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December 1,1988 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 88 No. 66
.__ _ _ , f , u'/
Student regents
hope to acquire
non-official vote
By Ryan Steeves
Staff Reporter
Jeff Petersen, president of the
Association of Students of
the University of Nebraska,
told senators Wednesday that he
hopes to get student regents a non
official vote on the NU Board of
Regents.
Petersen and NU’s two other stu
dent regents will present a proposal at
Saturday’s regents meeting asking
them to approve such a vote.
Petersen, UNL’s student regent,
told senators the proposal would
make student regents more account
able to students. The vote also could
increase student influence, he said.
Currently, a student regent can
attend a regents meeting without
having to participate or lobby for
student issues, Petersen said.
According to the proposal, student
regents would have to be accountable
to students, he said, because each of
their votes would be recorded.
Although the vole would not
count, NU students could review the
record to sec if a student regent acted
in their interests, Petersen said.
“The point of this is,” he said, “if
you have a bad student regent —
they’re not doing their homework,
they’re not speaking at (regent) meet
ings — they’re held accountable.”
Sen. Chip Drccscn of the College
of Arts and Sciences said having to
vote could motivate lazy student re
gents. Drcescn said it also would
enlighten them about student opin
i on
“It’s the closest thing to actually
getting a student vote that counts,” he
said.
The proposal ignited some sultry
debate, however, when Sen. Libby
York of the College of Journalism
asked Petersen how he plans to get
UNL student opinion before he votes.
‘‘There arc many students who feel
this body (ASUN) isn’t representing
them now,” York said.
York agreed with the proposal, but
she questioned how Petersen would
increase student representation with
out increasing student input
Petersen said increasing student
involvement in ASUN is a separate
issue. He said he disagrees with the
idea that ASUN has not tried to in
volve students.
‘‘We’ve taken more steps to get
student involvement than
administration’s of past years,” he
said.
Constituents who disagree with
the student regents’ vote on an issue,
Petersen said, can express their disap
pointment at election time.
Petersen said he, UNO student
regent Joe Kerrigan and University of
Nebraska Medical Center student
regent Pat Hotovy, expect the regents
to decide on the non-official vote at
their January meeting.
IIJ IMLJU, U..L *
University of Nebraska-Lincoln physics professor Robert Fuller speaks about education
Wednesday at the Wick Alumnc Center.
Professor speaks in series
By Eve Nations
Staff Reporter
Stressing his main theme of
' “Celebrate Knowing,”
Robert Fuller, professor
of physics and astronomy, encour
aged faculty members to provide
learning environments that pro
mote “wonderful ideas ”
Fuller was the first speaker in a
series of programs Wednesday in
the Nebraska Union called Archi
tects on Learning, sponsored by the
Teaching Council.
Fuller said students often are
encouraged to develop creative
ideas by the setting they are in.
Fuller explained that professors
should provide a rich environment
in which students feel corn Tollable
taking risks by developing new
ideas.
**A student needs to know that
they can risk an idea and know they
are in an environment that is rich
with ideas,” he said. “Students
have to know it is all right to risk.”.
Fuller encouraged faculty to
help create environments that
motivate new ideas.
“It is our obligation to have new
ideas and have students who have
new ideas ” Fuller said.
“We have to create people who
are capable of doing new things,”
he said, “not just repeating what
others have already done.”
He asked members of the audi
ence, which consisted mostly of
See FULLER on 6
UNL graduate
boosts minority
scholarship fund
By Victoria Ayotte
Senior Reporter
he minority scholarship ef
fort received a boost re
cently with a $250,000
pledge from a University of Ne
braska-Lincoln graduate.
Vin Gupta, an Omaha business
man, contributed the funds early in
November.
The fund will provide a stipend
equal to room and board for minority * ■*
students already receiving full-tui
tion scholarships from other sources
at UNL.
Minority students enrolled in the
College of Engineering and Technol
ogy or majoring in a physical science
in the College of Arts and Sciences
are eligible. Financial need also will
be considered for the scholarship.
