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WEATHER INDEX
I Wednesday, mostly cloudy, windy and warmer, News.2
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April 18, 1990 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 89 No./<46
Students denounce new ‘fighting words’ plan
By Emily Rosenbaum
Senior Reporter
Most members of a committee
established to review the
“fighting words” proposal
denounced the new plan Tuesday,
saying, among other things, it would
inhibit free speech and is vague.
The Proposed Student Code of
Conduct Review Committee, made
up of four ASUN senators and five
student-at-large members, met for the
first time Tuesday to begin work on
an analysis of the proposed code of
conduct.
The fighting words policy would
fall under the misconduct section of
the code and would prohibit harass
ment by fighting words.
Marsha Babcock, committee
member and a second-year UNL law
student, said the partial definition of
fighting words as a “matter of com
mon knowledge” could cause prob
lems because students bring diverse
backgrounds and experiences to UNL.
— * * ,,.....
*41 would hate to see a whole popu
lation of students walking around afraid
to say anything,” he said. ‘‘I don’t
believe the university is any place to
hinder free speech.”
W V
I don’t believe the university is any place to
hinder free speech.
Sackschewsky
committee member
m a
‘‘What is common knowledge to
one group may not be common knowl
edge to another group,” Babcock said.
Clark Sackschewsky, committee
member and a second-year law stu
dent, said he is concerned the policy
would restrict free speech on campus.
-———— w w —*
Chris Potter, ASUN arts and sci
ences senator and committee mem
ber, said the policy is an attempt at
“stamping out bigotry and preju
dice,” which is of “paramount im
portance at UNL.”
“I don’t think this (policy) is the
way to do it,” he said.
‘‘It’s just too vague.”
The code defines fighting words
as4 ‘those personally abusive epithets
of a lewd, obscene, vulgar, profane,
defamatory, insulting or fighting na
ture which, when directly addressed
to a person, arc by their very utter
ance in the context used and as a
mailer of common knowledge likely
to incite an immediate breach of the
peace, whether or not they actually
do so.”
Babcock, who has been studying
the constitutionality of the policy,
said she thinks it probably would pass
First Amendment scrutiny.
She said she feels Vice Chancellor
for Student Affairs James Gnesen
had ‘‘noble reasons” for creating the
proposed policy. But “down the road,”
she said, other administrators may
not handle the policy and its enforce
ment the same way Griesen says he
would.
Sackschcwsky agreed, saying the
“implementation (of the policy) could
be hazardous.”
Julie Jorgensen, committee mem
ber, said the policy could cover many
areas, including the recent ban of T
shirts sold by Students for Choice.
The T-shirts read, “The Incredible
Shs inking Woman’s Right to Choose”
and “Rated PG, papal guidance sug
gested.”
Although university officials rein
stated the right to sell the shirt, Jor
gensen said the shirt’s message could
be taken as “fighting words” under
the proposed policy by pro-life sup
porters or Catholics.
See FIGHT on 3
Residence hall students
slow to complete census
By Roger Price
Staff Reporter
The Bureau of the Census is having some
difficulty getting students living in
University of Ncbraska-Lincoln resi
dence halls to complete their census forms, an
official said.
Ken Dermann, special place operations
supervisor for the Lincoln office of the census,
said there is “some lack of concern among
students about the importance of completing
the information” on the forms.
Because the bureau has no way of forcing
students to turn in their forms, Dermann said,
all he can do is hope students realize the signifi
cance of the census.
“We had hoped that our student population
would have considered this an important thing
to do,” he said.
Doug Zatcchka, director of university hous
ing, said his office is encouraging students to
complete the forms.
Zatcchka said fliers have been placed in the
residence halls, and announcements have been
made at student government meetings.
Although people normally arcn tallowed to
go door-to-door in the residence halls, Zat
echka said, an exception is being made for
census workers.
Despite those efforts, Zatcchka said, “it
ultimately comes down to the student.”
Dermann said response from sororities was
‘‘generally excellent” while response from
fraternities was mixed.
The bureau is having similar problems gel
ling forms returned at Kearney Stale College,
he said.
At smaller institutions, such as Concordia
College, Union College and Nebraska Wesleyan
University, compliance has been much better,
he said.
Census employees will contact those who
have not filled out the forms by the end of this
week, Dermann said.
Follow-up interviews will begin May 1, he
said.
Although there arc federal penalties for fail
ing to complete census forms, Dermann said,
students should realize that completing the
forms is ‘‘ just an obligation of being a citizen
of the United Slates.”
Regents candidate stresses
improved higher education
By Matt Herek
Staff Reporter
A candidate for the NU Board of Regents
said higher education tn Nebraska should
be the key to the long-term future of the
state.
Charles Wilson, a Lincoln cardiologist run
ning in District I, said the main emphasis of
Nebraska’s economy is going to have to switch
from agriculture to service.
And higher education will have loehange to
reflect that switch, he said.
Nebraska was not chosen to be the site of a
U S West research center in 1987 because it
didn’t have the higher education research pro
grams the company required, he said.
Nebraska survived that blow, he said, “but
over the long haul we’re going to have to
recruit the U S Wests to Nebraska.”
The hoard has to be more committed to the
goals of higher education and less to day-to
day management of the University of Nebraska,
Wilson said.
“In a lot of ways the future of this state
hinges on what the board does,” he said.
The important issue is not parking, the stu
dent-regent vote or the cost of tuition, he said,
but the quality of programs offered at colleges
and universities.
The board has to know what excellence in
higher education is and how to achieve it, he
said.
He cited an Omaha World-Herald poll of
top Omaha area high school students that showed
74 percent of them were going away to college
because of their perception of the University of
Nebraska.
See REGENT on 3
Official says epidemic still possible
From Staff Reports
Although the single reported measles ease
in Lincoln is not a UNL student, a UNL
official said the university still has
chances of an epidemic on campus.
KunlcOjikulu, health center adminisualor,
said the chances have been reduced since the
mass immunization last spring at the Univer
sity of Ncbraska-Lincoln.
But new students and students who haven’t
complied with the immunization requirement
increase the chances of a measles epidemic
like in spring 1989, he said.
Currently, there are 26 reported measles
eases at Creighton University in Omaha.
It is recommended that a person be immu
nized two times, once in early childhood and a
second time during adolescence, he said.
Ojikutu said he doesn’t foresee any mass
immunization for measles like last spring because
the university has an immunization program.
The university is “in far better position now
than before when we had the crisis last year,’’
he said. L
William Lauer Daily Nebraskan
Pub manager Scott Parish, a senior in the Teachers College, says
response to the bar has been positive. Business has fluctuated the first
two weeks because of Easter, Parish said, but already a regular clientele
has developed.
Pub opens in Reunion food court
Business booms at new bar
By Kara Wells
Staff Reporter
Although Lincoln’s newest bar. The
Pub, did not advertise before open
ing, tho first week of business was
“really good,” according to Scott Parish,
manager and bartender.
“We even had our first drunk Thursday
night,” he said.
Parish said the bar, which opened in the
Reunion food court April 11, will be adver
tiscd in the future. So far, he said, it has
mainly attracted college students.
“A lot of the business comes from the
engineering building,” Parish said.
Kip Look, who said he is already a
“regular” of The Pub, said he enjoys the
atmosphere of the bar.
“They have good beer,” he said, . .
and darts, too.”
Parish said he hopes the bar will attract
See PUB on 3