Committee rewrites
University by-laws
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1971 LINCOLN, NEBRASKA VOL. 95, NO. 4
Regents
by Carol Strasser
"Definite harassment by the
more liberal elements of the
University community" has
prompted a proposal to remove
the fraternity system from the
control of the Council on
Student Life, according to
University Regent Robert
Prokop.
CSL's investigation of
alleged discrimination in Greek
houses "got Greek alumni
quite upset" and probably
prompted the proposal, said
John W. Robinson, associate
Dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences and past chairman
of CSL.
"MANY FRATERNITY
and sorority people, more
especially the alumni, were
considerably disturbed by the
interest CSL showed in
fraternities and sororities," he'
said. "They had the feeling
they were a different group not
under the control of CSL."
Prokop concurred that the
alumni were upset. They invest
money in fraternities and
sororities and, "due to
harassment techniques, face
the possibility of losing their
investment," he said.
The proposal, expected to
be delivered at the Regents
September 13 meeting, calls
for the creation of an executive
fraternity council The council
would be comprised of
undergraduates, Greek house
I-House promotes understanding
by H.J. Cummins
"Houseman!" called the uniformed janitor,
opening the door on the first floor of Piper Hal!
marked "Women's Section."
Hearing no feminine protests, he went in to
continue cleaning, just as he did last year and
many years before.
BUT NOT MUCH else at Piper Hall, one of
four parts of UNL's Women's Residence Hall, is
the same as last year. The first two floors now
compose the University of Nebraska's first
International House, men on the first floor,
women on the second.
Able to accommodate 72 students, with
openings still available, the International House
(I-House) was set up "to foster better
international relations and have an international
resource center, both human and educational,
on this campus," according to Raad Hermes,
the student assistant on the men's floor.
1-1 louse participants include studentsfrom
Persia, India, Lebanon, Japan, Hong Kong, Iran,
France, Liberia, Australia, Italy, Pakistan, the
Dominican Republic, Libya and the United
States.
PROGRAMS AT THE I-House are open to
the whole campus community. Ideas include a
travel information center with information on
all overseas programs, classes in the I-House,
language tables where only a certain language
can be spoken, Sunday night international
dinners and folk dancing, and a guest room
which will be open to foreign visitors.
The WRH food service has promised to try
to add more variety to l-House menus, serving
more rice dishes.
To date, one of the worst problems for the
l-l louse participants has been learning the
residents' multi-national names. But that was
quickly overcome by "distributing nicknames
on the spot," according to Hermes.
ZOYA ZEMAN coordinator of the
International Information Center, said the
orange lounge at Piper Hall will become "the
center for anybody who wants any kind of
1 V
study Greek plan
chapter advisers and
representatives from the
University at large.
THE COUNCIL WOULD be
under the authority of the
dean of student affairs and
Regents and would supervise
functions of the fraternities,
such as rushing and pledging,
now controlled by the
Interfraternity Council Chapter
Board of Control and Board of
Advisers.
There is no mention of
inclusion of a similar council
for the Alumni Panhellenic
Advisory Board (sororities) in
the proposal, said Corwin D.
Moore, chairman of the
Alumni Interfraternity Board.
There also is no direct
reference to CSL in the
proposal although it is
expected to remove fraternities
from CSL control, Moore said.
"The internal working of the
fraternity system has nothing
to do with CSL or their
supervision," he added.
CLAIMING THAT the
creation of CSL is not provided
for in the Regents' by-laws,
Prokop said an executive
fraternity council would
combine the authority now
held by several fraternity
advisory boards a'nd "properly
establish where authority
lies."
CSL, created by executive
order two years ago, is charged
with responsibility over all
non-academic student affairs.
international experience."
Flu mo Stevens, a graduate student in
economics and I-House representative from
Liberia, said he lives in I-House because he feels
one has to learn about other people to evaluate
oneself. "I'd like to see if I can appreciate other
people's cultures," he said.
"I came to learn about people other than
Americans, too," he added.
