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
