The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, January 13, 1986, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    Voathcr:
After a chilly morning of 18 degrees,
expect more mild weather. Mostly
sunny today with a high of 48. To
night, expect some clouds with a low
of 23 degrees.
January 13, 1986
y..-, ."lllr.ini -- -,
By Todd von Kampen
Senior Reporter
Several state senators said Friday
that the Legislature probably will ap
prove Gov. Bob Kerrey's proposed 2.3
percent increase in Nil's state support
for 1986-87 if Kerrey's revenue
assumptions are close to reality.
The senators agreed that passage of
the budget that Kerrey outlined Thurs
day in his State of the State address
depends on an end to shortfalls in state
tax receipts. Kerrey called for $165.6
million in state money for NU as part of
an overall $841 million state budget.
Waverly Sen. Jerome Warner, Appro
priations Committee chairman, voiced
his colleagues' skepticism when he
V , .
Arah
Scott hlappel, a junior in chemical engineering, mourns over his 1974 Datsun 260ZX after
he was Involved in a two-car accident Saturday afternoon at 16th and R streets. Happel
said he struck a car that ran a red light as he was traveling south on 16th Street.
scleras says rie won
sition
By Kent Endacott
Senior Reporter
NU President Ronald Roskens said
Sunday that there is "nothing" to
report that he is considering leaving
NU for the chancellor's post at Texas
A&M University.
"I am truly amazed at what I have
been reading," Roskens said.
The Omaha World-Herald reported
Saturday that Roskens had allowed a
colleague to submit his name as a can
didate for the Texas A&M job.
Whoopi sparkles screen
in The Color Purple
Arts and Entertainment, page 12
imiras
said the budget "presumes a number of
things happening" that may be too
much to expect.
"There are so many variables at this
point," he said, "but there's no ques
tion that we're looking at a tight year."
If passed without changes, Kerrey's
budget would give NU $3.7 million
more in state money next year than in
1985- 86. The university had requested a
$7.9 million increase, or 4.9 percent, for
1986- 87.
Kerrey's request, however, is only
$430,000 higher than the amount the
Legislature granted NU last spring for
the present budget. Senators cut the
university's state support for 1985-86
by 2 percent during November's special
session to help meet a $41 million shor
at Ten
Arthur G. Hansen, the current Texas
A&M chancellor, announced his re
tirement, but a date has net been set.
Roskens said he had no intention of
interviewing for the position at Texas
A&M and that he does not know who
submitted his name as a candidate,
"I am not going to comment on this
because I don't want to d? ike a story
out of nothing," Roskens sa:d. "I place
no credence in rumors. That!3 all this is
based on."
The World Herald quote d a Texas
A&M official as saying the chancellor's
; ' - ' vT
- I laW-- L . . . -,A
'aaily
w r rs
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
tage in tax receipts.
Scottsbluff Sen. William Nichol,
speaker of the Legislature, said the
proposed NU budget was "within the
realm of reasonableness" given Ne
braska's economic situation.
Lincoln Sen. David Landis agreed.
"If we can fund a budget based on
that revenue," he said, "I think those
numbers are not bad, and I think the
body would not be disagreeable."
Imperial Sen. Rex Haberman said
the response of NU officials to Kerrey's
budget indicated that they would ac
cept the 2.3 percent increase.
Haberman favored a 3 percent cut in
NU's state support during the special
session.
"As long as the university doesn't
Mark DavitDally Nebraskan
t ieae WU
salary is in excess of $140,000 a year.
Roskens earns $90,000 a year at NU. In
November, the NU Board of Regents
extended Roskens' contract two years,
through 1987.
Roskens said Nebraska's troubled
farm economy has encouraged other
institutions to ir.ore actively recruit NU
faculty and administrators.
''Whenever a great university like
ours experiences budget problems," he
said, "other institutions seek out our
best talent to recruit."
See ROSKEHS on 3
Imming quits Husken
women's basketball team
Sports, page 9
. 1' I K I u
w wo II
seem to be upset, I won't fight it," he
said.
But Warner said Kerrey's entire
budget rests on revenue forecasts that
probably are too rosy. The Economic
Forecasting and Advisory Board, he
said, is likely to predict a greater short
fall in tax receipts when it meets Jan.
