Nebraskan
I Partly sunny and breezy today
with the high around 70 and a
south wind 15-25. Tonight, a
40 percent chance of showers
with the low in the mid-30s.
Tuesday, mostly cloudy with
morning sprinkles or flurries
and the high around 40.
Candidate’s action challenged
at ASUN press conference
By Dionne Searcey
Staff Reporter
HORIZN party members challenged the
ENERGY presidential candidate’s abil
ity to handle AS UN funds Friday at a
press conference in the Nebraska Union.
HORIZN senatorial candidate Colin Theis
said allegations that
ENERGY’S J. Mau Wick
less misappropriated Resi
dence Hall Association
funds to treat senators to a
$13.05 Burger King dm- I
ner made him question
charge of Association of
Students of the University of Nebraska funds.
Theis said Wickless’ action caused Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln students to question
“the constant learning experience needed to be
the student regent and be in charge of the
$125,000 ASUN budget.”
Theis also said RHA was not representing
the best interests of students when Wickless
was elected president in 1989 after his grade
point average allegedly fell below the required
2.0.
“If an organization like RHA is going to
elect an individual president after accusing
him of ‘violating the trust of the association
and his constituents in Sclleck Hall by accept
ing an office for which he was ineligible to
hold,’ then maybe that organization was cor
rupt enough not to be legitimate...” Theis said.
Wickless disagreed about RHA’s legitimacy
during his term.
“Under my leadership RHA made some
great accomplishments,” such as getting in
touch with students through open forums and
newsletters, Wickless said.
HORIZN, which is running only senatorial
candidates, also endorsed the UNITY party’s
executive candidates at the press conference.
After the press conference, the UNITY party
accepted HORIZN’s endorsement, despite
ENERGY’S challenge to reject it.
“It is our belief that they endorsed us be
cause of our proven leadership and dedication,
not because of the allegations against J. Matt
Wickless,” said UNITY presidential candidate
Andy Massey.
Massey said his party was not involved in
any of the charges against Wickless, but he did
comment on the allegations.
“It is unfortunate that someone running for
such an important office as president is even
involved in these allegations,” he said.
“ASUN will lose the little credibility it has
left, not because of these allegations, but be
cause ... Wickless in particular, did not, from
the very beginning, level with the students at
UNL about his past problems,” Massey said.
Wickless said, “I was not in the wrong. I
have no regrets for the actions I’ve taken.
“I have a clear conscience, and if Andy and
Colin can live with the actions they’re taking,
then I have no problem with it.”
ENERGY will hold a press conference in
the Nebraska Union today at 1:45 p.m.
Searches continue, progress
Official: Relations position plans to be announced
From Staff Reports
Interim Chancellor Jack Goebel is likely
to announce plans for filling the Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln director of uni
versity relations position this week, the interim
director said.
Neale Copple said Goebel probably will
wait to announce a decision about filling the
position until after the Nebraska Legislature’s
Education Committee hearing today. The
committee will deal with the University of
Nebraska’s budget.
Copple said he has agreed to stay on as
interim assistant to the chancellor and director
of university relations until May 1.
The projected date for the announcement of
the new director had been March 1, but Copple
said the March date was not firm and normally
there is not a deadline to hire replacements.
Herb Howe, associate to the chancellor, said
three applicants have been interv iewed for the
permanent position.
Howe said Goebel may choose to “hire one
of the three interviewed, close the search and
wait for a permanent chancellor or go back to
the list and interview more.”
The director of university relations plans
special events, works with external organiza
tions, works with public service programs and
carries out special assignments for the chancel
lor, Howe said.
Minority applicants targetea in aas tor cnancenor
DArlman coiH ihAPnmmittAA ic a/'tii/Alif
□dvertisements for University of Ne
braska-Lincoln chancellor already have
appeared in national publications, but
me aus’ effects will not be known until April,
the chancellor search committee chairman said.
Harvey Perlman, dean of the UNL College
of Law, said advertisements have run since late
February in The Chronicle of Higher Educa
tion and publications designed to reach minor
ity applicants.
ing applications from minorities.
There also has been “considerable activity
on the part of individuals” to find the next
chancellor, he said.
For example, he said, University of Ne
braska President Martin Massengale has con
tacted other university presidents and asked
them for recommendations.