FEELING THAT OTHER foreign students
are accepted more quickly than he due to his
black skin, the doctoral student stressed the
importance of one-to-one relationships, saying,
"If we (the world) hope to live together, let me
see if I can go in a room and live with an
Indian I believe only that can eventually
bring world peace."
In addition to the cross-cultural knowledge
she hopes to gain, American student Penny
Kealey has some immmediate plans for her
involvement in this international experiment,
she said.
Concerned about the foreign students'
difficult adjustment, and remembering how
difficult it was even for her as a freshman, the
sophomore from Holdrege said. "If they
(foreign students) have a problem, I don't want
them to feel they don't have anyone to talk
to."
THE BULLETIN BOARD in Libyan student
Ham id Kamul's room is covered with Playboy
pin-ups and pictures of Muhammed Ali. Below
the board is a black derby he collected on a trip
to Louisana. Kamcl said he wants "to know
more about different people and different
cultures."
Bob Chattock, a sophomore from Omaha,
said he is excited about living with a foreign
student because, unlike Americans who one can
"get to know in two days," it will take a "long
time to find out" about foreign students.
His roommate, Altaf Malik from Pakistan,
also said it was convenient that the I-House will
be open during vacations and all summer, times
when housing has traditionally been a problem
for foreign students.
subject to review by the
Regents.
CSL began considering the
question of discrimination in
Greek houses following the
release of a report by
Robinson. Acting as President
D. B. Varner's personal
representative and not as
chairman of CSL, Robinson
compiled a report on
discrimination in campus
organizations which was
presented to the Regents in
November, 1970.
ROBINSON'S report
described the Greek system as
the "weak link" in the chain of
implementing the Board's
anti-discrimination policy. It
recommended that five
fraternities and one sorority be
reprimanded for racial
discrimination. In the report,
Robinson said it was uncertain
whether 15 houses on campus
are in a position to accept
blacks.
In reaction to the report,
the Interfraternity Council
Chapter Board of Advisers
issued in June a policy
statement on discrimination.
In addition to supporting
the proposal for an executive
fraternity council, the
statement recommends some
programs to establish
interaction between fraternity
members and minority groups.
These include "adopting" a
Turn to page 2.
by Bill Smitherman
Thirty-six people on the
three NU campuses are now
formulating a policy which will
affect campus life for many years
to come.
The University of Nebraska
Study Committee on
Governance, formed in the
wake of the Stephen Rozman
dispute last year, is now in the
process of rewriting the
University by-laws.
ROZMAN WAS an NU
political science teacher who
was fired by the Regents after
he was cited by a citizen's
committee for "actions
inappropriate for a teacher"
during the campus disturbances
of May, 1970. The question of
what was inappropriate for a
teacher led the faculties,
meeting on the Lincoln campus
in February, to call for the
writing of a "constitution
which will become the basic
document for governance of
the University of Nebraska."
The committee has 36
members, representing all
campuses as well as
representatives of local
communities.
MERK HOBSON, executive
ASUN, CSL hold first meetings
The Associated Students of the University of Nebraska
(ASUN) will hold its first meeting of the semester in the
Nebraska Union today at 4 p.m.
The Council on Student Life (CSL) will meet for the first time
at S p.m. Thursday, also in the Nebraska Union.
I
r f
Hamid Kamal settles into
in Piper Hall.
jiff 5
vice-president of the university,
said the committee isn't
working toward a deadline to
complete its work.
"This is an important
project," Hobson said," and we
want to take as much time as is
needed to do a eood iob."
THE COMMITTEE will
probably incorporate many of
the suggested changes into the
document before sending it to
the Regents, he said. The
Regents will probably then
make changes of their own, he
added.
Steve Fowler, ASUN
president and chairman of the
Student Policy Subcommittee,
said the by-laws, as they now
exist, seldom mention student
concerns except discipline.
There are other Regent
approved statements of
Student policy though, such as
the Student in the Academic
Community document. Fowler
said his committee has
reviewed these documents to
see what material was relevant
for by-laws.
MOSTLY, THE student
policy group has been trying to
incorporate appropriate parts
of existing policy into the
Turn to page 8.
MOM
3
i -i.ta.
his new international home