Weather: Wednesday, cloudy, 60
percent chance of light snow, high in the
upper teens. Wednesday night, becom
ing partly cioudy, low 5-10 above
Thursday, partly sunny, high in the upper
teens.
A&E: Creem rises to the
top. —Page 6.
Sports: Nebraska’s
Linetta Wilson prepares
for another record-break
ing season. —Page 9.
Roskens leads support for faculty pay hike
By Mary Nell Westbrook
Senior Reporter
University of Nebraska President Ronald
Roskcns led a bombardment of support for
increased faculty salaries at the Nebraska
Legislature Tuesday.
Roskcns requested SI2.9 million as a sup
plemental state general fund increase in the
Appropriations Committee hearing. This
breaks down to S6.7 mil I ion for faculty and S6.2
million for non-faculty.
Roskens focused on the future of the state as
it is filtered through the university and, more
specifically, its budget.
Some people have doubted whether the
university has lost ground in past years,
Roskcns said.
“We have lost ground,” he said.
Roskcns referred to the state’s effort to
convince U S West to build its research and
development program here.
He said the state failed in doing so because
the university is lacking in basic and applied
research activity.
Roskens proposed solving these interrelated
economic and education problems through a
renewed partnership among the university,
state government and the private sector.
Research dollars shared the limelight with
faculty salaries in light of Gov. Orr’s proposed
research funding. Orr proposed that the
university’s research base be expanded at the
rate of $4 million a year during the next five
years.
Roskens already outlined where the first S4
million would be allocated if the money is
received. Money would be given to:
• biotechnology, including microbiology,
plant science and food processing: S1.95 mil
lion.
• engineering, physical sciences and com
puter sciences: $1.55 million.
• water quality research: $200,(XX).
• decision sciences, including telecommuni
cation management: $300,(XX).
Roskcns also asked the committee for
slightly more than $800,000 to cover increased
health insurance costs.
Committee member Sen. Scott Moore of
Stromsburg asked Roskens why, after general
increased funding in the past five years, the
Legislature has to “bail out” the university in
the area of faculty salaries.
“We’vc given you the money and you chose
to spend it in other ways,” Moore said.
Moore said he also was concerned about
why the faculty salary issue has reached such
“dire straights in the last ten months.”
Roskcns responded by saying that he and
Moore “don’t see eye to eye.”
While Moore said the university’s situation
is not that bad, Roskens said “we are going to
make it, but at what quality?”
As far as spending money in other ways,
Roskens said that is not so. Money for faculty
salaries go for faculty salaries and operating
expenses go tow ard operating expenses.
Roskens cited faculty/staff salary statistics
from the past 10 years:
In 1977-78, the university requested an 8.5
percent increase for faculty/staff and received
5.5 percent. The next four years the university
received one percent less than what they asked.
In 1982-83, a 10 percent increase was asked
and 2.5 percent was received. The following
year an 8 percent increase was asked and noth
ing was received.
In 1984-85, an 11.5 percent increase was
asked and received. During the past three years,
the university received a 3 percent increase
each year while having asked 10.7,9.2 and 5.5
percent.
Showing support for faculty salary increases
and praising Gov. Orr’s research initiative were
See BUDGET on 3
■ ■ —— i " ' ' ■ ■■ 1
University of Nebraska President Ronald Roskens answers a question from
the Nebraska Legislature’s Appropriations Committee.
Local companies still interested in plan
[ Redevelopment
of downtown
still possible
By Mary Nell Westbrook
Senior Reporter
Severai local companies are
expressing interest in Lincoln’s
downtown redevelopment, which
was abandoned by a Kansas City,
Mo., developer last week.
Taubman Co. Inc. backed out of
the 690,000-square~foot project
because the projected size was too
costly.
Mayor Bill Harris sent letters to
nine Nebraska developers and 22
out-of-state companies in an effort
to revive interest in the redevelop
ment project.
Harris said companies have
expressed interest in the project, but
declined comment on specifics
until the companies give the go
See related story
on Page 5
ahead. He said these interests are
“individual pieces of the whole
puzzle.”
Harris said he would accept any
proposal as a whole or partially.
“At this point we are looking at
all options,” he said.
Downtown is a good place to
invest and it’s just sitting there
waiting for investors, he said.
His efforts have paid off with
three of the six Lincoln developers.
Albert Haniersky, president of
The Clark Encrscn Partners of Lin
coln, said his company is very inter
ested in the downtown redevelop
ment.
Although his company alone
may not be able to handle the proj
ect at its original size, he said, the
company would “always have an
interest in working with other Lin
coln developers to see the project
work.”
As architects, Hamersky said,
his company would First consider a
local developer, even though in the
past they have worked with out-of
town developers.
The Clark Enersen Partners was
the first company to come up with
the original downtown redevelop
ment plan, Hamersky said. Taub
man upscaled the original plans, he
said.
The project might have to be
scaled down to work better, he said.
“We would have to compete for
a regional market to be successful,”
he said. “It’s hard to capture such a
big market.”
Jim Stange, president of Davis,
Fenton, Stange & Darling, said al
though his company has never had
a project of this scale, he is “cer
tainly interested.”
He said the possibility of bring
ing a group of locals together
“would be very attractive.” But the
likelihood of an out-of-town devel
oper increases with the size of the
projected redevelopment project.
Local developers need to look at
the minimum size that would
“make the project fly” in Lincoln,
he said.
Mark Arter, a developer with
Devco Investment Corp., said his
company was pleased to receive the
package from Harris.
Devco, one of the pioneers in
downtown redevelopment, devel
See DOWNTOWN on 5
Almost $5,000 in stolen goods reported
By Victoria Ayotte
Staff Reporter
Thieves have stolen almost $5,(XX) worth of
goods at University of Nebraska-Lincoln City
and Fast campuses since second semester
began, said Sgt. John Lustrcaof the UNL Police
Department.
UNL police took 49 reports of thefts be
tween Jan. 11 and Monday, Lustrea said.
The thefts have occurred in different build
ings on campus, he said.
“It’s almost like they (the thieves) canvass
the entire building,” Lustrea said.
One-fourth of the thefts have occurred on
East Campus, he said.
Lustrea said police have fouror fivedesci ip
lions of suspects, but the descriptions aren’t
very good.
“You’ve got basically nothing,” he said.
A common factor in all the thefts is that the
victims have not taken adequate measures to
protect their property, Lustrea said.
“It’s kind of like easy pickings,” he said.
The method of operation usually is for the
thief to enter an empty office where he checks
unsecured desk drawers and desk tops for valu
ables, Lustrea said.
If something of value is found, it is placed
under the thief’s coat or in a bookbag.
The thief goes to a restroom where the stolen
purse or wallet is checked for money, blank
checks and credit cards.
‘It’s kind of like easy
pickings.’
— Lustrea
The thief keeps valuables and throws the
purse or wallet in a trash can.
If an employee finds ihe thief, the thief
usually pretends to be lost and asks directions
to another building.
The thief normally looks like a student, he
said.
The victim usually thinks the stolen article
was misplaced so doesn’t report the theft until
the thief is gone, Lustrea said.
Police have a problem preventing the thefts
because normally only about three officers
patrol the campuses at a time, Lustrea said.
There’s a minimal chance the officers would
be in the area at the lime of a theft, he said.
“We need the help of people in the buildings
to apprehend people,” he said.