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Sunny end waim. Hin buut C3.
Couthc-st wind 10 'ta 15 mph.
Tnursciay niM, mostly cL';'.r and
mild. Low in the lowsrOs. Friday,
st'nny and warmer. Hicii in the
lower to rnid COS.
Ncta'S Digest Pz33 2
Editorial Pga4
Sports Page 14
Diversions... Paga 5
Caiendar P250 13
Classified Pags 15
1 xjiycmaMmli Li
April 30, 1987
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 86 No. 150
t J
1 '9fotoii0stn-
Faculty salary increase
debated; state colleges added
From staff reports
As debate began Wednesday over Nebraska's
state budget, some senators were pushing for an
increase in faculty salaries at UNL and Nebras
ka's four state colleges.
While Lincoln Sen. David Landis's $11.2 mil
lion amendment to increase faculty salaries at
UNL was debated, state senators attached another
amendment to that proposal that would give
about $1 million to state colleges for faculty
salaries. Senators voted 25-7 to attach the $1
million amendment, sponsored by Sen. Sandra
Scofield of Chadron. State colleges are located
in Peru, Wayne, Chadron and Kearney.
Senators, however, did not vote on Landis's
amendment and ceased debate on the budget
bill at noon Wednesday.
Senators were expected to pick up where they
left off today. According to tradition, senators
debate the budget bills in the morning, leaving
the afternoon for other bills.
Landis said Wednesday afternoon that he
expected yet another amendment to be attached
to his proposal that would provide more state
money for increasing faculty salaries at UNO.
Landis's amendment would provide $1.3 million
for faculty retirement benefits. Landis said he
supports increasing faculty salaries at UNO and
the four state colleges as well as at UNL.
UNL Chancellor Martin Massengale said Wed
nesday that the $11.2 million amendment "sig
nals that members of the Legislature are willing
to make an investment in the university."
"I applaud Senator Landis taking the initia
tive to address this critical problem," Massen
gale said.
Massengale said that many talented faculty
members were leaving or considering leaving the
university for higher salaries.
The funds could be used to raise faculty salar
ies to meet competitive salaries at other univer
sities, he said. UNL is now 15 to 20 percent
behind other schools in salaries, he said.
Massengale said that if the funds are approved,
they could be phased in during one year.
ASUN senator resigns
to protest lack of endorsement
By Merry Hayes
Staff Reporter
Paul VonderiaseUsiiy Nesraskan
Young and old alike delight in the Shrine Circus now showing at the Coliseum
on the State Fair Grounds until May 3. Shriner's wives Connie Vay and Linda
MacDonald gasp at the feats of the flying trapeze acrobats.
An ASUN senator resigned after the senate
meeting Wednesday night because the senate
adjourned without considering a bill endorsing
the Family Farm Act of 1987.
Sen. Jeff Kirkpatrick resigned to protest the
senate's meeting schedule change to postpone
the open forum speaker who spoke on the bill
and its early adjournment.
Kirkpatrick said the senate was rude to the
speaker and showed its lack of committment to
issues vital to the university. He said the farm
bill is vital to the student body because "if the
agriculture sector of the state is in trouble, our
university is in trouble."
He said the senate should make a statement
about the bill to show congressmen that Nebras
kans are concerned about the current farm
situation.
He said he was told by Nebraska Rep. Virginia
Smith, Sen. David Karnes, aides to DougBereuter
and Hal Daub that they don't want to fight for the
bill because they're not convinced Nebraskans
are concerned about the current farm policy.
"Endorsing this bill would demonstrate that a
large group of people are concerned about agri
culture and higher education," he said.
Barb Meister, chairperson of the UNL student
organization, Farm Action Concerns Tomorrows'
Society, spoke in the senate's open forum on the
farm act bill sponsored" by Congressmen Tom
Harkin of Iowa and Richard Gephardt of Missouri.
Meister said the bill, which would establish
commodity price floors and mandatory produc
tion controls, would bring prosperity to the
small, medium-sized and family farms that are
being hurt by the current farm policy.
Meister said the 1985 farm bill, which pro
vides government subsidies to farmers, is "drag
ging this state down" and hurting higher edu
cation. "The state economy is going down the tubes,"
she said. "The state is not generating enough
money to provide a viable education system;
that's why there are budget cuts."
