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monday, novembsr 10, 1975 volume 99 number 44 lincoln, nebraska
Regents decide ag
By Theresa Forsman
The NU Board of Regents Friday decid
ed not to sell the vacant Pershing College
property in Beatrice.
NU President D.B, Varner told the re
gents they should fulfill what he called
their commitment to Southeast Commun
ity College (SCC).
The Pershing College property was given
to the NU Foundation in December, when
the university had no Hnmediate use for
the property and offered it to SCC.
According to law, NU cannot accept
real estate valued at more than $10,000
without legislative approval. The Pershing
College property is valued at more than
$2 million.
Liquidation of property
The foundation resolution submitted
for regent approval called for liquidation of
its interest in the property. The board
approved Omaha Rep"..t Kermit Hansen's
resolution: to ask' the Legislature in Jan
uary to allow the university to accept the
property "for the purpose of transmitting
it to the governing board of SCC or other
educational entities as directed by the
Legislature."
Hansen's resolution states that the
foundation be reimbursed for maintenance
expenditures of the property.
In other action, Executive Vice-President
Steven Sample made minor changes in his
October tenure report, "in an effort to
make it acceptable to all parties."
Variations in wording
Most of the changes are variations in
wording, which do not change the recom
mendation's main thrust, Sample said.
Changes requested but not made include
shortening the six year faculty probation
ary period before tenure can be granted,
Sample said.
Some faculty members wanted to
change the "seven years and up-or-out
rule," Sample said, now followed when
granting tenure. He recommends no change
in the current procedure, in which faculty
members cannot remain on staff if they
have not been tenured after seven years.
Since changes in the report were not
made until Thursday, the regents declined
to act on it, enabling the university
community to reply to the revised report.
Public meeting
The board directed its Academic Affairs
Committee to act on the revised report
within two weeks. The committee will hold
a public meeting for discussion of the new
report on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 9 ajn. in
Regents Hall, 3835 Holdrege.
Other action:
ainst
Pershing sale
-The board revised its September
capitol construction request. They moved
renovation and repair projects to first pri
ority along with correction of fire safety
hazards.
Regent Ed Schwartzkopf, Lincoln, and
Omaha Regent Robert Prokop said they
disapproved of many fire safety projects
now being completed on the UNL campus.
Schwartzkopf said he thought many of
the . projects were wasting taxpayers'
money and taking funds away from needed
repairs and renovations.
UNL Interim Chancellor Adam Brecken
ridge agreed with Schwartzkopf that some
of the work being done to comply with
state fire marsh all directions is not bene
ficial to the taxpayers.
Driver Safety Program
The board reluctantly approved
adoption of the Driver Safety Program en
dorsed by Gov. J. James Exon. According
to the program, university employes who
drive . university vehicles must take a
driver's safety course provided by the state
at a cost of $5 for each employe enrolled.
The estimated cost in enrollment fees is
$37,000 and employes taking the course
will need eight hours off from their work.
Regent Hansen suggested the university
offer a $5 business course in time and
money management to state employes.
The board approved a $3 increase in
student fees for University of Nebraska at
Omaha (UNO) students. The new fees, ef
fective next semester, are $36 for full-time
students and $18 for part-time students.
UNO Student Regent Clint Bellows
asked for a general review of student fee
uses, on the UNO and UNL campuses.
Bellows said he objected to the use of
student fees at UNO for improvement of
buildings other than the student union. If
fees were not being used for building and
parking lot improvements, he said, the in
crease would not be necessary.
Financial challenge
The board heard a report on the Uni
versity of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)
Hospital and Clinics.
Douglas Peters, hospital administrator,
told the board that a reduction in patient
services would cause "a significant finan
cial challenge" for UNMC.
UNMC is considering ways to generate
income, he said, including freezing travel
expenditures, eliminating overtime and de
ferring equipment requests. The hospital
still expects, to have a $39,820 deficit by
June 30, 1976, the end of the fiscal year,
Peters said.
The board also heard a report on the
UNO Master of Business Administration
Program, a designated area of excellence.
Lets NU 'off he hook'
Exon n ote chides sena to rs
By Dick Piersol
Gov. J. James Exon, in a letter delivered
to the Legislature Friday, made no direct
mention of the "fish or cut bait" orders he
gave the senators when he called the
current special session.
