Retiring Centennial aide loves students dearly'
A plaque over the fireplace in the reception room
shows what Centennial program students think of
Sally Gordon, the administrative assistant retiring
June 30 after six years of work with the Centennial
Education Program.
"It pleases me more than anything," she said,
referring to the plaque, "that they have named the
room after me."
The 66-year-old Gordon, who said she isn't happy
unless she is working, is waiting to be interviewed for
what she terms "an exciting job possibility in
Washington, D.C."
Working as receptionist, balancing the budget,
listening to problems and lending her marker pens,
her time and her smile to Centennial students,
Gordon is on the job from 8 : 30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The students are her friends, she said, and Sue
"loves them dearly."
Secretary
Before joining the Centennial Education Program
at its start in 1969, Gordon worked as secretary in
the physics department at the university.
Chicago-born, Gordon has worked as secretary
under three Nebraska governors. The award-winning
stenographer's life has been filled with an assortment
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Sally Gordon, retiring Centennial Education Program administrative
assistant
Photo by Ted Kirk
of iobs. from court reporter to secretary for various
real estate firms.
She is proud of the "high caliber of students" in
Centennial, she said, and she describes it as having a
comfortable and warm atmosphere.
Acting mother
The mother of four UNL graduates, Gordon said
she is "acting mother" to her Centennial "kids."
Working for Nelson Potter,, head Centennial
Fellow, Gordon starts the day by checking the mail,
responding to notes from Potter and answering phone
calls. Her day is filled with meeting people and with
her tasks as a public relations go-between for other
campus colleges and Centennial.
She also bowls, knits, crochets, gardens and reads.
At home, Gordon said, she "really relaxes," and
wears clothes "that could haunt a house."
Stylish
But at work she wears hoop earrings, a scarf tied
stylishly around her hair, matching slacks and
sweater, and boots, looking like the model she is. She
was a part-time model for Hovland-Swanson's, she
said, and still models tor the Lincoln General Hospital
benefits.
Gordon said there will be a reception for former
Centennial students and faculty Saturday at 7 p.m. in
the Raymond Hall TV Lounge. May 1 at 3:30 p.m.
a reception will be held for her campus friends in the
Commons room at Centennial.
A note taped to Gordon's desk makes her "dewey
eyed" about leaving. It reads: "I'll reinvent the rose
for you." And the grandmother of four said she still
receives orchids from Centennial men who tell her she
is their "best girl."
Students to work
as summer police
Chief Gail Gade of Campus Police has announced
that two students will be hired this summer to help
fill in for vacationing officers.
The students, both from the criminal justice
program, will be named in about a week, according to
Ron Fritz, assistant director of scholarships and
financial aids. He said that the students will be paid in
part by Campus Police and in part by a national Law
Enforcement Education Program grant.
Gade said the students, called cadet interns, will
work over a two-month period helping to fill
manpower shortages caused by vacationing officers.
He said the cadet interns probably will work during
the day and cany out regular patrol duty.
9
UNL
services,
programs
to be cut
Declining tuition revenue and inflation
will cause a cut in academic programs and
services for UNL students, Larry
Braskamp, assistant to the chancellor said
last Thursday.
Braskamp said an overall enrollment1
decline throughout the university system
has caused a drop from last year's $12.6
million tuition total. A 12 per cent
inflation rate has cost the university
additional money, he said.
The Legislature's Appropriations
Committee last week approved a $73.8
million university appropriation that
represents a 14 per cent increase over last
year's total. But NU President D.B.
Varner asked for $84 million.
The university community will be
affected by severe budget reductions,
Braskamp said.
Faculty reduction
The UNL faculty could be reduced
although no plans have been make to
release university personnel, he said.
Faculty members cannot expect large
salary increases, he added. Braskamp said
the UNL administration also may have to
reduce the number of personnel aiding
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Programs will have to be reduced to
offset limited revenues, Braskamp said.
"We will have to find funds which are
used for current programs to finance new
programs," Braskamp said. He added,
however, that the Legislature might give
some money for new programs.
Improvement funds
The Appropriations Committee
approved about $900,000 in
improvement funds for programs in
animal science, business administration,
actuarial science, special education, music
and music theater.
Miles Tommeraasen, vice chancellor
for business and finance, said enrollment
would be taken into consideration when
UNL administrators determine
departmental budgets. Some departments
may be financed out of proportion to the
enrollment within them, he said.
Citing departments within Teachers
College and the College of Arts and
Sciences as having declining enrollment,
Tommeraasen said these budgets may
have to be cut.
Other departments may need
additional financing to accommodate
increasing ciiiuliinciil, he said. He said the
accounting department in the College of
Business Administration may need
additional financing.
"We will need to shift the budget load
from some departments to other
departments and plan so that people will
not lose their jobs," Tommeraasen said.
Federal financing limited
While administrators are concerned
about adequate state financing, there is
little hope for federal financing of
teaching programs at UNL, Braskamp
said.
Federal grants are limited to finance
research and special programs, he said.
There are no federal funds applicable to
general education programs, Braskamp
said.
Last year UNL received about $4.4
million in federal grants. For 1975-76,
the federal grant total is expected to be
about $2.7 million.
A procedure for determining
departmental financing has not been
developed, pending action by the
Legislature and governor in allocating
state funds to the university, Braskamp
and Tommeraasen said. They agreed that
UNL's budgeting will begin in May or
June when a detinite state appropriation
has been made.
K3K3S53S1
Despite economy, sales fox revenues increase
By Chuck Beck
Increased sales tax revenue for December and
January docs not necessarily reflect a healthy
economy, according to Gary Chunka, assistant state
tax commissioner.
Nebraska Department of Revenue statistics show
that December sales tax revenue increased 17.1 per
cent over November's. Sales tax revenue continued to
increase by 7.3 per cent in January, over taxes
collected during December.
The percentage change was based on the fiscal year
from July 1, 1974 up to February 1. Figures for
February have not been compiled by the department.
Chunka said the increased sales tax revenue does
not indicate actual economic growth. Much of the
increase is due to inflation, which artificially
increased prices about 13 per cent last year, Chunka
explained,.
page 6
Statistics published in a report by the UNL Bureau
of Business Research indicate that retail sales tax
revenue increased around the state last year. Retail
sales tax revenue for December 1974 compared to
December 1973 ranged from a 9.9 per cent increase
at Grand Island to a 1 6.9 per cent decrease at Sidney,
according to the report.
These sales tax figures reflect Christmas business
and "indicate that the 1974 holiday trade was better
than in 1973," the report stated.
Although revenue from sales tax is increasing,
Chunka said he anticipates a decline in revenue for
the rest of the year. He said a recessionary trend in
the economy may lower the 13 per cent rate of price
increases to 6 per cent this year.
The department has not made predictions for the
amount of revenue that could be collected this year,
he said.
daily nebraskan
"Consumers will tend to hold off on spending
because of the uncertainty of the economy," Chunka
said. "It may be that the tax rebates (part of
President Gerald Ford's economic policy) will help to
some degree, but not all rebate money will be
returned to Nebraska."
Chunka said the $100 rebate taxpayers received
this year could be spept outside Nebraska, which
would not reflect on sales tax revenue collected by
his department. Rebate money also might be spent on
nontaxable services, he added.
Because much of the revenue collected by the
state reflects on agriculture, Chunka said, the
department is predicting a year in which farmers
would produce normal farm yields.
"If we have drought conditions this year, all our
predictions would change," he said. "We could have a
large decline in the amount of revenue collected."
thursday, april 24, 1975
