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Sunny and cold today. Light easterly
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The Verandas triumph
in RMA-sponsored battle
Arts and Entertainment, page 9
Huskers are assured
of New Year's bowl
Sports, page 8
yvv -n Daily t
an Li
November 20, 1985
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 85 No. 62
Tom LauderDaily Nebraskan
Participation
UNL classes active, professors say
By Janis Lovitt
Staff Reporter
Although research shows that many U.S.
college students spend as little as 5 percent
of class in discussion, several UNL professors
say they think class participation here has
increased in the last few years.
The report, "Higher Education and the
American Resurgence," was written by Frank
Newman, former president of the University
of Rhode Island. Newman said not enough
college students challenge professors' ideas.
The report suggested that students won't be
as creative or take risks when they enter tne
job market.
Delivee Wright, director of UNL's Teaching
and Learning Center, said she thinks a com
bination of good instructors and enthusiastic
students leads to good discussions in UNL
classrooms. .
Wright said there might have been a
decrease in participation since the 1960s, but
she said she thinks class discussions actually
have increased in the last few years.
Professors are aware of the problem,
Wright said. The Teaching and Learning Cen
ter helps professors learn to overcome low
class participation.
Keith Prichard, professor of adult educa
tion and social foundations, said professors
have to work to get the class involved. He said
he thinks it is the instructors' responsibility
to get the class talking.
"A good professor will shift the lecture to a
question," he said. "He should set aside time
after each lecture for student's questions."
"The classroom is like a theater," Prichard
said. "The students are the audience, and the
professors are the actors."
Please see PARTICIPATE on 6
Gubernatorial campaign
possibility for Boosalis
civ nian-a irthncnn First estimations of the costs for the cam-
by uiana jonnson paign have been rather 01" Boosalis
Senior Reporter said, but she expects monetary support for her
Former Lincoln mayor Helen Boosalis may run possible candidacy,
for governor in 1986 or she may not. Boosalis said she has organized other commit-
Boosalis said in a news conference Tuesday at tees to explore possible support from western
the YWCA that she is not declining the Democrat Nebraska.
gubernatorial nomination, but is considering it Results of those exploratory committees
seriously. should allow her to decide by mid-January, she
Speculation about her possible candidacy said,
began when she announced news conferences j think it would be unreasonable to expect a
Monday in Omaha and Lincoln. decision before then," Boosalis told reporters.
"I will not announce my candidacy for gover- Announcements for the nomination by other
nor, but I will tell you what I am going to do," she candidates will have no bearing in her decision
said. to run, she said.
Boosalis said urging from her supporters, if she does run for governor, Boosalis said,
mostly in Lincoln, encouraged her to look into issues would include agriculture, the economy,
the financial and political possibilities of a gub- jobs, financing for education and water quality
ernatorial campaign. in Nebraska.
Boosalis said she also has been encouraged by "We also need to restore our faith in ourselves
polls conducted by the Lincoln Journal-Star and as Nebraskans," she said, adding that she would
KLIN radio that indicate the voters polled con- help the state "realize its potential and help
sidered her a top contender for possible guber- direct it."
natorial candidacy. However, both polls said Boosalis said her previous involvement with
most voters questioned had no preference. city and state governments would give her "more
Boosalis said she appointed Marilyn Michel, a than adequate experience to handle the job."
financial consultant for Merrill Lynch, to explore "It isn't to say that being governor is easy. It's
the financing for a possible campaign for going to be tough, but I know that," Boosalis
the governorship. sajd.
Professors doubt usefulness
of Reagan-Gorbachev summit
By Molly Adams
Staff Reporter
The summit talks that end today between
President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev probably won't yield any spectacular
agreements between the two superpowers, say
some UNL political science professors.
The two-day summit, which was used to dis
cuss arms issues, began Tuesday.
David Forsythe, calling the summit meeting a
"media event," said that "in general, not much is
going to come out of the meeting."
"If something important does come out of it, I
will be surprised," he said.
