The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, March 15, 1989, Image 1

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    WEATHER: INDEX
Wednesday, partly cloudy with highs Edaoriail9eSt. 4
near 40, winds from the W at 5-15 mph Arts 4 Entertainment. .. 7
Wednesday night, mostly cloudy, low Sports.12
20-25. Thursday, mostly sunny, high Classifieds.14
around 50
March 15,1989 University of Nebraska-Lincoln___Vol. 88 No. 121
NU officials support faculty salary increase
By Natalie Weinstein
Staff Reporter
□niversity of Nebraska officials were
united in their endorsement of salary
increases as the No. 1 priority in NU’s
budget when they testified in front of state
senators Tuesday.
“Improving faculty salaries remains our
highest budget priority,’ ’ NU President Ronaid
Roskens told members of the Nebraska Legis
lature’s Appropriations Committee.
The Legislature’s support for the first year
of the three-year salary improvement plan has
led to a “new optimism and confidence’’
among faculty members, Roskens said.
“We arc not finished, however, and wc
must not abandon our efforts now,” he said.
Roskens was among 40 people who told
committee members what they consider the top
priorities in the NU Board of Regents 1989-91
budget proposal.
Besides salary increases, officials included
library improvements, the research initiative
and construction projects among their highest
priorities.
Testifiers also emphasized the need for
academic program improvements, UNL’s Of
fice of Scholarships and Financial Aid im
provements, new faculty positions for the
College of Business Administration at the
University of Nebraslca-Lincoln and the Uni
versity of Nebraska at Omaha, equipment
improvements and a telecommunications sys
tem.
The regents have requested $496.3 million
over the next two years, while Gov. Kay Orr
has proposed $460.9 million for NU over the
next two years.
Included in NU's budget request is an over
all 11.2 percent increase in faculty salaries and
an overall 12.5 percent increase in non-faculty
salaries for each of the next two years.
Orr has requested a 7.5 percent increase for
both faculty and staff for each of the next two
years.
Nancy Hoch, chairman of the NU Board ot
Regents, told senators that last year faculty
salaries were about 18 percent below the aver
age of comparable institutions and staff sala
ries were about 20 percent below the average.
Faculty salaries are now about 11 percent
behind and staff about 16 percent behind the
average, she said.
Hoch said it is “imperative that we slay on
track.”
“I cannot overemphasize the importance of
the salary increases that went into effect this
year. We must continue with the second year
increase,” Hoch said.
UNL Chancellor Marlin Massengale, UNL
Faculty Senate President Robert Diffcndal,
UNO Chancellor Del Weber and UNO Student
Regent Paula Efflc also testified that salary
increases arc their highest priority for NU.
Lorraine Moon, the salary issues chairman
for the University of Nebraska Office Person
nel Association, told senators that of the 2200
staff members at UNL, 520 full-time employ
ees earn less than MU,you per year.
Moon asked senators to “keep faith with
us” by financing the second and third years of
the salary improvement plan.
Officials said library improvements and the
governor’s research initiative arc next on their
list of priorities.
Hoch said increased funding for collections,
acquisitions and automation of NU libraries is
as high a priority as the salary increases.
Masscngale said that a strong library is
essential for a major research university.
“You can have a great library without a
great university,’’ he said, “but you can’t have
a great university without a great library.”
The increasing cost of scholarly journal
subscriptions and the unfavorable exchange
rates for the dollar have caused NU collections
to wither, Masscngale said. More than 900
journal subscriptions have been cancelled
within the last three years, he said.
See LEGISLATURE on 6
Through rain and snow ...
As temperatures dropped to 30 degrees and winds ousted to 40 mph Tuesday afternoon,
John Harper and Larry Hector wired tfce new scoreboard message board at Buck Betf/er
Field.
— - n- — *■■■■■« . I ■ 1 ..* -
AS UN candidates hold last debate
By Larry Peirce
Senior Reporter
Charges of inexperience and
mudslinging dominated the
final ASUN debate Tuesday
night.
IMPACT presidential candidate
Bryan Hill began the debate by ask
ing why PRIDE candidates did not
attend Monday’s ASUN debate, as
well as NU Board of Regents and
ASUN meetings.
Dan Rock, PRIDE’S presidential
candidate, said PRIDE candidates
held their own debate later with
SLUMBR because of scheduling
conflicts.
Hill said IMPACT has the experi
ence to lead the Association of Stu
dents of the University of Nebraska.
He said that P&IDE candidates have
n’t attended ASUN or NU Board of
Regents meetings regularly.
“Where were you, PRIDE?” Hill
said. -
Hill also asked Rock why he
wasn’t at Tuesday’s Appropriations
Committee hearing at the State Capi
tol, when the University of Ne
braska’s budget was discussed.
PRIDE’S second vice presidential
candidate Brad Brunz said his party
wouldn’t “condescend to mudsling
• ^ H
tng.
“We’re new. We’re inexperi
enced,’’ he said, “We don’t feel we
are going to become apathetic.’’
Brunz said PR IDE would work for
an official vote for student regents,
more involvement of minority stu
dents and a more approachable
ASUN.
Hill said he supports an official
vote by ASUN’s student regent, but
that it wasn’t a good idea to push for
it immediately.
