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September 20, 1990_ University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 90 No. 18
UNL among 12 schools
Education compact weighed
By Anita Parker
Staff Reporter
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
officials discussed plans
Wednesday for a proposal that
would strengthen cooperative pro
grams between 12 Midwestern uni
versities, including UNL.
“We haven’t reached any official
opinion yet We’re in the exploratory
mode to see what advantages might
c°me from such an agreement,” said
Joe Rowson, University of Nebraska
director of public affairs.
Under the compact, students would
be able to participate in out-of-state
programs that aren’t offered at their
schools without having to pay non
resident tuition, said Larry Scherer,
aide to the Nebraska Legislature’s
Education Committee.
“The student tuition issue is a good
example because it’s more of a real
ity, but the compact will accomplish
other things,” he said.
Three similar compacts already are
in effect across the nation.
The Western Interstate Compact
for Higher Education shares informa
tion from research projects with other
states, said Phil Sirotkin, head con
sultant for the Midwestern compact.
One of the most productive as
pects of the western compact is the
development of positive relationships
between schools, said Sirotkin said.
“These compacts bring together
-4 4
These compacts bring
together key players in
education in a neutral
setting to examine key
issues in education and
take them out of adver
sarial positions in each
state.
Sirotkin
head consultant for the
Midwestern compact
"-»»
key players in education in a neutral
setting to examine key issues in edu
cation and take them out of adversar
ial positions in each state,” he said.
State Sen. Lorraine Langford of
Kearney, one of the officials studying
the proposal, said she could find no
disadvantages to the agreement.
“The state will write its own ena
bling legislation,” she said. “We’re
not forced to do anything by this
compact. If something feels uncom
fortable, we don’t have to do it.”
Twelve Midwestern states are pos
sible participants in the compact, but
only five are needed to activate the
agreement, Sirotkin said. Kansas,
Michigan, Minnesota and Missouri
have passed amendments allowing
participation in the compact, he said.
Illinois, Ohio and Nebraska are
conducting studies about the proposi
tion. The remaining states - Iowa,
Indiana, North Dakota, South Dakota
and Wisconsin — have not made a
decision yet, Sirotkin said. States have
until 1994 to ratify the compact.
Public hearings will begin in
Nebraska in mid-November todecide
if legislation will be introduced in fall
1991, Scherer said.
Scherer said three groups must
support the idea for the legislation to
be introduced.
“The people who operate the in
stitutions, the legislators (studying the
proposal) and the students must see
some definite advantages,” he said.
“I don’t see this compact as a
threatening thing. It won’t take power
away from anyone. It will just pro
vide a service at the most reasonable
cost to everyone.”
I Education Compact
[lil States that have No action Currently
: ratified an amend- taken yet. conducting
ment to participate studies.
W '.d in a compact. _
II
r
L TT\
Iowa )
_/
..--...
Official says student shoppers shying away from downtown
oy nmcnaei no
Staff Reporter
Student shoppers, once consid
ered a “captured market” for
downtown retailers, now are
jumping in their cars and heading for
Gateway Shopping Mall.
“Today, the students’ shopping
preferences are just like the general
population ’ ssaid city planner Mike
DeKalb.
Students are as mobile as other
shoppers, he said, and won’t hesitate
to drive across town.
A recent study echoes that assess
ment, and states that night life is a big
downtown attraction for students, while
retail shopping is, at oest, secondary.
Consultants from Economics Re
search Associates of Chicago com
piled the redevelopment study by
interviewing six small focus groups
this summer, including University of
Nebraska-Lincoln faculty and students.
Although some students do shop
downtown, especially those who work
in the area, most students go down
town for entertainment, the consult
ants’ report stated.
In keeping with dial view, the stu
dent group said a nightclub was one
of their top priorities for downtown.
New clothing stores were relatively
low on the students’ list, according to
the report, because Gateway is more
convenient for them.
Kevin Laws, a senior pre-med major
who was in the student focus group,
said he usually shops at Gateway.
Downtown stores aren’t in step with
the campus community, he said.
Downtown could use “more stores
that cater to college people, like Dil
lard’sand the Post and Nickel,’’Laws
said. The current retail lineup-is “a
little bit out of my budget range,’’ he
added.
