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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1987)
IrV*KT llnside: B T 1 1 l“9eS*.P“j^ night, mostly clear. Low 45 to 50. I ^ **I ^ ■Editorial.Page 4 Wednesday, partly sunny and I Bk I M1 B ^^B ■ Sports .Page 8 warmer. High around 80 I || ^Mk B B ■ Entertainment.Page 6 _ I iCL/lCI9IVCIi I I0"*1*-"---".page111 Tuesday, September 22,1987University of Nebraska-LincolnVol. 87 No. 19 Community college options weighed By Mary Nell Westbrook Staff Reporter As community colleges lose more and more state aid, a plan to change the state’s community colleges’ sup port from partial to complete state financing has drawn mixed reviews. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Regent Don Blank said putting all schools “under a similar umbrella’’ would save on property taxes and make Nebraska’s post-secondary education more efficient. Blank’s idea and others will be discussed by a governor’s committee studying ways to finance the Univer sity of Nebraska School of Technical Agriculture in Curtis. A date will be set later this week for the committee to meet with Gov. Kay Orr. State Sens. Chris Abboud of Ralston and Owen Elmer of Indianola said Blank has a good idea, but im plementation could take several years. Higher education must be better coordinated and the only way to to accomplish this would be through state funding, Abboud said. “But income and sales taxes would have to increase to make up for the nearly $25 million loss in properly taxes,” he said. Currently, Nebraska’s six com munity colleges receive more than $23 million in state aid. The income- and sales-tax in creases would be more uniform and fair than higher property taxes, Elmer said. During the past three years, state aid has steadily declined each year as property taxes have gone up, said Tom Johnston, executive director of the Nebraska Technical Community Col lege Association. All six community college presi dents said they are opposed to com plete state financing of their colleges. The primary reason for this, they said, is a fear of losing local control. With local control, a community college can respond quickly to imme diate area needs and the needs of local businesses. These are things state financed schools can’t do, said Wil liam Hasemeyer, president of Mid Plains Community College in North Platte. “If a business needs help from an institution like the university, it gets caught up in the bureaucracy,” he ] Source; Nebraska Technical Community College Association John Bruce/Daily Nebraskan said. said, they would not be reduced that As for property taxes, Hasemeyer much. Hasemcyer said his property taxes were $1,428 this year and only $83 went to the community college. John Harms, president of Western Technical Community College in Scottsbluff, said he doesn’t want total state aid, but the college needs more financial support. “I don’t think the rural areas and farmers can keep carrying the burden of the high property taxes, especially with the rapid decline in land values,” he said. Johnston said community colleges have tried to keep the burden off property taxpayers by raising tuition instead. Between 1976-77 and 1986 87 tuition went up more than 180 percent at community colleges. Richard Gilliland, president of Metro-Technical Community Col lege in Omaha, said the stale funds would be better used on the univer sity. “There should be greater emphasis on UNL’s research for U S West and faculty salaries should be priority,” he said. The proposal to support commu nity colleges entirely with stale funds went before the Legislature in 1984 and it never got anywhere, Gilliland said. UNL gets equipment By Victoria Ayotte Staff Reporter_ New equipment will make the University of Ncbraska-Lmcoln “the key place” for extru sion research, said Steve Taylor, director of UNL’s Food Processing Center. Wenger Manufacturing Co. has donated $150,(XK) worth of equipment, service and training to the center. Extrusion is the mixing and forming of food products under high pressure and temperature. The technology is used to make snack foods such as cheese puffs, breakfast cereals and pet foods. “We’re very honored and excited to work with the University of Ncbraskaon thiscxciling project,” said John Krehhicl, director of sales for Wenger in Sabetha, Kan. “Without a shadow of a doubt, we feel the University of Nebraska will have the finest food service and food extrusion technology program in the country.” Chuck Schrocdcr, vice president of the University Foundation, said the donation is actually about 45 percent of the $262,(XX) ex trusion equipment. Krehhicl said his company was first ap proached a year ago by Randy Wheeling, an assistant professor of food science and technol ogy, about buying some equipment. Extrusion techniques make lood processing “much more efficient in terms of energy, space and personnel,” he said. Taylor said installation of the equipment depends on whether there is a place for the equipment on East Campus, because it weighs three tons and requires much electricity. UNL should have the equipment by mid-1989 at the latest, when the new food processing center is scheduled to be completed. The new center will be the permanent spot for the equipment, he said. UNL will have the only twin-screw extruder in thccountry,creating an “unparalleledoppor tunity to do research in this area,” Taylor said. Faculty members will do research with the equipment, but graduate students may also have a chance to use it, he said. Taylor said students with experience in the area will be “better prepared and more employable.” Krchbiel said he thinks the equipment will help the university in “finding ways to add value to agriculturally raised grains—what the food industry is all about.” Gov. Kay Orr thanked Wenger for the con tribution in a ceremony Thursday, calling the arrangement “the perfect public-private part nership.” Taylor said he thinks UNL’s new research capabilities will “help forge univer sity-industry relationships.” Vendor flavors FarmAid By Amy Edwards Senior Reporter Houlogs, popcorn and Runzas arc usual stadium fare, but people who attended Far f mAidlllSaturdaycouldtastcaspicysidcof lilc and promote Nebraska products at the same time. Art Jimenez, a senior animal-science major t at the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln, said he ' used only fresh Nebraska products lor his Mcxican-food stand at the southwest corner ol Memorial Stadium underneath the bleachers Fresh products from family and friends, bee I from McGinlcy/Schilz. Fecdlot in Brule, and beans from the Farmers Co-op Association were donated to make Jimenez’s homemade Mexican food. “With fresh Nebraska products and Mom’s recipe, it’s naturally good,” Jimenez said. J imcncz said he got the idea to open his own stand from friends. He said he does catering on request and is always being asked to cook for friends. There woe two openings for vendors in the stadium. The university awarded the Mexican stand the first spot and Kentucky Fried Chicken the other, Jimenez said. The Legion Club contributed equipment to the stand to help promote Nebraska products. Jimenez, who grew up in rural Nebraska, said he wanted to promote the products because he had seen the hard times farmers arc going through. “1 think this promotion helps more than people realize,” Jimenez said. “By my small promotion for Nebraska products, I feel like I’ve helped.”__ See MEXICANA on 5 ‘ Ho^D8lT^Nebrl^^l^5n, Jim Mischnick of Lincoln runs laps at the Ed Weir Stadium Monday. i ■ •