auiy-n 11 March 3, 1987 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 86 No. 114 TA t Contm 7 ; ...... -7-' - 1 Doug CarrollDaily Nebraskan Onlookers at the State Capitol crowd together Monday evening listening to testimony before the Legislature on the proposed student recreation center and indoor practice field. Rec center supported at hearing but silent majority stays at home By Michael Hooper Senior Reporter The proposed $14.9 million student recreation center and indoor practice field was lambasted and praised before the Legislature's Appropriations Com mittee Monday night at the State Capitol. Supporters said the project would meet the long time need for better recreational facilities, is supported by most students, would help the football program and would not divert funds from academics to athletics. Most of the 350 students who came to support the project left after the proponents spoke. Opponents, carrying nearly 900 sig natures of students and faculty oppos ing the project, said ASUN surveys showing student support for the pro ject are misleading since only 13 per cent of students vote in ASUN elec tions. In addition, opponents said that construction of the rec center would show the state the university's priori ties are athletics and not academics. "The students of the university are Council votes suds down the drain By Jen Deselms Senior Reporter A proposal to serve beer at a Lin coln laundry was washed up Monday by a vote from City Council members, denying a beer-only liquor license to a Duds 'n Suds franchise 940 N. 26th St. Council members came to their unanimous decision after continu ing a public hearing from last week's council meeting. The original plan of the Lincoln duds 'n Suds franchise was to com bine a self-service laundry and entertainment center with big-screen TV, pool tables, video games and refreshments, incuding beer. But Lincoln's franchise like 15 others in the national chain of 57, will be serving pop as the only beverage. Five people testified at the hear v::. II !t(. ;," : ,.llVy.l asking you to stop the decline in aca demics we all are faced with," said Cynthia Halpin, a senior psychology major. ."Students are tired of taking a back seat to athletics." Student organizations supporting the project only represent 8,000 students, Halpin said, or about one-third of the entire student population. UNL English professor James Mc Shane, interim Faculty Senate Presi dent, said that faculty generally opposes constructions of the rec center. Although faculty members recognize the need for new facilities, they believe part of the non-state money used to construct the center and practice field would be diverted to academic pro grams without construction of the center. "I'm afraid, quite frankly, that we're in for an indoor practice facility, whether we need it or not," McShane said. "We're going to go first class in some thing. I'd like to go third class in aca demics if we could get there." Jim Griesen, vice chancellor for stu dent affairs, said that funding for the project would not divert money from ing in favor of granting the liquor license, but only one was not asso ciated with the Lincoln franchise or the national chain. Lincoln resident Brad Carper said the laundry should be given a beer license because the company is "im proving on an old idea and also because the council had granted licenses to health clubs in the past. Also testifying was Phil Akin Sr., a vice-president of Duds n Suds whose son began the company in Ames, Iowa, in 1983. Akin said that serving beer and wine has not caused problems in any of the cities that have granted licenses to the laundry. . Doyle Dillow, owner of the Lin coln franchise, his sister Joceyln Baade and his father Samuel E. Dil low testified that the beer-serving laundry would bring jobs to Lincoln and draw more innovative businesses. ' ' 1 - " 1 mi academics to the project. About $5 mil lion for the rec center is being raised through donations, he said. Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne said the money raised from the $3.50 ticket surcharge could not go toward academ ics. It would be difficult to say where the money would go, he said. Griesen said it's not the job of the athletic department to fund academics. "That's the Legislature's job," Grie sen said. Osborne said the football team needs the indoor practice field to com pete with many other schools that already have similar practice fields. Halpin said there is only so many dollars that can come from private donations and to deplete this source would unfairly reduce donations to academics. UNL Athletic Director Bob Devaney said UNL's recreational facilities are the worst in the Big Eight Conference. Halpin said that not only is student support low, but a recent Lincoln Journal-Star poll showed that only 48 See REC CENTER on 5 Doyle Dillow said people don't loiter. They do their laundry, play a game of pool or have a beer while they are waiting and leave when their clothes are done. Testimonies from opponents showed that people though beer would be a detriment to the area, create a poor atmosphere for child ren, alcohol abuse and lead to drunk driving. Helen L. Patzel said the expan sion of liquor licenses would lead to more alcohol related deaths. "Unless our citizens develop the skills of some other countries to carry baskets on our heads, people will be driving to laundromats and they will need to drive home," Pat zel said. "Are we promoting safety when they are encouraged to drink while the laundry is being done?" to lose five By Dorothy Pritchard Staff Reporter ' 3 If proposed cuts for the Division of Continuing Studies are sustained, it will be as if "a major corporation pulled out of Nebraska," said the dean of