uesuay
Weather:
Partly cloudy and warm today with a
high of 59. Winds southerly at 5to 10
mph Mild tonight with a low of 32.
Another nice sunny day tomorrow
with a high of 60,
March is a 'Festival'
on public television
Arts and Entertainment, page 5
Huskers hope to upset
surprising Lady Buffs
Sports, page 6
(I
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February 25, 1986
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 85 No. 109
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By Kent Endacott
Senior Reporter
NU's 1986 spring enrollment declined 2.1 per
cent from 1985 spring enrollment figures, NU
officials reported Friday.
Enrollment declined by 0.8 percent at UNL,
3.5 percent at UNO and 5.8 percent at the NU
Medical Center.
Joe Rowson, UNL director of public affairs,
said the decline in enrollment at NU follows a
general trend nationwide toward lower enroll
ment rates at colleges and universities.
"There's just fewer bodies," Rowson said.
"There's been a decline in the birth rate. High
school enrollment around the country is de
. dining."
At UNL, the largest declines were in the Col
lege of Agriculture and the Teacher's College.
Enrollment in the College of Agriculture
declined by 133 students, down 7.7 percent from
1985. Teacher's College enrollment declined by
167 students, a decrease of 7.7 percent from
1985.
Rowson said enrollment declines in the two
colleges can be traced to the poor agricultural
economy and reports of low teachers' salaries.
The largest declines at UNMC were in the
nursing and pharmacy programs. Enrollment in
nursing declined by 65 students, a 9.6 percent
drop, and enrollment in the pharmacy program
decreased by 26 students, a decline of 10.2
percent,
"It (the enrollment declines in nursing and
pharmacy) gives you an idea of what starts hap
pening when you talk about eliminating pro
grams," Rowson said. "That's why administra
tors are so reluctant to even talk about possible
program eliminations."
At UNO, enrollment declined most in the Col
lege of Arts and Sciences, which dropped by 152
students or 5 percent.
UNL's College of Journalism and College of
Business Administration reported enrollment
increases. The journalism college gained 78 stu
dents, an increase of 9.6 percent, while the busi
ness college reported 79 additional students, up
2.6 percent from 1985.
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By Ad Hudler
Editorial Page Editor
The Legislature's Education Committee
killed a till Monday that would have eased
elimination of NU's School of Technical Agri
culture in Curtis.
Tho bill would have amended the original
I i'l t'rat er-taULhcd ttz school in If
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the closing is up in th3 air, seine senators say.
"The bill would nowhere," K2l J Sea.
Arivi;o Kelson of Cnui-J Island, vhoi on tha
to clc ;;e the school."
Shelving their support for the school, sena
tors in January passed a different bill 23-0,
urgir.3 the regents to keep the school open.
NU President Ronald Roskens proposed
closing the school last fall, when he pres
ented budget reduction proposals to the
legislative Appropriations Committee.
' The Curtis school offers two-year programs
for students who want technical degrees in
ag-related fields.
Urging the committee to kill the bill, Eve
rett Stencil, a veterinarian from Curtis, spent
about 10 minutes informing the committee
about Curtis and the role it plays in Nebras
ka's educational system. Representatives from
the Kebrrska Farm Bureau and the Nebraska
Feeders Livestock Association also spoke
attest the bill No c?r.a spoke in favor d the !
'Non-trad' students must juggle multiple roles
By Randy Donner
Associate Night News Editor
Karen Noel was "born, married and
went right into childbirth."
Six children later, at age 45, she
attends UNL with three of her college
age children,
Gayle Boyd graduated from high
school and went right to work. Now
Boyd, 29, is in her fifth semester at
UNL.
Noel and Boyd are among the grow
ing number of non-traditional students
attending UNL Last year, nearly 15
percent of the students studying here
were 25 or older.
Each "non-trad" has a different rea
son for deciding to attend college.
Noel said she started taking courses
just to see if she could make it through
them. Boyd started coursework at UNL
because she felt the need for a change
in her life.
Non-trads face the same time and
money problems as traditional students,
said Ruth Harper, adviser for the Non
Traditional Student Association. But in
addition, many have "multiple com
mitments" such as a family, a full-time
job and a mortgage, she said. As a
result, Harper said, non-trads often do
not define themselves as students. .
Diane McNeese, a 35-year-old human
development major, said she feels like
she is playing two different roles. One
she said, is the role of student. The ,
other is wife and mother of two child
ren, which she said makes quality
study time hard to find.
A distinguishing feature of non-trads
is their desire to achieve, Harper said.
On the other hand, many non-traditional
students have a "sense of hurriedness"
toward their education and often a
seriousness that comes from their
"consumer attitude," she said.
Harper said the NTSA helps non
traditional students by providing a
support and social group. She said the
NTSA gives non-trads a chance to meet
other adult students and offers leader
ship opportunities and information
about the university that they other
wise might not come across.
"A university education is a lot more
than going to class," Harper said.
The NTSA meets every Friday for
lunch. The group has 20 members,
eight of whom are active. Membership
dues for the association are $5 ayear or
$3 a semester.
Both Noel and Boyd are members of
the NTSA. Noel said that she found the
NTSA to be a good support group.
Professors also often support non
trads, she said. Professor support helps
but it can also be intimidating.
"They may expect a little more,"
Noel said. "I feel a little pressure."
Kathy Thomsen, a 36-year-old human
development major, said non-trads are
able to form better relationships with
the instructors because of the close
ness of age.
According to NcNeese, traditional
students also seem to expect more
from non-trads. She said younger stu
dents often assume that older students
know the class material better so they
turn to non-trads for help.
Boyd said students often ask if she is
a teacher.
Boyd said the social atmosphere of
the university can be "strange." She
initially wondered how well an older
student would be accepted by the
younger students. She now enjoys her
time with the younger students, but
said she does feel the age difference.
"I'm only 29," she said. "What must
it be like for someone who's 49?"
The biggest shock, Boyd said, was
the amount of bureaucracy she had to
face. People often are "very cold,"
treating her like "just another number,
another face in a sea of faces."
"If it wouldn't have been for non
trads (NTSA), I probably wouldn't have
made it," she said.
