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INDEX
News Digest.2
Editorial.4
Sports.7
Arts & Entertainment.9
Classifieds.11
September 19, 1990 University of Nebraska-Lincoln _ _Vol. 90 No. 17
> 4
Lid wouldn't cut state programs
UNL budget cuts possible
By Sara Bauder Schott
Senior Reporter_
Budget cuts could hit the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln if the proposed 2
percent lid passes, because spending
reductions won’t be made in the state’s correc
tions and social services programs, a state
official said.
Steve Ferris, acting budget administrator
for Nebraska’s Department of Administrative
Services, said the slate’s “people-type” pro
grams would be first priority for funding if the
amendment is passed.
The proposed constitutional amendment on
the November ballot calls for a 2-pcrcent limit
on increases in state spending.
Kim Phelps, assistant vice chancellor for
business and finance, said the state has some
fixed commitments that cannot be cut in fund
ing, meaning cuts would have to be made in
some other area. An example would be the
corrections department, which has to house
and care for an increasing number of inmates
each year.
Ferris said the corrections department would
need a $30- to $60-million increase just to
house the inmates, Ferris said. He said the
department’s operating budget request is up 10
percent from last year.
Social Services, which provides Medicaid
and child services programs, has requested a
budget increase of 9 percent, Ferris said.
Under the proposed amendment, Ferris said,
the state only could increase its budget by $24
million next year. The budget last year was
$1.2 billion.
“It doesn’t take long to reach the $24 mil
lion mark,” Ferris said. “After that we’ll have
to start looking at state aid and slate agencies
and see what consol idations and reductions can
be made.”
Phelps said $182 million of the university’s
1990-91 budget comes from state funds.
The second part of UNL’s budget, $172
million, is not state-funded.
In a letter to Bill Arfmann, executive direc
tor of the Nebraska Association of Public
Employees, Ferris stated one area that could be
reduced or eliminated is state-supported schol
arships under the State Student Incentive Grants
Matching Scholarship Award and the Scholar
ship Assistance Program.
John Beacon, director of scholarships and
financial aid, said that although he docs not
want to see declines in any aid to students, the
2 percent lid would probably have a limited
effect on financial aid.
Beacon said state aid makes up a relatively
small portion of financial aid at the university.
Pell Grants from the federal government ac
count for $7.5 million worth of aid at UNL.
In contrast, aid from the SSIG and the SAP
program account for about $3(X),000 of aid,
Beacon said.
If the university budget was cut, Ferris said,
it would probably be up to the NU Board of
Regents to decide what areas to reduce or
eliminate.
‘‘Usually, we appropriate a lump sum, and
the Board of Regents has to decide where to put
it,” Ferris said.
The lid could also affect the way the univer
sity spends the money it generates, Ferris said.
The amendment refers to general and cash
funds, he said. Cash funds arc the money gen
erated by fees that state entities charge for serv
ices.
Ferris said there is some question if state
agencies would be able to spend cash funds as
See BUDGET on 6
White students form unions on campuses
By Adeana Leftin
Staff Reporter
On a handful of university cam
puses, white students who say
they arc being discriminated
against arc fighting back by forming
white student unions.
In January 1990, the first such union
was formed at the University of Flor
ida.
Since then, similar unions have
been formed or discussed on several
other campuses, including Temple
University, Louisiana State Univer
sity and Suffolk University. Most
recently, students at the University of
Southwestern Louisiana and the Uni
versity of New Orleans were plan
ning their own w hite student unions.
At the University of New Orleans,
Laura Otilho, a senior communica
lions major, is organizing the group.
She said she had read in Driftwood,
the university’s student newspaper,
that Louisiana State University had a
white union.
.. I thought it would be nice if
we had one, too,” Otillio said.
She said the group was not being
racist, but admitted that others might
disagree.
Otillio said she was wailing for
information from the union at LSU
before continuing the formation of
the group.
Mark Wright, founder and presi
dent of the original white union at the
University of Florida, said he was
taking a cue from the Black Student
Union on the Florida campus.
“They were securing for their
particular group resources. While
students need the same voice,” Wright
said. “I saw how successfully they
were pressuring the administration
for their wants and felt whites could
do the same.”
Last December, Wright said, there
was a lot of anti-white talk on cam
pus.
“We wanted to offer a counter
opinion -- that not only arc blacks not
See UNION on 6
Students left behind
Shuttles face crowding problem
Shelly Biggs
Staff Reporter_
An unexpected influx of riders
shuttling to campus from
remote lots has stalled some
students’ efforts to make it to class
and caused the UNL parking depart
ment to consider adding another bus.
