n n n
monday, february 18, 1980
lincoln, nebraska vol. 104, no. 26
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Regents order review of university hiring policy
By Michelle Carr
As a result of testimony from architect
Richard Dunn, the NU Board of Regents
Saturday directed university administrators
to review NU 's hiring policy .
Dunn alleges that the correct procedures
were not used in the evaluation of his ap
plication for a full-time position in the
UNL College of Architecture and that he
was discriminated against because he is a
graduate of NU.
Regent Robert Simmons of Scottsbluff
requested the review of the hiring policy.
Simmons said "this is a matter of the uni
versity of discrimiriating against Nebraska."
Dunn said the hiring for the two posi
tions which he was denied, was against the
college's bylaws. The job descriptions were
prepared without faculty advice, and the
college's Architecture Advisory Board did
not meet as a board as required, he said.
"Contrary to Chancellor (Roy) Young's
statement to the Lincoln Journal, the de
partment advisory board did not screen the
candidates," Dunn said.
No graduates hired ,
No NU graduates have been hired for
a full-time position in the. architecture
college since 1973, when Cecil Steward be
came dean of the college, Dunn said. He
also said the university does not have a
formal procedure for persons who do not
receive appointments.
The regents agreed that the college by
laws were violated, but were divided on
what action should be taken.
Regent James Moylan of Omaha said
the ratio of NU graduates in faculty posi
tions should be examined and a procedure
should be established to set a percentage
for NU graduates in faculty positions in all
NU colleges.
However, Richard Kennedy, the Univer
sity of Nebraska Medical Center student
regent, disagreed with the percentage re
quirement. He said that working with the
same faculty members who taught the
subject would cause graduates to become
narrow and miss other views.
" Graduates "need to go elsewhere to
broaden their scope," Kennedy said.
Percentages questioned
Regent Ed Schwartzkopf of Lincoln
said "a program of excellence cannot have
percentages."
Regent Robert Raun of Minden also
questioned the percentage requirement. He
asked Dunn if animosity would exist if he
were to be hired as a faculty member in the
Cupid's valentine arrows
sting Lincoln sweethearts
architecture college.
Dunn replied that he would "have no
problem with it," but that Steward and
Department Chairman Homer Puderbaugh
also would have to be questioned.
Stephen Sample, NU executive vice
president for academic affairs, pointed out
that the definition of an NU graduate
could complicate the situation. He said
that all faculty members who teach at the
university for more than a year are consid
ered Nebraskans. Residents of other states,
who graduate from NU also would have to
be considered in the definition, he said.
Dunn said he appeared before the
regents because he had exhausted the com
plaint procedures through the university.
"The grievance procedure is a long road
from Architecture Hall to. Regents Hall,"
he said. "1 tried to keep it (the grievance)
in the university family."
By Pain George
Seemingly undaunted by the blistering
cold and icy sidewalks, a scantily -clad
stalker awaited unsuspecting lovers and
others on Valentine's Day. '
Many of those carousing around the
UNL campus or making the bar rounds
J-ek-clA.- received a ..special valentine
message from Cupid himself, pink flesh and
all.
Clad only in a drooping diaper, floppy .
red slippers, tights and stiff wings on his
back, the skinny, curly-haired Cupid braved
the sleet and wind to visit restaurants and
bars in Lincoln.
"It's not really that cold out," Cupid
said after startling the patrons of
Godfather's with his act, "because I'm just
so into love."
Cupid, otherwise known as Marc Willy,
23, a part-time UNL student, interrupted
the UNL American Association of Univer
sity Professors meeting.
Willy said he hid behind the podium and
aimed at the speaker, physics Prof, Dan
Schlitt, with one of his love arrows, but
instead hit UNL English professor Robert
Haller.
Disrupted meeting
He also disrupted a Model United
Nations meeting.
"The speaker asked me to leave and said
I had not been recognized," Willy said
laughing. "But 1 was really into Cupid and
acted like I didn't understand."
