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friday, december 11, 1981
lincoln, nebraska vol. 107 no. 73
Copyright Daily IMebraskan 1981
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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Cather residents extinguish
lit Christmas tree in lounge
By Leslie Kentlrick
A Christmas tree fire in the 12th floor
lounge of Cather Residence Hall caused a
5 a.m. Thursday evacuation of all Cather
residents.
Someone set a small real Christmas tree
on fire, said Doug Zatechka, director of
housing. The tree was owned by some 12th
floor residents who decorated it and put
lights on it, he said.
The decorations were taken off the tree
that was moved to the lounge and set
ablaze, he said. Student Assistant Kevin
Block and residents Mark Thompson, Mike
Cunningham, John Jay and Lee Terry ex
tinguished the fire. Jay pulled a fire alarm a
little after 5 a.m. The city fire department
and police answered the alarm, Zatechka
said. Both the police and the state fire
marshal's office are investigating, but no
one had been arrested as of 10 a.m. Thurs
day, Zatechka said.
"I just happened to be awake around 5
or 5:30, and when I went outside my room
1 heard a crackling noise," Thompson said.
Thompson said he then saw the tree
ablaze and woke up Block.
Thompson then grabbed a blanket out
of his room and attempted to put out the
fire with it. The blaze was put out finally
with a fire extinguisher, he said.
"It had to be set on fire because the tree
was never plugged in and it didn't have any
lights on it," he said.
Roommates Cunningham and Terry ran
outside their room when they heard some
one yell fire, Terry said. They helped put
out the fire with a blanket and wet towels,
he said .
"We used wet towels to cover our faces
because by this time the halls were full of
smoke," he said.
The four residents and the SA were the
only ones who stayed on the floor to put
out the fire, he said.
Scorches on the ceiling probably were
caused by fire traveling up the walls,
Thompson said. In addition fire damaged
the carpeting and couch in the lounge, Jay
said.
The university considers setting fires a
crime, not a prank, Zatechka said.
Conviction for arson may lead to penal
ties of severe fines and a jail sentence, Za
techka said. University action could in
clude possible probation or suspension
from the university and restitution for fire
damage. The culprit housing contract may
be cancelled also, he said.
"I can't say, 'yes, the contract will be
cancelled,' but it is a very distinct possibil
ity," he said.
Police to get different office,
tired of crowded quarters
Resolving to "put our priorities where they belong, once and for all," the Nebraska
Legislature voted unanimously yesterday to replace the Sower on the Capital with a
50 foot plastic likeness of Turner Gill. For all this frivolity and more, turn to Page 9
of the parody issue, the Daily Harassment.
By Tricia Waters
Because of a lack of space at "their
office, UNL police will move to a remodel
ed building at 17th and Holdrege streets
next year.
Police Director Gail Gade said the police
hope to move into the new office by the
first part of February. The building will
give the police more than 2,800 square feet
of office space, compared to the 2,050
square feet in their present office at 1024
Avery Ave.
The building, called the Cubbison build
ing, was formerly leased by Outdoor
Union Board considers new budget
By Ward W. Triplett III
The Nebraska Union Board looked at its
1982-83 budget for the first time in its
final meeting of the semester at the East
Union.
The board also decided on the new
Memorial Plaza design, and extended union
hours.
Union Director Daryl Swanson said the
union's budget request from the Com
mittee for Fees Allocation comes in a
yearly time frame. According to Swanson,
the budget the board began discussing Wed
nesday night will not go into effect until
July.
"We're projecting then for nearly 19
months," Swanson said. "That makes it a
somewhat more difficult assignment."
The first draft budget has the union
making a $660,571 request. The amount
would mean an increase of 17 percent in
student fees.
However, the budget also estimates that
the income-producing departments should
make back enough money to lower the in
crease to 8.75 percent, making the request
the request $613,624.
Any increase in the student fee request
would mean the unions would not be able
to request the same student fee amount for
the fifth consecutive year.
