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University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Friday, February 26, 1982
Vol. 109 No. 34
Lincoln, Nebraska
Copyright 1982 Daily llebraskan
Norfolk woman seeks
Board of Regents spot
to cut university costs
By Chris Hodges
Margaret Robinson, 58, of Norfolk, wants to be the.
first female regent on the NU Board of Regents. Robinson
announced her candidacy Thursday afternoon at the State
Capitol for District 3 regent. Kermit Wagner of Schuyler
currently represents District 3.
Robinson will run against J.D. Schiermeyer, a banker
from Fremont, and Don Dworak, a Nebraska state senator
from Columbus.
Robinson wants to cut the cost of operating the uni
versity. The university spends too much money on admin
istration in comparison to what it spends on academics,
Robinson said.
"The university's proposed 1982-83 budget calls for
spending amost the same amount for administration,
$21.1 million, as for academic support, $22.2 million,"
she said. "That's outrageous."
Robinson, president of Norfolk Iron and Metal Com
pany, says her background in business will help her suc
ceed in reducing university costs.
As the first female regent, Robinson said she would be
very interested in knowing what female students want
from their university.
"I have three daughters that are. in careers," she said.
"One is a doctor, one has a Ph.D. in medical microbiology
and one is a geologist. I do want to know about the issues
that affect women students."
Robinson said she also wants more feedback from all
of the residents of Nebraska.
"A lot of the people in the state of Nebraska feel very
removed from the university," she said. "They shouldn't
feel that way because they are paying for it. I am present
ly conducting a poll in my district to see how people
feel about the university."
Approximately 500 people were contacted for the poll,
Robinson said. They have been asked whether they are
pleased with the way the university is operated and how
important they think the university is to the state.
As a member of the Norfolk Board of Education, Rob
inson says the university and all other schools face serious
problems for at least the next five years.
"All school districts will have to hire fewer teachers
than in the past," she said. "The university should stop
preparing so many people for teaching positions, especial
ly elementary education. The positions aren't going to be
there."
"It's important to devote some time and study to these
problems," she said.
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A cleanup crew loads rubble from the demolished Cornhusker Hotel into trucks. The spray of water helps keep the
dust down.
Prof essor says black situation worsens
because black people, students too quiet
By Ward W. Triplett III
Dr. Alvin Poussaint, speaking as part of UNL's black
hitory month celebration, told a racially mixed audience
Thursday night in the Nebraska Union that black people
and students have been too quiet about political issues,
and consequently the situation for blacks in America
has worsened.
Poussaint, an associate professor of psychiatry at Har
vard Medical School and a member of the board of dir
ectors of Operation PUSH, (People United to Save Hu
manity), spoke before a crowd of 200 people in the Nebr
aska Union Ballroom. Poussaint's speech ranged from
blasting the policies of the Reagan administration, to
Board drafts student insurance policy
By Vicki Ruhga
The rough draft of next year's UNL student insurance
policy was discussed Wednesday at the University Health
Center Advisory Board meeting.
Board Chairman Mike Grier said one approved change
was to eventually incorporate the insurance policy with
student registration forms so students would not have to
go through an insurance company to get a policy.
"We also feel that allowing Visa and Mastercard as pay
ment options will make the policy more accessible to stu
dents," Grier said. The charging option of the rough draft
was also approved .
The board also decided to continue handling insur
ance claims locally.
Marsh announces bid
for treasurer position
Sen. Shirley Marsh of Lincoln Thursday announced
her candidacy for the Republican nomination for State
Treasurer.
Marsh cited her 10 years of experience on the Nebraska
Legislature's Appropriations Committee as one of her
qualifications for the job.
"My public service has been intended to amplify the
voices of those Nebraskans whose complaints went un
noticed or unheard,' Marsh said in a press release.
Marsh's husband, Frank, served two terms as state
treasurer before being appointed last year to chair the
Nebraska Farmers Home Administration. First elected in
1952, he has also served as secretary of state and lieuten
ant governor.
Marsh will face Kay Orr, who was appointed by Gov.
Charles Thone last summer to fill the treasurer position,
in the May primary.
"This allows the policy holder to discuss the claim
here, and not have problems dealing with a company in
another part of the country," Grier said.
Eligibility was changed from the current policy, which
is available only to graduate and undergraduate students
with four or more credit hours per semester.
"Those eligible for care at the University Health Cen
ter will be eligible for the insurance," Grier said. This will
include students with four or more semester hours of cre
dit, or those with less than four hours of credit who ex
ercise their option to pay for health center services, he
said.
Another change from the current policy will allow the
attending physician to decide what is considered emer
gency treatment for the patient, rather than the insurance
company , Grier said .
This policy also will be second to any other connecting
policy, he said.
"If a student is covered on a different policy and alsq
on the UNL policy, the other company must pay the
claim," said Grier. "This will cut down the cost of our
policy."
Coverage in the policy's rough draft calls for the in
surance company to pay 80 percent of the patient's
claims, and the policy holder to pay 20 percent, up to th
sum of $500, Grier said. For more than $500, the insur
ance company pays 100 percent, he said.
The board also decided to leave a maternity benefit
clause on the policy, which covers both single and married
policy holders, he said.
A $5,000 accidental death option also will be available
in the policy , Grier said .
The board will meet again March 3 at 3 pjn. to com
plete the rough draft, he said.
"We hope to complete the draft and send it out for bids
in the near future," Grier said. He said students are wel
come to attend the meeting.
questioning the role of blacks in their own interrelation -ship.
"I don't think Reagan will be able to turn back the
clock as he says," Poussaint said.
"It gave me a chill when I saw the president of the Un
ited States grant tax exemptions to private segregated
schools that openly practiced racial discrimination. That
meant that my tax dollars and your tax dollars are being
spent on schools that are violating the law of the land,"
Poussaint said.
Poussaint said that action signaled to bigots across the
country that is was OK to come out. He said the Reagan
administration was a government committed to "rich
folk, and not one act of the administration has favored
poorer people."
"A vote for Reagan was also a vote against affirmative
action," Poussaint said. "The complaint was that black
people were getting the jobs normally left to whites."
"However, that cannot be since unemployement rates
for blacks have risen in the past 10 years, and the unem
ployment rate for black teenagers is 45 percent," Pous
saint said.
"But we're still silent. Black students should be in the
forefront of screaming like hell against the cutback of
guaranteed student loans, because they are going to be
disproportionately affected. If the cuts go through as they
are now, very few blacks will be able to attend profess
ional or graduate school," he said.
He also attacked the United States policy in H Salva
dor and South Africa, saying it should tell black Ameri
cans something when our government "gets cozy" with
a government like South Africa's, whicn imposes apart
heid as a law.
"If you think this is a democracy, go to your job and
admit you are a socialist. I will follow you up in 10 years
and see what happened to you," Poussaint said.
"They have got us afraid. We don't understand it when
the French people and Greece vote in a socialist govern
ment. They have us convinced communism and socialism
always mean totalitarianism, which is not true," Pous
saint said, referring to the teaching to blacks that the cap
italist system is the only way of government.
"They can gf t away with that because blacks do not
get together to discuss political issues. It used to be
against the law. They would let us get together to wor
ship, or sing and dance. Today, we are still doing that.
"Lerone Bennett will come and speak on a campus and
50 black students will show up. If you throw a party,
thousands of people will show up. White people will look
at that and say, these people are no threat to me.' As long
as that is where our priorities are, and we do not get to
gether on issues, we never will be," Poussaint said.
"We have a lot of work to do and no one has any
magical answers. But doing nothing is not an answer. To
struggle is good for your mental health and it is better
than to suffer quietly."