The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, May 06, 1970, Page PAGE 2, Image 2

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    M
by BILL SMITHERMAN
Nebraskan Stiff Writer
Nearly 200 demonstrators
who occupied the Military and
Naval Science building since
early evening left at about 10
a.m. Tuesday.
The students, whose number
swelled to near 1,000 during the
evening, drew up a list of six
demands and said they would
not leave the building until the
demands were met.
Alan Siporin, one of the
spokesmen, said the students
were occupying the building to
protest President Richard
Nixon's Indochina policy. Their
demands included University
amnesty for all students ar
rested at the Lincoln draft
board Monday and a
suspension of ROTC classes
. until the Indochinese war
ends.
CAMPUS POLICE were
present in the building
throughout the demonstration.
There were no incidents.
Several times during the
night, representatives of the
occupying students met with
Lincoln campus president
Joseph Soshnik, Vice Chan
cellor G. Robert Ross, and
Dean of Faculties C. Peter
Magrath. Several faculty
members and representatives
of student government were
also present.
IN A STATEMENT read at 3
a.m. Soshnik said that no
University rules were being
broken and that the students
could remain in the building as
long as they did not disrupt
classes or destroy University
property. At 7:10 a.m. Siporin
urged the demonstrators to
stay In a portion of the
building's basement and not
WW
I -. V
v-f- elf o l
N incidents
disrupt classes scheduled for
7:30 a.m.
The demonstrators, for the
most part, seemed to agree
with Siporin. They sat on the
floor and munched donuts that
had been brought in for
brcskfs st
SOME ROTC STUDENTS
gathered on the upper level of
the building and looked down at
the demonstrators. Again there
was no disruption.
At 7:30 a.m. some ROTC
students went to their
classrooms and found no in
structors there. They then left
the building.
Professor of Military Science
William W. Gist, III, met with
the students in a parking lot
across the street from the
building. He urged the students
to "keep it cool" and said he
was waiting for word from
Soshnik as to whether classes
would be held.
At 8:45 Soshnik and Ross ar
rived at the building, followed
shortly by Council on Student
Life Chairman John W.
Robinson and C. Peter
Magrath, Dean of Faculties.
The officials conferred in one of
the building's offices.
SOSHNIK THEN ordered
them to leave the building
within fifteen minutes. He read
a statement that said those re
maining would be subject to
arrest and University
discipline.
Soshnik said classes had been
cancelled in the building
because of the disruption. He
added that acts of violence
were likely to occur under th
present conditions.
He also announced that a
petition had been filed for an
injunction to clear students
from the building.
Most of the demonstrators
stayed where they were, plan
ning to lock arms when the
police came.
Later Soshnik returned to the
demonstrators and told them
that anyone not out of the
building in five minutes would
be placed on probation.
AFTER AN hour those still
Varner:
Strike will cause injury
Chancellor Durward B.
Varner said late Tuesday, "The
net result of a student strike
will be substantial injury to the
University of Nebraska."
However, Varner and Lincoln
Campus President Joseph
Soshnik said that the Universi
ty administration has not taken
an official stand toward the
student strike which was called
Tuesday in a student meeting
at the Coliseum.
When asked about the strike
Soshnik remarked, "I want to
consult further with the
Chancellor. I'm not ready at
this time to speak
unilaterally."
Varner said there are more
constructive ways for students
to voice their opposition to the
Cambodian problem than a
student strike and occupying
the Military and Naval Science
Building.
"I fail to see a student strike
solving a very difficult foreign
problem," the Chancellor add
ed. Varner also said the injunc
Al draft arraignment
Twelve plead not guilty
Eleven of the 13 University
students arrested at Monday's
draft board demonstration
pleaded not guilty of the charge
of disturbing the peace at their
arraignment in Municipal
Court Tuesday morning.
Charles Dalrymple pleaded
guilty to charges of malicious
destruction of property after he
allegedly broke a window in the
door of the Terminal Building,
home of the Lincoln draft
recappec
remaining would be tem
porarily suspended, he said.
Robinson then informed the
demonstrators of their rights.
At 9:34 a.m. Soshnik returned
and announced that all those
still demonstrating were on
probation. He restated that
those still in the building in an
hour would be suspended.
At 9:58 a.m. Siporin an
tion ordering student demon
strators from the Military and
Naval Science Building was the
implementation of a plan
formed many years ago to han
dle student protests.
"The Board of Regents didn't
call to get an injunction against
the students," Varner stated.
Police forces
Lincoln police forces, which
have been ready if needed
since Monday, will continue to
maintain special patrols "as
long as necessary, according
to the Chief of Police Joe Car
roll. He said late Tuesday that
police forces are working 12
hour shifts and units near the
campus are operating at twice
normal strength.
Nearly 150 Lincoln police,
county sheriff's deputies and
state patrolmen were prepared
to remove students "occupy
ing" the Military and Naval
board.
The others arrested pleaded
not guilty to the charge of
disturbing the peace. Elbert
Hill pleaded not guilty to the
charge of using foul and
abusive language. They were
released without bond in the
custody of attorney Patrick
Healey of Lincoln. Their trial Is
slated for May 28 at 10:30 a.m.
Healey repeatedly asked that
the complaints be quashed on
the grounds that they are
vague, indefinite, uncertain,
over-broad and do not state an
offense." Each time he was
overruled by the judge.
Students leave;
affidavit withdrawn
The late entrance of
Municipal Judge William
Hastings and two divorce cases
may have prevented a police
student confrontation at the
University of Nebraska Tues
day. The University was seeking a
temporary restraining order to
remove students who occupied
the Military and Naval Science
building Monday night. The
case had Just begun when the
University attorney, Flavel
Wright, received a phone call
nounced to the demonstrators
that the faculty meeting
originally scheduled for noon
had been moved forward to
10:30. They decided to leave the
M&N building and attend the
faculty meeting.
At 10 a.m. the demonstrators
marched from the building and
headed for the Nebraska
Union.
However, the Chancellor said
he has been in contact with the
Regents concerning the current
student demonstrations. He
said the Regents have reported
that there is a good deal of
unhappiness in o u t s t a t e
Nebraska over the student
demonstrations.
on alert
Science Building -T u e s d a y
morning, Carroll said. They left
before action was initiated.
"We operate on, the campus
only at the request of the
University," Carroll said. Since
the request Tuesday morning,
the police chief said, there have
been no problems.
Lt. Col. John Ratliff, in
formation officer for the
Nebraska National Guard, said
the Guard had received no re
quests for action and had not
participated in any action con
cerning the "NU disturban
ces." '
Later Healey said he doesn't
think the students were
disturbing the peace. "Our
position is that they were ex
ercising their constitutional
right of lawful assembly," he
said.
City Attorney Norman
Krlvosha refused to say exactly
what the students were doing to
disturb the peace because he
said commenting would be un
fair to the students. He said
only that "there was some
problem with the elevators,"
a id that most of the students
were arrested in the hall in
front of the draft board.
notifying him that the students
had left voluntarily.
The hearing, scheduled to
begin at 9:15 a.m., was first
delayed as the court waited for
Hastings to enter. Then before
the University case, two
divorce proceedings were
heard by the judge.
Later Tuesday the University
withdrew both the affidavit
submitted as evidence and the
request for the restraining
order.
PAGF 2
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1970