n
Wednesday, january 31, 1979
lincoln, nebraska vol. 102 no. 70
7
Bucks for books bill advances to floor
By Randy Essex
The Legislature's Education Committee
Tuesday voted unanimously to advance a
bill to the unicameral floor that would
allow NU to provide certain students with
financial aid money during the first two
weeks of school for book purchases.
The Committee was told it is "ridicu
lous" that students are not always able to
obtain money for books if they will re
ceive a refund check later for grants and
scholarships.
Julie Sterner, a senior English major at
UNL, told the committee she has been
forced to come up with money for books
during the first weeks of school although
she has received refund checks in excess of
$100 six weeks later.
"The money (from grants and scholar
ships) is the student's, and there is no rea
son they shouldn't be able to get it when
they need it," she said.
Sterner and two university officials tes
tified in support of LB248, which would
establish a fund for the advance payment
of money for books by the Office of Fi
nancial Aids. The bill, introduced by
Lincoln Sen. Chris Beutler, would apply
only to those students with aid in excess of
tuition and fees.
The bill would increase the amount of
Roskens says
'no comment'
NU President Ronald Roskens ref
fused to comment when contacted Mon
day afternoon about his interview with
the Michigan State University board of
trustees Jan. 21.
Roskens is in Vermillion, S.D. work
ing with an accreditation team from the
North Central Association of Colleges
and Schools until Wednesday.
The Daily Nebraskan reported Mon
day that allegedly he secretly met with
the trustees at a hotel near the Detroit
Metropolitan Airport and discussed the
Michigan State presidency.
"I have a standard reaction on
matters like this," Roskens said. "No
comment."
Ed Schwartzkopf, Lincoln member
of the NU Board of Regents, said he
first found out about the interview by
reading it in the Daily Nebraskan Mon
day, and said it did not bother him that
Roskens was interviewed by MSU.
"I always feel people should be will
ing to listen," he said. "It would bother
me if no one wanted to interview him
(Roskens)."
Regents chairman Robert Koefoot of
Grand Island agreed .
"It's a free country. If he wanted to
be interviewed, that's his prerogative,"
he said.
Both regents agreed the substantial
salary difference between the schools
could be a reason why Roskens inter
viewed at MSU. The MSU presidency
pays $62,000. Roskens' salary here is
$57,500.
"It's a Big Ten institution and sal
aries are much higher," Schwartzkopf
said. "The psychic income here is great
but it doesn't help to put meat and po
tatoes on the table."
Wednesday
I own Boardwalk: City Council pass
es bill to require property listing
by members page 6
A sour experience: Food reviewer
visits Pickle Bill's Riberia. . .page 8
Strictly analytical: Sportswriters
Jack Shockley takes a look at the
Big Eight basketball race . page 10
money the university would retain in its
cash fund from $250,000 to $300,000
Debra Knight, a grant advisor with the
financial aid office, told committee mem
bers the university offers a limited amount
of money for books now on a first-come,
first-serve basis. She said the money is only
available to the most needy students.
Knight said 246 students were able to
get money through the program this se
mester, but more than 2,000 were eligible.
She said passage of LB248 would allow
the program to be expanded and publi
cized for the first time. Students would
still be awarded the money on a first-come,
first-serve basis, she said.
Knight said $75 has been the maximum
amount a student could obtain and that
has not always been enough. Sterner
agreed, saying that one semester she was
able to get $50, but her books cost $145.
Sterner said although she has always
qualified for a substantial Basic Educa
tional Opportunities Grant, she has not al
ways qualified for book money because of
limited funds.
Book loans
She complained that many students
who need the money either don't get to
the financial aids office in time or tluy
don't meet the financial aid "cutoff point"
established because there is so little money
available.
Sterner said she has never been forced
to take out a short-term loan for books,
but Knight said some students do.
Kearney Sen. Martin Kahle said it is
part of a student's education to learn how
to handle money.
"In real life you're going to have to
(take out loans), and you might as well
learn that while you're in school," Kalile
told Sterner.
