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thursday, September 4, 1980 .
lincoln, nebraska vol. 105, no. 6
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Arts & Sciences budget cut upsets chairpersons
By Colleen Tittel
UNL College of Arts and Sciences department chair
persons are worried about the effects of a budget cut
imposed last summer on the college.
Last July, Arts and Sciences Dean Max Larsen sent
each department chairperson a memorandum mandating
an emergency 15 percent cut in operating expenses, the
result of a spending pinch cuased by the Legislature's
1980-81 NU budget.
In the memo, part of which was published by the
Lincoln Journal-Star, Larsen said the quality of education
offered to Arts and Sciences students will suffer from
the budget reduction, which affects equipment and other
supplies.
Larsen's statement apparently expressed a universal
opinion. Many department heads say they ar& at a loss
as to how to run an effective department this year on the
limited operating budget.
"It's a good question how we're going to make it
through the year," David Sellmyer, chairman of the
Department of Physics and Astronomy, said.
The physics faculty is trying to conserve equipment
usage in every possible way, Sellmyer said. He said he
Work on Temple
stays on schedule
By Kathy Stokebrand
The Temple building renovation is progressing on
schedule, UNL Construction Engineer John Amend said.
Pat- Overton, theater manager, said the initial com
pletion date was January 1982, but construction now is
scheduled to be completed by September 1981 , for use by
theater arts students next fall.
Classes and theater productions have been relocated.
Qverton said all but one theater arts class has been moved
to Bessey Hall. Classes were moved there last semester
when renovation began.
The arrangement is working well, according to Over
ton, except for some difficulties because Temple building
is three blocks away. A temporary theater has been set up
in Studio 12 of the Koser building, located across the
street from the Temple building.
Overton said the university is renting the studio from
the Nebraska Bookstore.
The temporary theater is arranged similar to a theater
in the round, according to Edward Stauffer, associate pro
fessor of theater arts.
Renovation plans for the building call for the ground
floor to be used primarily for shops and the second and
third floors will be devoted to classrooms and offices,
Stauffer said.
Plans also call for an elevator to be installed. The
estimated cost of the project is $1.98 million, Amend
said.
Demolition work is still going on in the building,
Amend said. Only minor changes will be made in Howell
Theater, located in a corner of the building, and in the
shell of the building. The rest of the building will be com
pletely remodeled.
"We're putting a whole new building inside it," he said.
will not make drastic changes because he hopes some
money will come through. But if things don't get better,
some telephones might have to be removed, an action
that would be "disastrous" for the physics department,
he said.
David Gitlitz, chairman of the Department of Modern
Languages and Literature said he already ahs removed
several phones in the department in response to Larsen's
memo and expects the department to experience a
communications problem as classes begin.
"(Reducing phones) means that it's much harder for
students to reach their teachers and for teachers to get
back to them,4.. Gitlitz said. "We can do it but it wastes
time and frustrates students' attempts to reach their
teachers."
Fewer audiovisuals
Although language lab equipment will be maintained
at its present level, Gitlitz said the amount of other
audiovisual equipment will be reduced. Last year, for
instance, modern language classes were shown four films
about foreign cultures. This year the department will
provide one or more, Gitlitz said.
Also, teachers may be forced to write tests on the
blackboard rather than have them copied, and that
wastes time, he said.
The extent of the budget cut's effect on the modern
language program is difficult to gauge, Gitlitz said.
"I don't know Jiow we'll make it to the end of the
year yet," he said.
Chemistry Department Chairman G.G. Meisels is
worried. The only way his department can continue
to operate with the 15 percent cut in materials, he said,
will be if money comes in later from other than
state sources. If that doesn't happen, he said, he won't
want to head the department any more.
Situation worse
"It's 'pretty serious. It's very much worse than in
past years," Meisels said. The chemistry department's
operating budget has not increased in four years, he said.
The department already has ceased supporting faculty
and undergraduate research with state funds, he said, and
undergraduate experiments must be redesigned so
students can use cheaper materials. Meisels said the
supplies used daily in experiments will be affected by the
cut, not the lab equipment.
Continued on Page 13
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Harlequin romances
Oh my dear -the beauty of your jewels is surpassed
only by the beauty of your soul. A Daily Nebraskan
photographer takes a look behind the scenes at fhe
World's Greatest Show, page 9.
Photo by Mark Billingsley
Some UNL workers confused about Aetna plan
By Steve Miller
"Most of us came out of the in-service
shaking our heads. We just didn't under
stand." University employees were shaking their
heads because of questions unanswered at
the in-service meeting on the university's
new insurance program, a UNL employee
said.
Dan Grosshans, inventory control super
visor, siad that, at least for himself, the
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska
rate increase would have been better than
the new program.
The University switched from Blue
Cross to Aetna Life and Casualty in
August because of an unexpected 25 percent
rate increase with the Blue Cross program.
While the Aetna program will not cost
employees any more than the Blue Cross
program, it requires employees to pay the
first $100 and 10 percent thereafter for
hospital bills.
Grosshans explained in a letter he
brought to the Daily Nebraskan that
because of an injury and his constant need
for medical care, he could not afford the
new program.
"With Aetna paying only 90 percent
of the hospital cost I will be a poor man
quick," Grosshans said in the letter.
Grosshans also explained that because
of the back injury, he requires outpatient
care and medication for a nervous condi
tion. The Aetna program only covers 50
percent or up to $1,000 a year for this
type of service, he said.
Employees not informed
Grosshans complained that during the
orientation about the new insurance,
employees were not informed of the re
duction in mental health care or the 10
percent they would have to pay for hos
pital bills.
Grosshans also said he asked why a
Health Central representative was not at
the orientation to explain its plan. He
was told by a representative that Health
Central had not been informed until too
late about the orientation.
Health Central is an optional in
surance plan that employees may use in
stead of Aetna. Health Central pays more
of the hospital bill and provides more
mental health coverage than Aetna.
Grosshans said that because he was not
informed in time about the Health Central
program it was too late for him to switch.
Administrators fall short
"I feel that they (university administra
tors) fall way short of keeping us informed
about things that greatly affect our lives,"
Grosshans said.
Response to the new insurance from
other UNL employees ranged from favor
able to uninformed.
John Dzerk, operational manager for
custodial services, said employees in his
department seemed to be going along with
the switch.
"We've had a lot of positive reactions
but no negative reactions," Dzerk said.
Dzerk said he thought the new plan
would save employees money in the long
run.
He also siad that, to his knowledge,
there had been no in-service meetings for
employees as of yet.
Ron Pushcar, food service manager, said
he has heard no adverse comments from
employees in his department.
Capt. Robert Edmunds, of the campus
police department, said there has been no
in-service meeting for his department.
While there have been no complaints
yet, Edmunds said no employees have filed
claims. He said there have been a lot of
complaints about the long time Blue Cross
took to honor claims.
' Continued on Page 1 1
See You in Court: Richard Wood serves as
the attorney for all three branches of
NU. Page 10
Where Have AU the Concerts Gone: Local
promoters face obstacles in bringing big
names to Lincoln Page 14
Good Luck Charm: Iowa State Cyclones
hoping for some measure of good luck
in the upcoming season Page 16