Still, Forsythe said he thinks the two leaders
could reach "smaller agreements" on things like
continued U.S.-Soviet negotiations and possibly
an agenda for future meetings.
Peter Cheng echoed Forsythe's comments
about future negotiations. He said this meeting
could "lay foundation for agreements in the
future.
"This is a good beginning," Cheng said.
"Eventually, both sides will understand each
other better, and similar meetings may be more
successful."
William Avery also said the summit meet ing
would serve merely as a way for the heads of state
to get to know each other.
"Summitry is not always a time for reaching
firm agreements," Avery said. "Agreements,
such as arms control, have to be hammered out
in hard, detailed discussions among profession
als who have a detailed command of the facts."
Avery said he doesn't think there is any sign of
agreement on arms control. He said he doesn't
think Reagan is "in any position to offer new
concessions on arms control."
David Rapkin, department chairman and
associate professor, said it "remains to be seen if
Reagan will compromise on nuclear arms reduc
tions and space-based defenses. He said he
thinks it is "highly unlikely" that Reagan will
compromise on those issues.
"There is such a high degree of animosity (in
the administration), I don't believe the summit
will do anything to move us off a dead center," he
said.
Curator looks to history to endure budget cuts, controversy
oy rveni tnaacoii
Staff Reporter
Jim Hanson's life has been a little
hectic lately, but it finally seems to be
settling down.
Much has happened to the man
since he became director of the
Nebraska State Historical Society on
June 1.
In September, Hanson was involved
in a controversial transfer of two
outstate museum curatorsVance Nel
son, curator of the Fort Robinson
Museum, had to change places with
Tom Buecker, curator of Neligh's Mills
Museum.
Nelson, with the support of a number
of western Nebraska communities,
protested the transfer.
In response to the transfer, Caroline
Sandoz niece of Nebraska author
Mari Sandoz renegged on a promise "The changes caused by the budget
to the society to donate Sandoz's cuts are qualitative changes," Hanson
papers. said. "The cuts have hurt the institu-
Hanson also faces a lean operating tion. We are forced to try to do a better
budget for the museum system.
During the reg
ular session of the
Legislature, the
historical society's
budget was reduc
ed by 2 percent,
coupled with a
mandatory 3 per
cent salary increase
for employees. Bud-
0pt rprinrtinns that.
were passed in the Hanson
special Legislative session will take
another 3 percent out of the society's
$2 million budget.
V,
f ' '
IV
-
.,,ir. 1 1 in
job with less money."
But these problems haven't drained
Hanson's enthusiasm for his new job.
"I'm a great believer in what a per
son can learn from the past,"
Hanson said. "We can learn from the
problems that faced those before us,
and we can learn by how they solved
these problems. History gives us a
sense of purpose."
Nebraska's history has been a part of
Hanson's life as far back as he can
recall. He said his job as director of the
Nebraska Historical Society is the ful
fillment of a childhood dream.
"When I was about 6 years old, my
father brought me to Lincoln for the
dedication of this building," Hanson
said. "This was the new building at the
time, and I thought, 'Gee, wouldn't that
be a wonderful job.' Thirty years later,
the job opened up and I applied for it,
because if I didn't, I would have felt
bad."
Hanson, 38, graduated from Chadron
State College in 1969 with honors in
history. During his senior year at
Chadron State, he was hired as a tech
nical consultant for the movie "A Man
Called Horse." In 1970, he received his
master's from Chadron State, and his
Directing the state historical society
requires a rare combination of busi
nessman and historian, Hanson said.
His resume shows he has experience as
both.
He was director of the Panhandle
Plains Historic Museum in Canyon,
Texas, from 1974 to 1976 and was
coordinator-consultant to the Smith
sonian Institution's Native American
Museum Program from 1977 to 1982. He
was an adviser to the U.S. Department
of Labor, where he specialized in train
ing Native Americans in tourism and
museum management.
He also has published several arti-
doctorate from the University of Wyom- cles in museum journals on Western
ing in 1973. frontier life.
