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A&E: Columnist gets smart
about widsom teeth--Page 8
Sports: Nebraska Women’s
basketball coach Angela
Beck prepares to face Iowa
State--Page 6
Co(Mte«hMhM/OaHy Nabrnkan
Lucy Van Horne Sawyer of Pawnee City is honored In
her home by her Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority sister,
Heather Hughes, during Sawyer’s 102nd birthday cele
bration Tuesday afternoon.
Aid office gains space;
solution only temporary
Administration makes $90,000 commitment
By Randy Lyons
Staff Reporter
The Office of Scholarships and
Financial Aid will gain more office
space following a semester of contro
versy about cramped working space
and effectiveness.
John Benson, interim director of
institutional research and planning,
said the office acquired 2,260 usable
square feet of space in the basement of
the former Teachers College.
“The additional space will increase
the financial aid office space over 70
percent,” Benson said.
Last fall a petition drive, circulated
by first-year law student Dave Re
agan, called for “more timely and
effective delivery of services to stu
dents.”
After the petition was filed, ad
ministration officials set up a time
table for office improvements.
Benson said that although office
space has increased a great deal, the
solution is only temporary and a study
is being conducted for a more perma
nent solution to the office space prob
lem.
Officials will study all department
functions in the Administration
Building to find the best use of the
space, Benson said. He said most of
the departments probably wouldn ’ t be
moved, but it is difficult to say what
the final outcome will be.
James Griesen, vice chancellor for
student affairs, said the university is
working on a 21-point checklist in the
office.
“We’ve made commitments of
about $90,000 and hope to find addi
tional money to complete the list,”
Griesen said.
He said the $90,000 will be spent
by the end of the fiscal year.
Griesen said the additional funds
used for office improvements came
mainly from vacancy savings. These
savings become available when a
university position is left unfilled for
aperiodof time while a replacement is
found. Additional funds were redi
rected from the chancellor’s budget to
assist in the improvements.
‘Putting up the new
system, and working
with the old one at
the same time is still
very difficult. ’
— McFarland
The majority of the money will b<
used to cover additional work b;
computer consultants, additions
graduate assistants, anticipated oper
ating funds and call-in staff duri i
busy times.
William McFarland, di rector of the
financial aid office, said the computci
purchased last year should also be in
lull operation early enough to get oul
award letters to students before they
leave for the summer.
“Putting up the new system and
working with the old one at the same
time is still very difficult,” he said.
Gricsen said the office move was
expected to go smoothly. At this time
furniture and phone lines are being
installed in the new area, he said.
McFarland said a significant por
tion of the additional funds would be
spent on increasing staff. Five tempo
rary clerical workers and one tempo
rary professional have been hired so
far, he said.
“ We’ vc added an additional person
on the telephone to answer incoming
calls. We also have a person in the
hallway for students who just need to
drop off forms or have questions an
swered,” McFarland said.
He said Administration Building
51 will also be used to answer Finan
cial Aid Form questions students may
have.
In addition to increased space and
workers, more phone lines will be
installed.
McFarland said as many as six
phone lines may be added when the
„ office moves. Three of the lines would
' be for incoming calls and three for
I outgoing calls.
The Guaranteed Student Loan,
short-term loan and student employ
ment departments will move into the
new offices, and additional improve
ments are planned for the existing
offices.
A wall will be removed and more
seating will be added, McFarland
said.
Oldest alum shares
memories from UNL
. By Victoria Ayotte
Staff Reporter
The tuition was lower, the
campus population was smaller,
and residence halls were a figment
of the imagination when Lucy Van
Home Sawyer, the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln’s oldest living
alumna, attended college.
Surrounded by colored bal
loons, about 80 cards and two
cakes. Sawyer celebrated her
102nd birthday Tuesday with
family, friends and a few special
guests at her home in Pawnee City.
Bryan Van Deun, executive
vice president of the UNL Alumni
Association, and Heather Hughes,
social chairman for Kappa Kappa
Gamma sorority and member of
the Student Alumni Association,
helped Sawyer celebrate.
