daily nebraskan page 9
I I I HL I I I ,.', .!. '. I
I n -1
V, i ' -!f. v M if
Robert Raun
By Todd Hegert
Q: What do you see as your role as an
NU regent?
A: My primary role as a regent is to se
lect competent administrators and assess
their performance, and to make policy
decisions such as setting, budget guide
lines. Q: How do you view NU's reputation
among other institutions of higher
learning?
A: NU's reputation among other insti
tutions is quite good. I wish it were
better but we are making progress.
Q: What is the future of the speakers
program at UNL?
A: The future of the speaker's program
depends upon the support that it gets
from within the student body. I think
the structure of the program as it now
stands will accommodate a very good
speakers program but it's going to de
pend upon determination and hard
work on the part of the students. Man
datory fees will pay for some speakers
and if the students work hard enough
for it they can also get the controver
sial speakers they want.
Q: Do you anticipate any other action
on the speakers program?
A: No. At least not until we have had
a chance to assess the progress of the
current plans for the speakers program.
Q: How do you feel about the univer
sity in the parent role?
A: I think the die' is cast when students
come to the universtiy. Most are adults
by that time, or if they're not, they
should be. But at the same time, the
parents of students expect that we
should have a reasonable amount of
regulations. I think we need to take a
moderate position on rules. We aren't
here to play the role of parents, but
parents expect that we won't let just
anything go.
Q: How do you feel about a voting stu
dent regent? What are the chances that
Nebraska voters will approve a voting
student regent?
A: I don't think that voters would ap
prove of a voting student regent and if
they did I think it would be unconsti
tutional because the courts have insisted
that in all governing bodies the principle
of one man, one vote be used. If the
voting student regent were from the
same district as another regent you
would have unequal representation of
the other districts. Or the student re
gent may not even be a resident of the
state of Nebraska.
Q: Which of your constituents do you
listen to more -students or their
parents?
A: There is no question that I listen to
the tax-paying citizens of Nebraska, and
not just parents of students, more than
students. That does not mean that views
of the students are not considered be
cause they are.
Q: How much contact do you have with
UNL, especially students and faculty,
between monthly regents meetings?
A: That varies from month to month
depending on what's going on that
month. In some cases I have very much
contact with the university between our
monthly meetings. I have five of my
own children going to the university so
I keep in contact that way too.
Q: What do you think the students are
most interested in now on campus?
A: I think students now are more inter
ested in getting an education and not so
Continued on page 1 1
xvv y
Ed Schwartzkopf
By Todd Hegert
Q: What do you see as your role as an
NU regent?
A: My role as a member of the Board
of Regents is to establish policy for the
various campuses in the University of
Nebraska system, and to make certain
that we follow a course that's going to
. improve the quality of education for all
students in the University of Nebraska.
Q: How do you view NU's reputation
among other institutions of higher
learning?
A: If you're talking about the Ivy
League schools or the prestige schools
on either coast, we're not up to that
level. But we do have programs of ex
cellence and we're moving in that direc
tion. The important thing is that we're
making real progress in improving the
quality of education at NU.
Q: What do you think is the future of
the speaker's program?
A: The number one issue right now is
trying to determine what really consti
tutes a speaker. We have delegated this
responsibility to the chancellors of each
campus or their designees. It is going to
be extremely difficult to determine
what constitutes a speaker especially be
cause there are so many different cate
gories of speakers. There will be no
simple yes and no decision.
Q: Do you anticipate any more action
on the speakers program?
A: I think this will be a recurring item
for the members of the board and also
for the administration. This is some
thing we need to work out together
and students need to be involved along
with administrators.
Q: How do you feel about university in
the role of the parent?
A: It depends on what age group you're
talking about. When you have over half
of the students in the dorm who are un
der the legal drinking age you have some
serious problems. Where things like
booze on campus are concerned it is the
legal problems more than a question of
the university in the parent role that is
important.
I would be extremely unhappy is we
had those kinds of activities, such as
booze on campus, that would encourage
our youngsters to violate state laws.
Q: How do you feel about a voting stu
dent regent? Do you think Nebraska vo
ters would approve of a voting student
regent?
A: I don't think the real key to input
from students is whether a student
regent has a vote or not. I think it is
more important to get input from all
the various factions of the student
body. If the student had the vote it
would still be only one vote. I don't
think we can expect one student to be
president of all the students and repre
sent them all with his vote on the board.
I think it is more important to have as
''wide a student representation as
possible.
Q: Which of your constituents do you
listen to more-students or their
parents?