“We barely have the unofficial
vote now,’’ he said.
BEER presidential candidate Bob
Gestring said BEER was formed
hastily in order to bring up important
issues and try to get students to vote.
SLUMBR party senatorial candi
date Joe Bowman said IMPACT rep
resents the “chain of power” and a
‘ ‘good old boy system,’ ’ which made
Hill chairman of the Government
Liaison Committee and will “ap
point” him president
Bowman said government leader
ship doesn’t require experience. He
said that being “well versed” in the
issues “doesn’t mean you’ll make it
work.’’
When asked how the parties
would encourage involvement from
residence halls, the greek system and
off-campus students, Brunz said
PRIDE would mail ASUN informa
tion to off-campus students, and post
signs in places where off-campus
students go.
IMPACT’S second vice presiden
tial candidate Jon Bruning said one
mailing to off-campus students
would cost $4,800.
Bruning said IMPACT would use
existing lines of communication,
such as Residence Hall Association,
the greek system and the telephone to
conduct a scientific, random survey
of students.
Gestring said ASUN announce
ments should be placed in restroom
stalls. Gestring said students have
nothing else to read while they’re
there.
See DEBATE on 3
KHA elections proceed
despite alleged violations
By Brandon Loomis
Senior Reporter
The Residence Hall Associa
tion’s Electoral Commission
Tuesday discussed alleged
ethical and legal violations by a vice
presidential candidate, but decided to
let today’s election proceed.
RHA President Larry Koubsky,
the ADVANCE party presidential
candidate, submitted a letter to the
commission complaining that Tim
Thorson campaigned for IMAGE
party vice president while sitting on
the Electoral Commission and voting
to approve the eligibility of his run
ning mate, J. Matt Wickless.
The committee had approved
Thorson’s candidacy in a meeting
last Thursday, but addressed the
question again Tuesday.
According to RHA bylaws, mem
bers of the commission who are run
ning for office must resign from the
commission and appoint a substitute.
During a March 2 executive ses
sion, Thorson voted with the com
mission to allow Wicklcss to run for
RHA president if he could prove he
had met the required 2.0 grade point
average by the March 8 filing dead
line.
Shari Klippcnstein, RHA adviser,
said Wickless took a mini-course at
the beginning of this semester and
had a note from the professor proving
his average was above 2.0 by the
filing date.
A senate resolution that was writ
ten this semester, but was never intro
duced before the RHA Senate, called
for the impeachment of Wickless as
speaker of the RHA Senate. The reso
lution says, “Speaker Wicklcss has
violated the trust of the association
and his constituents in Scllcck Hall
by accepting an office for which he is
ineligible to hold ...”
Klippcnstein said she had heard of
the resolution, but it was never filed
with her.
Wicklcss resigned as speaker Feb.
23.
Thorson said that at the March 2
vote, he knew he was going to run for
vice president, but was not sure that
he would be Wicklcss’ running mate.
See RHA on 6
Phi Gamma Delta sanctioned
By Lee kooo
Senior Editor _
University of Nebraska-Lin
coln official Tuesday an
nounced sanctions against
Phi Gamma Delta fraternity for vio
lating alcohol and visitation policies
following a Feb, 11 party.
Vice Chancellor for Student Af
fairs James Gricsen said the sanctions
include a one-year probationary pe
riod. The sanctions come after the
house’s “Around the World” party
where a house member allegedly
sexually assaulted an Omaha teen
ager.
Lancaster County Court charged
Steven L. Ernst, a 20-year-old Co
lumbus man, with subjecting a 17
year-old female to sexual penetration
while she was incapable of resisting.
Ernst, who was a member of the fra
ternity, has since withdrawn from
UNL and is awaiting his preliminary
hearing in Lancaster County Court.
Although the fraternity was not
sanctioned because of the alleged
assault, Griesen said that the “alco
hol and visitation violations created
an environment in which the assault
occurred.”
Because of those violations, Grie
sen said, Phi Gamma Delta has been
put on conduct probation until the
spring semester of 1990.
Also included in the sanctions is
UIW ItAJUIIl/U WIIUUI Oj/piuvai VI pal
ents of first-year freshmen who want
to live in the house next year. The
consent form must be approved by
the Director of Greek Affairs Jayne
Wade Anderson and include a full
disclosure of the house’s probation
ary status.
The parents of all current mem
bers of the fraternity also will be
notified about the probation.
Other sanctions against the house
include:
• The appointment of graduate
trustees of the international fraternity
to take charge of all activities of the
UNL chapter.
• Approval of all areas of the
chapter by both the graduate trustees
and Anderson.
• Only one chaperoned social
event for each semester next year.
• At least two “well-planned”
philanthropies approved by the trus
tees and Anderson.
Griesen said he thinks the sanc
tions are “in some respects harsh, but
manageable.” The sanctions are
necessary, he says, to get the frater
nity “back on the right track.”
Isolated instances involving fra
ternities, such as the Phi Gamma
Delta party, “reflect negatively on
the entire greek system,” Griesen
said, “when in fact the university has
enjoyed a very positive relationship
with greek houses on this campus for
over a century.”