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News.2
Monday, mostly sunny and cooler, high in the Editorial.4
mid-50s, northeast wind 5-15 miles per hour, sports 7
Monday night, low in the upper-20s. Tuesday, Arts & Entertainment.9
sunny, high in the low-60s. Classifieds.11
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Survey results show
some UNL policies
concern employees
By Pat Dinslage
Staff Reporter
Managerial and professional
employees at the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln are
concerned about job classification,
maternity-leave policies and parking,
according to a survey by the Univer
sity Association for Administrative
Development
The survey was started in Novem
ber 1989 by a UAAD committee to
determine areas of concern to the
managerial and professional staff at
UNL.
The committee plans to use the
results to make recommendations to
administrators and work on issues
important to employees, according to
Donna Liss, committee member and
information management coordina
tor at UNL.
One important result in the survey
shows employees' problems with the
job classification system, which was
established July 1,1989, Liss said.
The system assigns a grade to each
managerial and professional position
and corrects job and salary inequities
between departments, she said.
Survey results indicate that about
25 percent of the employees surveyed
were unaware of their current job
grade.
In addition, the survey found that
nearly 55 percent of the employees
were concerned whether their jobs
were classified correctly and whether
salaries were comparable between
departments within UNL.
As a result of the survey, Liss said,
the committee has requested that UNL
establish a method for employees to
compare their job responsibilities,
grade levels and salaries to similar
jobs within the university.
Survey results also have been for
warded to the UNL personnel depart
ment to clarify the classification sys
tem and specific job level concerns
for the employees, she said.
Employees surveyed also were
disappointed that UNL doesn’t have
a maternity-leave policy.
The survey showed that more than
50 percent of the employees surveyed
think a separate maternity-leave pol
icy must be established.
Liss said maternity leave currently
is included in sick leave and vacation
time. The amount of leave given is
“up to the supervisors.”
New fathers and mothers wishing
to take leave must use either vacation
or sick time, she said.
The survey indicated that about 19
percent did approve of the flexibility
in the current system, in which the
university could allow up to three
months of leave, Liss said.
But a separate policy still could
allow flexibility because it probably
would specify “a minimum of six
weeks,” she said.
More than 55 percent surveyed
thought alternative child-care issues
should be explored.
Liss said the child-care issue cur
rently is being addressed by UNL.
See SURVEY on 6
NU retirement plan members
get two new investment options
By Victoria Ayotte
Senior Reporter
The 7,800 employees in the Uni
versity of Nebraska’s retire
ment plan have new options
for investing their money, according
to John Russell, NU assistant vice
president for administration.
NU’s pension company is the
Teachers Insurance and Annuity
Association and College Retirement
Equities Fund. On March 1, TIAA
('RI F started allowing member higher
education institutions to offer the new
options, according to The Chronicle
of Higher Education.
Russell said NU officials have not
decided yet whether to offer some of
the options. But they have decided to
add two CREF options, called social
choice and bond market accounts.
The social choice account will put
money into investments that follow
certain criteria. An investment will
be banned if the company invests in
See RETIRE on 6
Butch Ireland/Daily Nebraskan
Sparks of battle ...
LincoJnite Eric Doerr, left, and Randy Eliason, a junior speech communication major, are
silhouetted against the sun as they practice their sword work outside Selleck Residence
Hall on Sunday afternoon.
Senators pass bill to repay depositors
By Victoria Ayotte
Senior Reporter
Only the governor’s signature
stands in the way of enact
ment of several measures
passed during Spring Break by the
Nebraska Legislature.
Among the measures passed was a
bill to partly repay some depositors of
the now defunct Commonwealth
Savings Company. Senators also
passed the budget bill, LB 1031, a
recycling bill, LB 163, and a bill to tax
marijuana, LB260.
Senators approved the common
wealth bill 29-19.
Depositors of the failed company,
which closed Nov. 1, 1983, eventu
ally would be paid up to $30,000, the
amount guaranteed by the Nebraska
Depository Institution Guaranty Cor
poration.
The Legislature appropriated $16.9
million in 1989-90 and S16.9 million
in 1990-91 to the Department of
Banking and Finance to pay the claims.
The budget bill provides deficit
appropriauons for 1989-91, adding to
amounts appropriated in last year’s
biennial budget. The bill passed
Thursday 39-1.
The bill provides the NU Board of
Regents with S350,000 for instruc
tional equipment at the College of
Engineering and Technology in 1989
90 and $525,000 in 1990-91.
The regents also would receive S1
million for health insurance in 1989
90 and $1.9 million in 1990-91. About
SI million in 1989-90 and $1.3 mil
lion in 1990-91 was appropriated for
NU’s retirement program.
