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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1994)
^SPORTS Blue Collar Bruce Chubick is using hustle to make up for his lack of height in the middle of Nebraska's lineup. Page 9 Thursday 40/11 Cloudy and colder with a chance of light snow. Lincoln Vol. 93 No. 81 By Jeffrey Robb Senior Editor and Amie Haggar Staff Reporter The authority of the Coordinating Com mission for Postsecondary Education may be reined in by changes proposed in a bill introduced to the Nebraska Legislature earlier this week. Recently, individual universities have raised concerns that the commission was overstep ping its bounds by interfering in the internal operations of campuses. Debate on LB 1063, introduced Tuesday by By Jeffrey Robb Senior Editor and Amie Haggar Staff Reporter he authority of the Coordinating Com mission for Postsecondary Education may be reined in by changes proposed in a bill introduced to the Nebraska Legislature earlier this week. Recently, individual universities have raised concerns that the commission was overstep ping its bounds by interfering in the internal operations of campuses. Debate on LB 1063, introduced Tuesday by Sen. Jerome Warner of Waverly, would be an opportunity to review the practices of the commission, the senator said. “If items need clarifica tion or changes to make it more efTicient,” W amer said, “then definitely we ought to be considering them.” The commission was ap _ proved by Nebraska voters in LEGISLATURE November 1990. Its original role was to prevent duplica tion of programs among colleges and universi ties and to provide a communication link be tween them. LB 1063 would clarify that role. The bill says the commission “shall be pol icy-based ... and shall not invade the institu tional governance or management authority of any governing board.” The bill’s specifics are not set, Warner said, but it addresses most of the interference com plaints raised by the Nebraska Council of High er Education, which includes the NU Board of Regents, the board of state colleges and com munity college boards. Regent Don Blank of McCook said, “I’m in favor of having coordination on the postsecondary level, but what has happened as the commission is acting now has gone beyond coordination and has gone into governance and administration.” J.B.Milliken,NU vice president for external affairs, said the legislation wouldn’t change the commission’s original role. “This legislation would help to define where the line is between coordinating and govern ing,” he said. Bruce Stahl, executive director of the com mission, said the body was formed to maintain a consistent long-term vision for postsecondary education in Nebraska. But confusion about the commission dates back to problems with definitions in the found ing constitutional amendment, he said. See COMMISSION on 8 Long lines may be coming to an end at Drop/Add By Kara G. Morrison Senior Reporter Students who drop and add classes next semester will no longer be greeted by Joy Boster’s smile at the Drop/Add door. But they won’t be clenching pencils, poring over stacks of forms and bubble sheets at crowded folding tables in the Nebraska Union, either. NRoll, a touch-tone phone registration sys tem, will replace the university’s Drop/Add procedure in March. The upcoming change met mostly with ex citement from the students who packed the Union Ballroom Wednesday afternoon. But employees who have helped students through the complex prove**) were a little twd dened “I’m going to miss meeting the students,” said Boster, who has been been in charge of floor control at Drop/Add for more than six years. “I’m going to miss the people. They’ve been nice to work for and with.” +* ** Kate Kuhlmann, a junior nursing major, peered up from a mass of registration sheets spread over the floor. She was crouched over them, her head in her hands. Kuhlmann is a Drop/Add veteran. She said she had gone through the process at least four times since she had been at the university. “Absolutely!” Kuhlmann said, when asked whether the phone system would make things easier. “I’ve been waiting for (NRoll) ever since I got here.” *+*♦ Around the comer, Mike Hansen glanced over his schedule of classes, which he had been studying intently. Hansen just transferred to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln from the Uni versity of Nebraska at Kearney, which already has phone registration. His said ne missed Kearney’s Drop/Add procedure. “To register, you just had to punch in the call number for the class you wanted.” Hansen said. “It worked well.” The senior animal science major said Kearney’s phone system had only taken half an hour to use. Hansen already had