pags8 daily nebraskan thurcday, april 20, 1978 NUPIRG resource file available to students for research projects By Deb Shanahan The Nebraska University Public interest Research Group's Consumer Clearinghouse may be able to help students who have been caught up in the term paper race against time. Don Macke, NUPIRG director, explained that the re sources available are those used by his office in his work. "In the process of our research, we systematically collect a lot of information," he said, adding that some of the information gathered, such as research reports and government documents, is not readily available anywhere else. Macke said any research done goes on file under one topic, and since NUPIRG regularly subscribes to publish ing groups that put together bibliographies, they usually can refer people to the topic if it is not already on file. t4Some of our files are excellent. This is good stuff you wouldn't necessarily find at Love or Bennett Martin libaries," he said. Macke cited energy as a broad topic with well-developed files. The NUPIRG papers are available to anyone, Macke said, but students are the primary users. "I haven't really kept track, but we've probably had some 30 or so people in since we initiated the ad campaign (advertising research files) about three weeks ago," he said. Students can get NUPIRG materials by stopping at the NUPIRG office, Room 117, Nebraska Union, and looking through a book listing the resources available. By leaving a name, phone number, and how long they expect to keep the files, students can check out research information, according to Macke. "That way, if we need it we can call. We have no re course if it gets ripped off, but as long as the system is not abused we will continue to offer the service," he said. Although NUPIRG does not write papers for people, Macke said, they help with focusing on scope, providing contacts, and helping them work through it," Macke said all those who have used the service have been enthusiastic. "We're pleased with it, especially since it is a pilot thing-it was just an experiment," he said, adding that if it works, NUPIRG might consider keeping its office open at night, next year to make it more accessible to students. Macke said offering the service is not an additional expense to NUPIRG, but that it takes time. "Our feeling was that we had people adept at analyzing and compiling research material, so we should make an effort to make this available to the students. It's another service We can offer-it gives students another resource on campus," Macke said. APPLY . . . for the position of Advertising Manager of the Daily Nebraskan The pay is: 450 plusmonth The Benefits: on-the-job (Experience) in advertising, finance, and managment. Applications Deadline Monday April 24, 5:00 p.m. Applicants should be familiar with the Guidelines for the Student Press adopted by the NU Board of Regents (copies available upon request.) Resumes should be sub mitted to and applications completed at the Daily Nebraskan. For further information Call 472-2588 Mexico trips teaching tool for students The final product of a UNL journalism professor's 13-year-old idea is rolling out of the typewriters of 20 journalism students. Students from fall and spring depth reporting class es spent spring break or the week before on an investi gative reporting trip to Mexico and surrounding areas. They currently are compiling an in-depth publi cation on Mexico-U.S. rela tions. The product was plan ned by journalism profes sor Jim Patten, who said he first got the idea to take a trip to Canada in 1965. However, he could not get the grant money until this year, he said. The destination became Mexico. Besides learning .inter viewing skills in a foreign language while trespassing in orange groves to get to the source, students had to handle border patrolmen forbidding them to photo graph public places, officials out of their offices for a Mexican national holiday and night meetings with drug informants, Patten said. Groups of students went to Arizona, El Paso-Juarez, San Francisco, Guadalajara and Mexico City to seek information on their assign ed topic. One group search ed the border fence for holes that illegal aliens alleg edly slip through. "I would hope to get an outstanding publication from this because a lot of people are watching," Patten said. "But that is secondary to the value of the project as a teaching tool." Josie Weber, assistant professor of journalism who went with the Mexico City group, said it is hard to measure what students learned -not only about journalism and the country -but also about survival in general. "Students have told me they learned more on this trip than in four years of college," Weber said. &f ft ' it l If l lfir Good times are great times for the easy taste of