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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 1983)
A J Y ri Daily yi n uesaa University of Nebraska-Lincoln March 20, 1983 Vol. 2, No. 129 m U Li J By Terry Hyland The Nebraska Legislature breathed new life into a dead bill last week as state senators voted to revive a measure that would ease conditions for building a proposed regional veterinary college at UNL. The education committee had killed LB533 by a 5-3 vote March 16. Sen. Tom Vickers of Farnam, chairman of the committee, agreed to delay reporting the committee decision after the vote and tried to reach a compromise on the issue with concerned livestock producers. When the issue was not resolved, Vickers reported the bill's demise to the full Legislature. On March 24, supporters of the bill, led by Sen. Rex Haberman of Imperial, were given a chance to bring the bill back from the committee and into the general file through a floor debate and vote. During the debate, supporters of the veterinary college stressed the importance of the bill in keeping the project alive and said the state must act now to accept federal funds and show its commitment to the project. Opponents argued that more attention should be directed toward existing agricultural and academic programs at the university. They also said spending a large amount of money during a period of economic recession was im practical and unnecessary. When the senators voted after the debate, supporters of the bill won a 33-8 victory and the bill was advanced to general file. Thirty votes were required to revive the bill. LB533 was introduced in the Legislature this year to amend a 1981 measure setting guidelines for construction of the proposed regional veterinary college. The bill, sponsored by the Legislature's agriculture committee, would allow the planning and construction of the college to proceed with the federal government's intent to fund the project in the future. Congress already has appropriated SS27,000 for planning and pre-eonstruct-ion costs, and Gov. Bob Kerrey has budgeted $50,000 to match the federal funds. The bill also would eliminate the Jan. 31, 1983, deadline for acceptance of the federal funds by the state. A lengthy debate and possible amend ments to the bill are possible when the bill comes to the floor for its general file vote, Vickers said. Vickers, one of the leading opponents of the vet school issue, said he did not think the bill's revival meant the measure has gained support . He said amendments to the bill to make it acceptable should include a new deadline for acceptance of federal funding - possibly another year - and a more solid financial commitment from Congress. He said the federal government's intent to fund the project in the future is not a guarantee for the funds. Haberman, who presented the bill to the education committee, has supported the bill and the vet school project with excerpts from the Congressional Record that he says confirm federal financial backing for the vet college. Haberman and other supporters of the vet college have urged the Legislature to act now on the vet school issue and accept federal funding while it is available. Sen. William Nichol of Scott sbluff, speaker of the Legislature, said Monday that supporters of the bill have not requested that the bill be scheduled for further debate yet. He said the bill is a priority bill and will be moved ahead of other bills when that request is made. Children's Day offers otioBUS opcinr for child care By Deb Ko!c If you see some "shorter" students roaming around campus Thursday and think they look a little young to be college students, you're right. Lincoln Public Schools will be closed Thursday and the Chancellor's Commission on the Status of Women is sponsoring a UNL Children's Day. Thirty children in the first through sixth grades will be "entertained" by UNL staff members all day, said Sandy Wolfe, a member of the Commission's Care Task Force. "Everyone was very cooperative and helpful. We didn't have problems finding things for the children to do," said Sylvia Wiegand, associate professor of mathematics and statistics and co chairman of the task force. The children will be divided into two groups, first through third graders and fourth through sixth graders, Wolfe said. The entertainment is divided into one-hour blocks ranging from math talks on the Rubiks cube to singing and dancing with the drama department. Although some of the activities for the two groups differ, both will tour Morrill Hall and Sheldon Art Gallery, she said. "We wanted this to be a way for children to find out about the university and also a way to solve the parents' child care problem for that day," Wiegand said. "The Child Care Task Force's overall mission has been to decide what needs and problems there are for child pre and to try to find options to solve those problems," Wolfe said. "When schools are closed, child care can be a real problem." The UNL Children's Day is set up to help demonstrate the need for child care and also as a way of exploring possible options, Wiegand said. There is a S5.50 charge per child for the day. Wolfe said this covers the cost of milk, an afternoon snack and the full-time supervision. The children will bring a sack lunch and the rest is free. The staff members providing entertainment are volunteers. "We (the task force) do have a list of day care centers in Lincoln and a list of questions to ask when looking for a sitter for your child," Wolfe said. "We would be happy to send anyone these lists if requested." T . -,.r a 2 j j p 'if n i F- ' i J' I XX 1 I ' ' (& i - I , U'vvJ ylA I?4 Resource topics u toisjyifelhit AmI ecOTe semes By Carol Harrah The Visiting Scholars Lecture Series, sponsored by the UNL Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife, will be April 5 through April 21 . Professors from Rutgers University, the University of Wisconsin and Cornell University will participate in the nine-day event on the UNL campus. Three professors will give lectures and lead discussion on the topic "Natural Resources Management, Challenges and Promises for the Future." The speakers are: David Ehrenfeld, professor of biology at Cook College, Rutgers University; David Pimentel, professor of insect ecology and agricultural sciences at Cornell University; and Arthur Hasler, professor emeritus at the Laboratory of Limnology, at the University of Wisconsin. Ron Case, professor in the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife, said this is the first year for the lecture series. "We received a grant from the Layman Fund," he said. "It was set up specifically for this and the theme was chosen as well. We wanted to show that there is some hope for the future, instead of looking at only the bad side of ecology." . Ehrenfeld will start off the series with a lecture on sources of hope in the environmental crisis at 7:30 pjn. in the auditorium at the Nebraska Center for Continuing Education. The lecture will be presented April 5. On April 6, he will present a seminar on ecology in the East Union at noon. Ehrenfeld then will lead a discussion on the biology of human sex differences in the East Union at 10 a.m. April 7. Ehrenfeld is an active conservationist on the national and international levels. He was the principal scientific organizer of the World Conference on Sea Turtle Conservation, a founding member of the American Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and vice president of the E.F. Schumacher Society, a group that takes a philosophical look at natural resources. The next lecture will be given by David Pimentel, April 12 at 10 a.m. in the East Union. He will speak on the topic of "Biomass Energy : Benefits and Risks." Pimentel also will conduct seminars April 12 and 13. The first will be at 7 30 p m. on the topic of natural resources versus food production, and on April 13 at noon, the seminar topic will be genetic diversity and parasite-host stability. Arthur Hasler will be the final speaker in the series. He will lecture of "Eutrophication of Lakes: Causes and Correctives," April 19 at 7 30 p m. in the Nebraska Center for Continuing Education auditorium. He also will conduct two seminars April 20 at noon, and April 21 at 10 a.m., both in the East Union.