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EYiagic chicken ponden
the question of 'whut is it?'
Arts end Entertainment, psgo 7
Coach, players win big
in last home football ga
Sports, page 9
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November 18, 1985
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 85 No. 60
Legislators spare NU from Keinrey9s ax
By Todd von Kampen
Senior Reporter
The Legislature voted Friday to over
ride line-item vetoes by Gov. Bob Ker
rey that would have quadrupled the
university's cut in state support this
school year.
For three hours Friday afternoon, NU
faced a budget cut of $12.3 million
7.45 percent of its state support
instead of the $3.4 million approved by
state senators Nov. 5.
After senators refused to pass bills
that would have increased state
cigarette and income taxes, Kerrey
told the Legislature he was adding
another $24 million to the $17 million
in overall cuts in the main budget bill.
Senators left him no other option to
meet the state's revenue shortfall, he
said.
"We only have two choices: decrease
the budget or increase the revenues,"
Kerrey said in his veto message. "We
have seen the chaos that exists at the
federal level where the inability or
unwillingness to face a fiscal reality
has led us to the brink of disaster. I will
not and cannot be a party to that type
of irresponsible action."
The Legislature already had decided
before the vetoes to reverse itself and
accept an increase in the cigarette tax.
After the vetoes came in, senators
voted 33-15 to accept the income tax
The special session adjourned min
utes later.
Lincoln Sen. Don Wesely, who spoke
consistently against deep NU budget
cuts during the session, said he felt
"like I heard a shot, looked around and
felt only a nip" after the vetoes were
voted 26-18 against passing the
cigarette tax bill with the emergency
clause. Supporters then tried to pass
the bill without the clause, but lost on
a 26-19 vote.
Senators then voted 31-15 to pass
the income tax bill with the emergency
Legislators cut budgets, increase taxes to meet shortfall
From Staff Reports
The following legislative action
was taken during the special ses
sion to meet a projected $4 i million
revenue shortfall in the 1B35-88 fis
cal yean
O The 1985-86 budget was re
duced from $828 million to $811
million, including a $3.4 million cut
in NU's state support. NU and state
government will have less money
this year than in 1984-85.
O The state cigarette tax was
raised from 18 cents to 23 cents a
pack beginning March i, 1986, The
increase is expected to raise $2.4
million this fiscal year. Senators
rejected an attempt to pass the bill
with an emergency clause which
would have moved the effective date
to Dec. 1 and raised an additional
$1.6 million.
O Nebraska's individual income
tax was raised from 1 9 to 20 percent
of federal income tax liability for
1985 only. The increase is expected
to raise $17.3 million this fiscal
year.
increase exactly the number of
votes needed for the tax to take effect
before the year's end.
The Legislature then voted 37-9 to
override all of Kerrey's line-item vetoes
and return the budget cuts to $17
million.
overridden. The $12.3 million cut for
NU would have stuck if the Legislature
had not given the income tax bill the 33
votes it needed to take effect imme
diately, he said.
The stage for Kerrey's budget vetoes
was set Friday morning when senators
clause, two votes short of the necessary
total. Later the Legislature voted 24-10
to pass the bill without the clause, but
failed by one vote to get the 25 votes
necessary for passage. Kerrey then had
no choice but to use his line-item veto
on the budget bill, Lincoln Sen. Shirley
Marsh said.
"That's the only action he could take
in light of the stupidity (the Legisla
ture) exhibited this morning by refus
ing to increase the income tax rate,"
Marsh said.
Before lunch, senators moved to
reconsider the cigarette tax bill and
voted 27-19 to pass it without the
emergency clause. When the Legisla
ture reconvened, Omaha Sen. Ernest
Chambers, who had not voted on the
income tax bill, moved to reconsider it.
Omaha Sen. Tim Hall, who had
opposed the tax, said he would support
it because of Kerrey's vetoes.
In addition to the extra $9 million
cut for NU, the line-item vetoes in
cluded $6 million less in state aid to
schools, $1.5 million less in state aid to
local governments, $470,000 less for
the Department of Revenue and $1.4
million less for the state colleges.
"This is an act which is consistent
with our duty, our job: balance the
budget, doing it as best we can," Lan
dis said.
