65 per cent of our support is from tax dollars and only 35 per cent had to be generated from tuition and other sources," he said. Zumberge said it is difficult to estimate the impact of the governor's proposed budget because UNL's share is not identiried in the lump r.um appropriation. Now, UNL receives 58 per cent of the total university budget, he said. If the budget is lump-sum appropriated this year, "I simply would be allowed to present our case to the Board of Regents and argue for what I think is our rightful share," Zumberge said. When Zumberge spoke to the Legislature's appropriation committee about UNL's budget last week, he said, "It was a good experience. They were very attentive, asked good questions and were very responsive." Geology text In addition to working with the budget and other university projects, Zumberge is trying to finish his second geology text book. He said he hopes to send it to the publisher this month, but he doesn't think he'll make it. His first text is now in its third edition, and his laboratory manual is in its fourth edition. Zumberge is the author of ten books, 75 technical articles and numerous p;ipers presented at national and international meetings. In addition to writing, his other hobbies include hiking in the mountains, swimming, snow skiing and wood carving. Zumberge said he likes to travel and usually takes a few weeks off in the summer to go to his cabin in the mountains. More expeditions Someday he said he hopes to go on more expeditions, perhaps to Cape Zumberge, Antarctica, which was named in his honor in 1962. The James II. Zumberge library at Grand Valley State College, Mich., also was named in his honor. "It's nice to have things named after you, but then someone may come along in a hundred years and say, 'Cape Zumbcrg, who was that?'," he said. "Prestige isn't a very durable item," he added. page 9 Wednesday, february 12, 1975