The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, September 11, 1975, Page page 6, Image 6
tnursaay, September 11, 1975 daily nebraskan S 13 X 6 "' r 1 : ... f I f T Russel Meints, new director, School of life Sciences The UNL School of Life Sciences has not had a permanent leader ce it was or ganized three years ago, but a five-year director was appointed Saturday. Russel Meints, UNL zoo bgy professor, officially was named to head the school by the NU Board of Regents. The appoint, ment came after three years of interim directors and work by two search committees. , Meints, who headed the last search committee, became director Aug. 18, after being with UNL for 10 years. Seven candidates While he was on the search committee, Meints said, seven director candidates came to UNL, but the university was unable to keep them. . "I can only guess, but I don t think the university met their expectations," he said. UNL's School of Life Sciences was organized to manage recent changes in bio logical sciences and was named one of UNL's six Areas of Excellence by the Legislature. . "With the strong support from the ad ministration and regents for the School of uf Sdences. I think we have a strong feto fey Stmt Bocmar beginning for building a true 'Area of Ex cellence , Meints saia. According to Meints, the excellence pro gram is planned to continue within the school. Adviskg studied He said he doesn't plan any immediate changes within the school, but is conduc ing studies in the school's advising, pre-med and graduate and undegraauate programs Construction of the new School of Life Sciences Bldg., west of Hamilton Hall should help the school's research projects' Meints said. . ' ' "It (the School of Life Sciences Bldg.) probably won't be done for at least 12 to 18 months, and the current problems with inflationary costs may delay it even more," he said. Inflation already has erased an auditor ium from the building, Meints said. "We hope to go before the Legislature in the spring session to see if we can get extra funding for it (the auditorium)," he said. In addition to the auditorium, almost all the movable equipment planned for the new building is being canceled, Meints said. "We plan to ask the regents for $500,000 so we can still get the most needed equipment," he said. Professors in the school should be granted sabbatical leave, Meints suggested. 'The university needs to have interac tion with other science departments at other universities," he said "If professors were given sabbatical leave, this goal could be accomplished.' Medical schools' fund cuts forces revenue search By Rex Seline A cutback in federal funds to Nebra ska's two medical schools has forced a search for another source of revenue and may mean higher tuition for students, according to officials from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and Creighton University. The Medical Center will be seeking $2.8 million from the Legislature to cover the losses. But a tuition raise "is always a possibility" if enough funds are not available, said Peter Boughn, assistant to UNMC Chancellor Robert Sparks. Creighton will be forced to raise tuition, but will try to avoid "pricing ourselves out of the market of many stu dents we'd like to have" by seeking other sources of funds, according to Dr. Robert Heaney, vice president for Creighton Health Sciences. $960 fee UNMC students who are Nebraska resi dents currently pay $960 annually. Creigh ton charges $3,600 yearly for both residents and nonresidents. Boughn estimated that the Medical Center will suffer a $1.6 million loss of revenue from the federal government, money for individual research projects, al though those funds' are declining, too," Boughn said. Some of the losses are funds which are granted to all health schools according to how many students they have, he said. Political decision Bough said the cutback was a result of budget discussions in Washington and de clined to speculate on why the government proposed the decrease. Heaney said he heard that the federal government, "for one reason or another," enroiimenT swe Is Continued from p. 1 Bader cited late registration as a reason for apparent disorganization, saying many students came at the last minute. "There is a feeling we are needed, that we are a valuable enterprise," Sample said. Bader said last year might have been the peak year for high school graduates and each year colleges see more high school graduates enroll. He said he thinks enroll ment will reach a peak in the next few years and level off by 1978. "Good investment "No one can take away the fact that a college education is a good investment," Bader said. "Those who can't find jobs may feel it is worthwhile." How does a nonworking student afford college? Bader said the answer is the increasing amount of financial aid given to students. Knowledge of the university also may be a reason for increased enrollment. UNL admissions office programs include registra tion centers, high school counselor meet ings and high school visitations. , Job preparation Citing increased UNL enrollment in the colleges of business administration, en " gtneering, agriculture, arts and sciences and home economics, Bader said this "is evi dence that more students are thinking of their academics in terms of job prepara tion." He said fewer students are entering Teacher's College because they realize the rapply has exceeded the demand. Sample said he. believes more students ere reevaluating the worth of a college , education. "For a long time there has been a strong emphasis on vocational training which has carried over to the university level, and there were always Implications that a uni versify desreo hi to a professSoeaJ career. Aft' oU and lm$fosmt6d reason for coming Is t?;.3t of &ritj one's life it an edu cated person," he said. He and Bader said a liberal arts education i3 important. William Erskine, NU Vice President of the Administration, said extra tuition money generated from increased enroll ment will help support instruction, which does not necessarily mean hiring more teachers. , Minority enrollment Minority enrollment also is up. Jimmy Smith, director of minority affairs, said he estimated a 75-student increase this year, so about 400 to 425 minority students are fnrnUftd lit IINN., Smith said there are several grants for the low-income student recently graduated from high school. The Basic Educational Opportunity Grant is the best source of funds for the nonathlete minority student and does not need to be paid back, he said. The college work-study program, paid for with federal funds, defrays basic uni versity expenses, Smith said. A nonttate appropriation called the National Direct Student Fund is another form of aid. Others include tuition waivers, regents scholarships, loans and awards from anonymous donors, he said.- ; Largest enrollment The Afro-Black American minority group has the largest enrollment, the Chicano-Spanish American group is second. The native American-Indian . has the smallest enrollment among UNL minorities. Smith said Indian students' education often is financed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Some Indian students have ex penses paid by the BIA, some are financed by both the BIA and the university. Nebraska law allows Indian students' free tuiUon at NU. Smith said the Minority Affairs services also are given to low-income whites with 1 money appropriated by state and federal governments. had been trying to cut back on its deficit. "I've been told, and I'm not an econo mist, that 80 per cent of the federal budget is technically uncontrollable," Heaney said. "That means there items that can't have their funds cut in any way." "So I understand they're going to make cuts in the items they can control even if .they are important items," The health professions were picked be cause of an attitude in the government hierarchy, he said. "I think there's a feeling in the federal government that people in the health professions make a bundle when they're through with school, so they don't need their education subsidized," Heaney said. "But students can't finance their educa-. tion on future production," he said. "Banks can't give loans large enough to pay the costs. It may get to the point where only rich kids can go." No state help Unlike UNMC, Creighton cannot get state funds because it is a private school. According to Heaney, UNMC has many vacancies for Nebraskans in its classes, so theLegislature does not need to pay Creigh ton to insure enough Nebraskans get a health education. Some states which do not have state medical schools pay private schools to edu cate state residents, he said. Creighton also faces difficulty because it doesn't have a large endowment like some schools which serve "a national function" according to Heaney. Makes it tough "Schools with a big endowment can ride out the financial crunch much better. It makes it tough for a school like Creighton," he said. The Omaha school stands to lose about $3 million, he added. Creighton is cutting expenses and "try ing to do our best to cut so we don't hurt our programs," Heaney said, "But it will be tough because we're already running a tight ship." The school also will be forced to pass more of the costs of its clinic programs on to the patients, he said. Committee recommendation to be given by De Continued from no 1 The remaining members of the com mittee selected by Varner include public representatives Mrs. Harold Andersen of "Jfcu2"1 ColwelJ of Hiy Springs and William Smith of Lincoln. University emploves annointoH m u committee include Clinton Hoover," pre" sident of the Association for Administra- 7 ?P Lucille Griess, president elect of the University of Nebraska Office Personnel Association and William Pedersen Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources field staff member of The ASUN defeated a resolution Wed nesday night asking the UniveX Business and finance Office to take Sn o T bS boards placed around campus by the U versity Bookstore. The vote, 7 opioid warned that tolto Sm 1 y .ne,0n camP" thatTe uXStv could control and said it would be St Broken Bow and Custer' County extension agent. 'Six candidates Ex officio members of the committee will be Dr. Rena Boyle, dean of the College of Nursing at the University of Nebraska ftll l . A r. rJt ...... .4 ruinnvk xvuivw wivt cum Wll IMMIVMOM dean of teachers college at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Swanson said the committee will nominate at least six candidates to succeed Zumbeige. Varner has requested the committee to submit its list no later than Dec. 1. to control the University Bookstore's advertising without controlling the adver tising of the other bookstores on campus. The Senate also heard a blast delivered towards it by John Dolan, a junior living at 705 N. 23rd St, ho laid that the major; ity of studenU are "apathetic to ASUN. He advised senators to go back and talk to the students of their colleges and get their opinions." He said ASUN as it is presently struc tured is almost powerless, lie invited sen ators to help him form a committee to attempt to restructure the senate. The senate also approved resolutions asking for more university funds from the legislature and for a swift search to replace outgoing Chancellor, imm Zumberge. A resolution concerning publication of committee vacancies end Interview times was tabled em next mttihv.