T y Ti Daily n
Tuesday, November 9, 1982
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 82, No. 58
NU officials plead for university's life at hearing
By Pat Higgins
NU cannot absorb any more cuts in
its budgets without grave damage to the
university, NU President Ronald Roskens
said Monday.
Roskens led a delegation of NU officials
including the chancellors from UNL, UNO
and the NU Medical Center, the president
of the UNL Faculty Senate and the presi
dent of ASUN.
Roskens and the delegation appeared
before the Appropriations Committee of
the Nebraska Legislature, chaired by
state Sen. Jerome Warner of Waverly.
Warner welcomed the visit to the "annual
fall meeting" of the Appropriations Com
mittee. The entourage pleaded for an exemp
tion on the cuts as they all agreed that
NU already has been cut to the bone.
Roskens said that NU has been a full
participant in past budget reductions,
citing last year's $4.3 million cut.
Because of past cuts, he said, NU has
had to eliminate a number of scholastic
programs and 141 jobs. If the proposed
3.S percent cut is passed, $5.1 million
would be lost from the NU budget.
"This is more than we can bear,"
Roskens told the committee.
Libraries being eroded
Roskens listed a number of areas
where NU is in trouble.
Libraries, "the very heart of a univer
sity," are being seriously eroded, he said.
There is an inclination to think of libraries
as being of lesser consequence but they
are essential to research and instruction,
he said.
Cuts in the equipment budget have
led to cancellations of courses in the
chemistry departments because of obsolete
equipment. Agricultural courses also have
been unable to replace needed equipment,
Roskens said.
Travel budgets are an absolute necessity
for instruction and research, he said.
Travel is essential for the extension divi
sion which is a main part of NU's public
service to the state.
Salaries have lost ground in real terms,
which causes the loss of first-rate faculty,
he said. Salary increases in other Big Eight
schools for this academic year range from
7.5 percent to 13 percent. NU's 2.5 per
cent raise would be eliminated if the Thone
budget cuts are adopted.
NU is still a first-rate institution that
can boast areas of excellence, Roskens
said. The chemistry, animal science and the
Summer session cut opposed
B) Bill Allen
Robert Patterson, director and associate
dean of summer sessions, said that cut
ting out one of the summer sessions would
not benefit long-run cost effectiveness.
He was referring to state Sen. Rex
Haberman of Imperial's plan to present
a bill to the special legislative session
that would do just that.
Patterson described the summer ses
sions as a "no-frills operation" that does
not lose money for the university.
Haberman said he sent letters out to
all the state colleges and universities to
determine how much could be saved by
this action but so far has received no
formal response.
He attributed this to the fact that
most institutions are busy with budget
work at this time. He said, though, that
eliminating one summer session should
"cut costs right in half."
Patterson said cutting a session would
affect about 33 percent of the summer
students.
Last year, he said, 2,573 students
registered for the pre-session, 7,235 for
the first session and 5,21 Ifor the second.
Patterson said Haberman seems to be
interested in eliminating the second ses
sion. The 1981 enrollment for summer
sessions went up almost 2,000 students
from the 1980 figure, Patterson said.
He also said UNL has the only com
prehensive summer program in Nebraska
and that there are actually more graduate
students enrolled in the summer than in
the regular academic year.
Patterson said that on request he
provided the acting vice chancellor of
academic affairs, R. Neale Copple, with
income figures and the amount of state
funding summer sessions received.
Dan Wedekind, ASUN president, said
he doesn't think the solution is that
simple.
"I think there are a lot of other things
to be considered," Wedekind said. "Many
of those summer session classes are filled
with students that can't take the classes
during the regular academic year.
"Also' I would have to ask if such a bill
wouid indeed save money," he said.
"I don't feel that that's a solution."
journalism departments are all highly
regarded, he said.
"An investment in the University of
Nebraska is an investment in the future
of the state," Roskens said. "The reduction
of the budget would cause serious long
term problems that would take literally
years to rebuild."
