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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 8, 1993)
<SPORTS Game coverage. Huskers roll past North Texas, 76-14, but injuries rock key players. Page 8 <A&E Bungeeing Bungee jumping at the Nebraska State Fair provides thrills for city journalists. Page 12 Wednesday 81/57 Today, mostly sunny and warm. Thursday, sunny and windy. Lincoln Vol. 93 No. 12 U N L working to comply with EPA after violations By Dionne Searcey Senior Reporter UNL officials in charge of haz v ardous waste disposal are working to comply with fed eral environmental regulations that have been violated, university offi cials said. Brenda Osthus, hazardous materi als specialist at the UNL Hazardous Materials Program, said the universi ty was renovating warehouse space that could store more waste than facil ities now contain. University of Nebraska-Lincoln officials are asking the EPA for a permit to allow the mixed waste to be stored in the new building for a year or longer, Osthus said. Last fall during annual inspections from the Environmental Protection Agencv, UNL was cited for violating several regulations, she said. The Resource Conservation Recovery Act of 1976 requires an extensive set of rules UNL must follow. EPA officials cited the university for improper disposal of a mixture of radioactive and hazardous waste. Both UNL campuses generate a great deal of hazardous waste, Osthus said. Chemistry and biochemistry re search, janitorial services, the art de partment and the University Health Center contribute to radioactive and hazardous waste. The mixed waste is being stored in sites on East and City Campuses, she said. Federal regulations require mixed waste be stored in such sites for no longer than 90 days. But UNL has nowhere to ship the mixed waste, Osthus said, because U.S. dumps will not accept it. Hospi tals and industries have similar prob lems, she said. And, Osthus said, the mixed waste is radioactive and cannot be moved for safety reasons. See WASTE on 7 Hazardous waste An example: After a chemistry experiment, the * waste must be placed in a closed container. The researcher responsible for the waste must tag the container, listing the type and amount of waste. That information must be sent to the Hazardous Materials Program where staff members determine whether the waste is recyclable. The researcher will store the waste in the wait Workers win ship the waste to a central l__. location on City Campus at Manter Hall or a storage shed on East Campus. Before 90 days is up, a contracted company will remove the waste from storage and ship it to hazardous waste dumps across the United States fcael«7ftnpJS!Br Political science professor Ivan Volgyes spent two years lecturing on the roots of democracy at Hungarian universities. Volgyes helps Hungary to democracy Professor spent overseas years teaching, learning By Jody Holzworth Staff Hapoftar Along journey begins with a single step, as the saying goes. Ivan Volgyes has helped many peo ple in Hungary take the first step in the journey toward democracy by teaching Us principles. Volayes, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln political science profes sor, recently spent two | years in Hungary help * yJjSK ing the country* peo pie make the shift away f from communism. Volgyes attempted to V Bf interpret the culture of wr the west to the culture .TY • 1*1 of the East in Hungarian university class rooms. He lectured on the roots of democra cy—its original goals—with hopes that the students would become part of the future Hungarian government and make a differ ence. “Development can only come from be low, not from above,” Volgyes said. “I believe that many of these people will be betterable to implement democracy’s goals.” In return, Volgyes said, Hungary taught him something. “These last years have taught me that I should value the American college experi ence,” Volgyes said. “Our college education system by and large has the ability to bring out the best in students if the teacher is sufficiently involved.” Volgyes said American students partici pated in discussions and challenged teachers while Eastern European education was often passive regurgitation. “My own experience as a teacher in Hungary made me wonder ifl ever wanted to be involved in European education,” he said. While teaching at three Hungarian uni versities, Volgyes also served as an adviser for many Hungarians involved in politics and business. Because he spent the first 20 years of his life in Hungary and made contacts with many Hungarian people during the past 30 years, Volgyes was asked by many Hungar ians to help them achieve a democracy similar to the United States. Serving as an adviser for a country’s political decisions, he said, required him to be humble. “The whole notion is that you really need humility when you begin to try to advise anyone else,” Volgyes said. “You should only give advice in areas that you are famil iar with and know if things will work.” Volgyes said the advising role required warning other societies against following some of the paths Americans have taken. “I have seen things done by American businessmen that have made me ashamed of sharing my citizenship with them,” he said. “Many of these snake-oil salesmen come in with no idea of the Hungarian culture or the boundaries of the field in which they are consulting.” Volgyes said he told his Eastern Europe an colleagues to choose the democratic struc ture they put into place very carefully. They can choose from the best aspects of democracy while avoiding the excesses of individual freedom, such as violent crime, gangs and the lack of public safety, he said. Volgyes said changes in government al ways resulted in significant job layoffs, but he said people need not be put on the streets. “There are ways to empower them to assume responsibility for their own fate,” Volgyes said. “And of my accomplishments, this is what 1 am most proud of." Volgyes’ years of work with Hungarians has blossomed into the organization of the Hungary’s first professional civil service to guard against corruption in Eastern Europe. Volgyes helped draft the law and regulations for the civil service. He also established the Erasmus Founda tion for Democracy in Hungaiy, founded the Center for Security and Defense Studies, and has participated in the economic, aca demic and political life of Hungary. Program links underclassmen, administration By Melanie Brandert Staff Reporter_ * This fall, underclassmen in UNL’s res . idence halls will finally get a chance to interact with administrators and senior faculty members on a more personal basis. Dopglas Zatechka, director ofhousing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the new Residence Life Faculty Fellows Program, a student mentor and referral service, assigned • 16 ifnmfi to different residence ball Hoots. Each team includes one senior faculty member and one student affairs official. Zatechka said the program was designed to establish student-faculty relationships more quickly. This kind of relationship, he said, could speed up the students’ senses of belong ing, improve tneir ability to solve problems and reduce homesickness. “There is strong evidence that if a student can develop a relationship with a student affairs or faculty member, they will simply do better,” he said. Thirty-nine faculty members and adminis trators are involved in the new program, which serves all residence halls except Cather and Pound halls and the graduate sections of the halls. Zatecnka said tnat while tne program didn t have enough teams to assign one to every floor in the halls, each residence hall has at least one floor participating. If the program is successful, he said he would like to see teams assigned to every floor. The program focuses mainly on the resi dence halls with large numbers of freshmen because those students have the most problems adjusting to the university, Zatechka said. Students aren’t the only beneficiaries of the program, he said. Zatechka said he thought the program also would benefit UNL because it would encour age students to stay in school. Faculty volunteers will get better acquaint ed with residence hall students and have a better idea of what they do outside the classroom, he said. James Griesen, vice chancellor for student affairs, said he hoped more faculty members would realize the benefits of the program and get involved. Griesen said articles in area papers already had led to more faculty interest in the program. UNL Chancellor Graham Spanier has vol unteered to be in the program—in part, he said, to set an example for other faculty members. Spanier already has made plans to get to know his assigned group of Selleck 6100 stu dents. Spanier said he would invite these students to his house for dinner Sunday nights when residence hall cafeterias are closed. He also will hold informal discussions once a month during lunch at the Selleck Quadrangle cafete ria, he said. Spanier also plans to attend his floor’s meet ing this week. “I will look for opportunities to be involved whenever I can,” Spanier said. See PROGRAM on 7
