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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 1981)
tuesday, april 14, 1981 lincoln, nebraska vol. 106, no. 62 n Building modifications continue for handicapped By Reid Warren Federal legislation and increased demands by the handicapped community have combined to make handi capped accessibility to new buildings a necessity. Unfortunately, most UNL buildings were erected before wheelchair ramps became required strokes on architectural blueprints. Which leads, according to a UNL professor, to a need for an "increased awareness" on society's part for greater acceptance of responsibility for problems of the handi caped. It is people, not buildings, that make the difference in dealing with handicapped people, said James Griffin, associate professor of architecture. "You must make a building accessible first, then design it," Griffin said. "You don't design a building then make it accessible." "It's a subtle but important difference," he said. To make his architecture students more aware of the problems of the handicapped, Griffin has had the students move about campus and downtown in wheelchairs and perform tasks such as checking out a book from the library or buying an item from a store within a time limit. Awareness increased The students return with a greater awareness of the problems encountered by steps, barriers and ramps while in a wheelchair, Griffin said. Some of the buildings on campus are deemed to be accessible, Griffin said, but still have problems because of faculty maintenance. Griffin cited examples such as a burnt-out bulb in a light safety device in an elevator, the closing of automatic door openers during winter for energy conservation and the parking of mop buckets in a men's restroom stall as maintenance problems that hinder handicapped students. "You can design buildings as accessible," Griffin said, "but the people who maintain them must also be aware." There are about five buildings on campus with acces sibility problems, Brad Munn, affirmative action office director, said. Munn, the chief compliance officer for federal regula tion, cited Filley Hall, Bancroft Hall, the Coliseum, Agri cultural Hall and Teachers College as being difficult for 1 ndicapped students. Modification problems Part of the problem, Griffin said, is that there are no tan- . ' i,Ml iw.M j.ii.imhiwi' "'4- 1 S?5K!I5n' , 1 .,.. -.m. "- ,: ;'"'.? ..-'Tl!,'.:! ",tjiatl-Al,Lr!l .' G. Bhullar, left, plays a tabla, and Asha Singh plays a sitar during India Night festivities Sunday at the Nebraska East Union. For the story on other India Night activities, see Page 2. building modifications solely for the purpose of handi capped accessibility. Instead, accessibility usually doesn't become a reality until a building has other construction going on to which accessibility ramps can be added, he said. Munn said the Temple building will be fully accessible after its present renovation is completed. Both Munn and Griffin said there are problems of accessibility on the UNL campus such as Architectural Hall, the oldest building on campus, and the wheelchair ramp to the Nebraska Union, which Griffin described as "a steep maze." Munn said the university has been making good progress in accessibility. "I'm proud of the university and what it's done," he said. Munn said UNL must adapt its old buildings to the handicapped because there are so few buildings being built now. Competition for money There also is a fight for money coming out of the Ne braska Legislature, Munn said, between the university and institutions such as state colleges, the NU Medical Center, the Nebraska School for the Deaf in Nebraska City and a mental retardation home in Beatrice. "I could go on and on," Munn said. "We're all trying for money. There are always more projects than there are dollars." The university received $250,000 this year from a com mission appointed by the governor. Munn said. Munn said he deals with about 30 handicapped students a year, although about 250 UNL students are legally defined as handicapped. Munn and Griffin agree that handicapped accessibility and awareness are an indispensible part of the university, but have differing views on how the handicapped are actually handled. Griffin said it is unfair to make handicapped students always enter through the back of buildings. "You're making it very piain to a person in a wheel chair that you're sending them around to the back door," Griffin said. But Munn said that he often comes in the administra tion building through the back way. "That's as good as entrance as any," he said. Kevin Underwood, a business major confined to a wheelchair, said, "I'd prefer the entrance in the front but you have to realize most buildings were built before this new awareness was around. You have to do it the most cost-efficient way. "That's why they're in the back. To me it doesn't matter, as long as I have access." Costa Rica urges El Salvador policy changes By Beth Headrick The presence of U.S. military advisers in LI Salvador gives the impression, that the United States supports groups who oppose making the necessary changes to form a democracy, a Costa Rican legislator said Monday in an interview. Although sending U.S. miltary aid to El Salvador shows a desire to prevent communist interventions, Ro dolfo Ccrdas said because it is military aid, it links the United States to Salvadoran armed forces. Ccrdas. a member of the National Democratic Party of Costa Rica, said Latin American fears intervention from other countries and wants to solve its own internal prblems. Countries in Latin America are forming their own national identities, and that includes concern for defend ing human and civil rights, Ccrdas said. It also includes rejecting military intervention and despotic controls of individuals, he said. The problems which exist in Centra! America result from internal social and economic structures, which are not working, he said. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Cuba and the Soviet Union have taken advantage of an excellent oppor tunity, he said, and if these internal problems aren't resolved, the "domino theory" could be a reality. The Christain Democratic junta needs more internat ional political support to make the necessary changes for the people, he said. These are three maor armed forces operating in El Salvador the army, guerrillas and an extension of the army, which consists of far-right terrorist groups, he said. "It seems that the armed forces have control of the junta." he said. Cerda said that ideally, the United States should take a firm stance against communist aggression through policy declarations and political countermoves, with policies that support the democratic forces. By opening trade and cultural avenues for El Salvador, the United States can help provide a base for democratic institutions, he said. Central America looks toward Costa Rica as a model for democracy, he said. The government in Costa Rica has executive, judicial and legislative branches. Fifty seven representatives, elected by their parties in each province, are in the House of Representatives. The Costa Rica literacy rate is about percent The universities are respected throughout the world, he said. But the major difference between Costa Rica and El Salvador is the thriving Costa Rican middle class, Cerdas said. Central America has reached a point where it wants to set up its own criteria and its own solutions, Cerdas said. The changes that are taking place there reflect an ever-increasing phenomenon throughout the Third World, he said. The political influences come from western European libera thinking and current emphasis on econ omic development, he said. "We're trying to respond to the hard facts of life in our respective countries," he said, "and we're tired of situations where other people arc supplying the ideas and we supply the cadavres." Candidates allowed to use station By Mary Louise Knapp Political candidates will now be able to use the public and governmental-access television channel for political announcements, according to rules approved by the Lincoln City Council at its Monday afternoon meeting. The rules state that candidates can use the channel for political announcements on weekends beginning two weeks before any election in which they are campaigning. They can use up to four hours of air time for such announcements, including reruns. Alan Yates, a member of the Cable Television Advisory Board, spoke to the Council in favor of the rule. "Allowing political material on the channel will spur access (to the channel) more than any other single thing," he said. "It fills a gap not used by the public. The access channel is generally not used at all on weekends," he said. The access channel is controlled by Cablevision, Inc.. the Lincoln cable television corporation. The Council also approved by a vote of 4-3 a proposed rate increase for users of Cablevision. Monthly rates increase Under the proposed increase, monthly rates for sub scribers to Cablevision would increase to $9.50 per month from the current rate of $8.75 an outlet a month. The increase is for basic Cablevision services, which in clude the available channels and the satellite program net work. Continued on Page 6 ut I: C Tuesday Time Well Spent: A playwright says her stay at UNL en abled her to learn everything she needed to know Page 3 Dead Letter Department: "Steamy" remake of Vie Post man Always Rings Twice fails to capture the original's intention Page 8 Rugger Power: The UNL Rugby Club picked up its first tournament championship last weekend in Omaha Page 10