r
number 8
university of nebraska-lincoln
august 2, 1979
Meg
emt hoiild handle ehargeenatr
By Gordon Johnson
Three state senators concluded Tuesday that charges
made by Marianne Davidson against UNL business
professor Wayne Dobson should be handled by the NU
Board of Regents.
Senators George Burrows of Adams, Richard Maresh of
Milligan and Harold Sleek of Pleasant Dale met with
Davidson for two hours Tuesday. The senators then met
with dean of the Business College, Gary Schwendiman and
Dobson.
Davidson has charged that Dobson violated university
bylaws by missing classes to teach at a private banking
school and by acquiring outside paid consultantships.
Sieck said some charges have merit, but added he felt
the university has taken care of them.
"There were just a couple of items that were on the
shady side, but nothing very serious," he said.
Davidson has attempted twice to present evidence in
support of her claims to the regents, out has been denied
both times.
At the June board meeting, Davidson was denied time
to present a report which outlined her charges against
Dobson because, according to board chairman Robert
Koefoot, she did not follow proper procedure.
However, after following proper procedure in July, she
was again denied time -because Koefoot, from Grand
Island, said she was Dursuing a "personal vendetta."
"The regents dropped the ball when the charges were
first brought up," Sieck said.
"What made us go to Dobson and Schwindiman was
because she (Davidson) came to us and said no one else
would listen to her," Sieck said. N
It is time to get the information out in public, Sieck said.
Burrows also agreed that the regents dropped the ball
by not allowing Davidson to speak.
Since the board allowed Dobson to present his side it is
only fair that Davidson should also be given a chance, he
said.
Burrows said he is disappointed in the way the regents
handled the case.
If the board just sits on this one, the only recourse for
the legislature may be the witholding of funds, Burrows
said. This is the only way the legislature has any control
over the university, he said.
At the board's July meeting, Koefoot, after consuming
with NU attorney Richard Wood, said that lor the board to
follow the state's open meetings law, it must give
Davidson a chance to speak.
Davidson was then given permission to speak at the
September board meeting. No meeting is scheduled for
August.
Davidson said she is working on a new report and trying
to find more substantiation for her allegations.'
"I have been spending a lot of time looking at the
accounts," she said. She declined to be more specific
about some of the other areas she will be looking into.
Ned Hedges, vice chancellor for academic affairs said he
has asked Davidson, to meet with himself and Schwend
iman later this month.
He said he hopes to answer questions relating to
Davidson's charges.
continued on page 2
Regents vote tuition hike
Cuca? Kirk plant for reemmdemtiom
By Shelley Smith
The NU Board of Regents can expect op
position to the 1980-81 budget request ap
proved Saturday, according to University
of Nebraska-Lincoln Student Regent Bud
Cuca.
The regents voted 5-2 to approve the re
quest that would require a 10 percent
undergraduate tuition increase and a state
aid increase "not to exceed 15 percent.1
Cuca, who serves as president of the
Association of Students of the University
of Nebraska (ASUN), said he and Universi
ty of Nebraska at Omaha Student Regent
John Kirk plan to ask the board to recon
sider its vote at the Sept. 14 meeting.
The budget request, which was amend
ed from NU President Ronald Roskens'
recommendation of a 19.6 percent state aid
increase, must be submitted to Gov.
Charles Thone by Sept. 15.
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Cuca said he and Kirk had planned to
ask the regents to limit the tuition hike to
a 5 percent increase last Saturday, but
became confused during the budget
debate and "didn't get a chance" to offer
the amendment.
"I thought John was going to do it and
he, I guess, thought I was going to," Cuca
said.
Cuca said he would have asked for a
reconsideration vote Saturday, but the
meeting was adjourned before he could
make the motion.
The proposal would raise resident
undergraduate tuition rates from $24 per
credit hour to $26.40 in 1980. Non-resident
rates would increase from $65 per credit
hour to $71.50. .
Tuition at the College of Medicine would
be raised 25 percent and 20 percent in den
tistry and pharmacy.
Thone opposition
The budget request could also meet op
position when it is presented to Thone in
September. Thone has said a university
budget increase of 15 percent would be
"reaching too far," -
Regent Robert Simmons of Scottsbluff
proposed Saturday the budget increase be
limited to 7 percent and requested that
faculty salaries be increased by 10 per
cent. v . ,
Simmons said because the Legislature
cut NU's operating budget by 10 percent
last May, the faculty was forced to "pay
for our mistake."
"Our faculty cannot afford this pro
cedure again," he said.
He added that the problem the board an
nually confronts is trying "to be too many
things for too many, and spreading our
funds among more faculty than we can af
ford." Tuition hike "easier"
Hubert Brown, ASUN first vice presi
dent, asked the board the reasoning
behind increasing tuition when the
Legislature won't increase state funding.
He argued it was "easier" for the ad
ministration to increase tuition, and said
that even with the increase "there would
be no measurable change in educational
quality."
Brown added that tuition rates, if in
creased 10 percent, would be the highest
in the Big Eight .
continued on page 2
Journ. 'college' discussed
The University of Nebraska-lincoln
Journalism School should have been
made an independent coJege five years
ago, according to Journalism School
Director R. Neale Copple?
. Copple, Saturday, told the NU Board
of Regents who will vote on the school's
autonomy in September, that the pro
posed separation is the" result of 25
years of evolution. c r
- The journalism school began appear
' ing as one of the nation top 10 jour
.'naSism schools 10 years ago and , was
recently listed in the top eight by the
Chronicle of Higher Education, he said.
Now, he saidrta order for the school
to progress, it must have the flexibility
of a free standing unit. -'-
This involves the , quality of jour
- mlisni at the University of Nebraska,,
he said.- . '
However, Vice : Chancellor of
Academic ACiIra Ned Hedges told the
board that not everyone approves of
the school's separation from the Arts
and Sciences college.
Most of the opposition. Hedges said,
involve financial questions.
Hedges said the separation will spur
additional costs to the journalism
school, but added that they would be
minor because the school already
handles their own records and advising.
If made a college, the journalism
school would have its own budget,
develop its courses, establish its
graduation criteria and be directly
responsible to Hedges and UNL
Chancellor Roy Young.
Copple, who would be made dein,
said he believes the school could solve
financial problems because of donor
willingness to give to a journalism col
lege rather than to a school within a col-,
lege. ,.,-'