The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, January 14, 1985, Image 1
rm 11 Monday, January 14, 1985 f,"1'- Weather: PrliycToudy, windy and cooler today wiiii a myn 01 juoj. Monaay nignt, cloudy and cold with a low of 8 (-13C). Tuesday, mostly sunny and warmer with a high in the upper 30s (3C). Tuesday night, partly 'cloudy and not as cold with a low in the upper teens (-7C). .t iW ,, Bob BrubacherOally Nebrcskan University of Nebraska-Lincoln Battlers: Raunchy, and raw roclc.Page 1 2 Vol. 84 No. 80 Husk wailo a p KainS...Page 8 if c 4 1 ''""'X ; V ! v. nAa - xrd - ' ; , V.. v) X r V N J1 IW' mm v Senatos, j u o. m n t put to test i By Brad Giffbrd t Senior Reporter i Nebraska voters in November gave ' the 1885 state Legislature permission to value agricultural land in a separate tax division to lower farmers' and ranchers' property taxes. Commonwealth Savings Co. deposi tors are pressuring the Legislature, which reconvened Wednesday, to reimburse the money they lost in the failed institution in 1983. They claim the state is liable because it created the company, Nebraska Depository In vestment Guaranty Corp., which insured but' could net cover Commonwealth deposits. At the Statehouse Gov. Bob Kerrey made water and education top priorities in his pro posed budget for fiscal 19S5 by recom mending significant spending increases in both areas. These proposals and others will test the judgment of 49 Nebraska legisla tors during the next 87 days, as they decide where the state's money will go. Present revenues fall short of cover ing many proposed expenditures. I The governor's budget was drafted with a $36 million deficit between pro- jected revenue and spending propos--4 als. After legislators form spending ideas, a game of give and take will determine if taxes need to be increased, if spending must be cut or both. If substantial farm property tax relief i is granted, revenue will decrease pro portionally. Talk of broadening the state's tax base is already being heard ; from some legislators, namely Vard ' Johnson of Omaha, the newly elected chairman of the revenue committee. Ccr.tir.csd a Page 7 Administrators delay bookstore reloc atiou By Ward W. Triplett III Sports Editor At this time last week, the Nebraska Union sr.d EacHocn, Chsricellor Mar tin Massengile's office, & contractor or two somewhere and a bookstore con sultant decided that the north end of the Nebraska Union basement would be closed and converted into an ex panded and unified University Bock store. On Thursday, the university received contractor bids. One of them was good enough to lead all paries involved to believe demolition of the basement would begin today and the contractors, working on a "design-and-build" pol icy, would begin to figure out what would go where in the revtstped space. Bat Friday mornlngy pirns changed. The entire plan, starting with the approval of the bookstore relocation project, the contractors and the finan cial package, all depended on an affir mative vote by the NU Board of Egsnts on Saturday. However, tht item was removed from the regents' agenda, and nothing will likely happen until Febru ary when the proposal is resubmitted to the bo&rd. : What transpired on the last few days of the semester bresk was the tail end c a whirhrlnd of decisions and meet ir 3 about the location of the new Uni versity Bookstore. Since Dec. 1, 1984, tlie two-year-old Chancellor's commit tee cn bookstore relocation considered nine options for the nsw location. The c:rJttee finally concluded the union t-er.tr.t still would be the best place for the bookstore. Even this wasn't a quick or easy solution, since bookstore officials wanted to move out of the basement entirely. The committee finished the plan during fall semester's finals week. Union EacEoom director Bailie Hughes told his staff of 1 2 students and two full-time assistants that they would have to find other jobs the plan called for the bowling alley and EecEoom to be tom out Immediately. Meanwhile, the bookstore manage ment braced for the crush cf first-week book buyers and at the same time, had to start thinking about where it would relocate the school-supply store until the new area was finished Then won! of the plan leaked out slowly to students, who had missed the early decisions becsnse of semester break. One RccUccm patron said she was unhappy students weren't informed. "I find it real curious that they found a way to do this right when the stu dents were supposed to be on break," said Susan Swartz, a sophomore inter national studies major who used to bowl in a Tuesday city league. But others say they think it wasn't planned. "1 really don't think anyone intended it to work out that way," said RecRoom director Hughes, who used to manage the 10-lane boiling facility. "It's just amazing how it all happened so fast." ASUN president Mark Scudder, who described himself as a strong suppor ter of the bookstore move does want students to have some say in the loca tion of the bookstore. That sentiment, combined with a need for better wording and a firmer financial plan, led to Friday's deci sion to pull the item off the regents' calender, Scudder said. For now. When the regents next convene, an affirmative vote will close down the RecRoom and the rest of the north basement anyway. Between now and then, Scudder and the Nebraska Union Board plan to hear as many student opinions about the bookstore as possi ble. "There isn't much about this that's set in stone," Scudder said. "If any students have opinions or suggestions on how to make this a better plan, everyone is willing to hear them." On the other hand, if there is over whelming student ejection, a change of heart by the administration or if the regents turn down the plan, nothing may happen at all. Continued on P&e 5