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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 1985)
- O J Si 'Pop cop' on patrol in Love Library stacks Arts and Entertainment, page 18 IMU volleyball team goe to finals, loses in 4 set s Sports, page 16 December 16, 1986 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 85 No. 77 3 IS gents TbraMet cunts to esine! d. asses By Diana Johnson Staff Reporter As many as 70 second semester class sections could close because of budget cuts passed by the NU Board of Regents on Saturday. The regents approved a $3.3 million mid-year budget cut mandated by the Legislature. NU Regent Kermit Hansen of Elk horn said approval of the budget reduc tions could inhibit students' ability to get classes needed for their majors. That could also delay their graduation date. Hansen said 100 class sections might be closed at UNO. Sections in high-demand areas that may be affected by the budget cut include criminal justice, computer sci ence and the College of Business Ad ministration classes. Students who preregistered for class es will be notified of closed sections by mail during winter break, said Joe Rowson, NU public information dir ector. Priority will be given to graduating seniors, he said. Real work in July Hansen said he wanted to remind regents that the reduction is "only a stop-gap mid-year approach." The real work will begin in July, when regents begin planning the 1986 87 budget, Hansen said. Budget reduc tions will be made on a more perman ent basis," then, he said. However, NU Vice President for Ad ministration Alan Seagren said, "Let's not kid ourselves. For every dollar taken from the university budget, there is going to be some impact over several years. The bulk of reductions will come from personnel reductions amounting, to about $1.5 million. Cuts at all three campuses include $742,867 in equipment and $170,697 in building repairs and maintenance. UNO will lose $35,503 in library acquisi tions. Other cuts affecting all three cam puses include $562,454 in operation expenses and $250,000 in utilities sav ings, which might call for colder class room temperatures, and more . than $41,000 in veterinary medicine and optometry contracts with other states! Regent Robert Simmons of Scotts bluff was the only regent who voted against the budget reductions prop osal. Simmons said he thinks the regents made a mistake by approving the pro posed reductions. Seagren said he thinks the proposed reduction could be handled differently. "It is poor policy to leave things in the arbitrary, unrealistic fashion that the Legislature left us in," Seagren said. Seagren said he knows finding pla ces to make cuts "was not easy." Possible areas for reduction in next year's budget include closing the School for Technical Agriculture at Curtis, cuts in county extension agencies, and additional faculty cuts, regents said. In other matters, regents approved a $121,499 bid from Deb's Construction of Iowa City, Iowa, for the demolition of the existing structures on the site of the Lied Center for Performing Arts. In other business concerning the Lied Center, the NU Foundation an nounced Saturday it has received a $1 million gift from the Woods Charitable Fund Inc. of Lincoln and Chicago. New computer system Regents also approved the purchase of an IBM computer system for UNL that will not exceed a total of $1.25 million. Regents authorized the university administration to develop a proposed agreement with Kansas State Univer sity for veterinary medical education. The proposal will let UNL veterinary students attend school at Kansas State but pay in-state Nebraska tuition. The regents also extended the con tracts for UNL Athletic Director Bob Devaney and Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne. Devaney's contract was approved for one year and Osborne's was extended for five years. 55, older DN poll: 56 disagree with legislative decision By Todd von Kampen Senior Reporter Most Nebraskans surveyed in a statewide Daily Nebraskan poll said they think the Legisla ture was wrong to reduce state support for NU. Fifty-six percent of those polled said they opposed the 2 percent cut in NU's 1985-86 budget, which was passed during the Legisla ture's recent special session. Twenty-one per cent said they supported the cut, while 16 per cent had no opinion. The Daily Nebraskan questioned 289 people across the state Nov. 19 to 21. Poll results were compiled with the help of Dave Johnson, director of UNL's Bureau of Sociological Research and Gerald Kutish, statistical consultant at UNL's Computing Resource Center. Those people closest to college age were less likely to support the cut, while those over 55 mostly supported it. Only 10 percent of those in the 25-to-29 and 30-to-34 age groups supported the cut, while 32 percent of people 60 and older supported the Legislature's action. People from Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, which includes UNO and UNMC, op posed the cuts by a 68 percent margin. Nineteen percent supported the cuts. Fifty-seven percent of those polled in the 1st District, which includes UNL, opposed the cuts, while 43 percent of 3rd District residents op posed them. Opposition to the budget cuts also was stronger among people who attended NU, had relatives attending NU or planned to send their children to NU. Sixty-seven percent of present or former NU students opposed the cuts, while 54 percent of non-alumni also opposed them. Sixty two percent of those polled with relatives at the university did not support the cuts, as opposed to 49 percent of those with no family members at NU. The poll found that 64 percent of the people polled would consent to a tax increase if they money were earmarked to improve NU's quality. Twenty-eight percent opposed a tax increase. The poll results showed that support for a tax increase to improve NU's quality ran between 64 and 79 percent among those in the 20-to-34 age bracket. But support was weakest in the 45-to-49 age bracket Percent cm YES NO OPINION 80 75-70-65-60-55-50-45-40'-35-30-25-20-15-10-5-0- 1 I MJ BMSet Foil I J. Pi I H A B C A Are you aware of the present financial condition of the University of Nebraska? B Are you aware of the Legislature's recent 2 percent cut from the University budget? C Do you support the 2 percent cut? D E F D Do you agree that Nebraska youths are considering attending out of state schools to get a better education. E Do you agree with Gov. Bob Kerrey when he said the university is overdramatizing its plight? F Would you give more of your tax dollars to improve the quality of the university? Those polled were asked two questions designed to measure the belief that Nebraska and NU suffer from a "brain drain" of their best students to other states. The questions were: "Do you agree that Nebraska's youth are consid ering attending out-of-state schools to get a bet ter education?" and "Do you agree that if Nebraska's top students attend out-of-state schools, then NU's general educational level will decline?" Sixty-three percent of those polled agreed that NU's educational level would suffer from an exodus of Nebraska students to other states. Thirty percent said it wouldn't. Forty-four percent disagreed that Nebraska students are looking to out-of-state schools for a Kurt EbtrhardtDally Nebraskan better education, while only 33 percent agreed. The poll found that a high percentage of Nebraskans are aware of NU's financial condi tion and the Legislature's decision to cut NU's budget. Sixty-three percent knew of NU's finan cial situation, and 77 percent had heard about the budget cut. Please see POLL on 1 1