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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1978)
dailu nebraskan friday, September 22, 1978 lincoln, nebraska vol. 102 no. 16 Law school presents no problem9 for blind NU student By Denice Smee It's not more difficult to study when you're blind, it's just different, said Russel Bloemker, a blind freshman law student. "The only problems I have are the same everybody else has-procrastination," Bloemker said. "Sometimes it (studying) is a little more time-consuming." Bloemker said he was blinded in his left eye after a dart accident when he was very young. The vision in his right eye was never very good, he said, and he lost it when he was eight-years-old after suffering from cataracts and blood clots. Bloemker grew up in Blair, Neb., and attended Yankton College in Yankton, S.D. where he majored in business management. Braille or tapes He gets some of his textbooks from a company in New York City called Record ing for the Blind, Inc. These -books are written in Braille or recorded on tapes. However, many books cannot be obtained through the company. "In law school lots of the work is in the library and virtually none of the materials are available," Bloemker said. This is due to the costs involved in producing these materials and because the texts frequently are updated. When material is not available in Braille or on tapes he hires readers to record the materials on tape. He has four regular readers, two of whom are in many of his classes. "It's no problem at all to find readers," Bloemker said. Library helps The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, 1420 P St., also provides materials, according- to RodeaneGreenv director of the library. These are recorded on tape in the library's sound studio, and are free of charge to subscribers, she said. The library will provide any equipment at no charge, Green said. The Division of Rehabilitative Services for the Visually Impaired, 1047 South St., also provides any equipment a student would need such as tape recorders or talking calculators, said public information officer Carl Olson. The University does not provide books and equipment for blind students but it has provided special office space for students to listen to their tape recorders between classes, according to Brad Munn, UNL Affirmative Action director. Records lectures A handwriting device called a slate enables him to take notes in Braille, Bloemker said. He also records all lectures, but he usually studies just from his notes. "I gather most of my material by hearing it," he said. He has to take exams either by using a typewriter or orally if the test is objective. He also types any papers he has to hand in. "Once you get organized, the mechanics of writing a paper are not difficult." J ' f ' Fits' v -V . Photo by Mark Billingslay Russel Bloemker is overcoming blindness trying to become a lawyer Professors usually are quite professional in their attitudes toward him, he said. "I think sometimes they're a little hesi tant to make me meet deadlines. It might be easier sometimes to grab their sym pathy. But, I have never had grades handed to me and I wouldn't take them." Bloemker said he gets frustrated some times when people try to help him and he does not need it. 'They have good intentions. They just don't know any better," he said. "You don't want to offend people." He is in a study group now, and "class mates treat me as an equal," he said. Educate people "Sighted people underestimate the abil ities of blind people," he said. "It's important to me to be able to educate people." He has no trouble getting around campus and the downtown area. "You have to have it together a little bit before you get into law school." He does not plan to take the program offered at the Division of Rehabilitative Services for the Visually Impaired because he does not think the program can offer him anything new. This program offers the elementary necessities for blind persons such as cane use and Braille reading, Olson said. It also contracts with other agencies such as the university to provide "any training regarded as vocational." This means that a blind student could go to school and have his books and tuition paid for by the division, Olson said. "We do encourage a person to take as active a role as possible and if he can afford to pay for training we'd like him to, but we won't refuse anyone training just be cause they cannot afford to pay for it," Olson said. Misconduct charges face students who sell tickets By Val Swinton Students who stand outside Memorial Stadium on Saturdays and try to sell season football tickets are committing an official act of misconduct, according to university student regulations, but apparently there is little anyone can do to stop them. Helen Wagner, ticket manager for UNL athletics, said enforcing the rule is difficult but if students who sell or loan their tickets to friends and family are caught, they will lose the tickets for the rest of the season. "It's impossible," she said. "No way can we pick up every misused ticket at the gate." In fact, Wagner said, "We see them through the window," on Saturday mornings trying to sell tickets but her office is so busy, there's no way they can go out and stop the students. More than 80 students have been caught during the first two home games this season, and all of their tickets were confiscated. In most of those instances, Wagner said, female students tried to get in using a male friend's ticket and his ID, or a part-time student tried to get in on a full time ticket. ID's returned The student ID's , which must be presented with the tickets, also were confiscated but in most cases they were returned to their owners. With every game sold out, she said, her office some times receives static from the public when students are standing in front of the stadium selling the tickets. However, Wagner insists the problem is a small one. She said it's impossible to say exactly how many students sell season tickets, but "the majority of the students are 0 w mmtm If '" f I , Worried about future water shortages, a grounds employee removes and will soon replace it with Astro Turf. Photo by MaryAnnt Golon from the front of Love Library honest." The students who have their tickets confiscated have an appeal process they can go through to get them back. Legally, little can be done to curb the practice. Not illegal 'The policy is to ask them to stop or move," says Capt. Robert Edmunds, of the University 'Police Edmunds says the practive itself is not illegal, although persons are prohibited from soliciting on state property. Edmunds said he thought students may be violating the state sales tax law because they don't report the sale. 'To be quite honest, I've never really thought about it," replied Nebraska Sales Tax Commisioner William Peters. "I'm not going to take it seriously," he added. A spokesman in the Lincoln Police Department said they too usually just ask the students to move along, rather than citing them for soliciting. However, Edmunds said University Police keep a list of stolen ticket numbers, and if one is discovered, it is confiscated and the person in possession of it is escourted from the game. Edmunds agreed with Wagner. "You can't stop it," he said, "you just try and control it." Degree deadline near Oct. 1 is the deadline for applying for December degrees or certificates. Application must be made at the Office of Registration and Records information window, room 208 in Administration. inside friday 1984 in 1978?: Professor predicts bleak future: . . page 6 Chamber of (Commerce) horrors: Film, Welcome to L.A., reflects city full of crazies page 9 Up, up and away: Twenty-two amateur balloon- ists will take part in the Lincolnfest activites today page 10