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News Digest Edited by Brandon Loomis U.S. colleges announce small tuition increases NEW YORK - Many colleges and universities are announcing some of the smallest tuition increases in a decade for next fall. College officials credit themselves with cutting costs, especially in administration, and passing the sav ings on to students. But some higher education leaders believe next fall’s modest increases also are a response to a growing sense of outrage among students, legisla tors and others after a decade in which tuition increases were far in excess of the nation’s inflation rate. ‘‘I think we’re approaching the end of the big increases,’ ’ said Robert Atwell, president of the American Council of Education.4 ‘What's doing it is the demographics, the student response, the legislative response in some cases, the governing boards getting interested in this issue, the editorial boards of newspapers and magazines.” Especially sobering, say Atwell and others, has been a recent falloff in applications at many colleges, includ ing at top ones such as Harvard, sug gesting that schools no longer can simply raise their rates with impu nity. Average tuitions rose by 5-to-9 percent during the current school year, according to the College Board’s most recent annual college cost survey. Costs rose in double digits from 1981 through 1984. Rates at four-year public colleges shot up 20 percent in 1983 84. They leveled into the 5-9 percent range for the past five years. Still, some like Richard Rosser, president of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Univer sities, aren’t ready to declare an end to the college cost spiral. He and others point out that next fall’s announced increases are “all over the map,” with some still in double digits. And students on sev eral campuses have protested sleep hikes in recent weeks: • About 500 students at Arizona State University in Tempe demon strated last month after regents voted to raise yearly tuition by SI 16 for in state students to SI,478, and SI,000 for out-of-state students to S6.484 at ASU. • At the University of Miami, where costs are headed up 9.9 percent to SI82! 12, about 150 students wore black armbands and earned a coffin to mourn the “death” of affordable tuitions. • Syracuse University students boycotted school owned profit-mak ing outlets in January to protest a 9.94 percent tuition increase that will raise annual cpsts to SI7,588. During a nationally televised basketball game, students also displayed signs protest ing the increase. • In Oklahoma, 10,000 students attending public colleges and univer sities presented regents a petition protesting proposed tuition increases ranging up to 12.5 percent. Last year, rates rose 16.6 percent. Such protests would seem to indi cate a mood change from previous years w hen students paid their tuition with barely a murmur even as rates were climbing by as much as 20 per cent. Next fall’s more modest increases also may reflect nervousness in aca demia over a continuing U S. Justice Department investigation of at least 56 private colleges looking into whether school officials arc improp erly collaborating in setting tuitions and financial aid packages. Some colleges also seem to be taking serious steps to curb costs. A recent survey found administrators’ salaries rose by just 4.5 percent this academic year, less than the overall inflation rate for the second time in three years. And many schools have benefited from Wall Street’s rebound from the stock-market crash. The National Association of College and Univer sity business Officers reported in February that college endowments grew by 14.1 percent, the biggest gain in four years, and a turnaround from the 1.3 percent rise in 1987-88, when stocks look their worst beating since 1929. Afghan base contested ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The former Afghan defense minister who led a coup attempt against the government defected Wednesday to the Moslem insurgents he fought for more than a decade, guerrilla and Pakistani government sources said. Gen. Shah Nawaz Tanai fled Afghanistan on Wednesday with his wife, two daughters and son, then returned with the guerrillas, according to the sources. The situation in Afghanistan was unclear. President Najib again claimed that the coup Tanai launched Tuesday had ‘ ‘absolutely been broken. Or that there is no doubt.” Tanai’s flight seemed to indicate this. But Western diplomats and guerrilla leaders based in Pakistan said fighting continued, although on a smaller scale. Rival factions were reported battling for control of Bagram, the country’s largest air base. Guerrilla sources and Western diplomats in Islamabad said Tanai’s forces had won control of the base. Najib ordered warplanes to bomb it, and several Soviet-supplied Scud missiles were also fired, they said. ’’Bagram is completely de stroyed,” said one guerrilla source, speaking