Tickets to see Coretta Scott King speak next month at the Lied Center for Performing Arts will be available to the general public on a first-come first-served basis beginning at 11 a.m. Oct. 22.
King, the widow of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, will speak at 8 p.m. Nov. 6 in the Lied Center on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. The event is co-sponsored by the Metro-mail Corporation.
Tickets to the event are free and must be picked up at the Lied Center Box Office. No phone or mail orders will be accepted. A maximum of six tickets per person is allowed. Everyone must have a ticket to attend the event.
In her speech, "My Life in the Civil Rights Movement," King will explore her experiences in civil rights and her work as founder of the Atlanta-based Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. A living memorial to her husband, the center preserves his legacy of human rights accomplishments. The King Center promotes the reverend's philosophy of nonviolence through training programs for youth, teachers and community leaders.
Voices of Destiny, a choir from Lincoln High School, will perform before King's speech beginning at 7:45 p.m.
King's presentation also will be broadcast live on the big screen in Kimball Hall, statewide on EduCable and downlinked on NEB*SAT II to sites throughout Nebraska. Tickets will be required for the Kimball Hall broadcast, with doors opening at 7:40 p.m.
Mac Rodgers, Metromail's senior vice president and general manager for information services, said he's pleased private business and the university could bring a human rights advocate of King's stature to the Lincoln area.
"Diversity is an issue that impacts us both personally and professionally," Rodgers said. "We are extremely proud to help bring Coretta Scott King to share this message with the Lincoln community."
Metromail Corporation is a leading provider of database marketing, direct marketing and reference products and services in the United States and the United Kingdom. Using a consumer database encompassing more than 95 percent of U.S. households, Metromail helps its clients identify and reach target audiences.
Metromail's 3,200 employees generated revenues totaling $297 million last year. The company is headquartered in Lombard, Ill. The Lincoln branch employs 750 people and provides a range of information services to a national client base.
For the last year and a half, I've been talking with the university community about the need for increased respect and appreciation of the differences we find in a diverse learning environment. But earlier this week, we experienced yet another disruption of the civility one should expect from such an environment.
Hateful messages such as those chalked on our sidewalks a few days ago are extremely harmful, whether they are aimed at a group with a certain sexual orientation, a group with a certain ethnicity or a group whose politics are in the minority. These messages are antithetical to an atmosphere of learning and create a climate of fear and hostility. They will not be tolerated at the University of Nebraska.
We must work harder to educate every individual about the need to respect one another. I believe we are going in the right direction, but I challenge every member of our community to redouble his or her efforts. Take some time to consider the Student Code of Ethics that was approved unanimously by ASUN last March. In part, it says "I will be respectful toward all others, their thoughts and aspirations, and will look upon them with equality and fairness."
I am extremely proud of our students for sending this strong message, and I am equally proud of ASUN's action last week in unanimously condemning this most recent example of intolerance. I urge the entire campus community to follow the lead of these students.
The sky's the limit at this year's United Way/CHAD Combined Campaign at the university.
Combined Campaign chair Joan Giesecke, dean of libraries, said this year's campaign theme is "Up, Up and Away for the NU Combined Campaign." The campaign kicks off at two identical events Oct. 21. The first begins at 9 a.m. in the East Union, the second at 2 p.m. in the Nebraska Union. The campaign ends Nov. 14.
The NU Combined Campaign for Health and Human Services raises money for 39 United Way-supported agencies in Lincoln and Lancaster County; the Combined Health Agencies Drive, a federation of 14 nationally based health service and education agencies; and the Community Services Fund, a coalition of 18 nonprofit organizations.
Volunteers from each department or unit will distribute packets and pledge cards to all university employees. The pledge cards should be returned by Nov. 14.
"Our goal this year is to increase participation," she said. "Last year, about 39 percent of our employees contributed, which is about average for the university. We would like to see 45 percent or 50 percent contribute. Of course, we would love to see 100 percent contribution."
The university is a major partner in the countywide campaign. Last year, university employees donated nearly $215,550 to the campaign. That represents 6.7 percent of all donations made to the United Way appeal in Lancaster County.
Employees may include a check in the envelope or designate a payroll deduction, she said.
"It doesn't take a lot to make a big difference because of the power of combined giving," she said. "The equivalent of two coffee lattes per week, just a couple of dollars per week, would provide a scholarship for 10-weeks at a summer day camp run by the Salvation Army for at-risk children or prevent the shut off of heat or electricity for a low-income family through the Lincoln Action Program."
