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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1990)
Election ’90 NU Board of Regents candidates Nancy O’Brien, Dick Powell, Lee Sapp and Chuck Wilson discuss their po sitions on issues facing higher education The candidates were asked to re spond to six questions. Their an swers are given here. Voters will make the choice between Sapp and O’Brien in District 2 and Powell and Wilson in District l in Tuesday’s election. Questions for regent c§ndidates 1. Should the University of 4. What would be your budget Nebraska divest totally of firms priorities as a regent? Capital that do business in South construction? Salaries? Some Africa? Do you support other area? How would you __scholaiships for South African balance those priorities with the students? How should the university recruit and retain level of tuition and fees? minority professors and students? 5. Should NU revise its alcohol 2. Do you support an official pollcyr'whlch lets the chancellors vote for student regents? If and the president approve Amendment 4 passes, should alcohol for use at specific students have input on that events? Should alcohol be board as well? allowed on campus for students 21 and older? 3. What should the four NU 6. What should the regents do if branches’ roles be In a system the 2 percent lid passes? What that will include Kearney State? programs would you favor? Should UNI continue to be the flagship institution? . - John Bruca/Dalty N*bra«kan Nancy O’Brien By Jennifer O’Cilka Senior Reporter Nancy O’Brien, a member of the Metro Tech Community College Board of Directors in Omaha, said her busi ness experience coupled with her understanding of education would be her major contribution to the NU Board of Regents. “Yes, we can look for business solutions,” she said. ‘‘But the fact is, if we don’t understand education and don’t understand the issues, we can’t find the business solutions.” 1. O’Brien said she would support total divestment because the Univer sity of Nebraska is a public institution and should continue to follow state law. And, while the foundation could be considered a private institution, all those associated with the university should follow state laws, she said. Also, O’Brien said, she would support scholarships for South Afri can students. A South African scholarship pro gram would help Nebraska students as well as South African students, she said. “One of the purposes of the uni versity is to provide an open forum and diversity,” she said. “One way to learn is by meeting people from other cultures." And, active programs for recruit ing Nebraska minorities already ex ist, she said. O’Brien said an issue in recruiting and retaining minority professors is uuu auuiu <uc tnoosing careers in areas other than academics. To attract minorities, officials need to make the university an attractive place, a rich learning environment and a rewarding place to work with students and faculty, O’Brien said. And, “they need to recognize that recruiting only the best and the bright est may not be the best,” O’Brien said. “Pan of the responsibility is to work with minorities who may have had fewer advantages and make al lowances for lack of job experiences we may not make for other groups,” she said. The university will get qualified people if it is willing to invest, she said. 2. O’ Bricn said allowing a student regent vote would be “diluting the vote of elected officials.” Nebraska is a state where citizens arc “absolutely adamant about electing higher educa tion officials,” she said. O’Brien said she would have fewer problems with allowing a student regent vote if students served for more than a year. Other regents serve six year terms. She said it takes about a year to become “well-educated board mem bers,” which is about the time stu dents would leave the board. O’ Bricn said students are the prod - uct of the university and the custom ers of the university. “This makes me reluctant to have them on the board, because their role is not governance,” she said. Also, students stould not have input on the restructured Nebraska Coordi naling Commission for Postsecondary Education, she said. But, she said, students could try to get appointed to the commission by the governor as other members would. “That avenue, albeit difficult, is always open,” O’Brien said. 3. O’Brien said the regents should wait to decide role and mission for each university campus until the Widmayer and Associates study is finished. Widmayer and Associates is the consulting firm hired by the Nebraska Legislature to examine higher educa tion in Nebraska. O’Brien said she also thinks the role and mission for each campus will have to change based on the addition of Kearney State College to the NU system on July 1, 1991. “If UNO (the University of Ne braska at Omaha) has fell like a step child, Kearney may soon feel like the illegitimate one,” she said. She said discussion of role and mission requires sitting down and de termining how to best meet the needs of Nebraskans. O’Brien said UNL should remain a “flagship institution” in the aca demic sense. It should remain the flagship as long as it fulfills its goals, takes the lead, is cooperative, and gives up some turf to let Kearney do its part, she said. a » n ■___■_:_,.„A in T. V LMIWI1 XIIU 3fliai IVO UIIVJ ••• siruciion enhancement would be her budget priorities as regent. “I have a real concern about the issues that surround there not being enough faculty,” she said. Although “bricks and mortar” are important, O’Brien said, if she were a student she “would rather be cramped, uncomfortable and listening to some one who was truly the best — “1 have a sense that students today are much more concerned with aca demic excellence,” she said. O’Brien said she hates to see higher tuition rates. “I think a quality education at an affordable price is something the state ought to be committed to,” she said. 5. O’Brien said alcohol should be allowed on campus for students J years old and older, because 21 - year olds are adults. “I think they need to be respon sible,” she said. “I'm not condoning abuse of alcohol.” . .. But, some harsh restrictions should be applied for those who are not 21 and use alcohol on campus, she said. 6. “My personal prayer is that (the 2 percent lid) will not pass,” O’Bnen said. . But if Nebraska voters pass the nd on state government spending, the regents and other university officials will have lough choices to make, O’Brien said. . . .A_ “I have no preconceived nouon about what ought to go,” she said. Officials need to look at the percent age of students in the program, me percentage of program participants who stay in the slate after graduation and the impact of losing the program when deciding which programs to cut, O’Brien said.