The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, September 18, 1990, Image 1

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    S ^nB 2 2 wk / Correction: In Monday 's Daily Nebraskan, sisters Darcy and Stacey Cudaback’s names
,y SL-jl IS *« wf were misspelled in a story about players on the Wyoming volleyball team. The Daily
jatu. W Nebraskan regrets the error. .
fJ t a Af\ WEATHER k INDEX
Today, 40 percent chance of morning showers, Newg Diqest 2
turning partly sunny by late afternoon, high in the PH.,_. ,y 4
low 70s. Tonight, mostly dear, low in the low 50s. .
Wednesday, mostly sunny, high in the mid to Sports.i
upper 70s. Arts & Entertainment.9
Classifieds.10
September 18, 1990 __ University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 90 No. 16
Proposed spending lid
prompts hiring freeze
for faculty, students
By Jennifer O’Cilka
Senior Reporter
In light of a proposed 2 percent lid
on state government spending, a
hiring freeze at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agri
culture and Natural Resources is “pru
dent” budget management, officials
said.
Irv Omtvedt, vice chancellor of
IANR, said the freeze would be in
effect until Initiative 405,a 2 percent
lid on budget spending, was decided
in the Nov. 6 election. The freeze
places a hold on hiring faculty, gradu
ate and undergraduate students, and
spending “across the board,” Omtvedt
said.
Elton Aberle, head of the animal
science department, said the hiring
freeze has kept him from hiring gradu
ate students, student workers and
faculty members.
“We have had to cut back a few
student worker positions,” he said.
“Unfortunately, some of those had
been hired before Sept. 1.”
The freeze may make the univer
sity less competitive with other uni
versities for graduate students because
the department is not able to offer
them assistant jobs for the spring
semester, Aberle said.
The department also cannot ex
tend offers for two open faculty posi
tions, Aberle said.
“If we can’t have those positions,
we will be in some real difficulty
offering those courses in the spring,’ ’
Aberle said.
Courses that would be affected if
the lid passes are a basic equitation
class, or horseback riding, horse
management and Rumen microbiol
ogy.
But, Aberle said, he thinks the
freezes are a “prudent step” now.
“I’m disappointed, bull think it is
the correctaction to take at this time,”
he said. “If the lid doesn’t go into
effect, we’ve lost a little bit of time
and that’s all we’ve lost.”
Lowell Moser, a professor of agron
omy and acting agronomy depart
ment head, said the freeze is an alter
native that allows the administration
to be flexible if the lid passes.
But because of the freeze, the
department cannot hire hourly stu
dent help for research. Moser said
faculty members have been forced to
| postpone some research work.
many student jobs would be affected
by tl»e freeze, but he estimated it
would be fewer than 50.
Moeller said some departments have
made special requests to fill student
positions, and some have been granted.
Other parts of die university have
failed to institute freezes. Omtvedt
said this is because IANR is “unique.”
The institute is different from other
parts of UNL because it has many
partnerships that affect its budget,
Omtvedt said.
The university and Nebraska coun
ties jointly pay cooperative extension
agents.
“Many counties are at their maxi
mum budget limitations,” Omtvedt
said. “Regardless of lids, they are
having difficulty meeting their part
of (agents’ salaries).”
Also, about 10 percent of IANR’s
budget comes from federal appro
priations. Congress has threatened to
sequester some of those funds until its
budget plans are finalized, Omtvedt
said.
Another aspect that makes the freeze
unique to the institute is that it hires
employees in research and extension
year round, Omtvedt said. Other
departments hire mainly when gear
ing up for spring or fall semesters, he
said.
Alan Moeller, assistant vice chan
cellor of IANR, said work-study stu
dents are exempt from the freeze. Of
the 400 students who work at the
institute, 16 to 20 percent are work
study students. IANR usually hires 75
to 100 students workers each fall,
Moeller said.
‘ The freeze does not really apply
to work study, but we arc looking at
other student employees on a case
by-case basis,” Moeller said.
Moeller said he was not sure how
-4 4
If we can't have those
positions, we will be in
some real difficulty
offering those courses
in the spring
Aberle
director
animal science department
-♦ f
Buiic'h !r*U;nd'Daf!y Nebraskan
Gov. Kay Orr listens to class discussion with Dan Niebaum, fund-raising chairman for
Student Foundations, Monday in a university foundations class, Orr attended the class
with Mike Lee as part of a “trading places” day.