“We have a real lack of available
students for engineering and the sci
ences,” Gupta said in a NU Founda
tion press release. “If we don’t meet
that need, we will have less innova
tion in this country.”
Gupta is out of the country until
next week and could not be reached
for comment.
i neresa Mein, director oi puoiic
relations and publications for the
foundation, said the money was set up
in an endowment fund. Gupta will
give the foundation $50,000 each
year for five years for a total gift of
$250,000.
Next year, about $2,500 will be
available for scholarships from the
interest on the fund. When the fund is
fully endowed in five years, the an- „
nual amount will be about $12,000,
Klein said.
The fund probably will be admini
stered by the colleges involved, she
said, and it has not yet been decided if
the funds will be for a one-year sti
pend or a renewable scholarship.
Gupta set up the fund for minori
ties so they wouldn’t have to work
part-time and could concentrate on
their studies, Klein said.
Gupta, a native from India, came
toUNLin 1967 with $50 in his pocket
to pursue a master’s degree, Klein
said.
Enough money can be a “catalyst”
to a good education, he said, and
education is the “key to freedom,
mobility and happiness.”
“If they don’t have to worry about
room and board, maybe they can avail
themselves of this opportunity,”
Gupta said.
Gupta donated his gift specifically
for a minority fund, Klein said.
“It was very important to him,
since he himself was a minority,” she
said.
Gupta received a master’s degree
in agricultural engineering in 1969
and a master’s degree in business
administration in 1971. He is cur
rently president of American Busi
ness Lists Inc. of Omaha.
I Forum offers advice on student legal rights
By Jana Pedersen
Staff Reporter___
Students should be informed about
legal rights and services available at
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
according to Charles Hamilton, fund-raising
chairman of UNL’s Pre-Law club.
The club sponsored a forum Wednesday
night to allow students to ask questions about
their legal rights.
The five-member panel included: James
Griescn, vice chancellor for student affairs;
Susan Tast, student legal services attorney; Jeff
Gromowsky, chairman of the Association of
Students of the University of Nebraska Special
Topics Committee; Lt. Ken Caubleof the UNL
Police; and Ken Handy, a Lincoln Police
Deparlmcni patrolman.
About 15 students attended the event.
The panelists gave information on issues
including the student code of conduct, snow
ball fighting, dead week policy, parking prob
lems, alcohol-related incidents, financial aid
and residence hall food.
In his opening remarks, Gricscn stressed the
importance of students maintaining the behav
ior outlined in the student code of conduct.
The puiposc of the code is to protect the
student’s right to learn, he said.
“If we are going to have a harmonious
community we’re going to have to have some
rules and regulations,” he said.
Caublc agreed, and said one of the main
duties of the UNL Police Department is to
ensure that students abide by the code of con
duct.
Snowball fighting can be a violation of the
code, according to Tast.
Tast said that the criminal charges brought
against threcof four students taken intocustody
during the Nov. 15 snowball fight had been
dropped. But, she said, those students had been
placed on probation for violating the student
code of conduct.
Caublc said most of the criminal charges
resulting from snowball fights involve students
who go beyond throwing snowballs.
Handy urged students not to become in
volved with snowball fights, because even
though most students do not intend to do any
thing but throw snowballs, they can be hurt by
the minority of students who do more damage.
“When rocks arc being thrown I don't think
it stairtocaiiuasnowpaiingnt, nesaia. it s
criminal.”
Griesen agreed and said he was trying to
inform students about the dangers of snowball
fights.
“We need to create a sense of understanding
on the part of the student body that there is no .
such thing as a harmless snowball fight,” he
said.
Griesen encouraged students to take admin
istrative action before resorting to legal action
in areas where they believe their rights arc being
violated.
He also encouraged students to voice their
opinions.
“You’d be surprised how many student
problems can be solved if students arc just
willing to take a position of advocacy,” he said.
Jfr