' r 7'^' ' I I ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ W W » ■ »■ I I F ■. ..* »» .. ..... '
WEATHER INDEX
Monday, partly sunny and cooler, high around 45, News Digest.2
northwest wind 10-15 miles per hour. Monday Editorial. 4
night, cloudy, 20 percent chance of snow after Sports . 7
midnight, low in the mid-20s. Tuesday, cloudy, 30 Arts & Entertainment.9
percent chance of snow, high near 40. Classifieds 11
Vol. 89 No.QZCf^
Housing rate hike receives RHA approval
Kaise to cover salaries, utilities, food, housekeeping supplies
oy sara aauaer
Staff Reporter
The Residence Hall Association
voted Sunday to approve the
1989-90 rate study of Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln’s housing
division, which will raise housing rates
$195 for next year.
The 8 percent increase will bring
the price of a double-occupancy, 20
meal-a-week housing contract to
$2,675 a year, said Doug Zatechka,
director of UNL’s housing office.
RHA voted 22 to 0 with one ab
stention to approve the rate study.
Despite the increase, UNL still
will rank sixth in the Big Eight in
housing costs, Zatechka said.
An expected 9.3 percent average
r—-.
\}<\y uut>c iui }jcr:>uiinci is one reason
housing costs will rise, he said.
“I don’t apologize for the salary
increase, but for the way it hits,” he
said.
According to the rate study, the
housing division’s spending on pay
roll will increase by $448,675. This
includes salary and benefit increases
for professional housing staff, office
and service workers. The increases
were mandated by the Nebraska
Legislatbre and the NU Board of
Regents.
The higher minimum wage man
dated by the federal government also
will increase the housing division’s
costs, by $93,768, as will a 10 percent
increase in the price of all utilities,
Zatechka said.
Utility rates had not gone up for
several years, he said, but will in
-t i
I don't apologize for
the salary increase,
but for the way it
hits. Zatechka
housing director
-—9 t
crease housing costs by $81,577 next
year.
Purchasing food for the residence
hall cafeterias will mean an increase
of $199,062, the rate study shows.
I
Zatechka said this 4.3 percent in
crease is caused by inflation and the
large amounts of food students eat
under the unlimited food policy.
In the past, the housing division
used year-end budget surpluses to
purchase cleaning supplies for the
next year, he said. But there probably
will not be a surplus this year, so the
projected budget reflects a 573,275
increase in the area of housekeeping
supplies, Zatechka said.
The initial rate study found a $306
room and board increase. To lower
that figure, the division of housing
made cuts and revenue enhancers,
lowering the room and board increase
to 5195, Zatechka said.
Some cuts include reducing the
elevator repair budget from $100,000
to $75,000 and reducing student labor
in maintenance and food service, saving
$35,000.
Revenue enhancers listed by Zat
echka include increasing the prices
for loft rentals, raising the laundry
rates in the residence halls and in
creasing the charges for contract
cancellation.
In other business, RHA passed a
resolution to support legislative pro
posals to restructure state colleges
and the University of Nebraska. The
resolution also supports giving an
official vote to a student on Nebraska’s
post-secondary governing boards. The
resolution passed 21 to 0, with one
abstention.
William Lauer/Daily Nebraskan
Through the eyes of one man, one super hero .. .
Is the Dark Knight just a character of fiction or is he alive, prowling the streets in search
of evil? One UNL student says he believes Batman delivers a message of goodness and
virtue, and has acted on his belief. See story page 6.
Devaney: Bill could result in penalties
By Emily Rosenbaum
Senior Reporter
Bob Dcvancy, UNL athletic di
rector, said he “secs problems”
in state Sen. Ernie Chambers’
bill to prohibit the NCAA from re
stricting the amount of federal finan
cial aid studcni-aihlctcs can receive.
Dcvancy said that if LB708 were
passed, it would put UNL in conflict
with NCAA rules, which could result
in penalties against University ot
Nebraska-Lincoln athletics.
Such penalties could include pro
bation, which could prohibit the foot
ball team from appearing in bowl
games, and loss of scholarships.
Under the proposals of the bill,
currently in the first round of debate,
colleges and universities could not
withhold federal financial aid from
student-athletes as a cond ition of their
participation in varsity sports.
in addition to an ainicuc scholar
ship - which pays for tuition, books,
fees, room and board -- student-ath
letes can receive $1,700 out of a
possible $2,300 in federal aid.
If the bill passes, the $600 that the
athletes arc denied could not be with
held from scholarship athletes on the
basis of their athletic participation.
Under NCAA rules, a recruited
See PELL GRANT on 5
UJNL report indicates
minority enrollment
stayed steady in ’80s
»y rvara wens
Staff Reporter
Minority undergraduate enroll
ment at the University of
Ncbraska-Lincoln has re
mained steady in the 1980s, despite
decreases nationwide, according to
UNL’s Fall Enrollment and Compli
ance Report.
