t
ASUN passes bylaws;
racial, sexual minorities
achieve representation
uy Adeana Left In
Staff Reporter
At its final meeting Wednesday
night, this year’s AS UN
achieved its yearlong goal by
creating a new committee and sub
committee to represent racial minori
ties and gays/lesbians/bisexuals.
Students sup
porting a bylaw ! IKI
amendment that ™wV#ll
would have al- |
lowed the two
committees to
have quotas had
to settle for a
standing Racial
Affairs Committee and a Gay/Les
bian/Bisexual Subcommittee, under
the authority of the Campus Life
Committee.
Legislation failed that would have
created a standing Gay/Lesbian/Bi
sexual Committee.
However, AS UN did pass a bylaw
proposed by Teachers College Sen.
Steve Thomlison that would create a
such a subcommittee on the same
level as the disabled and international
student subcommittees created on
March 6.
Lynn Kister, a member of the gay/
lesbian/bisexual community, said she
was “really angry” at ASUN’s ac
tions.
“I guess they (senators) consider
racism a bigger problem than heter
osexism on our campus,” she said.
Because the committees cannot
have quotas, the legislation creating
the Racial Affairs Committee “strongly
encourages that the following racial
perspectives are presented on this
committee: African American, Asian
American, Caucasian American,
Latino American, Native American.”
In a letter to the Association of
Students of the University of Nebraska,
AS UN President Phil Gosch stated
that it was still his opinion that “an
appointment process that ‘strongly
encourages’ discrimination will ef
fectively deny membership on the
basis of race or sexual orientation.”
Gosch said that he thought the
appointments were still in violation
of the Student Court’s decision that
quotas for the committees were un
constitutional.
He cited the two subcommittees
created for disabled students and inter
national students and said that creat
ing committees at two levels would
seem to place more importance on the
standing committees.
According to Thomlison, Gosch
has eight class days to sign or veto the
legislation. If Gosch does nothing in
the fewer than eight class days re
maining before the new senate is in
stalled, the bill will die.
College of Arts and Sciences Sen.
Angela Green co- sponsored the by
law that would have allowed the
committees to have quotas.
When the bylaw failed, Green,
another senator and several students
at the meeting, walked out.
She said that she was tired of try ing
to get the committees created and
never achieving anything.
Green said she thought many of
the senators “copped out” and didn’t
vote for the bylaw because they were
afraid it wouldn ’ t get past the Student
Court.
The bylaw that created the Racial
Affairs Committee with suggestions
on representation was not completely
satisfactory to Green.
Attorney: Protesters
should be pardoned
By Lisa Donovan
Senior Reporter
incoln Mayor Bill Harris should
pardon protesters who were
arrested for trespassing on city
property when they tried to impede
the bulldozing of 70 trees in Cooper
Park last winter, a Lincoln attorney
said.
The Lancaster County District Court
found Monday that Cooper Park be
longs to the state, not the city, and
Miles Johnston Jr., a Lincoln attor
ney, said that some people have asked
him about those who pleaded guilty
to trespassing. Johnston has pointed
them to Hams.
Last winter, the city decided to
change a four-block area of land, at
Sixth and D streets, into a recreation
area for a school. The project, which
involved the felling of 70 trees, was
protested by environmentalists who
argued against the city’s tree cutting
because the land belonged to the state.
The South Salt Creek Community
Organization filed a lawsuit contend
ing that the land belonged to the state,
which would have made the city’s
contract with the school district inva
lid. The court ruled that the land be
longed to the city.
The ruling filed Monday by Dis
trict Judge Jeff re Cheuvront reversed
the earlier decision and said the Cooper
Park land belongs to the state and not
the city.
Cheuvront said in the ruling that in
1867, a four-square-block area was
“platted’’ to the city and became known
as Lincoln Park.
Johnston explained that the “plat”
of the thcn-Lincoln Park was a map
transferring the property from the state
to the city, but wasn’t acknowledged
See COOPER on 3
Joe Helnzlie/Daily Nebraskan
A yellow ribbon in Architectural Hall, the former law building, hangs above students
making their way to class.
Untie yellow ribbon, student says
By Heather Heinisch
Staff Reporter
The yellow ribbon hung across
the face of the former
law school building in the
College of Architecture has come
under fire recently from a student
who claims a political statement is
being made on state property.
Paul Koester, a junior horticul
lure major, said the ribbon shows
blind support for U.S. policy in the
Persian Gulf.
The ribbon has gone hand-in
hand with support for the war all
along, he said, and is putting forth
a definite message.
Koester said he wants the rib
bon taken down in compliance with
the university policy regarding
bulletin boards.
According to Kocstcr, the gen
eral purpose bulletin board policy
states that no poster is to be affixed
to any trees, windows, doors, walls,
buildings or fence posts. Those who
violate the policy are charged the
removal fee, he said.
Ray Coffey, University of Ne
braska-Lincoln business manager,
See RIBBON on 3
The United States vows to continue
downing Iraqi warplanes. Page 2.
Diversions dreams of Spring Break.
Page 5.
Potential Husker point guard spotted
— at intramurals. Page 13.
Wire INDEX 2
Opinion 4
Diversions 5
Environmental resource center waits for space
uy mreiiuy mavrani
Staff Reporter
Availability and accessibility of infor
mation arc n jt synonymous when envi
ronmental issues arc in question, Dave
Regan of Ecology Now said of the motivation
behind opening an environmental resource center
in the Nebraska Union.
Actually getting space in the union appears
to be the project’s only hitch.
“We want to create one place people could
come to for answers about the environment.
The key is accessibility. It all depends on the
union miaiu, *aiu i\cgan, me project organ
izer. “There’s a shortage of space — every
body wants some.”
Ecology Now, the Biology Club-Tri Beta,
the Natural Resources Law Society and the
Wildlife Club are teaming up to form the
Operations Committee, which will oversee the
development of the resource center.
Regan and the presidents of each of the four
groups met with Vice Chancellor for Student
Affairs James Gricsen and University of Ne
braska Foundation representative Kevin Meyer
on Wednesday night to examine and discuss a
preliminary agreement to establish a fund for
me environmental resource center through the
foundation.
The group plans to reassemble April 3 to
sign a final agreement after the preliminary
version is approved and possibly revised by the
foundation’s attorney.
Regan said establishing a fund through the
foundation would enable private donors to obtain
tax deductions on donations to the resource
center. According to foundation criteria, these
donated lunds could not be used to support
lobbying efforts or what Regan called “overtly
See ENVIRONMENT on 3