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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1989)
WEATHER: INDEX Friday, partly sunny and cooler, high In the lower 80s with winds at 5-15 News Digest.2 mph. Friday night, mostly clear and Editohai. 4 cool, low In the upper 50*. Saturday, partlycloudywithhighslnthelowerto ciubimb 13 mkj-SOs. Vol. 89 No. 6 Freedoms threatened, art officials say By CJ. Schepers I Staff Reporter Several Lincoln art profession als say freedom of expression is being threatened by an amendment that would prohibit allo cation of federal money for artworks found obscene. ‘‘I would hope that the students of the University of Nebraska would be concerned,” said George Neubert, director of the University of Nc braska-Lincoln’s Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery. Neubert said the Helms amend ment, which would restrict federal aid to art projects found obscene or religiously offensive, is the latest assault on the rights of Americans to express their ideas freely. According to Joseph Ruffo, UNL art department chairman, the amend ment already has caused a “chilling effect” in the art field. He said there is growing concern in the field that many galleries and art institutions might feel inhibited by the threat of funding cuts in retali ation for art considered offensive. ‘ ‘The artwork cannot hurt you, cut you ... the worst thing it could do is make you uncomfortable and the greatest it could do is make you think,” Ruffo said. The obscenity legislation was in troduced by Republican Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina in reaction to controversy surrounding two art exhibits produced by Andres Serrano and the late Robert Mapplethorpe, sponsored by the National Endow ment for Arts. Serrano’s exhibit included a pho tograph of a crucifix in a specimen jar of urine, and the work of Mapple thorpe contained pictures considered to be homoscxually erotic. In July, the U.S. House of Repre sentatives approved cutting $45,000 from the NEA’s arts budget, and voted to reallocate $400,000 from the Visual Arts Program into folk arts and locals programs. Later that same month, the U.S. senators gave their voice-vote ap proval to the Helms amendment. Neither measure has become law. The House and Senate will hold a joint conference on the bill in Sep tember before making any final deci sions. Neubert said the obscenity legisla tion is linked with a pattern of “re trenchment” or “conservatism” in government today. “The mood in the U.S. is a re trenchment of issues for a variety of reasons,” Neubert said. Some of those issues, he said, in clude the restrictions on abortion rights and a flag-burning demonstra tion which resulted in President Bush asking for a constitutional amend ment to be introduced protecting the American flag. Neubert said Americans canthold their own personal beliefs on such issues, but they do not have the right to subject others to those beliefs. He said the recent voice vote in Congress approving the Helms amendment shows the senators’ lack of courage. “I have been disappointed in Nebraska’s representation in this system,” Neubert said. Rep. Doug Bcrcutcr, R-Neb., and Sen. Jim Exon, D-Ncb., arc remain ing silent about their positions on the Helms amendment. But written state ments from both congressmen show that they supported the action to cut endowment funds by $45,000. Both Nebraska congressmen also wrote that they urged the NEA to review its artist-funding procedures so taxpayers’ money is not spent on artwork considered obscene or offen sive. Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Ncb., could not be reached for comment. Ruffosaida NEA system review is unnecessary. Anne Pagcl, director of Haydon Art Gallery, 240 N. Seventh St., agreed, saying the NEA has a “very distinguished” record. ‘ ‘ N inety to 95 percent of the artists we deal with have a masters, teach .. . or exhibit at national levels,” she said. ‘‘NEA has been enormously suc cessful and conscientious in selecting projects to fund,” Pagel said. Since its inception, the NEA has awarded 85,000 grants, and only 20 (or 0.02 of 1 percent) “have caused genuine controversy,” according to Graham W.J. Beal’s Aug. 28 edito rial in the Omaha World-Herald. Beal is director of Joslyn Art Mu seum in Omaha. Neubert said he was perplexed by the media response to this “censor ship,” particularly the position which the Omaha World-Herald has taken supporting the NEA cuts. embraces freedom of speech, would support censorship on the arts group. The Helms amendment reads as follows: “None of the funds authorized to be appropriated pursuant to this act may be used to promote, disseminate, See ART on 7 HELMS'NEW doMebody \ get* Me q -f-ig lea£; Cfh/5 slinjshot' X$^3o,m I *" \oC0J&r\k/1 Rodgers seeks food stand deal By Jerry Guenther Senior Reporter If final details can be ironed out, Nebraska football fans will have an opportunity to buy enchiladas and burritos from a stand operated by Johnny Rodgers during home games this fall. Gary Fourakcr, assistant athletic director for business affairs, said Thursday that he is hopeful a decision can be reached today on whether the former Hcisman Trophy winner from Nebraska will be allowed to sell his concessions at Memorial Stadium on a one-year trial basis. Fouraker