mi T i
I )J t ( 0
KJ .I U I
Thursday, October 25, 1934
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 84 No. 45
Vcctftcr: Mostly cloudy today vith a chsnco of
showers and a high of about 52 (1 1 C). Thursday
night, mostly cloudy with a slight chanco of
showers, low of about 43 (6C). Friday, cloudy
with a high In th9 mid-503 (13C). x
Cab ErubchrDal!y tobrssksn
irtnov'c
'autograph!i...Page 8
Volloyballoro hoad to
A
Ey Erod GUTcrd
DdfyNcbralaaEtaff Reporter ,.
Attorneys for S.E. Copple, former Com
monwealth Savings Co. president, Wed
nesday told the Legislature's Banking
Committee that Copple was "as much a
victim in thi3 case as anyone character
ized a victim."
John Stevens Berry, one of two lawyers
who flanked Copple at the hearing, said
Copple has no Commonwealth money
and that he never illegally borrowed or
stole any.
Berry presented documents to the com
mittee showing that Copple had injected
the faltering company with $750,000 out
of his own pocket during the last year of
operations. Further evidence showed that
Copple i3 individually bankrupt.
Attorney Robert Creager said that
besides suffering financially, Copple also
suffered from officials who tried to pin
guilt on him,
Further discussion of that subject was
limited to a closed session. Creager said
the U.S. attorney's office had asked them
not to divulge certain matters to the pub
lic that Copple would have otherwise
discussed.
The information involved "knowledge
that was in the hands of the office of the
(Lancaster) county attorney," Berry said.
He also called some of the actions of that
office constitutional and consciencious
violations.
State Sen: Chris Buetler of Lincoln said
that the testimony concerning the county
SoSo Coracle m Ci
J4 s y;f; (
(MSllMhfl.a iiptll W. i 'V irtfl WIMMMHHteK omasa U'WWMHnaMW&'iiiMMdk ohmeu
ft
j
Dan DialaneyDsSly Ntbrestatn
S.E. Ccpple cenTcra frtth attorneys Ecbert Cresgsr, left, and John Stevens
Bcny before Wednesday's public hearing of the Legislature's Banking
Comsaittee. ..." -
attorney's oiXce was one-sided. County
Attorney Michael Heavican has been in
vited to testier.
Copple said high interest rates and
devalued real estate were responsible for
the institution's failure. But he added
that efforts to overcome those problems
before the closing were hampered by offi
cials whose actions panicked the public.
Those officials included former special
Assistant Attorney General David Dom-
ina, former interim Banking Director John
The next morning people were withdraw
ing all their money, he said, and a close
was imminent.
Copple contended that other institu
tions were being monitored at the same
time, but that the department only an
nounced the Commonwealth surveill
ance. He alio criticized the Domina-led inves
tigation. "" ;", ": ' .
"You would think they would conduct .
an investigation assuming that the offlc-
Miiler, Banking Director Roger Beverage, ers are honest instead of assuming that
and former deputy receiver for Common- there is crookedness going on," Copple
wealth Neil West. He said the Banking said, gesturing with a trembling hand.
Department announced Oct. 31, 1983, Copple,87, said he volunteered his tes-
that Commonwealth was being monitored, timony to explain what happened to
Commonwealth to prevent its reoccur
rance, to clear his name and to help form
a depositor-relief plan.
Irwin Deutscher, a Tennessee consul
tant who is working on a reorganization
scheme for the industrial loan and invest
ment company, said he wOuld welcome
Copple's input.
Deutscher said he found nothing wrong
with Copple's bookkeeping, in contrast to
the Domina report.
The records were in good shape, as
good of shape as I've seen in a situation
like this," Deutscher said.
Deutscher was hired by a group of dep
ositors because of his experience in reor
ganizing collapsed institutions.
Deustcher said that he has advised
depositors that reorganizing Common
wealth would be better than liquidating
it. The company's assets are mostly in
property. But cashing-in those assets
would not provide enough money for
operation, Deutscher said. A state input
of about $25 to $30 million would suffi
ciently restore the company, according to
his estimations.
Sen. Loren Schmit of Bellwood said
that if the state was going to invest that
much money, the plan would have to
cover the other-troubled financial insti
tutions in the state. .
