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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1980)
thursday, january 31, 1980 lincoln, nebraskavoL 104, no. 14 Christian activist gives views to UNL audience By Mary Fastenau Regents requests after a moment's hesita tion, he added, "Plus, Til be at Pershing They filled the chairs, lined the walls tomorrow night." and crowded around the stage to listen. Their attention centered on the man on Applause the stage, Josh McDowell, Christian activ- The addition was greeted with rounds of ist. The actions of the crowd of more than applause. 1,300 were predictable as they laughed after McDowell said he had answered the planned witty comments and sat quietly challenge given to him by investigating the when he delivered evidence for his convic- resurrection. His presentation of evidence, tions. McDowell's speech was sponsored by he explained, is often placed in the philos- the Navigators-UNL, Campus Crusade for ophjt department, but he considered his Christ, Baptist Student Union and Inter- documentation more closely . related to varsity Christian Fellowship. history. ; They had heard of his arrival for weeks, ' His historical documentation included noting it on blackboards, lighted signs and the estimated size of the rock which block- 5 people wearing sandwich boards. ed the door of the tomb, the documented McDowell said he arrived Wednesday . diligence of the Roman guards who were night in the Nebraska Union ballroom, not threatened with death for leaving their to give answers, but to challenge students posts and the intricate process of wrapping to be "intellectually honest" and look -at ' the hodv. This evidence pointing to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. McDowell said he started his search as a second-year college student. The questions he asked were, "Who am 1?, "Why am I here?, and "Where am I going?" He stuck his hands in the pockets of his gray dress pants with a dramatic air and said he had been looking for freedom. "True freedom, he said, "is to have the capacity to do what you have to do. Other ways r McDowell, said he had looked at reli gion, , education and prestige as ways to achieve freedom, but none of them had provided the answers. "I wanted answers. I wanted something to change. w The man, who holds degrees in eco nomic theory, languages and theology, ex plained that he found the answer with a small group of students who challenged him to refute Christianity. That challenge resulted in two books and the conviction that has taken him to 550 universities in 53 countries over the last 10 years. - McDowell, however, refused to chal lenge members of the audience to refute Christianity in deference to the Board of Regents' policy on religion. . The announcement came as McDowell appeared to be reaching the high point of his speech. "Usually I challenge people at this point,' he said, "but I will honor the body in a cement-like casing. He also noted significance in the broken seal on the tomb and the body clothes, which remained in tact. "Christianity is a body -less religion," he said. , . Each of his reasons were accompanied by a humorous incident and dramatic movement on stage. Several times he be came so involved in his words that he step ped to the very edge of the stage, seeming ly unaware of anything but the message he delivered. , 'Loves to laugh. McDowell explained his use of humor in delivering the message .as he stated, "1 enjoy life. I love to laugh. . ;. He also claimed to love people who have convictions, even if they differ from his own viewpoints. For people who are interested in his viewpoints, McDowell offered three books and 17 tapes for sale following his speech. If a student was unable to afford a tape, he made the vow to give them out free. McDowell will appear tonight and Fri day at Pershing Auditorium, each perfor mance beginning at 8 pjn. Although McDowell's arrival at UNL was sponsored by several student groups, some students have voiced concern about the separation of church and state. A pre vious visit by McDowell at UNL several years ago raised questions about the nature of his talks. 'I Josh McDowell Daily Nebraskan Photo Regents' policy obligates speaker to alter message Josh McDowell, Christian activist, tion "an intellectual discussion, grwdJaiaodifyJU?i:'.mewe:on' resurrc- spiritual discussion; Maloney said. not a tion to comply with the NU Board of Regents policy on religion, according to the program consultant for Campus Activi ties and Programs. Glen Maloney said McDowell and repre sentatives of the groups sponsoring him attended a Wednesday afternoon meeting where they were presented with the policy and McDowell agreed to change his speech. Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs Richard Armstrong said there was a meet ing with administration and faculty mem bers last week when they developed a strategy to handle the situation. "We agreed that the point of probable controversy would be the definition of testimony, Armstrong said. Five years ago, when McDowell last appeared at, UNL, he agreed to niA iu- j f appeareu at,miL, ne agreea to a simuar Maloney said the third section of the arran2ement accordine to Dailv Nebraskan icv adoDted Jutv 14 iQ7.r annli trv arrangement, according to uauy NeorasKan . policy adopted July 14, 1973, applies to tne meeting, i ne section reads: "University facilities will not be avail able for any organized event or activity if . one of. its essential features is religious worship or testimony in any of its various forms. This in no way precludes the use of university facilities for entertainment, ath letic competition, or private social and bus iness activities by groups organized for religious activities. , ' ; McDowell agreed to make his presenta- iiies. However, post-speecn reaction in cluded a suit filed with ASUN charging the speaker with "a blatant violation of uni versity policy" and a re-examination by the regents of its religion policy . Jim Raglin, director of public affairs for the office of the NU president, said there would be no violation of policy if the speech were an "intellectual discussion of religion in general." He said this precludes any religious worship ceremonies or testimony. CFA asks fee hike to maintain service quality By Kathy Stokebrand ' - The Committee for Fees Allocation agreed Tuesday evening that for UNL to have the same quality of programs and ser vice's, student fees cannot be kept at their present level, according to committee members Rocky Yapp III and John Parsons. "It's a well known fact that the (NU Board of) Regents wants to keep student fees the same next year or lower than they are now, but the committee is being more realistic," Parsons said. Basic salary increases have to be given and recreation programs must have super visors. Basic increases in services and pro grams make it inevitable that fees must be raised or services severely cut, said Parsons. "I foresee a $3 to $4 increase in student fees per student per semester next year," said Yapp. The committee approved a budget of $170,143 for the Recreation Dept. for 1980-81. The department received $146,160 last year. "The increases were things that couldnt be cut," Parsons said. The only way to increase the income of the department is to increase the entry fee for participation in the programs, which could cause fewer teams to enter, he said. Cuts made Daniel Steller, recreation director, said, "We will not cut back on the things we need for maintenance. Some cuts were made in the depart ment's budget request, however. An out door exercise trail, a running club's alloca tion and new supervisors jackets were among the items cut. Earlier in the meeting, the committee approved an allocation recommendation of $53,324 for the University Program Coun cil. The council originally requested $60,883, and last year received $57,607, Yapp disagreed with the recommenda tion and urged the committee to give the council at least the amount they received last year, if not more. He told the commit tee the cut was not justifiable and it was improper to pass the recommendation merely because it had been debated for so ' long. , Greg Venburg, UPC-City president, re minded the committee that speakers fees were included in the budget request this year whereas there were no allocations for , speakers last year. Fund A decreasing Yapp said Fund B allocations are in creasing while Fund A allocations, which students see the most, are decreasing. According to the office of the vice chancellor for student affairs, student fees for Fund A shrank from $199,200 in 1976 77 to $145,009 in 1979-80. Fund B alloca tions rose from $2,512,179 in 1976-77 to $2,777,008 in.1979-80. Fund A fee users include ASUN, UPC and the Daily Nebraskan. The Unions, the Student Health Center and the Debt Ser vice receive Fund B fees. Although the UPC request was cut, the CFA approved the $15,000 the council asked for in a supplemental budget. The money is to be given to the Cultural Affairs Committee to help it provide quality cul tural programs. In 1978 the Regents said all program ming for each campus must come from one office, so the Cultural Affairs Committee was cut from Fund A fees. Only UPC was given fees for programming at UNL The motion, which passed, requires the , committee to set up its programs so the council can decide to which event it wishes to contribute. Richard Armstrong, vice chancellor for student affairs, said he felt the committee should go back to the regents and ask lor direct appropriation to the Cultural Affairs Committee, "I know the objective of the regent's decision was to limit programming to one organization. This may be doing that in their view. I dont have any better advice to offer," he said. Women on the job: Nebraska has a higher percentage of working women than the national average, according to a state official. Page 7 Homeward Bound: Orphans take train in hopes of finding new homes in the Midwest. Page 10 Running free: Jennie Gorham, Husker women's trackster, talks about obstacles she had '. to overcome to get to UNL p;e13