: tuesday, january 20, 1981
' lincoln, nebraskavol. 106, no. 7
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Wessels defends salaries for ASUN presidents
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By Mary Louise Knapp
ASUN President Renec Wessels Monday accused the
regents of ducking the issue in proposing that her salary
be eliminated.
"If the Regents want to keep ASUN presidents from
being paid, they can, but they should not do it by hiding
behind the back of the constitution."
At Saturday's NU Board of Regents meeting, Regent
Kermit Hansen of Omaha proposed that the salary for
ASUN presidents be eliminated.
Hansen's proposal states that according to the state
constitution, regents may receive reimbursement only
for expenses. Therefore, the salaries of student presidents,
who also serve as student regents, might be unconstitu-
tional.
Wessels said her duties as ASUN president and student
regent are entirely different.
Her ASUN responsibilities include overseeing all ASUN
activities, meeting with administrators to convey student
opinions, assisting in appointment of all university com
mittees and boards, leading the student lobbying efforts
and drawing up and presenting the ASUN budget.
Wessels said a broad interpretation is placed on the
duties of the student regent.
She said her biuuest responsibilities us student r.-ucnt
arc to keep informed about the actions of the Board of
Regents and to attend all meetings of committees in addi
tion to the monthly board meetings. She also meets with
UNL's central administration on issues to be presented to
the regents.
Wessels said student presidents deserve some financial
compensation for the large amount of time they spend on
the job.
"I spend at least 60 hours a week with ASUN," she
said. "A lot of times my days begin at 7:30 a.m. and last
until midnight."
Students who run for ASUN president are not just try
ing to make money, she said. Sometimes they must make
financial sacrifices if elected, she added.
"I earn SI, 180 per year, which adds up to $40 a
week," she said. "I made over twice that amount before
I ran for office."
Wessels said that if presidential salaries were eliminat
ed, only wealthy students would be able to serve.
ASUN presidents have been paid since 1968, she said.
The state constitution was amended in 1974 to require
the student president to act as student regent for his or
her campus. During the next three years, presidential
salaries were not increased, she said, and no additional
tuncls tor student regents were provided.
Under UNL bylaws, ASUN has the right to decide how
it will spend its own funds, she said.
Since these funds come from student fees, the students
should decide whether or not they want to pay the ASUN
president with fee money, she said. The question will
appear on the March 4 ASUN election ballot.
Wessels said she agrees with the regents' statements
that the position of ASUN president is an honor.
"The position is an honor, yes." she said, "but it is also
a very time-consuming and demanding responsibility.
Other regents have outside employment, so why shouldn't
the student regent have the same right?"
NU attorney Richard Wood said in a written opinion
delivered to the regents that . . this constitutional pro
hibition does not. in my opinion, extend to compensation
received by a student body president for performance of
duties as student body president which are totally unre
lated" to service on the Board of Regents.
Wessels said she has suggested that the board seek legal
advice on the legality of the salaries. ASUN also will in
vestigate salary legality and constitutionality before the
next regents' meeting Feb. 21.
'Respect Life Week 'proclaimed by Gov. Thone
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Photo by Mark Billingsley
Doug Novak, president of UNL Students for Life, thanks Gov. Charles Thone Friday
for the proclamation Thone signed declaring Jan. 18 through 24 "Respect Life
Week" in Nebraska.
By Suzanne Sayed
Gov. Charles Thone said he has "stead
fastly taken a pro-life stand, even when the
idea wasn't so popular."
"Never did I waver on this issue,"
Thone said as he signed a proclamation in
his office Friday that designates the week
of Jan. 18 through 24 as "Respect Life
Week" in Nebraska.
The signing, which took place at 1 1:30
a.m. in a room full of anti-abortion sup
porters, marked the beginning of a full
week of Right-to-Life activities.
"Our most important goal," said Shirley
Lang, president of Lincoln Right-to-Life,
"is to make people aware of abortion issues
and what the pro-life groups arc trying to
do."
Lang said many pro-choice people
"simply don't understand the issues." They
often disregard or can't accept what they
hear.
She said "Respect Life Week" will en
courage people to study the problem, and
to understand that "abortion is truly tak
ing an innocent life to solve social prob
lems." Lang said abortion is only the beginning
of society's "justification of the killing of
innocent people." It will go farther than
this, she said.
