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Thursday, December 6, 1984
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 84 No. 72
3
Wcsther: After a cold morning, expect clear
skies and a high of 27 (-3C). Thursday night, clear
and not as cold with a low of 17 (-8C). Friday,
partly cloudy and warmer with a high in the lower
to mid-40s (6C).
Bob BrubachorDally Nebraskan
Don't stop the presses,
in The ag...Page 5
Gators head to Sugar
BowL.Page13
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Meeting the need . . .
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Andrea HoyDally Nebratkan
Freshman Kelly Decker, left, winces m Lincoln Community Blood Bank nurse Sonie
WoKlera withdraws blood Wednesday &zxbi$ a blood drive ct WiL - ,
Employees end volunteers &om the Hood bsnk and Eed Cross will be at Harper Resi
dence Hall for the blood drive t&dsy tren 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
To meet the demand of local hospitals, 200 to 250 donations a day are needed to fulfill the
drive's goal, said Dorothy Rippe, public relations officer in charge of donor recruitment for
the blood bank.
"This isn't something to take lightly. We need those blood donors," she said.
Legislature will confront
rash of farm closings,
prayer in public schools
M. Copple says Douglas showed
him FBI letter on bank probe
By Bred Gilford
Daily Nebraakan Staff Reporter
Marvin Copple testified Wed
nesday that Attorney General
Paul Douglas showed him an FBI
letter describing that agency's
investigation into possible wrong
doing on the part of Common
wealth Savings Co. officials.
But William Morrow Jr., re
presenting Douglas, told repor
ters afterward that the former
Commonwealth vice president did
not tell the truth.
One charge against Douglas al
leges he lied to the Legislature's
Special Commonwealth Commit
tee when he said he had not dis
cussed the FBI letter with Cop
ple. The other alleges Douglas
obstructed government opera
tions when he allegedly told Cop
ple, a friend and business asso
ciate, about the letter.
Morrow said Copple had per
jured himself during his testimony.
"I think he lied," Morrow said.
He called Copple's testimony
"convenient" for the prosecution
and noted several memory lapses
in Copple's testimony that he said
reinforced his charge.
Copple substantiated Special
Prosecutor Kirk E. Naylor's open
ing statements when he told the
jury that Douglas brought the let
ter to Copple's basement office at
Commonwealth in either March
or April 1983.
Copple said Douglas walked in
and tossed the letter down. He
said that Douglas asked if every
thing was alright with Common
wealth's officials. When Copple
told him that he was sure the
charges in the letter were not
true, Douglas was "relieved,"
Copple said.
FBI Agent John Campbell also
said in his testimony that he
Continued 021 P&ge 12
By Bsrry Trevarrow
Daily Nebraskan Staff Reporter
They've got their work cut out
for them.
As Nebraska's lawmakers pre
pare to convene Jan. 9 for the
first session of the 89th Legisla
ture, a number of important issues
await discussion.
Perhaps the greatest concern
of lawmakers will be to resolve
the recent rash of farm closings
in Nebraska, Sen. Don Wesely of
Lincoln said.
"We're faced with one of the
most devastating disasters in the
state's history," Wesely said.
Wesely said the economic con
dition of the state is so bad that
any tax relief for farmers is hard
to get. He recommends economic
development incentives which will
stimulate growth. Wesely said
short-term financial loans would
help farmers.
"The state is left with few op
tions because most of the prob
lems are federal ones " Wesely
said. "The deficits have caused
high interst rates."
Sen. Beniice Labedz of
Omaha said she thinks the fed
eral government is responsible
for helping farmers. However, she
said, the Legislature can help by
giving them the special classifica
tion in land valuations that
Amendment Four proposes.
Sen. Shirley Marsh of Lincoln
said Nebraska is in an economic
recession that has reduced the
state's tax receipts. Setting next
year's budget will thus be a major
concern for her.
Marsh, who has served on the
Legislature's appropriations com
mittee for 13 years, said the com
mittee this session probably will
have to ask state agencies to
prioritize their needs. After Gov.
Bob Kerrey reveals his recom
mendations, Marsh said, the Leg
islature will determine where cuts
can be made.
To increase the tax base,
Labedz said, some tax exemp
tions must be eliminated and sales
and service taxes may need to be
raised.
