CORRECTION: In a story about the Side Show (DN. Aug 29). the band was
incorrectly labeled heavy metal The Daily Nebraskan regrets this error
WEATHER: INDEX
I Wednesday, partly cloudy, breezy and humid 2
with a 20 peroent chance of thundershowers fhZ^I9 .4
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per hour Wednesday night, partly cloudy with a Arts & Entertainment.12
30 percent chance of thundershowers and a low Classifieds.14
between 65 and 70,_
.Vol. 89 No. 7
Regent: Vote-trading accusations ‘laughable’
R Lisa Twiestmeyer
■Etff Reporter
I A ccusations that vote trading was a fac
tor in the NU Board of Regents’ deci
»A sion to terminate former NU President
Ronald Roskcns are “laughable,” said Regent
Rosemary Skrupa of Omaha.
A Sept. 3 article in the Omaha World
fcerald said Sen. Jerome Warner of Waverly
and several anonymous sources implied that
Pkrupa and other regents may have voted to
Support Roskcns’ termination in return for
support of a doctoral program at the University
pf Nebraska at Omaha.
Skrupa said Tuesday that vote trading never
was an issue during the board’s deliberations
over Roskcns, and the possibility of getting a
doctoral program at UNO was not involved in
her decision to vote Roskcns out.
“You could take any one of us (regents) and
put us under a lie detector test,” Skrupa said.
“At no time has anything like that (vote trad
ing) happened.”
Warner said Tuesday that a World-Herald
reporter had approached him over the weekend
and asked him if he had heard talk of a link
between the two issues.
The reporter already had heard from other
sources that there was a link, Warner said, and
Warner confirmed that he had heard similar
stories from people in Omaha.
Warner said two sources, whom he declined
to identify, told him that Skrupa, Regent Mar
garet Robinson of Norfolk and board chairman
Nancy HochofNcbraskaCity were involved in
the alleged vote trading.
“1 don’t know if they arc the same people
that talked to the reporter,” Warner said. “But
I had heard enough that I was satisfied that
there was a link.”
Skrupa said that at no time did any of the
anonymous sources in the World-Herald ar
ticle say that a vote actually was traded.
“At the most, they say I might have gained
some good will,” Skrupa said.
While she supports a doctoral program on
the UNO campus, Skrupa said she will exam
ine the issue the same way the other regents
will - “ in a dispassionate way. Is it needed and
can we afford it.”
“As a new regent. I’ll vote as I sec what’s
necessary for the university system, number
one, and for my district,” she said.
Skrupa said she voted to go along with
Roskcns’ ouster for several reasons, but vote
trading was not one of them.
“You don’t trade a man’s career lor a Ph.D.
program,” Skrupa said.
Robinson said the first she had heard of the
possibility of vote trading was when she read
the newspaper article.
“Speaking for myself, as Jar as I’m con
cemed there was no vole trading, and it was
never suggested to me,” Robinson said. “It is
absolutely untrue that it ever took place.”
Hoch said in the World-Herald article that
there was no link to the issues. She could not be
reached for comment.
The World-Herald article quoted anony
mous sources as saying that in closed-door
discussions leading to Roskcns’ termination
agreement, regents Skrupa and Robinson were
swing votes.
“I think they’re giving us more credit than
due,” Skrupa said.
Other regents were upset with Warner and
the sources' comments in the article.
“It just saddens me that Jerry Warner has to
go to that extent,” said Regent Don Blank of
McCook. “What bothers me is that in that story
there arc at least six anonymous sources ... II
See REGENT on 6
iThird UNL student gets probation
ny rai uinsiage
Staff Reporter
he third of six University of
Ncbraska-Lincoln students
charged in the robbery and
alleged attack on a California man
last May was sentenced Friday at
Lancaster County District Court.
Ward Elliott, a 1988 freshman
advertising student, was sentenced to
one year probation by Judge William
D. Blue for his part in the robbery and
alleged attack on a 31-year-old man
at the Comhusker Hotel.
Police said the man was attacked,
and his ring, briefcase, watch and
SI 15 in cash were stolen from his
room at the Comhusker.
Elliott’s attorney, James Hoppe,
told the court that his client’s role was
“probably the most minimal.”
Hoppe said Elliott was not in
Hill takes action
volvcd in stealing the property and
never hit the victim.
In addition, Elliott cooperated as
soon as the police arrived, identifying
the others involved and cooperating
with the Lancaster County attorney’s
office, he said.
“He told what he knew from the
beginning,’’ Hoppe said.
In sentencing, Blue said it seemed
that Elliott was ‘ ‘just standing around
drinking,” when he shouldn’t even
have been in the Comhusker.
Hoppe told the court that Elliott
plans to go to the Art Institute of
Dallas this fall.
If Elliott’s probation is successful,
it can be set aside and struck from his
record upon completion, Blue said.
Elliott said the sentence was
“pretty fair, considering what I was
involved in.”
He said he expected probation
after David Kuszaj and John C.
Mikkclsen received one year of pro
bation for their involvement in the
incident. Kusz.aj also received an
$800 fine.
Todd Zimmerman, another stu
dent involved in the incident, is
scheduled for sentencing in district
court today on amended misde
meanor charges.
Lcodis Wiley, another student
involved, pleaded no contest to a
count of third-degree assault and
guilty to theft. His sentencing is
scheduled for Sept. 28.
