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T 11 Daily T
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Friday, April 30, 1982
Vol. 109 No. 74
Lincoln, Nebraska
Copyright 1982 Daily Nebraskan
ASUN Senate approves revised Fund A budget
By Duane Retzlaff
The ASUN Senate approved a revised Fund A bud
get Wednesday, made necessary by UNL Chancellor
Martin Massengale's rejection of the Committee for Fees
Allocation proposal.
One reason for the chancellor's rejection of the CFA
budget was that it would have raised the Fund A budget
too much - by 25.9 percent - compared to the 7 percent
Fund B increase.
If the CFA Fund A budget had been approved, Fund A
fees would have increased 95 cents, from $4.49 to $5.44
per semester. With the $21 ,250 cut requested by the chan
cellor, the Fund A fees will increase by only 45 cents.
However, the chancellor added Fund B items to the
CFA's budget, which raises the total fees allocation by
about $8,000.
ASUN President Dan Wedekind said students should
realize that the CFA and ASUN worked very hard to keep
student fees down, while the administration approved a
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Photo by Dave Bentz
Stan DeBoer
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larger budget than the CFA requested.
Wedekind said the administration says "let's keep stu
dent fees down" when it really means "let's keep Fund A
student fees down."
The CFA looks at student fees as a whole, not Fund A
and B separately, because students pay their fees in one
lump sum, Wedekind said.
Richard Armstrong, vice chancellor for student affairs,
said NU by-laws provide for students to make a Fund A
budget proposal, but not a Fund B proposal. For this rea
son, the CFA's Fund B budget proposal does not weigh as
heavily with the chancellor, he said.
In practice, students have been encouraged to make a
Fund B budget proposal because the administration recog
nizes that student input is valuable, Armstrong said.
One reason for the priority of Fund B under the NU
by-laws, he said, is that employees of Fund B organiza
tions, such as the Union and the Health Center, depend on
their salaries for their livelihood.
For example, he said, 80 percent of the Health Center's
budget goes for employee salaries.
Armstrong said the Fund B additions he recommended
to the chancellor were originally approved by the Union
Board (which has some student members) before being
rejected by the CFA.
CFA chairman John Leif said he agreed with the ad
ministration's Fund B budget addition of $31,088 for the
Nebraska Union contingency fund.
"I felt the administration's increases were in the stu
dent's best interests," he said.
However, Leif disagreed with the Fund A cuts, saying,
"the money would have been spent on very worthwhile
programs."
Leif said the student fees budget should be looked at as
a whole. He said he favored establishing a limit on the fees
budget, and then working within that restraint.
Armstrong said a lid would not be appropriate because
the budget forming process is long, and changing condi
tions could force budget adjustments.
DeBoer favors aid to students, aged
By Pat Higgins
If Nebraska had the proper leadership, the state's
economy wouldn't be as bad off as it is today, Stan De
Boer said. DeBoer, a candidate for the Republican nomi
nation for governor, said the problem of dwindling gen
eral fund revenues wouldn't exist if agricultural interests
were more strongly supported. Nebraska depends on agri
culture for success, he said.
"A year ago last June our economy was substantially
better, but it has fallen through the bottom," DeBoer
said in a Wednesday interview. "The farm bill that Con
gress has passed is holding down the prices of commodi
ties." A Bertrand farmer, DeBoer was a founder of the Amer
ican Agriculture Movement in 1977. The AAM formed as
a result of dissatisfaction with President Carter's farm
program. But DeBoer said he isn't happy with the current
administration either.
"The AAM worked for the election of Ronald Reagan,
but the 1982 farm program will cause even more problems
than exists today," DeBoer said.
Nebraska is suffering because of agriculture problems,
he said. Jobs in Omaha and Lincoln, he said, depend upon
the farmer.
"The farmer may till the soil but it is interconnected
with everyone else," DeBoer said.
Funding for the university and pay increases for state
employees must be based on an increase in the economy
in general, DeBoer said. State programs should also be
analyzed for effectiveness and efficiency.
DeBoer said it would be a difficult decision to decide
what programs to cut. He suggested an across-the-board
cut as a possible solution because othrerwise special
interests would make total elimination of some programs
difficult.
"Everybody is always willing to cut until it is their
program that is effected," he said.
The last place to cut should be programs for the el
derly, he said.
"The elderly have made commitments to us for all
these years and it's time that they were repaid," he said.
DeBoer also said he thinks it is a severe injustice to
make cuts in student loans. He said that without loans,
many students will look for jobs in an economy that al
ready has high unemployment. He said federal subsidies
may not be a necessity, but there should be access to
loans for those who need them.
"One way or another students should be able to get
loans - both for the university and for technical schools,"
DeBoer said.
Interest rates are another area of concern for DeBoer.
He said the federal government is in competition with the
private sector for loans. The unemployment rate is a
direct result of the high interest rates, he said.
Students should become more involved in the political
process, he said.
"When it's your own wallet that's involved, you should
become interested," DeBoer said.
Agricultural prosperity Thone's aim
Photo by Dave Bentz
Charles Thone
By Pat Higgins
State government has had a positive record for the last
four years, Gov. Charles Thone said in an interview Wed
nesday. Thone said a decreased number of state
employees have been able to provide better services to Ne
braska citizens. That success can be credited to increased
efficiency and consolidation of agencies, Thone said.
"I'm a fiscal conservative and proudly so," Thone said.
"In these times we can't waste money." Thone said with
in the last four years the university has been affected posi
tively. Faculty salaries were next to last in the Big Eight
when he took office, and now they are second, he said. As
soon as the economy turns around, aid to the university
will increase, Thone said.
The important issues in the next four years will be the
state's fundamentals, particularly agriculture, Thone said.
"We want to make real progress rather than an illusion
of progress," Thone said.
Marketing agricultural products should be emphasized
because production is increasing, Thone said. As chair
man of the President's Export Council, Thone said he is
trying to develop more foreign markets for agriculture.
Thone traveled to China in 1981 in search of new markets
and China is now Nebraska's fourth largest trading part
ner, he said.
The state has also concluded a sale of swine to China,
Thone said. In the next four years, Mexico should be
sought as a trading partner, he said. Trading agricultural
products for oil should be considered too, Thone said.
"Everything should be done to foster propserity of ag
riculture," Thone said.
Water issues will be even more prominent in the near
future, Thone said. He said his administration has esta
blished a coordinating agency for water issues.
"Water issues are so vital to our state," Thone said.
"The coordinating agency's emphasis is on conservation
because of how precious that resource is."
The state has made great progress in the area of crimi
nal justice, Thone said. Three new correctional facilities
have been built. There has been a change of direction in
the criminal justice area also, he said.
"Our stress is on rehabilitation," Thone said. "There
has been an increase in education of prisoners and work
release programs."
Economic development has been promoted in the
state, Thone said. He said there are more and better jobs
available for Nebraskans.
Thone disagreed with the charge made by Democratic
gubernatorial candidate Bob Kerrey that Democrats
haven't been involved in the Thone administration. He
said Director of Personnel Jan Pieper and Tax Commis
sioner Don Leuenberger were all cabinet-level appointees
who are Democrats.
"Mr. Kerrey, as usual, has his facts 180 degrees wrong,"
Thone said.