Unicameral
agrees with
NU Regents
on Rozman
The State Legislature added its voice Friday to those
supporting the University of Nebraska Board of Regent's
decision not to rehire Stephen L. Rozman.
Despite warnings by some senators that thejbodywas acting
emotionally and perhaps impairing the Regent's defense in
Rozman 's $100,000 damage suit in U. S. District Court, a
resolution was passed 29-8 Friday declaring "fair treatment
and good judgment were in fact exercised" by the Board in the
Rozman case.
SEN. JOHN DE CAMP of Neligh introduced the resolution,
apparently in response to a march of about 100 students to
the Capitol Thursday protesting the Rozman dismissal.
The marchers wrote numerous letters to senators after
arriving at the Capitol asking for an expression of legislative
opinion.
Basic language of the resolution included:
"The Legislature supports the Board of Regents in the
Regents' authority to decide the Rozman case.
UNIVERSITY OF NSRfr
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HEOBOIMW
LIERARY
FEB 22 197
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TUESDAY, F-EBRUARY 23. 1971
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA VOL 94 NO. 67
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by JOHN DVORAK
News Editor
With the blizzard worsening
minute by minute, Lincoln
radio personality Dick Perry
arose from bed early Monday
morning to prepare for what
could be 24-hour emergency
duty at KFOR.
Snow was already inches
deep, more was falling, winds
gusted above 40 miles an hour.
Lincoln was sinking, for the
second time this season, into
snow paralysis.
Perry s young son arose
with his father. "Gee," he said,
"Do you think they'll cancel
the basketball game tonight?"
YES, THE OKLAHOMA
-Nebraska roundball contest
was postponed. In fact just
about everything but February
22 itself was postponed.
By early Monday morning,
radio and television stations
were asking not for
cancelations or closings, but
for calls from business firms
that were brave enough to
open their doors.
A pharmacy, several
gasoline stations and grocery
stores, half a dozen cafes, and
Arby's Roast Beef Restaurant
responded. As the day wore
on, street maintainers went to
work and more and more
businesses opened.
ST SHOW JO
bo
BUT THE UNIVERSITY
lost another day of classes. The
institution was shut down two
days the first week of January
during what had been, up until
that time, the worst blizzard in
25 years.
"It seems that about every
four or five years classes are
dismissed for a day," observed
Carl Donaldson, a special
consultant to the President
who has been with NU since
the 1920s, during the January
shutdown. But nothing in his
memory of snow storms could
equal Monday's blizzard.
About 5:30 a.m. Monday,
with passage into and out of
dormitory and Greek houses
impossible, and with the
blizzard at the peak of its fury,
President Joseph Soshnik
canceled all morning classes on
both Lincoln campuses.
By 10 a.m. the
Lincoln-Lancaster County Civil
Defense director put out an
urgent call for snowmobiles
with or without drivers. Police
cruisers with chains were
bogged down, so law
enforcement took to
four-wheel drive jeeps.
Then Soshnik canceled the
rest of Monday's classes.
Late Monday Soshnik announ
ced that the school would re
main closed through at least
Tuesday noon. The important
booner-Husker clash was
re-scheduled for Tuesday
evening at 7:30 p.m. in the
Coliseum.
ABOUT HALF OF NU's
20,000 students who live off
campus, were marooned in
houses, apartments and rooms.
unless tney resided on
arterials, walking or
snowmobiles were the only
means of transportation.
The other half of the
student body made do around i
campus.
In the Abel-Sandoz
dormitory complex, several
students cooked breakfast
because the regular cooks and
supervisors couldn't come to
work.
Burl Janzen and Tom
Kutschkau, along with
residence director Glenn
Schumann, had to break into
the cafeteria because
Schumann's key would not
work. Together, they fried
bacon and eggs and cooked
waffles.
Employes began arriving at
the complex in fire department
jeeps by noon. Food on hand
was expected to last out the
storm.
GIRLS IN SANDOZ played
cards, talked, watched
television, cleaned their rooms,
Turn to page 2
"THE LEGISLATURE HAS no reason to believe
the Regents excercised anything other than good judgment
and fair play in the determination of the Rozman case and
makes no judgment of the merit of the case.
"...The Legislature finds no reason whatsoever to interfere
with or upset the findings and determination of the Regents.
"The 82nd Legislature, First Session, goes on record to
caution and remind those who are students at the University as
follows:
"A. THE STUDENT in Nebraska who attends NU pays only
a fraction of the actual cost of educating said student.
"B. The bulk of the cost.. .is paid by the Nebraska
taxpayers.