UNL Chancellor Martin Massengale said
UNL's mission to provide service to the
state couldn't be performed well if the
budget is cut further.
Only jobs of certain staff members,
such as "relatively low-paid" workers,
including secretaries, could be terminated
at this time, he' said. Eliminating these
positions could be counter-productive
because unemployment compensation
would have to be paid.
Quality education endangered
"As chancellor of UNL, I accept res
ponsibility to the state but I must tell
you that the quality of education at UNL
is endangered," Massengale said.
Roy Arnold, vice chancellor of the
Institute of Agriculture and Natural
Resources, said Nebraska is one of the
top sellers of farm commodities in the
country but that research is rapidly declin
ing due to past cuts. Some extension
offices at the county level have had to
close, Arnold said.
Delbert Weber, chancellor at UNO,
said UNO's 1982-83 budget is already
below the 1980-81 level.
"I think we have to remember that
it's the students who get hurt the most
when the budgets are cut," Weber said.
James Griesen, interim chancellor at
the NU Medical Center, said the cost of
educating health professionals is high
but that it pays great dividends. The
med center is ranked 82 out of 1 18 schools
nationwide in expenditures per student.
The Dentistry College is 34 out of 35 in
expenditures per student. .
"The medical center has to meet strin
gent standards in order to preserve quality.
Our equipment is becoming obsolete,"
Griesen said.
UNL Faculty Senate President Larry
Walklin said the proposed cuts would
cause a decline in teaching quality. UNL
is in danger of becoming second-rate if
quality faculty leave, he said.
Dan Wedekind, ASUN president and
student regent, said education is not a
luxury but is a vital part of the state.
"I don't want UNL to become a generic
brand school. We need brand-name educa
tion," Wedekind told the committee.
Search committee seeks
Arts and Sciences dean
An Arts and Sciences Advisory Board
search committee had an organizational
meeting Thursday that was the first step
in choosing a permanent dean for the
college.
The College of Arts and Sciences,
one of UNL's largest colleges, has
been without a permanent dean since
Max Larsen left the position last year.
Gerhard Meisels, chemistry professor,
is the interim dean.
The 12-member committee, which
consists of professors, one alumna
and one student, introduced themselves
and determined how the position will
be advertised at its first meeting.
Miguel Carranza, associate professor
of sociology, said the position will
be advertised primarily in academic
chronicles, such as the Chronicle of
Higher Education, and at various
academic institutions.
He said the commitee is trying for
a "wide dispersal of the position open
ing" to get "as many candidates as
possible."
Carranza said the committee is
looking for a candidate with administra
tive experience at the departmental
level and someone who can handle
the wide variety of experiences in
arts and sciences.
Carranza said a candidate will be
chosen sometime in February or March
at the earliest.
The group's next meeting probably
will be during the first week of Dec
ember, he said.
The committee members are Car
ranza; Hazel Crain, director of Business
and Vocational Teacher Education
Center; Marge Dalton, an alumna;
James Eisentrager, professor of art;
Raymond Haggh, director of the School
of Music; Thomas Hubbard, acting
chairman and professor of accounting;
Frederick Link, chairman and professor
of English; Lester Lipsky, professor of
computer science; Doran Matzke,
student; Irvin Omtvedt, professor of
animal science; Ted Pardy, associate
professor in the School of Life Sciences;
and Frank Ullmann, professor of
electrical engineering.
v ' - 4 ' t j( f t 1 1 i.
r Li v. s ' . . w
V V 1 ft i
; i sw-Ov V - t-..... r
F7 1
' 1 "
t . .... .
v r "
I:-..-.-' k . " tt li ft
lJi-
V
' - '"i
r 1
I
i f
It 5
llii' t' t
1 '! I
1 ", i
i ' 1
1. u , -.-
4 J
Suff Photo by Dm Btmi
Lincoln commuters brave a chill Monday afternoon wind to catch a ride at the bus stop on Q Street between 12th and 13th streets.