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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1993)
xt iMyi ^B Nebraskan _jg§gL I Staff added to Hazardous Materials Program 1990 EPA fines warrants larger waste site facility By Karen Okamoto Staff Reporter The handling of hazardous ma terials at the University of Ne braska-Lincohi has taken a turn for the better, a university official 4 dead week violationsfiled By Chuck Green Senior Reporter Despite more awareness among students and faculty members about UNL’s dead week policy, complaints of violations arc alive and well. Shane Ham, chairman of the Asso ciation of Students of the University of Nebraska’s Academic Committee, said he already had received four com plaints of dead week policy viola tions. Three of the written complaints had been taken care of as of Sunday, Ham said. » "* “Twe-of them were valid viola tions, and the third was a communica tion error between the professor and the student,” he said. “The fourth one is still being worked on.” Ham could not comment on details of the complaints. According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s official policy, the only examinations that can be given during dead week are labora tory practical examinations, makeup or repeal tests and self-paced exams, like those used in Keller Plan courses. Projects, papers and speeches scheduled for dead week must have been assigned in writing by the end of the eighth week of the semester. Last semester, the AS UN office received only two reports of dead week violations, well below the usual average of around 10 complaints. Ham said the lower number of reported violations came from in creased awareness of the dead week policy. “In past semesters, we’ve had a pretty steady number of complaints from students,” he said. “Last semes ter, we only received two complaints. This semester, I don’t foresee any new reports.” Ham said he thought better com munication between professors and students eliminated much of the pos sibility of violations. “Teachers are more aware of the policy, and so arc the students,” he said. “That helps keep the number of problems to a minimum.” said. Since September, UNL has added four people to the Hazardous Materi als Program: three hazardous materi als specialists and one secretary. But Dan Olsen, UNL chemical safety and hazardous materials spe cialist, said even more staff members were needed because the potential for a big problem still existed. Olsen said that before the staff increase, he-was basically the only person in the program. James Rhone, the director of the hazardous waste I-< program, works out of Omaha and overseesall four university campuses. Before September, Olsen said, more problems occurred than he could solve, and he had a backlog of six to eight weeks’ worth of work just pick ing up chemicals from the depart ments. He said the backlog caused other problems, including: • delays in customer service. • laboratory space wasted on the storage of materials not picked up. • a safety problem in the laborato ries, especially when the chemical to be collected was a flammable liquid. • possible regulation violations because some chemicals cannot be stored for an extended period of time, which would mean fines from the Environmental Protection Agency. The enlarged staff has improved the program's service, Olsen said. The five-member staff was able to keep ahead of problems for once, he said. But the work still may not be fast enough to erase the safety concerns Therrese Ooodtett/DN Just so Carolyn Loop, a senior fine arts major, finishes up some semester-end projects for an independent oil class Sunday afternoon in Richards Hall. worrying the university or a regula tory agency such as the EPA, he said. “The EPA doesn’t understand or accept the lack of resources as an excuse for not getting something done,” Olsen said. To remedy the situation, Olsen said, he would like to hire three tech nicians to pick up hazardous materi als, a job that currently is performed by hazardous materials specialists. Olsen said the specialists, who have See HAZARD on 3 Joyce says ^ ^ racial climate remains same Actions didn’t lead to change, she says By Jeff Zeleny Senior Reporter Joyce Joyce is known for making waves, but she questions whether her struggles have made a difference. Joyce started making waves at the Univer sity of Nebraska-Lincoln one year ago after she filed a grievance with the UNL Academic Senate. Reverberations of her actions were felt again four months ago, when she resigned from m her position as a UNL English professor. But Joyce said her actions hadn’t changed the racial problems she said existed at UNL. Joyce spoke to about 60 people in the Ne braska Union Saturday night. She read her personal response, “Race, Class and Gender and Their Influence On My Voice and Author ity in African-American Literary Criticism,” two essays about Afrocentrism, and answered questions about African-Americans and the roles they play in a society. Joyce, now a professor of English and asso ciate director of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing at Chicago State University, said in an interview after her address that things had not changed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Joyce said UNL’s problems with racial ten sions would not change until administrators admitted to themselves and others that prob lems exist. “They had an opportunity to work at it with me,” she said. “They arc failing.” Controversy abounded on the UNL campus after two of Joyce’s former students had grades raised by the grading appeals committee. The appeals led to the regrading of a test, which Joyce said violated her academic freedom. The Academic Freedom and Tenure Com mittee of the Academic Senate ruled that Joyce’s rights were violated because she was never informed of the grade changes. Joyce said she was pleased with the senate’s investigation, and credited Helen Moore, chair woman of the committee, for her work. “The university is very lucky to have the women on the senate comm ittcc that conducted the hearing,” she said. “They were superbly See JOYCE on 3 I Studying spots for finals vary with students’ demands Best choices include i library, union, homes By Karen Okamoto \ Staff Report*_ ___ i he best place to study for next week’s final exams depends upon the student, ' — according to the Academic Success Center. Graduate student Mike Coplcn, a tu»or for the center, said some students preferred a noisy place, while others liked a quiet place. Students studying in various places cm and off campus had differing opinions on the best _t_,_. ' . • .. .... ‘ . . atmosphere. Love Library is the best place to study, according to some students. Sarah Swihart, a senior Latin American studies major, said she liked the library because it was quiet most of the lime. Other students preferred the Nebraska Union. Kristine Futa, a graduate student inpsychol ogy who was studying for Finals Saturday, said, “Hike it because it’s not as quiet as the library, and there’s not as much opportunity to sleep.” But one student studying at The Mill, 800 P St., said neither the union nor the library was a good place for studying. “I like some place that’s not loo quiet but so loud, like this (The Mill),’’ said Trung Nguyen, a sophomore psychology and biology major. “The library is too quiet and the union is too loud.” But one student said he didn't have a favorite place to study Jim Hill, a senior actuarial science major, said he would study just about anywhere. “It just depends on what I’m studying,” he said. “For something like statistics, I like to study in a group. But for business classes, I study alone.” Another student said he had three favorite places to study. Steve Grics, a senior political science major, said he liked the Nebraska Union, Love Library and his kitchen. Gries, who has roommates, said he studied at whichever place was the quietest. -44 I have to be around coffee. If I’m not around coffee, / can’t study. —»Joel Halpine graduate student -tt - But for another student, noise, or the lack of noise, was not important. Coffee is the important factor for Joel Halpine, a graduate student in audiology. 4,I have to be around coffee,” he said. ‘If I’m not around coffee, I can’t study.” Halpine said The Coffee House, The Mill and Village Inn were good places to study. ' »i ’ * , /' ... ' v