Lt. John Burke, University of
Nebraska-Lincoln parking adminis
trator, said about 700 people ride the
shuttle each day. That number makes
for a Light squeeze in the two buses
serving the remote shuttle service
which started up this fall.
The buses can carry close to 20
people at a time and make 38 trips
every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. to
and from the remote lots, Burke said.
They stop 11 to 12 times on the four
mile route.
The buses arc overcrowded during
peak hours, from 8 to9:30 a.m., B urke
said. A third bus may be added to the
route to resolve this problem, he said.
Students interviewed on the shuttles
thought the bases were crowded enough
to justify adding another bus.
Amy Herstein, an English major,
said that she was left behind once
because the bus was too full. She had
to wait another 15 minutes lor the
next shuttle, she said.
Herstcin said she comes at least 45
minutes early every morning to catch
the shuttle. The bases an* getting slower
as more people show interest in riding
them, she said.
Cindy Logan, a criminal justice
major, said that after 4 p.m., only one
bus runs. Logan said she has had to
wait 40 minutes for the bus to come
around to take her to her car.
Kim VanEngen, a secondary edu
cation major, said she had never been
left behind but had been on the bus
when others were left.
‘‘I think the buses should double
up,” VanEngen said, with two buses
picking up students at the same time.
All students interviewed said they
had seen or heard of people being left
behind.
One shuttle bus driver, Carl Linu,
said students should park at the lots at
least 25 minutes early to make sure
they make it to class on time. If they
miss the first bus, Linu said, they
have to wait about 15 minutes for the
next bus.
Burke suggested that students left
behind take alternate routes offered
by Lincoln’s StarTran bus system. A
StarTran bus stops at 17th and Holdrcge
streets and goes to Lyman Hall.
The SlarTran SHUTTLE, which
leaves 20 minutes after every hour
from the 14th Street bus stop in Area
24, also drops off students at Lyman
Hall. The Area 24 lot is across the
street from Harpcr-Schramm-Smilh
near the railroad tracks.
The only difference between the
shuttles and IJNL’s shuttles is that
they arc SlarTran buses, Burke said.
Both arc free.
Despite the full buses, Burke said
changes made in last year’s system
seem to be working.
‘‘Wcdidn’toversell the lots by the
large percentage that we did last year,
and we implemented the 8(X) remote
parking spaces,” he said.
The lots were oversold by only 22
percent this year, compared to 50
percent last year, he said.
The demand for parking permits
has died down, Burke said. Com
muter, residence hall and faculty lot
parking permits arc sold out, but there
still are close to 200 spaces in the
remote lots, he said.
The three remote lots are located
south of the Bob Dcvancy Sports
Center, on 17th and Holdregc streets
and at 14‘Jh and New Hampshire streets.
Shuttles face crowding problem
Service sees increase
in alley-urination cases
By Alan Phelps
Staff Reporter
Student Legal Services has
been getting a lot of busi
ness this year from students
caught with their pants down after
downtown bars close, the director
said.
“When people come in here
looking very embarrassed, we know
right away - urinating in the al
ley,’ said Shelley Stall, director of
Student Legal Services, a branch
of ASIJN which provides free legal
advice and representation to UNL
students.
“The bars have to close at 1
a.m. This sometimes means shov
ing people out who have been
waiting to use the bathroom,” she
said.
Stall said eight or nine students
have sought her help this semester
after running into the law as they
relieved themselves in downtown
alleys and found out they owed
about $ 120 in fines and court costs.
Only one or two people a year
usually request legal help after being
cited for urinating in alleys, Stall
said.
’ ‘These types of citations usu
ally used to be dismissed, but there
are too many now,” she said.
Several downtown business
owners became iraie at the smell in
the mornings, Stall said, and alerted
the Lincoln Police Department,
whose arsenal against the offen
sive sights and smells includes
undercover bicycle patrols.
“It’s a phenomenon that we have
seen over the last few years. People
think that downtown is a public
bathroom,” said Cape John Becker,
who is in charge of the downtown
beat for the Lincoln Police Depart
ment.
“Our suggestion would be to
please use a restroom with approved
facilities,” he said. “The fact that
we have foot patrols plus three or
four officers riding bikes in the
downtown area should serve as a
word of caution. It’s pretty expen
sive when you’re caught.”
Karen Steinauer, another attor
ney with Student Legal Services,
said students have told her the
undercover patrols have proved
effective. “One guy said they liter
ally jumped out of the bushes and
nabbed him,” she said.