The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, October 29, 1991, Image 1
■m T -fl Daily <i I 33/20 I ■ J ■ Today, blustery and much I I colder with patchy freezing I B B^^B ^^B ^ V V partly ^^1 ^p"* m V ■ ^^^k ■ ■ cloudy. Wednesday, partly 1. ivl/XiUI\Cll B. I1 Budget reduction targets research, appearance at UNL University heart cut by proposal, professors say By Kara Wells Senior Editor Slashing funding for the Re search Council would “cut at the heart of the university,” a UNL official told the Budget Reduc tion Review Committee Monday. Edward Schmidt, professor of physics and astron omy and chairman RIJ FT of the Research «—« Council at the Uni versily of Nebraska-^^^^^pTc* Lincoln, said dcpart-^^3^ ^ ■ O ments throughout the university benefit from the council’s support. The Research Council is a broad based organization that assists UNL scholars, Schmidt said. The council supports young scholars in granting money for research and also finances travel expenses and visiting scholars. The proposed $38,000 cut to the council is “excessive,” Schmidt said. The cm is a 50 percent reduction, he said. The BRRC is hearing testimony on proposed cuts as part of UNL’s 3 percent budget-cutting process. The cuts were mandated by the Nebraska Legislature last spring. Researchers in human and social services fields have difficulties in obtaining outside support for research, Schmidt said, and the Research Coun cil provides that support. But even at current funding levels, the council can finance only 50 to 60 percent of the research proposals submitted, he said. The demand for research is on the rise, Schmidt said, and it doesn’t make sense tocut the council’s budget now. “This is a poor place to cut funds at,” he said. Sitaram Jaswal, a professor of physics and astronomy, said he has been helped by programs provided through the Research Council. “If it weren’t for the Research Council, my research would have been much less than what it is,” he said, adding that travel to scholarly meet ings is “crucial” and that the council assisted him in travel expenses. See RESEARCH on 3 Possible cuts tnreaten look, smell of campus By Wendy Navratil Senior Reporter _*_ From toilet stalls to flower beds, budget cuts would affect not only the appearance, but the smell of campus, according to testi monies presented at BRRC hearings Monday. Representatives of facilities man agement and land scape services pre sented summaries of the impact of their departments ’ budget cuts, $164,000 and $48,000 respectively, to the Budget Reduction Review Committee. The cuts were recommended as part of UNL’s effort to comply with a legislatively mandated cut of 2 per cent in its budget this year and 1 percent next year. John Marker, operational manager of the facilities management custo dial division, said that facilities man agement cuts would include a reduc tion in his division’s funding of about $121,000. The cuts would mean that office areas, and the restrooms associated with them, would be cleaned only twice a week, down from every other day, he said. “The restrooms will not smell good,” MaiLcr said. ‘They’re not going to be in very good shape” between cleanings, he said. Dusting in offices would also be eliminated, Marker said. Not only will this create a less pleasant work ing environment, it will increase wear to dust-sensitive equipment, such as computers. Increasing debris on floors in foyers and hallways will shorten the life of floor coverings to about one-third of what they are now, he said. “The cuts you might see here will appear in increased costs elsewhere,” he said. On a brighter note, though, Marker said the cuts would not hurt students. The division considers maintaining classrooms, corridors and entrances See FLOWERS on 3 Terrorist violence breaks out. Page 2 Cornhuskers against the world. Page 7 Lincoln native no longer little fish in big pond. Page 9 Nirvana crunches out numbing "Nevermind." Page 10 Z index " Wire 2 Opinion 4 I Sports 7 Arts & Entertainment 9 Classifieds 11 I_^-1 Andy Frederick/DN Gone Fishiri Ron Hoffman, an employee with the Facilities Management Department, fishes pennies out of Broyhill Fountain on Monday as part of the preparation to shut down the fountain for the winter. Survey reviews BRRC process By Jeremy Fitzpatrick Senior Reporter The University Association for Administrative Development, an organization of manage rial and professional employees at UNL, will present survey data on the budget-reduction process to the BRRC Thursday. LuAnn Mace, personnel coordina-j tor for the agron omy department — and chairwoman of the U AAD’s em ployee concerns committee, said sur veys were sent to the 1,200 manage rial and professional employees at the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln. The survey was initialed in an at tempt to convey the concerns of pro fessional and managerial employees at UNL to the Budget Reduction Review Committee, Mace said. The survey asked managerial and professional employees to rank UNL’s budget reduction process in three areas: preparation, analysis and overall opin ion. The reductions were initiated last spring when the Legislature ordered UNL to cut 2 percent from its budget this year and an additional 1 percent next year. Mace said the survey, which re ceived a 20 percent response, showed four principal concerns among the professional and managerial employ ees. She said she did not want to release ihc results until the UAAD did so formally before the BRRC Thursday. The survey was one of three meas ures the group look to prepare for the BRRC presentation, she said. The group also held an open forum on Oct. 16 for managerial and profes sional employees and requested that they write letters to the UAAD ex pressing their opinionson the budget reduction process. The efforts were coordinated by the seven-member employee concerns committee, Mace said. A common concern expressed at the open forum, she said, was that managerial and professional people See QUESTIONNAIRE on 6 UNL not invited to proposed meeting By Adeana Leftin Senior Reporter A SUN senators would be wast ing their time if they attended a proposed joint meeting be tween UNO, UNMC and UNK stu dent senates to promote intercampus awareness, the CCLR director said Monday. Mark Vanevenhoven, director of the University of . m fei Nebraska at Za jMINI Omaha’s Council for Community and Legislative Rela tions, said a formal invitation to the Lincoln meeting would not be extended to the Asso Official says ASUN apathetic to UNO nation of Students of the University of Nebraska or UNL students. But, he said, everyone was welcome to at tend. Vancvcnhoven said he didn’t think AS UN senators needed to be in atten dance because their constituents arc “not concerned if UNO is recognized or not.” “Folks in Lincoln... the Board of Regents and the state Legislature seem ,to forget we’re out here once in awhile,” Vanevenhovcn said. The proposed meeting would send a “subtle message to Lincoln that we exist,” he said. However, because UNO recently elected a new student senate, he said, the issue has been tabled until its first meeting on Nov. 7. But, Vancvenhoven said he had the support of the University of Ne braska Medical Center and the Uni versity of Nebraska at Kearney. “UNK doesn’t have quite the his tory with you folks that we do,” he said, “but they’re beginning to see problems crop up.” Bob Caldwell, student body presi dent at UNK, said the UNK student senate had taken no formal action on Vancvenhoven’s proposal. He supports uniformity, he said, but thinks it could be carried loo far. Caldwell said he agreed that the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln might have certain lobbying advantages over the other campuses because of its location and past funding, but added that grievances should be filed with the NU Board of Regents and the Nebraska Legislature. “There are a lot of other problems addressing us on campus that we need to handle before addressing some thing like this,” Caldwell said. ASUN President Andy Massey agreed. He said he was still more con cerned about budget cuts, but added, “if they don’t have any better ways to See ASUN on 3