WEATHER INDEX
Today, mostly sunny and cooler, north wind 10- News Digest.2
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dear, low in the mid 30s. Saturday, partly sunny sports.7
and warmer, high near 70. Arts & Entertainment.9
Classifieds.11
October 12, 1990 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Vol. 90 No. 34
Poster is creating
unholy controversy
By Michael Ho
Staff Reporter
A poster calling for pro-choice students to
“Picket the Pope’s Mouthpiece” left a
bad taste in the mouths of some who
saw it.
The flier asks that students picket tonight’s
Lincoln appearance by Cardinal John O’Con
nor of New York, an outspoken critic of abor
tion. His criticism of Geraldine Ferraro, a pro
choice Catholic who ran for vice president,
made national headlines during the 1984 cam
paign.
Some fliers said to call the Women’s Re
source Center for more information while oth
ers listed the center’s phone number without
mentioning its name.
Gina Matkin, a center coordinator, said her
organization isn’t sponsoring the event but is
allowing picket sponsors to receive messages
on the center’s phone. She said any campus
group can ask the center’s governing board for
permission to use the phone.
“Anyone can do that,” she said. “Students
for Life could do that if they wanted.”
The problem, she said, is that some versions
of the flier — as well as one classified adver
tisement — specifically mentioned the cen
ter’s name.
Groups using the center’s phone are sup
posed to indicate specific contact names, she
said, and not say that the Women’s Resource
Center is involved.
“It’s implying that we’re co-sponsoring the
event by putting our name in there,” she said.
The poster said the rally is sponsored by
Students for Choice, Early Warning! and the
Gay/Lesbian Student Association. Some post
ers found on East Campus originally listed
another group’s name, which was obscured by
correction fluid.
A headline reading “Picket the Pope’s
Mouthpiece” was across the top of both ver
sions.
Brad Munn, University of Ncbraska-Lin
coln Affirmative Action officer, said some
callers to his office had labeled the posters
“religious bigotry.”
“You can be a protester... without going to
such an extreme that you hurt people in the
process,” he said.
Eldonna Rayburn, a coordinator of Students
for Choice, said she hadn’t seen the poster but
knew of its content and didn’t think it was
offensive.
“I don’t think we’re unfairly targeting the
Catholic Church,” she said, “because it’s the
See POSTER on 3
Plan for achievement-based aid
criticized as unfair to the poor
By Sara Bauder Schott
Senior Reporter
AU.S. Department of Education proposal
to link federal financial aid with aca
demic achievement could cause hard
ships for some students, an official said.
John Beacon .director of the Office of Schol
arships and Financial Aid at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln, said he thought the pro
posal could make it hard for disadvantaged
students to attend college.
The education department proposal would
revamp the federal financial aid program to
“reward excellence and success” in education,
Secretary of Education Lauro Cavazos said in
a speech Sept. 26.
Setting low standards for disadvantaged
students encourages them not to achieve, Ca
vazos said. The proposal for performance-based
aid reflects the belief that such students can do
well in school, he said.
But all students would not have the opportu
nity to go to school if the proposal passed.
Beacon said.
“It kind of smacks of the prc-World War II
era when only the well-to-do could afford to go
tocollcgc/’hcsaid/'Ourcountry’sphilosophy
has been to provide the opportunity for the
average citizen to obtain a college education.”
Community colleges could be especially
hard hit by the proposal because they have
open-door admissions policies, Beacon said.
The mission of community colleges is to pro
vide an opportunity for the average citizen
regardless of grades, he said.
The policy also might encourage students to
choose easy classes instead of the ones that
See ACADEMIC on 6
Jeff Willett/Daily Nebraskan
Former Sen. John Tower responds to a student’s question at the College of
Law. Tower was at the law college on Thursday to speak about U.S. involve
ment in the Persian Gulf.
Tower’s ‘boozer’ remark
angers Exon, Democrats
By Lee Rood
Senior Editor
Allegations by retired Texas Sen. John
Tower about Nebraska Sen. Jim Exon
overshadowed much of Tower’s visit
to Lincoln Thursday and left the success of
his campaign trip for Exon’s opponent on
the rocks.
The former Republican senator said
Thursday morning in Omaha that, although
he could not verify the rumor, Exon “has a
reputation of being one of the biggest booz
ers in the United States Senate,’’ The Asso
ciated Press reported.
The remark came after Tower was asked
about the Senate’s rejection of his nomina
tion for secretary of defense in March 1989.
Tower was in Nebraska campaigning for
Hal Daub, Republican challenger for the
Senate.
Exon said rumors that Towcr had a drink
ing problem had made him the first senator
to announce that he could not in good con
science support Tower’s nomination.
Tower spoke briefly about politics in the
Persian Gulf Thursday on East Campus but
made no reference to his earlier remarks
about Exon.
In a prepared statement released Thurs
day afternoon from Exon’s office in Wash
ington, the Nebraska senator said he “felt
sorry for John Tower.”
“He is obviously an embittered man,” he
said.
Tower’s charges “arc without any foun
dation whatsoever and arc outright false
hoods,” Exon said. “I certainly invite any
inquiry from any of the senators that he
mentioned or others as to my deportment.”
See TOWER on 6
Official credits services
UNL handicapped student enrollment increases
JL *
Student Use of Handicapped Services
4001
number of students
300
200
■r i
83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
Source: Handicapped Student Services ___
Brian She lit to/Dally Nabraskai
By Erik Unger
Staff Reporter
The number of handicapped stu
dents at the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln has been
increasing rapidly as students take
advantage of what one official called
the state’s most extensive program.
Christy Horn said that since she
began work as coordinator of Handi
capped Student Services at UNL two
years ago, handicapped enrollment
has increased 56 percent, from 225
students to 400 in 1990-91.
The number of students using
Handicapped Services has increased
every year since 1983 and has more
than doubled since 1987, Horn said.
She said 83 freshmen enrolled in the
service this year.
The increase in students is not
because of recruiting, she said.
“Our reputation is good,’.’ she said.
“There is no need to recruit.’’
Services for students include note
takers and an upgraded computer
system that connects to the card cata
log in Love Library.
The expanded computer system,
one of the most sophisticated in the
1 country, has helped attract more
handicapped students to UNL, Horn
said.
Handicapped Services gained a full
time coordinator when Horn was hired
two years ago.
Handicapped students can expect
more services in the future, she said.
“44 -
Our reputation is good.
There is no need to
recruit.
Horn
UNL coordinator of handi
capped services
-ft -
Handicapped Services is working
on getting color strips placed on the
stairs around campus to help visually
impaired students, Horn said.
And, Horn said, more curb cuts
and automatic building entrances are
needed. Now, she said, students find
some handicapped entrances difficult
to use.
Horn said she is working to in
crease awareness about the capabili
ties of disabled students. This will
include a Disability Awareness Week
in March.