on condition of anonypi ity. Afghanistan's charge d’affaires in Pakistan, Qudratuliah Ahmadi, denied the base had fallen to the mutineers, who had the support of the Moslem guerrillas. Western diplomats and guerrilla leaders in Pakistan said they also had reports of fighting in the south ern city of Kandahar and the north western city of Herat. The diplo mats and guerrilla sources, all speaking on condition of anonym ity, also told of sporadic street fight ing in Kabul, the capital. Najib said “a number of people, mostly civilians, had been killed or injured during nearly 20 hours of fighting. He gave no specific fig ures, but guerrilla sources said there were hundreds of casualties. Before the coup began, Najib said Tanai, who had been defense minister, threw away his identifi cation card from the ruling People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan and his military uniform. Tanai escaped with “valuable govern ment documents,” Najib said. Tanai, a battle-hardened soldier popular with the rank-and-file mili tary, has been accused of engineer ing three coup attempts against Naiib’s government. He is a Marx ist hard-liner who opposed Najib’s efforts to make peace with the guerrillas. However, guerrilla sources said Tanai contacted guerrilla leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar before leav ing Afghanistan and that one of Hekmatyar’s commanders had been with Tanai since the coup attempt was launched. Such an alliance would be more one of convenience and opportun ism than ideology. Tanai, a Marx ist hard-liner, has long advocated a harsh stance against the U.S.-backed guerrillas and opposed Najib’s methods of dealing with the war. At the same time, the radical fundamentalist Hekmatyar has become increasingly estranged from his fellow Moslem guerrilla lead ers, rejecting their political leader ship and executing some of their followers. ine taiest 010 10 onng down Najib’s government began Tues day afternoon when Afghan air face planes bombed the presidential palace in the heart of Kabui and widespread fighung was reported in the capital On Wednesday afternoon, Tanai boarded a military helicopter and flew to a military base inside Paki stan flanked by two fighter jets, guerrilla sources said. After landing in the northern Pakistan, they said, Tanai talked with several guerrillas engaged in the 11 -year war against the Afghan government “Later, he returned with them to a point deeper in Afghanistan to continue the struggle against Najib,” said Foreign Secretary Tam veer Ahmed of Pakistan. A Soviet-made transport plane carrying 12people, includingihree Afghan brigadier generals, also landed Wednesday near the border town of Parachinar, government and guerrilla sources said. Among the generals was Gen. Abdul Qadar Akka, a former gen eral commander of air defense who was implicated with Tanai in a coup attempt in December. Nei ther officer was ever charged, they said. The identities of the other two generals were, not immediately disclosed. Radio Kabul accused another high-ranking party member, Asadul lah Sarwari, of involvement in the coup plot. Sarwari was a former interior minister accused of hun dreds of killings following the 1978 revolution that installed aCommu nist government and sparked the civil war. Modrow criticizes hasty W.Germany EAST BERLIN - Premier Hans Modrow said Wednesday lhai East Germans are ready to sign a border treaty with Poland, and he criticized West Germany for trying to impose a hasty unity plan on his people. The Communist premier and other top East German officials have lately displayed irritation with West Ger man Chancellor Helmut Kohl and the fast pace of unification sought by their Western neighbor. In Bonn, opposition Social Demo crats, who also charge that Kohl is pushing too hard for a speedy unifica tion, insisted on a Germany-wide referendum over the issue. Modrow’s concerns over unifica tion echoed those of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who on Tuesday urged a slow and careful approach and said NATO membership for a united Germany was “out of the question.” At the last parliamentary session before East Germans go to the polls on March IS, Modrow sought to as sure Poland that his nation lays no claim to German lands forfeited after the Nazi defeat in 1945. About one third of modem-da\ Poland was German land under the Third Reich. Kohl has been “evasive and am biguous’ ’ in statements on the border, Modrow said. Kohl on Tuesday agreed to sup port a West German parliamcntar> declaration of respect for the current border, but did not make clear whether he thought the two Germanys could jointly recognize the border before they arc reunited. White House calls for action on Libyan plant WASHINGTON - The White House said Wednesday that Libya has renewed production of chemical weapons, posing “a major threat” and requiring “vigorous action” to shut down the