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Wednesday, december 5, 1979
lincoln, nebraska vol. 103 no. 67
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Report su
By Michelle Can
Reduction of the proposed faculty 10 percent pay
increase, elimination of state financing of the Bob
Devaney Sports Complex and an examination of the NU
Central Administration are possible alternatives the Legis
lature could make in dealing with the university budget,
according to a report made by the Legislative Fiscal
Office.
The report, presented the Legislature's Appropriation
Committee meeting Tuesday, stated that the university's
budget may have hurt the university's quality. The report
said that the 1979-80 UNL budget, in reaction to infla
tionary pressures, consisted of combined across-the-board
reductions and reductions in auxiliary functions.
Out of a nearly $1.4 million base budget reduction,
UNL cut equipment budgets and departmental computer
budgets by $800,000. The remainder of the reductions
came in areas such as teaching and research councils, park
ing and security.
ssests reducing
faculty pay hike
However, NU President Ronald Roskens told the
committee that the central administration has three fewer
employees than it did in 1974. In 1974, the administra
tion employed 42 persons and today it employs 39,
Roskens said. ;
FOR THE 1979-80 budget, the central administration
is requesting two percent in state funds, Roskens said.
Compared with other universities which operate on a simi
lar system to NU, this figure is lo.w.he added. The Univer
sity of Missouri, which , is the most similar university to
the NU system, requested 8.4 in state funds in 1979,
Roskens said.
Also discussed at the meeting was a possible restriction
of admissions to off-set other budgetary problems. Young
told the committee unless support is increased, severe
reduction in programs must occur. Effective reduction
probably can be achieved only by setting an "enrollment
ceiling or by restricting admissions to the university," he
said.
, Young noted that the NU Board of Regents has reject
ed an enrollment limit because the tradition of open ad
missions is in the best interest of the people of the state.
Young said that temporary enrollment limits, such as
those instituted in the College of Engineering and the
College of Business Administration, may have to be
applied across UNL colleges or vertical cuts of programs
will have to be made. -
Haberman: LB221 has better chance
ONE PROBLEM with the university's approach to
long-term cost savings, the report said, is that the univer
sity will gradually damage high priority programs and
programs which may be of marginal benefit to either the
institution or the state.
The report said reduction in the faculty salary increase,
could save potential program cuts for the university. The
report concluded that about 1 ,700 UNL faculty members
may require no adjustment or less than a one percent
change to. bring average faculty salaries to the 1978-79
median market rate.
This finding was based on the fact that UNL salaries
are relatively equal with the median salaries which the
Carnegie Commission on Higher Education compiled.
UNL based its salary increase proposal on a different
study, which showed UNL considerably below the
median .
UNL Chancellor Roy ' Young pointed out that the
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pares salaries between instructors in a specific field at
other colleges and, universities, instead of simply compar
ing entire faculties at different colleges and .universities?
In a campus-by-campus evaluation, the report 'suggest
ed fund reduction alternatives and recommended that the
general fund support to the Sports Center be eliminated
or reduced to an amount that would "reflect a more equal
sharing of operating costs."
ACCORDING TO the report, UNL's men's athletics
has generated most of its own operating and facilities
revenues; However, no athletic revenues are used to sup
port the operations of the fieldhouse, the report said.
Another alternative the report recommended includes .
redirecting all or a portion of the state support to other
areas of need such as utilities equipment or departmental
; computer budgets.
The report also examined the NU Central Administra
tion and reported that all staff salaries have increased over
$600,000 during the last ten years. According' to the
report's figures, central administration staff salaries were
$190,507 in 1969, and $796,701 in 1979.
Since 1969, the central administration has added a
vice-president, three assistant vice-presidents, a personnel
director, a general counsel and 9.82 additional support
ing professional staff positions, the report said. The total
professional salary budget is $675,683, compared with a
total professional salary budget of $161,000 in 1969.
, By Kathy Stokebrand
State Sen. Rex Haberman said LB221, which would
raise the Nebraska drinking age to 21 , has a better chance
of passing this year in the Nebraska legislature because
half of the state senators are up for re-election this year.
Haberman was among those speaking at the public
hearing Tuesday night on LB221. The hearing was spon
sored by ASUN's Government Liaison Committee..
The history of Ralph Kelly's attempts to raise the
drinking age to 21 is on page 9. -
The senator, from Imperial, said he has received much
favorable response from the public about the bill. The
large amount of public reaction to this issue might affect
the stand candidates take on the issue, he added.
Haberman said he will support LB221 but it is not the
real solution. The real solution, he said, is enforcing the
Continued on Page 7
Afternoon stroll
Photo by Mark Billingslsy
Unseasonably warm temperatures in the mid-60s
was the only reason Tony Thomson and Carol
Koziol of Lincoln needed to take Tuesday after
noon off for a stroll down a picturesque bicycle
lane in Pioneer's Park.
Nebraska refuses funds to enforce thermostat limits
By Rich Jurgens
Nebraska will refuse federal aid to enforce President Ca
Carter's energy conservation plan to set thermostats at 65
degrees in the winter and 78 degrees in the summer.
William Palmer, Nebraska Energy Office director, said
the federal government has offered aid to Nebraska, but
Nebraska, like a majority of the states, has decided not to
take the responsibility of enforcing the new law-.
Bob Lewis, energy conservation specialist for the fed
Running out: Nebraska's precious water supply may be
come endangered without proper control ...... Page 6
Vampire classic: Nosferatu may be overlooked because of
onslaught of horror movies this y ear-reviewer . . Page 1 0
Building confidence: Nebraska freshman Renee Reisdorff
helping "best ever women's gymnastics squid . Page 12
eral Dept. of Energy, said the Kansas City energy office
would provide money to Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and
Missouri to hire a delegation in each state to enforce and
check it public buildings are keeping thermostats at 65
degrees.
With Carter's energy plan an individual found in viola ,
tion may be fined up to $5,000 per day in civil penalties
and $ 10,000 per day in criminal penalties.
Lewis said hiring state employees to check federal,
state and commercial buildings is the preferred method of
enforcing Carter's plan.
MISSOURI AND Iowa already have declined the fede
ral government's offer, Lewis said.
Palmer said the amount of money to be given wasn't
adequate and the law was not well thought through.
"It would be more rational to require building owners
and managers to save energy, Palmer said. Turning
thermostats down to 65 degrees "is out of the comfort
stage, he said. ;
Palmer said there were hundreds of other ways to save
energy. He said a typical new building, if well constructed,
could be heated by overhead lights and body heat.
Palmer said the Nebraska Energy Office does not check
buildings in Nebraska to see if they are complying with
Carter's plan.
Lewis said the federal government hires people to
check buildings in his four-state region if the states don't
check.
IF A BUILDING required to comply with the law is
found in violation, he said the building is given a 10 -day
notice to comply.
So far, he said, no fines have been given for having
buildings warmer than 65 degrees and roughly 88 percent
of the buildings checked have been in compliance.
Lewis said if a fine is given, who ever controls that
building would pay the fine.
Jim Hines, UNL energy conservation manager, said the
maintenance department is not "the cops. Hines said
either state or. federal officials would have to do the
enforcing.
He said the maintenance department lowered all
thermostats to ' 65 degrees before Carter's plan was
enacted.
If any fines were given at UNL, Hines said it was his
understanding that whoever occupied that space would
have to pay the fine.