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Chancellor M A. Massengale and Dean of Graduate College Henry Hcltztew epsak at graduation ceremony.
Phcto by A J. Kunco
University of Nebraska
School of Journalism
Number 5
July 14, 1983
IUJ U LI LI LI W li LI
o n 1
UN-L sees
BY JOANN MORRISON
University of Nebraska-Lincoln officials
this week challenged the good intentions of
the State Health Department's removal of
the university's broad-scope license to han
dle radioactive materials.
Spokesmen at the University say that
conflict of interest and the possibility of a
personal vendetta by a previous UN-L em
ployee might be clouding the licensing issue.
Dr. Henry Smith, state health depart
ment director, said the department is justi
fied in its actions and that no conflict exists.
In a letter sent to the University on June
22 by Smith, the university was told that its
broad-scope license to use radioactive ma
terials would be terminated on Oct. 31 be
cause of the university's continued non-compliance
with state guidelines in handling the
materials. According to the letter, 10 of the
17 non compliance items found in 1981 were
still deficient in 1983.
Jack Goebel, vice chancellor of business
and finance at UN-L, and coordinator for
the environmental safety program on cam
pus, said he was surprised to receive the let
ter. Goebel said he was aware that the state
still had complaints regarding university
non-compliance.
"But we felt that we were on our way to
very adequately taking care of the prob
lem," he said, "until we got a letter saying
(the Health department) was terminating
our broad-use license. Up to that point, we
had no notion that the situation warranted
extreme action."
The university and the health depart
ment agree that there is no immediate
threat to the health of university personnel
and students working with the low-level iso
topes used in research.
Richard Gardecki, radiation safety offi
cer (RSO) at UN-L, said, "The risk from
using these low-energy radio-nucleides is
less than the risk of smoking one cigarette."
The health department director said that
radioactive materials have the potential for
conflict of interest in waste ruling
Thursday is deadline
for degree application
Thursday, July 14, is the last day for
degree candidates at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln to apply for degrees to
be awarded at the end of the second sum
mer session. Applicants must apply at
Room 208 in the Administration Building.
causing accidents. He said the university
had not been documenting the use and dis
posal of these radioactive materials property-
As a result of the broad-scope ban, indi
vidual users at UN-L will be required to file
for separate licenses, Smith said. "We're
starting from square one," he said.
Smith said that a broad-scope license
would be re-issued to the university when it
could show full compliance to health depart
ment standards.
Vice Chancellor Goebel said the issue
was complicated by the fact that the previ
ous radiation safety officer at the Univer
sity, Julius Haes, appeared to be involved in
the issue.
Haes is now working for the division of
radiological health at the State Health De
partment, he said.
"We are accused (by the department of
health) of poor documentation, improper
meetings and equipment lack," Goebel said.
"Two of those are the result of action on the
part of the previous RSO (Julius Haes), he
said.
"Haes was an employee at UN-L and .
now finds himself in a position of examining
the work of the people who were formerly
his colleagues." Goebel said he questioned
whether Haes should be involved with the
re-licensing of the university.
Smith said he sees no conflict of interest
in Haes' position.
"He is not serving as RSO at the present
time," Smith said."He is our authority on
(radiation) health.
"Haes did not participate in the survey of
his own work," Smith said. "Haes had noth
ing to do with the decision to write the let
ter. The decision was my responsibility."
Haes will not be dealing directly with the
licensing of the university, Smith said.
The health department director said
there was no connection between the timing
of the letter to the university and the fact
that Haes was elevated to overseer of the
radiological health division two days after
the letter was sent.
Richard Gardecki, radiation safety offi
cer at UN-L since March of this year, said
that 19 out of the 22 non-compliances in the
1983 survey report could be directly attri
buted to Julius Haes when he was RSO.
Gardecki said that it was the responsibil
ity of the RSO to make make sure all radio
active materials were used properly and
that lab facilities were adequately equipped.
One of the complaints in the survey, Gar
decki said, was that there weren't enough
radioactive survey monitors in the labs, he
said.
"This is not a responsibility of the admin
istration," he said, "It is the RSO's. If you're
doing your job properly, you check to make
sure the lab has proper facilities. If they
don't have a meter, you don't let them use
the materials."
Gardecki said that Haes had been per
mitting such non-allowed use.
Haes denied that any of the non-compliance
items are his fault.
"The problems are the responsibility of
the whole university," Haes said. "I tried to
do my job, but my recommendations were
not necessarily followed by the administra
tors." Haes said he didn't think there was a con
flict of interest in the case. Actual licensing
will be handled by someone else, he said.
"The (health) department recognizes
See WASTE, Page 3
INSIDE
Computer registration: the
good, the bad, the ugly
page 8
Electronic stimulation may
aid strength gain page 6
Shuttle to Omaha, round
trip Page 6
Love Library "house
keeping nightmare",, page 8
UN-L faculty pay raises for 1984-85
not guaranteed by Regents' decision
BY LARRY SPARKS
A recent decision to base faculty salaries
at the three University of Nebraska cam
puses by reference to peer institutions does
not mean University of Nebraska-Lincoln
professors should expect dramatic salary in
creases for fiscal year 1984-85, according to
administration and faculty representatives.
UN-L faculty members already have
been told they wiU not receive raises for fis
cal 1983 84, but the July 5 decision by the
Board of Regents led to some speculation
that large increases may be in store for next
year.
NU Director of Public Affairs Jim Raglin
said a recent study by the Faculty Salary
Study Committee shows UN-L salaries for
1983-84 are about 16 percent below the me
dian wage at similar land-grant institutions.
The university has some catching up to do in
salaries, he said, but the increases probably
will come gradually.
"We are behind other universities," Ra
glin said, "nobody would argue that. But this
state isn't exactly looking around for ways
to spend it's extra tax money."
"We're not talking about marching in
giant steps," he said. "We have to take a
realistic approach to this."
Linda Pratt, president-elect of the Amer
ican Association of University Professors at
UN-L doubts the regents' statement will re
sult in any major pay scale changes.
"Why should I think something is going to
change?" she asked. "The regents told us
this year that pay raises were their top pri
ority and we ended up with nothing."
Harry Allen, director of research and
planning at UN-L, confirmed that the ad
ministration already uses data from peer in
stitutions to lobby the Legislature for pay
raises. The 10 land-grant institutions used in
the faculty study are those used by the ad
ministration, he said.
The 10 schools cited in the study are Illi
nois, Iowa State, Michigan State, Minnesota,
Missouri, Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin,
Penn State and Maryland College Park.
Regent Edward Schwartzkopf acknowl
edged that the board's decision is not a guar
antee UN-L salaries will be brought up to
the level of its peer group. The board, how
ever, is committed to making an effort in
that direction, he said.
Schwartzkopf blamed the Legislature for
the lack of pay raises this year and said the
regents will not be able to provide signifi
cant raises without increased funding.
"If the money isn't there," he said, "we
simply cannot provide raises."
Ms. Pratt, however, said the regents
should not blame the Legislature for the
lack of pay increases. NU was given a lump
sum appropriation this year, she said, and
could have budgeted for raises.
Granting pay increases this year would
See PAY RAISE, Pae 2