thursday, november 6, 1975 volume 99 number 42 lincoln, nebraska
Exemptions in budget cuts
rejected by Legislature
By Dick Pkrsol
The Legislature voted 24-23 Wednesday
not to exempt several state agencies, in
cluding NU, from Gov. J. James Exon's
proposed three per cent budget cut.
The across-the-board budget reduction
for this fiscal year also survived a kill
attempt by Omaha Sen. Ernest Chambers
by a vote of 8-30.
Exon called the Legislature into special
session last month to deal with a cash flow
problem in the state treasury expected in
January.
The agency exemptions to LB6 were
contained in an amendment introduced by
Sen. Loran Schmit of Bellwood, which
required a majority of 25 senators for
passage.
Tax Increase
Sen. Frank Lewis of Bellevue, in sup
port of the amendment, said the issue
would have been better handled by raising
taxes, but the only alternative left was to
cut the budget selectively.
"We've got the human services taken
out of the bill and the agencies which can
stand the cut left in" he said.
Hastings Sen. Richard Marvel, arguing
against exemptions from LB6, said, "The
key to the survival of this country is au
sterity. We are accused of being cheap. But
look at the increases in expenditures of
every agency-including the whole univer
sity system- we've allowed over the years.
"We're being painted into a corner by
departments telling their clients we're
cheap. They want their budgets without
question and without review of increased
budget requests."
Warner arguments
Sen. Jerome Warner of Waverly, also ar
guing against the exemptions, said, "I come
from an area where, in 1972, we had heavy
agricultural losses because of a wet harvest
season; in 1973 we suffered losses in live
stock; in 1974 we had severe drouth and
that continued with less severity in 1975,
The prospects for 1976 are bad."
Warner said paring the appropriations
would be harder than raising taxes, but hard
times demand reductions even when they
hurt.
Schmit, waving his legislative expense
check, said that most senators "are gonnji
trot down to the bank and cash them
today for fear there won't be any money
to cover them tomorrow.
"There isn't room on the Exon band
wagon for 49 taildraggers. If we were here
to do the smart thing politically, we should
cut the budget six per cent and outdo the
governor, but we're not here to be
popular."
Question divided
The senators also voted to divide the
question of exemptions and consider
Lewis's proposal not to cut the regional
state mental retardation offices' budgets
separately.
Sen. Ernest Chambers of Omaha, ar
guing to kill LB6 entirely, said the bill
would not get the two-thirds majority (33
votes) necessary to pass it with an emer
gency clause, making it effective immedi
ately. "Courage has not been manifested by
this body," he said. 'The governor tried to
intimidate the Appropriations Committee
by saying they were gutless. He says there's
the hoop, now jump-and we jump. Not
we-ye. I'm not going to jump. You don't
have the courage to take an unequivocal
position."
Lewis opposed
Lewis opposed the motion to kill LB6.
"If the legislature won't vote to raise
taxes, then the only alternative is to
support LB6 and cut the budget three per
cent across the board," he said. "Revenue
and expenditures have to match."
The senators rejected 25-14 another
attempt by Lewis to amend LB4 to set
the state income tax rate at 14 per cent.
LB4 also contains an amendment by
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Sen. Frank Lewis, Bellevue, was on the losing side when he spoke in
favor of an amendment exempting certain agencies, including NU, from
a proposed three per cent state budget cut.
Sen. Jules Burbach of Crofton to lower the
state overlevy cushion to three per cent
from the current five per cent and require
the Board of Equalization to consider
express obligations when setting tax rates.
Exon's original version wanted to elim
inate the cushion and ignore express obliga
tions for tax rate setting purposes. Express
obligations are those financial commit
ments known more than one fiscal year in
advance of their appropriation.
Alternatives rejected
The Legislature rejected two alternatives
to Burbach 's amendment Wednesday. One,
introduced by Springfield Sen. Orval Keyes,
would have eliminated the general fund
overlevy cushion in accordance with
Exon's original plan.
The other, introduced by Omaha Sen.
John Cavanaugh, would have provided a
one per cent cushion.
LB4 and LB3, which would set up a
system of payments to political sub
division relieving the state's cash flow pres
sures, were advanced to enrollment and re
view on their way to final reading. LB6 is
still on general file and still may be
amended.
The roll call vote to exempt certain agencies
including the University of Nebraska from a 3
per cent-state budget cut was as follows:
For: Anderson, Barnett, Bereuter, Cavanaugh,
Chambers, Cope, DeCamp, FitigeraM, Fowler,
Goodrich, Johnson. F. Law is, Luedtke, Mahoney,
Marsh, Mills, Moylan, Rumery. Savage, Sdtmlt,
Simpson. Stall, Swigart, Syas.
Against: Burbach, Burrows. Cars tun, Clark,
Dickinson, Duis, Oworak, George, Hasebroock,
Kelly, Kennedy. Keyes. Kime, Kramer, R. Lewis,
Maresh, Marvel. Murphy, Nichol, Rasmussen,
Warner, Wiltse.