Some faculty members in the fo
cus group expressed boredom with
Lincoln shopping and a wish for shops
with more editing products.
Robert Bergstrom, an associate,
professor of English in the faculty
focus group, said Gateway and East
Park Plaza are conveniently located
but drab.
“I hate them both,” he said. “I’d
much rather be downtown.”
But downtown shops are just as
bland as the malls, he said.
“You’re getting essentially the
same kinds of stuff at different prices,’ ’
he said. “There’s no point in going
downtown to find the same things
that are in the shopping malls.”
He suggested that downtown plan
ners abandon talk of attracting an
other department store and start wor
rying about aesthetics.
DeKaJb said students have become
more like other city shoppers in re
cent years.
4 ‘There used to be a saying that the
downtown students were a captured
market,” he said.
Now, the Gateway exodus is leav
ing many downtown storefronts empty.
Free parking in downtown parking
garages also was a high priority on
the consultants* report.
The consultants said students seem
unwilling to walk past P or Q streets
to shop, but Laws said events at the
Lied Center for Performing Arts might
increase downtown shopping.
Program gives engineering students head start
By Tabitha Hiner
Staff Reporter
Engineering students put away
their calculators and whipped
on their ties Wednesday for
the first Technical Career Day.
Although the activities were open
to all students, Sandra Knight, assis
tant director of the Career Planning
and Placement Center, said the pro
gram was created mainly for engi
neering students.
She said she saw a need for the
program last year after Career Infor
mation Day.
“I felt that the business students
were more comfortable through the
types of courses that they take to go
up and talk to recruiters,” Knight
said. “Traditionally, the engineering
students have not been trained to do
that.”
While “many engineering students
arc well-versed in interpersonal skills,”
she said not all were.
Representatives from 35 compa
nies handed out information about
their businesses in the Nebraska Un
ion’s Centennial Room, Knight said.
“The day was not really designed
to place students with jobs,” Knight
said. “But a lot of n$sum6s do cross
the tables.”
The students mingled among the
tables in everything from suits to shorts
while they talked to representatives.
In addition to meeting representa
tives, Knight said the day will give
students an edge when writing cover
letters. She said students could in
clude names of people they met at the
program in their letters.
Recruiters like Ida Anderson were
pleased with the day.
“I feel that by breaking the days
up, we are given a chance to talk to
the students on more of a one-to-one
basis,” said the Federal Aviation
Administration personnel staffing
specialist.
Microsoft Technical Recruiter
Whittnee Cox said she wanted to get
people familiar with their company.
“We wear jeans and shorts to work,
but people wouldn’t know that unless
they talked to us,” she said. “This
day gives us the opportunity to tell
students things like that.”
ValCom representative Julie Ebers
said a lot of students asked her ques
tions.
“They would say, Tell me about
ValCom.’ ‘Where arc you located? ”
she said. “A lot of people wanted
career counseling about what they
can do with their major.”
Terry Fleck and Andy Wiest of the
Kansas Department of Transporta
tion were looking for r6sum6s from
civil engineers.
“The department just got $2.65
billion in highway programs to be
spent over the next eight years,” Fleck
said. “Now we have to find engi
neers. ’ ’
Engineering majors like senior Todd
Clatanoff said the day gave them an
advantage.
“A lot of the people I’m talking to
today arc going to be the same ones
who will interview' me next month,”
Clatanoff said. “By meeting them
now, I can kind of gel an impression
of how they feel about me.”
Senior Myron Fendrick said the
day allowed the students to concen
trate their time talking to representa
tives in their field.
After the career fair, discussion
groups were organized.
“The discussion groups allowed
students to ask questions they may
have been interested about, but may
have been reluctant to ask,” Knight
said.
Company recruiters and consult
ants led the groups by talking for
See CAREER on 3
J
... Butch Ireland, Dally Nebraskan
A lonely job
A cardboard likeness of Maytag's “Old Lonely” looks on as Maytag representative Rae
Kirchoff, right, talks with UNL seniors Bill Weston, left, and Min Loh. Maytag was one of 35 firms
that took part in the Technical Career Day In the Nebraska Union.