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friday, January 23, 1981
lincoln, nebraska vol. 106, no. 10
(MI
Law dean among five finalists for Florida job
By D. Eric Kircher
The dean of the UNL College of Law is
a top candidate for the dean's post at the
University of Florida College of Law.
John W. Strong is one of five finalists
chosen by a Florida University search
committee for the position. The search
committee cut the list from the 23 names
originally considered.
Steven Silver, the John Marshall Bar
Association president and a member of the
scarcli committee, said Strong has a good
chance of being offered the job.
"The response seems to be that Strong
and Read (Dean Tom Read of the Univer
sity of Indiana) arc probably the two top
candidates," Silver said.
"All the comments we got about Strong
were extremely positive," Silver said.
The Florida students have asked the
JMBA for information on Strong, Silver
said. The faculty seemed to have known
about Strong before he became a finalist,
he said.
"I know a number of people just on the
faculty," Strong said in an interview Thurs
day. He knows about 10 of the more than
50 professors at Florida University, he said.
Strong said he didn't know what his
chances were at Florida University.
"I don't know anything about this,"
Strong said. "Everybody in the world
seems to know more about it than I do.
"I really am not looking for another
job," Strong said. "They approached me."
Finalists invited to Florida
The five finalists will receive invitations
to visit Florida University and talk to the
faculty. Silver said.
"They have indicated that there will be
such an invitation (to visit Florida),"
Strong said. "I'm uncertain at this point. I
may go down there to look."
"I got a call the last day or so asking me
to think about coming down," Strong said.
Strong hasn't been told the details of
the job, he said.
"Until all this happens, I certainly am
not ready to say that I would accept a job
if one were offered," he said.
"I have expressed a tentative interest in
looking at the position," Strong said. He
has no commitment to take the job even if
it were offered, he added.
The Florida University Law College "is
on the threshold of moving to a different
plateau, as far as law schools go," said
Richard Wall, a senior law student. The
school is now one of the nation's top 20
law schools. Wall said.
Top 20-rated school
The Florida University College of Law
has 1 ,200 students.
"I know very little about the school,"
Strong said.
"I do know that the salary levels are
quite good there," he said. The salaries
would help the Florida school attract na
tionally known professors, he added.
The Florida law school is probably in
the top 20 when ranked by salary, Strong
said.
The Florida law faculty will select two
or three names from the five to submit to
Florida University President Robert Q.
Marston. Marston will choose the dean
after the final candidates return to Florida
for another interview. He is expected to
choose the dean from the submitted list
of names. Silver said.
Candidates for the list must receive 60
percent of the faculty's vote.
Marston may chose a dean by late
February or early March, Silver said.
The dean position opened in mid-January
1980. The last dean made about
$65,000 a year, Silver said.
Strong withdrew his name from Florida
University's earlier list, when the school
was searching for a new dean last spring,
because he had just turned down a dean
ship at the University of Oregon at Eugene,
he said.
On Feb. 8, 1980, Strong announced he
would not accept Oregon University's
offer.
Strong has been the UNL Law College
dean since Jan. 1, 1977. He was an associ
ate dean and professor at the University of
Oregon at Eugene before coming to Ne
braska. Strong taught at the University of Kan
sas and Duke University before he went to
Oregon University.
Strong received a bachelor's degree in
English at Yale University and his juris
doctorate at the University of Illinois.
Kim
i
Daily Nebraskan Photo
John Strong
Area groups debate, argue abortion philosophies
By Beth Headrick
The UNL Students for Life met Wednes
day night in the Nebraska union, and the
Nebraska Religious Coalition for Abortion
Rights (NRCAR) met Thursday at the First
Methodist Church. Both groups talked
about abortion and the implications of a
constitutional Human Life Amendment
from opposite sides of the fence.
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Daily Nebraskan photo by Mark Billingsley
This cedar waxing bird takes advantage of spring-like temperatures to gorge
its way through Lincoln. The birds stay in town only three days.
Doug Novak, president of UNL Stud
ents for Life, said the main goal of his org
anization is to have an amendment passed
protecting all life, including the life of the
unborn. From the time of conception a
fetus is a human being and should have
the same rights of any person, Novak said.
The 1973 Supreme Court decision
(Wade vs. Roe) states that on the grounds
of privacy, a woman has the right to
choose to have an abortion. Novak said
this decision could be likened to the
Dred Scott decision of 1857, in which the
court ruled that blacks could be treated as
property.
"In both cases a human being is con
sidered to be a non-person, first the blacks
and now fetuses. This is a scary thing to
us." Novak said.
Speaking at the United Methodist
Church, Bishop Monk Bryan of the
NRCAR, said opinions differ as to when a
fetus can be considered a person. He said
it's important to keep searching for that
answer, but until then abortion can't be
legalized. Bryan called the Human Life
Amendment "unworkable" because the
question isn't resolved.
Rabbi Henry Karp, a member of
NRCAR who spoke for B'nai Jeshurun,
said the Jewish religion, for example, be
lieves that until the moment of birth a
fetus is considered to be part of the moth
er. Novak said his group is not imposing
its religious beliefs on others in proclaim
ing the rights of the fetus:
"You can't mix civil law and religious
law," Novak said. "Just because a tribe
is following tribal laws and taking a life,
for example, doesn't make it right."
Karp said pro-choice groups are not
advocating "wholesale abortions." He said
that a decision to abort in most cases
comes only after a struggle and conflict by
the people involved.
Karp said it's archaic to pass an amend
ment that says abortions would only be
allowed if the mother's life was in danger.
He said genetic disease is another valid
reason to abort.
Citing Tay Sachx, a disease that is
hereditary among Jews, Karp said those
children having the disease come into the
world to suffer and die, and their parents
will also suffer.
Continued on Page 6
Vandalism to pro-life sign
provokes accusation, denial
By Tricia Waters
Doug Novak, president of UNL Stud
ents tor Life, said Thursday that van
dalism Wednesday night to the group's
rented sign west of the Broyhil! Fountain
is typical of the pro-choice movement.
Police reported that 34 plastic five-by-four
inch letters were stolen from the sign
either Tuesday night or Wednesday morn
ing. Novak said he thinks the people who
stole letters and lights and threw paint on
the sign were from UNL's pro-choice
group.
"The vandalism shows a lack of respect
for property and life," Novak said.
Jan Deeds, vice president of UNL Stud
ents for Reproductive Freedom, said her
group wasn't involved. Anyone could have
done it, she said.
"I personally don't know who took the
letters," Deeds said. "Our group doesn't
condone vandalism."
The sign originally said. "UNL Students
for Life. Respect Life Week. Help Slop Ab
ortion." During the past week, the andals re
arranged the letters to say "Opt abortion"
and "Help Abortion." Tuesday night.
34 plastic letters worth about SI 40 were
stolen. Wednesday night vandals threw
green, blue and yellow spray paint on the
sign and took eight lights, worth about $40.
and a guard rail. The sign shows marks
from a crowbar.
Novak said he may talk to a lawyer
about the vandalism. He estimated the van
dalism damage was about S200-S300.
Even if Students for Life has to pay for
the damage, it's woth it, Novak said. The
sign has made many people think about
abortion and to stop to talk to Right to
Life representatives in their Nebraska
Union booth, he said.
Novak said anyone with information
about the vandalism. He estimated the
damage was about $200-5300.