Willy, who is a clown by trade and per
forms pantomimes did not usually converse
with anyone he came into contact with.
"My idea of Cupid is that he is not very
verbal. It gets in his way of spreading
love," he said.
Willy said he has always been fascinated
by Cupid, who according to Roman myth-,
ology, is the mischievous son. of the god
dess of love, Venus.
"I have never seen anybody personify
him before so I decided to try lit," he ex
plained. Although some establishments paid him
for his act, Willy said he visited many
places just for fun.
Cupid also stalked people in the streets,
moving swiftly and hiding laughter under
a sheepish grin. "People were scared to be
shot, but they wanted to be," Willy claimed
' '
Favorable reactions
Willy described most reactions as favor
able, saying many people played along
after being shot with an arrow.
"They would feel the love and then hug
their boyfriend or girlfriend," he said.
"One many shouted 'Hey, thanks a lot
for hitting me a year ago, I'm getting
married tomorrow,' ' Willy said.
At several downtown establishments
Willy said the crowd laughed "hysterical
ly," and seemed to enjoy his silent, mis
chievous antics.
Continued on page 2
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Photo by Mark Billingsley
The mythical character Cupid came to life in the person of UNL student Marc Willy
Valentine's Day, shooting love arrows and passing out candy hearts to amused UNL
students and patrons of local establishments.
Chairman selection methods bring criticism
By Kent Warneke
Concern has developed in UNL's Agricultural
Communications Dept. about the methods used and time
spent in the. search for a new department chairman.
Comments from numerous ag communication staff
members, one of whom requested anonymity have voiced
doubts, disappointments and a lack of information on the
procedure.
Some of the issues raised include the selection of
members on the search committee, the lack of
information given to the ag communication staff on the
status of the position and the information received that
one' of, the four candidates selected by the search
committee has not been told that he is a candidate.
Ralston J. Graham originally planned to retire from his
position as ag communication director July 1, 1979, but
postponed it until Dec. 3 1 , 1979. According to the undis
closed source, Martin Massengale, vice-chancellor of the
Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources, had asked
Graham to postpone his retirement until a new depart
ment head could be,choscn.
The source said that with Graham's announcement in
April, 1979, of his proposed July retirement, no move was
made to start a search committee to replace him. With the
subsequent later retirement date, a search committee was
then formed in July to begin the replacement process.
Committee formed
The search committee, whose members were chosen
by Massengale after discussion with various deans and
directors, was organized on June 20 with 13 members,
three of which were from ag communications.
Concern was raised when senior members of the.
department, Profs. Dee Clouse, Dan Lutz and Bart
Stewart, were not put on the search committee, the
source said.
"It's the administration's prerogative as to who is
picked, but 1 felt 1 was qualified," Lutz said. "And it
would have been nice to have seen greater departmental
representation."
Clouse said, "I was a little surprised that I wasn't
picked because I felt I was certainly qualified. I guess I
didn't know what kind of criteria were used in the
selection
Massengale said the members were picked in an
attempt to form a well-balanced committee. He said no
one was placed on the committee if he was regarded as a
possible candidate for the position because of seniority.
Both Clouse and Lutz joined the department in the
1950s and Stewart joined in 1965. The three members of
the committee included Profs. Virginia Book, who joined
the department in 1964, and John Adams and James
Randall both of whom joined in the 1970s.
Adams, who chaired the search committee, said four
candidates' names were turned in to Massengale in late
September.
Those candidates included: Donald Springer of the
University of Kentucky-Lexington; Delmar Hatesohl of
the University of Missouri-Columbia; Richard Fleming of
UNL and Art Higbee of Utah State University.
At the present time, Massengale said the university is in
negotiations with the candidates and all the candidates
. still are active in the search.
However, when contacted, Higbee had not received
word that he was a candidate for the position.
Only rumors
"I have heard nothing since the original confirmation
of my application and that was months and months ago,"
Higbee said. "I have heard rumors about the position, but
no type of confirmation at all."
' Continued on page 19
