monday, november 24, 1975
page 4
daily nebrasfcaj
guest opinion
Senators protest d
a
ecision on
Center
Editor's note: The following guest opinion was written
by ASIJN Senators Frank Thompson and Robert Simon
son, both graduate students in economics.
While the Daily Nebraskan reserves its opinion on the
matters discussed by Thompson and Simonson, we en
courage students to respond on the issue, either by sign
ing AS UN's petition against construction in the Nebraska
Union, or by voicing approval of the construction to
Union officials.
For more information on the proposed construction
project discussed below, see the Daily Nebraskan, Nov. 20,
page 5 ("ASUN asks hold on construction").
By A. Frank Thompson Jr. and R.D. Simonson
Are you in favor of the construction plans scheduled to
take place in the Nebraska Union during Christmas break?
If you were unaware that construction will occur in
your Union, you have been deprived of your right to be
aware of such construction and to voice your opinion on
management of your student fees and alterations of your
Union.
On Nov. 12, 1975, plans for construction of a Campus
Assistance Center in the Union were presented to the
ASUN Senate for the first time. Construction will replace
the existing TV lounge area with the Campus Assistance
Center, which would offer services similar to Outreach,
Helpline and the Ombudsman.
The center will offer students no new services, but will
act as central "walk in" office for existing services offered
by the above organizations. However, the necessity for,
and location of, the center have never been subjected to the
approval of UNL students.
On Nov. 19, Union Director Allen H. Bennett appeared
before ASUN to answer questions concerning the center's
construction.
When asked whether this project was brought before the
Union Board, he said it had been discussed and approved in
a May meeting of the board.
However, he added, minutes of that meeting had been
lost. In a hastily called meeting Nov. 19, the Union Board
reaffirmed Bennett's position to continue with plans to
build. Due to the haste with which the meeting was called,
the Daily Nebraskan was unable to print its agenda. This
information comes from the Daily Nebraskan. -
In the first instance there is at least one Union Board
member, who sat on the board in May, who claims the
project was discussed but never voted on in May. In the
second case the student body was unable to voice objec
tion because they were never informed that this issue was
to be discussed at the Nov. 19 meeting.
The issue's importance is manifested in the fact that,
each semester, Nebraska Bookstore receives book orders
placed originally with the University Bookstore by faculty
members who want to keep profits internal to the univer
sity so the money can be placed in a student scholarship
fund, set up at the suggestion of former Chancellor James
ZUYetCtlese orders are transferred to Nebraska Bookstore
by the University Bookstore partly because of the Union's
lack of space to handle orders. One reason given last spring
by Ron Wright, business manager for the vice chancellor of
business and finance, for not expanding the University
Bookstore's operations was lack of space in the Union.
This was reiterated in separate conversations this fall
with the University Bookstore manager and with Vice
Chancellor for Business and Finance Miles Tommeraasen.
Yet Bennett has leased space to Gateway Bank and a
barber shop, and construction plans are underway for a
retail bakery outlet and the Campus Assistance Center.
As students and financial contributors to the Union, we
need not necessarily contest leasing of Union space, but
should demand a voice in decision-making process per
taining to Union alterations. At present, it seems the
Union's communal atmosphere is being invaded by new
construction plans, uncontested by students because of lack
of knowledge about them.
Students must consider the following questions: Why
were students not polled on necessity of and proper loca
tion for a Campus Assistance Center? Why, when budgets
are being cut within academic colleges, would the admini
stration elect to take on a Union building project that may
have little or no student backing?
Why has the Union director refused to delay con
struction of the center in the TV lounge area despite
growing opposition as expressed by ASUN in its Nov. 19th
meeting, when it unanimously approved Resolution No. 39?
This resolution asks for a hold on Union construction until
student views could be heard.
If this project has been in existence for the last three
years, as Bennett has said, why are students just now begin-
Dear editor,
I applaud the letters written by my colleagues criticizing
Faculty Senate President Eldridge's irresponsible pigeon
holing of graduate teaching assistants.
I have been a teaching assistant in the Modern
Languagues Dept. since 1971. I am presently, working
toward a PH. D. and have full course responsibilities for
two courses in introductory French.
This is a teaching load of 10 credit hours, two hours less
than the load of a full instructor. In addition to my class
room duties and all they entail, I am enrolled in two
900-level courses.
I am not the only T.A. in this situation. If this is not
"the world of work," I don't know what is.
Two points must be made here. The first is that I have
never met a T.A. who was not completely devoted to his
or her teaching activities-perhaps we are even too dedicat
ed, considering the proportion of responsibilities to salary.
Certainly most of the incentive for remaining a T.A.
rests on a love of teaching, as the material rewards are
minimal.
I could not repress a chuckle when I read that now the
tenured faculty members are going to do their best to find
replacements for themsleves in the classroom should they
be unable to meet with their classes. The T.A,s in my
department, at least, have been doing this since IVe been
here, if not before then.
