Women's Center Director Views Services Through 'Gender Lens'

By Gabi Volgyes, Public Relations

The ad could have read "Help Wanted: Jan Deeds."

It didn't, but it could have.

When the new director of the Women's Center saw the advertisement in the Sunday paper, she knew she'd found the position she was looking for. "It was like I'd spent my whole life training for it," Deeds said.

Jan Deeds' work at the Women's Center and at the university have led her to view student involvement and services through a "gender lens," a phrase she uses to describe paying closer attention the interaction between and treatment of different genders on campus.

She also pays close attention to the needs and interaction of minority faculty and staff. "Students are best served by variety," Deeds said. "Variety makes this a richer campus."

Ultimately, Deeds sees her work as an effort to promote discussion. "My long-term goal is that everyone on campus be aware of gender issues and feel comfortable talking about them," Deeds said. And she plans much to achieve that goal.

Currently, her "hot" project is an ongoing series of workshops and discussions titled "Real Matters for Womyn of Color." Deeds also has her eye on activities for the first week of March, known as Women's Week. Women's Week will focus on the accomplishments and contributions of women in the university community as well as in the outside world. Additionally, there is an upcoming series on Women's Health Services that will feature global, minority and "super-inclusive" specialists and issues.

Deeds also anticipates that much of the focus this year will be on binge drinking and women. While this focus is not unusual for the university this year, she thinks that "the issues and solutions for binge drinking and women may be different," and hopes to examine them.

However, Deeds stresses that her job is really to help with the group effort that she considers the Women's Center to be. The Women's Center sponsors programs and speakers, does outreach to classes and conducts individual counseling and support groups. Most of these activities are provided through a combination of student and staff volunteers and Deeds' efforts.

Deeds hopes that the Women's Center will be seen as a place of inclusive decision-making and across the board empowerment. "Suggestions are very important to all of us," she said. " I want to make sure people know that the door's open."

Deeds started as the assistant director of gender-related programs in July, but has been at the university since 1981. She had previously worked with the Nebraska Scholars' Institute, as well as team-taught a class on the Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Students. Other activities included 13 years working with women's issues among the university community and some time she spent as a counselor.

Officials Pledge to Continue Fiscal Efficiency

Despite 413 Defeat, Questions Remain About Governmental Spending

Chancellor James Moeser and NU President Dennis Smith both commented about the failure of Initiative 413, a measure which would have amended the Nebraska Constitution to place limitations on state and local government taxes and revenues:

"In my opinion, Initiative 413 failed because of a broad coalition allied against it based on several basic concerns," Moeser said. "First, I think Nebraskans were rightly concerned about amending the constitution to achieve legislative ends. Second, I think there was great concern that 413 would lead to a reversal of recent history of replacing property taxes with other forms of revenue, resulting once again in higher property taxes. Finally, I believe there was a concern about loss of quality in schools, including the university.

"We should not conclude, however, that the presssure is off with regard to continued increases in state spending. I believe it is imperative that we continue to demonstrate to the state that we are lean and efficient; that we add value to the state's economy and quality of life, not only through instruction, but through research and public service."

Smith issued a statement late Tuesday.

"In making this decision in the voting booth, Nebraskans have indicated that they do not want this initiative's language inserted into the Nebraska Constitution. It is important to note, however, that serious questions have been raised about the spending of tax funds for government and education - including the University of Nebraska - and that those questions still need to be addressed," Smith said.

"The University of Nebraska has been working for the past several years to become more efficient and cost-effective. We have reallocated more than $20 million in the past two years alone in an effort to shore up high quality programs and services. We are moving to maximize use of information technology in our business, finance, and human resources programs, as well as our academic programs. We have, with the assistance of the Legislature, launched a program to repair and upgrade buildings and facilities that had been neglected for years, making them safer and more efficient. Our strategic plans emphasize continuing these kinds of efforts.

"I plan to consult regularly with the governor and members of the Nebraska Legislature with a view to maintaining reasonable levels of state support for the university," Smith said. "It also is important for us to develop new partnerships with the Nebraska business community to help build understanding of the university's role in the state's economy and to seek advice on how best to achieve additional efficiency and effectiveness in the university's operations."

Justice Breyer to Address Hruska Institute

Stephen G. Breyer, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, will deliver the keynote address in a Nov. 18 seminar sponsored by the Roman L. Hruska Institute for the Administration of Justice at the College of Law.

The seminar, "Federal Criminal Sentencing Guidelines," is free and open to the public and is scheduled from 9 to 11:30 a.m. in the auditorium of Ross McCollum Hall.

Breyer will deliver his address, "Federal Criminal Sentencing Guidelines Revisited," from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. After a 15-minute break, two more talks will follow. Mark W. Bennett, U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Iowa, will speak on "Dragons and Other Pitfalls: A Provocative Look at the Sentencing Guidelines - A Sentencing Judge's View," then Clarence E. Mock, a lawyer in private practice in Oakland, Neb., will deliver "A Provocative Look at the Sentencing Guidelines: A Practitioner's View."