said the University of Nebraska-Lincoln currently operates the concession stands at Memorial Stadium with some businesses con trading UNL to sell their items. Rodgers said he decided he wanted to open a concession stand because he always has been inter ested in Nebraska football and thinks he can provide a service to the fans. He said that if he is allowed to sell his products, he will use vendors from the Boys Club to sell the items in the stands and in front of the stadium. Rodgers said he hopes to operate two concession stands, one on the east side and one on the west side of South Stadium. Fourakcrsaid UNL receives about two or three requests every year from businesses to set up concession stands at Memorial Stadium, and occasionally the requests are ap proved. See RODGERSon 8 Chris O'Gara takes a drink of water during football practice Thursday when temperatures reeched the 90s. The team consumes more than 100 gallons of liquid during a hot practice, according to a team trainer. Foundation initiative ‘ahead of schedule’ By Becky Tideman Staff Reporter Che NU Foundation is “ahead of schedule" on its initiative to raise $30 million by 1992, said Terry Fairfield, foundation president The foundation’s five-year initia tive, “An Investment in People" clearly is successful, said Theresa Klein, director of public relations for the foundation. But it is hard to estab lish the exact progress of the initia tive because of the “nature of giv ing," Klein said. Donations can vary from outright gifts, which are immediately accred ited to the foundation, to pledges that are paid gradually over a three- to five-year period, Klein said. She said that when the founda tion’s fiscal year ends Sept. 29, fig ures will be available on the initia tive’s progress. Of the foundation’s $30 million goal, $12 million will be allocated to establish new professorships and chairs, 33 of which already have been created since the initiative began in August 1988. 4 ‘The university is only as good as its faculty,” Fairfield said. The fac ulty should always be the university’s “No. 1 priority/’ he said. Other areas designated to receive funds from the initiative include re search and development, library en hancement, endowments for gradu ate students, faculty salaries, innova tive projects and nontraditional re search facilities. While the foundation is not target ing any particular college or depart ment, Fairfield said, he expects the engineering and science colleges to benefit the most. Fairfield said that although indi viduals account for 65 percent of the contributions, corporations and other local organizations also play a major role. Fairfield said local businesses donate partly because it is in their best interests to help the university produce prepared graduates who want to stay in Nebraska. He said the overall mission of the foundation is to “attract private sup port to add a margin of excellence" to NU. “We are a separate organization, but exist solely for the benefit of the university," Fairfield said. Basic or core support for the uni versity is provided by tax dollars, stu dent fees, residence hall fees and other sources. The foundation pro vides the “frosting on the cake - the extras," he said. Local grant will help children build their cultural awareness By Lisa Bolin SufT Reporter Starting next semester, the University of Nebraska Lincoln will use a $1,500 grant to increase children’s cultural awareness, said Pauline Zeece, direc tor of the Child Development Labo ratory on East Campus. Zeece said she will use the grant money given by the UNL Institute for Agriculture & Natural R^' ources to develop a set of activities for student teachers. UNL students in the human devel opment and family department will receive classroom training on how to teach cultural awareness, Zeece said. They will apply that training when working with children in the Child Development Laboratory, a day-care center, she said. The lab is open to children aged 2 to 5 1/2 whose parents are UNL stu dents, faculty or staff members. Stu dents under faculty direction take care of the children. The gram will help recruit fami lies of various cultures to supply in formation about the cultures in their homeland, she said. It also will help purchase materi als and toys from other countries, Zcece said. About 20 percent of the children in the lab are from international fami lies, she said. Zecce said the grant will make it possible to “create an environment where children learn that all families are different.” “This will teach the kids to re spect the differences between cul tures and the differences within their own cultures,” she said. Teaching about various cultures follows the anti-bias curriculum pol icy, of the school, she said. At an early age, Zeecc said, chil dren are aware of differences such as race, sex and language. She said she hopes teaching children about cul tural differences early will “broaden their views of their own cultural iden tity and the way the world works.” In a July 15 editorial, the newspa per said it approved of the House’s vote to cut NEA’s budget in a counterattack to the two controver sial art exhibits. Neubert said that he is distressed by the World-Herald’s stand on the NEA issue. He said he finds it “ironic” that the news media, which
