thursday January 15, 1981
lincoln, nebraska vol. 106, no. 4
Thone's NU budget calls for $144,6 million
By Ken Merlin
Gov. Charles Thonc presented his budget recommen
dations to the Nebraska Legislature Wednesday. In it NU
would get a lump sum of $144.6 million to be divided
among the three campuses.
The university had requested an IS percent increase,
including a 10.5 percent increase in salaries ami 1 .5 per
cent increase in benefits. Gov. Thone held salaries to an S
percent increase, plus 1 percent for additional salary or
benefit improvement .
The governor began by reaffirming Ins policy o I fisc
al restraint. The 7-percent lid on slate budget inci eases
he requested upon taking office two years ago will con
tinue, he said.
He disagreed with critics that see his leadership and
the Legislature's as timid in the wake of high inflation
and energy shortages.
"I submit that it requires more boldness, more cour
age and moreleadcrship to do the necessary job and to
maintain and support a policy of fiscal restraint.
"I have every confidence that view is shared by the
overwhelming majority of Nebraskans." he said.
University programs for which he recommended a
budget increase for instruction and research are:
clinical and instructional services at the medical
center.
Governor's 12.8 percent budget
hike misses NU's mark
SI 50.000 of state general-fund support for continu
ation of research activities at Lppley Cancer Research
center.
agricultural biochemistry and international marketing
at the Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources.
The governor put a freeze on new construction, but
included funds for fire, lifesafety and minor renovations.
The budget was presented to the Legislature as a ser
ies of bills that will be sent to the Appropriations Com
mittee for recommendations and public hearings.
While the university requested funds for the three
campuses separately, the governor recommended again
this year that the Legislature appropriate a lump sum to
be used by the regents to address the university manage
ment and program priorities using a system-wide ap
proach .
Gov. Thone also recommended a 19.1 percent in
crease for the Nebraska Educational Television Network
for necessary equipment replacement.
By Patti Gallagher
Gov. Charles Thone's budget recommendations for
NU is generous and yet probably insufficient, accord
ing to two state senators. NU president Ronald Ros
kens and two members of the UNL Faculty Senate.
According to the chairman of the Legislature's Ap
propriations Committee. Sen. Jerome Warner of Wav
erly. the university will get a budget increase no larger
than any other state agency.
"Obviously, I would like to say you were going to
do better," Warner said, "but realistically, the Legis
lature will not be able to spend more than it has."
The only way the university could get the 18 per
cent increase would be to take the money from other
state programs, Warner said.
Although Warner said he can see justification for
NU's higher budget request, "the same is true of
everybody."
In a press release Wednesday from Roskens office,
the president said that "although his budgetary rec
ommendations do not fully finance the request of
the NU Board of Regents, we appreciate the positive
attitude ot Gov. 'I Hone toward the university's
needs."
Roskens said that Thone's budget message relating
to the university is evidence of his support for the
future of UNL.
"We will, however, during public hearings before
the Legislature's Appropriations Committee, present
our total needs on the basis of the previously submit
ted university budget request," he said.
" it is always true that we are faced with not pro
viding adequate funds for some projects," he said.
"And that will be true again."
Warner said one option open to the appropriation
committee is to grant higher budget requests- the uni
versity included is to transfer funds from capital
construction budgets to operating budgets.
Lincoln Sen. Steve Fowler said he "would like to
see us build a state budget based on needs and not on
empty percentages."
He said the governor should consider those needs
before setting a lid on budget increases.
Speaking to the governor's recommended 12.8 per
cent lid for state agency budgets. Fowler said, "I
hope the Appropriations Committee can do better
than that."
And although the university's 18 percent request
is probably unattainable, a university budget request
"hopefully somewhere between the two" is support
ed by Fowler.
Also in Thone's speech was a request to keep fac
ulty salary increases at UNL at 8 percent.
A member of NU's Faculty Senate Budget Com
mittee said the senate previously requested a 14 per
cent increase in faculty salaries.
Craig MacPhee, an associate professor of econom
ics at UNL, said that the figure was requested "in order
to close the gap between University of Nebraska salar
ies and comparable schools in two years."
The NU administration, however, adjusted the sal
ary request to a 10.5 percent increase, MacPhee said.
"So clearly, the governor's recommendation is far
below what is needed," he said.
The faculty senate testified at budget hearings last
year in support of their budget request and it hope
fully will be asked to appear again, MacPhee said.
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Photo by Mark Billingsley
Nebraska Gov. Charles Thone outlined the state's
upcoming budget in his annual State of the State
address Wednesday before the Legislature.
Legislature proposes $2 million vet school bill
By Patti Gallagher
If a bill to be introduced in the Nebraska legislature
today is approved, planning for a UNL College of Veterin
ary Medicine would begin in July.
Bellwood Sen. Loran Sclunit said Wednesday he will
introduce a bill calling for legislative appropriations to
begin vet school construction on Fast Campus.
The bill specifies that $2 million he allocated from the
Legislature's general fund for the period of July I. 1981
to June 30. 1982 to prepare plans, drawings and specifica
tions for building a veterinary college.
Additionally, the bill mandates the total cost of the
project not to exceed $15 million.
Because an emergency clause is included in the bill,
the allocation and beginning of plans will become effec
tive upon the signature of the governor.
Without an emergency clause, the bill would not go
into ef fect until 60 days after the legislative session ends,
scheduled for early June.
Presently, UNL students wishing to study veterinary
medicine go to outstate schools, to which the university
pays a contracting fee.
According to Larl Dickinson, chairman of the UNL
Veterinary Science Department. 96 students currently
are enrolled in four out state scho!s. Dickinson sa;d the
total contracting cost to the university for 1980-81 will be
nearly $2 million.
Dickinson said plans to build a veterinary school have
existed since 1892. with the Legislature giving its approval
for construction in 1955. However, no funds were ever
allocated.
Since 1974. the Old West States Commission -including
the Dakotas. Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska -has
produced studies suggesting a regional veterinary school
be constructed in Lincoln.
Dickinson said the commission has consistently recom
medned that construction costs be proportionate to the
number of students attending from that state.
Funding also is provided from the federal govern
ment. Dickinson said. Because of the recognition as a
separate U.S. district, projects such as the veterinary
school can receive up to 50 percent of construction costs
from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and up to 80
percent from the department of Health, Education and
Welfare.
Dickinson said that between 60 to 64 students must
enter the veterinary program annually on each leve: to
make it feasible, bach state within the Old West region
would be assured a specific number of spaces in the
school, he said, with Nebraska given a 3 5 -space quota.
As students from other states enter the school, he
said, they would be charged a building-use fee in addition
to tuition, which would off-set some of the construction
costs.
In addition to improving the livestock industry in the
Midwest, Dickinson said a veterinary school in Lincoln
"would be retaining the money we are spending out of
state now (in contracts)."
nry
hursday
Joining the Crowd: While the petition drive for a state
student association continues at UNL, other Nebraska
schools are adding their support Page 2
A Good Local Crop: KFMQ's Homegrown Album is
termed a successful outlet for Lincoln
musicians Page 6
A Big Step: Husker Swimming Coach Cal Bentz says this
week's Nebraska Invitational could be an important step
ping stone for the remainder of the season Page 7