I E
Partly sunny and warm today
with the high 65-70 and a
northwest wind 5-15 shifting to
the southeast. Tonight, clear
with the low in the !ow-40s.
Mostly sunny Friday with the
high in the mid-70s.
Old business
faces senators
of new ASUN
By Adeana Leftin
Staff Reporter
As new ASUN senators were
installed Wednesday night, the
previous year’s senators passed
on more than their congratulations;
they passed on the still-unresolved
issue of a Racial Affairs committee.
Ex-Associa
tion of Students taciim
of the University w IM
of Nebraska
President Phil
Gosch fulfilled
his threat not to
sign the bylaw
passed by the
senate two weeks ago creating a Racial
Affairs standing committee.
Gosch said the issues of fairness
and consistency kept him from sign
ing the bylaw.
“It’s unfair and probably inher
ently discriminatory to have three
subcommittees deal with discrimina
tion and one standing committee,” he
said.
Secondly, Gosch said, ASUN
needed a consistent command struc
ture, and he said the differing levels
of committees were inconsistent.
Two weeks ago, when the Racial
Affairs committee was established,
“ ASUN also created a subcommittee
for Gays/Lesbians/Bisexuals on an
equal plane with the subcommittees
for Disabled students and Interna
tional students.
Two committees created last year
by ASUN for Racial Affairs and Gays/
Lesbians/Bisexuals were struck down
in February by the Student Court,
which ruled that the quota system
outlined for the committees was a
form of discrimination.
Before the senate voted on the
committee, Gosch wrote the senators
a letter informing them of his stand on
the committee and why he would not
sign the bylaw if it passed.
The letter expressed Gosch’s con
cerns that the committee was uncon
stitutional, not because it discrimi
nated by outlining a quota system for
the committee, but because il“asked”
the appointments board to discrimi
nate.
See ASUN on 3
Classic
gracefulness
Above:
Dancers (from left) Suzanne
Rouse, Heather Hetrick, Viv
ian Knaub and Mark Jarecke
practice during intermediate
dance class in the Johnny
Carson Theater at the Lied
Center for Performing Arts on
Wednesday morning.
Right:
Vivian Knaub, a junior dance
major, checks her form in the
mirror during an intermediate
dance class in the Johnny Car
son Theater Wednesday.
Joe Heinzle/Daily Nebraskan
Joe Helnzle/Daily Nebraskan
Graft of Newton s inspiration comes to UNL
By Thomas Clouse
Staff Reporter
The same inspiration that helped Sir Isaac
Newton consider the laws of gravity
nearly 300 years ago will be planted on
the University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus
today.
UNL will become the first university in the
United States to plant a tree grafted from the
original tree that inspired Newton, a university
professor said.
“Hopefully this tree will be a symbol of
science, and we’re hoping it will convey the
idea to the public that science isn’t drudgery.
it’s fun," said Joseph Young, UNL professor
emeritus of horticulture.
Young said he and Dr. Edwin Lyman of
Lincoln became interested in the tree after
reading a biography of Newton in 1986.
Young and Lyman contacted Richard G.W.
Keesing, a senior lecturer in the physics depart
ment of England’s York University, who helped
arrange for scions of Newton’s tree to be sent to
Nebraska in 1987.
Keesing said there are only four or five
grafted trees stemming from Newton’s tree in
England: one in Canada, one in New Zealand,
at least one in Australia and the rest in the
United States.
Scions arc twigs from a parent plant that arc
grafted onto the root stalks of another plant.
The scions then become the top of the new
plant, Young said.
When the scions of the tree arrived at UNL
in 1987 from Newton’s birthplace in Woolst
horpe Manor in Lincolnshire, England, horti
culture professors Paul Read and William
Gustafson supervised the grafting process, in
which 10 new trees were produced.
The trees were quarantined for three years
in accordance with U.S. Department of Agri
culture regulations. One tree has been placed in
reserve in case the tree planted near Bchlen
Physics Lab is damaged, Young said.
The planting will take place today at 3 p.m.
on the south side of Bchlcn Lab in honor of
Newton and his publication, “Philosopliiae
Naluralis Principia Mathematic,” or Mathe
matical Principles of Natural Philosophy, which
was 300 years old in 1987.
A reception will follow at 3:20 p.m. in
Room 201 of Brace Laboratory. Keesing will
discuss the story of die tree at a 3:45 p.m.
seminar in Room 211 Brace Laboratory.
The event is sponsored by UNL’s Depart
ments of Physics and Astronomy, Classics and
Horticulture and the Nebraska Statewide Ar
boretum.
Diversions returns from
Spring Break and tells all. Page
5.
Huskers split doubleheader
with No. 12 Creighton in two
extra-inning games. Page 13.
Wire INDEX 2
Opinion 4
Diversions 5
Sports 13
Classifieds_14_
Official: Problems in financial aid office over
By Michelle Wing
Staff Reporter
Problems in the Office of Schol
arships and Financial Aid at
the University of Nebraska
Lincoln are history, the office’s di
rector said.
“It’s very, very different now,”
John Beacon said. “(The problems in
die ;t) are not even a question.”
nks to more efficient opera
tion in the office and the fact that
there were few federal regulation
changes, Beacon said, financial aid
award letters could be out to students
as early as mid-Mav for next year.
The office was plagued with prob
lems four years ago, despite the in
stallation of a new computer system.
In the fall of 1987, UNL students
petitioned for the university to ad
dress the problems in the office, such
as long lines, bad communication and
slow service.
According to a letter sent to deans,
directors and department heads, the
anticipated early distribution of award
letters for next year is because there
were few federal financial aid changes
this year in the way the need for aid is
determined.
Rules and regulations arc changed
by Congress every year, Beacon said,
and require the office to adjust.
The office also encounters delays
in processing award letters when the
American College Testing service
changes the financial aid form that
UNL uses, called the Family Finan
cial Statement.
Beacon said that even when there
are minimal regulation changes, award
letters are sometimes delayed because
of late student applications.
“We are sending out (this year’s)
award letters now because students
applied late,” he said.
