tuesday, march 4, 1980
lincoln, nebraska, vol. 104, no. 37
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V 71 II U " u
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Legislature cuts $750,000 from NU budget request
By Gordon Johnson
In the second round of budget discussions Monday, the
Legislature's Appropriations Committee tentatively cut
$750,000 from the NU budget request which would have
upgraded NU employee retirement benefits.
During the budget meeting, senators discussed cutting
$250,000 which would help pay Student Union utilities.
They also moved the NU ombudsmans' offices from the
"cut" list back onto the tentative budget.
Last week the committee made a list of tentative bud
get cuts and additions. Monday the committee went
through the. items listed as top priority cuts and additions
to whittle the budget down to $6505 million.
The senators also tentatively agreed to appropriate $7
million in Legislative discretionary funds for the
implementation of other bills passed this session.
Sen. Shirley Marsh of Lincoln said that the $750,000
in employee retirement improvement money would be
the smart place to cut the budget since the Legislature
failed to pass LB817, which would have allowed the NU
Board of Regents to raise the amount of money withheld
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from employee salaries to pay for increased pensions.
The NU budget request asked for $421316 for UNL
employees, $123,673 for UNO, $198,737 for the Univer
sity of Nebraska Medical Center and $5,774 for central
administration employees.
Sens. Donald Dworak of Columbus and Ralph Kelly of
Grand Island asked the committee to cut $221,095 for
NU and state college student union utilities.
1 don't believe the student unions are a tax -supported
insititution," Kelly said. "They are a private club for the
students." .
Kelly acknowledged that people other than students
use the union, saying the unions should charge more for
their services to meet rising energy costs.
The two senators were unsuccessful in an earlier
attempt to get the utilities removed from the priority list.
However, they were successful last week in getting the
NU ombudsmans offices funding request cut.
This week, the senators decided to go ahead with
financial support for the two offices located on the UNL
and UNO campuses. The $88,588 request broke down to
$47,868 for the UNL ombudsman's office and $40,720
for me UNO ombudsman's office.
The regents have asked the Legislature for a total
appropriation of $133.6 million for fiscal year 1980-81.
Gov. Charles Thone has recommended that NU receive
only $1255 million.
The university's appropriation would be a sizeable
chunk of the entire state budget of $6575 million, which
represents a 7.7 percent increase over last year's appro
p nation. ,
The governor's recommendations for the university is
83 percent over this year's level, but the regents have
asked for a budget increase of 15 percent.
Photo by Jon Natvig
The low temperature and evening haze set the scene for the full moon rising Sunday evening. Hopefully, '
we can look forward to some spring weather if the old cliche, "in like a lion, out like a lamb," holds true
for the month of March.
Pogo A-GoGo: Reluctant presidential candidate Pogo
, Possum, from the pen of Walt Kelly, tries one more
time .... .... . . Page 6
Thorogood Destroys Omaha: Sold -out Music Hall concert
by George Thorogood and the Destroyers has them
V dancing in the aisles Page 8
Recognition finally: The Huskers finally get noticed for
their accomplishments and honors ........ Page 10
Academic malnutrition hampering UNL-Munson
By Kent Warneke
Editor's note: This is the second in a series of profiles
on ASUN presidential candidates. The profiles appear in
the order candidates' names appear on the ballot.
The signs of malnutrition, already are evident on the
UNL campus and starvation is just around the corner,
according to one ASUN presidential candidate.
Tim I. Munson said the starvation is not in terms of
physical wants or needs, but in terms of academic excel
lence at UNL.
"And in the past, all starving people have risen up
against the oppressive regimes and that is what I'm going
to work for here," Munson said.
Munson is the presidential candidate of the LSD party.
His running mates are Dan Swinarski for first vice presi
dent and Paul Richardson for second vice president.
Although Munson is pursuing what he calls drastic and
radical changes in a generally conservative state, he said he
does not believe that he will hit a dead end .
"A recent example is the situation in Iran, where a
basically conservative religious group of people was by no
means conservative in the means they have attempted to
achieve their goals " Munson said.
Personal goal
Munson said his goal is to make UNL one of the 10
most influential universities in the nation.
However, to accomplish the goal, many things will be
needed to be abolished or radically changed, he said.
ASUN still will be called by the same name under Mun
son's proposals, but will be in effect a coalition with the
faculty senate, because they are employees of the univer
sity and serve the students, Munson said.
The abolition of the NU Board of Regents also will be
called for if he is elected, Munson said, and in upcoming
elections, a minimum grade point average of 325 would,
be required to run for an ASUN senatorial position.
"It's time that the true leaders of the campus come
from the academic ranks," Munson said. t4Others don't
deserve to be in a position to determine policy."
If the regents resist efforts to dissolve their board,
Munson said he plans to have many students assemble on
the State Capitol steps on Jan. 1 , 1981, sit there for 30
days and not allow a legislative session to occur.
Violence possible .
If force is taken against the LSD party, Munson said,
peaceful means will be used first in retaliation and then, if
necessary , violence will follow .
'The greatest strides in history have not been made
with pacifistic means, however," Munson said. "We
believe that violence will probably have to be taken."
Munson said he also proposes to place Greek houses in
the hands of the residence halls and seeks to eliminate all
athletics that are not financially self-supporting.
Revenue from men's basketball and football, which are
self-supporting, would be given to UNL financial aids.
Munson also said that if elected, he and his executives
would donate 33 percent of their salaries to financial aid.
Munson said he and his party are totally dedicated to
logic, and his party accepts a unidimensionalist theory of
academia, which isn't to be confused with Marxism.
No political prostitution
"I'm a thinker who does not behave in terms of
political prostitution, and I didn't begin this campaign to
please everyone but rather to improve the university;
Munson said.
Munson said he is looking forward to the ASUN presi
dential candidates' debates this week and he said he
believes people will be surprised at the outcome.
"The other candidates will see the great amount of in
formation and knowledge I have about ASUN and the
UNL budget among other things " Munson said. "And I
will show that the lack of creative thinking is what has
proven ASUN ineffective in the past."
Munson said he and his running mates have been physi
cally and verbally abused since the beginning of their
campaign and also have received threats on their lives.
"But I have never ceased to abandon this campaign,"
Munson said. "All of this is worth it, things have to start
somewhere and this is not an isolated event - it is a beginning."
Photo by Mark &Kinp!y
ASUN presidential candidate Tun Munson.