Kegemts to determine
temporary redactions
in nniveirsity tadget
By Martha Stoddard
Staff Reporter
NU President Ronald Roskens said
Friday he and other NU chancellors will
make temporary reductions in the uni
versity budget to meet the 2 percent
cut approved by the Legislature.
Roskens said the cuts could be a
combination of items on the list of
potential cuts already drawn up for a 3
percent budget reduction. Roskens said
several of the temporary budget cut
decisions have been made, but those
could change because of the switch
from 3 percent to 2 percent. A special
meeting of the NU Board of Regents
would be unnecessary to approve the
temporary cuts.
Roskens refused to speculate on
what cuts would be made. The 3 per
cent budget reduction list included
cuts in part-time faculty members,
equipment, travel, library spending, wom
en's athletics, NETV, the Nebraska State
Museum, Sheldon Art Gallery, the Com
munity Resource and Research Center,
the Bureau of Business Research, the
Counseling Center, the extension ser
vice and the elimination of some UNL
staff members other than tenured
faculty members.
The second part of the list included
permanent cuts to the budget. Roskens
said that permanent cuts still are
necessary because the Legislature re
duced the university's base budget by
about $3.3 million.
Permanent UNL budget cuts after
July 1, 1986, could include $542,000
from the budgets for women's intercol
legiate athletics and the Bob Devaney
Sports Center, $125,000 from the NETV
budget; $250,000 from closing the Com
munity Resource and Research Center
and the Bureau of Business Research;
$400,000 from the extension agent
budget; $80,000 from Sheldon Art
Gallery and the Nebraska State Museum;
and $1.3 million from closing the NU
School of Technical Agriculture at
Curtis.
Roskens said the regents would have
to approve any permanent budget cuts.
However, Roskens said he doesn't
expect any change in the university's
budget request for next year because of
the cuts. The request already was sub
mitted to the Legislature.
Roskens spoke to reporters during
an open meeting with students and
regents.
Speakers from some student groups
spoke to the regents about the effects
of the university's tight budget on stu
dents. Barb Meister of Farm Action
Concerns Tomorrows Society asked the
regents not to make further cuts in
agriculture-related areas, especially the
proposed elimination of the Curtis
technical agriculture school, elimina
tion of several extension service agents
and cutting the contracts for out-of-state
education of veterinary students.
When the football team had losing
seasons 20 years ago, she said, the uni
versity didn't abandon it and substi
tute polo or golf. Instead, it built on the
capacity to create a winning team. The
university should do the same for agri
culture, Meister said.
Members of the Home Economics
and the Business Student Advisory
Boards said that budget cuts in their
areas had increased class size and
made classes harder for students to
get.
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Dan DulaneyOaily Nebraskan
Washing weather
Todd Anderson, a UNL senior economics major, lowers the windshield wipers after washing and
polishing his car at a carwash on Cornhusker Highway Sunday. Temperatures in the upper 50s
were recorded throughout the area.
$10 million gift formally accepted
Regents move ahead on Lied Center
By Martha Stoddard
Staff Reporter
The NU Board of Regents took further
steps Friday toward the construction of
the Lied Center for Performing Arts.
By a 7-1 vote, the regents approved
the design development booklet for the
center, formally accepted the $10 mil
lion gift from the Lied Foundation,
agreed to the conditions of the gift and
approved the issuance of bond antici
pation notes for the center.
Regent Robert Simmons of Scotts
bluff voted against the resolutions. He
questioned whether the university could
afford to accept the gift from the Lied
Foundation.
"The center will be a cost to the
university today, tomorrow and forever,"
he said.
Regent John Payne of Kearney coun
tered, saying the center was a rare
opportunity for the university. He noted
that most of the money for the center
has been donated.
The regents' action on the Lied Cen
ter will allow the university to issue
$24.4 million in bond anticipation notes.
Unlike ordinary long-term bonds, the
bond anticipation notes will be due in
one year. However, most of the $24 mil
lion will be in escrow to repay the notes
and cannot be spent, according to reso
lution terms approved by the regents.
No student fees are involved.
Please see REGENTS on 3