A report from the American Coun
cil on Education showed a decrease
in the percentage of low- and middle
income minority students attending
U.S. colleges and universities in the
1980s.
“The report came as a surprise,”
said Lisa Schmidt, director of High
School and College Relations at IJNL.
‘‘The demographics indicated there
were more minority students attend
ing college.”
Jimmi Smith, director of Multi
cultural Affairs, said that although
there has been a slight decrease in
minority enrollment at other Nebraska
colleges and universities, UNL has
maintained its enrollment.
The number of undergraduate black
students enrolled at UNL has increased
by about 5 percent, from 324 to 341,
since the 1980-81 school year, ac
cording to the Enrollment and Com
pliance Report. American Indian
enrollment declined by about 9 per
cent, front 57 to 52, while Hispanic
enrollment increased by about 55
percent, from 140 to 217, according
to the report.
Nationally, undergraduate enroll
ment for low-incomc black high school
graduates dropped trom 39.8 percent
in 1977 to 30.3 percent in 1988. Middle
income black enrollment decreased
from 52.7 percent to 36.2 percent.
Enrollment for Hispanic high school
graduates dropped from 53.4 percent
to 46.4 percent.
Smith said the national decline is
due partially to Reaganomics, which
cut back the number of student loans
available to minority and low-incomc
students.
Most minority students at UNL
are first-generation students, Smith
said. There have been rapid changes
for minority students at UNL since
they first came to campus in signifi
cant numbers 15 years ago, he said.
Smith credited such organizations
as the Minority Student Recruitment
and Retention Council, headed by
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
James Griesen. This council, com
posed of UNL faculty members, is
aimed at creating a comfortable envi
ronment for minority students.
He also credits the vice chancel
lor’s office with initiating the cultural
diversity campaign on campus. It has
helped break through racial barriers
and has helped higher education be
come more tolerant and accepting of
minority students, he said.
DREAM (Developing Realistic
Educational Activities for Minorities)
is another organization that has helped
to create cultural diversity on cam
pus, Smith said.
Smith said these organizations have
See MINORITY on 5
m a
Hill voices opinion on board’s action
Regents disagree on basis tor bill opposition
By Victoria Ayotte
Senior Reporter
UNL Student Regent Bryan Hill
said Friday the NU Board of
Regents opposes a higher edu
cation restructuring proposal and a
student regent vote because of a
“highly vested interest in maintain
ing the status quo.”
The regents voted Friday in an
emergency teleconference to oppose
LR239CA and LB 1141 in Tuesday’s
hearing before the Legislature’s
Education Committee, saying they
don’t give enough power to the pro
posed board of regents.
“Unless a restructuring proposal
were to give all the governing and
coordinating authority to the Univer
sity of Nebraska Board of Regents, it
is highly unlikely that there will ever
be a proposal that the members of the
board will support,” Hill said.
LR239CA and LB 1141 would
abolish the NU Board of Regents and
the Nebraska State College Board of
Trustees and replace them with a Board
of Regents tor Nebraska Higher
Education and seven boards of trus
tees, one for each university and state
college.
Hill said the vote ‘‘is a reflection
of their lack of desire or their inability
to realize significant problems in the
present governance structure,”
The regents, in their statement
opposing the proposal, said they do
support improved coordination among
Nebraska’s higher education institu
tions.
But the current proposal is “not
necessary or conducive to effective
governance and coordination,” ac
cording to the statement.
The regents said the higher educa
tion resolution and bill would make
the regents an advisory board be
cause they could not control the budget.
There also would be too many boards
created and too many of the members
would be appointed, not elected, the
regents saia.
The regents also unanimously voted
to oppose LR240CA, which would
give one of the three student regents a
vote on the board.
Hill said the board’s position fo
cuses on “minor technicalities” with
the proposal.
The board cited a 1986 attorney
SeeREGE NTS on 5
Trustees support LB 1141
From Staff Reports
The State College Board of
Trustees voted unanimously
Friday to support LBU41,
which would restructure Nebraska’s
state college and university gov
ernance system.
Representatives erf both the trus
tees and the NU Board of Regents
will testify on LB 114! before the
Legislature's Education Commit
tee on Tuesday.
LB 1141 would dissolve both of
the current boards and form a Board
of Regents for Nebraska Higher
Education, which would oversee
all the state colleges and universi
ties. Each institution’s operation
would be overseen by its own board
of trustees.
The trustees’ decision to sup
port LB 1141 followed recommen
dations of their legislative com
mittee and the State College Coun
cil of Presidents.
Donald Mad), chairman of the
council and presider t of Peru State
College, told the board that the bill
provides “the possibility to make
significant improvements in higher
education.’*