Breyer is a graduate of Stanford University, Oxford University (Magdalen College) and Harvard Law School. During the Supreme Court's 1964 term, he was a law clerk to Justice Arthur J. Goldberg. From 1965 to 1967, he worked as a special assistant to the head of the Justice Department's Antitrust Division, then taught at Harvard from 1967 to 1980 as professor of law and at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. He also worked as an assistant Watergate special prosecutor (1973) and as a special counsel (1975) and chief counsel (1979-80) to the Senate Judiciary Committee (1975).

In 1980, he was appointed judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and became the circuit's chief judge in 1990. President Clinton nominated him to the Supreme Court and he took office in 1994.

The Hruska Institute was established to "educate lawyers, law students and the public-at-large in Nebraska to the importance of the administration of justice, particularly at the federal level. The institute recognizes the career of Roman L. Hruska, who served as U.S. Senator from Nebraska from 1954 to 1977. It is centered at the University of Nebraska College of Law and involves active participation by the Nebraska State Bar Foundation and members of the Nebraska federal judiciary.

Academic Senate Learns of Bylaw Negotiations

By Kim Hachiya, Public Relations

In what was surely the shortest Academic Senate meeting on record, the senate on Nov. 3 heard an update on proposed university bylaws changes and received two suggested committee syllabi changes from the Committee on Committees.

Gail Latta, libraries, said negotiations continue on clarifying language in the faculty handbook regarding sections 4.3 and 3.4.4, which cover apportionment and appointment, respectively. Substitute language has been drafted that proposes the ideal arrangement, she said, whereby a faculty member and his/her chair mutually consent to changes in apportionment and appointment. However, there is concern about instances in which mutual consent cannot be achieved, she said.

Creation of collegewide appeals or negotiations committees are being considered, she said. Because whatever procedure that is developed will be new, the issue will come back to the senate for review and approval, she said.

Teresita Aguilar, curriculum and instruction, reminded senators to look at the proposed diversity plan which is posted in draft on the web at http://www. unl.edu/svcaa/Activities/DiversityPlan.html. She called attention to a call for proposals that has been sent to faculty regarding funding for diversity projects.

Reports were presented by the UNL Reseach Council and the Chancellor's Commission on the Status of Women.

The Committee on Committees submitted syllabi changes for the Human Rights Committee and the Convocations Committee. The senate will be asked to approve the changes at the next meeting.

Walter Mientka, mathematics and statistics, said he was alarmed to see students climbing over and under trains at the 14th and Avery streets crossing on Nov. 3 because the trains were stopped for a long time, impeding students from walking south to campus.

Chancellor Moeser, responding to Mientka's alarm, said he, too, was troubled by the practice. An overpass is the only solution, he noted. The crossing is slated for revision under the master plan now in draft stage. Moeser said that until changes could be made, the only thing to do is to warn students of the obvious dangers in climbing over and under trains.

Group to Devise Integrated Marketing Plan

Chancellor Gives Charge to Institutional Marketing Team

Chancellor James Moeser has appointed a group of faculty and staff to a two-year term on the newly created Institutional Marketing Team. The team's responsibilities include shepherding the campus through planning and implementation of an integrated marketing communication plan.

"The university is a very decentralized organization. That is our strength, and also our weakness, when we come to spreading the reputation and image of the university nationally," Moeser said. "I am convinced that we need to adopt a more integrated strategy to projecting our image and further developing a national reputation for quality and excellence. To do so we must reach agreement among ourselves as to what our key messages are, and then dedicate ourselves to harmonizing our many communications of those messages. This will help us achieve our overall aspirations as a university whether that be improving our academic reputation, increasing enrollment of targeted audiences, or enhancing recognition of research excellence and outreach. It will also assist the individual units in telling their own stories because they will be buoyed up by the improved image of the university itself."

The team includes Meg Lauerman, assistant professor of advertising and IM Team co-chair; Phyllis Larsen, director of public relations and IM Team co-chair; Beth Brase, assistant director of development for the University of Nebraska Foundation; David Brinkerhoff, associate vice chancellor for Academic Affairs; Dan Cotton, director of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Communication and Information Technology; Heidi Cuca, marketing director for intercollegiate athletics; Juan Gonzales, coordinator of diversity recruitment and retention for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and 4-H Youth Development; Sanford Grossbart, professor and chair of the department of marketing; Edna McBreen, associate vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Allan McCutcheon, director of the Gallup Institute and Donald O. Clifton Distinguished Professor of Sociology; Ed Paquette, executive director of the Alumni Association; Kim Phelps, assistant vice chancellor for fiscal affairs; Kristine Stelzer, assistant director of Admissions for honors recruitment; Dara Troutman, assistant vice president for external affairs and director of communications for the University of Nebraska system; and Kathleen Zumpfe, marketing director for the Division of Continuing Studies.

Larsen and Lauerman say the team will work to include input from across campus. The first meeting will take place in November.