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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2000)
I Wednesday September 6,2000 | j Volume 100 Issue12 \ i dailyneb.com Since 1901 Daily Nebraskan Are we reafly a free nation? Not with our record of theft, says Columnist Jake Glazeski In Opinion/4 Alexander and ruming back corps reading new, record-breaking heights In SportsWednesday/12 Cartoon fanatics share common bond in Japanese Anime Club In Arts/8 Committees on quest for 'magical' matches j {Editor’s Note: With UNL in a state of flux because of vacant posts in its senior administration, the Daily Nebraskan this week examines those vacancies and their effects. BYVEROMCADAEHN Along with teaching, researching or performing lead ership roles, many university faculty and staff now have a new task to devote time to: being part of a search committee. As the 10 search committees meet to look for permanent administrators, faculty-mem bers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln voiced quali ties they would like to see in the university’s future leaders. | ‘ A chancellor search commit tee, headed by Jim Van Etten, a plant pathology professor, was formed last week to scour the nation for qualified candidates. Van Etten said his commit <XJ tee was waiting for instructions from University of Nebraska President Dennis Smith’s office before it could officially begin the search, but he thought work would be underway within the next two weeks. Interim Chancellor Harvey Perlman said he had not yet decided if he wanted to be con sidered as a candidate for per manent chancellor. But Smith said if he was interested, Perlman would be considered. Besides the chancellor posi tion, UNL is plagued by interim replacements filling several vice chancellor and dean spots. Search committees are working on finding qualified candidates for each position, said Evelyn Jacobson, search committee liaison from the sen ior vice chancellor for academic affairs office. Most are still reviewing applications, she said. Search committees have scheduled interviews with can didates for the positions of vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Kevin Smith, political sci ence professor, said the faculty was affected by the absences in permanent leadership. Brian Foster, former dean of arts and sciences, left UNL last1 spring, and since then Kevin Smith said nothing new has been done. “Top administrators insti tute new policies and new direc tions,” Kevin Smith said. "When they leave, those new policies drift” ‘Top administrators institute new policies and new directions. When they leave, those new policies drift." Kevin Smith political science professor Foster (frftphasized focusing on key areas of strength within the college, Kevin Smith said. Since Foster’s departure, enthu siasm for such work has dimin ished, he said. Now that there is no perma nent leadership in the college, Kevin Smith said he is reluctant to get involved in things outside of his department. The College of Arts and Sciences needs a dean who is, in Kevin Smith’s words, a “magi cian” — someone who can accomplish a lot without much money. He admitted that was a diffi cult thing to ask, but Kevin Smith said satisfying many dif ferent demands was part of being an administrator. Personally, Kevin Smith said he would like a dean who was more committed to research. “I am a better teacher because of my research," Kevin Smith said. “Researchers bring things into the classroom that won’t be in textbooks for anoth er five or six years.” Support for research is important, but Kevin Smith said a permanent leader is necessary soon, regardless of his or her pri orities. New administrators bring new ideas and new agendas to ■V ME AND MY SHADOW: Ryan Haith, an Nl^ junior and Husker tennis player, practices tennis on Tuesday. Haith said Tuesday was the first day of regular season practice for the NU team. Steven Bender/DN Construction forces burial of power lines BY GEORGE GR^j Construction to bury over head power lines that conflict with two planned buildings on the University of Nebraska Lincoln campus is underway. Lincoln Electric System is building a new underground electrical circuit that begins at a manhole near the Lied Center for Performing Arts and travels north along 12th Street to R Street, said Steve Schappaugh, a LES senior design engineer. * At R Street, the line turns ' west and travels to 14th Street, v where it turns south and travels for half of a block and then con nects to an overhead line near the Nebraska Bookstore, Schappaugh said. The overhead power lines conflict with plans to build the new Mary Riepma Ross Film Theater and the Van Brunt Visitors’ Center on the west side of 13th Street between Q and R streets, said Tracy Aksamit; assistant manager of architec tural and engineering services atUNL. The power lines project will remove nine telephone poles on the UNL campus and also involves some telephone con ductors, Schappaugh said. LES contracted with v Directional Boring Services Incorporated of Greenwood to install the underground lines, but LES will attach the under ground lines to each other and to the overhead lines, he said. Construction on the new film theater and visitor's center, which will share one building, is expected to begin next spring, Aksamit said. The visitor’s center will occupy 2,500 square feet and the theater will occupy 8,600 square feet, Aksamit said. The area for the building is currently used as a red-tag park king lot. The visitors’ center will be used to play host to functions for the Office of Admissions and will have an atrium for dining, Aksamit said. When the Ross Film Theater moves from Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery to the new building, the old theater will remain in the gallery for