Giesecke noted that the wide number of agencies involved in the campaign makes giving flexible and easy. And, she said, 100 percent of donations earmarked for specific agencies go to those agencies. United Way spends about 10 cents of every dollar given to its unrestricted general fund to support itself. That, she said, is a very good rate of return for a charitable organization.
"These agencies make Lincoln the kind of community we want to live in. That's why we stay here. They offer and support the kinds of services that affect all of us," she said. For example, the American Red Cross, a United Way agency, provides first aid services at Memorial Stadium and other events.
There are 27 people on the Combined Campaign Cabinet. They help coordinate volunteer activities and advise on campaign progress. This year's members are:
Jeannette Theer, Academic Affairs; Heidi Cuca, Athletics Department; Joe Rowson, NU administration; Rebecca Faber, College of Arts and Sciences; Michael Movar, College of Dentistry (UNMC); Julie Lee, College of Fine and Performing Arts; Joanna Rogers, College of Law; Michelle Miller, College of Public Affairs and Community Service (UNO); Melanie Kellogg, College of Human Resources and Family Sciences; Kevin Wright, Alumni Association; Bruce Currin, Business and Finance; Geri Wesely, College of Architecture; Sam Allgood, College of Business Administration; John Ballard, College of Engineering and Technology; Judith Yeck; College of Journalism and Mass Communications; Rosemary Bergstrom; College of Nursing (UNMC); Charlotte Hazzard, Division of Continuing Studies; Donna Liss, Information Services; Dick Fleming, IANR; Meg Johnson, NU Foundation; Mike Zeleny, Research; Joyce Richter, Teachers College; Bernadette Ference, Credit Union; Dean Waddel, Libraries; Renee Hagerman, Chancellor's Office; Barb Wright-Chollet, Student Affairs; Cathy Lund, University Television.
-Kim Hachiya
Joan Giesecke, Combined Campaign chair, gave these answers to common questions asked about the Combined Campaign: Who knows what I give? Giving is a personal decision. All contributions are confidential. No one at the university opens the envelopes. They are opened at the United Way office and financial reports sent back to UNL are in aggregate form. Names are never attached to the giving reports. Why do I have to sign the envelope? The signature is a way for your department volunteer to keep track of who has returned the envelopes. Why do I have to return the envelope at all? This is a method by which we can be assured that all employees have been canvassed. |
Inflation once again has outpaced the UNL Libraries' ability to maintain serials subscriptions, forcing resumption of a task to identify subscriptions to be cut from the catalogue.
In 1994, the Libraries identified $350,000 worth of titles for cancellation, but a one-time gift from the Athletics Department in 1995 put the project on hold, said Agnes Adams, coordinator of collection development.
"We just kind of froze it at that point, and put the list of 880 serials in a drawer," Adams said.
Since then, the cost of those publications has zoomed to nearly $480,000, far exceeding the libraries' ability to retain them. The project is back on the front burner.
Although the Libraries' budget was not cut in the reallocation process, the budget can no longer support the 11 percent annual increase in serial costs. Some serials subscriptions have jumped as much as 15 percent each year, Adams said.
Earlier this week, letters were sent to deans, department chairs and book chairs outlining the process by which the serials reduction will occur. Because some consensus had been reached in 1995, that list has been brought forward for review, Adams said.
The list is available on the web at <http://iris.unl.edu/screens/serial.html> or by clicking on "Serials Review List" under the "About the Libraries" section of the IRIS main menu. Hard copies also are available at both Love and C.Y. Thompson libraries.
The list has been updated to reflect name changes for some titles; others which have ceased publication already have been removed.
Faculty have until Jan. 19, 1998 to look over the titles on the list and send title change recommendations to Adams or to liaison librarians. Faculty who hope to retain a title must submit a title of equal value within the same subject area for substitution. By Feb. 2, the revised list of titles will be posted on the web. The last day to submit a request for change is Feb. 23 and a second revised list will be posted March 9. A final list will be produced March 30 and the Libraries' administration will review the final list April 13.
"There is so much interdisciplinary work going on now, we really want to be sure everyone has adequate chance to review this," she said.
Adams said the 1995 list was developed by groups of faculty in cluster areas sorted into humanities, sciences and social sciences. The total serials budget, $3.2 million, was analyzed and cuts prorated across the three clusters according to their proportion of the total. Because of the high expense of scientific serials, and the fact that science journals comprise 68 percent of the serials budget, Adams said, the sciences will bear the lion's share of the cuts, however.
The average price of a subscription is $322 annually. The average price of a scientific journal is $541, a humanities journal $90 and a social science journal $173.
"We're not just hitting the expensive titles like those in chemistry or the small departments like classics," Adams said. "Everyone is taking a hit."
