The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, February 28, 1977, Image 1
wovford leaves athletic post for busin pp iver Daily Nebra&an photo Aleen Swofford, UNL women's athletic director. By Hob Barney and Jim Hunt Aleen Swofford, UNL women's athletic director for the past two years will resign her position effective Tues day to enter private business. Husker athletic director Bob Devaney announced the resignation Friday afternoon. Swoffprd, who came to UNL in the summer of 1975, will become a partner in Sports Resorts, a racquetball arid handball business. "A business opportunity like this only comes along , once, but you never know," Swofford said. "I had to take the opportunity." Devaney said he asked Swofford to stay until the end of the year, but Swofford said the business offer would not wait. Decide now "I had to make the decision now," she said. "My business partners said I had the money (to invest) and the expertise for the job and I had to decide right now, so we could get things going by October." "It's a six month development and investment period to get things going, and it was now or pass," Swofford said. Devaney said he did not ask for Swofford's resignation: He expressed satisfaction with the job she has done as athletic director. Swofford said Husker women's sports have become competitive nationally while she has been at UNL "I think we have the best women's program in the Big 8," Swofford said. "I. also think we have one of the B ml n monday, february 28, 1977 vol. 100 no. 83 lincoln, nebrsska better budgets in the country, but we still have a long ways to go." Women's programs in the early 1970s each received $25 in funding, Swofford said. In 1974 the women's budget was increased to $60,000 and again was raised in 1975 to $132,000. . The women's budget for the current year is $215,000. Swofford also was instrumental in obtaining women's basketball coach George Nicodemus from now defunct John F. Kennedy (JFK) College in Wahoo. Nationally competitive "University of Nebraska sports is now competitive nationally with primarily Nebraska people," Nicodemus said Saturday. . "Whatever is here was her drive that did it," he said "Budget-wise it has been quite an improvement over what was here when she came?' ' Nicodemus, who served as athletic director at JFK, expressed interest in the UNL job when asked about it. "I-have the experience," Nicodemus said. "It's another matter if they would want a man for the position or not." However, Nicodemus said he also wanted to continue to coach basketball. Time consuming 'Teople don't realize how much time the (athletic director's) job consumes," he said. "When I was at JFK, I would sometimes be at the office at five in the morning. That was the only time you could get anything done." Devaney said Jay Davis, women's sports information director, will assume Swofford's position for the remaind er of the school year. Davis, who came with Swofford two years ago from Texas, also expressed interest in the job as athletic director. - "Vm -pmg to apply for the position," Davis said. "My evemu goal when I came here was to become the woir.cr3 athletic director." Swofford announced her intentions to resign at a staff meeting a week and half ago, Nicodemus said. Swofford said she would have no say in the selection of the new women's athletic director. City, county officials try back door consolidation By Mary Jo Pitzl With one door to LB36 closed by the Nebraska Legis lature last week, city and county officials now are ap proaching the bill through the back door in' a second attempt to consolidate Lancaster County and Lincoln governments. LB36 called for the formation of a committee to de sign a plan to merge county and city services. It was kill ed last week in the Legislature's Urban Affairs Committee. At a Friday morning breakfast, representatives of the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners and the Lin coln City Council met with Lincoln mayor Helen Boo sails and state senators Wally Barnett of Lincoln and Jerome Warner of Waverly to discuss the future of a county-city government merger. Barnett introduced the bill, drafted by the County Gty Implementation Commission (CCIC). CCIC is res ponsible for initiating action to consolidate duplicate services provided by the county and the city. Warner opposed LB36. The Friday moniig meeting resulted in a plan to continue wprk on a county-dry merger. A