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Today, sunny but not as warm, south wind 5-10 News Digest.2
miles per hour becoming variable in the after- Editorial.4
noon, high in the low to mid 70s. Tonight, clear, sports.5
low in the low 40s. Wednesday, mostly sunny and Arts 4 Entertainment .... 6
warm, high in the mid 70s. Classifieds.6
October 30,1990 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 90 No. 45
Jaksha extols
2 percent lid
at UNL forum
By Sara Bauder Schott
Senior Reporter
Ed Jaksha, petitioner for the proposed 2
percent lid, knew he was speaking to a
hostile audience, but that didn’t keep
him from trying to explain why the lid is a good
idea.
Jaksha, speaking at a forum on the lid Monday
night, told the audience that the University of
Nebraska would not be affected by the lid, but
by how the Nebraska Legislature acts.
The 2 percent lid amendment, which will go
before voters next Tuesday, would limit state
and local government spending to a 2 percent
increase each year.
The university budget would be between the
Legislature and the university, and would not
be addressed by the proposition to limit gov
ernment spending, Jaksha said.
The proposal constitutional amendment docs
not address the internal operations of any gov
ernment body, he said.
“Let the Legislature pass its budget pack
age, then let the arguments between (UNL)
Chancellor (Martin) Massengale, the depart
ments, and the athletic department begin,”
Jaksha said.
The other four panel members disagreed
with Jaksha’s statement that the lid would not
affect the university.
Gary Oxley, superintendent of Tri-County
Public Schools, said the lid would have a
“definite negative impact” on the university
and other schools in Nebraska. Tri-County
Public Schools includes the towns of DeWitt,
Plymouth and Swanton.
In the past, many people recruited into
education have shown lower IQ’s than their
predecessors, Oxley said. To reverse this, he
said, poslsccondary, secondary and elemen
tary institutions must pay more to get quality
professors and teachers. He said 15 percent
increases may be needed each year just to
recruit those quality educators.
Randy Moody, a spokesman for People
Against the 2% Lid, said the lid would have an
adverse effect on curriculum at universities.
The lid would force the university to look for
programs to cut, he said.
Moody said that if the university wanted to
keep its programs and keep the same number of
students in them, u would have to raise tuition.
Many of Nebraska’s students could be priced
out of a UNL education, he said, meaning the
programs wouldn’t be able to survive in spite of
the tuition increase.
The program cutting would begin this year
if the lid passes, Moody said. Because the lid is
retroactive, funds budgeted for this year would
have to be under the 2 percent mark, he said.
Jaksha said his proposal is not retroactive to
the current budget year. However, he said, he
did not have time to explain why it isn’t.
Jaksha said he saw no reason for students to
leave the university if his proposal is passed.
As the audience grumbled at his remark, Ja
ksha asked to be treated with respect.
See FORUM on 3
Butch Iretand/Daiiy Nebraskan
Wallflower
Artist Marlene Mueller applies chalk to her wall drawing at the UNL Gallery of the Department of Art and Art History
in Richards Hall. Mueller is one of the artists displaying work in “Area Drawing.” The exhibit “creates large,
colorful, temporary wall drawings,” according to gallery director Karen Kune.
Candidate: NU is key to state
By Shelley Biggs
Staff Reporter
The higher education system must be im
proved to stem the tide of outward mi
gration from Nebraska, a regent candi
date said Monday.
Charles Wilson, speaking to members of the
Afrikan Peoples Union in the Culture Center,
said Nebraska needs “educational enhance
ment,” with more funding to keep students,
faculty and industry in the state and to attract
talent from other states.
Wilson, a Lincoln cardiologist, said the
University of Nebraska is the most important
institution in the state. The addition of Kcar
ncy btatc College lo the
university system on July
1,1991, will heighten that
importance, bringing NU
enrollment to close to
50,000 students.
The university has a
major impact on the state
and its industry, he said.
“But Nebraska is fac- i
ing difficult times if we
don’t create new indus
tries and jobs in this slate,’’
he said.
mm m
Wilson
By improving the stale’s educational sys
tem, Nebraska will be able to attract more
industry, Wilson said.
In the past, he said, industry has passed over
Nebraska because it lacks research and aca
demic resources.
“The university is the key to the state,” he
said.