A: That's easily answered because the
students are right here. The parents we
only hear from when they feel some
thing isn't going right. We are captive of
the student's opinions much more
readily and more often than we are of
their parents.
Q: How much contact do you have with
the university, especially students and
faculty, between the monthly regents
Continued on page 10
Robert Simmons
By Cindy Coglianese
Q: What do you see as your role as an
NU regent?
A: To represent the public in the state
of Nebraska and the university.
Q: How do you view NU's reputation
among other institutions of higher learn
ing? A: The university is very good in the
state of Nebraska and as far as I know
all throughout the United States.
Q: What is the future of the speakers
program at UNL?
A: I don't know if there is any signif
icant difference in the speaker pro
gram. If everyone is correct that the stu
dents are overwhelmingly in favor of it
then the students will finance it and
everything will be the same.
Q: Do you anticipate any other action
on the speakers program? Why or why
not?
A: I certainly don't contemplate start
ing any action myself. Somebody else
might bring up something but I don't
intend to.
Q: How do you feel about in loco
parentis, the university in the parent's
role?
A: I don't don't understand how a
university can fall in the position of
loco parentis.
Q: How do you feel about a voting
student regent? What are the chances
Nebraska voters would approve a voting
student regent?
A: The regents represent the legal
voters and the students vho are eligible
to vote are also the legal voters and they
would have their vote with the regents
in their voting.
Q: Which of your constituents do you
listen to more-students or their
parents?
A: I don't know who I listen to more.
Whenever anyone talks to me I listen to
whoever it is who talks to me. So far I
haven't seen any conflict between
students and parents.
Q: How much contact do you have
with UNL?
A: I get a bushel-basket of mail every
month and I go through and read it.
There is also a long-distance telephone
between my office and the campus and
vice versa. I talk with the campus
several times a week.
Q: What do you think students on
campus are interested in now?
A: My impression at the present time
is that students are better educated. The
bulk of the students who come to the
university are better educated when
they get here. I think they are interested
in getting a good education at a univer
sity with a good reputation and getting
a job when they are through.
Q: How would you evaluate your
performance on the board? What are
you proud of, what do you wish you
had done differently?
A: I don't know that there is anything I
would have done differently. I would
like to have gotten more things accom
plished. As chairman, I don't think I
made any accomplishments as an indivi
dual. I think the regents accomplished
quite a Int.
Kermit Wagner
By Cindy Coglianese
Q: What do you see as your role as NU
regent?
A: Our primary goal is to develop policy
for the university and then ask the
administration to administrate the
policy. The second role is to hire and
retain administrators that will develop
a policy that is formulated by the NU
Board of Regents.
Q: How do you view NU's reputation
among other institutions of higher
education?
A: The University of Nebraska . . . also
UNO and the medical school have made
considerable progress in the last six to
seven years. I would say we are in the
upper percentile as far as quality educa
tion is concerned.
Q: What is the future of the speaker's
program at UNL?
A: I think good. The main objection
that we have from a lot of students and
parents is the usage of mandatory fees
for controversial speakers. The univer
sity has the right to have any political,
ideological speaker on campus. It is not
the policy of the regents to restrict
these political speakers.
My suggestion is that speakers be
allowed on campus as before, but those
who want to hear a particular speaker
especially if he is political or ideological
-are the ones who should participate in
the fund raising . . .
Q: Do you anticipate any other action
on the speaker's program? Why or why
not?
A: Not really. I hope that the . . . policy
would continue to have speakers and,
for that matter, controversial speakers.
The use of mandatory fees is the real
crux.
Q: How do you feel about the univer
sity in parent role?.
A: I think that is overplayed. I think the
students that come out of high school
and down to the university are practical
ly voting age. They're feeling their
independence, and I don't believe the
university is considered by the students
as a mother hen. I don't think the stu
dents want it. They want freedom of
action and freedom of thought. They
are released from their parental ties, and
they want the opportunity to exhibit
their independence and their way of
life.
Q: How do you feel about a voting stu
dent regent? What are the chances the
Nebraska voters will approve a voting
student regent?
A: Originally, I was very much opposed
to a student regent's participation with
the board. But I've changed my mind.
We've had some very" fine contributions
by student regents, and with the
accomplishments that these individuals
have contributed to the university and
the responsibility they have assumed, I
believe they should be given the power
to vote.
Q: Which of your constituents do you
listen more to- students or their
parents?
A: I listen taboth. I think both should
be considered. The student is concerned
with everyday transitions that he or she
is going through in university life. I
think we owe a responsibility to the
parents to assure them that they are
getting a quality education for their
children.
Q: How much contact do you have with
UNL, especially students and faculty
Continued on page 10