Van Deun presented her with a
’ plaque to honor her for being the
oldest alumna and a letter from
UNL Chancellor Martin Massen
gale.
Hughes gave Sawyer, an
alumna of Kappa Kappa Gamma
sorority, a fleur-de-lis brooch and
a letter from the national organiza
tion.
“I had no idea anyone would
pay any attention. I think I’m get
ting too much attention for grow
ing old,” she said.
Van Deun said the celebration
is a “golden opportunity to give a
little special attention to a special
lady.”
“One of the reasons we’re doing
this is to emphasize that the asso
ciation with the university is a life
long experience,” he said.
Sawyer said the university was
much smaller when she attended
from 1903 to 1905. She lived in an
apartment at 1011 10th St. her
freshman year before moving into
the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority
house as a sophomore.
Sawyer said she remembers
sitting in a classroom one day
when she was “kidnapped” by
some membersof her sorority logo
to the freshman prom.
Louise Pound, a Nebraska au
thor, was a member of the sorority
and lent Sawyer a long black dress
for the prom, she said.
Sawyer withdrew from college
in 1905 when she got a job as a
teacher in Pawnee City. She mar
ried her husband George in 1908
and had four children.
Sawyer’s daughter Jane also
went to UNL and was a member of
Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
Her sons Ted and Hugh and grand
children Ann and Jay also attended
the university.
Sawyer said she has visited
UNL often. The last time was in
1984 when she and her daughter
Jane attended the 100th anniver
sary of Kappa Kappa Gamma so
rority.
Football is more popular today
than when she attended UNL, she
said.
Liquor legislation
First-round approval for bill
regulating minor liquor sales
By Amy Edwards
Senior Reporter
People under age 21 who work in
Nebraska bars or liquor stores may not
sell alcohol without adult supervision
under a bill given first round approval
Tuesday by the Nebraska Legislature.
LB395 was introduced by the
General Affairs committee and
amended by Sen. Marge Higgins of
Omaha in an attempt to prevent mi
nors selling alcohol to other minors.
Sen. Patricia Morehead, chairper
son of the committee, said the bill
would reduce the temptation and peer
pressure on minors to sell alcohol to
other minors.
Morehead of Beatrice said the
problem was brought to the attention
of the committee by an Omaha lobby
ist who was concerned about a large
number of “late night infractions”
when there was no adult supervision.
Sen. James McFarland of Lincoln
opposed the bill because he said it
assumes that employees under the age
of 21 arc more likely to sell alcohol to
other minors.
McFarland said he thinks these
employees arc less likely to sell to
minors because they can easily recog
nize other minors.
McFarland said the bill might
cause problems for students working
their way through college waiting
tables in bars or restaurants.
Sen. Timothy Hall of Omaha said
employers will be less likely to hire
people under 21 if they had to supply
constant supervision.
Both Hall and McFarland said this
would result in fewer jobs for college
students.
Legislators also gave first round
approval on a bill that would change
the method of determining penalties
for people driving under the influence
of alcohol.
LB377, introduced Tuesday by the
Transportation Committee, would
change the period of license revoca
tion of people who refuse to submit to
a breath test.
The committee amendment to the
bill, proposed by Sen. Don Wesely of
Lincoln, automatically revokes the
person’s license for one year if they
refuse to take a breath test. Under
current legislation, those who refuse
the test have their license suspended
for six months.
Wesely said the object ol lhe bill is
to get people to take a breath test so
that police can keep track of repeat
offenders.
Sen. Hall proposed an amendment
to LB377 to give those who don’t
submit to a breath test the chance to
later plead guilty.
Under Hall’s amendment, people
who plead guilty lodrunk driving alter
refusing a breath test are subjected to
‘In terms of fair
ness it was the
right thing to do.1
-Wesely
the same penalties as people who are
found guilty right away.
Hall said this amendment protects
people who don’t know the severity of
refusing to submit to a breath test.
First-offender charges with drunk
driving can receive a seven day jail
sentence, a $200 fine and a six month
revocation of their driver’s license.
Wesely said he doesn’t know if
Sen. Hall’s amendment would work,
but “in terms of fairness, it was the
right thing to do.”