Continuing St udies. Robert Simerly said the division is targeted for $740,000 in cuts, which would mean closing five of the seven programs in Continuing Studies. Simerly said that includes closing the Nebraska Center for Continuing Education on East Campus. The division has a $6.5 million budget and receives about $1.6 million of that budget from state funds, Simerly said. Tuition generated by Continuing Studies equals about $1.2 million, leav ing a net state investment of $434,658. For the state's investment of $434,658, it receives about $19 million in return for the purchase of goods, products and services, Simerly said. "iiV . -HI. "I don't know of any other depart ment that cost-effective," he said. UNL's Division of Continuing Stu dies reaches 74,000 people a year through 2,000 different programs in what the dean calls "a major public relations program for the university." The division currently includes seven major areas: evening programs and adult learning, statewide programs, the Western Nebraska Learning Center at Scottsbulff, academic telecommun ications, conferences and institutes, independent study, and the Nebraska Center for Continuing Education. Only independent study and evening programs would survive if the budget is cut, Simerly said. The division has had $300,000 cut from its budget in the last seven years. Bob Smallfoot, director of the West ern Nebraska Learning Center at Scottsbluff, said he's disturbed about the prospect of eliminating the entire learning center. The learning center serves about 2,700 people a year in credit and noncredit courses. They access the university's resources through closed-circuit television, in dependent study and field courses. "I think we provide a service for the adults in the western part of Nebraska, and continuing studies in general pro Senior gift goes to museum Morrill Hall can look forward to 1992, when it will receive a North American Indian display financed through a gift from the senior class of '87. Earlier this semester, ballots were mailed to seniors to choose from dona tions to a Sheldon Art Gallery display, the student recreation center building fund or the Morrill Hall fund. The prop osals received 150, 292 and 336 votes. "I'm just thrilled that the seniors are doing this for us," said Dr. Hugh Geno ways, museum director. "Ten years from now when they come back to visit the museum they can tell their child ren, 'This is what our class did for the university and for the people of Ne braska." The areas of the gallery labeled "The 1987 Senior Class Gift" will include programs vides a service for the nontraditional student," Smallfoot said. Marvin Van Kekerix, director of aca demic telecommunications, said he is unhappy that his seven-month old pro gram already faces the threat of elimi nation. "It's been discouraging because we've got such an exciting program and it's just started," he said. The telecommunication program delivers university courses via televi sion to eight towns across Nebraska and 11 companies, mostly in Omaha. Bill Fleming, a training specialist for AT&T in Omaha, one of the companies that uses the telecommunications pro gram, said cutting the program wouldn't be "devastating" to AT&T but the loss would be felt. AT&T has nine employees involved in an engineering graduate program offered through telecommun ications. The employees spend six hours a week in the classroom and receive a complete tuition refund from AT&T. Fleming said the program is important to AT&T's ability to "attract and hold top-quality engineers." Judy McDowell, director of Lincoln's Convention and Visitors Bureau, said she is particularly concerned with the elimination of the conferences and institutes program. The program draws about 20,000 people a year to Lincoln, and, McDowell said, they spend about $91.23 a day. That is "new money" in Lincoln and it turns over in the econ omy at least three times, McDowell said. So the economic impact of cut ting this program will have a big effect on Lincoln's economy, she said. One program not facing elimination that Simerly is particularly proud of is the high-school study program, which has students in every Nebraska county. It is the only one in the United States accredited by the North Central Asso ciation to offer a high-school degree through independent study. The pro gram offers advanced math and science classes and languages like Spanish and French. The program helps small rural communities that cannot afford to hire full-time faculty for courses, like advanced sciences and languages, Simerly said. In an average lifetime, a person changes careers three to five times but changes jobs about 15 times. "Getting the college degree isn't the end anymore," Simerly said. "It's the beginning." Simerly, who received his doctorate in 1973, said he spends about 30 days a year in the classroom learning the latest in personal computers, financial management and other related courses. And he doesn't think he's atypical. "You just have to race to keep up with the technology." exhibits representing Eskimos and Indians from the Northwest, the South west and the Great Lakes. The display will show how the people adapted to their environments and how cultures and art forms evolved. Now that the decision has been made, money must be collected. Seniors will be asked on March 10 through 12 and 17 through 19 to pledge money through a four-year payment program or to make a donation now. "We have set a pledge goal of $55,000. It really is a small price to give back to the 'U' for all they have given to us," said Darin Armstrong, 1987 Senior Class Gift committee member. Genoways said he's confident he can receive a matching grant from the National Endowment for the Humani ties to double the gift.