The sensitive issue of state reg
ulation of church schools also
will confront lawmakers. The 1 984
Legislature passed LB928, called
a "compromise" bill by many. ,
The bill exempts private church
school teachers from state edu
cation standards if the schools
are established for religious pur
poses. The law, however, gives the
State Department of Education
authority to "make sure it's work
ing right," Wesely said.
State Education Commissioner
Joe E. Lutjeharms wrote to Wesely
in September that "the basic prob
lem with LB928 is that it is a law
which appears to require the State
Department of Education to reg
ulate a class of schools, while at
the same time adopting the posi
tion that the schools are not
being regulated by the state."
The law needs to be clarified,
Wesely said.
"We're faced with an en
forcement problem," Wesely said.
"Somebody has to have the
authority to deny exemptions from
schools in violation of LB928."
Sen. William Nichol of Scotts
bluff, last session's Speaker of the
Legislature, was skeptical about
the lawmakers making any pro
gress on the issue.
"At best, there'll just be a lot of
discussion," Nichol said. "Most are
happy with what we have."
Sen. Marsh also expressed a
desire to make it mandatory for
Nebraska drivers to use their seat
belts.
"Automobile accidents are the
greatest cause of death for per
sons below the age of 44," Marsh
said. "Most of them could be
avoided."
Marsh said air bags can add
between $600 and $1,600 to a
car's price. They dont protect as
well as seat belts when a car is
struck from the back or side,
Marsh said.
Nichol said the Legislature will
consider appropriations bills first,
followed by bills from individual
senators and then committee bills.
Daily Nebraskan.aolopts new policy for ads
By JndiNygren'
Daily Nebra&k&n Senior Editor
The Daily Nebraskan has adopted a
new policy on roommate advertisements
as a result of a discrimination complaint
by two women.
The UNL Publications Board on Tues
day approved the use of gender preferen
ces in roommate ads, but eliminated
preferences based on sexual orientation,
race, religion, age, disability, marital sta
tus or national origin.
The new policy reads, "The Daily
Nebraskan will not print any advertise
ment which discriminates against any
person on the basis of sex, sexual orien
tation, race, religion, age, disability, mari
tal status or national origin. The Daily
Nebraskan recognizes and respects the
right of persons to speciiy a preference of
gender when looking for a roommate and
will not prohibit stating such a prefer
ence.
Previously, the policy excluded "sex"
and "sexual orientation" from the first
sentence and had "sex" in place of "gender"
in the! second sentence.
By changing the word "sex" to "gender,"
the board said, people can no longer ask
for roommates of particular sexual pref
erences in Daily Nebraskan ads. However,
people can ask for such things as pet
lover or non-smoker.
An example of a roommate ad could
read: Male looking for a non-smoking,
male roommate.
The bosrd agreed that asking for
roommates of particular sexual orienta
tion, race, religion, age, disability, marital
status or national origin is discrimina
tory and the Daily Nebraskan should not
be part of it. Gender is acceptable, accord
ing to the board. -
"Discrimination happens no matter
what," Chris Welsch, Daily Nebraskan
editor in chief, said. "It's just a question of
whether the Daily Nebraskan should print
it."
The discrimination issue began after
two women complained to the board that
the Daily Nebraskan refused to run their
ad asking for a lesbian roommate. Soon
after, the newspaper received letters from
the Lincoln Coalition for Gay and Lesbian
Civil Rights and the Nebraska Civil Liber
ties Union. ,
The coalition complained that by
omitting the word "lesbian" in the ad, the
Daily Nebraskan was forcing each woman
to face "homophobia and hatred on a
one-to-one basis with each prospective
roommate who responds to her ad."
The union claimed the omission was
censorship. The union also said the pref
erence did not go against Lincoln's open
housing laws.
Under Lincoln's housing code, anyone
with four or fewer roommates can include .
preferences of any kind in roommate ads.
With the law and complaints in mind,
the board discussed five options: Any
thing goes, no self-description or prefer
ences, arbitrary decisions on individual
ads, self-description only or gender only.
According to Dan Bernstein, UNL
associate professor of psychology and
board member, a policy of anything goes
"regardless of the offensive nature" would
be the purest sense of free speech.
"Let people display their stupidities
and get punished," Bernstein said.
However, the board discarded this
option because it would offend too many
people.
The board said a policy of no self
description or preferences would be the
easiest to follow and would look less arbi
trary to the union, but it would supress
free speech.
Continued cn Psgs 12