Perlman said he has not looked at any appli
cations, but that the committee will meet April
4 to officially review applications.
i \ \ r r
Massengale
\
Educator's career success shown in goals for NU
3y Pat Dinslage
Senior Editor
In the subdued, rarefied air of Varner
Hall sits the chief executive of the
largest postsecondary system in the
state — Martin Massengale, president of
the University of Nebraska. A man much
like the state and its people.
Reticent. Modest. Hard-working. Prac
tical. A visionary with his eyes on the
horizon and his feel planted in the soil
from which Nebraska’s agricultural life
springs each year.
Massengale answers questions about
himself quietly, almost reluctantly, neither
evading or boasting. He carefully consid
ers answers that most people give without
a second thought.
He was raised on a farm in Kentucky,
the third of four children. He graduated
from Wes»em Kentucky University in
1952 with a Bachelor of Science degree in
agriculture and obtained his master’s and
doctorate degrees from the University of
Wisconsin by 1956, specializing in
agronomy, botany, plant physiology and
crop ecology.
His reticence disappears when the talk
turns to his wife and children. His eyes
light up with a smile.
He talks about the son, Alan, who
graduated from Stanford with a degree in
electrical engineering. He shakes his head
as he explains that he thinks his daughter,
Jennifer, a senior at the University of
Arizona, has finally found her niche either
in physical therapy or bio-psychology and
is going on to graduate school.
When he speaks about his wife, Ruth,
the gentleness and caring come through.
She has a Bachelor of Science degree
from the University of Wisconsin in home
economics education, Massengale says,
and is very active in volunteer organiza
tions and acting as hostess at the functions
required for his position as president.
“My position here is a team effort,” he
says. “She has always felt support for my
career — whatever I wanted to do.”
Massengale’s career path from the
farmfields of Kentucky to the NU presi
dency has wound from teaching assistant
in Kentucky, through a stmt in the U.S.
Army as a technical adviser, on to the
University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz.
At Arizona, he rose from agronomist
and professor to a position as agricultural
See MASSENGALE on 6
_I
After winning twice in the
weekend’s Big 8 tournament,
the Huskers fall to the Tigers,
despite a valiant effort. Page 7.
American prisoners of war
arrive on U S. soil Page 2.
The Audubon Society and a
private landowner wrangle over
Niobrara scenic designation.
Page 3.
The turntables are spinning
again tor vinyl. Page 9.
.... INSIDE
Wire 2
Opinion 4
Sports 7
A&E 9
Classifieds_11
Easy enrollment pledged for reservists
By Thomas Clouse
Staff Reporter
Student reservists activated for
duty in the Persian Gulf should
have no trouble enrolling for
summer and fall classes after their
return, a University of Nebraska
Lincoln official said.
Linda Schwartzkopf, administra
tive assistant to the vice chancellor
for student affairs, said reservists’
admissions files will remain active so
they will not have to reapply to regis
ter fo* classes.
“We feel confident that when they
(the reservists) left, they left with
good standing academically,” Sch
wartzkopf said.
Despite efforts to help the reserv
ists leave on good standing, she said,
they obviously will be hurt because
they will have to extend their gradu
ation lime lines.
“We can’t give them back the time
they lost,” she said.
Schwartzkopf said 105 UNL re
servists contacted her office, but other
students may have been called up
who did not contact her.
“The 105 total may be low be
cause some students were called up
during the winter break and withdrew
without coming through me,” she said.
The university gave student re
servists different options depending
on when they were called up, Sch
wartzkopf said.
Some professors gave letter grades
based on the student’s standing at that
point in the course, she said.
“Most students who had the option
to take the grade took it,” she said.
Reservists also were allowed to
eitncr witnaraw irom classes or take
incompletes, Schwartzkopf said.
The Faculty Senate Grading
Committee met in October and passed
some grading guidelines for reserv
ists, she said.
Some of those guidelines included
late changes of letter grades to pass/
no pass, late withdrawals and incom
pletes with an automatic conversion
to pass, she said.
Schwarl/kopf said that when the
deployment in the Persian Gulf started,
she was assigned to coordinate with
the financial aid office and the hous
ing and academics offices so reserv
ists would have only one slop to make
before they left.
“I coordinated all the student af
fairs,” she said. “But the faculty re
ally worked hard academically to make
their leaving easier.”