My second point is in the form of a question. Doesn't
the university know it is simply bad business to degrade its
In addition to the fact that many T.A.s think that we
have had insult added to injury, we cannot help feeling
disgusted with Eldridge's gross overgeneralization for other
reasons. '
His statement was not only published m the Daily
Nebraskan, but in ib Lincoln city papers as well. We can,
at any rate, assumtS thai it received widespread publicity
ning to learn about it, particularly as the proposed con
struction date draws near?
If the Union director has waited three years to put the
Campus Assistance Center into the TV lounge area, why is
he unwilling to wait until students have opportunity to
voice their opinions about the center's location?
Why would the TV lounge area be selected as the
center's site without considering other areas? When the vice
chancellor for student affairs has announced an estimated
student fees increase of $4 per semester for East Union
construction, why is the Union director interested in
possibly increasing student indebtedness by building in the
already existing Union on City Campus?
If this project can be approved by the administration
without approval of the NU Board of Regents, why has the
Union director said he will not delay construction unless
ordered by the regents?
In response to Bennett's statement that he will not delay
present Union construction plans until more student input
is obtained, ASUN has implemented a petition drive. This
petition calls for delaying construction until research and
student input can determine both necessity and alternative
locations for the Campus Assistance Center.
Since Bennett holds himself accountable only to the
regents, this petition drive must be completed by Dec. 13,
date of the next regents meeting and the last opportunity
to stop construction before Christmas break.
As ASUN senators and concerned students we strongly
urge everyone to give prompt and full support to this pe
tition drive. Petition signatures and circulators are being
solicited by ASUN in its third floor Union office. Your help
is greatly needed and would be appreciated.
-
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at least within this state.
If I were a student or parent considering the choice of a
university, I would be convinced-Big Red or no Big Rcd
that I should invest my time and money in the university
of another state, after reading that my own university's
Faculty Senate thinks so little of its teachers.
It is for these reasons that I feel I must demand either
an apology for and retraction of Eldridge's remark, or proof
that what he has said about both tenured faculty members
and graduate teaching assistants is true.
Suzanne Bouchard-Hill
Experience talks
Dear editor,
The statement which I made at the latest Faculty Senate
meeting, widely reported in the news, was based on several
years' experience as associate dean of the College of
Agriculture.
During that time, when cases of instructors missing
classes were called to my attention, I reported these to the
appropriate dean or department chairman and in a number
of such cases I received reports in return.
In all of those cases the person who did not meet the
classes was a new instructor or a graduate assistant. There
fore my statement represented the facts as I had them.
Since making the statement I have also checked this with
UNL Ombudsman Allen Dittmer. He checked his records
and found six cases where students had reported instructors
that had not attended their classes.
In this list were two graduate students, one instructor,
one assistant professor, one associate professor and one full
professor.
Therefore we now have a record of some persons with
the rank of assistant professor or higher who have not met
their classes.
Adding those two samples together, however, I believe
the number of graduate assistants and young instructors
who missed meeting their classes was larger than would be
expected when compared with the total proportion of
classes that are met by graduate assistants.
The concern expressed over the explanatory statement
about classes not being met by graduate assistants skirts the
main issue of the Faculty Senate resolution. The ntni..ti.
emphasizes the fact that no person responsible for teachina
classes at UNL should miss classes without mkin ,
provision for those classes.
I know many conscientious graduate students and
faculty members of all ranks. It is unfortunate that
irresponsibility on the part of a very limited number of
persons casts aspersions on the great majority of responsible
persons.
Generalizations are almost always inaccurate to some
degree and the emphasis which I placed on the graduate
assistants was probably stronger than should have been
Chairman erred
Franklin E. Eldridge
Faculty Senate President
Dear editor,
It is my opinion that Lyle Young, chairman of the
Council on Student Life (CSL), made several technical
errors in handling the Nov. 20 CSL meeting.
Young contended that there were somel procedural
irregularities stemming from the rescission of six "old"
ASUN appointees and their replacements by seven ASUN
senators. Mr. Young questioned the legality of the action
taken by ASUN.
As outlined in the CSL bylaws, eight of the 15 members
on the council are students to be appointed by ASUN.
The seven ASUN senators were duly appointed after a
resolution calling for the rescission of the fonner
appointees was passed.
If challenged, the legality and constitutionality of the
rescission should be decided in the Student Court and not
by the CSL chair. Until the court decides otherwise, duly
enacted legislation of ASUN should remain valid.
It should further be noted that CSL Rules for Procedure
provide for a parliamentarian, appointed by the chairman,
to advise the council on proper procedure (Sec. I.B.2J).
. Also, Sec. I.B.2.d and Sec. IV.A of the rules allow tie
interpretation of rules by the chair be challenged and that
at any time on any issue, the chairman may be overruled
&y a majority vote of council members. No vote was taken
at the meeting and Young got up and left when an attempt
was made to challenge the chair.
me result ot these errors on the part of the chairman
Art Chan