Wednesday, february 7, 1979
lincoln, nebraska vol. 102 no. 74
n 1 f -nnrrf-fr' -iTr
Bennett's 'stress-related' leave
requires switch in staff positions
Photo by Mark Billingsley
Union Director Al Bennett
By Cindy Cogliajfese
Barb Richardson
As of yesterday Nebraska Union director Allen Bennett
is on the medical leave of absence until the end of Febru
ary on the advice of his physician, according to Richard
Armstrong, vice chancellor for student affairs.
Armstrong said he anticipated an update at the end of
February concerning Bennett's health. Bennett's return or
continued absence will be based on the update, Armstrong
said.
Although Armstrong would not say what Bennett's
health problem is, Daryl Swanson, associate director and
East Union manager, said Bennett's health problem was
stress-related. Swanson added that Bennett has a long his
tory of stress-related health problems.
More responsibility
"For the month of February the Union staff will pro
bably carry more responsibility," Armstrong said. "Mr.
Swanson will be coordinator of the Union's activities."
.j
Although Armstrong was not sure if Swanson would be
the coordinator of Union activities and continue responsi
bilities as East Union director, Swanson said Tony Warner,
program coordinator of Campus Activities and Programs,
will sit in as East Union director during Bennett's absence.
Admitting to the crucial untimeliness of Bennett's
leave, Armstrong said decisions about current Union pro
jects will be made during Bennett's absence. Armstrong
said these projects inclue the selection of a new food man
ager, the reorganization of the Union's accounting system
and a student survey on the Union.
Status quo
Swanson said he "will be working closely with Dr.
Armstrong to maintain the status quo." He added that he
would have less than full responsibility in making deci
sions. Discussing Bennett's conflicts with recently proposed
changes in the Union, Armstrong said Bennett's 20 or
more years as Union director have been a cause for minor
resistance to proposed program changes.
Armstrong said this would be natural for anyone who
has had so much imput in the shaping the Union.
"Mr. Bennett has been supportive of some of the
changes in the Union," Armstrong said. He added that
Bennett has actively supported realigning the Union's ac
counting system and has given a great deal of support to
the selection of a food service manager.
Engineering faculty members criticize Dean Hanna
By Scott Nelson
In the last six months an increasing amount of atten
tion has been raised by students, faculty, administrators
and regents about the condition of the College of
Engineering and Technology.
Although opinions vary on how bad things are, all of
those interviewed agreed on the same problems.
The College of Engineering and Technology is in a
serious financial crunch, and massive additional funding
must be found immediately.
The college desperately needs more professors. Class
space shortage is critical, and enrollment restrictions
planned for the fall of 1979 are at best a temporary
solution.
According to George Hanna, dean of the college, the
problems are the results of the tremendous demand for
engineering students, which has caused skyrocketing
enrollment, a serious shortage of faculty and an increasing
gap between the college's needs and budgeted money.
Low on resources
"Our problem is the resources are not enough to meet
the demands of the program," Hanna said.
After accounting for inflation, he said, the college re
ceives only three percent more money than it did in 1972,
while enrollment has increased 31 percent during the same
period.
Hanna said the demand for engineers by industry
makes it very difficult to find qualified instructors.
An engineer with a masters degree can go into industry
with a starting salary of between $20,000 and $21,000,
while UNL offers new professors with advanced degrees
between $17,000 and $19,000, he said.
Hanna said the low salary is the main reason the college
has been 11 faculty members short of it's budgeted
number for more than a year, and even further behind the
number needed to meet the school's enrollment.
"We can't even hope to meet the market price, the
only thing we can do is to get the word out to more
people," he said!
Need graduate students
Hanna said he is attempting to increase
research and graduate student grants in order to attract
more graduate students, who might lighten the already
heavy teaching load on the engineering faculty.
Ned Hedges, vice chancellor for academic affairs, con
firmed that he has promised Dean Hanna $72,000 to build
the graduate program .
He said he was not sure where the money will come
from, but mentioned the possibility of matching funds
with the University Foundation.
Hanna also said the college faces an equipment shor
tage, and even if instruments are depreciated at half the
accepted value, funding for repair and replacement of
equipment has been far below the need.
"You can't even keep up. The value of the dollar has
dropped so much we have no more buying power than we
did in 1972," Hanna said.
