friday, march 20, 1981
lincoln, nebraska vol. 106, no. 50
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Assistant: Water resource funding may dry up
By Betsy Miller
If President Ronald Reagan's proposed budget is
approved, approximately one-third of the University of
Nebraska's Water Resources Center's project funding will
be cut, according to the center's administrative assistant.
Kathy Stork said the center heard last week
the federal Office of Water Research and Technology is
scheduled to be eliminated this October. The office,
which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, pro
vides UNL's water center with $290,000 a year in research
money, she said.
"Secretary of the Interior James Watt lias recommend
ed cutting the project entirely," Stork said.
She said she saw a copy of Watt's testimony at a
icaring for proposed budget cuts and he talked about
the office's termination.
Stork said that this year OWRT gave the center
$155,000 in a matching fund program, $115,000 in an
annual cooperative program and $20,000 for another pro
ject. The center's purpose, according to Stork, is to find
funds to finance water research projects conducted at the
university. The center itself will not be hampered by the
elimination of OWRT because employee salaries and other
costs come from the state budget, not the federal one, she
said. However, federally funded centers in other states
may have to close, she said.
Equals federal grants
State funding for the center equals the federal grants,
but Stork said the money from the state was used to
pay for the center's administrative needs. Federal funds
pay for projects, and this area will suffer if cuts are
approved, she said.
The office's elimination may put an end to projects
that were scheduled to run for two or three more years,
Stork said.
Gary Hergenrader, life sciences professor, said he
is in charge of a field study project that may be stopped in
October, if funds for it are not found.
The project's purpose is to find out whether water
quality in farm ponds can be improved by changing of
natural biological processes, Hergenrader said.
He said the project has been underway for a year,
but it needs to be carried on longer.
Doctoral degree
"The minimum amount of time we need to spend to
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Photo by Jon Natvig
With Spring Break upon us, this sparrow gets the jump on UN L students who might be considering a trip to
the beach.
find any answer is at least two years," Hergenrader said.
Hergenrader said it is important to find funding
for this program because a graduate student is using the
project to work toward his doctoral degree.
"We've got to find some money somewhere so that the
project can be continued," he said.
If Reagan's proposed budget is passed by Congress and
the funds are cut off, Stork said, the water resources
center will have a rough time trying to find funding from
other sources to keep the projects going.
"This will be quite a blow to water research at the uni
versity," Stork said. "Other sources for funding are drying
up too."
She said that the Environmental Protection Agency may
be cut partially and that the Water Resources Council and
the Missouri River Basin Commission may be abolished.
Stork also mentioned the program cuts will put some
students, especially graduate students, out of jobs
because some are paid to work on the projects.
Stork said the center has not received official notifica
tion that the office may be cut, but that they are almost
sure the proposal will pass.
"We're not too hopeful," she said.
Families fail on
food stamp budget
By D. Eric Kircher
Two Lincoln familes tried to live on a food stamp bud
get to dramatize problems of the poor. They said the
amount they were allowed to spend caused them to go
hungry.
The families of the Rev. James Stillman and the
Rev. Daniel Raines lived for two weeks on a food budget
of $77.12 and $91.75, respectively.
"I know I went to bed-also my daughter went to
bed-hungry," Willie May Raines said Thursday at a press
conference. The Raines have one daughter at home.
"My daughter would say, 'Mom couldn't I have just a
little more,' but that was all," Raines said. "It's very hard
when you have a teenager (saying) 'I am tired of oatmeal.'
"How can we decide what that child should get?"
"I remember one night I had graham crackers and
milk because I was so hungry I didn't think I could go to
sleep," Raines said.
"I certainly did think it affected our behavior," Raines
said.
Ann Stillman said the lack of food frustrated her
family.
"Chances are you strike out at each other," Stillman
said.
"1 went over my amount the first week," she said. "I
ran out of bread, butter and cereal. I found out we ran
out of the things we packed in to fill the edges.
"We cooked a lot of starchy things," Stillman said.
The families tried to follow USDA recommendations
tor meal planning, but the menus were too expensive.
"There is no way in the world you could purchase
plums and be on a 73 cents a meal budget," Raines said.
Her family was allowed to spend 73 cents a meal per
person. Continued on Page 2
Complaints against election may be dismisse
d
By I). Eric Kircher
A complaint asking the ASUN Student Court to de
clare the ASUN election invalid is being withdrawn,
and the counsel for the defendants of another complaint
lias asked that the court dismissed it.
Thomas Copland, the counsel for ASUN President Rick
Mockler and First Vice President Dan Wedekind filed a
motion Wednesday asking the court to dismiss the com
plaint filed by Tim Higgins and Steve McMahon, who were
presidential candidates.
The complaint asks that Mockler and Wedekind be pre
vented from holding any elected oi appointive offices for
one vear.
The complaint alleges that Mockler and Wedekind vio
lated an ASUN rule forbidding used of ASUN property
for campaign purposes. They allegedly used an ASUN
copier to campaign literature for tire ASUN elections held
earlier this month.
But Copland's motion states Mockler and Wedekind
were copying a University Programs and Facilities Fee in
formation sheet for SURE party members. Since the
paper was a public document and the ASUN office
had no copies, the two could legally copy the paper,
the motion states.
Timing questioned
The motion also questions the timing of the complaint.
which was filed after the March 1 1 rurvoff election
between Mockler and McMahon. The alleged violation
occurred Feb. 1. The complaint was filed on March 11.
The motion alleges the complaint was filed because the
two candidates lost .
The motion also states the alleged violation occurred
before the rule forbidding use of ASUN property was
passed.
Former ASUN President Renee Wessels signed the law
on Feb. 2.
Higgins said he has heard Copland's argument before
and would continue his action.
"I would expect them to say nothing less than that,"
Higgins said. "Obviously, they have to make some de
fense." He said the court shouldn't dismiss the complaint.
"The court needs to hear the testimony," Higgins said.
He said a student code of conduct also forbids the
alleged violation.
Motions considered April 1
The Student Court will consider the motion to dismiss
on April 1 . If the court doesn't dismiss the case, it will be
heard immediately afterwards.
The plaintiff of the other complaint asked that his ow n
complaint be dismissed.
Willie Watters filed a motion earlier this week asking
that his complaint against the electoral commission be
dismissed .
Watters said because his complaints about the commis
sion would be addressed in the complaint filed by Higgins
and McMahon, he felt his complaint was unnecessary.
Watters had complained the commission acted wrongly
in claiming it lacked jurisdiction to hear Higgins' and
McMahon's complaint.
He said he still felt the commission was wrong, but he
wouldn't continue his action.
Kim Weiland, the electoral commissioner, said she was
happy the complaint was dismissed.
"I think it was the only sensible thing to do," she said.
She characterized the complaint as a personal vendetta
against her.
friday
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Going Boeing: Joan Jett ran away from the Runaways and
now brings her show to Lincoln Page 8
Diamonds and Dust: Spring training is time for the players
to grow young and fans to grow old Page 1 1