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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1989)
T8L mfm "S a-lA"^/" *|S| WEATHER INDEX jruL 9 M .<n»a^ tom*. _„ ^ Wednesday, high 30, N winds 5-15 mph. 9 .jsitr^wtk WLd^mk SSf nMrr' BSttH^pHSk Wednesday night, cloudy with flurries, ^HBk S am H HT * ^BB mfa « Wm JR? ” ^fis? jSfflT ^iffl low 20. Thursday, cloudy with flurries. News .2 tHBUISl kc «IMP 82 BS SB ^aSS lW>b, HoL a*nffi wB SR high 25. Friday through Sunday, snow on Editorial. 4 X H C UX CtiSIxClI 1 s“““^ ssg~e.vJ March 1,1989 __University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 88 No. 111 Motorcycle helmet controversy develops new life in Legislature By Jana Pedersen Staff Reporter Che debate over helmet re quirements for motorcyclists gained new life Tuesday in the Transportation Committee of the Nebraska Legislature. The committee heard testimony on LB690, a bill that would limit helmet requirements to motorcyclists underage 19. Last year the Legislature passed a bill, which made helmets mandatory for all motorcyclists. That bill went into effect Jan. 1. Sen. Scott Moore of Stromsburg, co-sponsor of LB690, called this year’s bill a “compromise.” The voting on last year’s bill was close, and the issue deserves another chance, he said. Terry Schultz, president of the Nebraska Motorcyclist’s Associa tion, said most of the members in the association arc against any form of helmet legislation. ■W -r -d ^ But they would be willing to compromise in support of LB690, she said. Angelo Bruno, fatality reporter for American Bikers Aiming Toward Education, testified in favor of LB690. He said the money used to implement the current mandatory helmet law could be better used to promote motorcycle safely aware ness in Nebraska. Schultz agreed. There were 31 motorcycle fatali ties in Nebraska in 1987 and only 19 in 1988, she said. This decrease was due to in creased public awareness concerning motorcycle safety, not a mandatory helmet law, she said. But Moore said the bill docs not deal with whether helmet use saves lives. The more important issue is per sonal freedom, he said. Nebraska voters repealed the mandatory seatbelt law, he said, be cause it was an infringement on per sonal freedom. The mandatory helmet law is similar to the seatbelt law, he said, because it also infringes on personal freedom. Jeanne Albers, the director of Quality Living, Inc., who spoke in opposition to the bill, said the current mandatory helmet law is riot an in fringement of personal freedom. Albers compared the helmet law to restrictions on smoking. Smokers can still smoke, she said, but only responsibly, in designated areas. Under the mandatory helmet law, she said, motorcyclists can still ride, but only responsibly, with hel mets on. Another opponent, Leo Wilwer ding, whose son was killed in a mo torcycle accident, said motorcyclists want to have the right to take risks, but that docs not give them the right to hurt other people who arc affected by their deaths or head injuries See HELMET on 3 undeclared enrollment up 15 percent By Theresa Sindelar Staff Reporter Because students arc waiting longer to decide their majors, the number of undeclared students has jumped more than 15 percent, according to Donald Gre gory, director of General Studies. “Our department has the second highest number of enrolled students this spring,’’ Gregory said. “This is our highest enrollment ever, usually we arc 3rd behind the College of Arts and Science and the College of Busi ness.” Since this is the second year the General Studies department has been in existence, Gregory said it is hard to gather statistics from previous years. Gregory said a major reason stu dents arc wailing longer is to explore all options. “The increase has occurred this year because it takes a while to hear that the General Studies department is a place for good advising,’ ’ he said. “Universities across the nation are recognizing that students arc tak ing longer to decide on majors and arc guiding those students accordingly,” he said. High school counselors arc not advising students any differently, he said, they arc continuing to take basic courses to keep options open. “We have enough advisers to deal with the rising number of students in the department,” Gregory said. “If all lhe students came in at once, we would have a problem, but a lot of students don’t come in at all,” he said. There is the expected rush of stu dents during registration, but the remainder of the time, advisers arc available right away or by appoint ment, he said. “In the future, we plan to expand the department, but it’s not on the immediate horizon,” he said. Gregory said it is best for students to choose a major during their sopho more year, but it is not necessary. “If they wait much longer, choices begin to narrow,” he said. mStS^WbSL.-&.. ....IMt f-. . ..!!.;-—2——uS* Clean sweep NU Coliseum custodian Dave Hoffman sweeps up dust left from the on-going construction work there.. c <0 A ■ 2 n 2 >. '5 Q « fi E CD c £ O T Report predicts nationwide engineering faculty shortage By Lisa Twiestmeyer Staff Reporter More women and minori ties must pursue ad vanced degrees in engi neering in order to curb a nation wide engineering faculty shortage predicted for the 1990s, according to a report on replacing engineer ing faculty. The report, prepared for a na tional task force of engineering deans, indicates that fewer stu dents arc pursuing advanced de grees in engineering than in previ ous years. Women and minorities make up an extremely small per centage of engineering degree candidates, and more must be re cruited to make up for the de crease. Stan Liberty, engineering dean at the University of Ncbraska-Lin coln, served on the task force in January to study the problem of engineering faculty shortages. The task force found that col leges must recruit more women for undergraduate engineering de grees so they can help fill the pool of available faculty in the future, he said. Liberty said women make up 15 percent of students receiving undergraduate engineering de grees nationally, and the percent age earning advanced degrees is lower. Women currently make up 3.4 percent of all engineering fac ulty, the report stales. Minority students make up an even smaller amount. The report indicates that the number of non Asian American minorities pre paring for engineering faculty ca reers is “minuscule.” Blacks cur rently account for less than 1 per cent of engineering faculty, the report indicates. See FACULTY on 3 Security becomes an issue as thousands flood Lincoln for basketball tournaments Chris Carroll Senior Editor Security will be tightened this weekend and nexton the University of Ncbraska Lincoln campus in anticipation of the Girls’ and Boys’ State Basketball Tourna ments, said Lt. Ken Caublc of the UNL Police Department. Although many fans come to enjoy the games, Cauble said, inevitably individuals with other motives come to Lincoln during the tournaments, not necessarily to watch the games. # Up to40,000 additional people are expected ■ ai '•*iv\jiii uuiiiig uiv tuumamw/iiij, v UUL/1C said. Individuals interested in committing larce nies and burglaries see state tournaments as an opportunity to blend in with the crowd, Cauble said. People stopped in the residence halls and greek houses can easily say they are visiting friends or relatives, Cauble said. Although many people will be legitimate visitors, Cauble said, some may not. It is important to keep all dormitory rooms locked, he said. Members of greek houses should make sure that all individuals that claim to be visitors, really are, Cauble said. He said individuals posing as visitors could easily walk off with a color television set. Vehicles also should be locked and all valu ables removed or placed in the trunk, Cauble ! said. The UNL Police Department will increase foot patrols and checks on the residence halls over the weekend. Cauble said officers also will be present at all games at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Girls’ State runs from March 2 through 4 and Boys’ State runs from March 9 through 11.