Mitchell Hope also was charged in
the incident. Deputy County Attor
ney Jan Lipovsky said Hope previ
ously pleaded not guilty to the rob
bery charges but is set to change his
plea.
Anti-homophobic programs scheduled
By Jana Pedersen
Senior Reporter
After receiving criticism from a
gay- and lesbian-rights activ
ist at the last ASUN meeting,
Bryan Hill announced that he has
developed several projects to combat
homophobia at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln.
Hill said education will be the
focus of his efforts, which include
publicizing a recently adopted NU
Board of Regents anti-discrimination
policy and informing students about
Hill made the announcement at
AS UN’s last senate meeting after
Rodney Bell, chairperson of the Gay/
Lesbian Alumni Association Inc.,
blamed homophobia at UNL and in
Lincoln for the basis of verbal and
physical attacks against gays and
lesbians.
Asking senators to take the lead
role, Hill said “this is something we
can make a difference in.”
“Sometimes you are forced into
situations where you have to take the
lead on an issue that might not be
popular,” he said. “But if people
hale homosexuals... I can’t tolerate
that in my community.”
In a telephone interview this
weekend, Hill said he developed
several projects over the summer that
he hopes will educate students better
and decrease homophobia.
One project that AS UN worked on
last spring was the regents’ adoption
of a revised non-discrimination pol
icy, he said.
AS UN passed a resolution calling
for the board to enact a clause that
would prevent discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation, Hill said.
The UNL Faculty Senate passed a
similar resolution, he said, as did
student and faculty senates at the
Un iversity of Nebraska at Omaha and
the University of Nebraska Medical
Center.
But regents didn ’ t adopt the policy
exactly as AS UN leaders had hoped,
Hill said.
Instead, he said, regent Margaret
Robinson of Norfolk introduced a
resolution that would prevent dis
crimination on the basis of “individ
ual characteristics.”
Although Hill said he agreed with
Bell, who called the resolution “to
tally inadequate,” he said he thought
the resolution can work if it is well
publicized.
wmSSSSmBsmBSmmBmmmSm
‘Sometimes you
are forced into
situations where
you have to take
the lead on an
issue that might
not be popular.’
—urn
SB SB S
“My concern is that it’s somewhat
vague and that people aren’t going to
realize that one of the things that’s
included under this is sexual orienta
tion,” he said. “People are unaware
that this is the university’s policy
right now.”
To publicize the clause, Hill said,
he talked to UNL Chancellor and
interim NU President Martin Mas
sengale and asked his staff to send a
memo to UNL staff and faculty in
forming them of the inclusion of
sexual orientation in the resolution.
Hill said he also is working with
Brad Munn, UNL affirmative action
officer, on the development of a
poster that would explain the mean
ing of the new policy.
But Hill said the posters won’t be
displayed yet because he is afraid
they will be vandalized unless special
precautions are taken.
If these projects successfully pub
licize the new policy and the policy is
well-received, he said, regents may
be more likely to accept more spe
cific wording in the non-discrimina
tion clause, Hill said.
Hill said he would like to see a
more specific proposal adopted, but
“before they adopt that, I’d like to
see how well this one does with better
publicity.
“If the university administration
does a good job of explaining how
homophobic behavior is unaccept
able, then I don’t see a need for a
more specific wording.”
A non-discrimination policy for
students with AIDS is another possi
bility, Hill said. But he said he hasn’t
“looked into it much.”
Hill saia ne nas necn concentrat
ing his efforts on helping the univer
sity develop a program to increase
student awareness about acquired
immune deficiency syndrome.
ASUN senators will gel the
chance to preview an educational
videotape on AIDS at tonight’s
ASUN meeting, he said.
The videotape, which uses UNL
staff, faculty and students to present
facts about AIDS, was created by the
affirmative action office, he said.
If ASUN gives its approval, he
said, the videotape will be made
available for presentations at student
organization meetings.
Increased student awareness
about AIDS can help prevent the
spread of the disease and also help get
rid of misconceptions about its trans
mission, Hill said.
“We need to help students be
come aware of the real facts,” he
said.
Thirteen racouetbalJ and waitevbell courts or*
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basketball court are part of phase II of the Campus
Recreation protect.
Rec center used heavily
in first week of classes
By Chria Tipton
Staff Reporter
More than 3,000 University
of Nebraska-Uncoln stu
dents have used the new
Recreation Center since it opened
its doors last week.
Bill Goa, coordinator of infor
mal recreation and facilities, said
about 3,000 students used the, new
weight training and conditioning
room during the first week
Students also used the jogging
track and racquctbail courts that
were ned Friday.
UI sophomore Coley
O’Doherty said he thought the rec
center was ‘ excellent for a student
facility.”
O’Doherty, who has been to the
facility at the University of Ne
braska at Omaha, said, UNL of
fers a lot more for the casual ath
lete and power lifter and body
builder. Also, the people who work
here art really friendly ami willing
to help.”
Paul Dodson, an industrial en
gineering major, said he thought
the new weight room was much
better than the old one.
“Last year’s (weight room) was
a dungeon compared to this,”
Dodson said.
Stan Campbell, director of
campus recreation, said the swim
ming pool and the basketball
oourts could be open by the end of
the week.
The swimming pool is specially
designed for swimming laps, he
said. It is a five-lane pool with a
See RECREATION on 5
