dailu nebraskan
thursday, September 14, 1978 lincoln, nebraska vol. 102 no. 11
Union loses approximately $32,000
By Kathy McAuliffe
Nebraska Union losses for the 1977-78 fiscal year have
been estimated at approximately $32,000 including de
preciation, said assistant union director Larry Emmons at
Wednesday's Union Board meetings.
UNL comptroller Jim Knisely last week estimated
union losses to be $41,880. The difference in figures is
a result of different accounting systems between the
union and the UNL administration, Knisely said. The
administration does not consider depreciation in figuring
the deficit, he said.
Last year's union deficit was $98,445, according to
union director Allen Bennett. The high loss was due in
part to minimal student fee increases, opening costs of
the East Union, and the fact that the entire cost of de
preciation was figured in, Bennett explained.
Only one-half of depreciation costs were figured for
1977-1978 because of a move last year by the Fees Allo
cation Board, Union Board, ASUN and Vice Chancellors
Miles Tommeraasen and Richard Armstrong to hold the
line on student fee increases. By not including depreci
ation, losses include only operations costs, so less addi
tional revenue in the form -of student fees is needed to
meet costs, according to Bennett.
However, by not including depreciation in the cost
of operating the union, a reserve will not be built for
future maintenance and replacement costs, Bennett said.
In 1978-1979, depreciation costs will not be included
at all, he said.
Sparks flew between Kinsely and Union Board faculty
member John Janovy when Janovy asked Knisely if the
Nebraska Union loss estimate reflected the true financial
condition of the union.
Although Knisely first evaded the question, he then
responded, "I believe it does."
Knisely added the $41,880 figure he released was
confusing because it was subject to the interpretation of
the reader.
If the figure needed additional interpretation, Janovy
said, it should not have been released to the press.
"I see a great responsibility for you people over there
(comptroller's office to see that it gets out within the
proper context," Janovy said.
"In my business, you didn't have any business letting
this out. I'm not impressed with that at all."
In other action, the board approved bylaw changes
which have been necessary because of the creation of the
Campus Activities and Programs Office. These changes
will be submitted for signatures from Bennet, Armstrong
and board President Mark Knoble after they have been
printed in the Daily Nebraska for ten days.
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Photo by Martt Biilingsfy
The ownership of the breadcrumb in the foreground was the focal point of his dog (bird) fight remini
scent of the Red Baron and his most daring opponent. The starving starlings screamed and swore at each
other but all for naught as an animalistic photographer crept up and stole the prize for himself.
University Police
officer files a
report on regent
By Brenda Moskovits
A University Police officer and a student security
supervisor have filed reports claiming that NU
Regent Kermit Wagner of Schuyler yelled at them
for no reason Saturday before the football game,
accusing them of not doing their jobs.
Wagner denied the incident occurred and said it
must have been a case of mistaken identity.
However, Officer Barbara McGill identified
Wagner from a series of Daily Nebraskan photos of
various middleaged men as the man who yelled at
her.
A police check of the license number confirmed
the car was registered to Wagner.
Officer McGill said she stopped her cruiser in
the driveway of the administration building parking
lot after speaking with Student Security Supervisor
Cooper Hanson about towing a car from the lot
when Wagner pulled in and nearly collided with her
cruiser.
"He proceeded to yell at me and told me to get
out of his way and to go do my job," McGill said.
She said she pulled out of the lot to follow up on a
radio call without saying anything to him after
noticing his area SO parking sticker, indicating he
had a reserved space in the lot.
Hanson said Wagner pulled in "kind of fast" and
after barely squeezing past McGill's cruiser drove
past him. Hanson said he put the chain across the
lot entrance and went over to the car to see who
was in it.
Hanson said Wagner accused him of not doing
his job and of "making out with my girlfriend."
Hanson said that he and McGill were discussing
towing a car.
Then Hanson said Wagner replied, "Oh,
bullshit. Just because she's a female and you're
having a little social hour there."
Hanson said Wagner then accused him of not
doing his job because a car was waiting to get into
the chained-off lot, and told him he would "get the
lincoln Police Department to do the job next
time."
After discussing the incident with Sgt. Milo
Bushing and Capt. Kenneth Markle, McGill said
"we came to the conclusion we should write it up."
The report will go to UNL Chancellor Roy
Young, according to Robert Lovitt, assistant vice
chancellor for business and finance. Copies already
have been received by Police Chief Gail Gade and
vice chancellor for Business and Finance Miles Tom
meraasen, Lovitt said.
McGill said she filed the complaint because of
the "attitude he (Wagner) was using and the way
he was shouting."
"If you've got a reason to shout at somebody,
that's fine. We saved him a parking space, what
more does he want?" she said.
Hanson said he filed a report because he felt
that a regent "is no better than anyone else. He
came down real harsh."
University libraries get computer system by J anuary
By Jeff Unger
A computer system designed to make
the NU libraries easier to use will be in
opeation as early as January 1979,
according to Brice Hobrock, assistant dean
of libraries.
The system, a culmination of nearly
three years of planning by library person
nel, university administrators, the NU
Foundation and the Legislature, will link
all university libraries to one central com
puter housed in the basement of Love
Library.
"We will be the first and largest academ
ic library system in the country to have
this advanced of a system," Hobrock said.
"The computer will make it infinitely
easier for students and faculty to get
books. It will also allow campuses to share
books instead of the current self-sufficient
funding."
Books no longer will be checked out
through use of handwritten cards, Hobrock
said. A hand-held optical scanner will
record the student or faculty member's
computer number and the book's number
then store that information in its memory.
I.D.'s issued
Each student and faculty member will
be issued an identification car for use when
checking books out. Faculty cards will be
issued beginning Oct. 1 , and student cards
will be issued in either December or
January.
"Students must come to the library to
get their cards," he said. "They will be
required to fill out a short information
sheet, and the card must be used when
checking out anything from the libraries."
"If a student with overdue books tries
to check out more, the computer will put a
block on the transaction. But we will make
the decision on whether to let the student
or faculty member check the book out or
not.
"Currently, faculty and students get
away with a lot because we can't remember
faces. The computer will solve that
problem."
Love collects in excess of $30,000 from
fines and other related fees, he said, and
that this figure could be decreased "by
being able to identify bad guys that are
systematically ripping us off."
Funding for the computer system is at
the $350,000 level and initial costs may
reach $500,000, he said. An amendment to
the May 1978 university appropriations bill
allowed the university to use unexpended
utility funds for library improvement.
The libraries chose to use the remaining
$200,000 for the computer, and an
additional $150,000 was given to the
libraries by the NU Foundation.
"This (the money) isn't coming off
someone elses back," Hobrock said, "it's
aH specialized funding."
The initial funding covers only the
computer and the first 16 terminals. He
said more terminals would be purchased as
funding becomes available. The goal is to
link 48 terminals to the computer. Depend
ing on the staff, the entire system may be
complete in three to five years.
Money isn't the main goal of the
program, according to Hobrock.
"I don't thin it will save anything to
speak of in the first five years," he said.
"The primary justification of the system is
what it will do for the students and faculty
as a whole. Improved and additional
services is a big thing."
inside thursday
Students get poorer every year:
But UNL still is one of the best
higher education buys in the
state page 8
A roll in the hay: Pleasurable pic
nics have become a lost art
page 17
Small town boy makes good:
Husker Defensive back Andy
Means from Holdrege reaches
his goal page 1 8
