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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 1988)
NetSaSskan August 30, 1988 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 88 No. 3 Tuesday CORRECTION Require merits for the international business mapr offered by the College of Business Administration were incorrect in the Aug. 29 DN. The foreign language requirement is six credit hours at the 200 level or above, and the mapr is included within the 128 credit hour requirement tor a bachelor s degree in business administration Also >n the Aug. 29 DN, Vicki Highstreet, wellness instructional sports coordinator for the Office of Campus Recreation, was misioentified. In the Aug. 2b f)N, Pontillos Pizzeria, 1246 Q St., and the Dynasty Chinese Restaurant, 201 N. 14th, were incorrectly listed Tuesday, sunny and warmer, high in the mid 80s with winds from the SW at 15 25 mph Tuesday night, mostly clear, low in the mid 60s Wednesday, partly sunny and warm, high in the mid 80s. News Digest . . .... 2 Editorial'.4 Sports. 8 Entertainment.13 Classifieds 18 Businesses scurry to handle the surge of returning students By David Holloway Staff Reporter Pizza boxes, long lines and late-night orders are signals < or area businesses that college is underway. Some local businesses have hired new per sonnel to handle the busy rush of new patrons from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Nebraska Wesleyan University. Jerry Mullinix, manager of the Nebraska Bookstore, said the store has hired 20 extra people to handle the return of college students lor the next two weeks. First semester, Mullinix said, is the busiest time of the year for the store compared to second semester. Students do not buy as many books second semester, he said. Mullinix said a majorit> of the items sold have been books. He said the store started to prepare for the rush last February by buying books and stocking up on clothes and other items. Bill Bronson, manager ol The Hitching Post and Wooden Nickel, said the store has been “swamped” w ith business. Bronson said some of the business has to do w ith other schools opening around town, but attributed the majority of the increase to col lege students. He said the surge in business lasts for a couple of weeks then tapers off until late fall and spring. Bronson has not hired any new employees, but has hired returning student workers from last year. Kevin Knudson, manager of Pontillo’s Piz See BUSINESS on 6 trie wrsgory udiiy «eora»*aii See ya later Driver Kurt Briley looks on as a Lincolnland Towing employee tows away an improperly parked car that made it impossible for Briley to get his truck out of the parking lot east of the Nebraska Union. Tne truck blocked traffic for about a half hour Monday. I I i I M . t Funds lower rating By Mike Reilley Senior liditor and David Holloway Suff Reporter Although the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln’s re search program has slipped in national rankings be cause of a lack of increased fund ing, university officials say help is on the way. During the last 20 years, UNL has dropped out of the top 100 nationally in federal funding for research programs, said Goby Simcrly, associate director of UNL’s Office of Sponsored Pro grams. UNL’s research program was ranked 70lh in the nation in 1965, but had dropped out of the top 1 (X) by 1985, according to a Congres sional Research Service report re leased last April. The congressional report ranks Nebraska 47th among slates, tied with Kentucky in statistics measur ing federal research and develop ment money against a state’s popu lation. It also listed the state 37th overall in federal research support. Vice Chancellor for Research John Yost said UNL’s standing isn't as bad as it looks. He said the university ranks between 60lh and 65lh nationally in a research com petition index. “The competition index is what we’re most concerned with,” he said. “Many colleges combine their medical school research with their figures, which we don’t. If we did that, we would probably be in the top 50.” Bill Splinter, associate vice chancellor for research, said UNL received $23 million in research grants last year. Splinter compared that to Colorado and Colorado State, which received $60 million each in research grants. UNL’s research funding has remained steady while other col leges arc increasing their federal grants,Simerly said. She said UNL always has had a respectable repu tation for receiving external grants, but other colleges arc get ting more. “The schools on the Last and West coasts get a disproportionate share of the grants available through federal tax dollars,” Sim erly said. “It’sa case w here thcrich get richer and the poor get poorer." Splinter said the university is losing good professors because of low research grants. Few universities tan afford to support research funding with their own money, Splinter said. A typi cal lab for a professor in the chem istry department costs from $250,000 to $300,000. If the money is not there, the professors go elsewhere, he said. Splinter said UNL faculty members requested a record $99 million in grants for the upcoming year. He said the majority of the requests came from the engineer ing and science colleges. “Nebraska needs to be involved in the research game,” he said. “This is an agriculture stale and new products can be developed all the time. Fortunately, our legisla ture and governor are aware of that and they are doing all they can to help.” Yost said UNL hasn’t had the matching state funds in the past to compete for federal grants with other stales. UNL got a boost last year when the Nebraska Legislature ap proved Gov. Kay Orr's proposal to increase stale-funding for UNL research, Yost said. The $4 million research initiative program, which See RESEARCH on 6 CBA asbestos debris removed last Saturday By W illiam Lauer Staff Reporter Debris from a fallen ceiling sec tion of the College of Business Administration’s auditorium was cleaned up last weekend, said Jerry Delhay, manager of University of Nebraska-Lincoln maintenance department. The ceiling section fell alter an underground steam tunnel ruptured last Wednesday night, sending steam through the walls and into the audito rium ceiling. A 2-by-3-foot ceiling section fell. A test of the debris made by Earle Brown, director of Environmental Health and Safety at UNL, showed asbestos was contained in the mate rial. “Any time you have asbestos in that condition, it is hazardous,” Brown said. The auditorium was sealed off and classes relocated. Cleanup of the auditorium was done by Energy Insulation Co. of Lincoln Saturday. Although the test results arc not yet available, Delhay expects them to be negative. If tests arc negative, the auditorium will be reopened for classes shortly, Delhay said. Brown said asbestos levels arc monitored in buildings on the UNL campus, even though UNL has no policy for routine checks. “We feel we are managing the asbestos that is present,” Brown said. The incident at CBA was unusual, he said. “You can go through a building and find everything in apple pic or der,” Brown said. “If there is no damage to it (asbestos) whatsoever.. . there is no reason to remove it.” Brown said many buildings on cam pus contain asbestos. Buildings con structed before 1976, before asbestos was outlawed, probably contain as bestos. In some buildings it is limited to pipe insulation but in others it can be found throughout the building, he said. “Jusi because it’s (asbestos) in a building doesn’t mean it’s a hazard,” Brown said. “We list it as a potential hazard. Fibers floating around in the air for people to breathe is what cause the hazard.” Brown said he has checked asbes tos levels in many buildings on cam pus including the Administration building, Nebraska Hall and steam tunnels. There is no requirement for routine checks unless there is con struction or renovation in a building, he said. To test the asbestos levels, Brown samples 720 cubic liters of air from the building and has it analyzed by Hager Laboratories in Denver. Re sults of the test are usually known in 24 hours. The Environmental Protection Agency has determined that asbestos fibers of 0.2 per cubic liter of air is hazardous. Exposure to asbestos has report edly caused lung cancer plus asbcslo- , sis and mesothelioma, which are lung infections. Brown said he considers a level of 0.1 fibers per cubic liter in UNL buildings an “action level.” When readings are that high, “we try to do something about it,” he said. This can involve patching, repair ing or total removal of the asbestos, Brown said. The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act enacted by the EPA requires management of asbestos in public and private schools grades K 12, but does not apply to public or institutional buildings. Greg Crable, technical adviser for the asbestos section of the EPA Re gion 7 in Kansas City, said that be cause the asbestos was located in the ceiling, it’s unlikely that the asbestos has been disturbed and is probably not dangerous. “If the building is old and the material has received a lot of abuse,” Crable said, “then it’s likely to cause more problems.”
