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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.