Correction: In a story about 'Take Back the Night," (DN. April 23) Bemie Glaser s name
was spelled incorrectly. The Daily Nebraskan regrets this error.
WEATHER INDEX
Tuesday, considerable cloudiness and breezy, News..2
30 percent chance of thundershowers, high Editorial.4
around 80, south wind 15-25 miles per hour sports 5
Tuesday night, mostly cloudy, 30 percent chance Arts. Entertainment s
of thundershowers, low in the low-60s. Wednes- ' * Entertainment 6
day, partly sunny and breezy, 30 percent chance uassmeas.6
of thundershowers, high in the low- to mid-80s
~ Vol.89No. 140
David Hansen/Daily Nebraskan
Relaxing in the shade
Jim Begay of 133 S. 18th St. kicks back and relaxes on Monday afternoon.
Free speech rights an issue
for ‘fighting words’ policies
By Jennifer O’Cilka
Staff Reporter
Administrators of three universities agreed
that schools considering a “fighting
words’’ policy should closely scrutinize
rights of free speech before drafting a proposal.
Darlene Ray-Johnson, student discrimina
tory policy administrator at the University of
Michigan, said the policy there was changed
after the original was challenged in U.S. Dis
trict Court. The court ruled that the original
policy was “unconstitutionally vague and
overbroad,’’ Ray-Johnson said.
While the old policy was short and simply
called for a non-hostile university environ
ment, Ray-Johnson said, the current policy
precisely discusses “fighting words” and the
intent behind them.
Phil Gosch, president of the Association of
Students of the University of Nebraska, said
the Michigan fighting words policy served as
an outline for the proposed policy at the Uni
versity of Ncbraska-Lincoln.
The Michigan policy states that “physical
acts or threats or verbal slurs... referring to an
individual’s race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sex
ual orientation, creed, national origin, ances
try, age or handicap, made with the purpose of
injuring the person to whom the words or
actions are directed and that are not made as a
part of a discussion or exchange of an ideal,
ideology or philosophy arc prohibited.”
Ray-Johnson said the document also con
tains a separate paragraph about using dis
criminatory language or threats “as a way to
gain sex.”
Michigan can discipline violators with the
following steps:
• forcing them to draft a formal apology
• a formal reprimand
• making them do community service
• special courses or workshops on discrimi
nation
• suspending them from courses
• making them pay restitution
• expulsion
Although no cases at Michigan have in
volved expulsion or suspension, Ray-Johnson
said, her office has dealt informally with 19 or
20 cases since the new policy went into effect
in September 1989. That estimate does not
include figures from other officers who take
such complaints, including residence assis
tants in dormitories.
ThenumberofcomplaintstoRay-Johnson’s
office was higher under the original policy, she
said.
“The number of incidents hasn’t gone down,
but the number of complaints has,” she said.
Ray-Johnson said she thinks the “narrower
definition” of “fighting words” may keep
students from making complaints.
She said most students complain about dis
criminatory fliers and graffiti rather than face
to-face confrontations.
Black students at Michigan have criticized
the policy, saying it should not cover so many
issues, but be more devoted to racial slurs, she
said. But others are happy to have a place to file
specific complaints, she said.
Sally Cole, judicial affairs officer at Stan
ford University, said administrators there are a
few weeks away from deciding on a proposed
harassment policy.
She said the policy, written by a law expert,
defines certain expression as being beyond the
limits of free speech. If proof is given that an
oral or written statement injures an individual,
penalties range from a letter from the univer
sity president to suspension, Cole said.
She said Stanford’s policy was written with
three goals in mind: symbolism, education and
enforceable policy. Symbolism means univer
sity officials want to appear to be fighting
discrimination, she said._
* See WORDS on 3
UNL reports first measles case;
health center urges immunizations
From Staff Reports
University Health Center officials began
Monday contacting the professors of a
University of Nebraska-Lincoln student
who was diagnosed Saturday with rubeola, or
red measles.
Dr. Gerald Fleischli, medical director of the
health center, said officials are asking profes
sors to warn their students of the case and rec
ommending a second immunization for all
“face-to face” contacts of the student.
One case of measles is considered an epi
demic, but Fleischli said health officials are
handling the case ‘ ‘a lot more low key than last
year” when one case of rubeola measles led to
mass immunizations and about 25 measles
cases at UNL.
The student, a male undergraduate, lives in
the Phi Della Theta fraternity house and is a
teacher’s assistant in the Keller Plan psychol
ogy office.
Fleischli said students who visited the psy
chology office at 105 Burnett Hall from 12:30
3:30 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. April 16 or from 1:30
3:30 p.m. Thursday also should have a second
immunization shot if their first was before age
1.
