Friday, February 14, 1986
Page 4
Daily Nebraskan
TC J 5 A
iicona.
Vicki Ruhga, Editor, 472-1766
Thorn Gabrukiewicz, Managing Editor
Ad Hudler, Editorial Page Editor
James Rogers, Editorial Associate
Chris Welsch, Copy Desk Chief
Nelwafckan
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
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Regents must research
It has begun the process of
deciding what UNL programs
and classes will escape the
$2.7 million in budget cuts this
year. Final budgetary decisions from
UNL Chancellor Martin Massen
gale and the NU Board of Regents
will be made soon. Their decisions
will affect UNL's status and
quality. Let us hope those deci
sions are educated and informed.
Being a university regent or
administrator is demanding. Ad
ministrators face daily a full
schedule of appointments, phone
calls and paperwork. Regents,
too, put in extra time. Several
have additional jobs.
Demanding or not, these peo
ple will give final approval on
legislation that determines sev
eral things, including:
. whether UNL's library sys
tem will continue its last-place
ranking among peer institutions.
O whether the College of Agri
culture will continue as a leader
of Midwestern universities in
agricultural research.
O whether students will
choose to attend out-of-state
schools, simply because they're
afraid a degree from UNL will
lack credit.
Because regents make such
decisions, they should acquaint
themselves with the departments
that face elimination or large
budget cuts.
Case in point: How many
uireach
o
TV classes increase awareness
Anew system of televising
classes at UNL for indus
trial workers in Omaha is a
good idea, one that should
increase Nebraskans' awareness
and support of the univer
sity system.
The program, which began a
15-week test period on Feb. 3,
allows viewers to take classes
while they're at work through an
audio-video system. Professors
in Lincoln are televised, and
employees of firms that use the
system can ask questions during
the class. Officials soon hope to
expand the program to Lincoln.
In a time of budgetary crisis
such as the one NU now has, it's
easy to think outreach programs
like the televised classes should .
be put on the back burner.
But Nebraskans must remem
ber that the university is here to
serve all the taxpayers in the
state not just students. That's
Editorial Policy
Unsigned editorials represent
official policy of the spring 1986
Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by the .
Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Its
members are Vicki Ruhga, editor;
Ad Hudler, editorial page editor;
Thorn Gabrukiewicz, managing edi
tor; James Rogers, editorial asso
ciate and Chris Welsch, copy desk
chief.
Editorials do not necessarily re
flect the views of the university, its
regents have spent a day or two
touring the NU School of Techni
cal Agriculture in Curtis? The
School, which now has a budget
of $1.6 million, is up for elimina
tion. Elimination of the school
definitely would decrease the
agriculture college's worries of
meeting its $880,000 cut.
Another point: How many
regents do you find sitting in the
backs of classrooms?
And yet another: How often do
regents sponsor public meetings
to talk with their constituents?
The board of regents is a dedi
cated, hard-working body. Its
members often do take the initi
ative to educate themselves about
the NU system.
But in light of the tight budget
situation now facing UNL, regents
should try to spend even more
time preparing themselves to
answer such important questions.
True, doing so requires time
and several trips to Lincoln for
the regents. But those efforts
must be taken. For the first time
in a decade, regents are making
decisions that not only will cut a
few dollars from a program, but
actually will eliminate it. They
must be prepared to answer
questions like, "How many po
tential students will Nebraska
lose if we eliminate a particular
program?"
The questions are tough. We
suggest the regents study hard
so Nebraska doesn't fail the test.
programs
why we have extension programs
for rural areas, and business
research programs that monitor
the state's economy.
The televised educational pro
gram also might be a way to
increase Nebraskans' awareness
of the university. As outreach
programs grow, more Nebraskans
will learn about the benefits
offered by the university.
Nebraskans today seem to have
a low regard for NU. Otherwise,
they wouldn't be so tolerant
when their elected statehouse
representatives continually cut
secondary education.
Maybe outreach programs are
a way to reach those people and
let them know just how impor
tant the NU system is to the
development of the state. Maybe
citizens then will urge their
senators to support the NU
system. employees, the students or the NU
Board of Regents. "
The Daily Nebraskan's publish
ers are the regents, who established
the UNL Publications Board to super
vise the daily production of the
paper.
According to policy set by the
regents, responsibility for the edi
torial content of the newspaper lies
solely in the hands of its student
editors. '
rw
Only names and
Technically, this year's campaign
for the Association of Students for
the University of Nebraska started
Wednesday.
That's ASUN to you and me.
Five parties made the deadline by
submitting the filing form allowing
them to run this year: Impact, Excel,
Simple, Scum and Party. We don't
know much about them. Only Impact
and Excel officially have announced
their candidacies and their platforms.
In time, the rest will announce. But
more write-in parties are bound to sur
face later. They always do, once their
organizers get up enough gumption to
join in the fun, too.
To the common students, those with
less than a passing interest in student
representation, the ASUN elections
look the same year after year: an
amoeba-like glob of acronyms, heighty
goals, junior politicians in blue suits
and a campaign poster-coated campus.
The names and faces change, but
nothing else. Blah campaign after blah
campaign.
But in an effort to dispel those
claims of drab campus elections, I
turned back the pages of yesteryear,
hoping to find evidence that ASUN
elections weren't always the same dull
thing.
