tnursaay, September 11, 1975
daily nebraskan
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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.
