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May 2,1990 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 89 No. 145
t Members say resolutions strengthen UNL’s commitment to minorities
Academic Senate votes to encourage divestment
By Pat Dinslage
Staff Reporter
The University of Nebraska-Lin
coln Academic Senate, meet
ing Tuesday in the Nebraska
Union, overwhelmingly approved two
proposals members said will strengthen
the university’s commitment to mi
norities.
One of the resolutions proposes
creating academic scholarships to
match certain athletic scholarships.
The other resolution, presented by
economics Professor Gregory Hayden,
encourages the University of Nebraska
Foundation to divest itself of compa
nies that do business in South Africa.
Hayden said divestment would be
easy, and the foundation would expe
rience little economic impact. The
number of corporations proscribed
would not be large because many
companies have pulled out of South
Africa, he said.
His resolution also stated that the
Nebraska Legislature has passed a
law preventing the investment of stale
funds in South Africa, so a precedent
for divestment has been established.
The foundation is a private fund
raising organization affiliated with
the university, but the senate included
a statement saying Nebraskans see
the foundation and the university to
be closely related.
‘ ‘Therefore the image of the foun
dation reflects on the image of the
faculty,” the resolution states.
Hayden said he expects the NU
Board of Regents to support divest
-4 4
This is an effective
way to convey the
beliefs of the commu
nity on apartheid.
Hayden
economics professor
-f 9~
ment because all four of the current
candidates for positions on the board
support such a policy, Hayden said.
Hayden said South African econo
mists told him the refusal to invest in
such companies hurts the country’s
economy.
A divestment policy also sends a
strong message, he said.
“This is an effective way to con
vey the beliefs of the community on
apartheid,” Hayden said.
A statement basing the resolution
on questions about “the university’s
commitment to recruiting and hiring
minorities because of the dispropor
tionately low number of minorities
on the UNL campus” was removed
and included in a subsequent motion
by Jack Siegman, professor of sociol
ogy.
The Academic Senate unanimously
passed Siegman’s motion, which calls
for creation of a senate committee to
study linking certain academic schol
arships to athletic scholarships.
Under the proposal, schools would
be offered an equal amount of aca
demic scholarship money for minor
ity and low-income students as they
receive for minority and low-income
athletic scholarships.
The matching scholarship plan
would reinforce UNL’s commiunent
to the recruitment of minority stu
dents and faculty members, Siegman
said.
“This is a complex issue,” he
said, “but one worthy of study.”
Department offers
new math programs
to attract students
By Roger Price
Staff Reporter
To counter a national trend, the Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln is starting
several new programs to draw attention
to the mathematics field.
Jim Lewis, chairman of the Department of
Mathematics & Statistics, said the department
is offering new scholarships, beginning a new
testing program and expanding its honors pro
gram to attract and keep students’ interest in
mathematics.
Lewis said the department has just received
a SI.5 million endowment from UNL alumni
Dean and Florence Eastman to offer scholar
ships to math majors.
This year, the department will award five
four-year, $3,(XX) scholarships and 15 to 20
$1,000 scholarships, he said.
Lewis said the scholarships are helping at
tract students to mathematics because students
tend to go where the scholarship money is.
“Students recognize there are scholarships
for engineering,” Lewis said, “Now, they’re
recognizing there arc scholarships for math.”
In addition to the new scholarships, Lewis
said, incoming freshman will face a new place
ment test as part of New Student Enrollment.
The test, he said, will be given to all incom
ing freshmen. FYcvious tests were given only to
students enrolling in calculus.
By testing everyone, Lew is said, math stu
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an equal chance to succeed based on their
mathematics background.
“It will lead to a more homogeneous class
room,” he said.
Freshmen also will be offered more honors
classes within the department, he said.
Lewis said the honors program is being
expanded from the one class that currently is
offered to five.
The new courses arc being offered to keep
students interested in math, he said.
Lewis said he hopes all the new programs
within the department will help produce more
math majors and doctorates.
UNL is not alone in its shortage of math
students, he said. The shortage extends nation
wide.
“There arc simply not enough Ph.Ds being
produced,’ ’ he said.
Lewis said there arc as few as one-eighth as
many incoming freshmen who want to major in
mathematics as there were in 1960.
Although the numbers are down dramati
cally , he said, “the Eastman scholarship proves
that with the right support you can turn that
around ”
Lewis said 61 incoming freshman have
applied for the scholarships.
The department also is trying to sell math to
students who still arc in high school, he said.
Next fall, Lewis said, the department will
have a “Math Day” competition similar to a
“college bowl” where high school teams will
come to campus and compete in a double
elimination math tournament._
See MATH on 3
I III —_/ MLt. -_-a. ■>>- - . • m W-_1
. . . . . j William Lauer/Daily Nebraskan
No man is an island
But men can build one. From left, Craig Johnson, Paul Tlamka and Ray Krumme lay cement for the island-curb on
12th Street in front of the Lied Center for Performing Arts. Landscaping for the project, which will include brick
sidewalks and six or seven trees, should be finished in about eight weeks, Johnson said.
Psychology classes turn students away
By Jerry Guenther
Staff Reporter
A sharp increase in psychology majors at
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has
caused scheduling headaches for many
students trying to get into psychology courses
next semester.
John Berman, chairman of the psychology
department, said more than 250 students who
tried to register for psychology classes next
semester have been turned away.
Introductory Psychology has had the most
students turned away with 131, he said.
Those 131 students don’t even include in
coming freshmen, who traditionally make up
the largest group of students in Introductory
Psychology, Berman said.
Another psychology course. Research,
Methods and Analysis I, has had 42 students
turned away, he said.
Out of nine senior-level psychology courses,
two have openings, three arc lull with no wait
ing lists and four arc full with waiting lists, he
said.
“We are pursuing funding to get more
openings for those courses,” Berman said.
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to get at least an
other course available.”
Berman said more students began majoring
in psychology at UNL about five years ago.
See PSYCHOLOGY on 3
Fewer Dead Week pol icy violations reported
By Emily Rosenbaum
Senior Reporter
UNL students arc reporting fewer com
plaints this semester on violations of
Dead Week policy, according to the
ombudsman and the Association of Students of
the University of Nebraska.
Stacy Mohling, ASUN first vice president,
said that in past semesters ASUN has received
up to 40 complaints. So far this semester the
office has received about 10, she said.
She said she thinks pari of the reason for the
lower number of complaints is that many stu
dents arc unfamiliar with Dead Week policy,
and therefore arc not aware of violations com
mitted by instructors.
“I think a lot of students don’t know they
can complain,” she said.
Students can file complaints with the ASUN
office or with the ombudman’s office.
Other students arc afraid to complain be
cause of possible repercussions from their in
structors, Mohling said.
Several students who have filed complaints
this semester have requested only that the in
structor be informed of the violation and that
no further action be taken, she said.
She said students don’t need to fear filing
complaints because their names arc kept confi
dential throughout the follow-up process.
Violations can be brought before the Grade
Appeals Committee and the Professional Con
duct Committee.
Osmund Gilbertson, UNL ombudsman, said
the number of complaints “has been minimal
this semester.”
See DEAD WEEK on 3