page 10
daily nebraskan
Wednesday, april 26, 1978
UNL decision-making splits Legislature, regents
By Rex Henderson
Two institutions decide the future of
the University of Nebraska. The NU Board
of Regents holds the constitutional power
to govern, But the Nebraska Legislature
holds the purse strings.
More than half the NU operating budget
comes from the state general fund. Critical
decisions, such as the size of faculty salary
increase and the construction and renova
tion of campus buildings, are influenced
and sometimes determined by the Legisla
ture. The two bodies, both created by the Ne
braska constitution, have been working to
gether since 1869.
Robert Prokop
Continued from page 8
tional requirements are needed has to be
determined.
Q: How do you feel about a voting
student regent?
A: ... I am opposed to a voting student
regent. I have been opposed to even hav
ing a student regent, period. Because
one, the student does not represent the
entire community. He represents the 5
to 10 percent of those that are more
interested in the political aspect of the
university and student government.
I don't think we ought to have a non
voting person sitting on the board. I
think that is ex-officio type of repre
sentation and I think this type of thing
does create a problem. I think the
people of the state of Nebraska ought to
have the right to vote on this type of
issue, namely, "shall we have a voting
student regent or shall we have a stu
dent regent on the board at all."
Again, I think the representation of
students could easily be handled with
out having a regental position for only
one person. I have heard an awful lot of
people come out of that experience and
say 'I learned an awful lot." But really,
what have they contributed in the space
of one year? Because, you will find that
most people take one year to 18 months
to find out how things operate.
By the time a student regent is even
close to that aspect, he is gone and off
the board. I really think the anticipation
of effectiveness has not been what it
was supposed to be.
Q: Which of your constituents do you
listen to more students or their
parents?
A: ... I actually listen to the people in
my district. I think that I get a wide
range of views and parents and students
are only a small part of my district. Of
some 210,000 people in my district, I
would say there are no more than
10,000 parents and students. So they
represent an extreme minority in the
overall picture of the district.
Q: How much contact do you have with
UNL, especially students and faculty,
between monthly regents' meetings?
A: ... Let me say that the average
correspondence to my office runs about
75 to 100 letters a week. Of that prob
ably 20 to 25 letters come from the
UNL campus or from UNL administra
tive people.
On campus, it varies. Sometimes I'm
there once a week, sometimes not and
sometimes as high as three times.
I would say that my contact is pro
bably a great deal higher than any board
member, but that is an exception.
Q: What do you think students are
interested in now on campus?
A:' ... I think their major priority ought
to get the best type of education possi-
ble. If that is not their priority, then
they shouldn't be on campus. The stu
dents are there basically to obtain
advancement in the educational field
and preparation fr their future career.
If they're not there for that, then I
- don't think their priorities mean much
at all.
Q: How would you evaluate your per
formance on the board?
A: I don't think a person can evaluate
himsejf. I think it's egotistical for any
one to sax that he has done some things
and hasnpdone others, or what he is
proud of 4id what is isn't.
While NU may not get all it wants from
the Legislature (NU appropriation requests
were cut by nearly $7 million this year),
relationship between the two bodies
generally is cooperative .
The need for a cooperative relationship
between the bodies was summarized by
Sen. Frank Lewis of Belle vue.
"We provide the money for the place,"
he said.
Most of the conflict between the regents
and the Legislature centers on who makes
decisions, Lewis said.
Two decisions in state government in
the past year have attempted to clairfy
who makes those decisions.
The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that
the regents have final responsibility and
Kermit Wagner
Continued from page 9
between monthly regents meetings?
A: I have a lot of contact. I have stu
dent contact, perhaps very little parent
contact. I hardly think a day goes by
that I'm not contacted by the admini
strators as to certain problems and
certain projections that the administra
tion is either accomplishing or under
taking. Q: What do you think the students are
interested in now on campus?