plant. White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater refused to exclude the pos sibility of a military strike to knock out the poison-gas plant. “We don’t rule out anything,” he said. However, Fitzwater also suggested the plant could be closed if foreign suppliers denied it the raw materials needed to produce chemical weap ons. “The international community should step up its efforts to deny Libya the ability to continue operat ing the plant,” ho said. Chemical weapons arc considered the poor nations’ atom bomb because they are relatively cheap to produce and hard to detect. Libya is one of about two dozen countries consid ered capable of or actually producing poison gas, which was used by Iran and Iraq in the Persian Gulf war. The latest U.S. charges underscore the hostile relationship between the United Slates and Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Tensions reached a crisis point in 1986 when the Re agan administration ordered that Tri poli be bombed. Fiizwater said the United Slates was consulting with other govern ments to express serious concern about the facililty. The plant at Rabta, 60 miles south of Tripoli, is producing limited quan tities of mustard gas and nerve agents, U.S. officials said. “Rabta is dangerous and bccom -11 - type or quantity of weapons being produced. “Any amount is a major threat,” he said. Gadhafi’s regime has “a history of terrorism activities and a history of erratic military behavior,” Fitzwatcr said. “And therefore, that is the most immediate threat.” In 1988, the United States raised concerns about Rabta and persuaded West German companies and other The international community should step up its efforts to deny Libua the ability to con tinue operating the plant. Fitzvuater White House press secretary -« ing more so,” Fitzwaier said. “This points to the necessity for heightened international vigilance of Libyan procurement activities and for vigor ous efforts to slop the operation of Rabta.” Asked what he meant by “vigor ous action,” Fitzwaier said, “We aren’t willing to speculate on what specific efforts, but nothing is ruled out.” He would not comment on the foreign suppliers to stop providing technical assistance. U.S. officials said then that Libya had stopped work on Rabta before reaching full produc tion but maintained an assembly line. Fit/water said production resumed recently, and West German politi cians have said that Libya had pro duced enough gas for 1,000 artillery shells. Fitzwaler declined to discuss which countries were supplying chemicals to Libya. “We certainly would urge all countries to survey their internal situ ation, inventory their chemical pro duction facilities and to make their own judgments that they are not a source for any of these chemicals. “We don’t really know how the chemicals are getting there or where they arc coming from,” Fitz water said. “But there arc so many routes, again I urge you not to focus on who’s giving them chemicals, but to focus on Mr. Gadhafi and Libya.’’ Gadhafi, who has steadfastly de nied Libya was producing chemical weapons, says the plant was designed to produce pharmaceutical drugs. JANA, the Libyan news agency, said in a dispatch that an unnamed official source at the Libyan foreign ministry “disclaimed” reports that Libya has produced “quantities of chemical weapons in (the) Rabta medicine factory.” The source, accbrding to JANA, contended that “such allegations aired at present by some media circles aim at creating a state of suspicion” in light of efforts by Libya and other Arab African nations toward economic and political unity. Nebraskan Editor Amy Edwards 472- 1766 Managing Editor Ryan St eaves Assoc News Editors Lisa Donovan Eric Planner Editorial Page Editor Bob Nelson Wire Editor Brandon Loomis Copy Desk Editor Darcte Wtegert Sports Editor Jolt Apsi Arts & Entertarn ment Editor Michael Daada Diversions Editor Mick Dyer Graphics Editor John Bruce Photo Chief Dove Harman Night News Editors Jana Pedersen Diana Brayton Art Director Brian Shalllto Graphics Editor John Brucs General Manager Dan Shattll Production Manager Katherine Pollcky Advertising Manager Jon Daahnka Sales Manager Kerry Jeffries Publications Board Chairman Bill Vobajda 436-9993 Professional Adviser Don Walton 473- 7301 The Daily Nebraskan(USPS 144-080) is published by the UNL Publications Board, Ne braska Union 34, 1400 R St., Linooln. NE, Monday through Fnday dunng the academic year; weekly during summer sessions Readers are encouraged to submit story Ideas and comments to the Daily Nebraskan by phoning 472-1763 between 9 a m and 5 p m. Monday through Friday, The public also has access to the Publications Board For information, contact Pam Hein, 472-2588 Subscription price is $45 for one year. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Daily Nebraskan, Nebraska Union 34.1400 R St.,Lincoln, NE 68588-0448 Second-class postage paid at Lincoln, NE ALL MATERIAL COPYRIGHT , _1990 DAILY NEBRASKAN