academic use, Aksamit said. No street closing and little congestion will occur because of the construction to bury the power lines, Schappaugh said. The construction crews have to dig holes only when they turn a corner, Schappaugh said. “There will only be a piece of machinery here and there and a couple of trucks,” he said. Increase in production costs forces rise in Pepsi prices ■ Pepsico Inc. raised the cost of a 20-ounce bottle from 85 cents to $ 1 on campus after a price-freeze contract with UNL expired. BY GEORGE GREEN You can’t buy much for less than a buck these days. Pepsi products included. Students returned from summer vacation to find prices for Pepsi products at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln had risen from 85 cents to $1 for a 20-ounce bottle. Three years ago, UNL entered into a 12-year con tract with Pepsi-Cola that froze prices for three years at 85 cents for a 20-ounce bottle and 50 cents for a 12 ounce can, said Carl Hutchinson, special projects manager at UNL Steve Ford, general manager for Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. of Lincoln, said the company evaluated product prices after the freeze period expired and raised the prices because of market changes. The prices of syrup concentrate and sugar for the soda, resin for plastic bottles and aluminum for cans rose during the last three years, Ford said. Operating costs, such as the cost of distributing the sodas and paying for the company’s staff, also “We will do what we can to keep these prices steady for the next few years." Steve Ford general manager, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. went up during the freeze period, Ford said. Hutchinson said the university administrators expected the price increase when they negotiated the contract. Even with the price increases, Pepsi products on campus are still competitive with other Lincoln ven dors, he said. Hilary Matzner, an employee at the Q4Quick gas station at 17th and Vine streets, said a 20-ounce bottle of Pepsi costs $ 1.09 at the store. Students should not expect to see another price increase anytime soon, Ford said. Pepsi wants to maintain the current product prices for the next few years, and prices definitely will not rise again this year, he said. Prices, though, could go up next year if dramatic market changes occur, but such changes occur rarely, he said. “We will do what we can to keep these prices steady for the next few years,” he said. We’re Sorry Because of a production error, the Daily Nebraskan was late hitting the newsstands Tuesday moming.The error also resulted in two pages'which included coverage from Saturday's Nebraska football game, being eliminated from the paper. For the full stories and extensive photo coverage of the game, log on to the Daily Nebraskan's Web site at dailyneb.com.The Daily Nebraskan regrets this error. X their colleges, Kevin Smith said. Turnover leads to a lack of con sistency and leadership. It is a problem that UNL has at least 10 administrators gone at one time, he said. “We have good administra tors come through this universi ty,” he said. "It's just hard to hold onto them.” The Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts was forced to appoint an interim dean when Richard Durst left for Penn State last February. Robert Fought, director of the music department, said he thought the new dean of fine and performing arts should be knowledgeable about all art forms. It's important to be able to recognize good theater or good sculptures as opposed to bad, he said. Please see SERIES on 5 Academic Senate Faculty criticize UNL report BYJLLZEMAN A blueprint for University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s next 20 years drew criticism Tuesday from Academic Senate members who said the plan’s goals were too lofty and didn't focus enough on the university’s strong points. The report, entitled “A 20/20 Vision,” was compiled by a task force and headed by former Chancellor James Moeser. The report was released last March and focuses on the future of research and graduate educa tion at UNL Senate President Sheila Scheideler said she thought the report should have focused more on UNUs available resources and the state’s population base. The senate also concluded the report focused too narrowly on scientific research, rather than creative exploration through the arts, she said. lom rowers, professor ot plant pathology, said he thought the goals the report set were unreasonable for UNL The report calls for UNL to become one of the top land-grant research institutions in the nation by2020. But Powers said he thought UNL was already one of the top research schools, so striving to achieve that in the next 20 years should not be a top goal. "The real question is whether the faculty buys into the vision* statement,” he said. "This is all motherhood and apple pie kind of stuff.” Tice Miller, professor of the ater arts and dance, said he had a hard time relating the vision statement to his field of study. The report focuses on obtain ing federal dollars for research projects, which can be difficult to do within the arts and humani ties, he said. Miller stressed the impor tance of creating and maintaining a campus culture rather than set ting up task forces and arguing over appropriations. “A lot of informal activity cre ates a climate that retains stu dents and promotes excellency,” he said. Tom Zorn, professor of finance, said he thought the report compared UNL with schools that had greater financial resources, such as the University of California in Los Angeles and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The biggest weakness of the report is that it isn’t realistic, he said. ' • “I have the aspiration to play golf like Tiger Woods, but it ain’t going to happen,” he said.