In the 1960s, before acronyms, the
best part of campus politics were the
haircuts. Flattops were, and still are,
cool. I'd vote for a guy with square hair.
According to old DNs, the big issue
before the 1960 Student Council, as it
was called, was the regulation and
coordination of campus group activi
ties. Seems that no one knew how many
campus organizations were approved
Federal help
until farmers get necessary prices
This is a response to Chris Welsch's There have also been problems with now, not in 50 to 100 years. Agriculture
article "Alternative Agriculture," nitrate levels in ground water resour- is open to new ideas now more than
(Daily Nebraskan, Feb. 10). ces. However, the use of biodegradable ever, but they need to be comprehen-
remaps ins ar ucie oiuy reuecis me
misinformation that prevails in Washing-
ton ana eisewnere in tne United States.
Mont) rf tVa iecimc Wolcnk n A
are simply on the outskirts of the cen-
tral issue. Corporations that are man-
aged by farmers are not likelv to rape
the land because they have a vested
interest in keeping its profit-making
potential high. Initiative 300 prevents
non-agricultural corporations from buy-
ing land, which has its merits and its
drawbacks.
Admittedly, there have been some
cases of abuse in agriculture. Most
nave oeen lorcea m an eiiort to save tne
farm in the face of declining income
ieveis. me iaci is mat .aim is uesi leu
in the hands of those who are willing to
take care of.it;as a lone-term invest-
ment-
faces change in ASUN campaigns
by the university and some groups that
were using school facilities didn't have
the right to. Other groups were too
rambunctious or mismanaged their
money.
The council wanted the right to
judge which groups were in "good
standing." The voters, all 2,446 of them
said, "yes."
Back then, there were no parties, so
it was every candidate for himself. Gay
Ian Abood, a candidate for the College
of Business Administration senator,
used an ad to get his point across. "Get
in the mood, Vote for Abood" was his
slogan. He lost by four votes.
) I Tonathan
Ken Temparo was the proud council
president-elect that year. John Hoerner
was elected vice president. Both were
Greek. Some things never change.
The 70s brought acronyms and par
ties. After the disqualification of six
executive candidates, five factions re
mained: New University, the Service
party, the University Coalition party
and two joke groups, Yippie and Whoo
pee. Of the "serious" parties, hotly
debated issues included the need for
more influence by ASUN, more student
services like a gas station and a
more efficient structure of the or
ganization. Although this campaign was called
dull by the reigning DN staff, the Yip
for agriculture needed
ciienucais snouian i De a suDject ol
much controversy.
GllCSt ODiniOTl
aiaivii
"
' pride. People in this country are sup
Similarly, Wes Jackson's alternative posed to work hard to get ahead,
agriculture rlrmHs th icno ii;o nnnonHmtc o ronnlp uho can't Set
methods sound more like gardening in
your backyard. Those who have fol-
lowed Jackson's scheme likely make
most of their income off the fa rm
w a iu tiit
Farmers practice conservation and use
organic methods where feasible.
As far as going back to horses
instead of using combines, that's ab-
sura, norses are line. Combines are
virtually irreplaceable. Besides being a
WW shnrt.c.frhto, ?., mn
future'-oriented),'we need some action
pie party wanted to legalize marijuana
and beer on campus. The Whoopee
groups sponsored campaign rallies
complete with their own band, '"Rick
and the Rockets."
Three-thousand students turned out
to vote at the polling place located
under a massive tent. They called it the
"Big Top" election. Steve Tiwald of the
Coalition party emerged the victor.
One of the. key issues in the 1980
ASUN election was the idea of working
more closely with the state Legislature
on the budget. Sound familiar? No joke
parties this time around, but lots of
characters. Groups vying for student
representation power included the LSD
party, STAR, US and an independent
group that entered the race late.
Although he didn't win, Tim Munson
of the LSD party got the most attention,
Commenting on his own peaceable
views about life, he said, "I would be, if
you like, Jesus Christ here at UNL."
Later, he called his participation in the
election a "sociological study."
In a sparkling attempt to find the
best representative, the UNL Innocents
Society gave each presidential candi
date a 100-question test on the UNL
system.
Renee Wessel of US scored the high
est on the test with a 92. She later won
the election. There were 3,800 votes.
But accusations of illegal campaigning
practices and subsequent student court
sessions delayed announcement of
election results for six days.
History doesn't lie. If this year's
ASUN election, sounds and looks the
same, it's because it always does.
Taylor is a senior journalism major and
Daily Nebraskan senior reporter.
sive and well-plannea.
weiscn aescnoea governmeia
supports and deficiency payments this
way: "Plain and simple, it's welfare.
That is not the case. Anyone receiving
welfare would deny it as a matter of
by on their own. I assure you that
farmers are not dumb. And I assure you
that farmers are the hardest-working
wplfnrp ropiniont nn record, who alsO
v iiiu v vipivtivu v - i
pay taxes on that money, . if they can
Some of the problems stem from
farmers being forced to take the market
value of their commodities. The nature
. . . . i III n C
value of their commodities, ine naiuir
of agriculture is such that it is unlikely
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! is sucn tnawi is unuivci..
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See FARMERS on 5