As a "strong supporter of the right to
choose," Sen. Shirley Marsh of Lincoln
said, "Outlawing abortion does not stop
abortions. It only stops legal and safe abor
tions." Marsh said many times the pro-life move
ment is misunderstood.
"As the mother of six children, I believe
that life is very precious," she said. "I
could be called pro-life in that respect."
Speaking of the Right-to-Life movement,
she said, "1 don't call it pro-life, I call it
anti-choice."
Marsh said that by passing legislation to
make abortion illegal, the government is in
terfering. A bill recently introduced in the
Nebraska Legislature by Sens. Don Dworak
of Columbus, Bernicc Labedz and Marge
Higgins of Omaha, would exclude all state
employees from obtaining free abortions
through their health insurance programs.
Marsh, who opposes the bill, said if it
were put to a vote of the people, many of
whom are pro-choice, the bill probably
would not pass.
"It would show the public's true feel
ings," Marsh said.
However, Lang said she was "very
optimistic" about the passage of the
bill.
"Most of the senators are pro-life,"
she said. "But of course we will lobby in
favor of the bill."
Continued on Page 5
Non- traditional students juggle jobs, kids, school
By Betsy Miller
They take a full load of courses, they
are older than most students in their clas
ses and sometimes they have to stay up
all night before an exam caring for a sick
child.
The students, 25 years or older, are
called non-traditional students, and if
their lives sound rough, that is because
they are. according to some members of
the UNL Non-Traditional Students Assoc
iation. Jim Krueger, a member of the associat
ion, said the university does little to ease
their problems.
"We feel very, very out of place," he
said.
UNL makes more allowances for part
time night students, Krueger said, but
"nobody is helping people like us."
The university is supposed to give
Credit to non-traditional students based
on their work experience Krueger said,
but so far, he hasn't heard of it being
done.
Doug Neitzel, assistant director of ad
missions and advising, said there is no
such requirement.
"It is up to each individual department
whether to grant credit," he said.
However, Neitzel said other universi
ties do a better job with their older stud
ents. Neitzel said he has researched the
treatment of non-traditional students in
Big 10 schools and "they are leaps and
bounds ahead of UNL."
New phenomenon for UNL
Neitzel said, though, that UNL admin
istrators have not had to cope with large
numbers of older students in the past.
"This is a relatively new phenomenon
for Lincoln," he said. "I guess we haven't
adjusted to it."
Although non-traditional students are
accorded few privileges not given to other
students, the older students often are al
lowed to waive ACT or SAT tests, Neitzel
said.
Dianne Caporaso, acting president of
the association, said another problem fac
ing non-traditional students is the lack
of day-care facilities for the students'
children.
Caporaso siad non-traditional students
also should have some priority in class
selection. She said that unlike traditional
students, non-traditional students must
get classes at specific times, such as early
morning, in order to schedule a job. Non
traditional students need to work because
often they are solely responsible for put
ting themselves through school, she said.
Caporaso, 30, is a divorced mother of
three majoring in university studies. After
graduation, she hopes to get a job in per
sonnel. Children adjust
Her children, aged 12, 8 and 4. have
adjusted to her being away at school dur
ing the day. she said.
Krueger, 29, is in his third year of
school and is a life sciences major. He at
tended college at Wichita State for two
years before getting married and going to
work in a manufacturing plant.
"I got tired of a dead-end type of
job," explaining why he went back to
school.
Krueger works as a bartender to sup
port himself. He also has a teaching assis
tantship. Both Caporaso and Krueger said the
university is not interested in helping
non-traditional students.
They said their association is helpful
because it gives them a chance to talk to
people in the same predicament.
The association has petitioned the
Campus Activities and Programs Office
for a charter and designation as an offic
ial university group, Krueger said.
He said there are about 10 active mem
bers, but 75-80 people have expressed in
terest in joining.
The group meets every Friday from
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 pm. for lunch in the
Union, Krueger said. The group also is
planning a chili feed Wednesday for members,
Partnership Praised: UNL instructor and
Chinese native Sing-nan Fen says U.S.
China relations are mutually
beneficial Page 2
Strong To The Finish: Film adaptation
of Popeye adds another chapter to the
career of Robert Altman Page 6
Only Just Begun: Nebraska's Chuck
Chmelka says gymnastics has just start
ed to prosper at UNL Page 7
