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Nebraskan
Legislature passes faculty pay increase
By Victoria Ayotte
Staff Reporter
University of Nebraska-Lincoln admini
stration officials and student leaders said they
were excited with the passage of the Nebraska
Legislature’s mainline budget bill Wednesday.
The bill received final approval in a 40-0
vote without discussion or any additional
amendments.
The bill appropriates $9.3 million to in
crease University of Nebraska faculty salaries
for 1988-89. Nebraska state col leges will gctSl
million for increased salaries.
NU research activities will also get a $4
million boost under the bill.
UNL Chancellor Martin Masscngale said he
was pleased the bill passed with as much sup
port as it had.
“I think it’s an excellent start,” Masscngale
said.
Masscngalc said more work needs to be
done to improve the salary situation and re
search capabilities, though.
“It won’t solve the problem but it will go a
long way toward it,” Masscngalc said.
James Griesen, vice chancellor for student
affairs, said the increased money for salaries
will boost morale for faculty and staff mem
bers.
“It means a great deal,” he said.
Griesen was also pleased by the amount of
support given to the bill.
“1 think it’s very important in getting every
one to thinking more positively about this
university,” Griesen said.
‘This is a great first step
in the right direction. ’
—Petersen
Jeff Petersen, new president of the Associa
tion of Students of the University of Nebraska,
said he was delighted the bill passed.
Petersen said he thinks UNL’s students had
a great deal to do with getting the salary in
creases.
“Everyone can be so proud,” he said.
Petersen said the research money will help
UNL get better quality faculty.
Andy Pollock, former ASUN president, said
he thinks the passage of the bill has made his
efforts in the past year worthwhile.
The research money will also be of tremen
dous benefit to the university, Pollock said.
“The two together can only enhance educa
tion here,” he said.
Gricscn also said the research money will
help UNL’s education.
“The research initiative is not just geared
toward enhancing facilities, but strengthening
the academic environment, which will attract
more and better students,” Griescn said.
Massengale said the research money will
provide a good start in improving UNL’s capa
bilities.
Massengale said specific areas are targeted
for the research money: biotechnology, engi
neering and computer science, water quality,
and decision sciences.
The bill is now in the hands of Gov. Kay Orr.
Orr may use a line item veto to reduce expen
ditures.
7 think it's very impor
tant in getting everyone
to thinking more posi
tively about this univer
sity.’
—Griesen
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Masscngale said he hopes Orr will not re
duce UNL’s appropriation, but added that he
thinks she will sign the bill withoutcutting from
UNL.
Petersen said he thinks UNL needs more
help from the Legislature, and said he is opti
mistic about working toward it next year.
“This is a great first step in the right direc
tion,’’ he said.
Legislative debate
on death penalty
ends in a bill-killing
By Amy Edwards
Senior Reporter
One hour and four motions after
debate began Tuesday, Nebraska
senators voted 21-25 against passing
a bill that would eliminate the death
penalty.
LB675, Omaha Sen. Ernie Cham
bers’ 1987 priority bill, would have
provided parole and discharge limita
tions for convicted murderers.
Chambers said instead of the death
penalty, people convicted of murder
would be sentenced to 30 years in
prison without parole.
Someone could be wrongly ac
cused of a murder and sentenced to
death, Chambers said. Innocent
people do get executed, he said.
If a person were accused and later
found innocent, he or she could be
released if LB675 were implemented,
Chambers said. But, he said, you
can’t release someone who has been
executed.
“The mistake, if there is one,
should be on the side of life,” Cham
bers said.
He argued that when the state t ics
to “strike back” at criminals, the role
of the government is degraded.
“Carrying out the death penalty
brutalizes a society,” he said.
Sens. Elroy Hefner of Coleridge
and Chris Abboud of Omaha offered
a motion to indefinitely postpone the
bill. Hefner said the punishment must
fit the crime.
