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Committee mulls appointment of regents
By Mary Nell Westbrook
Senior Reporter
Sen. Ron Withem of Papillion
said Tuesday that a proposal to have
gubernatorial appointment of the
University of Nebraska Board of
Regents would make government
more accountable for the board’s
actions.
Withem, who introduced the reso
lution, told the Nebraska
Legislature’s Education Committee
that LR247 would have the regents be
appointed by the governor instead of
being elected by the public. If the
Legislature passes LR247, a pro
posed constitutional amendment, it
will be put on the ballot to be voted on
by the public.
Withem, chairman of the Educa
tion Committee, said the public
makes better choices with fewer of
fices to choose from. If the regents
were taken off the ballot, he said,
voting would be easier for the con
stituents.
“The less real control by election,
the better,” he said.
Regent Nancy Hoch of Nebraska
City, who opposed the resolution,
said she thinks regents should be
accountable to the people of Ne
braska through election.
Withem said opponents often
accuse him of taking away the right
ofthcpeopletochoo.se. Butat several
town council meetings in Sarpy
County in 1984, Withem said, he
found that many people don’t realize
who their representatives are.
He said he asked constituents if
they could name their representative
on the NU Board of Regents. He said
he figured that people would be able
to identify Hoch immediately since
she ran against U.S. Sen. J. James
Exon and came so close to taking his
Senate seat.
“No one even knew she was on the
Board (of Regents),” Withem said.
Hoch said the university belongs
to the people of Nebraska and should
not be controlled by the governor.
Hoch said this resolution is an
other attempt to control the univer
sity. The regents have been elected
by the public for 110 years, Hoch
said.
Hoch said the Legislature is not
guaranteed that appointed officials
would be better or more committed
than elected officials.
“(The people of Nebraska) elect
the people whose views match their
own,” she said.
It would be naive to think an
appointed board wouldn’t be partisan
toward its governor’s party, she said.
“The requirement to campaign
requires us to listen,” Hoch said.
No one spoke in favor of the reso
lution, and Hoch was the only one
who opposed. The committee didn’t
advance the measure to the floor.
The committee also did not ad
vance a resolution for a constitu
tional amendment that would create a
single governing board for the uni
versity system and state colleges.
Under LR268, also introduced by
Withem, the governing botird would
consist of elected and appointed offi
cials, unlike the exclusive appoint
ment system he is endorsing for the
NIJ Board of Regents.
Withem said all but three states —
Nebraska, Vermont and Delaware
— have statewide governing boards.
Delaware and Vermont do not
have governing boards because they
have only five and six campuses
each .But Nebraska has 21 campuses.
Because Nebraska has so many
more campuses, Withem said, the
statewide governing board is needed.
He said the board would promote
sharing resources and lessen compe
tition between colleges and universi
ties. It would also provide for strate
gic planning for budget priorities,
Withem said.
Joe Kerrigan, student regent from
the University of Nebraska at
Omaha, opposed the resolution.
Kerrigan said only one student
would represent the university sys
tem . Also, the governor could choose
not to select a student from the uni
versity system.
Under the resolution, three col
See HEARING on 5
Ward Williams/Daily Nebraskan
Sen. Ron Withem of Papillion proposed Thursday to the
Legislature’s Education Committee that thn NU Board of
Regents be appointed by the governor instead of being
elected.
NU Board members oppose measures
By Dan Dwinell
Staff Reporter
Several members of the Univer
sity of Nebraska Board of Regents
oppose, but aren’t upset about, two
measures in the Legislature that
would allow the governor to appoint
board members and the Legislature
to operate the board.
The Nebraska Legislature’s Edu
cation Committee conducted hear
ings Tuesday on LR247, a proposed
amendment to provide appointment
of the regents by the governor. On
8
Monday, the committee heard testi
mony on LR269, which would put
direction of the regents under the
Legislature.
Neither measure was advanced
from committee or considered a pri
ority by the Legislature.
Regent Nancy Hoch of Nebraska
City is opposed to the appointment of
regents.
