Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 1989)
Roskens’ firing, Bush’s visit brought attention to UNL By Ryan Steeves Senior Editor The firing of one president and a visit from another brought tension and attention to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus this sum mer. On July 31, the NU Board of Regents voted 7 to 1 to remove NU President Ronald Roskens after a closed, four-hour meeting. The regents said they struck a deal with Roskens in which he agreed to step down without explanation. John Payne of Kearney was the only regent to vote against the agreement. Roskens will receive about $250,000 in salary and benefits until his contract expires in 1991. In Roskens’ absence, UNL Chancellor Martin Massengale will act as interim president , Regents have said the terms of the mutual agreement prohibit them from explaining Roskens' dismissal. Their secrecy has generated criticism from slate legislators and other offi cials. Daniel Meyer, who was a legislative aide to former state Sen. John De Camp, has threatened to sue the regents if they don’t dis close their rea sons for firing Roskens Roskens. Meyer, who now sells insurance for R.L. Rimel and Associates of Lincoln, said he thinks the regents violated Nebraska open meetings laws when they went into closed ses sion to discuss Roskens’ perform ance. State Sen. Jerome Warner of Waverly scolded the regents for not disclosing their problems with Roskens. “Apparently, the regents are so unsure of their reasons that they are afraid to say them,” Warner said. Warner said firing Roskens was a ‘‘serious mistake.” ‘‘He has done an exceptional job,” Warner said. ‘‘The university has the finest budget they’ve ever had.” Sen. Ron Withem of Papillion, one of the most outspoken critics of the board’s actions, said the regents have an obligation to inform the public about their decision to oust Roskens. In a letter sent in early August, Withem asked Regent Chairman Nancy Hoch to outline the reasons for Roskens’ dismissal. ‘‘I am concerned that an elected body would choose to redirect ap proximately $250,000 without pro viding an explanation ...,” Withem wrote. Warner and Withem have said legislators should reconsider the way regents get their jobs. Both have said they support having the governor appoint regents. Currently, regents are elected. Regent Don Blank of McCook said the regents will conduct a nation wide search for a new president. He said that should Massengale choose to apply, he would not have an advan tage. Some regents have said they for mally will study the structure of the NU Central Administration. Some officials have questioned whether NU even needs a central administra tion. In other summer action: Bush visits President Bush spoke at the Bob Devaney Sports Center July 13. Thousands of Nebraskans jammed into the sports center as Bush touted his clean-air proposals, which he announced the day before his Lincoln visit He also toured the center for en gine technology on East Campus, where UNL professors demonstrated the effects of alternative fuels. U.S. Sen. J. James Exon, D-Neb., said he was disappointed that Bush didn’t announce tax breaks for retail ers who use ethyl tertiary butyl ether. ETBE is an ethanol-based fuel, which is produced from grain. In a letter to Bush, Exon encour aged the president to announce a ETBE tax credit during his Lincoln visit. The federal government has ex tended 60-cent-per-gallon tax credits to producers who sell other types of alternative fuels, giving them a mar keting advantage over ETBE manu facturers. Gov. Kay Orr said the tax breaks for ETBE would give farmers an other place to sell grain. Consideration of an ETBE tax credit is still pending in Congress. Official resigns UNL’s director of information resigned at the regents’ meeting June 23. Bob Bruce said the newly created director of public relations position at UNL made his job obsolete. For the new post, the regents appointed Mi chael Mulnix, former director of public affairs for the American Asso ciation of State Colleges and Univer sities in Washington, D.C. Bruce said he was disappointed when UNL officials created the new post. “When I came here seven years ago, I came with the understanding that I was to be the chief director of public relations,’’ Bruce said. “And when another person was recom mended for the job, it just rubbed me the wrong way and staying at the university seemed pointless. ’ Herbert Howe, interim associate to the chancellor, said the two posi tions can co-exist. But Mulnix said he See SUMMER on 14 Involvement is needed, Hill says By Jana Pedersen 'Senior Reporter Getting more students involved in student government is the most im portant goal for the leaders of this year’s Association of Students of the University of Nebraska. “Student apathy has always been a problem in the 1980s,’’ ASUN President Bryan Hill said. To promote involvement, Hill