Regents
investigate
birth control
handbooks
by Carol Strasser
The University Board of Regents decided Friday to
investigate the distribution of the Birth Control
Handbook in the dormitories. ASUN bought 10,000
copies of the book last year for $500 in student fee
money, said ASUN Pres. Steve Fowler.
However, ASUN decided not to distribute the books
and gave them to the Association for Birth Control
(ABC), a student organization, to sell, Fowler said.
Although that was the original agreement, Fowler said
he "wasn't planning to demand the money back" from
ABC.
THE REGENTS decided to investigate the incident
after Paul O'Hara, executive director of the Nebraska
Catholic Council, appeared before the Board to
complain about the books. The Regents suspended the
rules to allow O'Hara to speak. The rules call for two
weeks' notice before an outsider is permitted to speak to
the Board.
O'Hara said he has received complaints from parents
and students about the book and claimed that the
material is being forced on students.
He alleged that two of the books were put in each
mailbox in Cather and Pound dormitories and that the
books were paid for in part with funds administered by
the Executive council of Pound and Cather Halls.
THE BOOKS WERE distributed free to all living units
by the YWCA and University Women's Action Group,
said Patti Kaminski, UWAG member. The means of
distribution was up to the individual dormitory,
according to Twig Daniels, ABC faculty adviser. Cather
Hall was the only dormitory which reported that the
books were put in mailboxes.
Andy Miller, residence director of Cather Hall, said the
YWCA gave the books to Cather Hall government, and
the government gave a donation to ABC.
Miller said the books were regarded as "a factual,
informative thing we wanted to pass on to the students.
I don't know of any rule that the hall government can't
give out information."
GAIL WATSON , Pound Program Chairman, said the
books were passed out in Pound Hall through the
student assistants so that each student had the option of
turning it down.
"A need for the information was felt to exist in the
hall," said Paul Ochsner, Cather Hall president. The
book was distributed strictly for an informative purpose,
he added.
The book was published by the Arts and Sciences
Undergraduate Society of McGill University in Montreal.
Although it contains discussions of anatomy,
intercourse, venereal disease and abortion, the major
portion is concerned with contraceptive methods and
their relative effectiveness.
KAMINSKI said it is "one of the most respected"
books on bith control. The book was distributed because
of a concern about the number of problem pregnancies
on campus, she said.
In not stopping the distribution of the book, O'Hara
accused Eli Meyerson, interim Dean of Student Affairs,
of ignoring the University's responsibility to protect
students from getting materials which they can't accept
in conscience. Meyerson refused to stop distribution on
grounds of censorship.
Interim Chancellor C. Peter Magrath said
arrangements are being made for "Birthright," an anti
abortion group, to distribute literature on campus.
The Regents requested a report on the incident at the
December meeting.
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1971
LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
VOL. 95, NO. 37
RHA asks dorm cooperation in Regents' plan
At a special meeting
Saturday, the Residence Hall
Association voted to set aside
plans for court action and
urged residence hall students to
cooperate with, the Board of ..
Regents' committee on coed
visitation.
The committee, with
representatives from the
Regents, administration and
Council on Student Life, will
attempt to liberalize current
coed visitation policy.
THE REGENTS' decision to
re-open the visitation question
came after a lengthy meeting
Friday with the Council on
Student Life. CSL sought the
meeting to discuss the
visitation issue in the light of
growing dissatisfaction among
students over the current RHA
visitation policy.
Roger Story, president of
RHA, had informed the
Council that the Association
was considering court action
against the Regents to settle
the issue. There also has been
talk among dormitory students
of mass disobedience of the
regulations to force the
Regents' hand.
ALTHOUGH he said he was
delighted with the Regents'
decision Friday, Story said
"the proposed fall of '72
implementation date is
over-cautious." University
President D. B. Varnertold the
Regents that the "earliest
feasible date" for
implementing a new visitation
policy would be September,
1972.
At the RHA meeting
Saturday, members suggested
that if enough volunteers help
the University Housing Office
and special committee, perhaps
a new policy could be put into
effect by second semester.
The committee is charged
with forming a visitation
proposal, informing parents of
the modifications in the policy
and taking a poll of parental
approval.
IF 50 PER CENT or more
of the responding' parents
approve of the modifications,
Varner said "It is my hope the
board would adopt the
modifications."
The new policy should have
adequate provision for
accommodating those students
who don't want to participate
and measures for insuring the
security of the dormitories,
Varner said. In order to
participate, each student
should have a letter stating
parental approval, he added.
AT THE SAME TIME
parents are being polled,
students should be polled to
see if they approve of the
modifications, Varner said.
He suggested that the
committee would consider the
modifications of the RHA
hours presented to the Board
by CSL. These modifications
were proposed by Wayne T.
Kuncl, Coordinator of
Residence Hall Programs, as
the position of his staff.
K unci's proposal broadens
supervision of the RHA hours
to include student government
officers, doesn't specify that
the individual room door
should be open and allows
visitation for individual
activities rather than just group
activities. It doesn't change the
number of hours allowed for
visitation.
CSL WILL ISSUE a
statement soon asking students
not to participate in mass
disobedience of RHA
regulations until the Regents
act, said CSL member John
Humlicek.
"I'm sure we can get 50 per
cent of the parents to
Police have burglary suspects
Turn to page 6.
55E""T ""I
by Steve Arvanette
Lincoln police say they have
two suspects in their
investigation of a case where a
quantity of hashish was stolen
during a police lecture to
eighth floor Schramm Hall
residents.
The theft took place
Wednesday evening, Oct. 27
when Leighton Wessel from the
Lincoln Police Department's
community relations
department spoke to a group
of 35-40 people.
"SOMEONE RIPPED us
off," Wessel said of the
incident.
Wessel said as part of these
lectures, he often takes some
of the illegal drugs which
police have confiscated to
show interested people.
"Someone asked 'Could I
look at it,'" Wessel said of a
container which held several
pieces o f a substance identified
as hashish.
The container was passed
around to several people in the
front of the room, when it was
returned Wessel discovered a
quantity missing.
The amount stolen was
estimated by Wessel to be
about a one-half inch cube size
chunk weighing roughly 3-4
grams.
"WE COULDNT very well
search everybody," Wessel said
so everyone present had their
name and address taken.
Wessel said his office is
re-evaluating taking drug
samples when they appear at
future campus groups.
"I've given quite a few of
these lectures to college
students and have never had
this happen before," Wessel
said.
Possession of hashish is
termed "possession of a
controlled substance" and
conviction would carry a
felony penalty.
Inspector Robert J
Sawdon, head of the Lincoln
Police's criminal division, said
the incident is being
investigated by his office.
THESE SAME types of
lectures have been given to
thousands of people," Sawdon
said.
This incident, Sawdon says,
will "cause a condition where
we will be very reluctant to try
to comply to these
invitations."
Sawdon feels there may
have been a conspiracy to
divert Wessel's attention.
"Maybe he placed too much
trust in all the people there,"
Sawdon said.
According to Wessel the two
student Suspects in the case do
not live on campus. Wessel
expressed the concern the
substance taken could have
been contaminated.
GAIL GADE, campus
security chief, said his office
has also entered the
investigation.
Gade also noted that the
University administration is
aware of the case and will ! j
kept informed as to the
progress of the investigation.
Scott Beman, student
assistant for eighth floor
Schramm Hall refused to make
any comment on the case. "I
don't feel it is appropriate to
make any statement," he said.
Comedian Bob Hope. . .watches as the Huskers
rout Jowa State Saturday prior to his evening per
formance at the Coliseum. See review in Larry Ku
bert's column, page 6.
