Summer Nebraskan, Tuesday, June 13, 1978 Paga 3
Union management comes under student fire
continued from page 1
garage eventually will be built.
"It keeps coming up year after
year," Petersen said. "It's just going to
be a matter of time."
Simonson said he became concerned
about union expansions three years ago
when he served on the student senate,
the Associated Students of the Univer
sity of Nebraska (ASUN). Petersen said
she has been working with Simonson
about two months.
Both said they want a line-by-line
audit of unon operations and financing.
"We are told by the administration
that the union incurs substantial dollar
losses every year. On that basis they
push for one of two things either more
lease rental space, which would generate
revenue, or an increase in student fees
or a combination of both.
"What we've been contending is that
it is not wise to go ahead with either of
those two things until you can accurately
assess the financial position of the
union," Simonson said.'
Cannot Understand Why Union Oper
ates at Loss
Simonson said he cannot understand
why the union is operating at a loss since
the union receives state funds for
grounds maintenance, utilities and cus
todial personnel, rent for space leased by
private business such as Gateway Bank
and student fee funds.
Bennett in a June 5 interview said the
loss in the 1976-77 fiscal year resulted
from the opening of the Nebraska East
Union, inflation and other unforseen
factors. The 1977-78 fiscal year is also
expected to show a loss, Bennett said.
Years in which the union has lost
money were years in which the union
calculated depreciation into the books,
he said.
Simonson said a depreciation allow
ance is not a justifiable calculation. The
rate at which the union depreciates
equipment is unnecessarily large, he
said.
In addition to generating revenue,
Bennett said expanding lease space will
help the union become less reliant on
student fees. He said student fees are
the greatest single source of income for
the unions but that there is a continuing
push for a slow down of student fee
increases.
Bennett said unless fees are increased
at the rate of inflation the union will have
to reduce services paid by fees (lounges,
student organization offices, meeting
rooms, study spaces and television
viewing areas) or find replacement
funds.
Student Fees Said to Increase with
Expansion
Petersen and Simonson said, however,
that the garage expansion would in
crease student fees. Because another
bond would be purchased, student fees
would be increased to cover the larger
debt.
Because the student population at the
university is expected to drop from
22,000 to about 18,000 within the next 10
to 15 years, that larger bonded indebt
edness would have to be spread out over
fewer students, Simonson said.
"Fewer students will be paying off a
larger debt," Simonson said.
Petersen and Simonson added that
leasing space to private businesses is an
undesirable alternative because space
given to business is space taken from
students.
Students Say Union Will Become
Shopping Center
"The union director wants that
building to in effect become a shopping
center such that it would be made
financially viable, in his opinion. In the
process he is defeating the purpose of
the union toward that it would no longer
be communally acceptable.
"That should in concept be a student
building a living room, so to speak, for
the student," Simonson said.
Petersen said the projects do not
comply with the publication of policies
for the Nebraska Unions which states
that space leased to private enterprise
should benefit the majority of the
community.
"How can you say that a plant shop
and a travel agency (suggested in
$120,000 renovation proposal) are day to
day need3 of the student, especially
when those needs can be fulfilled a block
or so away from campus," she said.
Bennett said he has proposed that a
survey be conducted to determine what
is communal y acceptable. The survey
should be conducted by an outside firm
and be financed from $30,000 approved
by the Regents two years ago for long
range planning and survey activity.
Vance Colling, chairman of the Union
Board facilities committee said his
committee is setting up another commit
tee independent of Union staff and board
and under the vice chancellor for student
affairs to conduct the survey.
A private firm, College Union Evalua
tions Services, has been contacted about
providing technical know-how and
analysis, he said.
Simonson Not Allowed on Committee
Simonson said when he asked to be on
the committee which will determine the
survey format his request was denied.
Because "a survey can be constructed
to get any results you want," Simonson
said the committee "will be sitting in
judgment of themselves, independent of
the college community."
Bennett said charges that his propos
als are not made with the best interests
of the students in mind are wrong.
He said his proposals are made with
two objectives in mind client satisfac
tion and economic benefit. The two are
weighed against the other and "some
times both are served equally."
But the students' economic situations
are not considered fully, according to
Peterson and Simonson. They said it is
unfair that students will pay for
renovations and the garage but will not
be able to afford to benefit from the
changes.
"The only thing the students can do
for free in the union is watch TV,"
Petersen said, and added that is in
danger because one proposal calls for
the television area to be changed to lease
space.
Parking Cost Called Expensive
"It seems unlikely that a majority of
the students would be able to take
advantage of this parking facility. It
would be too expensive for them to park.
It's for attracting downtown customers,"
according to Simonson.
Bennett said the stalls would be
metered, probably at 25-35 cents an hour
for the first hour and 25 cents an hour
after that, with a $1 maximum.
Bennett said the garage and busi
nesses would attract off-campus stu
dents, faculty and staff to spend money
on campus that they would normally
spend elsewhere.
He said critics should consider that the
money spent by. customers would be
returned to the union in rent and then
returned to the students by reducing
student fee requirements and financing
campus programs.
"The campus community would have
say about how those dollars are
returned," Bennett said.
He said he believes most students
could afford the parking garage since he
sees students attending three and four
dollar movies after eating six dollar
meals and wearing $25 jeans.
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