Bob Lovitt, vice-chancellor for business
and finance, said the university supports
the bill because it would enable the system
to help more low -income students.
"The plan would work well in the uni
versity system (of accounting)," Lovitt
said.
If the bill is passed, students would have
the amount of their book advance taken
out of their refund checks. Lovitt said
the system is safeguarded against fraud if a
- ..
Photo by Mary Ann Golon
Lincoln Sen. Chris Beutler
student got the advance and dropped out
of school.
Beutler pointed out that the bill would
require no extra spending from the state.
Union considers new building for bookstore
By Mike Sweeney
The construction of a new building to
house the University Bookstore was dis
cussed at a Nebraska Union staff meeting
last semester, the Daily Nebraskan has
learned.
The staff meeting, open to members of
the Union Board, was Dec. 19, after the
Daily Nebraskan stopped publication.
Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs
Richard Armstrong, who raised the topic
at the meeting, said Sunday the idea of
building a new bookstore is "idle specu
lation" instead of a formal proposal. He
said he has not examined the idea closely
enough to advocate it.
"Any number of ideas about the book
store are floated from time to time," Arm
strong said. "This is no more significant
than any of those."
Armstrong said the idea of building a
new bookstore arose out of conversations
he had with UNL business manager Ray
Coffey.
Consolidate sales area
Coffey said a new bookstore consoli
dating the three existing sales areas in the
Union basement would have better service,
labor efficiency and sales volume. A new
building would also increase the book
store's present sales area of 7,000 square
feet.
Two possible locations have been dis
cussed. A member of the Centra! Planning
Committee at a September meeting sug
gested building an addition to the Union in
the parking lot east of the building, which
would also include two to three levels of
metered parking. At the Dec. 19 Union
staff meeting, Armstrong said the parking
lot north of the Union might be used.
The construction could be financed by
the surplus portion of bond funds that fi
nance repairs of student buildings on
campus-the Union, the Student Health
Center, and the residence halls, Coffey
said.
Paid by sales
He said the funds could be repaid by in
creased sales at the new bookstore.
"I have no intention of asking for an
increase in student fees to build a book
store," Coffey said.
The Central Planning Committee has
not yet discussed building a new
bookstore, Coffey said, but may take up
the matter if it receives favorable reaction.
The idea met with mixed reactions at
the staff meeting, Armstrong said.
"I do not recall the details of the dis
cussion but there were different views
about it," Armstrong said.
Union director Al Bennett said he had
no comment about the meeting or the
bookstore.
ASUN president Ken Marienau said
while he welcomed proposals to change the
bookstore, he was against funding the
building with bond surpluses.
Students should be included in any
plans to build or manage a new bookstore,
he said.
Student input
Union Board secretary John Kreuscher
was also against using bond surplus funds,
he said.
Like Marienau, Kreuscher said he felt
that "while there may be some benefit to
building a new bookstore, there should be
some student input in all aspects of the
project."
Constructing a new building joins
several proposals to change the manage
ment, location, and fiscal policy of the
University Bookstore.
Armstrong said he has also considered
renovating the basement of the Union to
create one sales area.
The Chancellor's Fund B study group
report in October recommended that all
non-student organizations occupying space
in the Union, including the bookstore, pay
rent. The University Bookstore currently
pays three percent of its gross to the Uni
versity , but pays no rent to the Union.
Union responsibility
The Fund B study and the Union Board
also suggested the bookstore turn over its
management and fiscal responsibilities to
the Union.
Kreuscher said he would like to see the
bookstore subject to student review.
Bookstore profits should benefit all stu
dents, he said, perhaps by reducing stu
dent fees. If the bookstore turned its
profits over to the Union, the Union could
reduce the amount of student fee money it
annually requests, Kreuscher said.
As a result, he said, student fees could
either be lowered or kept at their present
level for three to five years.
Kreuscher said at least six other Big
Eight school bookstores located in unions
pay rent or profits to the unions.
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"Slip sliding away". . .as the song goes, so go Lincoln motorists.
Photo by Jwry Mc8rid