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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 1993)
SPORTS University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 92 No. 105 10/5 Today, continued coM and doudy. Not aa cotd tor Thursday. February 17, 1993 New directors begin working with community Attorneys hope to combine talents, skills to produce achieving UNL environment By Michelle Leary Senior Reporter Two attorneys have been hired as asso ciate directors of the Office of Affir mative Action and Diversity Programs Linda R. Crump of Lincoln and Ronald O. Ross of Omaha stalled their jobs Monday at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “Our goal is to create an environment where students can achieve, where they feel welcome and where they can perform to their best abil ity,” Crump said. Crump and Ross said among their duties in the affirmative action office would be coordi nation of community diversity programs and liaison work with community groups. They will be conducting investigations for affirmative action issues, conducting educa tional seminars, assisting in developing reports and responding to Office of Civil Rights inves tigations. “It’s vital that we become infused with the university,” Crump said. “We have to be in tune with the people (students, faculty and staff) here ... their concerns, their needs and their wants.” “We want to educate people about diversity, which is a subject that needs to be addressed,” Ross said. “Hopefully in the near future every , ewe lyillhnve a positive attitude towards diver “Affirmative action offices, sometimes, are places people fear,” Crump said. “But people need to know we’re here to help make sure they know the proper way to do things.” Eric Jolly, director of the Affirmative Ac tion ami Diversity Office, said he was con vinced that the two would do things properly., “I’m so delighted to have this breadth of talent and depth of skill,” Jolly said. “They'll be able to do things to positively impact the community. “They come from a background that shows a real ability to understand the community’s, as well as the university’s missions and goals,” he said. Jolly said there were more than 200 quali fied applicants for the position of associate director. “Crump and Ross were the top candidates,” Jolly said. “So I worked to creatively construct a way to hire both of them.” Recent job restructuring in the office had eliminated one position. Jolly said, A part-time position was created to head up UNL’s efforts to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act Chancellor Graham Spanier had allocated one full-time position for an associate director. “The position was originally createdfor one person,” Jolly said, “but by working with other / departments I was able to hire them both.” See AFFIRMATIVE on 6 llrfvib rwyiily/L/n ASUN President Andrew Sigerson listens to reporters’ questions during a press conference at the Capitol Tuesday morning. ^ Battle-ax Sigerson says NU students can’t take brunt of budget cuts By Jeff Zefeny Senior Reporter The University of Nebraska cannot survive any more budget cuts, and students won’t stand around and let more take place, ASUN president Andrew Sigerson said at a Tuesday news conference in the state Capitol. “After year after year of budget cuts, the students say, ‘No more,’” Sigerson said. “We will no longer be the chicken in the eyes of the Legislature’s fox.” Sigerson and other UNL student govern ment officials protested the proposed $ 13.98 million cut to the university system. The cut represents 5 percent of the total NU budget The cut would have devastating effects on UNL, Sigerson said. About $7 million of the proposed cuts would be from the Univer sity of Nebraska-Uncoln budget. The measure would mean possible cuts in degree-granting programs, starting with the College of Arts and Sciences, Sigerson said. Maintenance projects also would be de layed, putting buildings such as Burnett Hall and the Love Library Archives in even fur ther danger, he said. As a last resort to save the university, Sigerson said, the NU Board of Regents ‘ would be forced to raise tuition to fund * Mr. • After year after year of budget cuts, the students say, ‘No more.' We will no longer be the chicken In the eyes of the Legislature’s fox. — Sigerson UNL student regent -ft - salary increases needed to keep professors from leaving. Students would be more willing to pay higher tuition, Sigerson said, if the money was earmarked to benefit specific student programs, not just put in the university's coffers. Sen. Scott Moore of Seward, chairman of the Legislature’s Appropriations Commit tee, said that although the cuts were exten sive, they weren’t proposed to ruin the uni versity. “We treated the university the same as any other state institution,” Moore said. “Tl»e fact is, the university dollar is so big.” Moore said he hoped the $14 million amount would be lowered as the session progressed, but he said taxes would have to be raised to solve the budget problem. AS UN leaders are advocating no budget cuts, but they don’t want to see tax increases either, Moore said. “I informed them when students come down,” he said, (that) “if you don’t want me to cut (the budget), they have to remember the responsible thing is to raise taxes. “If you want credibility with me, you need to offer a tax increase." Moore criticized Sigerson and AS UN for offering no alternative cuts. But S igerson said it was not his job to take a position on tax increases, and he added that he didn't appreciate Moore’s personal at tacks. Moore said he realized the cuts to the university would be harmful, but that the Appropriations Committee had no choice. If we cutdeepcr at die university, we are jeopardizing things,” Moore said. “I fully understand that.” Another AppropriationsCommiuee mem ber, Sen. La Von Crosby of Lincoln, said she thought the committee could look past the university to solve the state’s budget prob lems. “Taking a hit like that on the university (is devastating),” Crosby said. “When you See BUDGET CUTS on 6 ent of silence to remain at graduations Committee to stop discussing prayer, chairman says By Karen Okamoto Staff Raportar The University of Nebraska Lincoln Commencement Committee unanimously voted Tuesday to preserve the mo mentof silence at graduation ceremo nies. Chancellor Graham Spanier, who has remained neutral on the'prayer issue, first invoked a moment of si lence rather than a spoken prayer at commencement exercises last Decem ber. . The chancellor’s action was in re sponse lo the Commencement Committee’s November decision to eliminate the invocation and benedic tion from the ceremonies. Committee Chairman Jeff Keown said five members of the commence ment committee, including the two ASUN representatives on the com mittee, would meet with the chancel lor next month to draft a speech that would begin the moment of silence. Spanier will be the one to deliver that speech, Keown said. The two ASUN representatives arc to be included in the drafting process so that students have some input, he said. The committee made its decision to eliminate an organized, spoken prayer after Herb Howe, associate to the chancellor, raised the issue fol lowing a S upreme Court dec ision ban - nine prayer in public schools. Although the decision did not ap ply to postsecondary institutions, Howe and others pointed to the wide diversity of religious beliefs among graduating seniors as a reason to fol low in the spirit of the ruling. On Dec. 3, the committee reaf firmed its November decision after the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska passed a reso lution calling for the reinstatement of prayers. In January, AS UN began a student petition to bring back prayer at the ceremony. Keown said Tuesday’s meeting, however, was the last time the com mittee would address the issue of prayer at graduation. - -it A moment of silence Is common to all cultures and religions. --Keown Commencement Committee chairman “We felt it was a logical compro mise,” he said, “because a moment of silence is common lo all cultures and religions. “It gives everyone a chance to pray in their own way or to reflect upon their years at the university or where they plan to be in the future.” The Commencement Committee also had been asked by two other groups to reconsider its November decision. The NU Board of Regents requested on Dec, 12 that prayer be reinstated, and the UNL Academic Senate passed a similar resolution on Jan. 19. ASUN President Andrew Sigerson said he still believed prayer should be allowed at graduation in a “fair” man ner, whereby different religions are ensured representation. “It’s unfortunate that the commit tee went with that method,” he said, “but it’s better than nothing.” See PRAYER on 3