The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, November 05, 1981, Page page 4, Image 4
thursday, november 5, 1981 page 4 daily nebraskan 1 Legislature 's budget cuts may starve university The whimsical tune "Buckle Down Winsocki" served as the campaign song for many of Richard Nixon's campaigns. It's an apt time to recall it be cause if Gov. Charles Thone has his way, state legislators may soon be whistling a parody called "Buckle Down NU." In the modern version of this little ditty, Gov. Thone is seeking a 3 percent across the board cut in all state agency operating budgets. The univer sity is to be included in these cuts and NU Presi dent Ronald Roskens told the Legislature's Appropriations Committee that if the Legislature mandates it, NU will "unenthusiastically" comply. Roskens' scenario of what the cuts would do to the university are not promising. But operating a university on less money will always be a prob lem. Unfortunately, the continuing restraints placed on NU prompt a question: How far can belt tightening measures go before restrictions prove fatal? Roskens told the committee, "At this late stage (in the fiscal year), it would be difficult to do anything else but spread the misery equally. That's hardly encouraging news, but Roskens has little reason for encouragement. The univer sity will survive, but it will also suffer. In testimony before the committee, Roskens and "ther representatives of UNL warned of what reactions the budget cuts may force. - Roskens said he would anticipate more ad mission restrictions for the College of Engineering and Technology, Business Administration and possibly Agriculture. - Students would have more difficulty getting into classes, Roskens said. This semester, 1,200 students were unable to get their preferred class es. The budget cuts would make this worse and further irritate overcrowded classrooms. - ASUN President Rick Mockler said the quality of education will decrease as class sizes grow. Mockler said a decent level of student- bob W m a SJMH7 ASmfro ( IggA Alice: Anti-bear pills hard to swallow "Oh, dear me," said the Pink Rabbit, glacing at his large gold pocket watch. "We must hurry or they will close The Window of Vulnerability." "What time do they shut it, pray tell?" inquired Alice. "No one knows," said the Pink Rabbit. "But I blinked once and missed the entire Missile Gap." "Off with their heads!" shouted a voice from some where in the murky gloom. "Ah, that's Cap the Knight; so it must still be open," said the Pink Rabbit. "After all, it's his window." So saying, the Pink Rabbit vanished through a tiny door. Alice turned a comer to come upon the saturnine figure of Cap the Knight seated on a toadstool. He was wearing a wizard's costume and on his pointed hat was in scribed, "Secretary of Frightful Incantations." Behind him was a large window. "Look through that window and tell me what you see," said Cap the Knight. "I can't see jl thing," said Alice. 4X)f course not," said Cap. "It is all top secret. But I don't mind telling you that peering in that window at this very moment is a huge, voracious bear. And his sole pur pose in life is to gobble you up." Alice shuddered. "Goodness gracious!" she said. "What a frightening thing to say." "Oh, thank you," said Cap, quite pleased with himself. "It's my duty to frighten people and the task grows more difficult all the time." "Why must you frighten people?" asked Alice. "So that they will close the window, of course," said Cap. "As long as I'm up, 111 do it," said Alice. But Cap shook his head. "You can't," he said. "You're not nearly strong enough." "Then "you frightened me for nothing," said Alice angrily. Continued on Page 5 teacher interaction is ainicuii in overcrowded classes. - Robert Narveson, an English professor and president of the UNL chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said decreas ing money for acquisitions for NU's libraries, will make the university spend more later for books. - Narveson said cuts in travel money will de crease the number of professors able to deliver papers on their studies and thus lower the reputation of instructors and the university. - Roskens also said filling staff and faculty vacancies would be delayed or not filled at all. All in all, if NU is asked to tighten its belt another notch, the university may come close to starving itself from financial want. We should all be concerned that the rampant fiscal restraints imposed on NU are shackling it to a continuation of mediocrity when it needs so badly to progress. Buckling down could mean buckling under. Loan cuts forfeit right to education Officials in Washington are outraged, and they are going to do something about it. Do you realize that aid to college students is draining the Federal Treasury? Such waste will not be tolerated by the Reagan administration, and they have proposed to cut 12 percent from the largest federal aid program for college students, the Pell grants. j? Bumps The cut will come out of the allocation the White House set in March, which in itself failed to keep up with the increasing needs of college students and their families. In addition to the Pell grants (formerly known as the Basic Educationl Opportunity Grants), three other aid programs will be adversely affected: the National Direct Student Loan program, the College Work Study program, and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program. Incredibly, Department of Education official Edward J. Elmendorf seemed astonished that the 12 percent cut could be questioned. If the program were put into its full effect, "the cost of the Pell grant program would exceed $4 billion," he said. Perhaps we should scrap the aid pro gram entirely and get that extra tank we so desperately need. As it is, the program is not being used to its potential, and the 12 percent cut is from an initial figure of $2,486 billion. At a time when state governments are threatening to lessen their support of colleges, the administration's cuts become overtly odious. Opponents to the cuts are placed in the ludicrous position of defending equal educational opportunities, a right that should need no argument. As usual, it is the lower- and middle-income families who will be affected, and the cuts become a step towards establish ing an elitt class of those rich enough to perpetuate their economic position. Continued on Page 5 (skSj nebraskan Editorials do not necessarily express the opinions of the Daily Nebraskan publishers, the NU Board of Regents, the University of Nebraska and its employees or the student body. USPS 144-080 Editor: Tom Prentiss; Managing editor: Kathy Stokebrand; News editor: Steve Miller; Associate News editors: Dan Epp, Kim Hachiya, Alice Hrnicek; Night news editor: Martha Murdock; Assistant night news editor: Kate Kopischke; Entertainment ? 2 Clark; Sports editor: LarrV Sparks; Art director: Dave Luebke; Photography chief: Mark Billingsley. Copy editors: Lienna Fredrickson, Patti Gallagher, Bob Gliss rnann, Bill Graf, Melanie Gray, Deb Horton, D. Eric Kircher, Betsy Miller, Janice Pigaga. Reid Warren, Tricia Waters. Business manager: Anne Shank-Volk; Production manager: Kitty Pohcky; Advertising manager: Art K. Small; Assistant adver tising manager: Jerry Scott. Publications Board chairperson: Margy McCleery. 472-2454. 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