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Ni Daily * | '1
Today, rain likely in the morn
ing, decreasing clouds in the
afternoon. Tonight, cloudy.
Friday, partly to mostly sunny.
_High 40 to 45.
Officials say cost
obstacle for UNL
■ _ . ,-r ‘
phone registration
Regents set to look
at information systems
in committee meeting
By Wendy Navratil
Senior Reporter
University of Nebraska-Lincoln admin
istrators have reached an agreement
over the general guidelines for purchas
ing a new student information computer soft
ware package — but they haven’t figured out a
way to pay for it.
The system, which would make possible
class registration and degree-audits by tele
phone, would cost about $800,000 to $1 mil
lion.
Jim Van Horn, UNL associate vice presi
dent for administration, said UNL and the other
NU campuses will present reports regarding
the status and quality of their existing student
information systems Saturday at the NU Board
of Regents’ planning committee meeting.
The focus of the discussion will be UNL,
Van Horn said, because its student information
system is in the most dire need of improve
ment.
Regents Chairman Don Blank of McCook
said he hoped a proposal to replace UNL’s
antiquated system, which was developed at
UNL rather than purchased from an outside
vendor as was done at the other NU campuses,
would be accepted.
“The major problem is we’ve just outlived
the system/’ Blank said. “We’ve known it for
several years. But the dollars arc always tight,
so you try to sneak one more year out of iL”
UNL asked the Board of Regents last year to
include a request for funding for a new student
information system in its legislative appropria
tions requests.
But Van Horn said it didn’t make the nar
rowed list of priorities that the regents submit
ted to, the Nebraska Legislature last year. The
regents placed a higher priority on faculty
salary increases.
Andy Massey, UNL student regent and
president of the Association of Students of the
University of Nebraska, said he sensed that the
university was becoming more “consumer
conscious,” and that would work in favor of the
purchase of a new system.
“I think that the regents know that the main
reason for the University of Nebraska is stu
dents,” Massey said. “They will want to move
ahead with this.”
Regent Charles Wilson of Lincoln said the
student information system issue is a major
problem that does more than just cause incon
venience for students — it affects the general
climate for students at UNL.
“But as far as it being a priority this year,
there are other very important matters compet
ing for priority status,” Wilson said.
Judging by the budgetary situation at the
university right now, Wilson said the system
may not be financed.
“It would depend on where it winds up on
the priority list. Those at the top will be funded”
rather than resorting to tuition increases to pay
for them, he said.
James Griesen, vice chancellor for student
affairs, said legislatively appropriated funds
could not be obtained until next year when the
university makes its requests for the next two
year budgetary period, and even then the fund
ing might not be granted.
Internal reallocation would be considered,
but because UNL has already gone through that
with budget reductions, Griesen said it proba
bly would not be a feasible way to finance the
purchase.
Van Horn said the university may consider
See FUTURE on 3
i r
. - . . « Michelle Paulman/ON
Out with the old
Construction Group Inc. employees Ed Pickett and Dwane Sorensen
work Tuesday morning on frames for new windows at the Apothecary,
140 N. 8th St. Work on the upper floors is expected to continue for four
more weeks, building owner Jon Camp said.
Fewer dead week violations reported to ASUN
By Adeana Leftin
Senior Reporter
Reported violations of UNL’s
dead week policy arc down in
number but up in validity, an
ASUN senator said Wednesday.
Jason Kricscr, Institute of Agri
culture and Natural Resources sena
tor and chairman of ASUN’s aca
demic committee, said that in past
years, more complaints were turned
in to the Association of Students of
the University of Nebraska.
Last year at least 10 complaints
were reported compared to this year’s
five. But most of the previous com
plaints were invalid, while the com
plaints turned in this year have been
valid violations, Kriescr said.
Many of the cases reported this
year were a result of new professors
or teacher’s aides who weren’t famil
iar with the dead week policy, he
said.
University of Ncbraska-Lincoln,
policy states that only lab practical,
makeup or self-paced examinations
may be given during dead week. The
policy also states that projects, papers
or speeches may not be scheduled for
completion during dead week unless
they have been assigned by the end of
the eighth week of classes.
Kricscr already has hdlpcd three
students clear up violations and is
working on two more eases, but he
said he knows there arc more com
plaints out there.
"I would strongly encourage the
students to bring the complaints in,”
he said. “We have the lime,and we’d
like to help.”
Students might not report eases
because they either don’t know-ASUN
can help or they fear retribution from
their professors. Kricscr said that to
file complaints, students must fill out
a form, but they don’t have to leave
their names with the ASUN office.
Also, he said, he docs not tell profes
sors which students have complained.
“It’s a totally anonymous situation,”
he said. “There’s no repercussion
possible at all from the professor.”
Most professors arc cooperative
when Kricser contacts them to dis
cuss the violations, he said, but if they
aren’t, he will go to their supervisors.
“We need to make a definite at
tempt to follow” the dead week pol
icy, he said, “and if they won’t make
an attempt to follow it then I’ll go up
the ladder.”
Kricscr said he has never had lo
progress past ihc department head to
get a response.
Leo Chouinard, an associate pro
fessor of mathematics and statistics,
proposed Tuesday to the Academic
Senate that part of the dead week
policy be changed.
“The impression 1 gel is that there
arc regular violations of the dead week
policy,” he said.
His concern is that students arc
being pressured to consent lo take
tests during dead week. He said the
policy should ensure that the consent
is indeed unanimous.
Spanier defends dispersal of funding
_
Chancellor says process
. makes research ‘bargain’
By Tom Kunz
Staff Reporter
Cllhough some faculty arc questioning
the disbursement of research funds,
UNL’s chancellor said the problem is
minimal.
Speaking at the Academic Senate meeting
Tuesday, Graham Spanier addressed the issue
of indirect cost reimbursement allocations.
At the October meeting of the Academic
Senate, Clifford Walton, an associate professor
of chemical engineering, introduced a resolu
tion regarding state-funded budgets. The reso
lution calls for any permitted indirect costs
associated with externally funded programs to
be the first items cut from the state-funded
budgets. These cuts, according to the resolu
tion, would come prior to any cuts of academic
programs.
Indirect cost reimbursement allocations arc
funds siphoned from grants to finance the
overhead of research projects. For example, if
an English professor were to receive a $ 100,000
grant, the English department would take a
percentage of that to pay for overhead costs
such as electricity, salary and equipment. 1
Spanicr expressed disagreement with the
senate resolution, saying, “There seems to be a
belief that there tons of money floating
around in this mysterious category of indirect
costs."
The UNL indirect cost reimbursement rale
is set by the vice chancellor’s office for re
search at around 40 percent, while the national
rate is about 55 percent, Spanicr said.
See RESEARCH on 6
I , 1
Soviet republics
join coalition.
Page 2
CRC to
move to 501
building. Page
6
Thinkin’ in
Lincoln. Page 7
H u s k e r s
badger Wiscon
sin to win. Rage
16
... INDEX
Wire 2
Opinion 4
Diversions 7
Sports 16
Classifieds 18