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thursday, february 24, 1977 vol. 100 no. 81 lincoln, nebraska
111 ill
Pimp too
could be.Taper Bruin'
By Mike Patten
George Plimpton's next adventure in
what he calls participatory journalism will
be this Septcmbeer when he plays hockey
for the Boston Bruins, he said Wednesday, .
Plimpton, author of Paper Lion and
several other books, spoke to UNL
students in the Nebraska East Campus
Union as part of the Union's Grand Open
ing. Plimpton said hockey is the last major
sport he has not participated in, so he will
play goalie for the National Hockey Lea
gue Bruins.
He said he is humiliated every time he
gets involved in participatory journa
lism, but said it is an effective literary de
vice that has been used for years.
"The point of all this is to get as close
to the institution as possible. It just seems
to work best with the arts and sports," he
said.
In addition to playing hockey, he said,
he is thinking about touring with a rock
group. He turned down an offer to skate
for a roller derby team because the sport
does not have a large following, he said.
"You have to pick sports that have a
huge following if you want to sell books."
Photographer, comic
Plimpton has, among other things,
pitched in Yankee Stadium,' photographed
for Playboy magazine, worked as a standup
comic in Ceasar's Palace in Las Vegas
and toured with the New York Philhar
monic Orchestra.
He also has played a bit part in a John
Wayne movie, worked a trapeze act for a
circus and performed in a musical.
He said playing the triangle for the New
York Philharmonic was the most embar
rassing moment in his participatory jour
nalism career.
"In sports you can make a mistake and
nobody notices,' he said. "But nobody
playing with the Philharmonic is supposed
to make a mistake."
Plimpton said he is finishing work on his
latest book, Shadowbox. He said the book ,
is about Muhammad AlPs fight to regain
the heavyweight boxing title, a title Flimp:
ton said was taken unjustly from Ali.
Returned to boxing
The title was stripped from him by the
various boxing councils when Ali, then
known as Cassius Clay, refused induction
into the "Army. Ali served more than
three years in prison for draft evasion
before returning to boxing. -
"The book is really about people taking
things into their own hands," Plimpton
said.
In addition to Shadowbox, Plimpton
said, he is working on a book with Bill
Curry. Curry, former center with the
Baltimore Colts and Green Bay Packers in
the National Football League, is relating
experiences to Plimpton for the book.
Plimpton said he could write about
bankers and lawyers, but they are not as ,
interesting to Kim as athletes.
"There is nothing more poignant about'
an athlete at 35 who realizes that he can't
do it anymore " he said.
Plimpton also is the editor of Paris
Review magazine, the director of the
American Literary Anthology and an
associate editor of Harper's Magazine.
M
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. Photo by Kevin Higley
Author George Plimpton of Paper Lion fame said Wednesday at the Nebraska
East Campus Union that he is completing work on a book about Muhammad
Ali's fight to regain his boxing title. ,
AS UN discusses financial aid for Free University
By Betsie Ammons
The Nebraska Free University, operated as a non-profit
service by the ASUN Senate, needs $600 to continue its
programs this semester, said ASUN Second Vice Presi
dent Joe Stavas at Wednesday's Senate meeting.
Free University lost money last semester because of
poor planning, Stavas explained. He said too much money
was spent on publicity and low course registration did not
make up the deficit.
Stavas suggested that $600 be taken out of an ASUN
programming fund to finance Free University. However,
Sen. Frank Thompson expressed opposition, saying he
thought the money should be used to run ASUN flections
for two days
"I daft understand why you tell us we don't have the
money to have two day elections, and then turn around
and give money to Free University," he said.
ASUN President Bill Mueller asked that no action be
taken on the fund transfer until he could study the
budget further.
First Vice President Tony Williams also announced that
$600 was needed to . replace" books lost in the second
semester ASUN Book Exchange- -
In other business, the Senate voted to reconsider a
resolution passed last week calling for formation of a task
force to study UNL student government.