A: I'm sure that students are interested
in a quality education. They're concern
ed about the possibility of jobs after
they graduate, they are concerned about
the potential of securing positions
especially in the field they are develop
ing or at least the subsequent major.
Q: How would you evaluate your per
formance on the board. What are you
proud of? What do you wish you had
done differently?
A: I've been a regent now for approxi
mately eight years. When the University
of Omaha was absorbed into the univer
sity system, the concept of one univer
sity was developed. Along with that,
steps were inaugurated to have the pro
gram excel in education. I've seen the
projections and I've seen the accom
plishments. The regent policy has been
to fund and perhaps assist all depart
ments that have not only cooperated,
but demonstrated and displayed . . .
quality programs. I think in this manner
we will achieve excellence in education.
What I wish I had done differently is
a very controversial issue. I hope that
sometime we can build a new 100,000
unit stadium here on the Lincoln
campus or adjacent to the Lincoln
campus. I believe that if it was properly
explained and properly shown, it could
be financed in a short period of time.
Maybe we could enrich the lives of the
athletic fans that we have and allow
them to attend football games at the
university.
I hope that I can continue in
developing the policy of triggering
excellence in quality education.
Ed Schwartzkopf
Continued from page 9
meetings?
A: Living in Lincoln I have considerable
contact with the university. I would say
this contact is almost on a daily basis;
I have almost a continuous contact with
the university or the university system.
Q: What do you think students are most
interested in now on campus?
A: It's obvious they don't have a great
interest and concern about student
government. I hope this is indicative
that the students are saying that they
know they're on campus and they want
to get the most for their educational
dollar; that they want to get prepared
for the next thing they are going to be
doing in life after graduation.
Q: How would you evaluate your per
formance as a regent? What are you
proud of and what do you wish you
had done differently?
A: It is always difficult for an individual
to evaluate their own performance. I
think that's done better by the public
that we represent. The real key is how
well we served all the groups we
represent. I hope that I could say that
during the time that I was on the board
that we really have moved education
ahead and improved the quality of
instruction at NU.
authority over NU.
That decision had little real effect,
according to Sen. Jerome Warner of
Waverly. All it means is that there is less
detail in the appropriations bill than before
the ruling.
The Appropriations Committee, which
Warner chairs, scrutinizes the appropria
tion requests just as carefully, he said.
The passage of LB756, the so-called
"role and mission bill," also affects the
relationship between the Legislature and
NU.
Warner says the bill's effect still is un
certain. The retiring vice chairman of the
Appropriations Committee, Doug Bereuter
of Utica, says the bill should smooth any
friction between the Legislature and the
regents.
James Moylan
Continued from page 8
Q: How much contact do you have with
UNL, especially students and faculty,
betseen monthly regents meetings?
A: It would be considerable, in the form
of correspondence, telephone calls, con
versations with faculty members. It is
quite a demanding job and we do re
ceive considerable correspondence on
matters.
Q: What do you think students are in
terested in now on campus?
A: I think things have changed ... I
have been on the board seven and one
half years. I have seen quite a change
since I first went on in the early '70s,
between then and now, among the
people. It seems to me that the student
attitude is different than it was eight
years ago. They are more calm, more
interested in obtaining a good, sound
education and are looking a little more
into the future. Not only their future,
but the future of the university and
state and the country as a whole than I
think they were back seven or eight
years ago. I am kind of glad to see it
headed in that direction.
Q: How would you evaluate your per
formance on the board? What are you
proud of and what do you wish you had
done differently?
A: There are several areas. I think one is
selecting leadership and administrators
and then relying on their judgement to
select the other personnel which make
the university function. At the present
time I think we have as good a president
and chancellors as you will find any
place in the country.
I think in order to operate a univer
sity of this size you have to have good,
capable leadership, and I certainly feel
we do. And that has been a result of
the board of regents' action.