Meister said because of President Reagan's
plans to shift the higher education costs to the
state, a sound agriculture policy is needed.
"We know Nebraska can't handle it with our
economy," she said.
Meister said the Family Farm Act would help
higher education and Nebraska's economy by
eliminating farm subsidies and allowing farmers
to earn a profit again.
1.1
but not ba
By Kevin Cowan
Staff Reporter
UNL's Residence Hall Association
officers will be more visible and acces
sible to residence-hall dwellers, whose
rates won't be increased, said Russell
W. Johnson, its new president.
RHA offices have new ideas and a
new, stronger constitution, said John
son, who took office April 16.
"I'm going to look to improve what's
already there," he said. "We're not
going to add anything that's going to be
a cost factor."
Johnson, a junior computer science
major, said food service would be the
first area for study. An RHA task force
has been created to study the effi
ciency of the service "from top to bot
tom," he said.
"I want to make the residents more
satisfied, to please as many students as
possible,"he said.
RIL executive board and Senate
members will make themselves more
accessible to residents, he said.
RHA suffers from a "visibility crisis,"
Johnson said.
"Some of the students within the
1 U i
ill raise its pit"
rates, president says
residence halls don't even know what
RHA is," he said.
Johnson said he hopes a triweekly
newsletter and increased communica
tion between the hall governments and
the executive branch will create a
tighter, more aware RHA.
I want to make
the residents
more staisfled, to
please as many
students as
possible.'
Johnson
.Johnson and several other new RHA
officers helped rewrite the organiza
tion's constitution this year. The new
constitution grants RHA the power to
delegate authority to lower resident
hail governments and to allocate and
adjust room-and board rates.
The UNL administration gave RHA
the power to be the student-body gov
ernment of the residence halls for the
first time since its formation in 1970,
Johnson said. The success of the strong
constitution remains to be seen, he
said.
"It's like a new car and we've got to
test-drive it," he said. "Though I see
nothing but success for the new consti
tution." Bill Bade, new RHA vice president,
said he "love(s)" the new charter,
Bade, ajunior in philosophy, will head
the RHA senate next fall. Bade said he
and Johnson form a highly productive
team.
"Russ keeps an eye on the big goals,
but if something small pops up, he tries
to notice that too," he said.
Bade, who ran with the ACTION
party in the elections, said his party
wants to develop incentives for student
food-service employees. They also have
organized a committee to research
the need for longer visitation hours.
. Bade also said RHA has a visibility
problem. "Whenever something is hap
pening on campus, I want to make sure
that RHA is represented," he said. "We
need to put our 2 cents in."
See RHA on 3
Low bills, more books;
energy bucks kicked back
$275,000 given to NU libraries
The mild winter's low utility bills
will translate into a welcome windfall
for the NU's library systems.
NU president Ronald Roskens
said Wednesday that $275,000 in
one time energy savings will be
ur.-cd fur ir.3 Crory systems, cn all
three cr-rapi:..::.
"With all the mar.y pressures cn
budgrts within the university in
recent years, it has ben exceedingly
difficult for any cf the campuses to
provide adequate funding for our
libraries," Roskens said. "We have
long needed additional resources to
support acquisitions, maintain col
lections and to acquire the technol
ogy that befits a contemporary, com
prehensive university."
Under the plan, UNL will reinvest
$2CQ,C00 in utility-bill saving, UNMC
will allocate $50,000 and UN0 will
use $25,000 for library support.
Sen. Jerome Warner cf Waverly,
chairman cf the Legislature's Appro
priations Committee, praised the
action.
"It is well recognized at this
point that funding for libraries has
not kept up with legitimate r.seds
both for materials and for new pro
ccr,::lr.g technology," Warner said.
"The uc3 cf these or.3 time far.is is
particularly appropriate to be;::i to
t;i;!r?:;3 thcr.3 need?"
"The funds come at a critical
time," said UNL Chancellor Martin
Massengale, "A quality library is
essential to a comprehensive, re
search university. These or-time
funds will be of assistance in
retaining sendees and maintaining
needed subscriptions. Eat even with
the one-time funding, there is a con
tinuing need for additional library
support."
Massengale said the libraries are
"the heart of the university and any
thing we can do to improve thr.ni
improves the university."
See LIAHY cn 3
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