Opinion
Tuesday, January 17,1995
Page 4
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jejf Zeleny.Editor, 472-1766
Jeff Robb.Managing Editor
Matt Woody....Opinion Page Editor
DeDra Janssen...Associate News Editor
Rainbow Rowell..Arts & Entertainment Editor
James Mehsling..Cartoonist
Chris Hain.Senior Reporter
Why not?
Regent Miller brings new ideas to table
As Regent Drew Miller sat down at the long, and traditionally stoic,
conference table Saturday in Varner Hall, you could tell something
was going to be different about the first regents meeting of the year.
With a laptop computer by his side and an occasional boyish grin,
it was apparent that Miller was bringing more than new blood to the
board. He also was bringing new and different ideas.
Since he began campaigning in the fall of 1993, and since his Nov.
8 defeat of Nancy Hoch of Nebraska City, Miller of Papillion has
maintained a constant theme.
On Saturday, the time had finally come for Miller to put that “cost
effective education” theme on the table.
About 45 minutes after he explained his “Administrative Process
Rpfipnt
Drew Miller
improvement/cost Reduction commit
tee” to the board, it rejected the pro
posal, 5-3.
After the meeting, many in the base
ment of Varner Hall wondered why
Millerchose to bring the issue up at the
first regents meeting.
Miller asked why not.
k "It s my top priority,' he said.
Miller’s committee to promote ad
ministrative efficiency is a good idea
for the university. It raises valid issues
dn graphic that warrant a closer look.
Other regents said the proposal smacks of micromanagement. But
the Daily Nebraskan doesn’t believe that is his intent. Miller wants to
treat the university like a business — that’s sound.
“This is not a committee to micromanage,” Miller said during the .
discussion, “but it could have a big impact on helping to reduce costs.”
Miller hoped the committee would adopt a“Total Quality Manage
ment” approach to fiscal responsibility. It would re-engineer admin
istrative processes to take advantage of new computertechnologies to
reduce administrative costs. The committee also would attempt to
centralize operations that are now done at each campus.
During Miller’s presentation, all four university chancellors seemed
restless. And President Dennis Smith seemed offended. Could it be
that they are scared of what Miller and his committee might find?
Some of the veteran regents were trying to be gracious to their new
colleague. Miller raised some valid points, they said, but it wasn’t the
job of a regent to handle day-to-day activities of the university. So the
board’s initial compromise was to have the business affairs sub
committee look into Miller’s suggestions.
But Miller shouldn’t give up. It might take a while for the other
board members to get up to speed with him, both technologically and
fiscally. But it could happen.
The Daily Nebraskan commends Miller for his initial attempt at
fiscal responsibility. If his calculation is accurate that only 22 percent
of university personnel are comprised of faculty, he probably is right
in saying some administrative positions can be eliminated.
While the regents should not have their hands directly involved in
daily university operations, they should continue to be concerned
about ways to streamline the university’s budget And they need to find
a way to do it.
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Staff editorials represent die official
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readers say
Thanks forsupport
On behalf of the 1994 football
team, we would like to thank the
fans for their support this season.
All year long, home and away, the
fans were No. 1. The fact that so
many of you lined up on the streets
in the cold weather to welcome us
back from Miami and waited for us
at the Devaney Center really
showed us that Husker fans are the
best in the country.
Terry Connealy
Ed Stewart
Zach Wiegert
Rob Zatechka
1994 Nebraska team captains
Anonymous
professors
It has been reported recently that
a group identifying itself as “The
UNL Committee of Concerned
Professors” disseminated 8 pages of
criticism of Chancellor Spanier and
his leadership role.
In public comments before the
Academic Senate, I have con
demned this document as an
example of intellectual cowardice
and chastised Regent Robert Allen
for distributing this document to a
wide range of individuals and
giving it a prominence and notori
ety that it does not deserve. Being
party to its distribution, Regent
Allen bears some responsibility for
the character assassination that
characterizes this document.
There is no such committee as
“Concerned Professors.” It is
anonymous and secretive. It speaks
without any authority for the
academic community.
There are numerous mechanisms
already in place for stating griev
ances and expressing dissent.
Chancellor Spanier stands regularly
before the Academic Senate to
report on his actions and to answer
questions. To this extent —
whether one agrees or not with his
actions or answers — it must be
considered one of the most open,
available and responsive adminis
trations in campus memory. There
is dialogue between faculty and
administration, and faculty gover
Bret Gottshall/DN
nance is alive and well here.
To suggest that there is “an
atmosphere of intimidation,
creating turmoil and sweeping
aside almost everything else
important in the University” is an
impression alien to my experience
and, 1 suspect, most of my col
leagues. To suggest that there is
such a sense of fear and intimida
tion on this campus that professors
cannot speak their minds openly is
an insult to the university commu
nity.
What I am most certain about,
however, is that Nebraska citizens
prefer criticisms to be made openly
and directly, not by Priding behind
anonymous masks. If you are going
to accuse someone of some 48 acts
of malfeasance, then you should
have the courage of your own
convictions and stand squarely
before the person you accuse!
I challenge this “Committee of
Concerned Professors” to identify
its members now.
Gerald M. Parsons
academic senator
chair, committee on committees
As we each read the letter to the
editor entitled “Poor are selfish”
(Jan. 16), the first thing to pop into
our minds was, “What the hell?”
What exactly is Mr. Bahar
proposing? An “urchin depot,”
where the poor exchange their
crying babies for a bowl of soup and
a deep-down good feeling, knowing
that they’ve done their part to help
decrease the ghetto population?
Hitler had similar views. He felt
the Jews were screwed up. Mr.
Bahar feels the poor must be
handled.
Perhaps Mr. Bahar would like it
if the poor were forced to wear a
scarlet letter “P,” so he’d know who
to spit on.
If “Boys Town-type homes” are
of any value, then how did they
chum out someone with ridiculous
views like Mr. Bahar’s?
Brice Sullivan
sophomore
general studies
Mick Vodvarka
freshman
journalism
Celebratlngfootball
I would like to express my
thorough disgust with Paul
Koester’s letter to the Daily
Nebraskan (Jan. 13).
To many Nebraskans, the
Comhusker national championship
was more than a football victory. It
was an affirmation that adherence
to a system that you know is right
breeds success, if you are willing to
work hard enough and ignore the
critics. It was evidence that nice
guys can win, and do.
What it was not was some
scheme to take press away from the
problems that Koester perceives
Nebraska and the world as having.
How dare you try to overshadow
something as meaningful as
Nebraska football with such a
shameless symbiosis of environ
mentalism and commercialism?
And what does it matter where
Nebraska gets it football players?
We welcome and accept them as
Nebraskans, while they are here
and after they are gone. I’m sure if
the Comhuskers only accepted
Nebraska athletes, Koester would
be no less outraged.
Andrew German
junior
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