Committee Chairman John DeCamp of
Neligh said he wants to have a special
session of the Legislature in November so
that a conclusion on Commonwealth can
be reached by Jan. 1,1985.
"It's time we bring this nightmare to an
end," DeCamp said.
r
f V
V
''l - . .... if
t
r
) 1 S i
: n
-
. r
f.1srk DavlsOsSSy Msbrasksn
Eegsnt Edward ScIiwsrfcEkopf arosmd with UNL students befere an open forum Wednes-.
day in the Nebrsslca Usdon Main Looag. .
Regent refutes 'myths'
By Ann Lowe
Daily Nebrssk&n Senior Eeprter
A proposal to make UNO a
state college and to have a single
governmenting body replace the
NU Board of Regents and the
state college board of trustess is
"a real step forward" for Nebraska
higher education, Regent Ed
Schwartzkopf said.
Schwartzkopf is running for re
election against Lincoln dentist
Don Fricke. He spoke Wednesday
at a UNL open forum on . some
"myths" about the university and
about his goal for "quality educa
tion "at UNL
"There are a lot of myths float
ing around about the university,"
Schwartzkopf said.
The biggest, he said, is that
UNL. is being "moved brick-by-
brick to Omaha.
"I say that's baloney " Schwartz
kopf said.
The regent said the university
has spent about $200 million on
UNL construction in his 18 years
as regent. At least $50 million has
been budgeted for current con
struction and remodeling projects,
he said.
Decisions that appear to have
shifted money to UNO, such as
moving the dental and pharmacy
schools there, have not hurt UNL,
Schwartzkopf said.
"It's not coming out of our
hide," he said.
In the last five years, UNL has
received $26.1 million or 55
percent of the $47 million bud
geted for the University of Ne
braska system, the regent said.
CoRttemsd on Fags 2
Eemecltm program unlikely aespile lotv scores
By Barbsia Coxaito
DxUSy Nelirsskaa Staff Scjsorter
Editor's note: This is the fbsrth
erUde in a live-part series
mining cizrret issues ca. the"
q'ssllty cf education in Nebraska.
Creation of a remedial English
program at UNL is unlikely, al
though several indicators suggest
there may be a need.
Of th e 3,2 1 7 freshmen entering
th2 university for the 1032-83
school year, 34 had an English
ACT score of 15 or bdow on a
S3-pcint scale.
Vhila the number cf freshmen
entering with an English score of
15 or bdow dropped to 477 in
1933-84, the total number cf stu
dents also dropped to 2,729. The
score breakdowns are not yet
available for the 1934-85 school
year. ; . , .... .
m
a.S gL,3 v- I
-J
m
Schools frequently use an ACT
score of 15 or below to determine
students who need further test
ing, according to Sam Cargile,
director cf the office of &rvices
for the Educationally Disadvant
aged with the American College
Testing Program. ,
Beth Ryan, a UNL English in
structor, said she gets "a shock
ing number of students," about
one-fourth of her freshman writ
ing classes, "who cannot compre
hend what they read and cannot
write complete thoughts with a
literate delivery."
Claire Mattern, assistant Eng
lish professor, said the freshman
courses she has taught during
the past 10 years "have to be
remedial," as students have not
mastered the basics spelling,
punctuation, vocabulary and
sentence structure.
Ryan, who has been teaching at
the university for 17 years, agreed
she "cannot proceed at the rate
you should proceed in freshment
co imp courses."
Marianne Hostetler, manage
ment development coordinator
for Lincoln Telephone, said the
basic writing skills she has .ob
served during the past five years
from both high school and college
graduates has in general gone
downhill.
Lincoln Telephone now olfers a
basic writing seminar to teach
employees basic grammar and
syntax, Hostetler said.
One view of remedial educa
tion, according to John Yost, UNL
history professor and associate
to the chancellor, is that if this is
truly higher education we should
not be involved in remediation.
Competitive universities such
as Rutgers University, however,
do offer remedial education, part
ly in attempt to meet the needs of
the disadvantaged student.
First-generation college stud
ents generally do not have the
skill that students coming from a
college-educated family have, said
Vaughn Robertson Jr., assistant
director of the Special services
project at UNL.
The project is designed to help
students with academic problems,
although our help could not be
defined as remedial, Robertson
said. "
Continued en Pass 2