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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 14, 1974)
-CH(VES J I W OQiU thursday, november 14, 1974 lincoln, nebraska vol. 98 no. 46 Religion in residents' rooms being investigated ByRexSeline. Riddle: When is a room not a room? Answer: Apparently, when it is defined by the NU Board of Regents' visitation policy as opposed to the definition in the regents' religion policy. The question of the definition of a room and also what constitutes a religious service has spurred an investigation by a combined Council on Student Life (CSL) and ASUN committee on religion, according to ASUN Representative Art Alexander. The committee was formed last spring because of the "furor in CSL over violations of the regents' policy on religion," Alexander said. Abel conflict The conflict involved two Abel Hall incidents, in one of which had a group gave a small concert and presentation which "for all intents and purposes wound, up as a prayer meeting," according to Alexander. The other incident involved the showing of a film with alleged religious overtones which was sponsored with funds from the residence hall. Both incidents stirred com plaints because it "infringed on some people's rights," Alexan der said. According to the regents' visitation policy, a room includes residence hail lounges and hall ways. The religion policy, which restricts religious services to rooms, defines rooms to be only what the resident has a key to, said Alexander. "What we're trying to estab lish is where someone can conduct a religious meeting as opposed to a discussion group that happens to concern re ligion," Alexander said. New information Lincoln Regent Ed Schwartz Kopf, when informed Wednes day of the committee and possible conflicts in the regents' policies, declined comment, saying, "To be candidly honest, this comes as completely new information to me." Schwartzkopf added that he was "reluctant to indicate the intent" of the regents' decisions. "I don't remember clearly the facts that went into the decision but our basic intent was to protect the rights of every individual." Alexander reported that the University lawyer gave an opin ion that th" room definition dilemma did not present legal difficulties a ,d was not a basis for conflict. He added that the question involves "where does a speaking engagement and a religious service pick up?" Establishing jurisdiction ! The committee, led by Sue Rehm of CSL, is trying tc "establish who has jurisdiction to allow a group to speak anc what sanctions exist for people! that do breaK the rules, Alexander said. Meeting last Friday, the com-i mittee established tentative pro-J posals which will be "more) concrete within two weeks, "J according to Rehm. Proposals will be first approved by the committee and then taken to Ken Bader, vice chancellor fon student affairs, after which theyj will be presented to CSL, Rehmj said. ! i From there, Rehm was "not sure" where the proposals would be presented but she said that they would probably go tof Chancellor James Zumberge. ! n I 1? J- , 14 -u: iryfi 1 ' '": h-il 1 .- . f, J !A7? r t J 1 It ..i.-ir 'it m , 'in: 1 il . Or 1 : 0 -1' fc - n t . F R . - J . . Inside the home of William Jennings Bryan in Lincoln during the filming of a part of the "American Life Style Series", nam-ted by actor E. G. Marshall center. Lincoln gets 'cut' of the 'action' By John Kalkowski. A quick cue, and a guided tour begins of Fairview, the Lincoln home of famous Nebraska statesman William Jennings Bryan. Narrated by movie star E.G. Mar- t)Ullf i' iW i tllltMl Wt i Mil VIWI IWM W4I 4 Vl the "American Life Style Series" sponsored by United States Fidelity and Guaranty (USFG), an insurance com pany, according to Henry Otto, execu tive producer of the series. "The series is made up of half-hour episodes dealing with past famous Americans," said Otto. Past episodes include home tours of Thomas Jeffer son, William Randolph Hearst, Mark Twain, Robert E. Lee and many other famous Americans, he added. Accord ing to Otto, "the intimate tours of these homes provide a locale to reflect on the famous person's career and accomplishments." On location Film production is being done by Conco Productions of New York City. According to Ann Shanks, director and producer, the filming crew is on location at Fairview, 49th and Sumner streets, for five days. Filming began Tuesday. The script of each film is written by Bob Shanks. The filming crew is composed of free-lance production personnel and technicians from both the east and west coasts, Otto said. USFG, Cor ;o Productions and Van San Dugdak, USFG's advertising agency, jointl decide which famous homes will be luaturec on the programs, Otto said. Research on the person and the home is done in advance by Conco Produc tions. According to Otto, permission to' do the filming is then obtained from ho appropriate orga nization. He said many of the homes are owned by foundations, by the U.S. Department of the Interior or by state agencies. 150 markets Upon completion of filming, Otto said, the editing of each film is completed in New York City and a print of the movie is delivered to USFG. Then prints of the movie are produced in quantity and dispersed throughout the top 150 television markets in the United States, he said. "USFG negotiates for the best time period possible for the airing of the movie," said Otto. According to Otto, the 150 markets through which the programs are aired, represent 96 per cent of the television "households" in the United States. The programs run twice a year, he said; beginning in mid-January and running through mid-April. They are then rerun in the fall. Continued on pg. 16 SA's get to drink By Greg Wees. At certain times, studeni assistants (SA's) and alcohol do mix, according to a clarification by the UNL Housing Office. Though residence hall SA's still must enforce "no alcohol on campus" provisions, they, .may attend such floor functions as keggers or residertt sponsored parties where liquor is-served, as ong as the function is not in the name of the University, according to Ken Swerdlow, assistant director of Housing. Swerdlow also said that SA's may drink liquor with floor residents if the meeting is "spontaneous and if the event is not really a University function." Regulations in the UNL student handbook state: "Possession or consumption of alcoholic bever ages.. .at University social functions is a violation of University rules. Functions that include alcoholic beverages will not be registered. University funds cannot be used for the purchase of alcoholic beverages." Cash bar operation The only function involving alcohol that can be registered with the Student Affairs Office is one that takes place in a "licensed liquor establish ment operating from a cash bar," Swerdlow states in the paper. This spring, during orientation, housing offi cials ruled that SA's should not attend functions that could not be registered with the Student Affairs Office because alcohol was served. After this ruling, Swerdlow sair SA's and the Housing Office requested a legai interpretation of the status of SA's. A resulting position paper written by Swerdlow states, "An SA may consume alcohol with the residents in any licensed establishment as long as the event is registered, eic, or if, by any stretch of the imagination, it cannot be construed as a University function. "There must be no advertising, University funds, collection of money for alcohol, implied sponsorship, food, location, equipment, etc.-, that is provided by the University. Registered functions "An event in the name of the floor that involves alcohol is an impossibility," ho added. "Student Activities will not register activities where alcohol is being used unless it is at a licensed establishment." Residence hall floor functions which take place on University property or use University money must be registered with Student Activities, according to regulations. NU also has changed a provision in staff insurance policies, Swerdlow said. Before the change, insurance did not cover SA's attending functions where liquor was served, he said. Thus an SA, and not the University, could be held responsible for accidents and damages occurring at Honor parties. After the change, "As long as a student function is properly registered with Student Activities, the event will fall within the University's insurance coverage," Swerdlow states.
