dailu nebraskan
monday, november 13, 1978 lincoln, nebraska vol. 102 no. 45
University bonfire enthusiasm prompts 17 arrests
By Val Swinton
While most of the UNL campus will be
celebrating Saturday's victory over Okla
homa, at least 17 students will be spending
part of the day in court Monday answering
to charges filed following a bonfire early
Friday morning.
The students were charged after police
and firemen moved in to stop two bonfires
on 16th Street between R and S after the
persons in attendance began feeding the
fires with a candy machine, pop machine, a
piano, sofa and barricades.
Police estimated there were 500 to 600
persons watching the two fires, but only
about 100 were actually throwing items
into the blaze.
Second fire
Another fire was started at 16 and S
streets Friday night, and again police re
sponded, but rather than trying to stop the
fire, officers blocked off the street and
waited for the fire to burn itself out. Capt.
John Miller, Lincoln Police Team Captain
for the downtown area, said officers did
not try to clear the street Friday night be
cause students were allowing the fire to
burn itself out, rather than continuing to
feed it.
One UNL student said he was struck in
the face with a club by a Lincoln Police
officer during the disturbance early Friday
morning and is contemplating legal action.
Mike Phillips, a member of Delta Upsilon
fraternity, said the injury required six
stitches above the eyebrow.
Move to curb
Phillips said he was standing on a curb
IX
x mix.
Photo by Bob Pearson
Nebraska fans do their part to block an Oklahoma field goal by tearing down a goal post.
Regents OK Bob Devaney Sports Center
By Brenda Moskovits
The UNL Sports Center at 16th and
Military streets will soon have a new name:
The Bob Devaney Sports Center.
Backed by an attorney general's
opinion, the NU Board of Regents Friday
approved the naming as an emergency
measure.
The regents also decided at their month
ly meeting not to publicize names of high
schools which graduated 1 74 students who
later attended UNO, needing remedial
courses adn set aside for legal evaluation a
proposal to put $40,000 in Student Activi
ties money into the ASUN Credit Union.
NU Regent Robert Koefoot's proposal
to name the sports center was approved 6-0
after brief discussion, with Regent Kermit
Hansen of Omaha absent and Regent
Robert Simmons of Scottsbluff abstaining.
Simmons said he abstained because
there was no emergency in bringing it to
the board.
"We come up here and do this in 30
seconds notice with no debate," Simmons
said.
Ratification needed
As an emergency item, the naming will
need ratification at the regents' December
meeting.
Assistant Attorney General Patrick
O'Brien's opinion responded to a request
from State Sen. Frank Lewis of Bellevue
which asked under whose authority the
building could be named: the regents, the
State Department of Administrative
Services, the State Building Advisory Com
mission, the State Building Administrator
or the Nebraska Legislature.
His opinion read: . . the Board of
Regents may lawfully adopt a name for the
athletic facility under consideration under
their general powers of government over
the University of Nebraska . . ."
It stipulated that the name would be
valid as long as the regents hold a lease for
the center.
Ends 3 year debate
The opinion ends about three years of
debate by the Legislature and by the
regents over the Sports Center's name.
An amendment by NU Regent Robert
Prokop of Wilbur to name the center the
Robert S. Devaney Sports Center rather
than the Bob Devaney Sports Center was
defeated.
Passage of a motion to confidentially
release to the regents the high schools
graduating 174 UNO students needing
remedial help followed discussion by the
board's academic affairs subcommittee
meeting and by the entire board.
The emergency item passed unanimous
ly after the regents debated whether to
publically release the names.
Singular support
Simmons was the only regent support
ing public announcement of the high
schools but when an amendment to release
them to the board alone passed 7 to 1 he
voted for the amended version.
An amendment to release the informa
tion to high schools requesting it was with
drawn after discussion by regent Robert
Raun of Minden.
Simmons said he opposed hiding the
names from the public. "There should be
an opportunity for response, even correct
ion," he said.
"Why should we kep anything secret?
If anybody goofed up on the job of educa
tion, we shouldn't be hiding it."
His stand was contested by UNO
Chancellor Del Weber.
Function of high schools
"The function of high school is not to
prepare every student for college," Weber
said, citing vocational functions and other
types of minimum competancies as high
school functions.
"I think to lay this out to the public is
not fair to those schools," he said.
NU President Ronald Roskens caution
ed the board that by releasing the names
"you are in effect declaring a kind of war
on the educational community
Roskens asked the board to be careful
because releasing the names might put the
university in a difficult situation.
UNL student regent Ken Marienau's
proposal to transfer $40,000 of UNL Stu
dent Activities money to the ASUN Credit
Union was sent to counsel at the suggestion
of regent Kermit Wagner of Schuyler.
Continued on page 7.
watching one of the fires when an officer
walked up and ordered everyone to step
back. Phillips said he moved back as far as
everyone else did, but the officer walked
by again and told him "all the way back to
the curb. That's c-u-r-b."
Phillips said he replied, "Yeah, I know, I
took English."
He said the next thing he knew, the
officer had grabbed him by the back of the
hair, and when he tried to break free, he
was hit in the face with the club. Phillips
said with the aid of a second officer, his
arms were twisted behind his back, and he
was taken to a police cruiser.
Night in detention
Phillips was charged with felony assault
on a police officer, resisting arrest and dist
urbing the peace. He said he was taken to
the police department before he was taken
to the hospital for treatment. Phillips said
he was then returned to the police depart
ment where he spent the remainder of the
night in the city detention center.
Miller said Sunday he was not aware of
the incident.
"I know a couple of people were getting
hurt, including one police officer." But, he
added, "I also won't deny anything."
Miller said if anyone has complaints
over the way they were treated by police,
they should file a complaint with the
internal affairs division. Miller promised a
thorough investigation if such a complaint
were filed. The police captain said he had
read all of the reports concerning the two
fires and there was nothing to indicate
anyone had been clubbed.
30 officers
Some 30 police officers, as well as fire
men, responded to the fires early Friday,
and spent over two hours on the scene.
Police watched over the Friday night fire
for about 45 minutes.
Continued on page 6.
Bus fares raised,
effective today
Bus fare price increases become
effective today. Adult prices will in
crease from 30 to 40 cents. Adult to
kens, sold in a roll of twenty, will be
increased to 30 cents each, a five
cent increase.
Other increases include the Handi
van, a service for senior citizens and
handicapped persons, which will be
40 cents instead of 30. The down
town Mini-line will go from a 10 to
20 cent fare.
Senior citizens, over 65 years old,
will still pay 10 cents for regular bus
service.
High-school student tokens will
change from 15 to 20 cents. Children
5 to 12 years old will pay 20 cents
rather than 15 cents a ride, while
children under 5 will ride free.
Regular transfers and stop-over
transfers will continue to be free.
The increases are the first since
the city took over Lincoln's public
transportation system in 1971. Cur
rently fares generate funds for about
one-third of the system's expenses
with the balance made up by federal,
state and local subsidies.
inside monday
This little piggy went to market:
Students learn the fine art of
slaughtering hogs page 6
Buddy can you spare a dime: Album
prices cramp columnist's
budget page 8
How sweet it is: Husker victory
opens up a crate of
oranges page 10
