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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (July 30, 1981)
Snimmer Nebraskae Number 8 University of Neb.-Lincoln July 30,1981 Regents give approval to general operating budget BY LOR I MERRYMAN A 10 percent tuition increase for UNL was approved with ease Saturday as the NU Board of Regents gave approval to the 1982-83 general operating budget re quest of $152.9 million to be presented to the Legislature. Along with a request for 15 percent more state general fund money, the Re gents will ask for an 8.6 percent increase in NU cash funds. This includes a 10 per cent tuition increase for undergraduate students; five percent increase for agri culture students at Curtis; 15 percent more for medical, law and dentistry school students; and ten percent more tuition for graduate students plus an additional $2(per credit hour. These rates are similar to the tuition increasees for 1981-82. Guidelines set The Regents approved a set of guide lines for the 1982-83 general operating fund request of $152.9 million, which ranks a 10 percent staff salary increase as the top priority. A 10 percent increase will achieve the Board's three year salary increase plan which was set in the 1980 81 budget request. At the June Board of Regent's meet ing, Ronald Roskens, UNL president, told Regent. that 10 percent staff salary increase is a rate that should recover some of salaries lost to inflation in the past few years. Although NU students pay the second highest tuition in the Big Eight Conference, their staff is one of the lowest paid in the same conference. The UNL salary increases are "our first and foremost interest," Roskens said to the Regents Saturday. Along with the salary increase, the budget request includes a two percent in crease in employee benefits to be used first for health and dental insurance. Roskens said a 2 percent increase in employee benefits is an "unusual in crease." Previously there has not been a significant increase in funds for benefits, but because health costs have skyrocket ed, a two percent increase is needed to keep up with inflation, he said. Along with a 2 percent increase in ben efits, a 13 percent increase was set aside for corresponding benefits to keep pace with benefit improvements made in 1980 81 and 1981-82. Special salary adjustments New this year, Regents set aside $662,307 in special salary adjustments at UNL to make up for inequities in faculty salary. The salary adjustment will be used in areas of the most disparity, rather than playing catch up on all salaries, Roskens said. Also new to the budget request is $782,655 for the first of a six-year plan for preventive maintenance. The Board has never adopted a multi-year preventa tive maintenace plan before. With this, Roskens requested $300,000 to replace equipment on all three campuses, UNL, UNO and NU Med Center. The total budget proposal requests a 15.4 percent increase in money for UNL ($83,500,000.) Also Saturday, Regents rejected a proposal of Regent Robert Simmons of Scottsbluff that University of Nebraska Regents Scholarships should be allocated University-wide rather than to specific campuses. Despite Simmons efforts to persuade the Board, they voted 4-4 against adopt ing his proposal. UNL offers about 100 Regents Scholarships every year while UNO of fers about 50. Eliminating campus alloca tions would allow students to choose which campus they wished to attend, Simmons told the Board. Scholarships debated Regents James Moylan of Omaha and Kermit Wagner of Schuyler said they wanted to see more investigation into the scholarships. It's not a regents scholarship offered by the regents, Wagner said, but a University-wide scholarship offered by the University of Nebraska. Wagner said the board needed more time to review the whole situation. Moylan told other board members that he would like to see a study of all scholarships, emphasizing academic skill rather than athletics. The scholarships attract good stu dents, Simmons said, but the present policy doesn't allow a student granted a Regent scholarhsip for UNL to use it at UNO! He told the Board of a Scottsbluff girl who got a Regent Scholarship to UNO but wanted to go to UNL instead. Simmons said the girl finally went out of state. The problem extends beyond that one student, Simmons said. NU administrators are only concerned with "their own turf," Simmons said. He questioned why UNO administrators are afraid scholarship winners will go to Lin coln. Regent Robert Koefoot of Grand Is land said Simmons' argument is just an attempt in "trying to criticize UNO." Another issue from Saturday's meet ing, recruiting out-of-state students, will be picked up again in the Board's Sep tember meeting. Recruiting out of state Earlier Saturday, the Board discussed putting more emphasis on recruiting out of state students. Although they were split on this issue, Hansen is expected to submit a proposal that NU put more em phasis on recruiting out of state. NU has not emphasized recruiting out of state for several years. Simmons immediately objected, say ing NU would serve students and the Ne braska taxpayer better by keeping enroll ment smaller. Simmons said NU hurts itself by re cruiting students who never should have been at NU in the first place. Hansen said Simmons comments are a detriment to the University, adding that NU is not selling itself adequately and the state should quit underestimating the University's potential. In other action Saturday, the Re gents: approved a study of Sheldon Art Gallery for architectural improvements. approved a three-year lease to the National Bank of Commerce for the previous Gateway Bank location in the Nebraska Union to provide check cashing services for students starting,.starting in August. Announced Chancellor Martin Mas sengale's installation Sept. 20. approved $81,702 for remodeling the the Nebraska Union Crib cafeteria. The Crib will be renamed Union Square and will change from cafeteria type dining to a fast food service. Decided to postpone any decisions on dropping the general engineering pro grams at UNO. jzzrzr 25 r ill r. r j'J? 1 sX -mi W , Czechs warm up for Wilber festival i r ua PViPrvl 7ptrka Lincoln Czech Club performs traditional Clockwise f'SSSi Czechoslovak folkW Chuck Obor- 17, of Valparaiso KJ ny, president of the Butler County Czech ny, 18, of Bee, go for a nc at the Dwiht J. P rf Czech festival last weekend, nermie Franzluebbers plays his accordion with the Lincoln Czech itub. - ii t- I rpu nnntAo Kw Rill IImF Thp Moustache Joe roixa rana. uw -w- VJ w M V - ' v, i M , I