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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 1985)
Weather: Partly cloudy today with a 20 percent chance ot thunderstorms. Expect a high of 87. Becoming cloudy tonight with a 50 percent chance of thunder storms. Low of 63. Cloudy and cool Fiiday with a good chance of more thunderstorms. High of 72. Barb BrandaDally Nabraikan Nebraska's Adamczak repeats honor Sports, pago 13 Charlie Burton aims for national audience Diversions, page 7 A j ri Daily n September 19, 1985 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 85 No. 18 Roskens David CreamerDaily Nebraskan CoimsdDHdlsiMdDinL mot acceptable NU President Roskens says he'll quit if campuses merge By Martin Neary Staff Reporter NU President Ronald Roskens said Wednes day that he would quit if UNL, UNO and the NU Medical Center were consolidated. Speaking at a "Face The Chamber" luncheon sponsored by the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Roskens said consolidation would eliminate duplication, but consolidation is undesirable because it implies that he is trying to build an empire, Roskens said. Instead, to improve the university, Roskens said faculty quality and salaries must be in creased. "Our faculty is the most important facet of the university," Roskens said. "We must nurse excellence. We need additional, funded profes sorships. Faculty salaries are absolutely primary in a university like ours." "Secondly," Roskens continued, "We need to bring more and more visiting scholars to enhance that part of the university." Roskens said money is needed to bring more exchange students to Nebraska. Attracting more graduate and doctoral candidates to the univer sity is more and more important, he said. "I regret to say, and I could be wrong, that there seems to be more and more people who regard the university as an option rather than an obligation," Roskens said. Roskens, who has been NU president since 1977, said the university has been active and has not reduced its scope. He said he called for re-allocating two percent of NU's budget after the Legislature cut the university's budget. Des pite the budget reductions in past years, includ ing a $2.2 million reduction for the 1985-86 aca demic year, Roskens said the university has remained intact. Roskens said the easiest way to approach legislation concerning the university is to find a middle road between extreme confrontation and collaboration with the Legislature. "We know, as I think you know," he said, "that if we're going to take a frontal-confrontation approach (with the Legislature), we might win a battle or two, but it is the war we're concerned about." Please see ROSKENS on 6 slkein Mil f f Iwm icate !) QJJ By Ann Harrell Senior Reporter t NU President Ronald Roskens said Wednes day he has been selected as one of 25 semi finalists in Iowa State University's search for a new president. While flattered by the selection, Roskens said he has no plans now for accepting the executive position if offered to him. Roskens said a consulting firm contacted him about one month ago to ask if he would want to be considered for the position. He consented. "This is not something I sought at all," he said. Roskens said he frequently is contacted with similar requests, but he declined several posi tions in the last few years. Gerhard Meisels, dean of the UNL College of Arts and Sciences, also is among the semi finalists Iowa State is considering. Earlier this semester, Meisels said, Iowa State notified him he was nominated for the presid ency. He also said the nomination for the Iowa State position was not his idea Other candidates include Duane Acker, pres ident of Kansas State University and former UNL vice chancellor of agriculture and natural re sources. The new president, who will be in charge of the Iowa State campus only, will receive an annual salary of $100,000, Butts said. Roskens is paid $90,000 at NU. Roskens said he doesn't know what the differ ences would be between being president of NU and Iowa State. "There would be differences, obviously, because this is a system office and that would be heading a campus office," he said. Roskens, who was raised and educated in Iowa and still has family in the state, said he couldn't say whether his personal ties to Iowa would play a role in his decision if he were offered the job. Please see FINALIST on 6 Ferg uson Hall computer lab closes By Ann Harrell Senior Reporter The Ferguson Hall computer lab will close at 11 p.m. this semester because of low usage and potential security problems, said Gerald Kut ish, statistical consultant for the UNL Computing Resource Center. A small group of students have complained because the lab will not stay open until 2 a.m. like last year, Kutish said. The lab was open late last year as an experiment, he said, because about 40 students in a systems design computer science course needed access to the VAX compu ter. That computer only can be reached through the terminals in Ferguson Hall, he said. Since assign ments in that class are compli cated, officials decided to leave the lab open late for those students. Kutish said he asked students who complained about the shor tened hours whether they have trouble finding lab space during the day. If the decision to cut hours causes overcrowding, he said, he may reconsider. Kutish said he knows it is more convenient for some students to work at night. But he said he must spend the money for staff salaries in a way that benefits most students. "Not to be crass, but one person's convenience is my expense," he said. Another problem last year was that students not in the building before 11 p.m. could not use the lab the outside doors to Ferguson Hall closed at 11 p.m., Kutish said. And students in the lab from 1 1 p.m. to 2 a.m. had access to all the build ing's rooms, presenting a security risk. With the shortened hours, Kutish said, he is considering relocating staff members in Nebraska Hall from 7 to 10 p.m., because the need io greater. This week Kutish visited Nebraska Hall in the evenings to survey its use. He said enough students use the terminals to merit staff super vision. "There have been from 10 to 15 people over there in the evenings doing beginning work and looking like they need help," he said. The final decision on whether to put staff members in Nebraska Hall will be made by the end of this week, he said. "My feeling is I will put someone over there," he said. "I will get more benefit by staffing a building that benefits more students than the few who use Ferguson." He said he regrets any problems the change may cause for students who need to use the VAX computer, which is not accessible from Ne braska Hall. However, he said, stu dents should talk to their instructors. Instructors can make formal re quests for extended hours through the chairman of the computer science department. So far, he said, he has received no such request. Kutish said this problem should work itself oui, soon because VAX accessible terminals are planned for Nebraska Hall. The system should be in operation sometime this year or at the beginning of next year, he said.
