UNL police confiscate stolen goods
By Victoria Ayotte
Staff Reporter
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
investigators seized more than
$ 100,000 in goods stolen over the last
two years from UNL’s Polar Ice
Coring Office, an investigator said.
John Lilwak, a drill systems man
ager in the ice coring office, allegedly
misdirected shipments of materials
meant for drilling locations in Green
land and Antarctica and sent them to
two Lincoln addresses. Investigator
Ed Mentzer of the UNL Police said.
Mentzer said Litwak has not been
contacted yet, but is expected to be
arrested when he returns to Lincoln
today.
“We’re hoping he doesn’t become
aware of it until he’s arrived in the
community,’’ Mentzer said.
UNL Police discovered the thefts
two weeks ago, Mentzer said. A break
in the case came last week when a
caterpillar engine was advertised in
the Lincoln Joumal-atar classified
ads.
The engine was sold to a farmer
and police tracked down the engine,
which matched the serial number of
the missing equipment.
The engine was traced to a garage
at 1659 S. 2nd Si., rented by Litwak.
Litwak apparently falsified purchase
orders to get fhc equipment, most of
which was found in the garage,
Mentzcr said.
Mcntzcr said UNL police realized
me sioien equipment was teacrai
equipment, so decided to contact the
FBI and get a federal search warrant
to seize the equipment.
Lincoln FBI senior resident Jack
Larson said the warrants were served
Thursday and Friday at the rental
garage and Litwak’s residence, 1718
S.W. 23rd St.
The 23-page list of stolen goods
has not been totalled, Mentzcr said,
but it’s probably around $100,000.
l mink we re going 10 recover ai
least 90 percent,” Mentzer said.
Larson said the list will be be re
leased at the end of this week.
The list includes engines, drills,
lathes and other specialized shop
equipment, he said.
The evidence w ill be turned over to
the U.S. Attorney next week, for him
to decide if there’s enough evidence
to be presented toa grand jury, Larson
said.
Business director
must repay cash
By Curt Wagner
Senior Kdilor
A recent audit conducted by the University
of Texas at Austin shows a University of Nc
braska-Lincoln employee owes UT nearly
$3,000 in erroneous sick pay he received while
working at UNL.
Jim Main, UNL director of business services
and a former employee of UT’s physical plant,
came under investigation in July for allegedly
accepting paychecks he was ineligible for.
On Aug. 17, UT’s internal auditing depart
ment released the results of the audit to the
Daily Texan, Texan reporter Greg Perliski said.
The audit showed that Main owes $2,956.27 for
178 hours of erroneous sick leave. Main re
ceived this money while working at UNL from
Dec. 1-4,1987 and Jan. 11-Feb 4,1988.
The total amount includes $31.54 for long
distance telephone calls and a $208.20 teacher
retirement overpayment Main’s total gross
income for the period was $3,000 and his net
income was $2,716.53.
The audit gave no official university stance
and made no accusations of wrong-doing, Per
liski said.
Main said he received a letter from UT
asking him to repay the money, but he has no
See MAIN on 2
I
to both locations. Besides Lincoln
and Bogota, earth stations in Houston,
Texas, and Andover, Maine, will be
used.
A telephone line between broad
cast engineers in Lincoln and Bogota
will allow the television signal to be
fine-tuned.
“It’s a complicated process,” he
said, ‘‘if you put it on paper in a
diagram it looks interesting.”
McBride said leasing the satellites
will cost $9,325, with $5,000coming
from UNL. The balance, he said, will
come from a satellite feasibility study
project of UNL and the Educational
Television Commission.
He said KUON-TV regularly uses
WESTAR satellites, which arc
owned by Western Union.
KUON-TV has been a contributor
in several satellite teleconferences,
and originates more television pro
gramsby satellite to the Public Broad -
casting System than most people real
ize, McBride said.
“By satellite we transmit 20 to 30
hours of programs per week to PBS,
from Hawaii to Alaska to the Virgin
Islands,” he said.
“This will the longest distance we
have transmitted.”
John Peters, assistant to Chancel
lor Martin Massengale, said the trans
mission will showcase the
university’s technological capabili
ties. KUON-TV is the University
Educational Television Station.
By Larry Peirce
Staff Reporter
The University of Nebraska-Lin
coin will make history Saturday dur
ing its summer commencement exer
cises. I V I
UNL will ^pEfc
honor a foreign 1
head of slate for
the first time in its
history, and will L.. M
pul KUON-TV’sB*|V^
satellite capabil
ity to interna
tional use for the
first time. Barco
Virgilio Barco, president of the
Republic of Colombia, will be given
an honorary Doctor of l^aws degree
through a satellite connection be
tween the Bob Devaney Sports Center
and Bogota, Colombia.
Robert Kleis, executive dean for
international affairs, said Barco’s
degree is for his support of the Ne
braska Mission in Colombia from
1966tol973.
Kleis said Barco helped by “cut
ting through bureaucracy and trying
to strengthen education in Colom
bia.”
The mission, which was admini
stered by the International Programs
Division at UNL, aimed at improving
agricultural education on three cam
puses of Colombia’s National Uni
versity and aiding the Colombian
Institute oi Agriculture. Money iur
the mission came from private and
government sources.
Kleis, who was in charge of the
UNL Department of Agricultural
Engineering at the time of the mis
sion, said honoring Barco “probably
should have happened earlier.”
He said Barco’s election to the
presidency in 1986 brought him back
into public light.
Kleis and Nebraska regents James
Moylan and John Payne will present
the degree to Barco in Bogota.
Jack McBride, general manager of
KUON-TV, said the satellite connec
tion will employ one WESTAR and
two InlcISat satellites, and four earth
stations to provide pictures and sound