20. The board's most recent report said
tax collections would be only $8 mil
lion less than projected.
The budget also assumes, among
other things, that the Legislature will
keep the state's cash reserve at 3.3
percent and refuse to allow a $10.8
million homestead exemption, Warner
said.
In addition, Nichol said, Kerrey
wants senators to approve between $12
U UA W
Gambling probe
will continue
By Lise Olsen
Senior Reporter
Police will continue to investigate
gambling at the University of Nebraska
Lincoln, but declined to say what
methods would be used.
The 14-month investigation, which
led to the arrest of 1 1 UNL students last
month, has had far-reaching effects on
campus, Lt. Joe Wehner said.
Wehner said there was "probably a
high probability" that gambling activ
ity would decrease because of the
arrests.
The fate of nine of the 11 students
has not yet been determined.
Two of the 1 1 pled guilty in December
and were fined.
Two others face a "docket call" in
Lancaster County court today. Accord
ing to a deputy county attorney, "docket
call" requires that the two appear in
front of a judge with their lawyers to
"decide what they want to do."
One other student was supposed to
appear in court today. But last week his
charges were dismissed when he was
assigned to the Pre-Trial Diversion
program, in which people charged with
minor crimes work in the community.
Thursday County Attorney Mike Heav
ican said the dismissal was a mistake
because program rates exclude those
charged with gambling.
The status of the other six students
involved in the Dec. 9-10 arrests is
unknown.
The investigation was prompted by a
number of reports that students were
becoming financially desperate because
of gambling, Wehner said.
According to reports, a fraternity
president complained of 20 thefts in 45
days. He attributed these thefts to stu
dents' efforts to pay gambling debts.
Others also reported gambling-related
thefts. Police were tcld that students
sold their cars and other property to
pay off debts.
These tips and other information
were collected over "a long period of
time," Wehner said.
After the arrests police uncovered
evidence that one of the arrested stu
dents had been in contact with a
ii
Vol. 85 No. 78
I pass
million and $13 million in additional
relief for depositors of the failed Com
monwealth Savings Co.
If Kerrey's assumptions fall through,
the senators said, the Legislature
probably will have to cut the budget
again.
Nichol said, however, that he doubt
ed NU would face budget cuts compar
able to last year's.
The senators, however, indicated
that the debate over NU's size and
scope will continue this session. Even
if the 2.3 percent increase passes
intact, Landis said, NU will face a more
intense "quality vs. quantity" dilemma
regarding university programs.
See BUDGET on 5
"major gambling figure," in Omaha.
Although the arrested students may
have known each other, Wehner said
they were not part of an organized net
work of gamblers. Wehner said any
connection between the students and
professional gamblers was indirect and
remote.
The students collectively handled
$52,000 a week in bets. Police deter
mined the figure from seized gambling
records.
One bet runner, who was not arrested,
reportedly handled $112,000 in 12weeks.
He reportedly served 40 to 50 students.
Wehner said the $52,000 figure was
determined from a study of gambling
records seized by the police. Typical
bets were in the $100 to $200 range, but
the total amounts handled weekly var
ied widely for each student.
UNL police estimate that 500 to
1,000 of UNL's 24,000 student popula
tion is involved with sports betting.
Thirty students are suspected runners.
One is a suspected bookmaker who
may have four runners working for him.
Runners collect and accept bets for
a bookmaker.
Wehner described the students
arrested as nice men who were very
businesslike.
Wehner also dispelled several myths
about the investigation:
Wehner said the 1 4-month inves
tigation was not an "eight-hour-a-day
operation." Instead, it often involved
one or two officers making a few phone
calls or meeting with students for a few
hours each day, he said.
Wehner also said the investiga
tion was not centered on fraternities
and the majority of arrested students
were not members of the Greek system.
The investigation was not prompt
ed by an increase in gambling activity
on campus, Wehner said.
"We know gambling has been ci?
campus for a long time," Wehner said
The December raid s'mpfy nzs the
"best opportunity to date be in a
position to impact (cawpitlmg),
Wehner said.
"We'r? nr nive enough to t hink we
wiped it out' Wehner said, "We will
daal with it again !n the future to the
best of our &Mff,'