Re: paleonet FW: Potential closing of the University of Nebraska State Museum

[corvidae <corvid@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>>>> At the University of Nebraska, we, like so many institutions, have 
>>>> been
>>>> undergoing severe budget cuts over the past several months.

Dear All,

Those of you who have not been through this kind of budget slashing 
cannot know what you are in for when it finally comes to your schools. 
At my undergraduate institution the bean counters cut Ballet, German, 
and Geology in an attempt to show the state Commission on Higher 
Education and the state legislature that they were trying to meet 
budgetary reductions in a meaningful way. Ballet had one paid 
"professor." Sixty percent of the professors in German and Geology had 
their tenure shifted internally to other schools or departments and 
remained on staff at no reduction in pay. The remaining 40% retired.

Some savings that, eh?


My prediction about the University of Nebraska State Museum? If the 
research units at UNSM go away to balance a bad budget they will also 
go extinct and they will never rise like the Phoenix from their own 
ashes.

Is it a loss, especially with respect to vert paleo? Yep.

Are members of the unicameral (who set Nebraska's budget) and the UNL 
administration the proper leaders to shut down museum research? Nope.

Are there other programs within the University of Nebraska system that 
could be closed with less loss to science? You betcha.

Is it too late to send cards and letters in hopes of changing the minds 
of the bean counters? It probably is already a done deal.

Does that mean those interested parties should not try? Hell no. Just 
remember, when they come to shut down your department or museum you'll 
look around wondering where all of your friends are...



Should we use latitude and longitude alone to identify fossil 
localities? Nope. We should also include other necessary information, 
such as city, county, district, state, and country.

Cheers,

Christopher J. Crow