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February 14,1989___University of Nebraska-Lincoln_ Vol. 88 No. 100
Student charged with sexual assault
in pre-arraignment hearing Monday
By Brandon Loomis
Senior Reporter
A University of Nebraska-Lincoln stu
dent was charged with first-degree
sexual assault in a pre-arraignment
hearing in Lancaster County court Monday,
and a county judge set Feb. 27 as the date for a
second hearing.
Steven L. Ernst, 20, of Columbus, was
charged with subjecting a high school senior
from Omaha to sexual penetration, knowing
she was mentally or physically incapable of
resisting.
The incident occurred at 3:35 a.m. Sunday
at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house, 1425
R St. Ernst is a member of the fraternity.
The alleged victim is the younger sister of
another member of Phi Gamma Delta.
According to a Lincoln Police briefing
sheet, the 17-year-old white female had been
drinking at a Phi Gamma Delta party when she
went into one of the rooms and went to sleep.
She allegedly woke up to find she was being
sexually assaulted.
Phi Gamma Delta had an “Around the
World” party Saturday night.
Lt. Ron Bruder of the Lincoln Police said
Sunday Ernst told police in a statement that he
had been drinking.
First-degree sexual assault is a Class II
felony offense. If Ernst is convicted, he will
face one to 50 years in prison.
Ernst’s attorney, John Stevens Berry, said
he accepted the case Monday and will not
comment until he conducts his own investiga
tion.
County Judge James Foster scheduled a
docket call in county court for Feb. 27, at which
time Ernst and his attorney will either receive
a date for a preliminary hearing, or decide to
waive the preliminary hearing. If Ernst decides
to waive the preliminary hearing, he will file a
plea at the February court date.
Ernst was released after the hearing on a
$25,000 bond. Relatives posted 10 percent of
the bond, $2,500, to have Ernst released on the
condition that he does not contact the victim
without the court’s consent.
Early Warning! to build shantytown
to raise awareness about poverty
By Lisa Twiestmeyer
Staff Reporter
The student organization Early Warn
ing! plans to build a shantytown on
campus this evening as part of Preju
dice Awareness Month.
Joe Bowman. Early Warning! facilitator,
said the shantytown will be constructed at 6
p.m. on Uje north side of the Nebraska Union
near Broyniil Fountain. The project is sched
uled to be taken down Thursday afternoon.
The term “shantytown” dates back to the
late 1800s when it was used to describe poor,
dilapidated neighborhoods of make-shift
dwellings inhabited by the very poor.
Bowman said the group is building the card'
board and wood huts to increase awareness
about the poverty and homelessness many
people suffer.
A sign saying “The strength of a rich soci
ety can be measured by its compassion for its
poor” will hang near the shantytown site,
Bowman said.
Early Warning! members and other inter
ested people plan to stay in the shantytown
through the night if the weather is good, Bow
man said. The group is trying to get permission
to run electricity to the shantytown for lighting,
he said.
Shantytowns have caused controversy on
other campuses in the past. In January 1986,
Dartmouth College students protesting racist
policies in South Africa built four shanties on
the campus College Green, according to the
New York Times. On the day after Martin
Luther King day, 12 students attacked the
shanties with sledgehammers.
Disturbances involving shanty tQ.wns also
have occurred at the University of Missoyfi
Columbia, the University of Washington apd *
other colleges.
The Early Warning! shantytown is different
from the others where violence occurred be
cause it is not a protest against apartheid,
Bowman said. He said he is not too worried
about violence.
‘‘I don’t really care if there’s vandalism to
the sight, as long as no one gets hurt,” Bowman
said.
Bowman said the University of Nebraska
Lincoln Police are aware of the shantytown and
will periodically drive by the site to make sure
there is no violence.
Early Warning! received permission to
build the shantytown from Daryl Swanson,
director of the Nebraska Unions, Swanson has
full authority over the plaza north of the Ne
braska Union, Bowman said.
Bill to remove
savings bond tax
. By Eric Pfanner
Suff Reporter
Sen. James Exon intro
duced a bill in Congress
last week that would
eliminate taxes on interest
earned from U.S. savings bonds
bought to pay for a student's
higher education.
"The purpose of the bill is to
encourage people to save
money to take advantage of
post-secondary education,"
Exon said.
The bill proposes an expan
sion to the Educational Savings
Bond Act, passed in 1988,
which gave tne tax exemption
only to parents of students.
To be eligible for the exemp
tion, owners of the bonds must
be at least 24.
The bill is targeted primarily
at students m low and middle
income brackets, who other
wise would have difficulty pay
ing for their education, Exon
said.
Exon said he is convinced
costs for higher education will
continue to rise.
Exon said he does not expect
much opposition to the bill.
CFA to hear union budget tonight
By Julie Dauel
Staff Reporter
Efforts to enhance services in
the Nebraska unions have not
increased the unions’ budget
request, which will be presented to
the Committee for Fees Allocation
tonight, said Daryl Swanson, director
of the Nebraska unions.
Swanson said the $1.25 million
budget doesn't include increases in
Fund B student fees because en
hancement money was reallocated
from existing programs. The en
hancement plans include the Campus
Activities and Programs offices.
The largest increase in the budget
is CAP’S request for a 7 percent in
crease which includes a request for
$19,492 more than last year for the
Women’s Resource Center, he said.
Because of a recent review of the
center, Swanson said, he had antici
pated the increase in its budget
According to Sara Boatman, CAP
director, the review recommended
the center be open 12 months a year
instead of 10 months and should have
extended office hours.
Swanson said this would cost an
estimated $3,500 for the additional
summer operations.
Boatman said the review also rec
ommended creating a Coordinator oi
Women’s Programs and Services.
“At one lime, this was an entry
level position,’’ she said. “But now
we want to not only up-grade the
salary, but also the position to a mid
level position."
This position would require some
one who had worked in a similar
field, Swanson said.
He said the 1989-90 budget re
flects an expected deficit for food
services.
“We haven’t given up on food
services making a profit, but with
current sales history we expect a
loss," he said.
The budget request does not in
clude any increases in salary and
wages for union employees, he said.
r‘For every 1 percent increase in
salaries and wages, student fees
would raise 45 cents,” he said.
The increase in staff salaries and
wages will be decided by the NU
Board of Regents and the Nebraska
Legislature, Swanson said.