said, ASUN will have a student com plaint hot line this fall that students can call to alert ASUN leaders to problems. Hill said he hopes to initiate tele vision coverage of ASUN meetings. Devi Bohnng, ASUN first vice president, said one key to combatting student apathy is getting residence hall students more involved through groups like the Residence Liaison Committee. The committee, composed of three representatives from each resi dence hall and one from each sorority and fraternity, was created last year to improve relations among all living units, she said. Bohling said she will expand the committee’s role this year by coordi nating sponsorship of campus activi ties. Another way to get residence hall students more involved is through improvement of senator-constituent meetings, Bohling said. An open forum discussion of im portant topics on campus also could attract student involvement, she said. Bohling said the open forum would allow ASUN to select knowl edgeable panel members to answer students’ questions on campus issues. ASUN second vice president Jon Burning said encouraging more in volvement from students who are not part of the fraternity and sorority systems will be a high priority this year. Bruning is a member of the ap pointments board, which appoints positions on several AS UN commit tees. He said about 70 percent of last year’s applicants were from fraterni ties and sororities. “I’d like to get an equal propor tion of dorm residents to apply in the future,’’ he said. Bruning said he particularly wants to encourage involvement from mi norities on campus. The best way to do that, he said, is through personal contacts with mi nority groups and residence hall or ganizations. Bruning said he hopes the appoint ments board can fill the remaining committee positions with members of groups who are under-represented in student government. All available positions will be extensively publicized, he said, to encourage everyone to apply. Boh ling said that in addition to ! ”1 love ■ x f our shoes!” BHYQHEPftlRBEIONEFRB mmwmmmmmm. r-"FREEGLAS$ES"~’" a *«aaialiyaira*Mai arapakal *****«• m ^haa^jja^fa»(a^M*<NNiaaa(aaaa I Oft* (xiudM mo* noga n*un and »<*w ai paaacifjwn* S*na tar* ■ apr*y vaari m*ougn Sai*nn*j* m «9M at pe*c«M*ng a Bum Cfawr^ Mawtxim <*ti p*» p>.wftM a Trti UV and No ■ Sc f ate* Coat<ng» «• avaUao* at '«*g<a* coat ComptaiagNMaat 1 .ociuda <>amaa and i*>aa» Coupur mu* p» paaaamad ai nma qt o>d* " No (fth* (Mcounta apply Eya a«an and r*• M not *ch*Jad Gat you* I m§ giMiw * | i ~~ “ \ ~ j : > * R®ECOKWCis 1 a* ■ ** a tar* MlmMIm ar ■ Hk 4gMMrinparplMMl|«ialriltaAM I MtiMiton. Coupon and contact »nsp*aac'<c*on"\jatoapfa«orttoaii*naoiof da* | Mnnkmi Ik«i pa>> pu>cftaaa %7b Cornptata a>mn fdudf tram— ana t «n«M BoD' pa»« Da <o* tan* pamon No (Mhaf docourai apply Vafco ffwougn Saptanva* JO KM m pa^<«paang P**rt* loraMna Fya r*an and can* M "ot nriurtw Oat yc*f Daa roman* at § 1132 “O" Street Gateway Mall 476-7583 464-7416 Centro Plasa 464-7917 M-F 10-9, Sat 10-6, Sun 1-8 P- — COUPON — — — — — ■I ■ ■ -_ __ _ l ■ I I I I I I EUROPEAN j T A N S 9> A i Tanning Center i I Suite 216-2nd Level I Gold’s Galleria I ! 474-5355 I — ~ — — —— —— — — —C< 30% OFF j ALL ! PACKAGES with this coupon “one MONTH $27.50 | unlimited use ' ’i MONTHS $59.bb‘' J unlimited use " ' '20" TANS $27.50' ’ | unlimited use VwEEKS VlV.50'' | unlimited use I " Vo TANS $15.00 ' ' J HURRYI OtHr exp/rts 10/01/99 KJPON See ASUNon 14 Some financial aid is still available FINANCE from Page 10 wards of the court and those with legal dependents other than a spouse. Married students and graduate or professional students who won’t be claimed as tax exemptions on their parents’ returns also are independeni students. Beacon said he can’t increase dependent students’ aid because of federal regulations. Although most grants and scholar ships have been committed, it is not too late for students to receive aid for this academic year, Beacon said. He said money resulting from cancellations possibly will be redis tributed for second semester based on the date of the original application. Beacon said students used to have to fill out another form to be eligible for the second-semester aid, but that was “unnecessary work on the part of the student,” he said. This plan is still in the discussion stages, he said. Most private donors will send the award to OSFA to guarantee that the student uses the money for school, he said. UNL departments also offer scholarships. Students should check in the dean’s office to find informa tion on scholarship availability and how to apply for the awards. The In all, the office deals with about 1,600 scholarships, and awarded almost $4.5 million during the 1988 89 school year in scholarships alone. OSFA also awarded $32.5 million in financial aid, Beacon said. This year, he said, the office will award about $35 million, about $4 million of that in scholarships.