"C. The Regents and Legislature are responsible to all the
people of the state and not just to students.
"D. At that time the students actually pay all of their
educational costs independent of any state aid, (then) might
be the more proper time for students to challenge who the
Regents hire and fire ."
SEN. FERN ORME of Lincoln attempted to amend the
resolution to strike the portion lecturing students. Her
amendment was defeated 15-28. Several senators, Richard
Marvel of Hastings and Elmer Wallwey of Emerson among
them, voted against the Orme amendment but later declined to
vote on the entire resolution.
Wallwey unsuccessfully asked DeCamp to withdraw the
resolution in the "interests of this body and the State of
Nebraska."
The motion came under heavy fire by Sen. Ernest
Chambers of Omaha who called it "ill-timed, ill-conceived,
poorly drawn" and a "vindictive slap at students." He also
warned that the Legislature might do harm to the pending
court case if the resolution was passed.
NEITHER ROZMAN NOR his attorney Patrick W. Healey of
Lincoln have indicated that the Legislature's action will affect
the direction of the case. Rozman, however, released a letter in
which he charged the senators with "prejudging" his case.
The vote on the resolution:
For (29)--Burbach, Carsten, Craft, DeCamp, Elrod,
Goodrich, Hasebroock, Holmquist, Johnson, Kime, Kaver,
Kremer, Luedtke, Mahoney, Maresh, Morgan, Moylan, Nore,
Proud, Savage, Schmit, Skarda, Studll, Swanson, Syas, Waldo,
Waldron, Whitney and Wiltse.
Against (8)-Barnett, Chambers, Clark, Duis, Epke, Keyes,
Snyder and Stahmer.
Present and not voting (8)-Kennedy, Kokes, Lewis, Marvel
Orme, Wallwey, Warner and Ziebarth.
Protesters receive
warnings for sit-in
Seven "students received
official University warnings
Friday in connection with Feb.
10 demonstrations protesting
the Board of Regent's refusal
to rehire Stephen L. Rozman.
An eighth student was placed
on probation and the decision
on a ninth had not been
revealed as of Sunday night.
After hearings last week the
Student Tribunal decided that
students who refused to leave
Chancellor D. B. Varner's
office Feb. 10 until they were
placed on probation were
creating a disruption.
The Office of Student
Affairs Friday approved the
Tribunal's recommendation
and issued official warnings to
Jacqueline Barret, Ed Anson,
Nola Kinnamon, Stephanie
Thomson and Bill Behmer.
IN ITS RULING the
Tribunal found"it is within the
chancellor's authority to
decide whether an individual or
groups conduct interferes with
the business routine of his
office." The statement added
that the chancellor was "put
under duress by the demands
made by the group."
Gary Schleiger, who was put
on probation twice, once when
he refused to leave the
chancellor's office and again
when he refused to leave the
Administration Building at its
closing time, also received an
official warning by seperate
statement.
Mike Richardson, who was
suspended and then arrested
after refusing to leave the
chancellor's office, was placed
on probation by the Tribunal.
HOWEVER, Richardson has
withdrawn from the University
to attend another school,
according to Mike Barret,
another of those arrested at the
chancellor's office.
Ron Kurtenbach, who was
suspended and arrested after he
refused to leave Love Library
at its closing time Feb. 10 was
reinstated by the Tribunal and
received an official warning.
The Tribunal statement
said: "An academic
community must be free to a
diversity of opinion and
conduct, but this freedom
must be balanced against the
need for the security of
buildings after closing hours."
"IT IS INTERESTING to
contrast the values of the
Regents," Kurtenbach said.
"Mike Davis was refused a job
because of the same kind of
protest I conducted. I received
only a conduct warning."
He said he had not decided
yet whether to appeal the
Tribunal's decision, but was
thinking about appealing to the
Council on Student Life (CSL).
Schleiger said he was told
by an official of the Student
Affairs office that an
investigation is being
conducted to decide whether
the students were disruptive
under a Federal law.
IF THEIR action is ruled to
be disruptive under this law
they could be refused federal
financial aid for up to two
years.
He said the students were
also told that sanctions against
them will be more strict if they
are involved in more
disturbances. But, Schleiger
said the students will do what
they think is necessary to
continue protesting the
Rozman decision.
Jacqueline Barret, Anson,
Kinnamon, Thomson, and
Behmer have said they will file
an appeal on their cases with
CSL. Schleiger said he would
also appeal.
"We were just doing what
most students ,do all year,
sitting on our rears," Ms.
Barret said. "But, we were
doing it for a purpose."
