I UNL, NCAA in stalemate over scholarships
I NCAA awaits word from Nebraska
Chambers not sorry about state law
By Susie Arth
Senior Reporter
The NCAA and the Nebraska athletic de
partment seem to be caught in a stalemate
following the hype produced by a Ne
braska state law that conflicts with an
NCAA regulation.
LB69, which went into effect June 1, re
quires student-athletes who qualify for any
need-based aid to receive the full amount.
But the NCAA limits the number of football
scholarships schools may give out to 92 at a
time. That scholarship limit covers all need- "
based aid, except Pell Grants and student loans.
Dan Dutcher, director of legislati ve services
for the NCAA, said the NCAA was sitting back
and waiting for the University of Nebraska
Lincoln to make the next move.
“As far as I’m aware,” he said, “the interpre
tation is already in existence.”
It’s clear the Nebraska law conflicts with
NCAA rules, he said.
But he said the NCAA probably would steer
clear of the conflict unless another university or
UNL gave them a reason to address it.
The NCAA could penalize Nebraska, Dutcher
said, if complaints are filed by other universi
ties.
Other schools may complain if they believe
Nebraska is receiving an unfair recruiting ad
vantage by exceeding the allotted 92 scholar
ships, he said.
Dutcher said the NCAA also could take
action if the violation was reported by the
Nebraska athletic department.
See NCAA on 3
By Chuck Green
Senior Reporter
Despite placing the Nebraska athletic de
partment in the awkward position of
having to choose between NCAA regu
lations and state law, State Sen. Ernie
Chambers said he had no regrets about LB69.
The bill, introduced by Chambers in Febru
ary 1991, requires the University of Nebraska
Lincoln to allow all athletes eligible for need
based Financial aid to receive it. LB69 took
effect June \:
However, NCAA regulations prohibit uni
versities from having more than 92 football
players on scholarship at a time. All need-based
aid, except Pell Grants and studen t loans, counts
as a scholarship.
Chambers said he introduced the legislation
with the best interests of the student-athletes in
mind.
“My concern never has been for the NCAA,
the Big Eight Conference or the Nebraska
athletic department, but rather for the young
men who play the game,” Chambers said. “I
think it’s an unethical, immoral position to lure
young, impoverished men to the institution
where they won’t be able to survive financially.
“They ’ re treated like meat... rather than the
students and human beings they arc.”
- Chambers said the bill was meant to ensure
that non-scholarship athletes would be able to
receive financial aid while participating in foot
ball.
One result, however, is that fourComhusker
walk-on players — if they accept the financial
See CHAMBERS on 3
Regents set to approve
billion-dollar NU budget
By Andy Raun
Staff Reporter
The NU Board of Regents is ex
pected to give final approval
today to an operating budget
request of nearly SI billion for
each of the next two fiscal years.
The budget request represents the
amount of money university adminis
trators think will be needed to operate
the University of
Nebraska at a level
modestly exceed
ing the current one,
said Joe Rowson,
director of public
affairs.
Administrators
and the regents have been working for
several monifTs'to formulate the pro
posal, Rowson said.
“This is kind of the final sign-off’
on the request, he said.
All state agencies are required to
submit their budget requests by Sept.
15, Rowson said.
About 30 percent of NU’s total
funding would come from the state
under the terms of the regents’ re
quest. The state would provide $305.2
million for 1993-94 and $317.3 mil
lion for the following year.
Tuition, revenue from University
Hospital at the University of Nebraska
Medical Center, federal funds and
money from other sources provide the
rest.
The budget figures — $974.97
million for 1993-94 and $999.96 mil
lion for 1994-95 — do not take into
consideration possible employee pay
increases. The Nebraska Legislature,
which must determine the actual state
budget appropriation for the univer
sity, is expected to consider pay in
creases for NU employees and the
other state agencies later.
Gov. Ben Nelson and legislators
have said significant budget cuts for
all state agencies might be necessary
to compensate for a ■■state revenue
shortfall. But reductions in the uni
versity budget would have to be made
at the legislative level, Rowson said.
In addition to approving the oper
ating budget request, the regents are
expected to approve making a supple
mental budget request of $1.66 mil
lion for the next two-year period for
the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
The regents will vote on a proposal
to make a capital construction budget
requestof nearly $ 19 million for 1993
94 and $22.27 million for 1994-95.
Another vote will be taken to approve
requesting$2.54 million from the state
for projects under the Americans with
Disabilities Act.
Officials say new name
not linked to homophobia
Robin Trimarchi/DN
“Any woman in my position has seen the struggles too many women have faced of being fully
able to enter into the professional life, while juggling other roles and expectations that
society has placed on her,” said Linda Pratt, head of the American Association of University
Professors.
By Susie Arth
Senior Reporter -_
The name of an English course
focusing on gay and lesbians
literature has been changed, not
as a homophobic reaction, but
to clarify the class’ content, an offi
cial said.
Stephen Hilliard, chairman of the
English department, said the descrip
tion of English 21 OB Sex Roles in
Literature would be more accurate
with the subtitle Gay and Lesbian
Literature. The course will not change,
he said, only the name.
“We wanted toensure truth in pack
aging,” he said.
George Wolf, an associate profes
sor of English and instructor of the
course for the 1993 spring semester,
said the name change would serve
two purposes.
Students who don’t want to study
gay and lesbian literature will not be
surprised to learn the focus of the
class, and students who want to take a
course in gay and lesbian literature
will beablc to identify it in the“Sched
ule of Classes,” he said.
Hilliard said he was unaware of
any students who objected to the ma
terial read in the class, and said the
name was changed only to avoid con
fusion.
The subtitle will be added in the
“Schedule of Classes” but not in stu
dents' transcripts, he said.
Some students fear the new name
will not appeal to future employers
viewing their transcripts, Hilliard said.
Wolf said he believed this was a
legitimate fear.
“It’s a very important issue given
the fact that we live in a homophobic
stKicty," he said.
The English dcpartmcntcirculaied
a memo about the change so instruc
tors would be prepared to answer any
questions from people with objec
tions, Hilliard said.
Department members have a right
See HILLIAPD on 2
Academic rights
UNL professor works for educators’ freedom
By Juliet Yenglin
Staff Reporter _
Wedged in the cracks of
education, Linda Pratt is
constantly in pursuit of
fairness and guided by a
deep desire to express the worth of
teaching and learning.
The U.S. education system has
the opportunity to take advantage
of the experience and talents of
Pratt, who began a two-year term in
June as national president of the
American Association of Univer
sily Professors.
- Prau,an English professor,came
to UNL in 1968. She leaches Vic
torian and early modem poetry.
She strives to
ignite the imagi
nation of her stu
dents, she said,
and has accepted
her latest chal
lenge to retain
academic free
dom for educators throughout the
United Stales.
Pratt is the third woman in a row
to be president of the A A UP and
the first woman from a Midwestern
university.
Being a leader — and a woman
— in higher education has made
her mpre sensitive to issues affect
ing people who lack power in the
system, she said.
“I think any woman in academia
who has had her eyes open has seen
the problems that other women have
had,” Pratt said, “whether she has
had them herself or not.
See PRATT on 3