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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1983)
L 1 f! ho tiircr u u U li - Ul CJi Vol.02, No. ICG February 17, 1033 University of Nebraska-Lincoln - k if I 1 7 i r ) i ' rl rl M n SLei 00 Do By Terry Hyland Gov. Bob Kerrey offered tentative plans to counter Nebraska's unemployment rate at a press conference in the state Capitol Wednesday. Kerrey said the January unemployment rate of 8.1 percent, representing 62,000 out-of-work Nebraskans, was "alarming" and outlined his plans to make more jobs available in the future. January's unemployment rate is the highest since the State Department of Labor began keeping statewide records in 1950. Kerrey said it is essential that private business directs money toward job-producing investments. He said most jobs are created by private businesses, but that the federal government has made it more attractive for businesses to invest in government bonds because of a better return. By doing this, he said, the govern ment is borrowing Nebraska's money to meet its own deficits, and preventing growth in private business that could produce jobs. "They've (the government) got to realize that they're sitting on recovery and making it hard for our people to survive," he said. The governor said he would go to Wash ington, D.C., next week and testify before the Senate Budget Committee in an effort to present Nebraska's economic problems and spur federal action toward the problems. Kerrey said he will be working with the Nebraska Department of Labor and the Department of Economic Development to OTfi) design and implement "tools that will provide jobs." He said he was not prepared to say what these tools are. Kerrey also said he may consider public works programs as a way to provide jobs. These programs would serve as short-term aid for the unemployed, and the programs would attempt to create meaningful jobs, he said. He said private funding and organization would be sought for the public works programs if a successful plan could be developed. The program would be applied statewide and administered carefully to meet the needs of the jobless, he said. No special programs for high school or college students are being considered. Kerrey said local employment programs would woik better in those areas. J ymeimft Ron Sorensen, director of the Nebraska Department of Labor, said Nebraska's unemployment fund could be in serious trouble if the trend of unemployment is not reversed. He said January estimates show that $8 million will be paid in unemployment benefits, compared to $6.3 million paid in January 1982. "At that rate, we will come dangerously close to going in the hole by the end of the year," he said. Sorensen said the state may borrow money from the federal government to supplement the fund, but he said he was not sure that the state constitution would allow it. He said his department is in the process of contacting the state attorney general has been contacted to study the legality of the plan. Stady: College wommeoi face'cEiiSiy'class&wm climate By Vicki Ruhga Women experience discrimination in various subtle ways in college classrooms, according to a study, "The Classroom Cli mate - A Chilly One for Women," con ducted by the American Association of Colleges. In her opening comments for the study, Aiine Parkhurst. chair of the UNL Chancel lor's Commission on the Status of Women, said the study found that on many cam puses, women receive less informal feed back from professors than males. Women are also interrupted more fre cuently bv their male counterparts and women have less eye contact from instruc tors, Parkhurst said before a large crowd mainly composed of women. The panel discussion, at 1 :30 p.m. Wed nesday in the main lounge of the Nebraska Union, was sponsored by the Chancellor's Commission on the Status of Women. UNL Chancellor Martin Massengale, one of the six panelists, said everyone can pro bably recall times when women and other people have experienced some discomfort in the classroom, perhaps not only in uni versities, but also in elementary and high schools. "By its very nature, UNL or any other university exists to explore ideas and dis cover the truth," Massengale said. "The idea that it is an unfriendly climate for women or other groups is in itself a chil ling thought." Massengale said the discrimination situ ation needs to be improved inside as well as outside the classroom. He suggested ma terials on the subject be distributed, re search projects conducted and a feedback system established to obtain suggestions from students, faculty and university staff members. Linda Pratt, a graduate English profes sor, reviewed the status of women in terms of employment for the past 10 years. Pratt said the university does not give equal pay for equal work. In the 1980-81 school year, women in all categories receiv ed $303 less than males; in full professor positions, women received $758 less;asso ciate professors receive $425 less, she said. UNL also is below the national average in terms of women faculty members. Only 19.8 percent of the UNL staff is female, compared to the 25 percent national aver age. According to the 1980 report of the Chancellor's Commission on the Status of Women, women are losing ground in terms of rank, tenure, salary and representation in the decision-making process, Pratt said. She gave UNL a grade of D-plus in terms of its opportunities for women. Nette Nelson, a UNL undergraduate speech communications major, said changes in discrimination could be encour aged by the awareness that classroom lan guage can change behavior, and by actively encouraging affirmative action programs to provide women role models. Tom Spilker, a graduate engineering in structor, said he believes university policies regarding discrimination need visibility, so faculty members are aware of them and know how to apply the policies. Spilker said the 1978 text for his engi neering class has obvious discrimination, because it portrays women in non-professional roles and men in professional roles in each problem. Jim Cole, a professor of psychology, said today's culture allows people to accept discriminatory behavior toward others be cause it has always been that way. However, when people are extremely sensitive to a problem like this, Cole said, there is a danger that people will react to all problems as if they were caused by sex ist orientation. f "TifT CS' ? VJ!!!l;i y-tJ if I i f ( , : . L 1 . L - l,z zr-J ' V ' ' ' i 4 l 7" j - iCl - -" S I ts - ,j ,.. .. 5 - ft, - . x . 1 - - J . - I i r- nzsz "i J Jo Staff photos by Joel Sartore Top: "Want a ride," said sophomore Tom Fletcher, who was out enjoying the warm wea ther while riding his unicycle; Dave Deery, left, and Kevin Korbel play hacky-sack outside the state Historical Museum. 7 J' m ::-. . i :vy;-j r 5, t" '.-it t UNL cielsTOys with spring fever By Bill Allen It might have been a "chilly climate" for women in the main lounge of the Nebraska Union, but it was warm and sunny outside for the rest of UNL. While a panel inside was discussing whether women are discriminated against on campus, people outside played basketball, hacky-sack and jogged. Rob Pearlman, a sophomore psychology major, said he was going to take advantage of the sun and cruise Lincoln on his bicycle. He doesn't ride it much during the winter, he said, because "it's kind of hard to put snow tires on a bicycle." Wednesday was Dawn Hartung's birthday, and she spent the afternoon studying in the warmth of a long hidden Nebraska sun outside the union. "Usually, I'm in the midst of a snowstorm on my birthday," Hartung, a graduate speech communications student, said. Doug Jump and Nancy Cootrill, both freshmen, sat on the front steps of the Neihardt Residence Complex and "caught some rays." "The weather's great," said Kathy Dickinson, freshman business education major sitting on a park bench in Centennial Mall. "I'm ready for spring." Elaine Jenkins, a receptionist in the CAP office, had similar comments. "I'm getting spring fever. I think I'll bring my type writer out here," she said sitting by Broyhill Fountain. But not everyone was pleased to see the sun out. Ed Bennett, a sophomore broadcasting major, and John Jessen, a junior business major, said they wished it would snow again. They were going skiing this weekend. .rr: j r