n
friday, September 12, 1980
lincoln, nebraska vol. 105, no. 14
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Rutf ord pledges money for Affirmative Action
By Patti Gallagher
The Affirmative Action Office will get $74,000 from
the NU administration, Interim Chancellor Robert
Rutford said Thursday.
The money had been deleted from the proposed 1981
J82 budget, which goes before the NU Board of Regents
for approval today, but Rutford said it will be found from
other areas.
"If we don't get a single dime from the Legislature,
we are still going to have internal reallocation for Af
firmative Action," Rutford said.
The Affirmative Action Office, which finances
programs 'for minorities, women and the handicapped,
originally requested $274,000 for the coming fiscal year.
The figure was cut to $74,000 by the regents in July.
Rutford then totally eliminated the money from the
proposed budget in early August.
According to Rutford, the amount was not included
because the UNL administration already has a commit
ment to providing the money.
The additional allocation is "something we are going to
do whether we get new money or not,' Rutford said.
He said the $74,000 for Affirmative Action was ini
tially included on a list for financing new programs. The list
gave the administration's priorites in setting budget
requests. The final list, however, excluded programs that
are existing and receiving funds.
Rutford explained that the Affirmative Action Office
currently has an operating budget of $74,000. An addi
tional lump sum of $74,000 also was promised. If that
sum was not awarded, he said, the office would continue
to operate with its $74,000 budget.
According to ASUN President Renee Wessels, the chan
cellor made a verbal agreement with her, and thus the
UNL student body, to provide the additional lump sum
of $74,000 to Affirmative Action.
However, the ASUN Senate Wednesday night passed
a resolution condemning the cut of the proposed budget.
The resolution stated that the cut carried "a
non-existent commitment to affirmative action and
equality for all peoples."
According to Wessels, the proposed additional alloca
tion was deleted by Rutford and Vice Chancellor for
Academic Affairs Ned Hedges because "they regard it as
an item that will not gain a great deal of sympathy from
the regents."
Some ASUN members also said the cut might be a
violation of federal law mandating affirmative action pro
grams. But according to the Nebraska Office of Equal
Opportunity, federal law orders only that Affirmative
Action programs exist and set specific goals appropriate
to their constituients.
x'-' " ) Kv 1
Photo by Tom Gessner
It appears life may have been none to kind recently for Debbie Bernard, 28, a senior life sciences major. She is
consoled by Kim Corcoran, 20, also a life sciences major.
If those proposed goals are not met, it will not affect
federal funding, said Peggy Weeks of the state equal
opportunity office.
Weeks said a federal executive order states that all
educational institutions that hold federal contracts are
required to have an Affirmative Action plan.
The promise of an additional $74,000 will allow the
Affirmative Action Office the possible addition of a staff
member, recruitment of minority and women faculty
members, and provide more aids for the handicapped,
according to director Brad Munn.
Munn said that without the additional money, his
office would still exist, but "existing and being able to
do the complete job are two different things.".
Although his original budget request was for $200,000
more than is currently budgeted, Munn said the first
request was "asking for the hill."
The request would have provided a daycare center,
more structural adaptations for the handicapped and
additional scholarship money for minority graduate stu
dents, he said.
Munn emphasized that the scholarship program needs
more support. Because scholarships are not as available
to minority graduates, there is an efficient number of
minority people to recruit toiniversity positions, he said.
Ronsiadt to appear
at Sports Center
Linda Ronstadt will appear Oct. 25 .at the Bob
Devaney Sports Center, according to Stuart Kolnick of
the University Program Council.
Kolnick said Ronstadt, after finishing her run in
New York this summer with the opera "Pirates of
Penzance," by Gilbert and Sullivan, will gf back on tour
in October. '
Kolnick said UPC will work as a laison between the
Sports Complex and show promoter's Contemporary
Productions Inc. of St. Louis and New West of Kansas
City. He said Lincoln radio station KFMQ will be in
volved in some of the advertising for the Ronstadt concert.
