UNL good for state’s economy, study says
■
uiNL generaies *1.4
\ billion in business
I activity in Nebraska from,
f $219 million in state
taxpayer investmc
Over $1.2 billion
generated yearly
through university
By Michelle Leary
Senior Reporter
Investment in the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln is a wise de
cision , according to an econom ic
study.
Charles Lamphear, director of
UNL’s Bureau of Business Research,
said the resources that taxpayers, stu
dents, parents and benefactors had
invested in UNL were returned time
and time again.
“They see benefits not only in eco
nomic growth but also in a better
quality of life,” Lamphear said.
Lamphear said he was approached
by the Office of Public Relations to
analyze survey information, which
was gathered from university students,
faculty and staff. UNL’s Office of
Business and Finance provided the
detailed accounting data.
Chancellor Graham Spanier said
his office commissioned the study
last fall because “it is very useful to
know what the university means to
the state in terms of economic devel
opment.
“We’re doing a lot of long-range
programming, which will affect the
state and its citizens," Spanier said.
“We want to be sensitive to how any
changes would affect the state.”
Spanier said the report would be
beneficial to the Legislature’s Appro
priations Committee, which proposed
a 5 percent budget cut for the Univer
sity of Nebraska earlier this month.
“The proposed budget cuts did not
motivate this study, but as it turns out,
(the report) is very relevant,” he said.
“The university is the largest em
ployer in Nebraska following state
government,” Spanier said.
More than $200 million of the
university’s appropriations goes to
ward salary and wages. According to
the preliminary report, UNL employs
about 5,100 Nebraskans, including
800 people outside the Lincoln area.
“Budget cuts would have a ripple
effect on the economy," he said. “We
would have to lay off a lot of employ -
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bast campus
remark draws
campaign fire
Candidate accuses PARTY
of neglecting some students
By Chuck Green
Senior Reporter
With only 12 campaigning days left
until ihc election, the presidential
candidates of two ASUN parties are
wasting no time jabbing their opponents.
During a press conference Thursday, VOICE
presidential candidate Keith Benes accused
PARTY presidential candidate Steve Dietz of
downplaying the importance of East Campus
and the students there.
Benes said that during
Wednesday’s East Union
debate between the parties’
candidates for Association of
Students of the University of
Nebraska executive posi
tions, Dietz described East
Campus students as a “spe
cial-interest group.”
“A special-interest group is a narrow-fo
cused, limited-interest political entity,” said
Benes, a junior speech communications major.
“Examples of special-interest groups are Young
Democrats, College Republicans and ECOL
OGY NOW.
“The issues of students in this campaign are
the same no matter what demographic group
you come from. East Campus is not a special
interest group,” he said.
Dietz, a senior art major, said he did not
recall labeling East Campus in a negative way.
“I don’t know where ne got that interpreta
tion from,” Dietz said of Benes’ allegation.
“The only thing I might have said was that I
thought (VOICE candidates) were trying to
work East Campus to get a good voting block.
“Other than that, I don't remember calling
East Campus a special-interest group and I
don't view it that way.”
Dietz said he viewed al]»University of Ne
braska-Lincoln students as equally important.
“I’m just working on trying to get a govern
ment put together for all the students," he said.
“I don’t think East Campus is the main issue of
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Jeff Haller/ON
Camping out?
Jack Shively, a cable splicer for Lincoln Telephone, talks to a fellow employee who was working on telephone lines in
a manhole Thursday near the Administration Building. Shively said the tent was to keep snow out and heat in.
Viaduct construction to close gravel commuter lot
By Corey Russman
Staff Reporter
As construction of the new 10th Street
viaduct continues, access to a gravel
commuter parking lot will be ham
pered, an official said Wednesday.
Michael Cacak, transportation services man
ager, said the intersection at 9th and V streets
would beclosed as soon as Monday,causing the
entrance to the Area 20 lot to be closed.
Cacak said this latest parking impediment
was small in comparison to the university park
ing already affected by the construction.
He said workers plan to construct a new
driveway to allow access to the lot.
Eventually, the small lot may be lost com
pletely, he said, although he didn’t anticipate it
would happen when the March 1 construction
phase began.
The closing of the intersection at 9th and V
streets is part of the continuing construction
process that will lead to the destruction of the
old 10th Street viaduct and the construction of
a new viaduct connecting 9th and 10th streets.
Developers will be tearing down the former
Early Learning Center building tocleartheway
for the construction, he said.
Toward the end of March, Cacak said, con
struction of the new road connecting 14th and
10th streets will begin.
Developers plan to start at the east end, near
14th Street, and proceed west toward 10th
Street.
Cacak said he was not sure which university
parking lots would be affected by the construc
tion of the new road.
University ready for tourney crowds, officials say
By Kristine Long
Staff Reporter
High school state tournament
season is here.
Masses of students, parents
and die-hard fans from schools across
Nebraska are planning trips to Lin
coln to cheer their teams to a state
championship.
With the crowds of people ex
pected to flock lo the University of
Police, residence halls prepared to deal with parking, guests
Nebraska-Lincoln campus, the week
ends could become hectic.
ButcampusofTicialssay they know
what problems to expect and are well
prepared to handle the rowdy crowds,
thousands of cars and overnight guests.
Larry Kalkowski, corporal in crime
prevention for the UNL police, said
more disturbances were reported dur
ing tournament time, but most were
minor.
At the state wrestling tournament
last weekend, police broke up many
fights, but they were not serious
enough to record, he said.
The state swimming competition,
which takes place this weekend, usu
ally doesn’t draw large crowds and
shouldn’t cause problems, he said.
The crowds for the girls’ state bas
ketball tournament, March 4-6, usu
ally aren’t too rowdy, either, he said.
But during the boys’ state basket
ball tournament, March 11-13, the
crowds of about 13,000 per game can
get out of hand, Kalkowski said.
Fights usually start when students
from rival schools are looking to get
revenge because of a bad game,
Kalkowski said.
To prevent major problems, he
said, the UNL police work overtime
— some up to 12 or 13 hours a day.
Seventeen officers will be patrol
ling areas inside and outside the Bob
Devaney Sports Center and around
the UNL campus.
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