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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 1989)
WEATHER: Thursday, partly sunny, blustery and colder, high of 25, northwest winds from 10 to 20 miles per hour. Thursday night, cloudy and cold, low of 10 to 15. Friday, partly cioudy and warmer, high of 35 to 40. INDEX News.2 Editorial.4 Diversions.5 Sports.13 Classifieds.14 November 16,1989______University of Nebraska-Lincoln_ Vol. 89 No. > Ian would close Burnett for 4 months NL proposes $1.4 million in asbestos removal Jerry Guenther ior Reporter niversity of Nebraska-Lincoln officials are working on a $1.4 million proposal n ^ that would remove the thin, outer layer of ceilings containing asbestos in Burnett Hall. Ejf-ffif John Goebel, vice chancellor for business I finance, said the entire building would aecd to be closed during the removal, which tMOuld likely take at least four months. I Goebel said the main costs in the proposal include removing the asbestos from the ccil f?s, installing new drop ceilings and lights d relocating classes while the asbestos re moval takes p'acc. •• The NU Board of Regents approved SI.4 million for the project as a deficit request at iLs last meeting Nov. 10. f Goebel said he and other university officials f are concerned about ensuring that students and faculty members do not face unsafe environ ments. After a thin, one-square-foot piece of the j asbestos portion of a Burnett ceiling fell in a foreign language lab earlier this semester, Goebel said, UNL physical plant workers ex amincd the ceilings throughout the building. They noticed that other ceilings also showed signs of “bubbling and cracking,” and decided those ceilings also should be replaced, Goebel said. Moisture and age have caused the cracking, he said. Goebel said he docs not yet know how many students would be displaced during the asbes tos removal, but al! classes originally sched uled to be held in the building would be moved elsewhere if the project takes place. Because the university would likely have too little space to hold all the classes and activities that would be displaced during the removal, Goebel said, the university probably wpuld have to rent some temporary space. Goebel said it will take about a month for UNL officials to complete the plans for re moval. Besides himself, Goebel said, officials from the physical plant and student affairs and olher faculty members have been working on the proposal. Once the proposal is finished, Goebel said, it will be included in the university’s funding request to the Nebraska Legislature. Although Goebel said he realizes the Legis lature faces many high-priority funding re quests, he hopes senators will approve the request because it is important. If the Legislature doesn’t provide funding, Goebel said, the university will continue to isolate “problem areas,” and hire contractors to remove the asbestos where the most serious problems arc. Richard McDermott, director of the phys cal plant, said it would be at least mid-January before funding for the project could be ap proved. McDermott said students and faculty mem bers in Burnett would not be in any kind of danger even if funding for the project is not approved. “With our close monitoring of the building, the occupants will never be at risk,” McDer mott said. “The safety of the occupants is our main concern.” The asbestos portions of the Burnett ceil ings arc only about a quarter of an inch thick, and all the ceilings in the building arc structur ally sound, he said. McDermott said physical plant workers are making sure that the asbestos layer of the ceilings in the worst areas of Burnett are being removed. So far, about $35,000 from a capital con struction fund for code compliance has been spent on asbestos removal in Burnett, McDer mott said. The fund is set up for the entire campus, McDermott said. About one-fourth of the fund has gone to asbestos removal in Burnett, he said. The university needs to have plenty of money available in ease other needs arise, including more asbestos removal in Burnett if funding for the proposal is not approved, McDermott said. Goebel said he and other officials would prefer closing the building to remove all the asbestos at one time because it is cheaper and less risky than closing off parts from lime to lime. By closing the entire building and removing all ceilings containing asbestos, Goebel said, officials wouldn’t have to speculate on how long a particular room would be safe. If funding for the project is approved, McDermott said, it would be at least mid March before contractors would begin work. ‘Smoke Out’ begins today UNL smokers get help kicking the habit By Doug Isakson Suff Repoiter As the 13th annual “Great American Smoke Out*’ . begins today, smokers at the University of Nebraska-Lin coln and in the Lincoln area v^ill be urged to “leave the pack behind,” said Barb Blue, executive director of the Southeast (Nebraska) Area American Cancer Society. Blue said the local ACS has formed acommiltee that will spon 1 sor a program in which non-smok ers can *Tadopt’ ’ a smoker for the day, helping them kick the habit for 24 hours by offering moral support Karen Weed, coordinator of UNL’s health aide program, said that for the past three years, health aides have been encouraged to participate by adopting at least one smoker or tobacco chcwer. Health aide Bill Bade has par ticipated in the adoption program for the last four years. “It works pretty well,” said Bade, a senior majoring in philoso phy. “They don’t often quit cold tuikey,but at leastitgives them the knowledge that it’s possible.” Bade said the adopters use posi tive rather than negative ap proaches to keep their peers from lighting up by staying m close contact with them, dropping them a note, or by removing such temp tations as ash trays or “chew cups.” Because the agreement be tween smoker and non-smoker is strictly voluntary, Bade said, health aides can’t be too insistent. But, he added, “ It is an agreement, • so there is a little guilt along the line.” Alpha Chi Omega and Pi Beta Phi sororities also will be partici pating in the adoption program. Two Alpha Chi Omega members, Meeghan D’Louhy and Jenni Bau man, plan to quit smoking for the whole 24 hours with the help of adopters. . ... D’Louhy, a three-year, hall pack-a-day smoker, said the high cost of smoking makes her want to quit. But, she added, the quitting for 24 hours won’t be easy. ’ SeeSMOKEOUTon~3 ■ * -.■ .' '. ASUN senator asks for equal representation By Jana Pedersen Senior Reporter 0 The next Nlfpresident sKould not favor one campus over another, an ASUN senator told the student representative to the NU presidential search committee Wednesday night. College of Arts & Sciences Sen. Tom Massey told Allison Brown Corson, the student representative to the search committee, that the com mittee should select candidates who would equally represent all campuses of the NU system. Brown-Corson, a graduate student from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, attended the Association of Students of the University of Ne braska meeting to ask for senators’ input on the presidential search. Massey said, ”1 perceived the former president ... to be a real advocate of UNO.” See ASUN on 3 Student charged after detonating two pipe bombs From Staff Reports A University of Nebraska-Lin coln student turned himself in Tuesday night to UNL police saying he detonated two explosions on campus recently, said Sgt. Mylo Bushing of the UNL Police depart ment. Bushing said the student admitted to setting off a six-inch pipe bomb Monday night inside a plastic gar bage can in the courtyard west of Phi Mu Sorority, 1125 N. 16th St. The student said he also set off a similar bomb near Triangle Fraternity, 1235 N. 16th, two weeks ago. UNL police searched the student’s residence and found black powder, fuse cord and metal base used to construct the bombs, Bushing said. The only damage caused by the explosions was to the discarded gar bage can and a pingpong table, he said. Bushing said the student was charged with using explosives with- ^ out a permit *
