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