Governor participates in class
Student attends meetings, visits offices; Orr says visit informative
By Tabfth# Hiner ~
Staff Reporter
For a dollar, UNL student
Mike Lee circumvented the
gubernatorial election proc
ess and, on Monday, went straight
to the lop.
^ The Valentine freshman was
Gov. Kay Orr’s replacement dur
ing “Trading Places,” an activity
sponsored by the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln Student Foun
dation.
The yearly activity gives a stu
dent the chance to see what a
community leader’s day is like,
while the leader sees the university
from a student’s point of view.
Students paid $1 a chance in the
draw ing to be king - or governor -
for the day.
The day began in University
Foundations 103, when the gover
nor and the agribusiness student
arrived five minutes late for the
10:30 ajn. class.
The class then organized into
small groups to discuss a hypo
thetical situation involving a stu
dent’s death and who was at fault
in her death.
FTofessor Dave Lewis leaches
the 30-student class that is designed
to introduce them to the university.
Lewis said the class gets the;
students acquainted with each other
and the university, while develop
ing their creativity, development
and leadership.
During class, Oit ran into a typical
student problem: Her pen ran out
of ink and she had to borrow one
from Lee.
After the class, Lee and Orr
went to the Office of Scholarships
and Financial Aid and found a line
of 13 people ahead of them.
Since i ce had another class to
attend, they bypassed the line and
went to the Nebraska Union Crib to
receive such gifts as Student Foun
dation sweatshirts.
Orr said her 45-minute morning
visit to the university was informa
tive, but too brief.
Lee said the morning was en
lightening for him as well, because
he had never been to either a foun
dations class or to the financial aid
office.
Last year’s “Trading Places’ ’
community leader, Vice Chancel
lor for Student Affairs James Grie
scn, went to the winner’s ciasses.
But Student Foundation President
Dave Zauha said this year, it was
not possible for Or to go to classes
because of her campaign schedule.
Orr said the visit was beneficial
for her.
‘‘I’m sure, as 1 go through the
biennial budget process, even the
brief glimpse of campus life . . .
will help me with decisions,” she
said.
After a lunch break, Lee at
tended a Nebraska parole board
meeting at which two people were
granted paroles.
Orr told Lee that parole board
members consider several factors
when deciding whether to release a
person on parole. Members review
now die person has spent his or her
life since going to jail, if the pris
oner is rehabilitated and how long
he or she had been in prison.
After the meeting, Orr left Lincoln
to campaign in Valentine, Zauha
said.
See TRADING on 6
Highest level seen
UNL records gains in grants, contracts
By Cinay Wastrel
Staff Reporter
Grant and contract awards at
the University of Nebraska
Lincoln crept steadily upward
since 1982 before reaching last year’s
record level, according to a recent
report.
The university received more than
$56 million in grant and contract
awards for the 1989-90 fiscal year,
the highest level ever received for
one year at UNL, the report from the
Office of Sponsored Programs said.
From 1989 to 1990, the number of
grant awards at UNL rose 65 percent
from 1,645 to 2,712.
Bill Splinter, interim vice chan
cellor for research and graduate stud
ies, said that although inflation cut
into the increase in awards, the in
crease moved faster than inflation.
The increase was due largely to
the university receiving more money
for research, Splinter said.
The number of research awards
rose 68 percent from 1,030 to 1,729
from 1989 to 1990.
UNL research was granted
$29,664,587 in the 1989-90 year,
making up 52 percent, of the total
awards.
That amount is almost double the
amount UNL received 10 years ago
and about $8 million more than two
years ago, according to the report
One impetus for the research gain
was the Nebraska Legislature’s Re
search Initiative program. The Legis
lature established the program in 1988
with $4 million to provide for re
search in areas that might lead to
economic development for the state
and to encourage research awards from
other sources.
The second largest amount of
money, $9,361,831, went to the Of
fice of Student Affairs. Most of that
money went to financial aid.
The next largest amount went to
the College of Arts and Sciences,
which received $8,017,810, or 14
percent of the total.
Most of last year’s money, 64
percent, came from the federal gov
ernment. This included $11,040,158
from the Department of Agriculture
and $10,194,468 from the Depart
ment of Education.
Projects of $ 1 million or more made
up 40 percent of the total.
UNL Grant and Contract Awards^
0 10 20 30 40 50 60