Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 7, 1989)
WEATHER: INDEX News Digest..2 Tuesday, partly sunny, high 55 to 60, south winds Editorial 4 5 to 15 miles per hour. Tuesday night, becoming * windy, partly cloudy, lowinthemid-30s. Wednes 7T. "!.„ day, windy and cooler, partly cloudy, high of 50. Arts & En,er!ainment.6 Classifieds.7 Vol. 89 No. 60 General studies a ‘war zone’ prior to firing Iiy Victoria Ayotte lenior Editor md Laura Smith luff Reporter r ■ 1 ension between Mary Jane I Visser and her co-workers caused a war-like atmosphere n the Division of General Studies in he spring of 1988, her doc tor and for ner supervisor testified Monday. Dr. Jeanette Masek, a physician of internal medicine at Health America, ^testified in the fifth day of a U.S. Dis trict Court trial that Visser had an ^increased heart rate, sweaty palms, ^diarrhea, and menstrual and stomach • problems as a result of gross work ed related stress. “It was as if she was in a battle situation at work,” Masek said. General studies Director Donald Gregory agreed that general studies : was a war zone. Visser became dis ruptive after Gregory criticized her in January and March 1988, Gregory said. “Ms. Visser was clearly, overtly angry,” Gregory said. “It was an atmosphere of just incredible tension. ... Her demeanor was always angry, abrupt There was no real sense of cooperation or of anything except hostility. Gregory, Vice Chancellor for Stu dent Affairs James Griesen and the NU Board of Regents are named in a lawsuit in which Visser says she was fired for uncovering athletic irregu larities. The university maintains she was fired for poor work performance. Gregory said he asked the other general studies advisers, Michael Shada and Susan Carpenter, if Visser was disruptive. They said yes, he said. Gregory said Visser first became disruptive after he reprimanded her March 30,1988, and she distributed a confidential memo to office staff members with her response. “It was kind of like a bombshell,” Gregory said. “Everyone felt sud denly they were being accused of being unprofessional by Ms. Visser.” Gregory said Visser called the other general studies employees into her office after this “asking them to take sides.” Gregory said he was concerned about the situation in the office and discussed it with Visser. “I said her efforts were counter productive,” Gregory said. “Her at titude was very negative.” Visser’s attorney, Thom Cope, repeatedly questioned Gregory about the reason cited in her termination letter as “unavailableness.” “(At) the same time you’re criti cizing Visser for taking time off, Shada also look time off,’ ’ Cope said. Gregory said the calendar showed, among other things, Shada taking time off to take his comprehensive exams for a doctoral degree and to see his adviser. It also showed appoint ments made under Gregory’s wife’s maiden name, he said. “Having an appointment with your wife is no different than Visser having an appointment with her chil dren,’’ Cope said. University officials claim that Visser’s work performance declined because she missed work for family and health reasons. Visser’s notice of termination stated that she had unethically ad vised four UNL students. Gregory testified that he witnessed or received first-hand information about the four advising sessions. The university says Visser was fired in part for the advice she gave Steve Zatcchka, John Kragh, Bridget Heimesand Nickole Kehm. Between Sept. 8, 1987 and May 23, 1988, Visser advised about 764 students, Cope said. “I had always considered Ms. Visser to be a very good adviser,” Gregory said. “I felt, based on these incidents, that the conflict with me had begun to affect the quality of her advising.” Gregory said he did not discuss his concerns about her advising with Visser because he did not want to “hassle her.” Cope pointed out that although Gregory did not want to hassle Visser, he did use the incidents as reasons for her termination. Heimes testified that Visser ad vised her after receiving a dismissal letter from the university 1 1/2 weeks into the semester. She was registered for classes at the time, however, and was doing well in them, Heimes said. Visser advised her to continue going to classes until she had appealed the dismissal. Heimes testified that, contrary to some accounts, Visser never told her to have “instant amnesia” about the advising session or her dismissal from the university. Heimes said she later went to see Gregory, who told her that “rules are rules” and she should not go to classes until her appeal was finished. Steve Zatechka, a UNL sopho more, testified that he was advised by Gregory in June 1988 to take science and English classes. Zatechka said Visser told him during New Student Enrollment that Gregory’s advice was “highly unusual” forapre-med student and that he should take sci ence and math. Zatechka said Visser did not know that Gregory had advised him to take math and English until he told her. “I didn ’t feel she abused me in any way,” Zatechka said. “I had no idea of what was going on.” Under cross-examination, how ever, Zatechka said he was very con fused by the conflicting advice. “I fell I was receiving the ‘cold shoulder,’” Zatechka said. “I didn’t know who to believe or who to trust at that point.” Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne and A1 Papik, assistant ath letic director for administrative/aca demic services, testified about a tran script the university claims Visser circulated on campus. Osborne said he was concerned about a Dec. 1,1987, Lincoln Journal article about a health class athletes were taking in the summer. He said he was worried about public percep tions. See VISSER on 2 UNL to develop markets for recyclable materials By Emily Rosenbaum Senior Reporter__ A project sponsored by the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln will research and develop markets for recycled materials in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. “We want to develop markets for these recyclables and make sure we have a demand for them,” said Martha Gilliland, head of the university’s Center for Infrastructure Research and the project director. By locating companies that will re-manu facture the collected materials, the project will solve the potential problem of demand for the materials, she said. . , . “We want to make sure that isn t a prob lem,” she said. The project, which began Nov. 1, is de signed to identify companies interested m the recycling program, determine the technology for recycling and ‘‘make certain (recycling) is attractive to the markets.” Financial arrangements and contracts also will be handled by those involved with the project, Ctilliland said. The recycling program eventually could work with plastics, glass, aluminum and paper and will use materials collected primarily in Omaha, Lincoln and Council Bluffs, Iowa, she said. See RECYCLE on 3 New courses created Class mixes English, science By Amie DeFrain Staff Reporter Food science and English may seem to be at opposite ends of the academic pole, but next semester some Univer sity of Nebraska-Lincoln students will be studying the subjects together in an optional English composition course. James Carr, a UNL professor of chemistry, said English 150, section 013, is an optional class for students enrolled in a new food science course offered in the departments of chemistry; human nutrition and foodscrvice management; and food science and technol ogy! The English course was combined with the science course to give students dilferent per specuves on me suojeci oi iooa science, v^aiT said. Peter Carriere, the graduate-teaching as sistant teaching the composition course, said he will attend the science course to become familiar with the topics and then assign his students papers to write based on what was discussed in the science class. Although there is only one 131 food sci ence class, Carr said, the course is listed separately in each department as Chemistry 131, Nutrition 131 and Food Science 131. The course is aimed at teaching students food science “from the farm to the body,” he said. Students can enroll in the food science course without enrolling in the English class and still receive credit, he said, but students See COURSE on 3 White waives right to hearing By Pat Dinslage Stiff Reporter Lamont A. White, University of Nc braska-Lincoln sophomore and Corn husker running back, waived his right to a preliminary hearing at Lancaster County Court Monday on charges of possession of a controlled substance. According to Janice Grad wohl, county court judge, an agreement was reached be tween White’s attorney, Richard Scott, and William Mickle of the Lancaster County attor nC5The agreement stated that White would waive his right to a preliminary hearing in exchange for copies of police reports to be given to White’s attorney, Gradwohl said. According to the county attorney’s office, the Lincoln police reports contain information on White’s arrest and the subsetjfient investiga tion by the police. Gradwohl explained to White that a pre liminary hearing is held when there is evidence that a crime has been committed and “prob able cause” to believe that the person charged committed the crime. Gradwohl set a trial date of Nov. 29 in Lancaster District Court for White’s case to be heard. Erie Gregory/Deity Nabrankan Nomads exhibit R J. T immermann shows off a mannequin and artifacts that are part of a new permanent exhibit being put together in Morrill Hall called “Nomads of the Plains." Timmermann, acting supervisor of the exhibit, said It is due to oosn to the public Dec. 1.