He did, however, charge that by not
adopting his proposals, "you have let the
University of Nebruka, our largest spender
of state tax dollars, and others completely
off the hook."
The letter said Exon has been advised
by State Tax Commissioner William Peters
that the Legislature's actions have man
dated a state income tax rate increase from
12 per cent to 15 per cent. Exon said the
sales tax might be held at two and one-half
per cent, but "we are perilously close to
forcing this up to three per cent."
If the sales tax rate goes to three per
cent, the income tax rate might be held
at 13 or 14 per cent, Exon said.
The senators voted Friday to meet with
Peters concerning the impact of their ac
tions when the Legislature convenes today
at 2 pm.
Exon said if the term "express obliga
tions" has any meaning for tax rate set
ting purposes, the tax rate increases
would be higher.
Express obligations have been defined as
state financial commitments which extend
beyond a given fiscal year's appropriations
considerations. Some senators have said
there may be 399 other definitions and
others say they have no meaning at all.
At any rate, LB3, now on final reading
with LBs4, 5 and 6, directs the State Board
of Equalization to consider express obliga
tions when setting tax rates.
The board is scheduled to meet today at
10 ajn., not to set tax rates, but to discuss
express obligations.
LB3 also requires a two to three per
cent cushion in the general fund to be pro
vided by a slight overlevying of taxes. Exon
had asked that no cushion be included.
Monthly fund payments
LB4 provides monthly payments of gen
eral funds to municipalities, counties and
school boards which previously were paid
semiannually or quarterly. According to
senators, this would help prevent the cash
flow deficit projected by the governor.
Exon had proposed that LB4 give State
Treasurer Frank Marsh power to issue
delaying warrants to political subdivisions,
but testimony by county, city and school
board officials convinced the Legislature's
Appropriations Committee that those
subdivisions were also in dangerous cash
flow situations.
LB6, as amended, chops $3.9 million
from the governor's recommended budget
cuts of $6.9 million. That action spared
NU, state regional mental retardation of
fices, the Beatrice State Home, state col-
inside
Abel-Sandoz Fitness Lab: Structured
exercise and better diets the
goal p.5
Gay Coffee House: Fifth year
reminiscence . . p.5
Also Find:
Editorials p. 4
Arts and Entertainment. ..... p.8
Sports p.10
Crossword p.12
Short Stuff T p.2
Weather
Monday: Mostly sunny and cooler.
Temperatures In the upper 40s.
Monday eight: Fair and cold. Lows in the
mid-30s.
" Tuesday: Sunny and wanner. Tempera
tures ranging from the mid to upper 50s.
MO - HO
V. x-
mm
mi. Lt
Ociiy Ncbradcan pfarte
Gov. J. James Exon, in a letter delivered Friday, criticized legisla
tors for exempting some state agencies from tax cuts.
leges, vocational technical schools and
other agencies from budgef cuts for the
remainder of this fiscal year.
The bill also includes a plan for transfer
of capital construction funds appropriated
but not scheduled for expenditure to the
general fund to help alleviate the cash flow
shortage.
These bills and LBS, appropriating for
expenses of the special session, are on final
reading and probably will be voted upon
Tuesday. Exon asked the Legislature to re
consider its actions before proceeding on
its present course.
State's federal funds low'
Compared with Big 8 school states,
Nebraska ranks lowest in federal funds re
ceived for research and development,
according to Carl Leopold, new NU grad
uate dean and assistant vice president of
research.
"NU is traditionally agricul turally ori
ented, an area in which few research and
development dollars are spent," he said.
This year, agriculture has a total federal
research and development budget of $370
million, Leopold said, while the defense
research and development budget is $10
billion.
Leopold said his job involves increasing
federal research and development funds
and federal grants for NU faculty research
projects.
Federal funds supplied $16.5 billion to
states for research and development pro
jects in 1973. Nebraska received $13.4
millipn. Missouri ranks highest of Big 8
states with $608 million.
"Let's face it," Leopold said. "Nebraska
will never be strong in the kind of activity
that draws a large amount of research and
development funds."
Another reason Nebraska ranks . low,
Leopold said, is because NU is the only
institutioa in the state which receives
federal funds and other states have more
universities and research centers receiving
money.
Leopold said he hopes to see federal fi
nancing at NU improve within two years.
"A year is an awfully short time in
which to see an improvement," he said. "It
will have to be a gradual process."
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