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Wednesday, September 17, 1980
lincoln, nebraska vol. 105 no. 17
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Investigative findings reaffirmed by Pub Board
By Patti Gallagher
A resolution reaffirming the findings in the investiga
tion of the Jamc Coe letter dislosure was passed unani
mously and will be sent to the NU Board of Regents, the
UNL Publications Board decided Tuesday night.
In addition, the board decided to arrange a meeting
between the regents' executive committee and the Publi
cations Board. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Rich
ard Armstrong, who attended the meeting, said that a
"face to face discussion" between the two bodies would
be helpful to redefine roles and increase communication.
The resolution followed a resolution passed by die
regents at their Friday meeting, which said the Publica
tions Board did not act in a responsible manner in handl
ing the letter disclosure. The regents requested that fur
ther action be taken by the Publications Board on the
incident, to be reviewed at its next meeting, Oct, 17.
The letter, sent to 1980 spring Daily Nebraskan Editor
in Chief Rocky Strunk in Coe, was received by present
Editor in Chief Randy Essex. Essex assumed his present
position on April 31, after Strunk was fired for an unre
lated act of plagiarism.
Policies to change
for student groups
By Patti Gallagher
All student organization's will be affected by several
policy changes outlined by ASUN's Constitution Commit
tee. The changes, according to committee member Tim
McAllister, involved the constitution process, forming of
new organizations and disciplinary actions.
The changes include:
-giving power to the Constitution Committee disci
plining student organizations for violations of by-laws.
McAllister said the committee will review all violations,
determine an appropriate punishment and send their
recommendations to the ASUN Senate for approval.
In the past, McAllister said, no specific group was
designated to handle discipline.
-holding new groups in probationary status for six
months from the time it submits its constitution. McAllis
ter said previously groups were considered "official" as
soon as the Senate approved its constitution. The new
policy will make it more difficult for organizations to
fold, he said.
-a new deadline tor submitting a constitution. The
deadline, now at the end of the semester, previously gave
groups a 60-day limit.
-a formal review of the contents of constitutions by
the Senate. McAllister said that previously constitutions
before ASUN for approval merely received a rubber
stamping. The policy change will allow the Senate to
determine if the organization has set goals in the best in
terest of UNL students, he said.
Continued on Page 14
The letter concerned Coe's donation of 1,300 gold
Krugerrands to the NU Foundation. The donation,
presently worth about $840,000, raised objections by
some people that the coins represent the racist condition
of South Africa.
Essex gave the letter to Publications Board member
Hubert Brown, who gave it to State Sen. Ernie Chambers
of Omaha. Chambers then released the letter to the
media.
Committee appointed
On August 26, the Publications Board appointed a
committee to investigate the letter disclosure, upon the
request of Vice Chancellor Armstrong. The committee
concluded that Essex and Brown used "poor judgement"
in the transfer of the letter, and sent a "letter of regret"
to Coe.
The regents, however, said in their resolution that the
matter "far exceeds poor judgement" and that the Publi
cations Board, as the Daily Nebraskan publishers, failed
to take appropriate action in the matter.
The regents requested that the board send a letter of
apology to Coe, "reconsider the seriousness of the im
proper actions" of Brown and Essex, and respond to the
regents as to further deliberations.
The resolution also said that upon receiving the Publi
cations Board's response, the regents may recommend to
ammend the UNL by-laws concerning the "membership,
duties, and responsibilities of the board."
According to several board members and those test
ifying at the meeting, the action by the regents threatens
freedom of the press.
"The regents are not talking about Hubert and I any
more," Essex said. "They are talking about what they
want the Daily Nebraskan to be."
Damage freedom of press
A restructuring of the Publications Board "will
severely damage the freedom of the press of this campus,"
he said.
Brown said the regents' resolution is "only to be the
beginning of the end of freedom of speech here."