Offhand, I can't think of anything
we would have or could have done
differently. It's been a growing institu
tion since I've been there and it's taken
a lot of personnel. The only thing that
we have not done that I would like to
see done is a more adequate faculty
evaluation program. This has been dis
cussed over the years and 1' think we
could inhance the value of the univer
sity with a good, sound, adequate
faculty evaluation.
Robert Koefoot
Continued from page 8
last (regents) meeting is that the great
majority of students are greatly con
cerned about the abolishment of man
datory student fees for the speakers
program.
The new student regent is concerned
about student regents voting ... I
expect this to become an issue in the .
future.
Q: How would you evaluate your per
formance on the board?
A: I can't evaluate my own perfor
mance ... I wouldn't try to do that.
I am an individual that likes to
promote and be involved with con
structive things, not destructive things.
There have been many accomplishments
. . . The construction of the new lab
building - and all of the construction
on the campuses - is included in these
(accomplishments).
I think the educational atmosnhere
at the university has improved remark
ably over the past few years.
'The regents should be pleased,"
Bereuter said, as the bill should result in
less competition between the colleges and
NU for state funds.
But official contacts between the board
and the Legislature are not the only
channels. Personal contact with senators
and regents also affect the university.
A Legislator's objections can sometimes
directly effect university policy.
A year ago the University of Nebraska
at Omaha sent information to students on
paying bills with credit cards along with
tuition statements. Included in the infor
mation was a list of Omaha banks where
students could apply for the cards.
Sen. Sam Cullan of Hemingford immedi
ately objected to the practices, saying it
constituted advertisement for specific
Omaha businesses. The practice was dis
continued the following semester.
Kermit Hansen
Continued from page 8
furthermore, I think they are entitled to
make mistakes, so long as those mis
takes aren't self-destructive.
Q: How do you feel about a voting stu
dent regent? What are the chances the
Nebraska voter will approve a voting
student regent?
A: No (the student regent should not
have a vote). It would be a pure conflict
of interests. Because he is a student who
is, in effect, then taking the role of his
own boss.
I think it's a possibility (that voters
would elect a student to the board), but
IH say frankly that it's unlikely at this
point ... I think the student would
have to determine if he wants to be a
student or a regent.
Q: Which of your constituents do you
listen more to students or their
parents?
A: Unless I really know that it was
parent or child (addressing a given
issue), then I don't think that it would
change my normal view, which is Vho
wrote what, and what were they trying
to convey to me?' So I would try to
weigh them equally.
Q: How much contact do you have with
UNL, especially students and faculty,
between monthly regents meetings?
A: It really depends upon issues that are
involved. I don't have anything in the
way of . . . ongoing, continuing relation
ships with the student advisory grou. I
have probably more contact with the
faculty members then I really do with
students . . . only when something really
excites (students) or makes them mad
do I hear from students.
By the same token, from time to
time I really do try and seek out what
.the student attitude is with kind of a
one-man poll of stopping six, eight, 10,
12 students as I roam around the
campus.
Q: What do you think the students are
interested in now on campus?
A: I think ther's a carry-over on this
matter of the speaker issue. I think that
students are always interested in either
the planned or the potential increase in
tuition. I think the whole matter of fee
distribution is a concern of students.
Q: How would you evaluate your per
formance on the board? What are you
proud of, what do you wish you had
done differently?
A: I would hope that my performance
has been ... Ill say above average. It's
an area in which I've really tried to
provide the best from my own exper
ience and background helping the uni
versity be the best it can.
As to what I am proud of: I guess
number one would be finding men of
the caliber of both (former NU Presi
dent) Woody Varner and (current NU
President) Ron Roskens to serve as the
chief executives of the system.
What would I do differently, or what
would I have my regrets about? I guess
its that trying to get public recognition
of the value of excellence- some call it
quality education- is difficult. In fact
it's almost maddening. I've used the
expression, "If ever we get the cere
mony of honors day ... of the same
basis as we do in filling the stadium for
many football games, then I'd feel that
that would be the ultimate . . ."