Editorial
| Nebraskan
I University ot Nebraska-LincoCn
Curt Wagner, Editor, 472-1766
Mike Reilley, Editorial Page Editor
Diana Johnson, Managing Editor
Lee Rood, Associate News Editor
Bob Nelson, Wire Page Editor
Craig Heckman, Columnist
Andy Pollock, Columnist
Too little, too late?
Red ink flows from Child Care Project
University of Nebraska-Lincoln officials took the right
option concerning the future of the university’s Child
Care Project, but they never should have had to ponder the
center's future in the first place.
University officials decided not to abandon the project, despite
the fact that it lost nearly S1(X),(KX) in the last 10 years. Instead, they
cut the project’s budget and increased rates to generate revenue.
Wise decision. The project offers daycare service at a reasonable
price for children of students, faculty and staff members. Besides,
the last thing UNL. needs is 70 kiddies wandering around campus.
But what concerns the Daily Nebraskan is that the university
allowed the debt to grow to such a large figure before anyone
decided to do anything about it.
During the last 10 years, the project has fallen on hard times. It
had accumulated a $98,000 debt by last June.
An audit by the NU Board of Regents showed that the project was
definitely a financial burden to the university. The project is treated
as an auxiliary to the university, but its employees are paid out of a
university account.
“From day one, the center has struggled financially,” said Daryl
Swanson, director of Nebraska unions, who was appointed to
oversee improvements in the office. “We wanted to provide excel
lent care with the lowest prices and it caught up with us.”
It’s amazing that UNL officials let the debt grow to such a large
figure before doing anything about it. Swanson said the project has
suffered debts ranging from $16,000 to $60,(XX) before the $98,(XX)
figure was released in June.
The $16,(XX) figure should have caused some concern. The
$60,000 tab should have been enough to gel some action.
Swanson said a recent rate increase of S8 per week will help
increase revenue. Budget cuts and improved management could cut
into the debt by $5,(XX) a year.
But it may be too little, too late.
At that rate, the center will break even by 2008 or so. Just think,
the little kids who arc running around at the centers now will be
getting their college diplomas by then.
Kinda scary, isn't it?
— Mike Reilley
for ike Daily Nebraskan
Quibbles & bits
DN congratulates UNL police, others
• This year’s Haymarket Festival Sept. 15-17 will include the
first-ever event honoring all living war veterans, Mayor Bill Harris
said Tuesday.
After turning down a request by Lincoln’s Vietnam Veterans of
Foreign Wars to host a Veterans Day festival, Harris agreed to the
“natural marriage” of the two festivals.
An estimated 60,000 to 70,000 people attended last year’s
festival, held in conjunction with Farm Aid III.
Harris said he doesn’t think attendance this year will match that,
but an official for Lincoln’s Vietnam VFW said the combined
festivals will only help the veterans’ event
John Bonebright, director of special projects and public relations,
said that the veterans’ event “would have been one-tenth the size and
have one-tenth the impact” without the Haymarket Festival.
By combining the festivals, Harris prevented the shunning of
some very important Americans and an important issue.
The Haymarket Festival will be an important event not only for
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stand the perils of war and the honor of serving their country.
• Congratulations to John Schmitz, chairman of the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Veterinary Science, who was
recently elected to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s
Council on Research.
The AVMA Council on Research sets policy on research initia
tives and deals with other national and international matters associ
ated with veterinary medical research.
Schmitz was nominated by the Nebraska Veterinary Medical As
sociation and successfully ran against nominees from Georgia, Penn
sylvania and Ohio at the AVMA’s annual meeting in Portland, Ore.
• And last but not least, congratulations to the UNL Police De
partment for keeping an unwelcome sight off campus.
The evangelist who frequently preaches near Broyhill Fountain,
identified on a brochure as Michael Woroniecki, overstepped the
bounds of free speech Monday.
According to Lt. Ken Cauble of UNL police, more than 50 com
plaints were received about Woroniecki, who was allegedly singling
out students and criticizing their social behavior. The language
allegedly used by Woroniecki, such as “whoremongers” and “scum
sucking sheep," is not only profane and unfairly critical, but slander
ous.
If Woroniecki verbally attacks students again, Cauble said, he
will be arrested for disturbing the peace.
Amen.
— Curt Wagner
for the Daily Nebraska*
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UNL changes during the summer
Cars on walkways, brain drains make university life chaotic
Ihavc now been writing for the
Daily Nebraskan long enough
for me to use words like “cus
tomarily” in referring to my column
writing habits.
Therefore, I can announce that I
customarily use my first column of
the year to lament over the many juicy
news stories that transpired over the
summer, when my poison pen was
pacified pro-tern. Well, this fall I will
break with tradition (I’ve been writ
ing long enough to do that, loo) and
postpone my mid-summer moaning
until next week.
