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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 27, 1989)
-^^^Daily j_ January 27,1989 _University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 88 No. 88 NU officials stick to regents’ salary proposal By Natalie Weinstein Suff Reporter The prospect of an 11.2 percent pay raise for faculty at the Uni versity of Nebraska for each of the next two years may appear dim, but the University of Nebraska-Lin coln Faculty Senate president is still standing firm. “At this point, I don’t see any reason to say I’ll buy into some other deal,” Robert Diffendal said. “We haven’t changed our position. We support the budget proposals that the administration and the (NU Board of) Regents have made.” Gov. Kay Orr’s two-year budget proposal, released earlier this month, provides for a 7.5 percent a year in crease in NU faculty and staff salaries for both the 1989-90 and 1990-91 school years. But for NU to complete its three year plan to raise faculty salaries to the average of peer institutions, an 11.2 percent increase was included in the regents’ budget for the next two years. The regents approved the three-year plan in December 1987. A 12 percent increase for each of the two years was requested for non-fac ulty members. Neither the 11.2 percent nor 7.5 percent is an across-the-board in crease. Increases would differ among NU’s campuses and among individu als. The university broke down the figures by campus for faculty and non-faculty. The governor did not include any breakdown of the 7.5 percent increase in her budget Of the three campuses, UNL is farthest behind its peer group, NU President Ronald Roskens said. As a result, UNL faculty and staff re ceived more in the regents’ proposed budget than the University of Ne braska at Omaha and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Now that the governor has made her decision it will be “very diffi cult’’ to get the 11.2 percent raise, Roskens said. The state income picture is still cloudy, he said. “And of course the governor’s budget will be regarded as a very important document by the members of the Legislature,” Roskens said. If the Nebraska Legislature does not approve the university’s request, Roskens said, ‘‘it may be that we have to extend the plan one additional year.” “I’m not in any way promoting a fourth year. But if we don’t achieve our goals in three, we must try to do it in four,” he said. Roskens said that at this point, “our commitment is to attempt to obtain as much funding as possible for our No. 1 priority (salaries).” In mid-March, NU officials will present their requests to the Legisla ture’s Appropriations Committee. State Sen. Jerome Warner of Waverly, chairman of the committee, said chances for the 11.2 percent raise are poor. “Based on current receipts, there’s hardly any room for anything more than the 7.5 percent,” he said. In February and again in April, the state will adjust its current revenue projections. When projections are adjusted, Warner said, he expects the state will have taken in more money than is currently expected. But to meet even the governor’s proposal, he said, an increase would be necessary. Regent Don Frickc of Lincoln also See ORR on 6 Official: Economy changed, urbanized By Jerry Guenther and Scott Cook Staff Reporters Nebraska’s economy is “hum ming again,” an official told about 250 people at an economic confer ence Thursday at the Nebraska Cen ter for Continuing Education. Roger Christianson, director of the Nebraska Department of Eco nomic Development, was one of 12 experts who spoke at the first annual State of the State Conference spon sored by the Bureau of Business Research and College of Business Administration at the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln. Christianson said Nebraskans benefitted from an expanding manu facturing sector, low unemployment, an increase in retail and home sales and an escape from the worst part of the drought. But, he said, there is a less objec tive factor contributing to the state’s prosperity — the altitude of the people. Christianson said he now secs optimism from the citizens and the business people of the state. Roy Frederick, director of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, said Nebraska’s agriculture sector is in “finn.1 ch«v> ” As an example, Frederick said, average annual farm income from the four-year period between 1984-87 was three times higher than the aver age annual farm income from the four-year period between 1980-83. Between 1980-83, Frederick said, average annual farm income in the state was $507 million, while average annual farm income between 1984 87 was $1.6 billion. Part of the reason for the increase was inflation and the 1985 Farm Bill, which increased government pay ments to farmers, Frederick said. Another reason was the livestock sector. “If we’re making money (with) beef cattle in Nebraska, wc’rc gencr ally doing pretty well in agriculture,’ ’ Frederick said. Although the farm sector has been See ECONOMY on 3 Greeks must sign contract to remain approved housing By Curt Wagner Editor University of Nebraska-Lincoln greek houses will not be con sidered “approved university housing” next year if undergraduate and alumni house