He said capital punishment is a fair
punishment for a person who has
taken another person’s life.
Sen. Tim. Hall of Omaha offered a
motion to bracket the bill until April
8, the last day of the legislative ses
sion.
The motion failed 8-22.
Sen. Marge Higgins of Omaha
then proposed to have the speaker’s
agenda overruled to give senators
more time to discuss LB675. Higgins
said the 30-minute limit did not allow
for enough discussion when the topic
was life and death.
Higgins’ motion passed 30-11.
Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha then
proposed to suspend the rules for a
vote without further debate. The pro
posal passed 30-4, and the motion to
indefinitely postpone the bill failed
20-24.
Butch Ireland/Daily Nebraskan
Bike V bathe
Bob Yager, a fifth-year architecture student, and his bicycle rest outside Sheldon Art Gallery Wednesday afternoon.
Reunion businesses will open doors April 13
By Anne Mohri
Senior Reporter
Students at the University of Ne
braska-Lincoln can go to a student
reunion beginning April 13.
The Reunion is an alternative to
UNL student unions. Located at 16th
and W streets, the Reunion has a food
court and retail businesses, said
David Hunter, president of Hardy
Building Corp.
Hunter said the food court, con
taining six fast-food businesses, As
tro Copy Service, Union Bank Stu
dent Loan Center and a game room
will be in operation on opening day.
Astro Copy service will have a one
day photo development service, he
said.
A hair salon, candy store and
screen-printing store are expected to
open by June 1, he said, and a bike
shop and card shop will probably be
open by July 1.
The screen-printing store is in
negotiation to incorporate a dry
cleaning pickup and delivery service,
Hunter said.
Hunter said 17,000 of the 20,000
square feet available in the Reunion
for retail businesses has been leased.
The businesses that rent the remain
ing 3,000 square feet will be an
nounced May 1, he said.
The building interior is finished
except for 3,000 square feet yet to be
leased, and that will probably be fin
ishcd in about a month. Hunter said.
The awning and lights would be
added to the outside of the building by
opening day, he said.
Reunion coupons will be on the
back of next year’s Nebraska football
tickets, he said. Students will have a
different ticket for each game next
year and a coupon for the food court
will enable students to buy something
and get a second item for half price,
Hunter said.
Petersen sworn into office at ‘perfect time’
By I ,ee Rood
Senior Reporter
Inauguration of new members of
the Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska came at what
both incoming and outgoing leaders
said was perfect timing.
Andy Pollock, former ASUN
president, swore in Jeff Petersen,
former president of the Government
Liaison Committee, hours after the
Nebraska Legislature approved a
$9.3 million pay increase for univer
sity faculty and staff members.
Petersen and Pollock, two students
who several university officials say
were largely responsible for finding
support for the increases, celebrated
the victory, but warned new senators
that there was still much work to be
done next year.
Continued pay increases for the
following year would be an even
bigger challenge, they said, but so
would reaching out to the student
body and working toward a more
representative student government.
Many of the speeches given by the
new and old executive officers; James
Griesen, vice chancellor of student
affairs; and Martin Massengale, UNL
chancellor, commended Pollock and
Petersen for their hard work toward
the pay hike, but also asked new sena
tors to search out a representative
body of students interested in student
government.
Pete Castellano, elected senator
of-the-year by the 1987-88 senate,
said while AS UN is a powerful group,
it still has problems with equal repre
sentation.
“Until AS UN looks more like the
campus .. . ASUN will not be truly
representative,” Castellano said.
Massengale told new senators they
would face many difficult issues in
the year to come and that this year’s
senate would be “a hard act to fol
low.”
Before the new senate was sworn
in, old senators argued for more than
an hour about a measure changing the
language in a bylaw that defines and
regulates student organizations.
Some newly-elected members
joked the debate was a last chance at
glory.
The bylaw was postponed indefi
nitely after some senators said that
they weren'’ 'riven enough time to
review the legislation.