Hedges said he has more than doubled the departments'
allocation for equipment, from $90,000 in 1977 to
$215,000 in 1978, but both Hanna and Hedges agree that
is not nearly enough to solve the problem.
Hanna said he is optimistic about the future of the
college and said he feels the changes have already beguii.
"We have the attention of the administration and they
are doing everything they can," Hanna said.
Many faculty members are much more skeptical and
say Hanna is admitting only part of the problem.
Six faculty members contacted by the Daily Nebraskan
said Dean Hanna has shown no leadership and has little
contact with faculty members.
They were reluctant to be quoted by name because
they said they thought Hanna was a vindictive dean.
They said Hanna has punished several faculty members
for speaking out about the engineering programs by re
stricting salary increases and advancement.
All said the engineering program was in bad shape and
that faculty moral was very low.
"The faculty has no faith, no confidence in the dean
and don't think he has been effective," said one faculty
member.
No understanding
Another said Hanna doesn't understand the faculty and
pointed out that Hanna was director of the Ohio State
University water resources project for 10 to 12 years be
fore becoming dean at UNL.
"His background is in administration as opposed to
teaching," the source said.
Several faculty members expressed their
concern over Hanna's unavailability to faculty members.
They said Hanna takes more than 15 trips a year to en
gineering workshops and conventions, and while he may
be one of the best known men in the field of engineering
education,7he is little known to the UNL engineering
setthy".'"
Many of the faculty members said they are also
unhappy with the university administration and said uni
versity resources have been poorly allocated.
They produced figures which show that while the per
centage of students enrolled in the College of Arts and
Sciences has gone down 12 percent, on a 1973 basis its
allocation has increased 51 percent.
Teachers College enrollment percentage has dropped al
most 15 percent while the based budget has increased 60
percent.
List of perceptions
At a meeting of the College of Engineering and Tech
nology on Jan. 9, a faculty member presented a list of 1 1
perceptions on the situation the college faces.
The faculty members voted unanimously to adopt the
list as the views of the engineering faculty and to send
copies to Hedges, and UNL Chancellor Roy Young.
Hedges, who was at the meeting but left before the
vote was taken, said he received a copy. Young said he
also received a copy of the faculty's view.
Continued on page 9
Engineering college review planned
By Scott Nelson
A review of the College of Engineering and Technology
and its administration is in the works, according to Vice
Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Ned Hedges.
If the review takes place it will be a hard fought vic
tory for faculty members who have been asking for a re
view of the college for almost a year.
But many faculty members are skeptical.
They said they have heard promises of review and, as
of yet, none of the promises have come through.
Overcrowded classes, inadequate and uncompetitive
salaries, too few faculty members and insufficient funds
to keep pace with skyrocketing enrollment are a few of
the problems faculty members want examined.
A faculty member, who asked to remain anonymous,
said "If we can get the program review and these problems
out in the open, maybe something will be done."
Struggle in March
The plans for a review have been going on for a year,
the faculty member said, but the real struggle began at a
March 1978 Faculty Senate meeting.
Senators representing the College of Engineering and
Technology proposed a resolution at the March meeting
to review all college programs (including the engineering
program) as outlined in the UNL bylaws. The resolution
passed unanimously.
One faculty senator said, at the time of passape.
it seemed ironic that the senate should have to call for a
resolution to obey the UNL bylaws.
Hedges accepted the resolution, but the engineering
college was not yet among the colleges reviewed.
In September 1978, five engineering department
spokesmen from UNL and the University of Nebraska at
Omaha approached Hedges and asked that the engineering
college be reviewed.
According to one source, Hedges promised a plan for
review by Nov. 1 , but no review was made by that date
nor was an explanation offered by Hedges to the chairman.
UNL, UNO discussion
On Dec. 16, Omaha Regent Kermit Hansen invited a
total of 17 faculty members from UNL and UNO to
discuss the problems in the engineering programs at both
schools.
Continued on page 6
Q00S1
vjednssday
Bridging the gap: Legislature gas tax bill would
allow the state to maintain roads and
bridges page 5
Out on the town: Ben T. Shomshor reviews the
merits of late night eating places page 8
Like a yo-yo: Nebraska's basketball team has had
its ups and downs, but Cipriano hopes K-State
will redeem it page 10