mondsy, cpril 10, 1077
dally nbr:,kn
E
' . . ' K5e3SESK
opinion Lone,
u ei f f-. fy
if m 1 ' "4 1
Perhaps you could have called Ronald Roskens'
term as interim NU president a probationary
period for the permanent position. Roskens
passed with flying colors.
In a society in which connections and politics
play such an important part, it is nice to see
someone rewarded for a job well done.
When Roskens was appointed interim NU presi
dent, Omaha regent James Moylan said Roskens
was "not to act as a caretaker president."
Roskens followed the regent's command.
He has drawn up plans to study the systems
structure of the university. He has suggested
reviewing the funding formula for the Lincoln
and Omsha campuses.
' This is a step away from the direction some
speculated he raisht drift toward when he took
the office. Roskens, former University of NebrV
ask a at Omaha chancellor, had steered UNO
through the rough winds it faced when it merged
into the NU system.
It was reasonable to assume that his loyalties
would lie with this arm of the university. How
ever, while not forgetting UNO, he has demon-
rn Ff jF$h a m KM
mm st in
strated his ability to serve the university as a
whole.
For some reason the bickering between UNL
and UNO over funding and parity has died down
somewhat. Perhaps it is because UNL faculty
members saw they were beaten when a UNO man
was appointed to lead the university. However;
probably this quiet can be credited to Roskens
availability and ability to listen.
Henry Baumgarten, UNL Faculty Seriate presi
dent, led the tide of dissension against UNL-UNO
parity formulas. But it seems that Roskens has
tamed Baumgarten 's crusade against UNO's
usurping of UNL funds. At the NU Board of
Regents meeting Saturday Baumgarten said he
thinks Roskens "may bend over backwards" to be
fair to UNL.
The regents probably could not have selected
anyone else who was so familiar with Nebraska
and the individual NU campuses. He has already
demonstrated the aggressive attitude he will take
in the job in the four months since he took the '
interim post. NU may be in for some dynamic
steps forward. ,
SB-. 5
Bureau or D
ams readying for floods
Ceremonies dedicating the $843-nHion Herman J.
Swopes III Memorial Dam were yesterday in the Burning
Sands Desert.
Congressman Bagley Boodle, who had fought long and
hard for the controversial project, was the principal
speaker. He described the S90-foot4ifgh, hdf-rnlle-wide
dam as "a triumph of modem asgineering" and said its
construction hid "revitalized the economy of the entire
Fourth Cccgreisimsl District. :
Boodle noted fcs &n hd provided jobs for more than
20,000 construction workers during the five years it
required to be built In addition, he said, the project had
. "pumped new blood into our nation's . vital concrete,
steel and environmental impact reporting industries."
Boodle said the engineers who designed the mammoth
monolith had to overcome numerous technological
problems the primary one being how to cope with flash
no measurable rain has fallen on the area for 43
years, this eventuality could not be ignored. To meet the
threat, the ingenious engineers developed a new
"arched dam coacept" with the entire dam resting on a
series of arches their purposes being to allow any
accumulated water to pass swiftly through the dam and
not back up behind it and thereby create dangerous
pressures on the structure itself.
"What will our wonderful U.S. Bureau of Dams,"
asked Boodle rhetorically, "think of next?"
As originally conceived by the bureau, the dam would
have spanned Purple Canyon on the Wilde River in the
other end of Boodle's district flooding Meadowlark
Valley and the farms of 68 Indian families who had never
bothered to vote anyway. ,
Environmentalists (or "those damned daisy pluckers,"
as Boodle referred to them when addressing labor unions)
immediately swarmed in protest. ' -
They said the future Lake Irma T. Boodle, as it was
named on maps of the project, would inundate two Indian
.mounds, 16 rare specimens of the Frobish Lousewort
and the haunts of the Mourning Grebe.
This kind of carping infuriated labor leaders (or
"hard-headed hard hats," as Boodle called them when
speaking to environmentalists). They said "those damn
daisy pluckers" were "taking the bread out of the
mouths" of their wives and children and jobs were "a
helluva lot more important than any lousy Louseworts."
With passions mounting and Boodle in hiding, the only
conceivable solution was conceived by a junior clerk in
the Bureau, Herman J. Swopes. After studying the
proposals, protests and projections, he said only two
words: "Move it!"
As no environmentalist was against providing jobs for
workers and as no labor leader was against preserving
any Wilde River and as the VS. Bureau of Dams just
liked building dams, Burning Sands Desert proved an ideal
site.
As Boodle put it in his dedication speech yesterday,
"this is the first dam in history to be environmentally
sound, technologically safe and economically stimulat
ing." .
Work will begin tomorrow on demolition of the
Herman J. Swopes III Memorial Dam in order to make
room for the Herman J. Swopes IV Memorial Dam,
(Copyright Chronica Publishing Co. 1S77)
letters
Ail-American boy
It was quite a shock to pick up the Monday Daily
Nebraskan and find out that a nice, middle class,
Republican, All -American boy like me had been a member
of a "politically subversive" organization for over two
years. And to think, I was always under the impression I
joined MECA to enjoy the company of some of my
friends on a regular basis.
