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November 29, 1990 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Voi. 90 No. 64
Official criticizes
UNL’s low ranking
By Angie Anderson
Staff Reporter
The University of Nebraska-Lin
coln’s rating of “non-competi
tive” in a recent publication
deserves no apology, a UNL official
said.
James Griesen, v ice chancellor for
student affairs, said UNL is not sorry
for its non-selective liberal admis
sions policies, which were cited as
the reason for the non-competitive
ranking in the 1990 Barron’s Educa
tional Series.
“UNL is a land-grant institution
committed to being open and acces
sible to all students who we feel have
a good chance of completing our
curriculum,” Griesen said. “We’ll
always be dedicated to serving the
typical students who graduate from
our high schools.”
Griesen said UNL’s “non-competi
tive” admissions policy allows any
student to attend who has completed
the core requirements in the policy.
UNL’s admissions policy requires
high school graduates to complete at
least three years of English; one year
of composition; one year of speech,
journalism, literature or foreign lan
guage; two years of math, including
one year of algebra; two years of
sciences; and two years of social sci
ences.
And although UNL has a liberal
admissions policy, Griesen said, the
university did not admit 100 percent
of all applicants, as stated in the Bar
ron’s rankings. About 200 of 8,000
applications this year were denied, he
said.
This shows the rankings were not
carefully researched and are “non
sense on the surface,” Griesen said.
The Barron’s rankings are based
on admissions standards, not academic
quality.
Griesen said competitiveness should
be measured by how easy it is to earn
a degree, as well as by how easy it is
to be admitted to a college.
UNL is consistent with Big Eight
schools in degree-earning difficulty,
he said.
About 44 percent of UNL students
graduate within five years, he said,
which is about the same as at other
Big Eight schools.
Another indication that the rating
was invalid, Griesen said, is that
Barron’s rated Kearney State College
and the University of Nebraska at
Omaha higher than UNL.
Barron’s rated KSC as competi
tive and UNO as less competitive.
UNL attracts more talented stu
dents than KSC or UNO, Griesen
said, as average American College
Test scores show. Last year’s average
ACT scores, before the enhanced test
was instituted, were 19 at KSC, 19 at
UNO and 22 at UNL, he said.
Because the Barron’s series is not
prevalent, Griesen said, the low rank
ing will not affect enrollment.
Most students never sec the rank
ings, he said, and most students do
not choose a college by its ranking in
a publication.
John Beacon, director of admis
sions at UNL, said students use fac
tors like academic program availabil
ity, location, and size more than in
formation in the Barron’s scries and
similar guides when they arc choos
ing a college.
Despite his belief that UNL should
serve typical Nebraska students, Grie
sen said he thinks UNL. should study
the possibility of mildly increasing
admissions standards.
. , r • > Shaun Sartln/Daity Nabraskan
A clean Lied
Visger of Roy’s Window 1 trvice washes windows on the ground floor of the Lied Center
1 trforming Arts on Wednesday afternoon.
Dorm-to-dorm not done
Campus mail all business, holiday greetings returned
By Todd Neeley
Staff Reporter
Students trying to send Christmas cards
and personal letters from dorm to dorm
will find that their mail won’t be reach
ing its destination, a University ol Nebraska
Lincoln campus mail official said.
Richard Schenaman, manager of campus
postal services, said that any Christmas cards
or personal letters that are sent from dorm to
dorm are collected in the campus mail room
and sent to campus housing.
Students can use campus mail services only
for business mail, such as class schedules, sent
between students and faculty members, ac
cording to UNL policy.
And campus postal services stopped han
dling personal letters from faculty members
about 12 years ago, Schenaman said.
“We don’t handle personal mail for anyone,
not even faculty,” he said.
Doug Zatcchka, director of university hous
ing, said dorm mail that has a return address is
sent back to the sender, and mail that doesn’t is
thrown away.
“Students may not know where their mail is
going,” Schenaman said.
“If there is no return address, then there is
nothing we can do,” Zatechka said.
He said he didn’t know the amount of mail
thrown away.
Schenaman said that each year, about 200
Christmas cards arc sent through campus postal
services, and the number of personal letters
triples during Christmas to between six and
nine a day.
This puts a strain on campus postal services,
he said.
It lakcsa lot of time to process mail, Schena
man said, and personal mail “takes space that is
not available.”
If students are trying to send mail between
dorms, they should deliver it themselves, he
said.
Students can put postage on their Christmas
cards, Schenaman said, and have them deliv
ered by the U.S. postal service, which picks up
mail from the residence halls.
NU, S. Africa cooperation urged
By Tabitha Hiner
Staff Reporter
The President’s Special Com
mittee on South Africa issued
a report recommending crea
tion of cooperative teaching, research
and service programs between the
University of Nebraska and a South
African institution.
Vista University and the Univer
sity of the Western Cape were men
tioned as potential institutions for the
cooperative programs.
The commission, in its report to
NU Interim President Martin Mas
sengale released this week, also rec
ommended that awareness of faculty
and students at NU about conditions
in South Africa be increased and that
the African studies program at NU be
expanded and strengthened.
NU is lacking in faculty members,
library resources, courses and pro
grams that deal with African issues,
and enhancements should be made in
these areas, the report said.
While the University of Nebraska
at Omaha has an African studies
emphasis, the University of Ncbraska
Lincoln has only a minor in the field,
it said.
Two proponents of the recommen
dations said their fulfillment would
benefit South Africans and Nebras
kans.
Peter Levitov, director of Interna
tional Educational Services, said that
m addition to educating South Afri
cans, the recommendations would
enhance Nebraskans’ awareness of
South African issues. Although not a
member, Levitov was invited to sit it
on the committee.
“No matter which way the ex
change takes place, there will be a
ripple effect,” he said.
People in classes with exchange
professors and students in an exchange
would talk to friends and relatives
who then would be informed on South
African issues, Levitov said.
Phil Gosch, president of the Asso
ciation of Students of the University
of Nebraska and a member of the
committee, said the university’s Afri
can studies program is insufficient.
The report also calls for scholar
ships to be created for South African
exchange students.
Gosch supported the scholarship
recommendation and said that it was
a reflection on student government.
An ASUN resolution passed last May
called for scholarships for South
African students.
Levitov said the committee’s rec
ommendations were important, but
that Massengale, also UNL chancel
lor, could establish another commit
tee that would make more concrete
suggestions.
The report lists guiding principles
that should be followed if a commit
tee to develop definite plans is cre
ated.
See SOUTH AFRICA on 3
Recommendations by the President’s
Special Committee on South Africa
1. Develop linkages between the University of Nebraska and South
African universities which would include:
WimTi t'
Faculty Student Joint Scholarships Potential
exchanges, exchanges, research for South lecturers and
projects. African speakers.
____students.
2. Strengthen aaa|
NU’s African f \ \ \
studies l « \
program by: H-.-j
Developing Enhancing Adding Adding to the
source Th* more African library faculty existing
Pr«»ktonft course8 holdings on members to African
comminee'w! African teach African programs at
south Africa. [__topics. courses. [the university J
John Brue«yDaily Nabraakari
