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November 3, 1989 ,__University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 89 No. ^ifC\
[UNL officials, Visser take the stand
I By Eric Pfanner
Senior Editor
and Jerry Guenther
Senior Reporter
t ■ 1 o one University of Nebraska
Lincoln official, Mary Jane
Visser’s case against the uni
versity represents a “full-scale war. ’ ’
In the third day of a U.S District
Court trial, Visser’s attorney said that
UNL Affirmatvc Action Officer Brad
Munn wrote in an Aug. 19, 1988,
letter to Vice Chancellor for Student
Affairs James Griesen that Visser
“has declared a full-scale war, and
not just a battle’ ’ on the university.
At that point, her attorney, Thom
Cope, stood up and asked Griesen
whether it wasn’t actually the other
way around — that the university had
declared a war on Visser.
“No,” Griesen replied.
Thursday, Visser again testified
that she was fired Sept. 2,1988, from
her job as a general studies adviser
because of her investigation into stu
dent athletes’ academic records.
Griesen testified that she was fired
because of poor job performance.
Visser is seeking her job back,
damages for emotional distress, back
pay and compensation for attorney’s
fees.
Griesen said a meeting about the
General studies adviser says she took records from office
Visser situation in the summer of
1988 was prompted by Nebraska
football coach Tom Osborne’s con
cern that general studies advisers
were not concerned with helping stu
dent athletes.
Griesen said Osborne, in the June
17 meeting, delivered a “mono
logue” in which he said advisers
were fighting “conditional” admis
sion students, rather than helping
them. Conditional admission stu
dents are those possibly facing dis
missal from the university for poor
academic performance.
Donald Gregory, director of gen
eral studies, John Beacon, admis
sions director, and “probably A1
Papik,” assistant athletic director for
administrati vc/academic services,
also were present at the meeting,
Griesen said.
Visser testified Thursday that she
“kept a file on irregularities” that
she found.
She said she first brought what she
perceived to be “irregularities” in
the treatment of student athletes to
the attention of Fred Wagner, then
Faculty Senate Grading Committee
chairman, in the summer of 1987
She defined an irregular activity
as ‘ ‘something that is not appropriate
fora college.”
In testimony Thursday afternoon,
Wagner said Visser approached him
in the summer of 1987 with a student
athlete’s high school transcript and
records of a summer health course
taken primarily by student athletes.
Wagner said Visser told him she
thought the transcript and records
were irregular.
‘My impression
was that he (Gre
gory) had a mis
understanding of
my behavior in
that office. ’
--Visser
The transcript, Gricsen said,
showed that the student had received
an F in IOth-grade English, a D in
llth-grade English and an A in his
senior English class. Visser had pre
viously testified that although the
student’s grades for the first two
years were typed., the student’s senior
year grades were handwritten.
Griesen described those inconsis
tencies as “unexpected,” not irregu
lar. He noted that the transcript
showed the student’s race as white,
even though the student is not white.
Wagner said Visser sent him a
photocopy of the transcript and rec
ords from the health course in the
summer of 1987.
Visser said student athletes sig
nificantly improved their grade point
averages during the summer because
they look the health course.
Visser also said she was concerned
that some Nebraska football players
played in the 1988 Fiesta Bowl even
though they didn’t pass any of their
fall semester classes.
The NCAA allows players to play
in bowl games after being dismissed
from school in this situation. But
Visser said that at the time she
thought it was irregular.
Wagner said Osborne contacted
him Feb. 12, 1^88, and was upSct
because he heard that a student ath
lete’s high school transcript was cir
culating around campus.
Wagner said he had given Visser’ s
information to Jim Lewis, then chair
man of the Faculty Senate. After Feb.
12, Wagner said, he met with Grie
sen, Osborne and other officials to
discuss the situation.
Prior to Wagner’s testimony, Vis
ser had said she never told Gregory,
her immediate supervisor before $he
was fired, that she was conducting the
investigation.
She also testified that she was
aware of university policy that stu
dent records were only accessible on
a ”need-to-know basis.”
Visser said she began her investi
gation after she read a March 31,
1987, newspaper article slating that
Osborne was concerned about
changes in academic standards for
athletes.
Griesen said Gregory told him in
the summer of 1988 that Visser’s
behavior in the office had been dis
ruptive.
Other workers in the office, Grie
sen said, also told him her behavior
was disruptive.
Visser said she kept a log of the
time she spent in her office after she
was reprimanded for being out of her
office too often. She said her job
performance was on par with other
general studies employees.