Wilson said he disagreed with his opponent,
Dick Powell, on the issue of a scholarship
program for South African students. The Asso
ciation of Students of the University of Ne
braska has called for a South African scholar
ship program as a way to combat apartheid.
Officials: Dissolution won’t hurt loans
By Tabitha Hiner
Staff Reporter
Dissolution of one of the country’s prime
guarantee agencies for student loans
should have no effect on University of
Nebraska-Lincoln borrowers, officials said.
John Beacon,direcloroftheOfficcof Schol
arships and Financial Aid at UNL, said that the
dissolution of one guarantee agency, the Higher
Education Assistance Foundation, will not affect
the stability of the guaranteed student loan
program.
“The students could be at fcctcd if the whole
Department of Education had trouble with
guarantee agencies, but I don’t think that will
happen,” he said.
The department announced that the Ne
braska Student Loan Program will serve as
Nebraska’s interim primary guarantee agency.
Marcia White, communications manager of
corporate communications for NSLP, said NSLP
is hoping not to face the problems HEAF did.
HEAF’s troubles began when it passed its
honeymoon period, Beacon said.
NSLPisslill in its honeymoon period, White
said, and the company has been preparing for
the end of the grace period since it was formed.
A guarantee agency’s honeymoon period
occurs during its first five years. During that
Beacon said that HEAF’s default rate had
been about 11 percent in recent years.
See LOAN on 3
Lied Center lures patrons, money downtown
By David Dalton
Staff Reporter __
The Lied Center for Perform
ing Arts has lived up to expec
tations by pouring customers
and dollars into downtown Lincoln,
officials said.
Bert Harris, administrator of Lin
coln’s Department of Economic
Development, said audiences for Lied
Center productions have increased
downtown activity, particularly in the
restaurant business.
“People in that business who have
talked to me have said it was a big
boost,” he said.
Jim Higgins, owner of The Bistro,
126 N. 14th St., said he thinks the
Lied Center is an asset to the down
town area. He said he could sec its
effect on his business.
“Definitely there’s a noticeable
increase,” he said.
Jeff Holte, manager of the Uni
versity Club, 128 N. 13 th St., agreed,
saying that Lied Center performances
have increased the number of cus
tomers at the restaurant.
“It has had a wonderful effect on
our business,” Holte said.
But not all business owners arc
equally satisfied.
Ron Pushcar, owner of cllcvcn
Restaurant & Lounge, 1248 O St.,
said that although more patrons have
come in on show nights, the numbers
aren’t what he was led to believe.
“It’s not unbelievable, by any
means,” he said. “It’s not like we’re
swamped.”
_ On the average, he said, a Lied
Center performance increases busi
ness by 10-15 percent.
“It helps, but it certainly isn’t the
panacea that we thought,” Pushcar
said.
The Lied Center’s marginal im
pact, Pushcar said, is best measured
by the number of diners on woe knights.
“I bet you can find a table any
place in this town to cat at 6 o’clock
Monday through Thursday, if there is
or if there isn’t a performance,” he
said.
However, Brian Magee, food and
beverage director at the Cornhusker
Hotel, 333 S. 13th St., said he was
happy with the number of customers
drawn by the Lied Center.
“We’re very pleased with the
amounts of people we have coming
in,” he said.
The center was an impetus for
change in downtown in recent years,
Magee said.
“The word is that the downtown is
becoming more of an entertainment
market at night,” he said.
Harris agreed, saying dial although
retail stores arc migrating to the sub
urbs, the downtown is “a thriving
evening district in restaurant and bars."
Because of this, he said, Lincoln is
working to build the arts and enter
tainment environment downtown.
"We think it’s very important to
have a downtown that’s active and
exciting and safe at rrght,” Hams
said. “Thai’s a pretty rare thing in
downtown America."
Jack Thompson, who served as co
chairman of the Lied Center cam
paign during its construction, said he
thinks the center is a significant part
of downtown revitalization.
“The Lied Center has contributed
in a major way to the development of
the downtown and the atmosphere
surrounding the downtown,” he said.
But former University of Nebraska
Regent Robert Simmons, who in 1986
voted against the center’s building
contract, said that the university as
sumed too much of the cost for down
town development.
“That’s a municipal matter," Sim
mons said. “The university shouldn’t
be spending its dollars for the down
town development of Lincoln.”