Not Voting: Koch and Skarda.
School's move may raise welfare agencies' costs
By Barbara Lutz
Changes in staff loads and personnel hir
ing and a possible welfare cost increase all
may result from the planned move of the
UNL School of Social Work to Omaha,
according to officials from several state
social welfare agencies.
Threatened by loss of accreditation,
all graduate and undergraduate programs at
UNL will be phased out within two years.
Five hundred students currently are
enrolled in the NU school, with about half
of them attending classes on the UNL
campus, according to the social work office.
In past years, area social service agencies
have benefited from the services ot under-
Work and in return have provided practi
cum experience for the students. However,
if the school moves to Omaha, area agen
cies will have to go outside the city to hire
employes and must do without the services
of volunteer students.
Volunteers diminish
Albert Schrekinger, a retired UNL pro
fessor and member of the Lancaster Coun
ty Public Welfare Advisory Council, said
Omaha wfll have the "first call for under
graduates." Because there no longer will be students
available, in Lincoln for employment, agen
cies will have "to attract people who don't
live here. We will have to compete, with
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Because of this, agencies may have to
offer higher salaries to make the job
attractive, Schrenkinger said. This is the
reason the cost may rise, he said.
The Advisory Council's 21 members are
a mix of allied agencies, concerned citi
zens and welfare consumers (clients),
Schrekinger said. Appointed by the Lan
caster County Board, the members advise
the county welfare director on policies and
programs, but they have little power.
Virginia Overcash, a council member,
said members are "very distressed" at the
plans to move the school to Omaha be
cause of the expected lack of students for
social work.
Spokesmen for private social welfare
agencies refused to speculate on what
monetary effect the probable move will
have.
Don Williamson, assistant to the direc
tor of the Lancaster County Public Wel
fare Agency, said if the undergraduate
program is dropped it will feel "reper
cussions" in the form of fewer applicants
for jobs from students in social work.
"These are the ones we look for because
they are mors effective welfare workers,"
Williamson said.
Applications are taken from students
in other majors such as business admin
istration, but those who have an interest
in social welfare are better qualified, he
said. Continued on p.8 ,
inside
On the increase: The number of
courses offered by 'e State
University of Nebraska (SUN), p.5
On the run: Members of UNL's
Tau Kappa Epsilon
fraternity p. 10
Also Find:
Editorials p.4
Arts and Entertainment p.9
Sports p.10
Crossword Puzzle p. 12
Short Stuff p.12
Weather
Thursday: Decreasing cloudiness and
mild. High temperatures in the upper 70s.
South to southwest winds ranging from
five to 15 m.pJh
Thursday night: Partly cloudy with
temperatures in the low to mid-40s.
Friday: Temperatures in the low 70s.
Regents to meet Friday morning
Pershing, tenure decisions expected
By Theresa Forsman
The NU Board of Regents will be asked
Friday to approve a recommendation that
the University of Nebraska Foundation
liquidate its interests in the Pershing
College property.
The resolution states that under existing
law the board cannot accept the title to
Pershing College nor can it deed the
property to Southeast Technical
Community College without the
Legislature's consent.
The Board will meet Friday at 8 a.m. in
Regents Hall, 3835 Holdrege St.
The regents also are expected to act on
a tenure density report, presented at their
October meeting, which was prepared by
Steven Sample, NU vice president.
Sample has recommended a review of
existing tenure requirements and has
suggested that tenure approvals be distinct
from departmental promotions or raises.
He was asked to prepare the report last
April when the regents became concerned
that the proportion of tenured UNL
professors (approximately 70 per cent)
might be too high.
The board will be asked to approve
appointment of Brian Blouet as chairman
of UNL's Geography Dept. to become
effective Aug. 23, 1976. Blouet would
succeed Richard E, Lonsdale, who has
asked to be relieved of the post and return
to teaching and research.
Capital construction budget
A request by the State Department of
Administrative Services that the board
review priorities of its capital construction
budget also is slated for Friday's meeting.
In his letter to the board, John
Jacobson, state budget administrator, said
Gov. J. James Exon asked the board to
review the $114 million capital
construction budget approved and submit-
ted to the state in September.
Jacobson said that only the
construction list's most critical items will
be approved and that first priority will go
to repair, renovation and preventive
maintenance of buildings in use.
Tho regents will hear a report on
pending litigation, including a suit being
filed in District Court which attempts to
define limits of the board's authority.
Other items on the regents agenda
include:
-Authorization of the expenditures up
to $317,000 from revenue bonds to make
alterations and improvements in UNL
residence halls, the Nebraska Union and
the University Health Center.
Approval of architectural program
statements for renovating the Agricultural
Engineering Bdg. and Love Library and for
remodeling Bessey Hall.