The Legislature also passed a bill
to create a Waste Reduction and
Recycling Incentive Fund to be ad
ministered by the Department of
Environmental Control. The bill would
put a $1 tax on each tire sold in
Nebraska and a $25 to $50 fee for
businesses depending on the amount
of their retail sales. The rest of the
fund would be made up of $500,000
in state money.
The fund would be used to create a
comprehensive waste reduction plan
for the state and to provide for re
search and grants to local govern
ments to help them bring landfills up
to licensing standards.
The bill passed 27-14, but Sen.
Rod Johnson of Sutton, the bill’s
sponsor, said he is concerned Gov.
Kay Orr may veto it.
Senators also approved 36-8 a
measure to put a tax on marijuana of
$100 per ounce, $150 per gram or
$500 per 50 dosage units on other
drugs.
The provision would apply to
dealers who sell six or more ounces of
marijuana, seven or more grams of
any controlled substance sold by weight
or 10 or more dosage units of any
controlled substance not sold by weight.
The tax would be paid to the De
partment of Revenue, which would
issue certificates to dealers verifying
the tax had been paid.
A bill to establish a nursing schol
arship incentive program with S60,000
in 1990-91 and $120,000 in 1991-92
passed 41-4.
The bill is designed to keep nurses
practicing in Nebraska with up to
$2,000 in scholarships.
The governor has five legislative
days to sign or veto the bills.
Spire: Education bill provision
may be proved unconstitutional
By Victoria Ayotte
Senior Reporter__
Nebraska Attorney GeneralRobert Spire
issued an opinion Wednesday, stat
ing that a provision of die bill to
restructure higher education may be uncon
stitutional.
LB 1141 would implement a proposed
constitutional amendment, LR239CA, to
abolish the NU Board of Regents and Ne
braska State College Board of Trustees and
create seven boards of trustees, one for each
university and state college, and a Board of
Regents for Nebraska Higher Education.
Section 7 of the bill would create a
Nebraska Commission on Higher Educa
tion. Spire’s opinion says the appointment
procedures of the commission are what may
be unconstitutional.
The commission would have 12 mem
bers. One would be a citizen appointed by
the governor, eight would be appojnted hy
and from the Board of Regents for Nebraska
Higher Education, the technical community
college boards and the governing boards or
independent colleges and universities in
Nebraska.
One member would be appointed by the
governor from a private school The gover
nor and Commissioner of Education would
be the final two members.
The Legislature could appoint members *
from public governing boards to serve on
the commission based on past court rulings,
the opinion staled, but appointment from
boards of private colleges and universities
could be unconstitutional.
Another constitutional problem could arise
from the provision that commission mem
bers be appointed from the public governing
boards. It appears to go against a precedent
that said the Legislature is taking away the
governor’s power if it only allows an ap
pointment to be made from a limited num
ber of possibilities.
Because the public governing boards have
“ limited membership,’ ’ that appears to be a
“clear violation” of the Nebraska
Constitution, Spire's opinion states.
Five days left in session
Filibuster blocks abortion bill
By Victoria Ayotte
Senior Reporter
Time is running out for proponents of a
bill requiring minors in Nebraska to
notify a parent if they intend to have an
abortion.
With five days left in the legislative session,
Omaha State Sens. John Lindsay and Bern ice
Labedz on Friday failed
in their attempt to pul
LB769, which would
require parental notifica
tion, into another bill,
LB688e.
It is unlikely LB769
will be on the agenda
again before the session
ends.
Labedz filed a motion ■ i
to return LB688e, on final 1 u 1
reading, to the second round of consideration
for a specific amendment. That amendment
would drop the provisions of LB688e and adopt
the provisions of LB769.
But before Labedz could file her motion,
Sen. David Landis of Lincoln, an opponent of
LB769, filed his own to return the bill to the
second round tor an amendment.
Senators never got to consider Labed/.’s
motion, as Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha
started senators at about 10 a.m. on a “mara
thon” filibuster that lasted until about 11:20
p.m. A session can run until midnight
LB688e was not on the agenda today.
Chambers brought volumes of reading
material as he sought every opportunity to
speak during the filibuster. Chambers said he
had the “stamina” to hold on until midnight
and would pace himself during discussion.
Sen. Don Wesely of Lincoln, a proponent of
LB688e, urged senators to defeat both mo
tions. LB688e would allow day-care centers to
perform routine health care for individuals
with developmental disabilities.
“We are wasting time,” Wesely said. “1
just ask for some understanding here.... 1 wish
we could get back to the agenda.”
But both sides stood entrenched, as Lindsay
said the Legislature should be allowed to come
to a vote on the parental notification issue.
But Sen. Dianna Schimek of Lincoln said
the minority against the parental notification
bill needs to be heard.
See ABORTION on 5