This week’s column will fall into
the usual DN first-week public serv
ice genre of informing you, the read
ing public, about various aspects of
life in Lincoln and around good ol’
University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Specifically, I wish to speak to
those of you who, unlike me, were not
lucky enough to spend your summer
at the university. Thousands of you
arc repeating the rituals of building
lofts, enduring drop/add and devising
strategic hiding places for contraband
— all while expecting that the cam
pus is basically the same as when you
left it.
Well, it’s my duly to inform you
that some changes this summer could
easily catch you off-guard. There
fore, I have decided to risk this un
precedented (another veteran’s word)
break with custom to warn you, lest
you be found wanting in the prepara
tion department. Here are some of this
summer’s more auspicious altera
tions:
• The Great Sidewalk Switch. I’m
not sure when, but some ume this
summer the walkways around UNL
became open to all manner of vehicu
lar traffic. We have always put up
with the occasional campus mail van,
grounds crew truck and moped, but it
seems that now every Tom, Dick and
delivery person has permission to
glide on four wheels from Andrews
Hall to the Nebraska Union without
taking the long way around. On
Monday I saw a U.S. Mail truck clip
ping down the walk beside Love
Library.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but
weren’t these things called “walks”
for a reason? The streets that used to
run through the campus were taken
out because the powers that be recog
nized what a disruption and danger
heavy automated traffic was to the
inner workings of a university cam
pus.
Well, I’d rather have real live
streets instead of these incognito
roadways. At least with the former
you expect to sec them coming. I
appeal to whoever might have some
jurisdiction in this matter to give the
walkways back to the pedestrians. I
even find myself relieved when I
encounter the obligator)' obnoxious
biker ripping down the cement at 30 to
40 mph. At least I have a chance
against a 10-speed bike.
•The Continuing Brain Drain. UNL
was hit once again this summer with
an exodus of Tine teachers, research
ers and graduate students seeking
greater opportunities and greener
paychecks. Prominent among the lat
est round of resignations is the loss of
G. G. Mcisels, dean of the College of
Arts and Sciences. Few, if any, cur
rent UNL administrators have done as
much to bring about academic im
provement over the last decade as has
this premiere educator. Always a
teacher rather than a technocrat,
Meiscls could be counted on to give
an even break where it was deserved.
He’s lough, but he could admit when
a case had been made, and he was
never reluctant to reward innovation.
Mcisels is headed south, and who can
blame him? But I just wanted him to
know at least one grateful graduate
student is sorry to see him go.
• The Office of Scholarships and
Financial Aid DeterioraUon. I know.
You’re asking, “What’s the change
here?” But believe me, the quantum
leap taken this summer warrants in
clusion in this survey.
The black hole in the basement of
the administration building has
reached nightmarish proportions.
Thousands of UNL students have had
financial aid awards and reports —
filed well ahead of deadlines — de
layed well beyond the beginning of
the tall semester.
The office even sent out a letter a
couple of weeks ago informing stu
dents that school-bill payment dead
lines will be rolled back for those
victimized by these “unfortunate de
lays.” The letter states that “nearly
two-thirds of all notification letters
have been mailed,” but I have not met
a single person who has been notified
Everyone I know is in the other one
third.
The office will give you all kinds
of good-sounding reasons for the
screw-ups, including the govern
ment’s new verification program,
recent administrative changes, un
derstaf fing and most importantly "the
installation of a new financial aid
management system.
You know what that is. It’s one of
those high-tech wonders that makes
work easier and more efficient. No
doubt we will endure many letters and
stories in the newspapers during the
next few weeks both attacking and
defending this bastion of student in
terests.
Through it all, just remember one
thing: other universities, many, of
them quite a bit larger than this one,
get student awards out on lime and
basically run efficient and coopera
tive financial aid programs. If tbc
fault is in the system, tne boundaries
of the system at fault do not stretch lar
beyond R Street.
Well, that’s it — the major sum
mer switcheroos you need to be aware
of. I’m sure there are others, bet I only
get so many column inches for this
masterpiece.
Despite the changes, many things
still remain the same. Mueller Tower
is still there; people still look up at the
little lights in the Oldfather Hall cle
vators; the guy carrying the cross is
back on campus; and loud music
continues to blare from the grcck
houses.
In the midst of constant change and
adjustment, it’s good to know that
some areas of our lives require no new
assessment. Your classes may all be
new, your school bill may be higher,
but rest assured; the Huskers will once
again finish second in the nation
and in the Big Eight.
Sennett is a graduate student in philoso
phy who began his financial aid application
process in May and is still waiting.
Editorials do not necessarily re
flect the views of the university, its
employees, the students or the NU
Board of Regents.
.... Editorial columns represent the
\
~ > i i ii ii ■ ■■ u ri MMii tmnr ■ i
opinion of the author.
The Daily Nebraskan's publishers
are the regents, who established the
UNL Publications Board to supervise
the daily production of the paper
According to policy set by the
regents, responsibility for the edito
rial content of the newspaper lies
solely in the hands of its student edi
tors.