UPC said Contemporary Productions mentioned' at
Ronstadt's Omaha concert in April, that she might go
back on tour in the Midwest later this year,
Kolnick said Ronstadt will be guaranteed $50,000,
plus 75 percent of the gate receipts, after all concert costs
were covered. He said seating for the concert will include
about 1,400 floor seats and about 10,500 bleacher seats.
The Sports Center capacity is about 14,000.
Tickets for the Ronstadt concert will go on sale next
week at both Lincoln Brandeis stores and both Nebraska
Unions. All tickets will be reserved for $8, 9 and 10.
Isolation hurts minority professor recruitment
By Doreen Charles
Cultural isolation is a major obstacle
blocking the recruitment of minority pro
fessors to the univeraity, according to UNL
professors from minority groups.
Michael Combs, UNL political science
professor, said the abscence of a large black
community in Lincoln can cause a sense of
alienation for the university's black profes
sors. "There's no sense of community in Lin
coln for blacks, no sense of belonging. The
job may be attractive, but you need things
from the community also," Combs said.
"Being in Lincoln, blacks are mentally,
physically, spiritually and culturally
isolated."
A shortage of black faculty members on
campus adds to the feeling of isolation for
black professors, Combs said.
"There's not enough black faculty to
relate to. I'm not exactly saying I'm iso
lated, but I think my stay here would be
more pleasant if there were more black
faculty."
Community support is important for
minority people at the university, the
director of the Ethnic Studies department
said.
Feel isolated
Ralph Grajeda said people from minor
ity groups may feel isolated because of the
large white community in Lincoln. They
may ask about certain "sections of town"
when trying to find the black, Hispanic
or Native American communities.
He warned that the abscence of a com
munity atmosphere for minorities could
cause those professors to take jobs else
where. Combs said the university doesn't try
hard enough to recruit minorities, assum
ing people don't want to come to Lincoln.
He suggested that the university form a
closer relationship with community groups.
"The community organizations
shouldn't actually participate in the re
cruitment process, but it would help if
persons were able to meet with their com
munity leaders."
That way, Combs said, community or
ganizations could help reduce the feeling of
cultural isolation caused by Lincoln's
predominantly white population.
Recruitment committee
Joseph Young, a UNL English instruct
or, said the university could set up a re
cruitment committee like it has for foot
ball, concentrating on making the univer
sity more attractive to minority professors
by showing that equal importance is given
to everyone on the Lincoln campus.
Young pointed to the isolation of the
UNL Culture Center as an example. He rec
ommended expanding the center or build
ing a new one.
Grajeda said the university could work
harder to make all professors feel a part of
UNL. In addition to existing organizations
that assist with minority issues-the uni
versity ombudsman's office and the
Affirmative Action committee-more inter
action among minority staff members also
would help.
Another solution to the problem could
be higher salaries for minorities, Young
said. This would help minority professors
cope with cultural isolation by allowing
them mobility to other areas.
"More money could help you create
your own community," he said.
Not sensitive
However, offers of large salaries may
jiot be enough to lure minority professors
to UNL if administrators are not sensitive
to their problems, Webster Robbins, hist
ory and philosohy of education professor
said.
"People make decisions (concerning
minorities) with no knowledge of a minor
ity group at all, " he said.
The shortage of minority professors at
the university causes more problems than
just the abscence of an identifiable cultur
al community. Other difficulties include
out-of-class responsibilities and the react
ions of non-minority students in Ethnic
Studies classes.
Because there is a shortage of minority
professors on campus, Grajeda said more
is expected from them both on campus
and off campus.
"You're expected to serve on search
committees and be faculty advisors for
minority organizations. The community
has big expectations also,"
he said, referring to work with community
organizations and teaching classes at the
penitentiary as examples.
"So much time is taken up 'doing ser
vice work that a professor's research may
suffer," he added.
Combs said students with little know
ledge ,of minority groups may respond
differently to an Ethnic Studies class
than they do to instructors and students
in classes they are more familiar with.
oooso(o ffi?cd!av
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Stone Age Rock: ACDC music falls foul
on reviewers ear Page 12