Visser cited a summary of stu
See TRIAL on 3
Professor: Economic factors
may end Chinese repression
By Cindy Wostrel
Staff Reporter
Apolitical science professor at the Uni
versity of Nebraska-Lincoln told about
50 students and faculty members
Thursday that economic factors will influence
whether repression will be ended in China.
David Forsythe, who has written two books
on human rights and global politics and U.S.
Foreign policy, said, “The leadership will be
more inclined to (end repression) if repression
is blocking economic recovery.”
‘The leadership will be
more inclined to (end
repression) If repression
is blocking economic
recovery/
-Forsythe
China was the first member of the United
Nations Security Council that was repri
manded for its infringement on human rights.
Other countries that have been reprimanded for
infringing on human rights include El Salvador
and Afghanistan. Not even the Soviet Union
has been reprimanded for its infringement on
human rights, Forsythe said.
China “has not historically been sympa
thetic to human rights,” Forsythe said. Even
Confucian ideas were not aimed at protecting
personal, human rights, he jaid.
Since 1949 there have been ei* atic demands
tor democracy and civil rights in China, For
sythe said, but there also has been repression in
response.
China has had periods where leaders case
repression and tolerate some democracy and
literary and cultural freedom, Forsythe said.
But these periods always are met by repression,
he said, especially in the 1960s and 1970s.
Early this year, for example, there was a
period of liberalization before the student re
volt, Forsythe said.
The revolt itself, he said, was “not just a
student movement.” Intellectuals, blue collar
workers and businessmen with vested interests
also supported the protest, he said.
But since the protest, Chinese leaders have
cracked down, Forsythe said.
The Chinese leadership has tried economic
perestroika while restricting glasnost, Forsythe
said. This contrasts with the Soviet Union
where extending human rights is a means to
restore political and economic power, he said.
Since 1985 Soviet bloc countries have had
revolutionary changes. China is not immune
from these changes, Forsythe said.
Forsythe said the Bush administration is
following a carefully calibrated policy in deal
ing with China. The policy of suspending arms
sales and high level official meetings and
shielding “bleeding Chinese” in U.S. embas
sies yet continuing open communication with
the Chinese constitutes a policy of “some
sanctions, some business as usual,” he said.
Beyond China, Forsythe said, this policy
may have strong negative effects. Other coun
tries may see that they can crush human rights
and lemocratic movements, he said, and not
feel the full wrath of U.S. sanctions.
Grant to finance UNL alcohol program
By Pattie Greene
Staff Reporter
A $130,000-plus federal grant will be
used to deal with alcohol-related prob
lems at the University of Nebraska
Lincoln, according to UNL health officials.
The University Health Center and the De
partment of Health Education received the
Fund for Improvement of Post-Secondary Edu
cation earlier this semester.
The FIPSE grant was created by William
Bennett, national drug czar and former secre
tary of education, and is awarded to universi
ties across the country to help fund programs
for alcohol and drug-related problems.
In the last three years, 200 grants have been
awarded, according to lan Newman, director of
the Nebraska Prevention Center for Alcohol
and Drug Abuse. This is the first grant received
by UNL.
The health center and health education
depaitment filled out an application last sum
mer.
David Hunnicut, project coordinator, said
data is being compiled now from the health
center’s student survey on alcohol and drug use
taken last spring.
4 ‘That will set the direction for the rest of the
project,” Hunnicut said.
After the data has been compiled, campus
alcohol policy will be examined by project
coordinators.
See FIPSE on 3
William Uuer/Daily Nabraskan
The football team isn't the only benefactor of the Cook Pavilion. The marching
band avoided a lip-chapping rehearsal Thursday morning, when tempera
tures were in the 20s, by using the practice field.
Underused shuttle a ‘stepping stone ’
From Staff Reports
The relatively unused shuttle service was
the major problem identified by the
Association of Students of the Univer
sity of Nebraska’s Parking Task Force Thurs
day.
Doug Oxley, chairman of the Parking Advi
sory Commiuee, said that although the shuttle
service has not been widely used by students,
he still thinks it can work.
.
Oxley said he parked in the Holdrege Street
parking lot one day this week and rode the
shuttle, which stops near the old Stormie’s
Kitchen, 1640 Holdrege St. The service is
“convenient and easy,” he said.
The shuttle stops at Lyman Hall on City
Campus and is free.
In the shuttle service’s first week of opera
tion, which ended Oct. 24, no one had used the
See PARKING on 3