officers fail to sign a new contract by March 1. The document, drawn up by Di rector of Greek Affairs Jayne Wade Anderson, requires the signatures of each house’s executive officers, chapter adviser and house corpora tion president Signatures on the document will a place responsibility bn the'officers to * make sure house members abide by university housing policies. Failure to sign the contract, in the long run, wouldbe a “real blow to the chapter’’ said James Griesen, vice chancellor for student affairs. If a house is no longer “approved university housing,” then it is con sidered an off-campus unit that UNL freshmen cannot live in. This could seriously hinder recruitment efforts, he said. Griesen and Anderson said they expect house officers to sign the contract. The two administrators met with house officers Sunday to explain the new contract, and said the officers fell it was “totally appropriate.” According to Griesen, ail but one of the policies listed in the contract already govern greek houses. He said the document is merely a' ‘new effort at education and enforcement” of the policies. “We don’t do a good job making undergraduate and alumni officers follow their responsibilities,” Grie sen said, ”... now they are charged to enforce them (housing policies).” Griesen said many of the officers at the Sunday meeting did not know some of the housing rules existed. This contract will make officers aware of housing policies, he said. Each year, the houses’ new cabi net will be required to sign the con tract. The contract, written by Anderson and approved by Griesen, requires officers to enforce “a sound internal states, meeting all applicable housing codes that pertain to health and safety; employing a house director who resides on the property and acts as liaison with Greek Affairs; follow ing all policies of visitation for the opposite sex (14 hours per day, be tween 10 a.m. and 2 a.m.); and having no alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs present in the housing unit The only new rule, Griesen said, is granting permission to the UNL Po lice Department to have access for cause to the public areas of the house. Sgt Mylo Bushing of the UNL Police said that in the past, police ..officers have only asked to enter houses if complaints were made, but code of conduct” that is consistent with the University Code of Conduct. This includes, a draft of the document See HOUSING on 6 i " i Greek leaders are pro-contract By Curt Wagner Editoi University of Nebraska Lincoln fraternity mid so ■ rority leaders agree with most aspects of a new housing agreement, but some say they will not sign it until house law yers have examined rcotrover- 1 sial language in the contract Undergraduate and alumni house oificcis must sign the contract by March 1 to be con- , sideitd “ approve university bousing" nest year. Signatures will place responsibility on the ofUcers to make sure house members abide by university bousing policies. Kewln Yost president of the interfrstemity Council, said house pftsideats’ initial reac tions to the contract were pom live. But co Thursday, some house officers expressed their disagreements with pans of the contract -&»REACt*Mor>6 Madigan says COLAGE appropriate for fee funding By David G. Young Sufi Reporter The Committee Offering Lesbian and Gay Events attracted the greatest attention Thursday as die Committee for Fees Al location heard formal student fee requests from 15 University Program Council organizations. The Women’s Words and Music and UPC Foreign Films committees also were closejy scrutinized as UPC-City President David Madigan presented and explained budgets for each committee. Madigan said student funding is necessary since each UPC coinmnice satisfies a need at the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln. This philosophy, he said, makes COLAGE an appropriate candidate for funding. Madigan said a need exists at UNL for COLAGE, but one concern others have about funding the group is that it programs for only gay and lesbian individuals. “This is not true,” he said. “The majority of these programs have gone toward cduca* tion.” Funding for COLAGE, previously called the Gny/Lcsbian Programming Committee, was denied last year by CFA. COLAGE has requested 51,691, or 4 cents per student per semester in student fees. Jill Durbin, CFA member, suggested that COLAGE consider other sources for funding, including contacting the University Health Center for co-sponsorship of an AIDS pro gram. Nanci Hamilton, COLAGE co-chairperson, said AIDS programs have never been consid ered due to the committee’s inadequate knowl edge about the subject. Durbin said Women’s Words and Music advocates only a feminist viewpoint, and therefore violates UPC’s mission at the univer t - » **■ sily. Durbin said other opinions should be presented in order to balance the organization. Hamilton, also involved with Women's Words and Music, explained that only one viewpoint is necessary since society is ex tremely biased. “Women’s Words and Music is the bal ance,” she said. ‘ Predominantly what people see is men’s words, is men’s opinions. Women’s Words and Music provides the op portunity lor people to see that women have made contributions (to society).” See CFA on 3