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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 1970)
e 0 IT e S IhB o bu The MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1970 LINCOLN, NEBRASKA VOL. 93, NO. 59 Ely's coming ilaouii lePi n TCD FressMFe on student renters by GARY SEACREST Ntbraskan Staff Writtr Students are being pressured to move from their rented off campus housing units if their landlords refuse to sign the University's non-discrimination agreement, according to Ely Meyerson, housing director. The University's present policy is to advise students that such housing is unapproved and to ask them to leave, Meyerson said. "If a student refuses to com ply we will counsel him and tell him he is in violation of University policy," Meyerson said. "If he does not comply he will not remain in good stan ding with the University." If the student still refuses to OEM vm Student cops page 2 Volunteer army page 4 Sports page 6 move from the unapproved housing, the Housing Office will refer the student through the normal University disciplinary channels. Meyerson said almost all students have complied either by moving or getting their landlord to sign the non discrimination agreement. "The actual number of students who have been asked to move is very few," ac cording to Housing Officer Wayne L. Blue. "In the future there will be more enforcement of the agreement since it is becoming more widely known to the landlords." All ' students, regardless of age, could be asked to move if they are living in unapproved housing. The Housing Office has had some trouble with Lincoln landlords concerning the agreement according to Blue. "Many landlords and property owners feel that the housing agreement is a document forc ing them to rent to specific in dividuals. This is not the in tent." Blue said relations are im proving between landlords and the University Housing Office. "They (landlords) are beginn ing to realize that this is an operational policy and not a gimmick to harass them." The n o n -discrimination agreement states "landlords stand ready to rent to all students and members of the University of Nebraska com munity regardless of ; race, religion or national origin." The n o n -discrimination pledge is only one of many qualifications for approved housing. Signing the agreement is at the discretion of the landlord. Of the 1,127 non-discrimination pledges sent out to landlords by the University this semester, only 758 have been Stillman girls: transition 'easy' by JAN PARKS Ntbraskan Staff Writtr Transferring from an Alabama church school to the University of Nebraska in the middle of winter is not as drastic a change as one might presume. Emily Williams and Ernestine Watson, both juniors participating in the University's exchange program with Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Ala., groaned their reaction to Nebraska weather. "We're getting used to it," Miss Watson said. "The friendly people have made up for the cold weather." Both girls reported their transition from a predominently black school to a predominently white school to be "easy enough." "We expected it to be lonesome, but we have found lots of things to do and lots of friendly people," Miss Watson said. Both girls had boyfriends at Stillman, but have had no problems adjusting socially to their new environment. "We've had dates every weekend since we've been here," Miss Williams said. Relaxing in their Smith Hall room Saturday evening before dates to an Omaha mini-skirt dance, the girls remarked that NU coeds have more freedom than Stillman girls. The no hours policy at the University is one aspect of the exchange they particularly enjoy, "At Stillman we had 11:15 curfews during the week and 12:30 curfews on weekends," Miss Watson noted. Snapping her fingers, Miss Williams said, "Stillman is that big." The school has an enrollment of about 800 students. Ron Whitten, sophomore, is the University's representative at Stillman this semester. The University does not seem more difficult academically, Miss Watson, a biology major said. "But since I've only been here three weeks, I really shouldn't say I may be flunking out and Just not know it." Miss Williams, a French major, recalled appologllng for her Southern accent after her first French class recitation. "The kids laughed," she said, "but their laughter was friendly and the professor said my presentation was good." "We weren't worried about now people would accept us here," Miss Watson said. 'I'm not over-sensitive about the way strangers react anyway." Miss Watson said dormitory residents have made them feel welcome. "One thing that really surprised me was that most of these girls have never been acquainted with anyone who is black," she said. "We've been treated Just like regular students since we've been here," Miss Williams said with a laugh. "So regular that there was nobody at the airport to meet us and we had to go through general registration by ourselves, that was a big pain," she added. Miss Williams did have one additional problem that most students do not face in a new school. All of her clothes were lost in shipping, she said. "Those people at the Greyhound station just don't realize the seriousness of the situation," Miss Williams said. "I just don't see how anyone could lose two big footlockers and two large boxes." Stillman exchange students Ernestine Watson and Emily Williams signed. The Housing Officer has received 104 refusals and has gotten no responses from 265 units. The first time the non d i s crimination agreements were sent to Lincoln landlords was in 1968. However, last year the University did not take any disciplinary action against students who did not move from unapproved housing since the policy was new, Meyerson said. Although the Housing Office would like to see more en forcement of the n o n -discrimination agreement, one ASUN senator believes that the Housing Office is discriminating against students by forcing them to move from unapproved housing. Sen. Steve McCollister in troduced a resolution in the ASUN Senate last week that would instruct the Council on Student Life to evaluate the right of the Housing Office to tell students to leave their off campus residence on the grounds of racial discrimina tion by the landlord. The resolution states that "discrimination because of college status is, at best, a poor solution for the problem of discrimination because of race, creed or national origin." The resolution also urges ASUN to renew its belief that a strong open housing law is badly needed in Lincoln. McCollister said, "I think the Housing Office is excercising privileges that are discriminating against stu dents." He noted that the non-discrimination agreement by helping eliminate racial discrimination is creating a new type of discrimination. If McCollister's resolution is approved, it will mark a reversal in ASUN policy. The Senate originally helped create the non-discrimination agree ment in 1968. Meyerson said he hopes the ASUN Senate would indeed review the non-discrimination agreement. However, the Housing Director said he hopes ASUN would "put some teeth Into the enforcement of the agreement." Faculty exhibit honors Vomer The Biennial Exhibition of works in all media by NU art department faculty opens Tuesday, Feb. 24 at Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery. According to I'rof. Duard Laging, department chairman, the faculty exhibition Is dedicated to Chancellor Durward Varner. Laging said, "The works on display in this exhibition give only a partial view of the caliber of the artists. The show will be In Galleries, D, E and F, and will run tlirough March 22. 8- y ft. it-,? 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