"That was a record we were very proud
of," Swanson said. "But we knew when we
started to look at our costs for next year
there was no way we would be able to hold
the line on them (fee increases) again."
The budget could change yet for several
reasons. One is that the budget was set
with the assumption the Nebraska Legis
lature would approve a 10 percent increase
in staff salaries, and a 13 percent increase
in staff benefits.
"I've had it said to me that those guide
lines are probably unrealistic," Swanson
said. If it is decided later to increase the
salaries and benefits by something much
less, Swanson said he wouldn't be surprised
if the CFA would want the budget revised.
Another potential change stems from
the possibility that the unions may have to
pay their utility expenses out of student
fees as well. Utilities come to $275,000 for
the current year, and the estimated
increase for the next year is $375,000,
Swanson said.
The details of the bills are still before
the administration, but Swanson said the
union may have to pay at least $8 1,000 in
utilities.
"That could mean we would be asking
CFA to increase our student fees to $3
dollars per student," Swanson said. "That
presents graphically the problem I had
always felt we would be forced into once
we got stuck with paying our own utilit
ies," Swanson said. The unions would be
caught in a "tremendous inflationary spiral
represented by the rising cost of energy,
and it is ah issue of the utmost concern,"
Swanson said.
In other discussion, the board un
officially discussed closing the Colonial
Room because of its failure to generate in
come. The board had considered changing
the format of the room to a soup and sand
wich offering, but some members felt that
might turn away some of the room's
regular patronage, most of whom, the
board guesses, are administrators.
Arched sign chosen
for north union plaza
The new Nebraska Union Memorial
Plaza sign was selected during the Union
Board's meeting Wednesday, ending a
contest that drew more than 50 entries.
Drawing student John Duensing design
ed the winner, which will contain a lighted
sign within a brick arch.
"I think it is one of the more creative
designs we got and I feel it will add a feel
ing of warmth to the plaza," Operations
Committee Chairman LaVern Heggem said.
The arch about 7.5 feet tall and about
4.5 feet wide - should be up next fall,
Frank Kuhn, assistant director of operat
ions for the Nebraska Union said.
Duensing's design was picked 6-5 for the
space north of the union. Duensing will re
ceive $25 for his design.
Although the arch will require steel re
enforcement Heggem said, it's cost won't
exceed the $5,000 budget allotted for it
this fall.
Marine as a training building.
The present office was enlarged from a
one-room stone building about six years
ago to include a modular attachment for
offices. The attachment has a connecting
link. About four years ago a room was
added to serve as a lineup and conference
room and lunch room. Gade said officers
eating lunch in the room often have to
move when people have to meet there.
"We're probably one of the most crowd
ed departments on campus," Gade said.
Compared to standard office design figures
recommending 90 square feet per person,
the police office rooms allow about 50
square feet, Gade said.
The police use other campus buildings
for storage, such as the West Stadium.
Gade said the university has a plan to
locate all the service departments in that
area of the campus. Another plan calls for
the corner of 17th and Holdrege streets to
become the entrance to the university.
The new building will have a communi
cations room twice as large as the old one.
It will have a separate conference room,
holding and evidence rooms and a lineup
and lunch room.
Bob Myers, in the administrative divi-
son, said the larger communication room
will be valuable because the dispatch area is
the "hub of the department." More room
was needed for files and for the dispatchers
to work, he said. ......
at
Myers said the -new location will also
give the police better access to some parts
of the City and East Campus.
Kim Todd, campus landscape architect,
is working on the 17th and Holdrege street
project, which is part of a city project,
reaching from Y Street to the State Fair
grounds. Todd said the corner near the police
station will have a pie-shaped mouth of
earth, or berm, about six feet high and 40
feet in diameter. The berm will have tlag
poles on top and a crescent-shaped bench
built into it.
Gade said police officers and workers
made recommendations about what they
would like in the new building.
He said the police would like to rename
the building after a lieutenant who died
this summer. Lt. Henry Gourdin died of
cancer. University approval is needed to do
that.