During the period that I was more or less an active
member of MECA (1973-75), student political futures
and objectives of AS UN were often discussed since most
of us became friends through work in student govern
ment. It is also true that many, but not all, of the
members had simar political bents. But for Jim Say to
call MECA a "subversive" organization with "potential
for abuse" is absolutely ludicrous. Much more time was
spent drinking beer, eating popcorn, playing "In the
Mood" on the jukebox, and just eneray soaking up the
unique atmosphere of Harry's Wonderbar. It seems to
me that the staff of the Dsly Nebrs&sn has developed a
severe "Woodstsin" complex; and that Ji-n Say has some
how gotten a bad case of "Deep inroat". Both serve to
tike investigatory reporting to a preposterous extreme.
v . BobONesl
be noted that her name was originally in context for a
talk to be given for Nebraskans for Peace, an off-campus
political organization.
Two or three days before she was to arrive in Lincoln
for her engagement for Nebraskans for Peace, she
suddenly became a UNL-sponsored lecturer. When was it
decided that Letelier would be listed with the Union Pro
gram Council, and more importantly what member of the
Convocation Committee actually authorized that she
would receive tax money in addition to student fee
money? The disbursement to her is listed in the latest
Faculty Senate report.
After Letelier's talk she gave a fund-raising coffee for
Nebraskans for Peace. She did this for free for the organ
ization (no doubt because she was paid well by the univer
sity to come to Nebraska). UNL is supporting Nebraskans
for Peace with state tax money, and this is clearly an
infraction of Nebraskans rights and a bad business move.
The names of the people involved should be made public
as soon as possible.
Donald Orton
C f
if
)!!!
to j&n
5 l:
The Urirersity cf Nebraska hai some serious exrliia-
irg to do in regard to Isabel Izizlkfs "rpcsldr.g er;s
mcnt" zr.l its rybsify. She was net criu!y listed as a
v. v
. - i t -
(( J ISA
i n amit iwf
Who doesn't admire the Lone Ranger? One of Amcr-'
ica's favorite folk heroes, the Lone Rsr.gsr divoted his
life to defending good and decent people against the big
boys in the black hats. This legendary figure has also
been recognized in real life. Such legends in their own
time as Ralph Water, Henry Kissinger -and John Finnjgan
have been described as men not unlike the Lone Ranger,
John Finnigan? Who is John Finnigan?
Finnjgan is not a flamboyant, oft-quoted sage who
you've somehow never heard of before. Finnigan is merely
one of the many public servants who make-up our 'gov
ernment bureaucracy'. Finnigan is an Attorney for the
Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) and, in some
respects, the Lone Ranger. .
The PSC is probably the most important regulatory
agency in Nebraska, The PSC regulates rates and services
and has general control of common carriers in Nebraska
such as airlines, railroads, and telephone and telegraph
companies.
The PSC rules on service and rate cases brought to the
commission by citizens or by the companies regulated by
the PSC. When a regulated industry brings before the PSC
a request for a rate increase, the staff of the PSC examines
the request and makes a recommendation to the com
mission. Hearings are held and then the commission
rules on the request. Robert Taylor, a research intern for
the Nebraska Legislative council, wrote that "... a com
pany desiring a multimiilion dollar rate increase might
possibly spend several hundred thousand dollars in prepar
ing its case,"
paved paradise
Which brings us back to Mr. Finnjgan who said, "I
feel like the Lone Ranger when I go against a team of
railroad accountants and lawyers and their beautiful pre
sentations of data." In other words, a lonely advocate for
the public must stand up to the power of a regulated
monopoly industry.
In fiction, the Lone Ranger always won. However, in
reality, Lone Rangers often lose.
The PSC has long been regulated industries "good ol
boys". Few see in the PSC the advocate for the public
interest that they are supposed to be. It may be time to
pull together a posse to lend a hand to those PSC Lone
Rangers doing battle for the public but losing.
There are many problems with the PSC. One of the
most glaring is its staff. The PSC staff do not have the
expertise that industry experts possess. The PSC handles
too many cases for the number of staff people employed.
And, PSC Commissioners have applied internal pressure
on staff members who too effectively opposed rate
increases for industries.
Another PSC problem is defining what role they will
adopt in hearing cases. Should they serve as a public ad
vocate challenging requests for rate increases or should
they simply judge between the regulated industry's
request and the recommendations of PSC staff? In the
past the PSC has most often chosen the latter role.
That being the case, someone needs to more effective
ly speak out for the interests of the general public. People
who pay higher and higher monthly telephone bills but
must make do on a 4, or 8, or even a 12 party line, need
an advocate for better service and lower rates.
One possibility is to form a Residential Utility
Consumer Action Group (RUCAG). A RUCAG would
hire lawyers, accountants and other experts to represent
residential utility consumers in rate hearings before the
PSC. RUCAG would be financed by voluntary contribu
tions added to utility payments by the utility consumers
themselves. RUCAG is an idea worth implementing. Some
Lone Rangers could use some company.
Tne Doily Nebraskan welcomes letters to the editor
and guest opinions. Chokes cf nntsrisl paUisbed wi be
baed on tirn&liness and crigisillty. Letters must be
accompanied by writer's name, but may be publlied
tinder a pen name if requested.
Guest pinions should be typed, triple-spaced a non
erasable papers. They should be Kxompsried by the
. author's name, class standing md mtjcr r ocaip-tion.
All material submitted to these pages is subject to editing
and condensation, and cannot be returned to the writer.
mm
, 1KA).
J
c