The cluster groups looked at more than 10,000 titles, and created a "short list" of 880 to reach the 1995 target of $350,000.
Criteria used to develop the list included price (especially for faster-inflating titles), availability via document delivery services (such as Uncover), frequency of use, availability within the university system (UNO, UNMC or UNK) and whether particular journals are frequently cited by faculty or students in published work.
Some departments, Adams said, offered to slice two or three lesser publications to save one particularly expensive and important one. And some departments have chosen to fund subscriptions or electronic resources of particular importance, she said. "We don't count on that, but it's very helpful when it happens."
Because most subscriptions are renewed in the fall, the serials tagged for cancellation will begin "disappearing" in January of 1999, Adams said.
Joan Giesecke, dean of libraries, stressed the titles on the list are not core titles. She described most of them as "nice to have but not absolutely essential. Still, it's very hard to let them go. This is the last review that won't be devastating to our collection."
Giesecke noted that many of the serials on the list are available via document delivery. A service such as Uncover can fax the needed item within 24 hours. The Libraries partially underwrite the cost of these services, she said. "Sometimes it's just much more efficient for us to supply one article from a journal rather than the entire year's output."
"And we will continue to look for ways to maximize our resources through consortiums, joint licenses and other means," Giesecke said.
For more information, contact Adams at 472-3628 or agnesa@unllib.unl.edu.
Due to recent action by Congress, graduate tuition remission benefits provided by the Employee Tuition Remission Program become taxable income for full-time regular university employees retroactive to January 1, 1997, unless such benefits qualify as a job-related "working-condition fringe benefit" as defined below.
Congress passed legislation in 1978 that allowed employers to provide tax-free tuition benefits to all employees taking graduate-level courses. Since 1978, the tax exclusion has expired and been reinstated by Congress eight times. The latest tax exclusion expired prior to 1997. The 1997 Tax Act recently passed by Congress did not renew the exclusion.
Tuition remission benefits for employees seeking an undergraduate degree and graduate teaching and research assistants continue to be excluded from taxable income under Section 117 of the Internal Revenue Code. This tax exclusion does not apply to employees who already have a bachelor's degree or are receiving credit toward an advanced degree. However, Section 132 of the Code and subsequent regulations do allow the university to exclude these tuition remission benefits from an employee's income if one of the following job-related conditions is met:
If neither of these conditions apply (for example, if the course is part of a program of study that qualifies the individual for a new career or business), UNL must treat tuition remission for these individuals as taxable income for federal, state, social security and medicare taxes.
Employees who enrolled for spring semester classes should have received a letter from the Payroll/IANR Finance Office indicating the amount of their spring semester tuition remission and an explanation of the tax withholding policies. A form was included with the letter that can be used by employees receiving graduate tuition remission benefits and their supervisors to document the "job relatedness" of courses the employee took during the spring semester of the 1996-97 academic year. Employees must include their full name, social security number, the academic term they received the remission benefits, the full name of the course(s) taken, and the employee's explanation of how the course meets the job-related conditions discussed above.
After their immediate supervisor signs this form, it should be forwarded to the Payroll Office, 403 Canfield Admin Bldg., 0436; or the IANR Finance Office, 313 Ag Hall, 0705. This form must be returned by Oct. 21.
If a course taken by an employee does not meet the job-related conditions discussed above, UNL will withhold federal and state income taxes, social security (6.2 percent) and medicare taxes (1.45 percent) for 1997 graduate tuition remission as indicated below.
For the spring semester, biweekly-paid employees will have the first half taken out Nov. 6 and the second half taken out Nov. 20. Monthly employees will have the entire amount taken out of the October check.
For all summer sessions, biweekly-paid employees will have the entire amount taken out Dec. 4. Monthly employees will have the entire amount taken out of November's check.
For the fall semester, biweekly-paid employees will have the first half taken out Dec. 18 and the second half taken out Dec. 31. Monthly employees will have the entire amount taken out of December's check.
Employees who have enrolled in summer session classes will receive a letter in late October, and employees who have enrolled in fall semester classes will receive a letter in November indicating the amount of their tuition remission. If employees took job-related courses in the summer or fall academic terms, forms documenting reasons for excluding tuition remission benefits from taxable income will be required at a later date. If employees prefer, they may copy the form and submit forms for all sessions now.
Informational meetings to discuss this change in tax law will be from 2-3 p.m. Oct. 29 in the East Union and 2-3 p.m. Oct. 30 in the Nebraska Union.
If you have questions, call the Payroll Office at 472-2010 or the IANR Finance Office at 472-1421.
- - from the Vice Chancellor's Office for Business and Finance
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