Brown also said further action was unwarranted by
the regents because of an earlier investigation in the mat
ter. The Publications Board investigated the incident
Continued on Page 13
1 f& 4: 4- W C i o
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Photo by Mark Billingsley
Although screens don't always keep rain out, they can keep rain off, as Angie Smith (front left), Sandy Massey
(behind) and Janice Pigaga find Tuesday. The screens, from Howell Theater, are enroute to Studio 12 in the
Kozer building.
Chambers says:
UNL free speech guarantees nonexistent
By Mary Louise Knapp
The "guarantees of free speech and free
press" do not exist at UNL, and students
should take action to restore them, Sen.
Ernest Chambers of Omaha said Tuesday.
In a noon speech at the UNL College of
Law, Chambers discussed a resolution by
the NU Board of Regents which said that
the UNL Publications Boad did not act
responsibly in handling the disclosure of a
letter from James Coe of Arizona to spring
1980 Editor in chief Rocky H.A. Strunk.
The resolution says, in part, that the.
Publications Board should send a written
apoiogy to Coe fot the "improper
handling of the letter and that the regents
may decide to amend the NU by-laws con
cerning the duties and responsibilities of
the board and change the board's member
ship. Chambers said that students are being
"manhandled" and "bludgeoned' because
"the officials know that they have nothing
but pliant lumps of clay here."
"During the 1960's, when the students
were trying to do some things, a board of
regents would never have dared vote the
resolution that they did the other day,"
he said.
Chambers said that if the Daily
Nebraskan were put under administrative
control, students would have no means of
expressing their ideas.
"Do you understand the importance of
being able to express yourself freely on
every public question?" he asked the
audience.
"I am the one who released this letter
that they are all so upset about." Chambers
said. "But Coe doesn't bother me, and the
regents don't bother me."
Chambers said that he considers the
letter written by Coe to Strunk a public
issue , and hot a private matter.
"If that letter had been mailed to him
(Strunk) at his home address then there
would be a very clear issue of invasion of
his privacy, and violation of federal laws
relating to the mails, but when it is
addressed to him as editor of a newspaper
and sent to the newspaper office, and he
(Coe) has sent similar stuff to that news
paper to be published, its public," Cham
bers said.
"When a letter is sent to an agency, it
is the property of that agency. Public
people, as the law has said, are public
property, and when I think something is
the public's business, I expose it," he said.
"You find this bunch of old people
who are cowardly, and not that success
ful in what they do trying to bring down a
strong fist to crush' students. That kind of
thing creates contempt in me," he said.
Concerning the Regent's consideration
of changing the membership of the Publi
cations Board, Chambers said "I guess that
means putting people on it who will do just
what the regents tell them to do."
Chambers said the resolution passed by
the regents was "only the beginning step"
in an effort to take away the independence
of the Daily Nebraskan, and, by extension,
the students.
"If you're the editor of a newspaper on
a college campus which is as backward as
this one and you don't get iny support
from the students and the regents are
going to come down on your case, and
maybe the Publications Board is going to
do the same thing, there is an inhibiting
effect on what you can do as an editor.
"Certain articles may not be written.
What you've written will be edited in such
a way as to be sore not to offend any one.
Certain editorials will not appear, letters to
the editor will be chopped up so that the
regents are not dissatisfied and you'll end
up with a sterile piece of newspaper wluch
might be good to use in the bathroom or to
wrap up fish, but certainly not to convey
opinion or to generate controversy."
Chambers said that Coe's gift of 1 300
gold Krugerrands to the NU Foundation
was not without strings.
"He's had University officials hopping
back and forth since he gave them. . irom
the way the regents are acting, he could
still take them back," he said.
W(l
On Your Mark, Get Set, Eat: Downtown
McDonald's enforces a time limit for its
customers Page 9
Heroes Are Hard to Find: Columnist dis
covers few old friends on comic
racks Page 10
West's move: Acting Head Basketball
Coach Moe Iba talks about the depart
ure of returning starter Tim West and
lettermen Chuck Anderson and Sammy
Curran Page 12