thursday, march 4, 1976
. daily nebraskan
'Gang ' fo champion UNO cause
By Kim Shepherd
A champion for the causes of University of Nebraska
at Omaha (UNO) students has emerged from the Omaha
delegation to the Nebraska Legislature.
The state senators, led by John Savage, have formed
what they call the "Dodge St. Gang."
The Dodge St. Gang Is a j, :"oup of Omaha citizens en
thusiastic about doing something for UNO," said Savage.
He said the senators are the counterpart to Lincoln's "0
St. Gang."
The Lincoln group is composed of the "pillars of the
community, said Lanny Jorgensen, executive director of
the Lincoln Center Development Association.
Impossible to separate -As
a result of the O St. Gang's consistent work for the
betterment of UNL, Jorgensen said, it is impossible to
"separate downtown Lincoln from the UNL campus.
"A strong university means a strong downtown, which
means t strong city," Jorgensen said. "You can't separate
them."
Omaha Sen. Glenn Goodrich agreed with Jorgensen. He
said that business generated by a strong university can
economically benefit a downtown area. Therefore, busi
nesses surrounding a campus will help assure that the uni
versity remains strong, Goodrich said .
Among projects the Dodge St. Gang is said to actively
support is the proposed UNO Downtown Educational
Center. Goodrich introduced LB838 in the Legislature
this session for construction of the center and a health,
physical education and recreation building on the UNO
campus.
Several Omaha busiressmen are offering to help fi
nance the Center, which also might house state offices.
There is no gang
"You can't really blame Lincoln or Omaha business
men for wanting what's best for their campuses," Good
rich said. However, he said he believes the Dodge St.
Gang doesn't exist.
"There isn't really a Dodge St. Gang," Goodrich said,
"but a contention by several individuals that there should
be one." By saying there is one, the backers hope Omaha
businessmen will realize their responsibility to UNO, he
said.
Jorgensen said he had heard of the Omaha group's
formation and wished it luck.
"The city of Omaha should have an interest in UNO
even though it is a part of a system," Jorgensen said.
Jolin Empson, executive director of Downtown
Omaha, Inc., said he believed UNO was a vital part of
Omaha.
Meeting the need
"The university system is designed to meet the needs
of all the citizens of Nebraska, Empson said. "There is a
need in the downtown area and it should be met."
Empson said support for the downtown center is com-,
munity-wide. Businessmen from all areas of Omaha are
being asked to contribute money to the center, he said.
Businessmen are trying to match the $2 S million con
tributed to the downtown center by Peter Kiewft, pub
lisher of the Omaha World-Herald, Empson said.
Nebraska Gov. J. James Exon informally has pledged
to support raising state financing an additional $1 million,
to $9 million, if Omaha businessmen raise $5 million for
the center.
The "Dodge St. Gang" title is not really applicable,
Empson said, because all interested citizens are not down
town businessmen.
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The group has jelled in the last few years, said Omaha
Sen. George Syas. He said the group is composed of indi
viduals willing to twist a few arms to produce results for
UNO.
"Generally, the Dodge St. Gang has been informing the
people of the needs of UNO," Syas said. "It's an informa
tion center pushing for UNO."
No hard feelings
The group has benefited UNO, said Clint Bellows, UNO
student government president and student regent. Much
of the credit for the focus on the current campus parity
issue belongs to the "gang," Bellows said. Parity is equal
financing for similar programs at UNL and UNO.
Both Syas and Jorgensen agree that no hard feelings
will result from the surfacing of the Dodge St. Gang.
Syas said both groups have the same goal-the betterment
of NU, but each group works locally for the campus most
important to its area.
Sen. Goodrich said the Omaha delegation's voting
record on capita construction bills for Lincoln show that
they are not trying to hurt UNL to benefit UNO.
Goodrich said he believed any conflicts that have arisen
over UNO's attempts for parity come from UNL faculty
members who fear losing their jobs.
The state senators are not battling, he said. Any dif
ferences among them have been manufactured by Lincoln
newspapers, he added.
"There is no part in the Omaha delegation's minds that
we want to take the UNL campus to Omaha," Goodrich
said. "We have enough trouble with the UNO campus; we
don't need UNL."
IPsjirity ...
Continued from p. 1
"This is my estimate of the political base which the
different systems now have," Warner said.
The technical community colleges are ranked first be
cause they are a statewide network of institutions, he said.
UNO is second because of the 13 votes Omaha has in the
Nebraska Legislature. Private institutions are ranked third
because of a pending state constitutional amendment that
would provide them with indirect state aid. He said UNL
occasionally may be higher because it is supposed to be a
statewide institution.
"UNL's base should be statewide since it is the only
institution that goes from undergraduate to PhD.,"
Warner said.
UNO offers a doctorate in psychology, but the student
must be registered through UNL, a spokesman in UNO's
Graduate Studies office said.
Barnett, who agreed with Warner, said, "As long as we
try to make four or five state institutions of equal quality
and size, well be in trouble. There just isn't enough
money to go around.
If you can spare even a few hours a week, call
your local Voluntary Action Center. Or write:
'Volunteer," Washington, DC 20013.
It'll do you good to see how much good
you can do.
Volunteer
The National Center (br&urttary Action
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We'd likeyjiito come.
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a sho store
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about $20.