- The resolution was approved as an alternative to
Organic Act Four, which called for ASUN control of
student fees allocation.
Sen. Dave Roehr, who proposed the resolution, asked
the Senate to rescind their approval so he could amend
the resolution. Roehr said Mueller told him he would veto
the bill in its present form. .
At last week's meeting, Mueller said he favored a
similar resolution proposed by Sen. Eric Carstensen.
Carstensen's resolution called for formation of the task
force by Ron Gierhan, UNL vice chancellor for student
affairs.
Roehr's resolution states that representatives from stu
dent governing bodies, the faculty and the administration
be chosen for the force by ASUN Senate.
He amended it to include a representative from the
Daily Nebraskan and Chancellor Roy Young's office on
the force. '
However, no action was taken on the amendments be
cause Sen. Scott Cook moved for adjournment before a
vote could be taken.
Cook said he moved to adjourn the meeting because he
thought there would be "discussion unrelated to the
resolution."
. ' ' .., "
raffic violators allowed polygragh test in pending bi
By Paula Dittrick
Nebraska drivers charged with a traffic
violation will have the option of using lie
detector results as evidence if the Nebraska
Legislature passes a bill heard Wednesday
before the Judiciary Committee.
The committee took no action on
LB278, which Adams Sen. George Burrows
introduced.
Noting that he didn't intend for a poly
graph test to be given for every traffic vio
lation. Burrows said the bill would allow an
alternative which could be used "to weed
out police officers who made mistakes or
did not tell the truth," concerning traffic ,
charges.
Traffic violators should be granted as
much dignity as is given accused felony
offenders, he said. Burrows reminded sena
tors that the polygraph test results are ac
cepted as evidence in felony cases.
The defendant would pay for the test
unless the state patrol would be willing to
pay the cost to discover the truth in a par
ticular case, Burrows said.
Attorney William Austin of the Lincoln
city attorney's office' estimated polygraph
tests cost from $150 to $200. He said the
cost of setting up a polygraph examina
tion service would cost from $15,000 to
$20,000.
Rosalie Oaks of Denton testified
favor of the bill. She said her husband
in
Leonard Oaks, spent over $1,000 in
attorney fees fighting a speeding ticket he
received two years ago.
Oaks, a professional truck driver, was
found guilty and fined for driving 84 miles-an-hour
although he said he was driving 48
mph, Oaks said.
She said the state patrol had clocked
three different speeds for her husband and
the arresting office! testified he clocked
Oaks as traveling 48 mph while driving be
hind him.
Despite readings of 47, 82 and 84 mph
the judge ruled by the radar reading of 84
mph. Oaks .aid she has heard of similar
incidents in Saunders County, where- her
husband was charged.
"As far as I'm concerned, Wahoo is
kangaroo court," Oaks said.
Austin opposed the bill and said use of
polygraph evidence would take more
court time. Lincoln handles some 26,000
traffic tickets a year, Austin said.
Polygraph test results are not regarded
as posJtive truth and different operators
draw different results, he said.
Burrows said he was disappointed the
city opposed his bill and said he disliked
the assumption that the police are always
right and. the citizen is dwaysv wrong.
Speaking for the Nebraska Civil Liber
ties Union, Barbara Gaither offered an
amendment to the bill. Not related to
traffic violations, the amendment would
prevent anyone in the private sector from
being required to take such a test.
Burrows asked senators not to tack this
amendment on LB278, which he said
might lead to the bill's death.
Gaither admitted this proposal had been
part of a bill already killed by the Legisla
ture's Labor Committee.-
News: One freshman
to be having
honorary society
seems to be having an identity pro
blem 0. 17
Entertainment: The Daily Nebra&an is giv
ing a party issue and you're invited ... p. 9
Sportst UNL's women's swim 1 team w2t
host the A?AW regional swim meet today
through Saturday . . p. 16