n n n Wednesday, march 5, 1980 lincoln, nebraska vol. 104, no. 38 Budget cramctii comld force two college closings By Lucy Bighia . The NU colleges of engineering and business administr ation could be forced to seriously curtail their programs even close down-if the university's current budget crunch continues, according to Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Larry Andrews. A severe lack of funds is forcing the university to re evaluate seriously the ability of its colleges, especially the colleges of engineering and business. administration, to provide quality education, Andrews said. t ' The university doesn't have enough money now to offer competitive faculty salaries, Andrews said. 'We're barely able to compete with the other schools (in the Big Eight). We're just barely in the ball park right now," Andrews said. "How can we hope to attract the faculty we need when other schools of engineering are offering much better salaries, and business opportunities are paying even more?" . Lyle Young, associate dean of the College of Engineer- v M 'l hi imm ' Photo by Tom Gessndt Ed Stenger, 6315 0 St., finds the Centrum a good place to get out of the weather and read a book. ing and Technology, agreed that NU faculty positions are . "very difficult to fill because our salaries are not competi tive (with other schools in the country.)" "I think we'd be right down at the bottom, Young said. Young said the college has 13 faculty positions it is un able to fill because of low salaries. This has forced the college to tighten academic stand ards in order to handle its increasing number of students, he said. He said during the past five years the college has experienced a 56 percent increase in student enrollment but only a 6 percent increase in the number of faculty members. 'The main consequence of this is that we've had to start turning away students," Young said. "Last year there were 600 student class requests we couldn't take care of. If there was more of a (financial) crunch, we might have to turn away even more." A temporary solution the college is attempting is the use of part-time professors, Young said. Currently, about 20 percent of the college's faculty is part-time," he said. Part-time professors are easier to attract because they don't rely on their teaching salaries to support themselves, Young said. Although the practice of using part-time help saves the university money, it is not held in high esteem by accreditation agencies, he said. Thus, both the percentage of part-time professors and the high ratio of students to faculty could hurt the engineering college's ratings in the future, Young said. "It's simply a matter of quality," Young said. "If our level of financial support stays the same, the quality of our program will slip," According to Andrews, such a drop in quality could force the colleges of engineering and business administration to close down. College of Business Administration Dean Gary' Schwendiman was unavailable for comment Tuesday afternoon. -v uosmg tne engmenne couege, Andrews said, wou. mean "discontinuing the only comprehensive engineering program offered in the state of Nebraska." cut roung saia ne aouots sucn drastic measures win have to be taken. "I don't think the state of Nebraska would let that happen. I think they will come to our rescue," Young said. Bu dg et process to be top priority for Wessels , By Kent Warneke Editor's note: This is the third in a series of profiles on ASUN presidential candidates. The profiles appear in the order candidates names will appear on the ballot. ASUN presidential candidate Renee Wessels is a re search analyst for Lincoln Sen. Steve Fowler. v "People ask me why I want to give up a position where I learn a great deal, meet influential people and also earn a sizable amount of money," Wessels said. "Even my parents asked me that." The reason, she said, is that she cares. "I think of myself as an organized, open-minded indi vidual who is deeply concerned with student problems on campus," Wessels said. "And I want the opportunity to represent students and be in a position to be able to do something about those problems." Wessels is the US party candidate for president. Maury Higgins and Glenn Poppert are her running mates for the first and second vice president's positions. Because of her job in the Legislature, Wessels said she believes she can understand the perspectives of both a stu dent and a state senator on issues such as the budget. She also said she understands, but doesn't always agree with the perspectives of the administration. Legislative process - "My understanding of the legislative process can be brought back and applied to ASUN, which will help when speaking on student concerns as a student regent," Wessels said. "There are allies with state senators that students can count on, allies we haven't always had in the past." TTie top priority for Wessels and the US party concerns the budget process. Students need to be involved with the budget as it is drawn up in the departmental level, and not just be a reactionary voice, Wessels said. Students should be involved with administrators and staff examining priorities, because students and admini strators priorities do not always agree, she said. "The library closings, higher tuition and everything else they all relate back to the budget," Wessels said. "Students should have the opportunity for a direct relay at every level of the budgetary process." Allies sought Allies must be sought inside and outside the university community, with the first natural ally being the faculty, Wessels, a junior business administration major from ' Weeping Water, said. . .... 1 Allies also must be formed in the Legislature to make all state senators realize that NU is a concern for all of the state's districts, not just the Lincoln area, she said. ' "With my background r I feel I have a real edge in this," Wessels said. "There are a number of senators who are sympathetic to students' concerns." State senators remember when they were students and the frustration they encountered when they were involved with student government, Wessels said, , . ' Working for the control of student fees to allow stu dents direct arid final authority over the money, and putting ASUT in contact with students are two more goals that Wessels said she wants to accomplish if elected. !" Student impact Wessels said a student regent has a real opportunity to channel student impact. She said she would be relentless if a strong stance is called for. "Just because a student regent doesn't have a vote does not necessarily mean he or she doesn't have a voice," she said. However, the day-to-day matters concerning ASUN are just as important, because the big things aren't achieved if the little things aren't done, she said. "The president can't do it alone, and it takes a manage ment type of person to see that the work gets done," Wessels said. "I personally feel organization is my forte." In addition to her job in the Legislature, Wessels has served as an ASUN senator for more than a year, was chairman of ASUNs Budget and Fees Committee, was a member of the Chancellor's Task Force on Budget Planning, and has been involved with the Student Alumni Board and the UNL debate team. Confidence lacking The state's lack of confidence in the university is the major problem facing UNL today, Wessels said. The lack of confidence is partially due to such a large structure, since suspicion comes with size. There is also a public feeling of suspicion about the administration, she said. . The NU central administration should be much more open to students and also to the people who pay for it, Wessels said. "The University of Nebraska should be as much a representative' of the state as it is an investment," Wessels said. . .. "Students need to unite, b'ecause divisiveness hampers effectiveness," Wessels said. "And with that I think I can bring experience and vitality to represent all parts of campus as well as possible." Dally NbrMkan Photo ASUN presidential candidate Renee Wessels