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^ v. aa a * I 111
Officials agree future cut? at NU inevitable
uy wiiuuk uieen
Senior Reporter__
Nebraska Gov. Ben Nelson’s plan recom
mending fiat budgets — except for sal
ary increases — for the University of
Nebraska and slate colleges has at least two NU
officials both optimistic and discouraged.
Discouraged by what the plan includes, but
pleased by what it excluded.
Under Nelson’s proposal, which he an
nounced Monday, NU would receive a 2.5
percent increase of state tax dollars — about
$8.3 million — during the next two years. All
but $300,000 of those funds would be allocated
for faculty and staff salary increases and health
insurance costs, said Randy Haack, NU budget
|
— II—
I think we re getting to the point that we have so many areas
that have to have money, something needs to be done. I won
der whether the governor lacks the political courage needed to
get that money to the university.
— Sigerson
ASUN President
director.
Haack said he was relieved the plan didn’t
specifically include further budget cuts for the
university. But he said NU remained far from
immune to future cuts.
77
“But this is only round one,” he said. “Round
two will come during the Legislature’s ses
sion.”
Although he was thankful Nelson’s plan
didn’t call for more budget cuts, Haack said he
was concerned that the plan does not allow for
new funds to combat the rising operation costs
of the university.
He said NU officials now face a 3.5 percent
yearly increase in operational costs alone —
about Si.8 million per year.
Andrew Sigerson, Association of Students
for the University of Ncbraska-Lincoln presi
dent and UNL student regent, said he, too, was
pleased that no new cuts were included in
Nelson’s recommendation.
But he agreed that more money was needed
to keep the university system running.
“I think we’re getting to the point that we
have so many areas that have to have money,
See BUDGET on 6
Jeff Haller/ DN
Hoisting the crane
Roger Giesmann of Syracuse attaches a support cable to Crane River Brewpub and Cafe,
200 N. 11th St., Thursday for Nebraska Neon Sign Company.
»Legislation gets both
support, opposition
ay Micnene Leary
Senior Reporter_
There’s a new bill in town, well,
actually the state, that, if passed,
would allow Nebraska bars to
' stay open an extra hour.
LB287, intro
duced by Sen.
Tim Ha^ of
Omaha, would
permit bars in
Nebraska to re
j main open until 2
| a.m.
Jennifer Lodes,
chairwoman of UNL’s Government
Liasion Committee, said the bill would
be good for the state if it could help
raise revenue.
“The only real benefit is if Ne
braska businesses can make more
money for themselves, as well as the
state,” said Lodes, a senior political
science major.
“The bill would be more beneficial
if it also sponsored some sort of dcs
ignated-driver program with it,” Lode
said. “Thai’s one of the best things a
bar can do.” ~
Capt. Doug Ahlberg of the Lincoln
Pol ice Department said i f LB 287 was
passed, an amendment should be added
to the measure that would make des
ignated-driver programs a require
ment.
“I don’t see the need for this bill,”
Ahlberg said. “At2(a.m.), most people
should be home in bed. But if it’s
going to pass, provisions need to be
made for the public’s safety.’’
“I’m against it,” said Sen. La Von
Crosby of Lincoln, who said she would
not support the bill if it went to a vote.
‘Every time you lengthen drinking
hours, people drink more.”
David Johnson, president of the
Lancaster County Mothers Against
Drunk Driving chapter, agreed with
Crosby, saying the bill did not make
sense.
“It just gives people an extra hour
to dr ink,” he said.“The only way 1 can
see it happening is if the bars slay
open until 2 (a.m.), but they slop
serving at 1 (a.m.).
“That way people’s bodies can at
least digest one drink before they
drive.”
James Moylan of Omaha, a lobby
ist for the Nebraska Licensed Bever
age Association, said allowing
Nebraska’s bars to remain open an
hour later would reduce drunken driv
ing and make the streets and high
ways safer.
Because four of the six surround
ing states allow liquor establishments
to stay open later, some people are
driving into those states after Ne
braska bars close at 1 a.m. and then
driving back, Moylan said.
Iowa, Wyom ing and Colorado bars
can stay open until 2 a.m. Bars in
Missouri can stay open until 3 a.m.
South Dakota bars close at 1 a.m.
See BARS on 6
Payne only candidate
for regents chairman
Skrupa, Wilson
don’t follow up
on aspirations
By Kristine Long
Staff Reporter
The campaign for ihc chairman
ship of ihc NU Board of Re
gents, which seemed like a hotly
contested race earlier this week, has
dwindled to involve only one candi
date.
Three regents—
John Payne of
Kearney, Rose
mary Skrupa of
Omaha and
Charles Wilson of
Lincoln — had
announce^ that
they were interested in the position,
but now only one candidate shows
real interest in the position.
The board will elect a chairman
Saturday at its first meeting of the
semester.
Payne, the current board chair
man, said he was not going to specu
late about the election.
“I have made tho statement that if
the rest of the regents want me to serve
another term, 1 will do it,” Payne said.
Skrupa said earlier this week that
she had considered campaigning for
chairwoman, but she had not sought
votes actively.
“I am just testing the waters,”
Skrupa said.
Wilson said he thought seriously
about campaigning for chairman but
decided the liming was not good for
him this year. He said his medical
practice was too time-consuming to
allow his taking on the responsibility
of being chairman.
But he said he still was interested
in holding that position in the future.
Wilson said the chairman — and
the entire board — had a busy year
ahead.
See REGENTS on 6
Bill proposes regent term limits
Senator wants
four-year limit
By Jeff Zeleny
Senior Reporter
The NU Board of Regents
should be held more ac
countable, a state senator
said, and he is introducing a consti
tutional amendment to see that it
happens.
Sen. Ron
Withcm of
P a p i 11 i o n ,
chairman of the
education com
mittec, intro
duced LR3CA
last week. The
proposal would
reduce regents’ terms from six years
to four years. Withcm said most
other board members in Nebraska
served four-year terms, and the NU
board should be no different.
“A four-year term keeps mcm
" bers in touch with the people who
-T--- —■ ■ ■
elected them,” Withem said. ‘‘We
have had six to seven years with
much turmoil in the university struc
ture. We need to end the turmoil to
stabilize and create plans for the
future to move in a uniform direc
tion.”
The NU Board of Regents has
been under public scrutiny since
NU President Ronald Roskens was
fired in 1989. Last Friday Marlin
Massengalc announced his inten
tions to step down from the head of
the university system, sending more
controversy to the board.
Withem introduced a bill to re
call regent members in 1991. The
bill was not discussed because of
lime constraints, Withem said.
Board of regent members’ opin
ions varied on the proposed amend
ment Thursday.
Regent Rosemary Skrupa of
Omaha said she supported term
limitation, but said a four-year term
would be too short.
“It takes at least four years to
really know what you’re doing,”
she said, “because of the complex
ity of the system.”
-44
After all, the presi
dent of the United
States is elected for
four-year terms too.
— Robinson
Regent
-ft -
Skrupa, a five-year member, said
regents didn’t have a secretarial or
support staff to help them adjust to
the job.
“I have to type my own letters,
for goodness’ sake.”
Regent Nancy O’Brien of Wa
terloo agreed.
“I think it takes at least two
years to get really acclimated to the
role and the function of the univer
sity,” she said.
O’Brien said she didn’t have
strong feelings about the issue, and
wasn’t sure if changing term lengths
would improve accountability.
See LIMITS on 6