BIG RED ART APPRECIATION
FURTHER CHALLENGES AHEAD
Sheldon, Ross, Great Plains Museum prepare to kick off year with free vendors, music page 5
Ups, downs of weekend tournament show Husker Volleyball isn’t where it needs to be page 9
monday, september 12, 2011
volume 111, issue 016
DAILY NEBRASKAN dailynebraskan.com
Board of Regents approves 120-credit-hour degree plan Riley Johnson daily nebraskan
The University of Nebraska Board of Regents unanimously voted to standardize the undergraduate degree requirement at 120 credit hours Friday. Starting next fall, incoming freshman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the other three NU campuses will begin the 120-hour degree, in which, a student taking a 15-credit-hour load for eight semesters can expect to graduate, according
to the initiative. A recent university-wide study of students who began college in fall 2003 pinned the average time to graduation at nine semesters or 4.5 years, and most NU programs require at least 125 credit hours to graduate, according to NU Provost and Vice President Linda Pratt. NU President J.B. Milliken said those numbers require steps be taken to help out the students that need their degree in four years. “It’s incumbent upon us to provide the pathway for
those (students) that do know where they want to go and to do so efficiently,” Milliken said. About 60 percent of NU graduates reported loan debt after completing their bachelor’s degree with an average debt of $18,000, according to the Office of the Provost. While the move would likely save students money in the long term, some faculty might see added pressure to reduce their programs before the undergraduate bulletin comes out next semester.
“I think this is a really tough time frame to cut content out of a class or reduce or combine content,” Barbara LaCost, an associate professor of educational administration and UNL Faculty Senate president, LaCost told the Board of Regents some faculty had concerns that curriculum committees would have to make the reductions to their programs by as early as this October or, at the latest, December. While cuts and reductions are necessary, LaCost said faculty need to
make these big decisions in a stressful, short period of time. But some curriculum committees have already made the move. The College of Business Administration already has adopted the 120hour degree and one-third of majors at the College of Education and Human Sciences have taken on that standard as well, Pratt said. States like Arkansas, Florida and Maryland have similar 120-hour degree standards in place, Pratt said, so Nebraska needs to get on the
not forgotten Alex Ramthun, a major in the Marine Corps, wipes his eyes during his speech at the candlelight vigil at the Broyhill Fountain outside the Nebraska Union for the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.
Campus remembers 9/11, honors service members as speakers share personal stories of sacrifice, reflection story by frannie sprouls photos by andrew dickinson
T
he heat of the day had begun to fade and not a cloud was in the sky. Students, faculty and community members gathered in the Nebraska Union Plaza to remember those lost 10 years ago. More than 250 people attended the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska’s 9/11 Memorial Service and Candlelight Vigil. “It is no doubt a day we must remember,” said Lane Carr, a senior political science and history major and ASUN president, during his speech. Carr presented along with Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Juan Franco, graduate student Malika Yadgarova, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman’s wife Sally Ganem and
Brandi Bengtson, a junior english major; Meranda Wellman, a senior english major; and Taylor Jensen hold each other during the prayer at the end of the vigil.
9/11: SEE PAGE 3
External review calls for improvements to unions Jacy Marmaduke Daily Nebraskan
An external review board has spoken, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was listening. In the coming months and years, the Nebraska Unions,
koenig page 4
Student Involvement and the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center will see myriad improvements in organization, communication and efficiency, as prompted by a review of the programs conducted last spring. The creation of long-term
strategic plans for Student Involvement and the Nebraska Union is universally considered top priority. Every step will be carefully charted out in accordance with the plans, both of which are slated for completion in May. “That’s the biggest bang
sheldon page 5
for our buck,” said Veronica Riepe, director of Student Involvement. “Once we have an idea of what our vision is, some of the other things will feed into that and be a result.” The departmental review process takes place every six
years and is conducted by a board of experts unaffiliated with UNL. Suggestions for improvement were across the board, ranging from
union: see page 3
Football page 8
regents: see page 3
A man among donuts: LaMar’s late shift GRAVEYARD SHIFT Cody elmore daily nebraskan
Inside, he shifts around the room like a shadow. Outside, the sticky, sweet smell of donuts beckons bystanders to investigate the aroma’s source. It’s 11:30 p.m. and Duane Kuhl is halfway through his 11-hour shift at LaMar’s Donuts. “I wasn’t going to let you in,” he said. “It never fails – a bunch of drunk people will tap on the window and harass me for donuts.” Kuhl, of Lincoln, took a temporary part-time job at Lamar’s eight years ago. The hours were right and so was the pay. He works full time now, pushing through 11-hour nights, slathering, glazing and raising the next morning’s supply of donuts. He leans down, inspecting the sprinkled, glazed, powdered bounty lining the trays. The scent inside the store is both intoxicating and heavy. “Everybody thinks being the guy who makes donuts is like a dream job or something,” he said. “After a couple months I couldn’t smell them and I definitely couldn’t eat them.” Getting to work around 4 p.m. or 5 p.m., he starts his shift preparing the donuts for the ovens in the back. After the baking is over he starts boxing orders for clients. A stack of note cards with addresses sits under his dough-stained hand. “We’ve got eight standing orders to fill this weekend,” he said. “Besides those, we’ll prepare about 93 screens of donut rings. We’ve also got about 90 pounds of other types for tomorrow morning.” The sugary, creamy rings sit in the dark, hiding from bargoers until 5:30 a.m. when Lamar’s opens its doors. The small store on the corner of
lamar’s: see page 2 Weather | windy
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Paint it black
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Columnist explores stereotypes of ‘twee’ subculture
Sheldon exhibition To focus on African american history
Offense awakes late to stop Fresno State upset Bid
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bandwagon. “I think it will not only save students money, but it will also help create a milliken more supportive climate on campus to help students finish up in four years,”
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