Even students who were immunized after
age 1 may not be immune to the disease.
Flcischli said the immunization process is not
100 percent effective - the student diagnosed
Saturday had been properly immunized.
Any students uncertain of their immuniza
tion record should contact the health center at
472-7400.
In general, Fleischli said, students should be
aware of the case and go to the health center if
they develop a red rash. The rash begins on the
face in the form of liny blisters that crust over,
Flcischli said, and moves down the arms and
torso.
State and health center officials arc working
together to find out where the student may have
contacted the disease.
Judge says crisis in United States
caused by drugs, sacrifice of ethics
By Emily Rosenbaum
Senior Reporter
Chief Justice William Hastings of the
Nebraska Supreme Court said the
United States faces a “moral de
cay.”
“Today America is facing a crisis,” he
said Monday in the Nebraska Union, at a
speech in conjunction with Criminal Justice
Day.
Hast ings, in his 26th year as a judge, said
die moral and ethical crisis is partly ‘ ‘attrib
utable to drugs.”
Hastings said he doesn’t know how much
headway law enforcement officials and mem
bers of the legal system can make against
drugs.
Thai’s because one reason for the ‘ ‘drug
syndrome is the T syndrome,’” he said.
Recent trends in the United States arc for
people to ask “‘what’s in it for me?’” he
said, and a concern ior material possessions
and status symbols.
The Iran-Contra and Franklin Credit Union
scandals are two examples of declining ethics,
Hastings said.
Sunday’s Earth Day celebration was the
“perfect example of what we ought to be
doing,” he said, to set a good example for
children.
Placing criminals in jails won’t stop drug
sales, he said. Moral values, he said, must be
instilled in children.
Although he said he doesn’t believe
inmates should be treated like guests at a
“Hilton Hotel,” it is dangerous not to allow
prisoners benefits such as going outside.
Hastings said it would be less expensive
to use “intensive supervision” of some
criminals than to imprison them all.
The average cost of imprisoning one
inmate per year at the state penitentiary is
$18,000, Hastings said, while intensive
supervision would cost only $450.
Severing ties difficult for retiring regents secretary
By Jerry Guenther
Stuff Reporter
Ever since he was a child attend
ing Nebraska football games,
William Swanson said, he has
been attracted to the University of
Nebraska.
Through the years, Swanson’s at
traction to the University of Nebraska
has grown, culminating in his deci
sion to accept the position of N U vice
president for governmental relations
and corporate secretary in 1974.
Now, as the 67-ycar-old prepares
for his May retirement as secretary to
the NU Board of Regents, it is his
affiliation with those who have worked
with him lhal Swanson said he will
miss most.
“It’s been a great pari of my life,”
Swanson said. “Just severing that
association will be difficult.”
Swanson, a Lincoln stale senator
from 1967 to 1972, said he came to
the university at the urging of former
NU President D.B. “Woody" Varner.
Swanson said his senatorial expe
rience was an asset when he arrived at
NU because his position initially
required him to lobby for the univer
sity.
Although lobbying has its “ups
and downs,” Swanson said, he en
joyed working with senators.
“When limes and the economy
arc good, it’s much easier to work
with the Legislature to get a suitable
budget for the university.”
Swanson said one of the most dif
ficult times he experienced was in the
early and middle 1980s when the
economy was in a slump and former
Gov. Bob Kerrey and the Legislature
ordered mid-year budget cuts.
He resigned as vice president for
governmental relations in 1986 after
a study recommended separating the
governmental relations and corporate
secretary positions.
Swanson said he enjoyed working
both jobs, but that the lime commit
ment they required was challenging.
Lee Rupp, vice president for uni
vcrsity relations, now handles most
governmental relations.
As corporate secretary, Swanson
said, he keeps records for the regents,
sets agendas for meetings and serves
as a liaison for the regents.
Although Swanson said he remem
bers many of the meetings, one he
often is asked about is one that he
wasn’t even at.
That was the July 31,1989, meet
ing when the regents voted to remove
former NU President Ronald Roskens.
Swanson said that meeting was
attended only by the regents and their
general counsel, and was closed to
everyone else, including himself.
While he has been associated with
the university, Swanson said, he has
been pleased to see how each of its
three branches have developed to fill
separate missions.
Another pleasing aspect of his job
has been working with students, fac
ulty members and administrators, he
said.
“The people, by and large, have
just been outstanding,” Swanson said.
“I’m going to miss that.”
Regent Rosemary Skrupa of Omaha
said she wishes Swanson wasn ’t retir
ing.
“He just has an extraordinary sense
of humor,” Skrupa said. “He’s the
See SWANSON on 3