voluntary group was made responsible to ensure a committee be appointed to design a charter for the merger. The charter committee would be similar to CCIC. Formation of the new charter committee is the "op portunity to put the initiative of this (the merger) back in nonprofessional hands " sdd city councilman Bob Jeam bey. Besides Jeambey, other members of the voluntary goup include city council members Sue Bsiley and Max enney and county commissioners Bob Colin, Jan Gauger and Bruce Hamilton. ' Bdlcy said the voluntary group wO be responsible for deciding how to appoint members to the charter com mittee. The committee will look at the consolidation issue in detail, Bailey sdd. The long-term goal of the voluntary group and the committee it forms is to get the county-city merger pro posal in a form the Legislature can pass, Bailey said. LB 3 6 would haw required Legislative approval before work could begin on the merger. The proposal approved at the Friday morning meeting would take the opposite approach and require a charter for the merger to be designed before receiving legisla tive review. Colin said he hopes tfcl ack door approach to county city government will reverse the "cart before the horse situation posed by LB36. , 1. 3 tj !'vfV. .pNfiv jla .v. -A ft ' 1 I rf ; r 1 - " 1 X J1 1 f 1 f ( :" v rr?v V . ' - '. ' " - ' -, ' . - S ' v. f - " ' 1 ft I ; Glenn Harter is carried from the track after being pushed to the ground and spraining his ankle Saturday in the 1 j0S3-yar4 run at the Big 8 Conference Indoor Track and Field Champioiips. See related story on Pae 10. ' Convict hsld arte I ivy pfronfi''UhEon News: Gov. J. James Exon says the regents are cheerlead ers for the university . p. 5 Eaterttisment: A Eallerina in Pennsylvanian company is Inebriated" by her art p. 8 Spcrts: Frank Sands is named coach of NU crew ... p. 1 0 A Nebraska Fend Complex escapee was captured Friday morning by police after juir.pLr.3 from a second story window of the Ncbraa Union. Jesse Rouse, who escaped Tuesday, was caught after a UNL student reported to police that Rouse was hiding in the Union. ASUN candidate list held for verification Rekase of the names of candidates in the 1977 ASUN election has been delayed until their applications can be verified by the UNL administration office, ASUN Elec tion Comrrisaoner Karen Tejcka sdd Sunday. The filing deadline for ASUN Senate and executive positions and college advisory board candidates was last Friday at 4 pjn. Tejcka said the adrnir&tratbn has to confirm that the candidates are full-time students and are enrolled in the ccllsge they-say they wish to represent. The ASUN Elect ion Comiridon met Sunday niht to review the nam:s, she said, and they will be sent to the administration office this morning. However, Tejcka said she did not know when the names would be released. . ASUN election rules state that candidates may begin cp:paing today. Pesters msy be hung on campus bulle tin beards but no classrooms may be usd for campaign ing. Candidates may also campaign off campus. Police said the unidentified student recognized Rouse and knew he was an escaped convict. Rouse, 23, of Oshkosh, is serving 16 to 20 years a the penitentiary for the second degree murder of a police officer in Garden County, said Officer Thomas l.'sson of the penitentiary. . UNL Campus Police Officer Dob Douty sdd, Campus Police were dispatched to the Union and began searching for Rouse. Douty said he found Rouse in Udon 243. Douty was accompanied by Frank-Kuhn, Union operations manager. When Douty opened the door, he said, he noticed the drapes moving. He said he found Rouse hiding behind the curtain with a knife. " surprised him almost as much as re surprised me, Douty said. "Then he bailed out the window." Rouse, who broke his ankle in the fall, was offsred assistance by a student, Douty said. Douty ordered the student away from Rouse, he said. Rouse, wielding a knife, held off officers for 15 to 20 minutes, Douty said. T?rne tnH rmTfr nffirr in pn nd cwt Kim or he would stab himself, Douty said. Roger LaPage, lis cob atant police chief manned, to get the knife away from Rouse, police reported. Rouse was treated at Lincoln General Hospital for his broken ankle. Prison authorities add he is in good condi tion. Rouse, who his been in the penitentiary since 1971, will remain at Lincoln General under 25-hour supervision until his doctors rtluK 1dm, police sdd.