been at Drop/ Add for an hour and a half Wednesday. **** Beyond a seemingly constant line to the See DROP on 6 Gov. Ben Nelson, left, talks with Dennis Smith, NU President-elect Wednesday at the governor’s office in the State Capitol. Jeff Haller/DN Smith: It’s premature to discuss goals President-elect plans to study problems before taking office By Angie Bmnkow Senior Reporter NU President-elect Dennis Smith said Wednesday it was too early for him to discuss his goals as the new lead er of the University of Nebraska, a job he will begin March 1. During a press conference, Smith said he would better be able to answer questions about his goals for the University of Nebras ka when he replaced NU President Martin Massengale. “The University of Nebraska can only have one president at a time,” he said. Smith, executive vice chancellor of the University of Califomia-lrvine since 1987, has been in Lincoln for three days. During his visit, he has met with central administra tion officials and acquainted himself with his future office. Two issues already confronting Smith are the establishment of an independent engineering college at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and planning the NU budget. Smith wouldn’t comment on the engi neering issue, but he said he would begin work on the project after a committee study Smith aiso wouldn’t comment on his plans for the budget, but he said he would be heavily involved in the budget-forming pro cess when he assumed his new post. He said that compared to California's budget, which is always being cut, the NU but’ ’KJkcdgood. said NU probably had areas that needed more legislative funds, but he want ed more time to consider budget details before he could form an opinion. “It takes time to really acquaint yourself with the operations of a university,” he said. During his February visit, Smith will meet with chancellors and regents to discuss university issues in greater detail. Smith said he didn’t anticipate problems interacting with the chancellors and planned to work with them as a team. The university system is designed so individual campuses report to chancellors, chancellors report to him, and he reports to the NU Board of Regents, Smith said. “I don’t want to run their campuses,” he said. After a meeting with the Ag Builders organization Wednesday morning, Smith had a meeting with Gov. Ben Nelson at the State Capitol. CFA to begin budget hearings; groups want increases By Matthew Waite Senior Report* The Committee for Fees Allo cation will begin hearings today to review budget re auests of organizations that use stu ent fees. The Daily Ne braskan, the Uni versity Program Council and the As sociation of Stu of the Uni versity of Nebras ka — all Fund A groups — have submitted requests thus far. ASUN, UPC, DN request Fund Astudent fees increase The committee divides groups us ing student fees into Fund A and Fund B, CFA chairwoman Shawntell Hurt gen said. The groups are divided based on whether they are student or professionally operated. The Fund B groups include the University Health Center, the Cam Eus Recreation Center and the Ne raska Unions. Hurtgcn said these groups generated much of their own money. The Daily Nebraskan is requesting the largest increase in the Fund A group. Jeremy Fitzpatrick, Daily Ne braskan editor, said the newspaper’s needs were temporary. “We’re asking for a 12 percent increase in our student fee this year only,” Fitzpatrick said. A 3 percent increase in printing costs, which carries a $5,750 price tag, is the reason for the request, Fitzpatrick said. He said the increase would give the Daily Nebraskan an additional $5,000 to cover those costs. “We’d prefer to ask for none,” Fitzpatrick said. “We don’t expect to ask for (a fee increase) next year.” The semester cost, Fitzpatrick said, would be 11 cents per student. ASUN President Keith Benes said his group had requested a 3.32 percent increase to cover employees cost-of 1 iving adjustments (COLA) and health benefit increases. Offering health care benefits com parable to tnose of university officials was ASUN’s goal for its employees, Benes said. “One reason we decided to im prove the benefits is that we do have good people working here, Bencs said. UPC is requesting a 5.29 percent increase in student fees, President Lia Jensen said. The fund increase would not be much different, she said, but where the money went would. Jensen said the homecoming bud get would increase by 75 percent be cause of a street party. She said using the Lincoln Police Department for security would be expensive. The increase may appear high, ■ Jensen said, but the money for the homecomingevents would come from events classified in more than one area.