“I believe the people of Nebraska
will want to keep their representa
tion,” she said. Hoch said she
wouldn’t like to see the regents under
the direction of the Legislature.
“There would be a direct line of
influence from the governor and his
or her political party,” she said.
Regent Robert Koefoot of Grand
Island agreed.
“I’m opposed 1(X) percent to hav
ing the regents appointed,” he said. “I
don’t think the state legislators
should have the authority.”
Regent James Moylan of Omaha
said the regents have always felt an
elected board is more responsive to
the state.
“Allegiance is different, totally,”
he said.
Regent Margaret Robinson of
Norfolk posed the question, “Why
doesn’t the governor just appoint the
senators to the Legislature?
“Elected regents arc very good
because they are responsive to the
entire state instead of the governor,”
Robinson said.
Andy Pollock, president of the
Association of Students of the Uni
versity of Nebraska and U n i versi ty of
Nebraska-Lincoln student regent,
isn’t concerned by the measures.
“I’m not real decided in what I
think,” he said. “I hate to be wishy
washy, but it really doesn’t affect us
(student regents).”
Pollock and Government Liaison
Committee lobbyist Shawn Ilg plan
to discuss the resolutions with Sen.
Ron Withem of Papiliion. Withem
wrote both resolutions.
Bob Sittig, UNL professor of po
litical science, said he doubts the
measures will pass.
“(Former Gov. Bob) Kerrey
pushed it for five years,” he said. “It
will take gradual pushing and pull
See REGENTS on 5
-1
UNL expansion put on hold again
By Amy Edwards
Senior Reporter
Malone neighborhood residents
and University of Nebraska-Lin
coln officials were put on hold
again Tuesday as the Malone Rede
velopment Study Committee failed
to reach a compromise for UNL’s
expansion into the area.
The committee has made prog
ress in the land battle that has gone
on for the past 30 years, agreeing on
a 15-year plan that will allow UNL
to expand its boundaries into the
Malone neighborhood in three
phases.
Officials from the university,
Malone Community Center,
Malone Neighborhood Association
and the city will meet again Thurs
day to resolve a conflict in the third
phase of the plan.
The conflict resulted between
UNL and Malone representatives
because both want to gain control of
a half-block area of land between
21 st and 22nd streets and R and T
streets.
Dallas McGee, a community
development program manager,
said the land would expand a pro
posed park to six acres, the mini
mum size suggested by the city
parks and recreation director.
McGee said the committee
should focus its attention to solve
this issue.
The Rev. Terry Cain, Malone
Community Center representative,
said if the other three parties could
agree on the fate of one-half block
of land, the community center
would probably be in agreement.
Representatives from the four
groups agreed on eight points of
compromise at the meeting:
• The planning should be a con
tinuous process.
• The plan should take a phased
approach but be flexible.
• The three-block area between
19th, 20th, Vine and S streets is the
Phase 1 area for university develop
ment.
• Phase 2 will include land south
of S Street between 19th and 20th
streets and south of R Street be
tween 19th and 22nd streets.
• The Malone Center and
Malone Manor will remain where
they are.
• There will be park develop
ment south of the Malone Center
between P and U streets and 20th
and 22nd streets, with a link to
housing east of 22nd Street.
• There will be a buffer between
the university land and the Malone
neighborhood.
• The existing open space and
park in the Malone neighborhood
will be maintained and available to
residents until the new park is built.
But Malone and university offi
cials disagree on the ownership of
the buffer /one.
Jack Goebel, UNL vice chancel
lor for business and finance, said he
is bothered by the concept of own
ership and the location of the buffer.
Topher I lanscn, president of the
Malone Neighborhood Associa
tion, said the ownership of the
buffer is critical to the boundary.
Hansen said Malone residents want
the boundary to be defined so they
*
have some degree of certainty.
“If the regents are set on going
Christina Geiger/Dally Nebraskan
east, I’m not sure there is a possibil
ity of compromise,” Hansen said.
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